Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

It looks like winning debates is a black job!

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

There’s always a light at the end of the frog.

If you’re looking for someone who’s young and athletic, go watch a fucking movie.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

An unpunished coup is a training exercise.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

Shut up, hissy kitty!

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

We’ll be taking my thoughts and prayers to the ballot box.

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Come on, man.

Be a traveling stable for those who can’t find room at the inn.

Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.

You are here: Home / Politics / Biden Administration in Action / Saturday Morning Open Thread: Long Weekend, Praise / Please Trickster God

Saturday Morning Open Thread: Long Weekend, Praise / Please Trickster God

by | 138 Comments

This post is in: , ,

I really, really admire both P!nk and her human teammate, but I hope never again to live with a dog who has even half as much energy and drive…


For once, the replies are a feast:

Reader Interactions

138Comments

  4. 4.

    NotMax

    TCM alert for Memorial Day on Monday (all times Eastern).

    2:30 a.m. – In Which We Serve – Survivors of a bombed British ship during WW2 look back on how they got there.

    4:30 a.m. – The 49th Parallel – Crew of a stranded U-boat attempt to evade capture in wartime Canada.

  5. 5.

    kalakal

    Biden really loves people. He’s the ultimate anti GQP pol, they only love themselves and most of them aren’t even any good at that.

  6. 6.

    kalakal

    @NotMax:

    2:30 a.m. – In Which We Serve – Survivors of a bombed British ship during WW2 look back on how they got there.

    It’s a good film that, the Noel Coward character is based on Mountbatten and the sinking of HMS Kelly

  7. 7.

    Betty Cracker

    My two dogs, a Boston terrier and half-Boston-half-Frenchie, are still a tad too energetic for my ideal  canine companions profile, which is essentially a pair of sleeping, farting throw pillows. I reckon they’ll age into it. In the meantime, I’ll keep tossing the damn tennis ball…

  10. 10.

    Eunicecycle

    @OzarkHillbilly: I think there was a rally when he ran the first time where he chided a mother who had a crying child, telling her to leave. Can’t have a child upstage him!!!

  11. 11.

    geg6

    @Betty Cracker:

    You ought to meet my sister’s mini golden doodle puppy.  I have literally never seen a dog without an off button like Macie.  A perpetual motion machine.

  12. 12.

    Ken

    Amazing performance by the border collie. It does make me wonder how people train them — are there venues with the exact layout of hurdles and ramps, that you can rent for an hour?

  13. 13.

    MomSense

    Now add to Pink red heeler, German shepherd and lab and you get a hyper, territorial, control freak, who never tires and is constantly hungry.

    fml

  14. 14.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Betty Cracker: My son’s dog can barely be bothered to get off the couch when company comes. He’s a rescue dog, so they’re not sure how old he is, but the vet says maybe 4 or 5, so he’s not ancient. Maybe yours will age into that.

  16. 16.

    gene108

    I can’t picture any modern Republican politician being as self-deprecating as President Biden is in the first video. Republicans have no sense of humor. It’s all anger and outrage all the time.

  17. 17.

    geg6

    @Ken:

    The trainers have the equipment and some people have their own with enough space and money.  The guy my sister has been taking her puppy to for obedience training wants to try her out on the obstacle course.

    ETA:  For example, Macie made a standing jump from the floor onto my sister’s bar height dining room table.  Just jumped up like it was nothing, no running start.  We just stared in amazement.

  18. 18.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    I don’t know what’s happening to me, but I’m getting into tiktok. I follow book reviewers. One this morning was recommending books with the found-family trope. Schuler Books has a great feed. Also, Crooked Media and, oh, Gordon Ramsay. Am I banned from Montana now?

  21. 21.

    Mike in NC

    @NotMax: Wonderful British WW2 films that I’d enjoy seeing again.

    We decided this would be a crazy weekend to try to visit Biltmore due to the crowds (plus the $85 admission gave us heartburn), so we’re going to explore a few small towns in western NC that have quite a few art galleries and antique shops. Starting today with a nice chilled mimosa.

