Saturday, September 14, 2024

September - On the Road Again

"There is a time in late September when the leaves are still green, and the days are still warm, but somehow you know that it is all about to end, as if summer was holding its breath, and when it let it out again, it would be autumn." -Sharyn McCrumb

While I am writing this in mid-September, I do want to address happenings in August. First, thanks goes out to all who sent birthday good wishes via mail, email, and Facebook.

I'm sharing one gift, a coaster that goes on an easel,  that I think is "words to the wise" for us all:


Thanks LaVonne!

While September 11 rememberances have passed already this year, I wanted to share something I ran across as I was paging through some files trying to find something I had misplaced. Many of you may remember reading it shortly after the tragedy took place. 

On the morning of September 11, 2001, there was an unprecedented amount of activity at the Rainbow Bridge. Decisions had to be made. They had to be made quickly. And, they were.

At issue, not often addressed here, is the fact that many residents really have no loved one for whom to wait. Think of the pups who lived and died in hideous puppy mills. No one on earth loved or protected them.

What about the many who spent unhappy lives tied in backyards? And, the ones who were abused. Who are they to wait for?

We don’t talk about that much up here. We share our loved ones as they arrive, happy to do so. But we all know there is nothing like having your very own person who thinks you are the most special pup in the Heavens.

Last Tuesday morning, a request rang out for pups not waiting for specific persons to volunteer for special assignment. An eager, curious crowd surged excitedly forward, each pup wondering what the assignment would be.

They were told by a solemn voice that unexpectedly, all at once, over 4,000 loving people had left Earth long before they were ready.

All the pups, as all pups do, felt the humans’ pain deep in their own hearts. Without hearing more, there was a clamoring amount them – “May I have one to comfort?” – “I’ll take two, I have a big heart.” – “I have been saving kisses forever.”

One after another they came forward begging for assignment. One cozy-looking fluffy pup hesitantly asked, “Are there any children coming? I would be very comforting for a child, ’cause I’m soft and squishy and I always wanted to be hugged.”

A group of Dalmatians came forward asking to meet the Firemen and be their friends. The larger working breeds offered to greet the Police Officers and make them feel at home.

Little dogs volunteered to do what they do best, cuddle and kiss.

Dogs who on Earth had never had a kind word or a pat on the head, stepped forward and said, “I will love any human who needs love.”

Then all the dogs, wherever on Earth they originally came from, rushed to the Rainbow Bridge and stood waiting, overflowing with love to share – each tail wagging an American Flag.


Okay, I'm crying now...


On The Road Again

So, what have I been up to since I last posted? A lot of traveling! Deacon and I went to the Twin Cities Lhasa Apso Club specialty show in Lake Elmo, MN. It was fun to be with friends from MN but the trip was a bust for us. No placement for Deacon. I did not even win anything in the raffle! Darn.
LaVonne did some winning with Misti though.


GCHB CH MonAmi ‘N Joyslyn Shades of Summer


The next trip was to Amana, IA for four days of showing, this time outside. The night we arrived in my friend Jane's RV there was a thunderstorm, so of course the grass was wet in the AM and the dogs' hair had to be dried. Each day offered different weather: rain, blistering heat, strong winds, and a lovely fall day.

There were 3 Specials vying for Best of Breed. That honor was passed around with each of us winning one day and LaVonne and her Misti breaking the tie on day 4. Misti has been doing very well in the ring this year. She is 9 years old and in her prime. She loves showing! I am proud to be her co-breeder. Some of you reading this probably have one of her offspring.

So, Deacon came away from that show with 1 Best of Breed and 3 Best Opposite Sex and a few points toward his Grand Championship.

Here are some photos taken by Ronnie Crowder (ring shots) and me (at the RV). Thanks Ronnie!

The first two are Deacon in the wind.




This is Ebony and Deacon in the exercise pen.
Ebony likes going along to shows. 
She does not like showing!
That makes me sad.
She is a beauty with lovely movement.

This is of Deacon and me on casual/Hawaiian day


Deacon at the RV after being groomed on a calm day.

Deacon with me and LaVonne with Misti

Lhasa exhibitors:LaVonne, Sue, Jan, Polly, Karen, Me, and Jane (a great friend whom we have adopted into our group even though she shows Shiba Inu and a Norbottonspetz!). Missing from the group is Tami who left before she knew we were going to take a group picture.

