America’s Got Talent the GREAT four year old…
Have FUN watching I know I did!
Collies…Enjoy!!!
The Collie is a large, lean, and a strong dog. The top of the skull is flat and the eyebrows are arched. The head is wedge-shaped and the muzzle is rounded tapering to the black nose, with a slight stop. The face is chiseled. The teeth should meet in a scissors bite. The medium sized eyes are almond shaped. Eye color is dark brown accept for blue merles, where the eyes may be blue or have one of each color. The small ears are 3/4 erect with the tips folding forward. The neck is fairly long. The body is slightly longer than it is tall. The legs are straight. The tail is moderately long with an upward twist or swirl at the end and is carried low. There are two coat varieties, the rough and smooth. The rough coat is long and abundant all over the body but is shorter on the head and legs an the coat forms a mane around the neck and chest. The outer coat is straight and harsh to the touch, and the undercoat is soft and tight. The smooth coat variety has a short one inch coat all over the body. Coat colors on both the rough and smooth variety include sable and white, tri color of black, white and tan, blue merle or predominantly white with sable, tri-color or blue merle markings.
The Collie is a highly intelligent dog. Sensitive, mild-mannered, sweet, easy to train and loyal. Usually good with other pets and friendly with other dogs. They are natural herders and puppies may try and herd humans, and need to be taught not to do this. Faithful, playful, docile and protective of their family members and good with children. Collies have an uncanny sense of direction. They are good-natured, friendly dogs. They are energetic outdoors. Socialize them well to prevent them from becoming wary of strangers. They are not aggressive, but they do tend to be suspicious of people they sense unstable vibes from. Daily pack walks are important. Without a firm, but calm, confident and consistent owner who sets the rules and sticks to them, they can become willful, stubborn and indolent. This breed should be trained gently, but with an air of authority or he will refuse to cooperate. A clean breed, the Collie is relatively easy to housebreak.
The Collie will do okay in an apartment as long as they are sufficiently exercised. They are relatively inactive indoors and do best with at least an average-sized yard. Sensitive to the heat. Provide plenty of shade and fresh water in warm weather.->
The stiff coat sheds dirt readily and a thorough weekly brushing will keep it in good condition. Take extra care when the soft dense undercoat is being shed. The Smooth variety has a one-inch coat and should be brushed every one to two weeks. If the long coated variety has a BIG matt, and the dog is not being used for show, the matt may need to be cut out, as opposed to combed out, as to avoid pain to the dog. Bathe or dry shampoo as necessary. The rough Collie sheds heavily twice a year, and the Smooth Collie is an average shedder.
The exact origin of the collie is unknown, but it was descended from generations of hard working herding dogs. For centuries the Rough Coated Collie was hardly known outside Scotland. Early Rough Collies were smaller, with broader heads and shorter muzzles. The dogs were used as water rescue, herders, guiding cows and sheep to market and for guarding the flock in Scotland and England. The breed’s name probably comes from its charge; the Scottish black-faced sheep called the Colley. In the 1860’s Queen Victoria kept Collies at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, making the dogs very popular. J.P. Morgan along with other wealthy people have owned Collies. In the late 1800′s the Collie was mixed with the Borzoi, and all show dogs had to have the Borzoi blood for them to win in the show ring. The working dogs separated, branched out and became the different breeds (with the Scotch Collie remaining) and the show type became what we see now, the large dogs with flatter faces. The Rough Collie is much more popular than the Smooth Collie. The Smooth Collie is more popular in Great Britain than it is in the United States, but is gaining some popularity in the States. The Smooth Collie is the same as the Rough Collie, but without the long coat. The AKC considers the Rough and Smooth Collies as varieties of the same breed and are judged by the same standard with the exception of the coat. The first Collie was presented at a dog show in 1860. The Collie was recognized by the AKC in 1885. The Collie is well known for it’s role in the movie “Lassie”, featuring a Rough Coated Collie as the main character. The Collies talents include herding, search and rescue, guide for the blind, agility, competitive obedience, acting in the movies, and as a guard and watch dog!
Spring Has Sprung…
” Hello classmates and Mr. Howell, this paragraph will be well developed about Spring!”
Spring brings broadly ideas of rebirth, renewal, and regrowth. Have you ever thought about the power and passion Spring really brings? We’ll think about it this way…A sense of warmth is tapping at the door, and hope and feeling out of the distance lore-or so it seems-clears the deep refrain.
So this is really how it all started, March 20 2010. I had just gotten home from school remembering I had a writing assignment. I threw my book bag on the floor and plumped on the couch, what a headache I whispered. I heard my moms loud voice in the distance, oh boy I thought just to make my headache worse.