  22. 22.

    lowtechcyclist

    Good morning, y’all!

    Yeah, Biden’s just an all-around good person. It amazes me that anyone can buy into all this “Biden crime family” crap. I bet even the people who are pushing this horseshit don’t really believe it.

    Went to the farmers’ market this morning, and it’s good that I got there early. I bought two baskets of strawberries from the Mennonites who are there each week, shortly after the market opened at 8am. Brought them home, my wife and I dived into them and they were amazing, and I went back down to buy more because I didn’t think what I’d bought would last the day. I was back at the farmers’ market at 8:55, and all the strawberries were gone. Good thing I bought two baskets rather than just one.

  23. 23.

    Ken

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Am I banned from Montana now?

    Would that be a loss?

    Though you know, TikTok becoming more popular among us mature folk signals that the young will soon abandon it for a new platform.

  24. 24.

    kalakal

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: A friend had an Irish Wolfhound. The size of a sofa and just as active.

    I used to have Lurcher ( Border Collie/Greyhound mix- they’re a West Yorkshire thing)  – faster than a speeding bullet, leap tall buildings in a single bound, very smart. They’re great dogs but need a LOT of excercise

  29. 29.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Ken: For me, the hard part about Tiktok is that it requires more work to post because you have to make a video. Especially since I am, as you so thoughtfully point out, old. Do I want to show my face there? I guess I could video books as I talk about them, but why?

  33. 33.

    PAM Dirac

    Looks like the NY prosecutors have really started to turn the screws on the orange fart cloud. The day after a hearing where it was made very clear that drumpf was not to mention or comment on any aspect of the case that has not already been made public, the prosecution has released evidence to the defense. It supposedly includes a recording of drumpf talking to a witness. The name of the witness and the summary of the conversation has not been made public and so drumpf isn’t allowed to crank up the hate against the witness. Maybe he’ll have a stroke trying hold it in. With the lengths the judge went to warn drumpf of the consequences, I suspect the judge will not be inclined to be lenient if the order is violated. I suspect the next few weeks will be a lot of fun for us.

  36. 36.

    zhena gogolia

    Thank you, AL, just what I needed as I face a day of reunion/commencement parties. I’m with the sleepy dogs (but Pink is amazing!).

  37. 37.

    zhena gogolia

    @Baud: Don’t look at the tweet replies. Assholes.

    Except for the one that shows us the time Trump demanded that a baby be removed.

  41. 41.

    mrmoshpotato

    We have said it before – it is so nice to have a human being in the White House again!

    God bless President Biden’s humanity!

  42. 42.

    narya

    Getting things together to head to Indy . . . because we, too, are Old, we now get a hotel room the night before AND the night of the race (i.e., Saturday and Sunday). Back in the day, we’d go down and back the same day, but that is one long-ass day. Then, for a few years, we got a room the night before and came home after the race. This will be the third year of the two-night stay (the cost of which is about half of a mortgage payment . . .), and it is so much more pleasant. Wander back to the hotel, shower off the sunscreen and grime, and go find food. This will be my 14th 500, and my friend’s 22nd, he thinks. Looks like the weather will cooperate, too!

    Also, Joe Biden is a mensch.

  45. 45.

    Michael Bersin

    A group of right wingnut busybodies and moral scolds are whining and playing victims today about the Warrensburg, Missouri Pride Festival on June 3rd after the festival released a press statement last night announcing the reinstatement of its original family friendly format – after security concerns were addressed and a security plan was put into place.

    Thoughts and…

  46. 46.

    mrmoshpotato

    “Daisy, do you want to run around a track to impress a bunch of snobs? No? Sounds good.”

    Human!  Your species created “What do dogs do on their day off?”

    Well, this is it!  Seven days a week!

    When is dinner – or breakfast?  I don’t understand clocks.  WALK?!

  48. 48.

    zhena gogolia

    @Baud: Yeah, everyone’s saying it’s worse since Musk, but it’s always been bad. Those Ekaterinburg guys are very energetic.

  49. 49.

