Hola! 
Merry Christmas and here's to a good new year!
I am writing a  wrap up our entire year and providing new pictures that hopefully  haven't been posted for the year.

So, 2012 began with Hasten's first agility trial. In January, she "ran" at the Lexington, VA. horse barn--if you can call doing an obstacle and leaving mom to sniff and then doing another obstacle and leaving mom to sniff... a run. That first trial wasn't terribly successful---at least she took a few obstacles!

She loves weaving!

She is jumping a little high here--silly sister--she should conserve energy!

Although there were some no Q days, she had many successes! She earned her Starters Standard title in USDAA and has earned her AX and AJ in AKC--so she runs with the "big dogs"--in the same classes with me--just not the same jump height.

I have tried to tell her to take it easy---there's no rush!

In March, Mom had ankle surgery on her very useless, dangly ankle. The surgery seemed to go well, although Mom was laid up awhile--so Wendy (From  Peak Performance Dog Sports ran us at a few trials.  Then Mom got a new problem. Plantar Fasciatis---from being immobile in the boot. She had that treated and then when she was running us at a trail in Fredericksburg, VA. she tore the fascia. So, for 12 weeks she has been out of commission again! Don't know when she will be back to exercise and running. In the meantime we have been playing with Wendy and doing little exercises in the backyard where Mom doesn't have to move around too much.

In the summer, we had a weird weather happening. The humans are calling it a Duracho. Sounds like a food item or maybe a movie. But, we were without electricity for a couple of days. We all stayed down in the basement where it was cooler. It was like camping... only we didn't see very much wildlife!  Many trees came down--here's a great picture of me standing on one of the fallen in the Arboretum. I wonder if some squirrels left because of this?

It's a weird picture---but yes, that gigantic tree is laying on its side!

Our most exciting news of the year was a new addition to our family. Ciaran Sinclair (named after my Scotty brother, Montgomery Sinclair) joined our family (See my earlier posts about his lineage).

I really liked him the first night. Then I realized he was staying! Hasten HATED him the first night, but now they are best buds. They play and bark and carry on for hours...the good news--they usually leave me alone!!!

Bonnie and Clyde! They just LOOK innocent!

Sometimes I play with him but not when humans are watching. One of Ciaran's favorite things to do is hide under the couch when playing with Hasten. Unfortunately for  him, he has grown and even though his legs are much shorter than mine or Hasten's...now he gets stuck under the couch. Hasten tries to help him...she grabs his collar and pulls until he is stuck no more! Good Hasten!!! Drag that Swifter (I mean Brother) around!

The best thing about having Ciaran in our family is how much he tires out my sister!

If they annoy me too much, I just go hang out in the big kitchen bed...however, Mom caught me curled up in Ciaran's crate (little bed!) in the kitchen.

On the home front, Dad got a full time job at Merck Pharmaceuticals--that is really good news, although he has really strange hours--12 hour shifts 6:30P to 6:30 A and the reverse 6:30 P to 6:30 A all in the same week! We are all trying to adjust. Mom keeps Shhh-ing us so we won't wake him.  Dad seems VERY happy with his new job.

He and Ciaran have been training together in agility. He has just finished Intermediate II --most of those classes with Mom and Wendy since Dad's schedule is wonky. The boy really loves agility! Silly short-legged dog!

Mom got the news that she was accepted to be a Faculty Member in Residence in London for Summer 2013. That means she will be abandoning most of us for 9-10 weeks! Also, she spent a great amount of time and paper on something called "Going up for Full Professor."  It caused lots of anxiety around the house!

That's a lot of binders!!

Mom caught up with her friends Arnold and Giusy.

In November, Mom and Dad left us to go to Orlando. They went to Disneyworld where Mom had a conference. Samy and Sven joined them but us dogs didn't get to see them. Humans are rude!

Mom's the little one!

Sven found girls who were taller than he!

Sven has really grown!

Team DeVoe

There is word among the humans that my human sister Samy will be coming back to VA to live with us. That will be exciting! 

For Christmas, Mom went to Florida (and did NOT take any of us!) to visit our grandparents. She said she enjoyed going to the beach where there were no humans! I might like that too--except humans give you treats!

