“Fair flowers are springing beneath thy genial ray,
and thousand happy birds are singing, all welcome to thee, May!”
~ Rosanna Eleanor Leprohon
I know May 1 is a holiday of sorts but no one seems to notice that holiday anymore. "Way back when," I recall making May baskets and putting flowers and/or candy in them to give to special friends. We set them on the door steps, knocked or rang the doorbell, then took off running so they did not find out who left the basket. The baskets were not fancy. I seem to recall cupcake holders, construction paper, and pipe cleaners.
May Day is also a day to celebrate 8 hour work days, thanks to all the workers who rioted until a shorter work day was implemented. Hurray!
Haven and I went to a dog show the first weekend in May. I was just recovering from an 8 hour trip home from visiting family in Nebraska, so was very grateful to our friend LaVonne for offering a bedroom and dinner. Haven loves going to LaVonne's and is so excited when I tell her we are going to visit. For some reason she thinks she owns the place and takes over Cooper and Misti's dog beds, toys, and white bones. Cooper and Misti are to be praised for putting up with her!
The show was fun, even with only 3 Lhasas there. Misti won Best of Breed and an Owner Handled Group 4 placement on Saturday. Haven took Best of Breed and Owner Handled Group 3 on Sunday. And then we packed up and set off for home.
Here is Haven waiting patiently in the grooming area.
And here is the pretty ribbon she won.
On the way home my phone rang and rang. I glanced at it and saw the caller was our older son. I was smack in the middle of heavy traffic so had to wait until there was a place to pull over. I called him back and received the great news that at the end of November we will have a new grandson!
Puppy News
Speaking of babies, we are awaiting puppies that are due on the 23rd, so...any day now.
Notes and Photos From Friends
Cyndy wrote, "our boy Luther turned 11. He's still pretty active and in good health. Of course, we love him more each year and are so thankful for him." Maggie and Breaker are his sire and dam.
Sally sent this picture to honor Jaxon's 5th birthday. Archie and Winter are his parents.
Victoria wrote that her Honey celebrated a birthday also: "Honey’s birthday was yesterday Wednesday May 6! She is 5 years old now, and she’s just the sweetest and most loving girl. Her favorite time of day is hanging on the sofa as she guards the front door from the window nearby and and of course when her family gets home from school and work. She is the best snuggler and gives the best licks! I hope you are well and enjoying springtime!"(Yes, Honey and Jaxon are litter mates!)
Elaine, who now has our Athena, wrote, "Everyone has bought her toys, so she is up to about 20, but she keeps lamb chop by her side. She was eating in the kitchen, turned her back, so I put lamb chop in the front load washer. She was like, "oh no" and she got lamb chop out of the washer. I wish I had a picture of that, cutest ever. So I wash it when she's asleep. LOL"
It seems like all dogs love the lamb chop toys!
Here are pictures of Athena (w/o lamb chop, but one riding in her new stroller).
Sally sent this photo of Ginger.
Ebony left for her new home last week and is now living with Judy and her other Joyslyn's Lhasas: Ty, Nyx, and Winter. Judy's first report said, "She loves to run in the backyard! ...The girls just look at her and continue to do their own thing. I don't see any problems... She loves the crate in the dining room. Nyx uses it when Winter gets to be too much. I have two small blankets that you have given us so she is quite comfortable with her toys. Right now she has the run of the house, but hasn't tried to go upstairs or downstairs. When I leave, I open the crate door and she jumps right in. She is quiet and I haven't heard a bark out of her. She didn't bark when Ty ran into her. She isn't eating much, but I am sure that will change.". And that leads to a topic I have written about before but that I am posting again. What follows is an excerpt from an August 31, 2009 post Here goes:
"How can you do it?" people ask me. And often I ask myself, "How can I do it? How can I give her up?"
What I am talking about of course is giving up for adoption our retired champions. It is not easy. It is not fun. It is necessary.
Nearly every dog in my house was born here. I touched them as they were born; I tore open the sac that held them; I wiped their faces and dried their bodies – sometimes even before their mothers touched them. I fussed and fretted over them as they grew. I watched them with careful eyes to make sure they were eating, that their development was normal, that they were not getting ill. I proudly watched eyes open. "Welcome to the world little one," I always say. I proudly watched first steps, first tail wags, first bites of food, first attempts at playing with toys, first puppy battles. I evaluated as I watched. Which one will it be? Who's going to be the next Joyslyn's show prospect?