    Matt McIrvin

    @lowtechcyclist: Here, a lot of people who were to Biden’s left have come around to genuinely liking him. In the wider world of liberals and progressives, I still see a lot of “I don’t particularly like him, in fact I wish we could nominate someone else, but, yeah, I’ll vote for him to keep the others out.”

    That’s going to have to be enough. I think the attitude that gets summed up as “negative partisanship” (which sounds pejorative, but shouldn’t be) is going to be a motivator to the extent that it wasn’t in, say, 2016.

  52. 52.

    mrmoshpotato

    @NotMax:

    4:30 a.m. – The 49th Parallel – Crew of a stranded U-boat attempt to evade capture in wartime Canada. 

    Long time since I’ve seen it, but I remember it being pretty good.

  62. 62.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @zhena gogolia: Tommy Vietor did a pretty funny AI-audio of Joe Biden telling the O’Bros to take all their hot takes from the 2020 primary and shove them where the sun don’t shine, jack! I think he also did one of Obama telling them to grow up and move on from this “podcasting’ thing

  68. 68.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Baud: me too

    in stages, preferably over the course of a few days

    also, too, how are we defining “run”?

    and is the a bear involved and if so what species? I’d take my chances with a black bear over the risk of shin splints

    I’m the guy you’d want to go hiking in Alaska with

  70. 70.

    Geo Wilcox

    The laziest dog we ever had was a border collie. She hated to move except to get food. The most energetic was a German shepherd dog who never stopped moving. She even ran in her sleep all the time.

    The smartest dog we had was a deaf Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. She was wicked good at obedience and thought agility was for the birds. Why do all that work for no food? Her 10th birthday would have been on Monday but she died Jan30th 2022 of unknown mast cell tumor bursting. One day she was fine the next she was gone and I am still not over it.

  71. 71.

    Jackie

    Will it be televised?🍿🍿

    ‘“The Republican-led Texas House of Representatives has set a historic Saturday vote to possibly impeach embattled state Attorney General Ken Paxton and suspend him from office, just as some prominent conservatives began to rally around him,” NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reports.

    “Paxton, a 60-year-old Republican, finds himself on the brink of impeachment after years of scandal, criminal charges and corruption accusations. The House will consider a resolution calling for Paxton’s impeachment at 1 p.m. Saturday.”

    ETA: Per the NBC Dallas-Fort Worth link: Live video from the House chamber will be added to this story Saturday afternoon. Check back and refresh this page to see the video at the top of this story.

  73. 73.

    CaseyL

    I’m glad I went to the Folkllife Festival yesterday, because today it is raining.

    Ah, the Folklife.  A huge sprawling music/food/crafts/ethnic activities festival that fills most of Seattle Center’s open grounds – and, unlike its cousin The Bumbershoot Festival, does not cost an arm and a leg to attend. I used to go every year, without fail, for 20 years or so.  It was one of my favorite summertime things. The pandemic ended that, and very nearly ended Folklife altogether, but this year it’s back and I hope it does well.

    Fridays are low key, because the crowds and big name acts don’t start arriving until Saturday. A good chance to stroll, catch more local performers, and everything is just more laid back.

    The highlight for me was a nonet of amazing women singing Eastern European ballads.  Incredibly tight harmonies, very precise phrasing, just an absolute joy to listen to.

    For food, I got a “Powwow Burger” from a First Nations food truck.  Fry bread for the bun.  It was delish!

  75. 75.

    Amir Khalid

    The other day, I learned a new word that I’m sure my fellow jackals will find useful: feculent. Its literal meaning is “full of shit“.

  77. 77.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    We had friends with a Jack Russell who reportedly would move toys around all night. My brother has always had Jack Russells and they are fun little guys, but they wear you out.

    I lean toward dogs who enjoy active playtime but know how to couch-surf as well. As I type, Sam the Beagle is snoring behind me from his perch on the back of the sofa.

  78. 78.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Ala-fucking-bama: Incarcerated people use TikTok videos to expose Alabama’s prison conditions How bad is it?

