Twist came to join the family in October as a tiny 8 week old puppy and he is a Jack Russell cross Miniature Poodle. He is very cute and mischievous but is starting to learn the basics. He has already been out and about with his big sisters visiting Shawbury Primary School and even helping Gin switch on Whitchurch Town Christmas lights whilst getting a cuddle from the Mayor. I am not sure the world is quite ready for this little dog but he will be well and truly out and about with Gin & Ice in the New Year, so look out! Read more here

As I mentioned in my last blog, Ice went back home to the farm in Yorkshire where she was born, to try her paws at sheep herding. We had great fun and under expert tuition Ice’s herding instincts came to the fore and after several short sessions she was able to control 6 sheep around the field.

Initially we practised in the round pen to give her the idea of flanking and the movement of the sheep. When she was a bit more experienced she was allowed out into the field. We did have one naughty sheep that kept turning around to face and challenge her but she was not phased but equally she did not chase the sheep either.

We also were privileged to watch Bess and Ben, Ice’s Mum and Dad show us how it is really done in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. We enjoyed it so much and Ice showed so much potential that we were invited back to practise further. This second time we had 12 sheep to practise with and Ice was able to do out runs and short drives and we did manage to pen the sheep too! It was marvellous to see the natural instincts of a Border collie released at the sight of sheep but undoubtedly what helped was that through training of other disciplines I have instant control of Ice by command even at a distance. Having had a taste of sheep herding I intend to take it further, with Ice and I maybe even entering a nursery trial some day.

Tonight Ice was glued to the TV watching One Man & His Dog so she is obviously keen to pick up as many tips as possible from the experts too. Gin at almost nine years old was not as keen on the sheep herding as Ice and this is hardly surprising as when she was young she was head butted by a large Wiltshire Horn ewe. Since then her natural herding instincts have been kept well hidden and on our Yorkshire trips she showed no enthusiasm to join in.

We had a great day at Discover Dogs Earls Court and did two displays in the YKC ring and met lots of great people and their dogs. Now we can’t wait until Cruft’s – no doubt we will see many of you there too.

We recently spent a very enjoyable evening in Brighton taking part in a charity show hosted by Alan Carr. Alan is a super person to work with and he has a great rapport with my dogs and I was thrilled to hear that he is going to have a puppy of his own in the New Year -an Irish Setter. Another Charity show done recently was a little closer to home at Crewe Lyceum where we had fun helping to raise money for Christies Hospital along with Jimmy Cricket and other stars. I was quite relieved that Gin did not run off with one of Jimmy’s wellies- that would have been a little embarrassing!

I hope your Christmas was good fun – I don’t know about you but I think that I spent more on presents for the dogs than for the rest of the family- whoops! I wrap everything even for the dogs because they love to tear off the paper on Christmas morning to eagerly get at the treats and toys inside. One word of caution though human chocolate is dangerous and often fatal to dogs so please make every effort to avoid them getting access to it. There are however canine versions of chocolates that are safe so you can treat your dog with these instead.

Wishing you and all your pets a very Happy New Year

Love Kate, Gin & Ice with a Twist xxxxxxxxx

The first party night had a neon theme where everyone glowed in the dark. The bar man recognised me as the girl from X Factor! Well not quite as I know Gin is talented but I have not taught her to sing yet! The Saturday night party theme was Posh Frocks and wellies so some great sights here!

We did however have a slight mishap on the Saturday night when we lost my van keys and Gin was locked inside. We looked everywhere for them, but as it had gone dark and we were in a large field ,with only a couple of torches and a dark tent we had no luck in finding them. How were we going to rescue Gin? Eventually when our request over the tannoy for any budding car thieves to come forward failed-it was decided that the only way forward was to phone the RAC. They acted promptly and sent out a great man who very professionally broke in to my van and gallantly rescued Gin. He did say that his wife would not believe that he had been called out to rescue Gin – the dancing dog -so to prove it we sent him home with a signed copy of my book. We did eventually find the keys but couldn’t have left Gin locked in the van over night so we are very grateful to the RAC for all their help. I suppose though that I was lucky that the keys were lost at night when it was cool as had they been lost during a hot day it would have been a real emergency to get Gin out very quickly Remember dogs can die in hot cars.