Deacon again



We were all very tired! We got home late afternoon of Labor Day and on Saturday morning at 2:30 AM (Yes! AM!) I left home to meet Jane on the road so we could travel to Des Moines for a show. In our defense, when we made the entries, we had no idea that Jane's ring time would be 8:00 AM. 

Deacon was the only Lhasa there and was not at all interested in showing. I took him into the Owner-Handled Group and he totally bombed. So much for that!

Apologies to Michelle, who owns Sunny, because I invited her to visit us at the show since she lives close to Des Moines and I told her the wrong date! We had entered only on Saturday and I gave her the Sunday date.

There Really Are Good People in The World

So, if getting up at 1:30 AM then being disappointed in Deacon's performance was not enough to make me wish I had stayed in bed, the next awful thing was that when we got to the gas station to fill up before heading home to Illinois, I discovered my wallet was missing. I knew it had been in my purse and I knew I had not taken it into the show site, but it was nowhere to be found. I called home and asked Lynn to look around, just in case I was mistaken about having it with me. No luck.

Of course, when Jane dropped me off at my car, I had to drive home without my driver's license. But here is a funny thing: As soon as I got in my car and started it, what was playing on the radio but "I still haven't found what I'm looking for!" I had to laugh.

At home after unloading Deacon and getting him settled, I found out from Lynn that someone had called and said she had found my wallet on the ground of a parking space at the show. Relief! But how to get it from her to me. A young handler lives in a small town near Macomb, so I called her mom and her mom called her and explained the situation so she met up with the person who found my wallet and brought it home with her and Lynn drove me to her home so I could pick it up. Ta Da! Then I called my credit card company again.

Back in the Car
I returned yesterday afternoon from taking Monkee (see below) back to his owner. The drive was 6 hours each way so I stayed the night and drove home the next day. I am so sick of traveling. Thank goodness for audio books!


Puppy News
I know that a few of you are waiting for our next litter.
We recently did a breeding and if all goes as planned, puppies should be born in early November.

Here is a picture of Monkee, the sire:


And a picture of Pearl, the dam:




New Homes
Millie and Autumn are now in their "retirement" homes and, by all accounts, settling in and becoming used to a new environment.

Sandy sent this picture of Millie all comfy on the sofa.


And Lynn sent this of Autumn


It seems weird and "empty" not to have them here, but after meeting their new owners, I know they will be well-loved and well cared for.

Project Progress
In the August post I wrote about a survey project I had in mind regarding adult Lhasas going to new owners, as just happened with Millie and Autumn. My goal was to come up with information that might be helpful to people thinking about "adopting" an adult Lhasa and to post the results in the September blog.

I went back 9 years in my records and sent out invitations and survey forms to 22 people. Some had purchased more than one adult Lhasa from us.

I heard from a few people right away and am so grateful to them for their responses. I knew that not everyone I invited to participate would choose to do so, but admit to being disappointed in the return rate. I am sure that some email addresses have changed, although only 2 of the 22 addresses I used bounced back. That means 20 people should have received the survey.

From my previous work I was aware that for surveys, a response rate of  15% - 30% is considered "good." "Excellent" is 50% or more.

So...I had responses from only 7 people (35%); however, those 7 people gave responses for 12 dogs (52%) of the 23 dogs. Even though I wanted more people to respond, because I think it is an important issue, all things considered, the response rate for people falls within an acceptable rate.

As a former co-worker was fond of saying, "it is what it is."

But, since I have been on the road and then trying to catch up/keep up with grooming and household chores, I have not yet compiled the data about the 12 Lhasas, I am posting the survey and again inviting/urging anyone who has purchased an adult from us and who has not already filled out a survey to copy and paste it and respond. You are not required to write an essay! I hope to get results to you in October. people had some good suggestions.
================================
Survey of Lhasa Owners Who Have Purchased Their Dogs as Adults

 Name:______________________________________

(note: I will use only first names & last initials in the article unless you give permission for using your last name also)

 

How many adult Joyslyn's Lhasas have you had/do you have?         ________ Please use a separate form for each if you have had more than one.                                                

Dog(s) names:_______________________

 

Male or Female? ____________________

 

How old was/were the Lhasa(s) when you got him/her/them?  ___________________________

 

What year did the Lhasa join your household? __________________________________

 

Was this your first Lhasa Apso? 

 

There is a "3-3-3 Rule" that says for older dogs and puppies it takes 3 days of feeling nervous and overwhelmed in a new home, 3 days to settle in, and 3 months to build trust. Did you find this rule to be true in your case? ________________


Describe how easy (or not) it was to integrate the adult into your household and routines. What were the challenges (if any)?