    The US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Alabama in 2020 over dangerous and overcrowding conditions, with a trial set to begin next year. The case was filed under the Trump administration – not known for its support of incarcerated people’s rights – and signed by the then US attorney general, William Barr, after lengthy attempts to negotiate a settlement and pre-empt the unprecedented intervention.

    One stat says it all:

    The Alabama department of corrections has reported a vacancy rate of nearly 64% in security staffing. Several correctional officers in Alabama have been arrested over the past year for corruption, bribery and misconduct.

    At his facility, Jemison said, there are only three correctional officers working at a time supervising about 1,200 prisoners.

    “It’s not safe and it’s dangerous for the officers,” said Jemison. “The shortage of staff, no security, overcrowding, this lack of medical care, lack of mental health care … basically turn the mental health crisis into criminal convictions so the majority in here are people with drug addictions and people with mental health issues that shouldn’t be here.”

    Because they don’t give a shit:

    The state of Alabama closed down most hospitals for the mentally ill in 2013, while prisons and jails saw an influx of prisoners suffering from mental health issues after the cuts and closures.

    Alabama has also been criticized for soaring rates of parole denials and harsh sentences that have fueled mass incarceration rates and prison overcrowding in the state.

  80. 80.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    Since the debt ceiling deal seems to have snagged on work requirements for SNAP, I looked up the current requirements (which were NOT included in any of the news stories I saw).

    SNAP has two sets of work requirements. If you are age 16 – 59 and able to work, you will probably need to meet the general work requirements to get SNAP benefits. The general work requirements include registering for work, participating in SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) or workfare if assigned by your state SNAP agency, taking a suitable job if offered, and not voluntarily quitting a job or reducing your work hours below 30 a week without a good reason.

    Then there are some exceptions (already working more than 30 hours a week etc).

  82. 82.

    JPL

    @rikyrah: from the Atlanta Journal

    A Sandy Springs mother raised thousands of dollars in donations to host young girls of color in a private screening of “The Little Mermaid” at Sandy Springs Cinema and Tap House.
    “There is an undeniable need for this,” Milteer said of the screening, “Representation matters and this film is an inspiration. My 7-year-old daughter wants to be a doctor all because of the Disney cartoon, “Doc McStuffins,” about a young Black doctor who can fix toys with the help of her friends.”
    Milteer said that in renting out the 132-seat theater, she raised more than $4,000 in donations from parents and Sandy Springs leaders who purchased tickets in advance and sponsored other families.

  83. 83.

    Shalimar

    Musk is bragging about DeSantis’ fundraising after the DeSaster.  Which is hilarious since that Thursday night article made it pretty clear fundraising is through the roof because DeSantis has Florida government employees begging lobbyists for donations and they’re terrified he will line-item funding for their pet projects out of the state budget if they don’t contribute.

  85. 85.

    Scout211

    @Jackie: here’s the Texas house live stream.  It’s also being streamed on some of the local television stations. Source.

    There must be lots of popcorn-eating expected in Texas today. 🤣

    The proceeding will be available for viewing on the Texas House livestream. You’re on your own when it comes to popping popcorn for the show.

  86. 86.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Geo Wilcox: It’s always hard. I lost my good boy Hoss at the age of 2 to bone cancer. He went from first symptoms to my putting him down because of how much pain he was in, in a month. I cried like a baby.

  88. 88.

    Another Scott

    @kalakal: So, don’t drive a Ford van at 300 mph and hit a disembodied wrecking ball??!

    Interesting simulations, but I’m not sure they get the point across as well as real videos of accidents.

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  89. 89.

    Anne Laurie

    @Ken: It does make me wonder how people train them — are there venues with the exact layout of hurdles and ramps, that you can rent for an hour?

    There are classes almost everywhere, starting from the very basics (some dogs don’t even want to climb up on a ‘table’ platform, much less an A-frame or a tipsy see-saw!).  Some dogs really enjoy agility, others… do not.  But it’s a great way for humans to (learn to) interact, to work together, with their canine companions.

