Jeni

This will be the first of many entries on my blog to help everyone get to know my furry pack. Beware, I will be posting many pictures.

This is Jeni. Wasn't she just the cutest little puppy. We got her when she was 8 weeks old from a breeder with full intentions of showing her in conformation and obedience. We had just lost our 13 year old Red Tri Australian Shepherd one week prior. Hubby and I knew our house would never be the same without a red tri aussie.

She was only 12 weeks old when she had her first medical emergency. She had a blockage, a couple little tiny puppy treats. I soon found out she was swallowing them whole. Luckily we had a great vet, he wanted to wait before any surgery was performed to see if they would dissolve on their own. A couple days in the hospital being watched very carefully, thank goodness, they did dissolve, no surgery needed, and home she came. One week later she developed a urinary tract infection, so a couple of weeks on antibiotics, special diet, that was cleared up. A rough start at such a young age.

When she was 4 months old my husband showed her in her first conformation show with the Australian Shepherd Club of America. That was fun, she was such a friendly little pup, and wanted to visit every one.

When Jeni was 7 months old, we had a major flood in our home. Hubby and I were out for the evening, when the hose on our washing machine broke. Our washing machine is upstairs, so three hours later we arrived home to find the ceiling in my living room completely caved in. The ceiling in my kitchen also caved in, the light fixtures were on the kitchen floor. Water was being scattered all around from the ceiling fans, and the entire bottom floor of my house was 4 inches deep in water. We were very lucky we did not have an electrical fire.

I had 6 dogs at the time, and four were crated. If you know anything about dogs, you know Jeni was right in the middle of a fear period. During fear periods, anything negative that happens, the dog remembers for a lifetime, some get over it, but most don't without a lot of positive training to try and overcome the fear.


We did everything we could. We have been training dogs for years. Jeni became very sound sensitive after that. It took us a year before we can get her to walk in the kitchen. Any noise I would make in there, she would bark and run to another room. The sound of a clicker stresses her enough that we will not train with a clicker around her.

Now that she had become so sound sensitive, also resulting in her barking at just about every noise, (she barks way too much at any of the shows we go to) her obedience and show career ended, before it even got started. We decided to compete in Flyball with her. A perfect sport for her, she can bark all she wants. Flyball is a very loud and active sport. She has excelled at Flyball and has a blast with it.
Jeni is the smallest in my house at only 40lbs but also ranks the alpha in the dog pack. She is always on the go, very active, agile, obedient, and loves everybody. She loves to cuddle, but will get up and go when ever we are ready. She loves all the dogs, but Bandit is her best buddy.
She loves toys. The bigger the better. When we first bought this huge duck, we stuffed it in her crate while she was outside, as a surprise. When she came in and had seen this, she immediately went to her crate and struggled for quite awhile just to get it out and start wrestling with it. So funny to watch her drag it around. It is twice the size of her.


When we brought Jessi home as a puppy, Jeni immediately took possession of her as if she were another toy. Doesn't she look happy with her puppy!

These pictures were all taken during a break at a flyball tournament. Run Jeni, Run!







Jeni loves to watch tv. Anytime the tv is on, no matter what program it is, she will settle on the sofa and watch until she falls asleep.
She will also bark at pictures of dogs. When we change the calender to a new month she will bark at the dogs picture for the month. She will bark at pictures on my computer too, and photographs on the wall.

Jeni has a goofy side. We can put anything on her head and face, she will let us. She tosses treats and toys from her nose and catches them on command. She learns very quickly and easily.







Jeni is 6 years old, and just a doll. She is a little lady, and my shadow. She is wherever I am at all times. Despite the fact that the path we had intended for her changed, she is an excellent little girl, with a lot of personality, and most importantly, she is happy and healthy.