 

Does/Did the dog have a preference for a particular family member? _______________

If yes:    husband      wife     child

 

Describe the dog's personality/favorite activities/favorite toys.

 

Based on your experience with buying an adult, would you do so again?  Yes     No

 

 What advice do you have for someone who is considering buying an adult Lhasa?

 

Add anything else you would like others to know about your experience.

 

Thank you for participating in this survey.

===============================

Notes and Photos

Celine sent photos of Dora





Courtney wrote about Amelia: "Amelia has blossomed in the last month and suddenly is very outgoing. I'm not sure what prompted this but she has always been relaxed around people, kids and other dogs, she is now seeking out attention from them. We have been working on polite introductions in obedience and she is doing great but I need to transfer that to stacking on the table because she has suddenly decided that people coming up to the table want kisses."

Later she wrote, " I have received a few comments on her coat color from show people but most people on the street comment about the length and the ponytails when I have her bangs pulled up. Little girls love her...She graduated from her intermediate obedience class last Friday and I have attached a photo of her from that and a couple from this morning."




Sally sent a picture of Ginger on her 6th birthday. She wrote, "Queen Ginger wanted me to send you her photo from her 6th birthday can you believe it already!!!"

 
She went on to say, "I talked to the vet about our flea episode. ( I haven't found any more) and she said rabbit fleas cannot live on dogs so even though they jump on dogs they don't stay. That's interesting anyway. Not super comforting but still. I have spread some oregano leaves and also a few citronella plants on the yard so I hope it deters rabbits." 

Thanks for sharing about rabbit fleas not staying on dogs. But still...ick!!

And I received a happy surprise when I got this letter from Eddie (via Sally and Bill). I had not heard from Eddie for quite a while. 
Eddie "wrote,"Hello Grandma Joyce!
It's been a long time since I have written you. I am very healthy and happy. I love my Mommy (Sally) and Daddy (Bill ) very very much! I am incredibly intelligent and it only takes a single word most of the time and I know just what to do. Mommy and Daddy have to be careful not to mention their grandchildren's names out loud because when I hear them I go bonkers excited thinking they are on their way to visit me and play. 
My Mommy and Daddy couldn't love me more!!!
Love and Licks (kisses),
Eddie

Marsha, whose arm is in a cast, tried to give her Lhasa, Willow, a haircut. According to Marsha, things did not go as well as usual. Marsha wrote, "I was looking at her last night and the bushy eyebrows, mustache and puffy hair on her head, I just thought of Albert Einstein." 


She sent me this picture labeled "Alberta Einstein."
 

Later she sent another of Willow and described her as having an "order in the court" personality.

Shelly posted this cute picture of her Tucker.


Thanks to you all for the pictures and updates!

Back to the Beginning
The August blog featured Bo Jangles, the first Lhasa we bought to show. I thought it only fair to go back to 1973 and our first Lhasa pets.

Here are Buffy (left) and Phoebe (right)

Phoebe was our first Lhasa, purchased with my second paycheck as a high school English teacher. (The first check bought a refrigerator. We enjoyed Pjoebe so much that we bought Buffy with my third paycheck. And the rest is history. Phoebe eventually went to live with my sister and enjoyed hanging out with her farm dogs. Buffy was the dam of our first Champion, Rocky.

Another Plug for the 2024 National Specialty

If you are a Lhasa fan, come to see the Lhasas. A Lhasa Specialty is only for Lhasas. (No show on Thursday -- that day is set aside for meetings.)


If you live near Gettysburg, come to watch and talk to others who love the breed!

Books with Dog Characters
You might like The Dog Master: A Novel of the First Dog by W. Bruce Cameron

Steven N. Lee's As the Stars Fall, When the Skies Cry, and Where the Echo Calls,

Thanks again for reading this blog!
I have more travel days ahead - to Nebraska for Mom's 92nd birthday and to a show in Freeport at the end of the month. Plus I signed Deacon up for some refresher classes - one a week for 4 weeks - in Peoria, about a 3 hour round trip.

Regards,
Joyce




Thursday, August 15, 2024

August Ramblings

 

Happy August 15th -- and Happy Birthday to Me!


And Happy Birthday everyone else whose "sign" is Leo!
We are a special group (in our opinion!).

Yes, I ate a slice of that cake for breakfast this morning.

Since I last posted, I took a quick trip to Florida to visit our daughter, son-in-law, and two grandsons, ages 7 and 9. Oh, and Maxi, their year-old Red Bone Coonhound.