Ice was recently entered into her first ever Canine Freestyle Competition at Stoneleigh Warwickshire. As Gin and I  have won Advanced classes , Ice had to compete in Novice for her first competition instead of starters ,as once you have won out of starters with any dog you can never compete in starters again even with a different dog. So here I was with a young dog entered in a Novice class. She performed her little socks off and obviously thoroughly enjoyed herself with a wagging tail throughout. She did eventually win this class and I am so proud of her. Since then we have entered another Novice competition in which she came 2^nd . This success now makes her eligible to compete in intermediate classes in the future which is an amazing achievement for any dog let alone one so young.

Last weekend we were invited to perform at the Boomerang TV Pet Awards which took place in Regents Park London. We had a great day, and both Gin & Ice performed whilst being closely followed by TV cameras. The overall winner of the Pet awards was a Beagle with his young owner. His prize was a trophy and to have his dog made into a TV cartoon character-what an amazing prize!

It was great to meet up with George Sampson and sisters whilst performing at Butlins recently. He had not met Ice before and thought that he was seeing double when 2 dogs walked out of the dressing room!  There were lots of cuddles for the dogs and I got a great reunion hug too.

We are going to be performing in the YKC ring at Discover Dogs in Earls Court London on Saturday 14th November at 12pm and again at 3.25pm. If you are attending do come along and say hello. There will be lots to see and do whether you are competing or spectating. The YKC alone have demo’s and competitions in Handling, Obedience, Heel work to Music Agility and Grooming. Many of the competitions will also be Cruft’s 2010 qualifiers so don’t forget to get your entries in. We can only attend on Saturday due to performing at Crewe Lyceum Theatre’s Star Burst Charity Show on Sunday 15^th November.

It is just over a year since Ice came to live with us as an 8 week old pup and what an amazing year it has been for all of us. On Sunday I am going to take her back to her roots in Yorkshire to the farm where she was born. We are going to try our hand at sheep herding to add to her many talents. I can’t wait for this and will let you know how we get on with hopefully some photographic evidence of Gin and Ice working the sheep. We were unable keep in touch with Gin’s breeder so it is great to be able to keep in touch with Ice’s.

On Monday 24th August we have been invited to open a new stray unit at North Clwyd Animal Rescue Centre near St Asaph North Wales.

We are privileged to help promote the tremendous work done by this rescue centre and others like it up and down the country. So many dogs find themselves in rescue centres for a wide variety of reasons many of which are through no fault of their own. It is through rescue centres that these dogs are either reunited with their owners or find new happy homes. Always make sure that your dog is micro-chipped and that your contact details on the register are kept up to date so that should your dog stray or be stolen the odds of you both being reunited are far greater.

My parents contemplated re homing a dog before buying me Gin. We visited NCDL Centre at Roden nr Telford. There were many dogs, young, old, big and small. One particular dog that thrust his attention on us was a young Springer Spaniel called Logan. Every time we went near his pen he would run and fetch his toys and want a game. When we enquired about him we found out that the police had already put their name on him and he was going to be trained as a sniffer dog. Logan had a superb temperament for this purpose and was quite obviously going to excel in his new working life. After leaving the centre my parents carefully considered the pro’s and con’s of a rescue dog versus a puppy as a first dog for me a nine year old child at the time. And on reflection decided to buy a young collie puppy Gin instead of a rescue dog whose background or temperament no body could be totally sure of. If I had been older and more experienced with dogs we would have given a home to a rescue. In fact my older sister Laura a few years later re homed Kay from Valgray Border Collie Rescue. Kay apparently grew up in a London flat where her owners not surprisingly found her youthful exuberance too much to cope with. With Laura’s experience, Kay excels in agility and does Fly Ball with Gin and generally enjoys life as long as she has lots and lots of cuddles.

Last week we spent a day training Heel Work to Music and Canine Freestyle at Young Kennel Club camp at Brooksby College Lincolnshire. I took Ice to the sessions to demonstrate many of the moves and show how it is done. Each year the YKC excel in producing a really exciting activity week for their members and their dogs. Having attended camp for 4 years as a youngster it was great to repay the debt and help to train others. Unfortunately the weather was not very kind with lots of rain which is a bit of a shame especially as many children and their families were sleeping under canvas. The week was a fantastic mix of training sessions, seminars and social fun activities which will be remembered by all for a long time to come.

