Sharing A Picture

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each tomorrow
Find us farther than today.

~from Henry Wadsworth  Longfellow's A Psalm of Life

I don't know if teachers make children memorize classic poems any more, but "back in the day," we had to. The quotation above comes from one whose lines have stayed with me many years.  Too many times we "wish" we had this or that or we "want" this or that to change. How many times do we act by setting goals and telling ourselves not "I wish" or "I want" but "I will" and then "I can do this!"?

Ch. Joyslyn's Heartbreaker

In my last post, I said I would share the picture of Breaker taken when he won the Group 4 placement at the Iowa City show. So…here is the picture. Note that I cropped it to show only Breaker because, as usual, the picture of me was not-so-good. In this case, eyebrows up in a questioning fashion, I was looking at the photographer, asking, "How's this?" However, given a choice, I'd rather the dog looked great. The photo is about the dog, not about me.

When I posted the picture on Facebook, someone sent me a private message asking about the products I use on his coat. I have to confess that there is nothing special or no single product/brand to which I have sworn allegiance.

One belief I have is that if you want to grow coat, you have to keep the coat clean. Brushing a dirty coat causes damage. While I do not bathe the dogs weekly, I do make sure to wash their feet, skirts, bellies, ear fringes, and faces before they are groomed. I fill the utility sink with about 4" of warm water to which I add about ½ cup of rinseless shampoo. The dog stands in the sink, and I work the soapy mixture into the coat. No rinsing is necessary. I squeeze as much moisture from the coat as possible, then let the dog air dry for about a half hour or so then groom him/her. If I'm in a rush, I'll use the hair dryer.

Regarding rinseless shampoos: numerous brands are on the market. My favorite is Kenic's product, but all the major dog product brands carry a rinseless shampoo (also known as a dry shampoo): Bio-Groom, Kote-Glo, Chris Christensen, PurePet, Nature's Miracle, to name a few.

So, Kenic's Dry Shampoo is a favorite, as is the Kenic Grooming Spray. However, I also like Nature's Specialties' Quicker Slicker grooming spray. Nature's Specialties also carries a re-moisture product that can be diluted to be a light conditioner, used full strength with dog wrapped in a warm towel as a deep conditioning "hot oil-type" treatment, or anything in between.

Right now I use the JB Golden Almond Mat and Tangle Removing Spray, but it is no longer available so it's treated as a valued resource at our house! So far, I haven't found a replacement, but I have a half-gallon left so it is not time to panic yet. It gets pulled out only in cases of severe mats and, fortunately, those are few. JB Golden Almond Shampoo and JB Golden Almond Conditioner have also been favorite products for bath time. I found a Tea Tree Oil Shampoo at Sally's Beauty Supply that I tried on my hair and then decided to try on the dog's coats. It and the Tea Tree Oil Conditioner have been giving good results too.

At the shows and for grooming after a full bath, I use the Crown Royale grooming spray. It smells great, goes on light, and makes the dogs look great too!

On another topic: Puppy update…everyone from the February litter has a new home or has been spoken for. The next litter is in the planning stage. We'll be breeding Belle to a friend's champion. She was due to come in season in June but, being Belle, is doing things in her own sweet time, so we're just waiting…

Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you.

Joyce