Two days after my return, Covid reared its ugly head. I started taking meds right away and the worst was over in 2.5 days. Of course, as soon as I was well, Lynn got it.

There went our plans to actually attend a family reunion as a family. The reunion was in Nebraska. Our sons, Aaron and Trevor, and two granddaughters, Janis and Klara were able to be there. The oldest attendee was my Aunt Shirley, Mom's 98 year-old sister and the youngest was a 3-month-old. In all we had 97 people there.

Back at home, I still had Deacon's coat change to contend with. He'd started matting while I was in Florida and Lynn and I took turn grooming him, depending on which one of us was sick or traveling. It just took an hour each day for about a month, and now the worst is over. Now when Deacon sees me getting the grooming table out, he hides under the footrest of the recliner.

I finally decided to part with Kira. It was such a hard decision but it needed to be made. She has such a wonderful disposition. Sweet and loving, content to play by herself, eager to please, and playful with our kitten.



We were recently visited by Paul and Pam and their Lhasas: Lil One, Josie, and Rusty. Pam and Paul welcomed Rusty into their home last year. It was good to see Rusty again, but he wanted nothing to do with me! He is very happy in his new home and with his new people.

Upcoming events for me include a show in Lake Elmo, MN on 8/23, a 4-day show in Amana, IA from 8/29 - 9/1, and one day in Des Moines on 9/7. If you are near any of these places and want to watch the Lhasas show, let me know and I will email you the ring times and ring numbers when they are available. 
joyslynslhasas73@gmail.com (with a reminder that the outlook account is no longer being used).

Then it is back to Nebraska to celebrate Mom's 92nd birthday.

Puppies?
We currently have no puppies available. We are waiting for two girls to come in season and do have plans for breedings. If you are at all interested in a puppy from a litter born later this year or early next year, contact me to get on the waiting list. 

Adults?
We retired two of our girls (Autumn and Millie) , both Grand Champions, from breeding. They have both made contributions to the breed. Both are up to date on all vaccinations and both have been spayed. I would like to find loving forever homes for them. Contact me if you are interested.  Here are photos taken a week ago.

Autumn

Millie  (Deacon's mom)


My Survey Idea
Having adults available to pet homes gave me an idea. I have successfully placed many many adult Lhasas in pet homes over the years. Sometimes people keep in touch on a regular basis. Others do not. But I decided to conduct a survey about the experience from the new owners' point of view of adding an adult Lhasa to their home.

I went through my records and then sent emails to people who had purchased one of my adults. The email explained that I was conducting a survey and asked them to reply to the brief survey questions about their experiences with the adult dog.

Now, if you are reading this and thinking, "Wait, I got an adult from Joyce, why didn't she contact me?" it could be that I tried but did not have an up-to-date email address. I did have some returned as "undeliverable." I want/hope as many people as possible to take part in the survey and contribute to its success. So if you have/had an adult from me and did not get the survey or if you received the email and, as happened with a few respondents, could not open the Word document, please contact me at joyslynslhasas73@gmail.com and I will send you the survey. I have already heard from a few people and look forward to hearing from others.

The plan is to compile the survey results and then to write an article.

Looking Back
Here is a photo of me showing Bo Jangles, whom we purchased as a show prospect puppy. Judge Ed Bivin awarded Bo his first and only point. Bo grew to weigh almost 30 lbs.!  I learned a valuable lesson from our experience with Bo. When the breeders saw him in person they tried to convince me to give him back to them and accept a replacement. Of course, young stupid me said "no." I loved him. I could not part with him. He lived with us the rest of his life, but I missed a chance to get a different/better show prospect from his breeder.



Gigi's Story
Frequent readers of this blog are familiar with Kris and Nanda's Lhasas, Ty and Gigi. They are brother and sister, born a year apart. Parents are Josh and Bekka. I asked Nanda to share her recent experience with Gigi becoming ill. Here is what she wrote.

"We have two super healthy Lhasa Apsos. They both eat Farmer’s Dog and no table food. Out of the blue, our little girl Gigi, who is turning two in November, got sick on Friday, July 19th. She started to act extremely hyper. She didn’t sleep and paced frantically throughout the house. At that point we were concerned about a neurological illness. 

The next morning she had severe diarrhea and stopped eating and drinking. We took her to the ER. All vital signs, physical exams and blood work were normal; so they sent her home with Metronidazole and recommended a blend diet of white rice and chicken. She refused to eat, threw up the antibiotic and the diarrhea worsened. She pooped 12 times in 10 minutes. We went back to the ER and they started a subcutaneous fluid treatment. They also started CERENIA and continued the Metronidazole. 