Once again Ice has been doing really well in obedience and fly ball competitions so much so that Gin thinks that she is getting too big for her boots ! However Ice has gone to great lengths to prove that is not true by getting a photo taken of herself in her new boots (actually she borrowed them but don’t tell Gin).

RIP Michael but please keep on moon-walking and singing in the heavens The Memorial Service was so moving and emotional but young Shaheen Jafargholi was incredible. Way to go Shaheen and may the legend live on in you!

We have been working really hard lately touring all the Butlin’s venues, Skegness, Bognor Regis and Minehead doing shows as part of their V for Variety Show. This show demonstrates all that is great about Britain, British Culture and entertainment and we are honoured to be one of the BGT finalist stars to appear in the show.

One Sunday night in Skegness we arrived backstage for our usual slot on Centre Stage to be asked if we would also appear in Reds because X Factor star Eoghan Quigg had been delayed at the airport and couldn’t make it. I felt that it was too much for Gin to perform twice in quick succession (particularly as the weather was hot) so I made a snap decision to perform with Ice on the Reds stage. I didn’t have much time to think but was very conscious that although her training is coming on in leaps and bounds it was a lot to ask of my 11 month old puppy to perform unrehearsed on a stage with lights, noise and a huge expectant audience. I need not have worried she rose to the challenge and danced her little paws off, followed by her first photo shoot and signing with Gin. She loved it and revelled in all the extra attention and applause. She is practising her celebrity signature but to be honest it is often better than mine even now!

Even though we are working hard we have been playing hard too, with many an afternoon spent on the beach and swimming in the sea. Hydro-therapy does wonders for a dog’s fitness and does not put any strain on the muscles or joints so it is ideal exercise even for young growing dogs. The only draw back of swimming in the sea as opposed to a proper hydro–therapy pool is that the water is not as clean but I always make sure my dogs are washed off in clean water before drying afterwards. One day the dogs learnt to body board! I bought the board really so that I could learn to use it but soon it became very obvious that I wasn’t going to get a look in, my two furry friends took over and proved rather good at surfing the waves.

Gin has achieved a prestigious milestone award from the British Fly Ball Association. The award is the BFA Pearl Award achieved by gaining 30,000 points gained over Gin’s 5 years of racing. For every successful leg a dog races in a Fly Ball competition and dependent on the speed of the team each dog gains a certain number of points. So gradually your dog builds up points and when milestones are reached you receive an award. I am so proud of Gin she is so multi talented and she still holds her own in competitive Fly Ball. She will be competing in the British Fly Ball Association championships in August with her team “Carry On’s”.

She was glued to your final performance on Saturday night and is certainly a huge fan. The night of the BGT Final we were at Butlin’s Skegness performing but managed to watch the final performances in our room but not the results show. I had to keep up to date with the final results on my phone in the dressing room backstage.

Well done also to Susan Boyle and all the other finalists who were also fantastic.

The 2009 BGT series has stirred so many amazing memories and emotions in me. I still can’t believe it is a year since we stood on the same stage waiting to hear the final results ourselves. Looking back it was like riding on the crest of a wave and I don’t think we have been washed up on the beach yet! Although if you had seen us playing on the beach at Minehead last week, you might dispute that. The National Tour was a major highlight and we are slightly envious that George Sampson is getting to participate in this year’s tour too. All the finalists last year were like a huge family and we had so much fun whilst travelling around the country. I have fond memories of George and Gin playing tuggy in the dressing rooms. So many tears were shed when we departed from our hotel on the last morning with the O2 arena as the back drop for life long memories.

I keep getting asked what I thought of this years dog act? I think Tippy Toes is very cute and the act was ok but lost some credibility with me because the handler used a tennis ball on stage to coax the dog to perform. If the dog had had more trust and a bond with her handler she would have performed better instead of just following the ball.

We have recently done an interview with DogCast Radio which is a twice monthly online radio show all about dogs. We feature in episode 88 and can be listened to at  www.dogcastradio.com The photos were taken in the beautiful Carding Mill Valley, Church Stretton, Shropshire. Both Gin and Ice really looked stunning against the hillside and when you think about it that is not surprising as this is the natural working environment for Border Collies.

