The July 7th entry of this blog featured my article based on Robert Fulgum's Everything I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. One of the lessons Fulgum listed was "FLUSH" and I related it to dog showing and breeding by saying, "Face it, there are times when it's necessary to regroup, rethink, evaluate, and call it quits whether it means deciding that wonderful litter really isn't so wonderful after all, not showing a Lhasa you had your heart set on being your next champion, or scrapping an entire breeding program that just isn't working out. You get past the mistakes and get on with reaching your goals."
Or in the words of The Gambler: "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, and know when to run."
Or in the immortal words of Popeye: "That's all I can stands, I can't stands no more!"
You get the idea!
Last night after grooming Desi, I decided to face the fact that as cute as she is, as pretty as she moves, as great as her coat texture is, and as much as I want to show her to her championship, Desi's coat is a lost cause and I don't think I am ready for the heartbreak and challenge of trying to get her to stop sabotaging herself by chewing her coat. Years ago our dog Tessa did the same thing and every time I had it grown out and ready for her to go back into the ring, she'd sure enough chew off her rear skirts. I do not want to go through that again.
Right now Desi's coat is looking good because, as an experiment, I put an E-collar on her. She doesn't mind it and it certainly keeps her from chewing her coat. BUT she can't live in the thing forever! When I finished grooming her last night, I let her run around the family room to play. Shortly thereafter, Lynn had to groom Zach so he put Desi in her 2x3 since her running around was totally distracting Zach from lying down to be groomed. Zach was more interested in playing with Desi than with being groomed, of course! (First things first, Zach.) When I went to get Desi from her 2x3 to put her E-collar back on, low and behold, she had used those 10 minutes to chew herself. One back foot and both front legs were totally wet!
Thus, Desi will be for sale to a pet home. If you know anyone who'd be interested in an smart, adorable little Lhasa girl with a sweet, playful disposition and a sense of humor who likes to chew her coat, have that person give me a call. Her last photo, taken before she decided to shorten the hair on her chest and front legs, is at the top of the September 30th post. That pretty face remains the same!
Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you...in spite of the fact that some of them are downright frustrating!
Joyce
I'm so sorry. I know it must of been a very hard decision to make. I wish I had room in my house for her, she's adorable. My Bosco had that same problem, he would eat his paws raw if I did not catch it in time. It's bad enough to have that issue on a pet dog, much less a show dog. :(
ReplyDeleteRaquel
Joyce, we do you think she does that. I was told allergies are the culprit, do you agree?? I was also told Lhasas have a tendency for this.
ReplyDeleteRaquel
I wish I knew why she does it. Allergies is the probable culprit. I have an older dog that does it and if I keep her coat clipped she is fine. Only when it starts getting long again does she chew it. I've put Desi on supplements that are supposed to help with allergies. I also tried a food that had no soy, corn, or wheat. She like it but it did not seem to help. And, unlike the older dog, it seems she just wants to eat her hair, not necessarily chew on her feet, if that makes any sense. She loves hair! If she is running around while I am grooming, I have to make sure no hair hits the floor as I clean the brush or she devours it instantly! LOL...keeps life interesting!
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