I learned very early that "you can't keep them all." You absolutely cannot keep them all, no matter how much you love them, no matter how precious they seem. I've seen what happens to people who try. They become overwhelmed. They cannot care for all the dogs. They feel guilty. The dogs feel ignored. The show prospects that just HAD to be kept end up sitting around in a kennel, clipped down because the breeder is simply out of time and over her head. The numbers grow and grow. You can't keep them all. Because I'd witnessed many of my acquaintances who ended up keeping too many dogs, I determined early in my dog showing/breeding career that I could not be one of them.
So we let them go, starting with the puppies. Many a show prospect has left my home because I can't keep them all. I've met many wonderful people who have come into my home to buy puppies over the years. Some kept in touch for a year or so. Others still do after many, many years. I am so grateful for the stories they write me about their Lhasa, his/her antics and personality. I am so grateful for the "thank you" they write, even after many years.
As hard as it might be to let the puppies go, the heartbreakers are the adults, the champions I have slaved over to train, to groom, to take to shows. I've sat with them as they whelped puppies and calmed them far into the night as they labored to bring me my next champion.
And thus a bond is forged. It's a bond that is different from the bond between pet and owner. Not a better bond, just a different one.
My females generally have two or three litters and then I place them for adoption. That means their ages tend to be 5 or 6 years old. How can I let them go? Do I love them less for letting them go? No! I let them go because I love them. I let them go so they can experience being an only dog or one of two dogs in a home where they will get more attention than they get being one of many at my house. I let them go because after I steeled myself in the early years to give up the first few, and after I saw how well they adjusted and how they continued to flourish in their new home environments, and how much their new owners loved and appreciated them, I knew that, as hard as it was to let them go, it was best for them.
For those of you thinking about buying a Lhasa, never be afraid to ask a breeder if she has a retired champion available. Puppies are wonderful of course, no one will deny that. But don't discount one of the older dogs. They have much love to offer – as those of you who have adopted our adults can confirm. I know you are grateful for them, and I am grateful to you for loving them and caring for them as you do.
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From the Archives
This is a story about a Lhasa beauty named Joyslyn's Dance Sensation, AKA Dancer. Like Ebony, Dancer did not like to show. Oh, she loved going to the shows. She did not mind walking around the ring on the first go-round or being picked up and put on the table for exam. She stood during the exam and let the judge touch her. However, when I put her on the floor to do the down and back, she would walk a few steps then turn her head and give the judge a nasty look "How dare you touch me!" then continue the down and back with tail down.
I quickly got the message! No more shows for Dancer, but she had beautiful puppies. One of them was Rafe. Here are pictures of Dancer.
As I looked through pages of 1975 issue of Lhasa Tales magazine, I found the following article offering sage advice from well-respected Lhasa breeders some of whom have since passed away. I wanted to share it, especially with those who are or plan to be breeders.
You will need to click the images to enlarge the pages so you can actually read the print.
And last--but definitely--important is that May is the month we recognize our veterans in a special way.
From the internet:
The Honor and Remember Flag is perfect for both Memorial Day and Veteran's Day. It was created as a national symbol to acknowledge the sacrifice of men and women in the United States Armed Forces who have given their lives for their country in over two centuries of America’s history.
- The Red Field represents the blood spilled by brave men and women in America’s military throughout history.
- The White Field below the gold star recognizes the purity of sacrifice; there is no greater pride an American can pay than to give his or her life in service to our country.
- The Blue Star represents active service in all wars from the American Revolution to present day.
- The Gold Star signifies the ultimate sacrifice of those who will not return home. Gold reflects the value of the life that was given.
- The Folded Flag signifies the final tribute to an individual life presented to the family for their significant loss.
- The Flame is an eternal reminder of the spirit that has departed this life yet burns on in memory for all who knew and loved the fallen hero.
Thanks for reading the blog! And special thanks to those who took time to share pictures and stories.
Joyce