Nona, Mom and Kelli

Train Trestle tags near Pcola Bay

Pensacola Beach, Ft. Pickens
I've been there!  

Finally, I am glad to report that we got some snow!!! A little on Christmas Eve that was ruined by sleet and a bunch on the day after Christmas! Woo Hoo!!! I love chasing my sister and brother in the snow!

Xmas Eve snow start---not great

Much better snow!

So, that is the year in review --- most of the news worth noting. I did leave out one brag. I have finally accomplished what I believed to be impossible. I can now catch and kill full grown squirrels!!! This was a long training process. I have watched, stalked and attempted many times...but finally this summer and fall, I perfected my abilities!! Mom is not amused--called me a murderer but if you saw my backyard--where there is a tree every 10 feet--you would be impressed! See, I can do great stuff when I WANT to!!!

Anyway, here's to a good new year everyone! 

Barclay, Reluctant Agility Dog, and Squirrel Specialist. 

Our Grandmother bought us these Holiday outfits!
I'm the grumpy looking one .

Peace out!
Barclay Quinn

Updates

Greetings my people!

It has been an interesting few weeks (well months) since I have dog-blogged. First, I went to an agility trial w/ the family and Hasten and I earned a ribbon or two. At that trial, our mom injured her foot again so she lived in the big giant boo again!! We are all frightened of that thing--dogs could die from that humongous boot! After 3 weeks, she decided to stop with the boot. She has been limping now for 6 weeks. Know what that means? No walks! Thankfully, our dog walker Felicity has taken us on a couple of walks but we miss dragging our mom through the forest several times a week. We are pretty bored!

I don't share my super squishy nest with anyone!

My little brother Ciaran, had surgery to remove some of his boy parts. It was a nerve-wracking week--he was confined to the xpen and Hasten kept trying to free him. I was angry when he was free---Dad and Mom kept him on a leash--so neither of us could play with him. We were really glad when he was allowed to run free and play with us.

Hasten tried to steal his toy through the X-Pen and she tried to free him!

Ciaran has finally learned that we have vermin at our house! Finally!!! I have been telling him for months that those silly creatures with big bushy tales are a menace and he has just happily trotted around and paid no attention when my sister and I try to catch them. For instance, just last week, I killed another adult squirrel!!! I finally have honed the skills to catch squirrels in a yard full of tree escape! I rock! Anyway, back to Ciaran...he is now barking at the squirrels like a good half-terrier should! The only problem is that he doesn't STOP barking! He sees them go up the tree...he follows and barks and just stands there--barking. The silly squirrel is long gone...but there he is yelling at the tree! I hope he will learn to do this better soon or I am going to be perpetually embarrassed!

For Halloween agility we had two spooky runs.  One on Wednesday, where we ran a course that was shaped like a witch's face. On Friday, we had our annual Halloween party--this time it was focused on learning Snooker skills---so the course wasn't shaped like a halloween theme--but could make you scream...or cry (like my mother!)  It was fun. All three of us played on the course (Ciaran with Dad) and Hasten and I with Aunt Wendy. The humans had food later and didn't invite us! How rude!


Can't believe the days are so short now...less squirrel chasing time. Can any of you humans do something about this?

That holiday where a bunch of people come over and mom cooks for 3 days arrived! Of course, us dogs were put into our crates with bully sticks and didn't get to hang out in the dining room. Rude! The house looked pretty and smelled even better!

21 humans with opposable thumbs and no one could come free us?

Lots of packages have been arriving at our house. That means only one thing. The evil brown truck pulls up to our house and the man wearing brown walks down my driveway! The whole process makes me crazy! He is invading my home!!! I hate his arrogance of walking up to my door and I --helpless (but not alone) tell him loudly to get off my sidewalk!!! I hope this constant visit from the stranger in brown ceases soon!

Not helpful when trying to get all the ornaments on.

Ciaran is also experiencing his first Christmas. As Mom and Dad put up the tree he kept getting in the way...Hasten and I don't care about the tree and all of its decorations at all now! He will learn. 

 That's all I have--sorry for the delay but we have been very busy here--Mom doing nothing but school work, Dad starting a new job with a weird schedule and much squirrel hunting and chasing to do!

Chow!
Barclay, Reluctant Agility Dog