“What do you have for homework?”
” We’ll lets see,” I said trying to skip the writing assignment. My mom finally came down and looked through my agenda.
“ We’ll it says under writing Spring has Sprung due Wednesday. Is that true?” She asked.
” OK, fine it is true!”
“ Why don’t you go start it?”
” Fine I will then.” I grabbed my writing journal and a pencil and walked out onto the deck where I sat on my wooden picnic bench.
For this assignment I will have to write about four senses, hear, smell, feel, and touch. Lets start with hear! ” Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!” I hear the lonely clear notes of a woodpecker, ” PECK PECK.” The soft cool whispers of the wind , the loud shouts of kids playing in the neighborhood and the annoying car motors drifting slowly away. I smell the clean fresh air, the bright yellow pollen that makes you sneeze, ” ACHOO,” and the warm inviting smell of a gorgeous daffodil. I feel the cozy blanket of sun surround me, the frosty wet sharp grass, and ridgety peeling bark on a tree. I see fluffy white clouds high in the sky, fascinating blooming flowers and the rich brown mulch.
We’ll it looks like it is getting dark, time for bed! Will I be able to go to bed? Has Spring really Sprung?!
Spring Is Here!!!
Today I read the book Abby Hayes Home Is Where The Heart Is written by Anne Mazer! The main character is Abby and the other characters are sisters, Eva and Isabel, brother, Alex, Olivia, ( mom ) Paul, ( dad ) and Brianna the bragger. Home is where the heart is for MOST of the family!!! ( siblings ) For once, the siblings are in total agreement. They DO NOT ” I repeat ” DO NOT want to move to Misty Acres in a brand new luxiours home. Abby won’t have to leave her school and awesome purple room but will have to live miles away from all her friends.
When Abby’s parents take her to THEIR new house Abby feels sick and left out and so do the sibilings. This all changes after her siblings EXCEPT her like the new swimming pool, lofts in the bedroom, arcade room, their very own bathrooms, and private ski hills! Will Abby find away to make her family move back to their old cozy house or will her new house ever feel like home?!
I can still remember the terrible accident as of today. It was a crystal clear summers day, when I was about seven years old. I just got my hot pink, sparkly, girlie bike ( that was my style then) and I was going to show it off today, the only day! I was so excited about riding on that bike I didn’t even stop to think, I grabbed my flip flops, threw on a cool tank top and scrambled to my bike like there was no tomorrow. I kicked the kickstand back with one motion and yelled behind me, ” MOM I’M GOING TO RIDE MY BIKE WITH MY BROTHERS.” I was to focused that before she came out to see if I had my safety gear on I was gone in a flash…
I rode down the street where my brothers were playing making a loud grinding skid! ” Come on chickens,” I yelled to them. I know for a fact that when I call them chickens boy will they make me regret it. But this time was different, the deal was who ever makes it around the block first, RIDING THERE BIKE will get ten big bucks! When it came to money us kids never backed down!
There I was lining up to two boys with great big smirks on their faces as if they had a mental picture they were going to win. What dummies I thought. My brothers friend was going to start the race and then determine at the end who won. By now I was in aggressive mode. He threw up his arm and let in drop in seconds then BA-MMwe were off. Of course my brothers had started in the lead with in only reaching distance. I can’t let them win I told myself. If I can fly down the hill with no breaks that will be the only way I can put myself in victory position. My wheels spun around in a circular motion and my heart dropped with a low thud. I was now in the lead but this time THEY were in reaching distance. Just because I am a girl doesn’t mean I cannot win this race, I thought. I made a whirling turn hearing the wind in my hair. I knew my brothers had had a plan all along and it was to switch their gears to a faster more powerful one. They now had passed me and I had know clue of how to catch up and by now I was almost on the other street, Walnut, a short, hilly, dangerous rode. I had made a sharp turn spinning my handle bars like never before then the moment of silence, I found myself helpless on the ground like a baby. I was screaming and crying for help. With my luck the neighbors were out and they came over to help me. Now my crying turned to whimpers and the pain was tremendous. When the neighbors reached my they helped me up and observed me. It turns out I had a chipped tooth, a scraped chin, scrapped arms legs feet, and a mouth full of gravel . Reluctantly my brothers came back down to help me up and walk me home. When we got there my mother was as nervous as a bee. When she saw my chipped tooth she almost fainted. “ Where is the rest of your tooth?” She asked confused. All along I had my tooth cupped in my hands without realizing and then when I pulled it out I knew everything was going to be alright!
To be continued…