    Of course, as with any other sport, the ‘dog parents’ whose pets are good at agility find themselves moving up from more advanced classes / more times per week, to setting up agility equipment in their own back yards, and booking their schedules to travel to agility competitions, at first locally (‘just for fun’) and — for the serious competitors — turning it into a full-time avocation.  Or occupation: Lots of the best agility winners end up (if they didn’t start) as professional trainers… and the cycle continues!

  94. 94.

    Amir Khalid

    @Shalimar:

    Making state government employees raise funds for his presidential campaign sounds all kinds of wrong. It is surely at least impeachable, maybe even prosecutable. (Yes, I know: who in Florida has the testicular size to do either one to DeSantis?)

  96. 96.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @Shalimar:

    DeSantis has Florida government employees begging lobbyists for donations and they’re terrified he will line-item funding for their pet projects out of the state budget if they don’t contribute.

    Yeah, Justice Kennedy, you were SO RIGHT, this quid pro quo “does not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption.” Not at all.

  97. 97.

    NutmegAgain

    I’m fostering a different Newfy; have had him for about 3 weeks. He’s a Landseer, so black & white coloring. It’s really hard to imagine that he isn’t related to Pink. I’m just going to declare that an athletic & hyperactive Newfoundland dog is a challenging combination. He’s a sweetie, of course, but I am hoping his person gets it together and is able to take him back before I am worn down to mere trimmings.  It’s really terrific that this particular rescue organization does things like take somebody’s dog when they are having a housing crisis, keep the dog safe, fed, vetted etc. But cross fingers & paws that this person finds a place that will take him & his dog.

  100. 100.

    Kayla Rudbek

    Was it WaterGirl or TaMara who recommended a timekeeping/billing app sometime this past week, and what app did they recommend?

    also, does anyone have a recommendation for a pantry negative tracking app (I.e. there are certain food staples that I want to keep on hand and if we run out, I need to put it on the list) bonus points for if it can track vegan foods.  Thanks to everyone in advance!

  106. 106.

    Chris T.

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    Are cars and vans made to go 300 mph now?

    No.

    The Bugatti Chiron can do it (it’s been clocked at 304 mph), but it’s normally limited to 440 km/h (about 273 mph) and it needs over 1500 horsepower to maintain that. The highest horsepower domestic make is the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, at 1025 hp (https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-most-powerful-muscle-car-in-the-world-1-025-horsepower-dodge-challenger-srt-demon-170-sets-new-performance-benchmarks-301776731.html), but most top out at 700 to 800 hp, which will get you to just about 200 mph.

    A standard H-rated tire is not supposed to be operated above 130 mph sustained. You can go for a V-rated tire to raise this to 150 (well, 149) mph. You can go even higher, for W or Y rated tires, but those are hard to find and expensive (e.g., a thousand bucks a tire), and they don’t last very long.

    The Veyron used specialty tires, which apparently ran $30k to $42k to replace all four. From what I can find, the Chiron is much better as it uses standard tires, so you’re looking at those $1k dealies.

  107. 107.

    anitamargarita

    @Anne Laurie:

    when I lived in small town AK, the local dog club got interested in agility. We bought equipment, trained each other, hired actual trainers to come to our town for weekend seminars, and for actual competitions.
    I got into it with my rescue border collie mix, as a way of bonding. He was a nervous, anxious sort, but he was an agility rockstar and I struggled to keep up once he grokked the “game”.  We traveled all over the lower 48 for competitions because AK had a couple of them a year.

    When competing, the handler is given a course map, designed by the judge for that one event. You get a couple of minutes to walk the course and decide how to “steer” your dog through the obstacles. Dogs do not get a practice run. All dogs compete on the same course no matter their size, and the courses are not repeated. Every agility run that you do is different than any other, it’s exciting, suspenseful and rewarding, even if you aren’t spectacular like Pink.
    Good clean fun, from training to competing!

  108. 108.

    Juice Box

    @mrmoshpotato:

    “Daisy, do you want to run around a track to impress a bunch of snobs? No? Sounds good.”

    Where I live, exercise isn’t considered “snobbery”. I once had two elderly dogs with medical problems, so I told my husband that I needed a puppy as “exercise equipment”. He understood perfectly.