If you are coming to any of our Butlin’s or other shows this summer we would love to meet you all. Both Gin and Ice are performing and you might be quite surprised what a 10 month old pup can do. I do believe that she must have been on this earth before or Gin has been secretly training her whilst I’m not watching because she knows too much-it’s uncanny. We have managed to fit in another obedience show for Ice and this time she has qualified for Cruft’s 2010 by winning the YKC graduate class and in Pre Beginners Open class she came 2nd out of 33.

Needless to say she didn’t break any records but we had lots of fun filming it. We did meet and admire the serious contestants whom all moon walked superbly, most of them giving Michael Jackson himself a run for his money. Some of them even looked like Micheal Jackson and all dressed for the part which I am afraid Gin didn’t, she raided her wardrobe the day before but couldn’t find anything appropriate to wear. Although in an interview Steve Jones the presenter did say that there was a remarkable likeness between Gin and Michael Jackson so Gin now thinks that she should be moon walking on Micheal Jackson’s forthcoming tour!

We were honoured to officially open our local country fair “Marbury Merry Days 2009”. Marbury is a only a tiny village but every year manages to produce two days of fun and interesting activities for all the family set in its unique and picturesque surroundings Both Gin & Ice went along and did the official opening followed by a meet and greet session. I was given a small posy of flowers which Ice thought would look prettier held by her in the photos! Gin was a little unimpressed with the whole event though as the Sealed Knot display battle involved lots of muskets and Cannons being fired and Gin hates gun fire of any description

This Sunday we went to Stafford County Showground to attend the Young Kennel Club Birmingham Activity Weekend. The weekend involved training sessions for YKC members and their dogs in obedience, agility, show handling and grooming followed by competitions in the disciplines.

It was great to see everyone having such fun at this superbly run event. The YKC is for youngsters aged between 6 and 24 years so with such a wide age range you would think it would be difficult to keep everyone interested, but that is not the case. Dog sports and activities can be enjoyed at any level at any age.

The senior membership 18-24 year olds tend to help the Management Team to organise and help run the events for the younger membership. I particularly enjoyed watching the smaller members learning to do agility with their dogs.

I also entered Ice in her first ever obedience competition. She is only 9 months so i really didn’t know how she would react. Her training at home is going very well but I know all too well that it can be very different in a show situation. I needn’t have worried too much though as she worked beautifully and won her class.

Gin insisted on the back being lined in dusky pink fleece so that she can sleep in luxury, and Ice just asked for a good stereo so that she can listen to her favourite tunes whilst travelling. I am also one step nearer to passing my driving test as I passed my theory test at the end of March so I am now trying to get in lots of practical driving in readiness for the big test day-scary!

Over Easter weekend we camped on Anglesey at a Flyball tournament. Gin competed on Sunday with her team The Carry On’s and Ice just had fun watching as she is too young yet to take part (take a look at the video in the training section to see how I have started to train Ice at Flyball). If you want to ask me any questions about training please post them on the Kate and Gin Forum and I will answer them.

Although it was really great sunny weather it got a bit cool in the tent at night and there was some serious competition for the sleeping bag and duvet. Ice eventually wormed her way to the bottom of my sleeping bag and Gin rolled herself into the duvet like a sausage roll.

On April 19th I fulfilled my first Canine Freestyle and Heel work to Music Kennel Club judging appointment at the West Glen HTM show. I was quite apprehensive as even though I have attended a judging seminar and passed the exam, when it comes down to judging real competitors it is a bit different and quite a responsibility.

I judged the Starters classes and have to say that I was really impressed with all the competitors, everyone, dogs and humans seemed to be having fun which is what it should be all about!.

For some dogs and handlers it may have been the first time in the competition ring and I can remember how nerve wracking that is. Following the serious competitions were some “fun classes”. These “fun classes” are so named because they are not judged and unlike the proper KC classes you are allowed toys and treats in the ring. Young and inexperienced dogs can take part too without the competition pressure.

I stayed to watch these classes and was persuaded by the Show Secretary to give Ice a go. I was totally unprepared and had not got any music with me or routine planned so I just got them to play any track and we took to the ring.