Back at home Gigi still showed no interest in food or water, didn’t stop having diarrhea and got extremely lethargic. We went to a Veterinary Specialty Center and she was admitted to their hospital. 3 days of tests. Blood work, urine work, x-rays, ultrasounds, biopsies, fecal tests, PCRs, etc. All normal. 

Vets stopped the antibiotics and diagnosed her with “allergy”. They put her on Royal Canin hydrolyzed food. We chose not to feed her that. We enticed her to eat by warming up her chicken and rice with a bit of Primal Chicken Bone Broth. We consulted a Canine Nutritionist @CutTheKibble and following Joyce’s advice, we reached out to Jim, from Nature’s Farmacy. Their guidance was heaven sent. We kept it simple and started slowly to home cook for her with the supplements recommended to her scenario. We also used Gastro Elm Plus before her meals (MIRACLE PRODUCT). 

Since I don’t have time to home cook forever, we have now transitioned her to Ever More. She is back to super healthy and happy. She eats, lamb, turkey and beef. I honestly don’t believe she has a food allergy. I believe that her former food was full of fillers. Tones of garbanzo beans, sugar and carbs. Her sensitive stomach just can’t handle it. To sum it up for you, when you need help with your beloved pet’s health, go to:
  1. Cut The Kibble (YouTube or Instagram)
  2. Nature’s Farmacy (Jim) 1800-733-4981
  3. Gastro Elm Plus (Michael) gastroelmplus@gmail.comOR CS@gastroelm.com

Both of our dogs don’t do well on raw food. Lightly cooked foods that worked for us: Small Batch and Ever More

If your dog gets sick and you need to talk. Please email me at chitownanda18str@gmail.com. I’ll call you. Together we can do this!"




Notes and Photo From Others

Jim sent this picture of Daisy, taken after a fresh summer haircut.




Kyle wrote that Cosmo and their older Lhasa, Fin, "have built a reasonably warm friendship - sleeping together at night in the crate. We are so happy to welcome another Lhasa into the family and it’s quite fun watching the two dogs run around or play with the kids."
























Marsha wrote that "Baron can leap tall arms on big chairs in a single bound.... he's Super Baron!"


Lynn wrote about Aimie, "How is it possible that it’s been 8 years since you put this little angel in my arms in Loveland, Co? Every day with her is such heaven on earth. There are just not enough words to tell you how MUCH we adore her…..she’s the light of our lives.
Thank you for your blog and all you do for this beautiful breed"🐾





Lisa sent vacation news about Duncan:"Here is a photo of Duncan and Dresden in Traverse City. Duncan has done remarkably well despite his nerves on this trip so far. We head for Mackinac Island tomorrow.  Then he will go on his first ferry ride and be around all the island horses."
She later wrote that "He did really well on the ferry ride.  He is not interested in or bothered by the horses."




Doreen sent a note about Henry: "Thought I would share this with you..Henry has been featured a couple of times on his groomer’s Instagram page...They just think he’s the best as he’s so sweet…and he loves this summer cut."



Here is a picture of Judy L's Gus and Lippy at their daycare.


Sharon sent this picture of Gi.


Sally sent pictures of Ginger and Jaxon fresh from the groomer.



My thanks to all of you for sharing your photos with the rest of us!

ALAC National Specialty
Once again things are gearing up for the American Lhasa Apso Club's National Specialty. This year it is in Gettysburg, PA. 

Speaking of ALAC, if you have not yet visited the new website, please take time to do so. Very nice new look!
Go to lhasaapso.org

Red Dog History At Joyslyn's
Every so often I pay tribute to the black Lhasas and it hit me the other day that I have never paid tribute to the red Lhasas we have had. So, here goes:

This is Sara :


This is Bo Jangles again: 

 
This is Flame:

This is Rafe:

This is Rusty:

This is Walker:


Of course, the latest is Deacon:

Interestingly and sadly, from Sara through Rusty, the reds faded to gold or reddish gold. Walker's color did not fade, but as I groom Deacon, it looks to me like Deacon's adult coat is coming in as a red gold already.

Final Notes
The worst part about turning 73 was finding out that I had to make a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) which, for those of you who do not know, is an  amount of money the IRS requires people 73 and older to withdraw from a qualified retirement plan each year. Ouch ... taxes!



“Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest.” ~Larry Lorenzoni



Thanks for taking time to read this month's post. 

Joyce