  109. 109.

    Shalimar

    @Amir Khalid: A governor of Alabama was impeached for having government employees renovate his house 30 years ago.  This is much worse than that, but the articles I have read so far say it isn’t clear whether it’s illegal in Florida.  I suspect that means no one has the balls to look for the statute he’s violating.

  110. 110.

    kalakal

    @anitamargarita:

    Dogs do not get a practice run

    Wow, that makes the dogs’ performances even more incredible. I’d assumed they knew the course. Are the individual obstacles always the same? ie are the fences always the same height? Ramps the same slope? etc

  111. 111.

    kalakal

    @Shalimar: Here in Fl we a had a senior city manager who was getting employees to do work on his house. His defense was they were doing it on their own time because they liked him so much.

    DeFeculant will probably just declare that  not giving him money is an evil ‘woke’ plot

  114. 114.

    kalakal

    @Mo MacArbie:

    oh wow. The song that first made me want to play the guitar, that and Lazy, both off Made in Japan. It was the solo with that amazing set of bends and twiddly bits

  115. 115.

    Kay

    @narya:

    Getting things together to head to Indy

    We took a tour of the Speedway years ago with kids. It was just our group and three Italian tourists. It was great- really interesting.

  117. 117.

    Rebel’s Dad

    I miss having a dog! This is the first time I’ve been critterless since 2005, but I’ve promised myself not to get another animal until I’m at least done with school and settled down in one apartment (right now I’ve been Airbnb surfing for over a year- not fair to me or a pet!)

    Can we get an Paxton indictment livestream open thread? I’m feeling especially assholish snarky today.

    Texia delenda est.

  120. 120.

    JoyceH

    @kalakal: ​
     

    I took agility classes with Jazzy a few years ago. We never competed but the classes were fun. The height of the jumps varies with the size of the dog, there are various ‘classes’, so that the chihuahuas are jumping 8 inches, while the bigger dogs are jumping 22 inches. They run the dogs through the course based on class, with helpers running out to raise the jumps between classes.

    And yeah, the dogs don’t know the course, they’re supposed to be doing what the handler directs them to do. The obstacles have little markers beside them with numbers to indicate their place in the course. I could manage a course of up to 11 or so obstacles, but those longer courses, I think I’d get lost.

    Jazzy and I really had fun, but we stopped a year or so before the pandemic. I was having weight and mobility issues, and it was all just hard – for me, not for her. Now I’m wondering. Jazzy is ten now, but I’m planning to get a puppy this fall. And I’ve been exercising and losing weight… You don’t start a pup on agility until they’re two years old and their bones are fully developed, and by then I’ll be 72, but still… thinking about it.

  122. 122.

    Jackie

    I really tried to feel pity for these elderly fools, but kept catching myself chuckling instead:

    “In the recesses of the internet where some of Donald Trump’s most fervent supporters stoke conspiracies and plot his return to the White House, suspected con artists have been mining their disappointment over the last presidential election for gold.
    They’ve been peddling “Trump Bucks,” which are emblazoned with photos of the former president, and advertising them online as a kind of golden ticket that will help propel Trump’s 2024 bid and make the “real patriots” who support him rich when cashed in.”

    “John Amann told NBC News he bought $2,200 worth of Trump Bucks and other items over the past year only to discover they were worthless when he tried to cash them in at his local bank.”

    “NBC News has identified the Colorado-based companies behind the Trump Bucks as Patriots Dynasty, Patriots Future and USA Patriots and reviewed dozens of social posts, online complaints and hundreds of misleading ads for the products. Additionally, NBC News has found at least a dozen people like Amann who say they invested thousands of dollars after watching the pitches on Telegram and other websites that strongly suggested that Trump himself was endorsing these products.”

    ““Now I’m questioning whether he is aware of this,” Amann said of Trump.”

     

    I’m pretty sure once TFG is made aware of this scam and he’s not getting his cut he’ll be pissed.

    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-bucks-promise-wealth-maga-loyalty-lose-thousands-rcna84965

  123. 123.