As it was Ice’s first experience of a show ring, my main aim was for her to enjoy it. I was really proud of her as she was really focussed and performed like a baby super star and had a waggy tail all the way through. It is hard to believe that she is not yet nine months. Shortly I hope to post a video clip of this impromptu routine.

Gin will be appearing on one of the Guinness World Records Smashed episodes on Sky 1 Sunday evening’s at 6pm. I am unsure of the exact episode but she does take part in a Moon Walking record attempt Tune in to see the outcome if you get the chance- we had great fun filming it along side the presenters Konnie Huq and Steve Jones.

Get in touch and let me know what you have been getting up to with your dogs recently.

It was great to meet and talk to so many of you at Cruft’s. Gin has been to Cruft’s many times before, doing Canine Freestlye and Flyball but for Ice who is still only seven months it was a whole new experience.

She coped really well and loved to have cuddles from the children. Ice also decided that she was far too important to sit on the floor during my book signing sessions and took to sitting on the chair provided for me!
On Saturday I had a surprise award presented to me by Peter Purves. The Award is called “Dog’s best friend, Killick’s Column Award 2008” awarded by Robert Killick, columnist for Our Dog’s publication. I am really honoured to receive this award and the hand painted plate with Gin’s head on is adorable. Gin is certainly my best friend and I do think that she counts me as her best friend too, at least of the human variety!

During Cruft’s I also became Vice Patron of two charities, The Bella Moss Foundation and Dog Theft Action. Both these charities are deserving causes and I am really pleased to have become associated with them (click the links below for further info).

The Bella Moss Foundation-Helping Pets suffering from MRSA and other serious infections.

Dog Theft Action-Promoting the protection security and welfare of dogs from the threat of dog theft.

I also met a group of very dedicated young people who have formed an animal action club within their school called S.O.F.A. “Speak out for animals”. They are currently running a micro chipping campaign for dogs. These youngsters are an inspiration and should be applauded for standing up for what they believe in and doing something about it. Gin and Ice loved meeting them all.

http://www.speaking-out-for-animals.co.uk/

Look out for Gin in the April/May issue of the R.S.P.C.A Animal Action Magazine-there is a double page spread with interview and photos. Well actually the interview was with me but both Gin and Ice think that their opinions are more important than mine so let’s humour them.

Thursday 5th March – Our Dogs stand 80, Hall 2 at 12.30pm
Friday 6th March – Ring Press Books stand 70, Hall 1 at 2pm
Saturday 7th March – Our Dogs stand 80, Hall 2 at 12.30pm
Sunday 8th March – Ring Press Books stand 70, Hall 1 at 1.30pm

Also there will be live Cruft’s FM radio interviews with the pair on Thursday at 9.00am and on Sunday at 12.10pm.

On Friday they will be interviewed on ITV Central about dog training and dog sports.

Jack Ellis (Captain Hook) who made all our introductions on stage did a superb job of making them funny and varied.

Even though Gin and Ice were the only canine performers in Panto there was two other dogs back stage that came along each day with their owners. Ice thought that it was great fun to have other playmates, in particular “Kiki” a little Yorkshire terrier cross belonging to dance Captain Sammy Fonfe who she adored.

Amongst all the playing though Ice did find time to make her stage debut, she did some fun performances in the last few shows instead of Gin. She is very extrovert and the more the audience cheered the more she grew in confidence, you could almost see her say, “wow they love me!” She did like to run off stage part way through just to have a quick cuddle from her friends back stage.

Gin couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about, after all she is the true star and professional who is not about to be upstaged by young Ice, but she did enjoy having the odd night off.

Since we have been home I have given Gin a complete holiday, (not exactly 3 weeks in the Sun) but long walks playing in the fields and strictly no training or performing. She has worked really hard since Britain’s Got Talent and deserved time to chill.

Now with batteries fully recharged she is once again raring to get back into showbiz and has done two TV shoots that I will tell you more about once they are televised.

I have just started to have driving lessons which is a bit scary-so be warned, take care on the roads if you see me driving. I know Gin would probably make a better driver but hey she was refused a licence so our mobility seems to have been left to me!

Well it is Cruft’s next week, so if you are going along do come and say hello if you see us. I will write about what we get up to soon!