    Gvg

    @Ken: you make your own. Its mostly pvc pipe. Easy stuff. My aunt does agility with her bearded collies

  124. 124.

    anitamargarita

    @JoyceH:

    It’s possible to teach a puppy a lot of skills they’ll need in agility, without using any equipment. Even if you don’t go on to agility, you and pup will have a great relationship from the training.

  125. 125.

    anitamargarita

    @kalakal: really depends on the sponsoring organization, but the obstacles are consistent for that org. Some have quit using a teeter, another has a raised platform for the dog to sit on for 5 seconds before continuing.

  126. 126.

    Ruckus

    Thursday we had an Alaskan Husky running around the complex loose. No collar but we managed to get control of her and I took her to the 24 hr vet about 4 miles away and checked her chip, which fortunately she had and the calls were made and the owner called me and came and picked her up. Absolutely gorgeous animal, very friendly, very smart, while waiting for the call I sat on my couch and she jumped up and laid down right next to me. Of course my car was filled to the window sills with dog hair and I had to vacuum the entire car. Beautiful black and white animal, one of the best dogs I’ve ever been fortunate enough to know. Very smart animal. A good time was had by all.

  127. 127.

    JoyceH

    @anitamargarita: ​
     

    Oh, definitely. I like taking classes with my dog, and doing little exercises in the house. Kind of dreading starting from scratch with the no peeing in the house and whatnot, but if you want a dog, you got to get through that.

    Jazzy actually loved obedience too! Sometimes I’d look at her and think, I have a Samoyed that heels off leash! I was never a big fan of obedience, it reminded me too much of military close order drill, but I’d take the classes because Jazzy was just having a blast.

  128. 128.

    Soprano2

    @geg6: I have a dog that could jump over a 3 ft fence from the base of the fence. No running start, he could sit there and jump over it. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. He’s why we have a 6 ft chain link fence now.

  129. 129.

    kalakal

    @JoyceH:

     

    @anitamargarita:

    Thanks both, that’s really interesting. I had Border Collies back in England ( I lived in Yorkshire sheep country and they’re everywhere) and did some training but nothing like those agility contests. I will always bless the name of Walter Frederick Morrison

    inventor of the frisbee. That man saved

    my life. Athletic dogs love frisbees

  130. 130.

    MikefromArlington

    Pork skins work wonders to train even the most stubborn breeds.

    I’ve got my English bulldog sitting, shaking hands, laying down and rolling over.

    That is her Everest tbh

  131. 131.

    anitamargarita

    @JoyceH:

    Agree on the obedience. I did enough with my dogs to get Canine Good Citizen certificates allowing them to come to work with me. My Border Collie did it for love of the games, my Labs were mostly interested in training for treats. It’s all good if the dog is happy.

  132. 132.

    anitamargarita

    @kalakal: my Border Collie was named for a long ago climbing buddy who was from the Lake District. The frisbee was his (the dog’s) 2nd favorite training reward, after home made liver treats (ugh, the things we do for the dogs we love)

  133. 133.

    StringOnAStick

    I watched an agility competition that had a class for mini daucshunds; that was hilarious.  I was there with a friend with a very type A border collie; I noticed her dog only paid attention to what was going on in the ring when it was other border collies.  She knew who she would be competing against and Elle Mae was very competitive!

  134. 134.

    sab

    In case anyone near or in Ohio missed it, we are trying to organize a meetup. Probably in or near  Columbus. Anyone interested should say so in a comment so that we can get it more organized through an official BJ meetup post.

    Interest expressed so far by jackals in Columbus, Akron, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and parts unknown.

  135. 135.

    Juice Box

    @JoyceH: Rally is a lot of fun for those of us who are less mobile. If you like it, you can go from there to dancing. There are even people who compete in Rally from mobility scooters. My dog likes running and jumping, but he loves training of any kind. Of course, he’s doing what his kind has been bred to do for centuries — silly tricks — because he’s a poodle.

  138. 138.

    sab

    @Ruckus: The love of my life dog was a German Shedder, but nothing sheds like a husky.

    ETA Except a malamute. They shed a lot.

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