Show Results and Puppy Pictures

Noah, 5 weeks

"How was the show?" my co-workers asked when they saw me on Tuesday. "Well," I said, "we were there."

The word for our four days of shows in Bloomington was "consistent." Maggie showed very well but ended up taking second in the Bred By Exhibitor class each day. On Saturday, she took Reserve and that was it for her. Of the three, and on one day, four, bitches entered in Bred By, she was the consistent one. For three of the four days she was second to a different bitch each day. As I said, "consistent"—and disappointing, as well. But, that's a dog show. Everyone who enters wants to win. Some do. Most don't.

Rainy, 5 weeks

Rafe made his debut on Sunday, and I was very proud of him. He was the only puppy, so the blue ribbon was automatically his. Two adult males were entered. On Sunday Rafe also took Reserve Winners Dog. Monday he showed better than he did Sunday, but that was it.

I was glad to have helping hands on Sunday and Monday since I had two dogs to show on those days. My Shiba friends, Jane and Rebecca, on whom I rely so much to help me did not enter those days. However, I was rescued by visitors from Chicago on Sunday. Laurie and her daughter, Katie, who own Zeus and Zora (a sister to Rafe), drove to Bloomington to visit with me and to give Katie a chance to see what Rally was all about. Katie helped me with ringside tables, and Laurie held Maggie for me while Rafe was in the ring and Rafe for me while Maggie had her turn. We were also visited by Gus and Sherri, who will be the proud owners of the black female (whom I call Rainy) from this new litter.

Boomer, 5 weeks

On Monday, Nolan and Donna, friends from Bloomington, showed up unexpectedly and just in time to lend a hand at ringside. It turns out that Maggie is not happy when I go into the ring with another dog and leave her with a stranger!

Cooper, 5 weeks

So, that's what happened at the dog show. Jan, Karen, and I had a good time in spite of our disappointments (although Jan's bitch did win one of the majors, so the weekend was not quite as disappointing for her). Rafe was a handful in the hotel room, reminding me again of his father, Walker, who always pitched a fit in the hotel. They are both a couple of momma babies! I'd hoped never again to have to go through that! (Lucky me!) Profuse apologies again to Jan and Karen – and many thanks to them for their patience with the little dickens!

Flash, 5 weeks

The puppies are now 5 weeks old. After being away from them for 4 days, I definitely noticed a difference in them upon my return. They'd grown! They'd become more active – and cuter! Their coats are now starting to fluff out a bit, and we'll see even more of that in the next few weeks. The next big step is weaning them. Let the fun begin! Mira is going to be so happy.

The pictures are of the puppies at age 5 weeks. The videos are a little blurry, and I apologize for that. In their original, less-blurry, form they were too large to post.

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

Joyce

 

Puppy Update - Photos At Four Weeks

Black males - 4weeks

The puppies are growing and getting cuter each day. I have not yet assigned them call names. I've given up on the "rain theme" because there are five puppies and, in spite of my own brainstorming and good suggestions from family, friends, and readers of this blog,  I came up with only three "rain-related" names I really liked! So that theme idea for the litter is out for now. Klara, our 6-year old granddaughter, wants to name one "Noah." Evidently, her kindergarten class was reading and talking about Noah and his ark last week and that gave her the idea.

Age 4 weeks - female

The female is very dainty but she is a pistol. She already lets her bigger brothers know that she is the boss! She is also the most inquisitive and the first one to go exploring.

Gold males - 4 weeks

Here are the pictures we took of them this AM. Enjoy!

(And, wow, I did not realize how bright my nail polish is until I saw it in the pictures against those black puppies!)

Rafe, Maggie, and I are off to 4 days of shows in Bloomington, Illinois, tomorrow. This show weekend is one of my favorites. Not only is it closer to home than almost every other show we attend, the show site is nice, the grooming area is spacious, and the two clubs do a great job of hosting. The Lhasa entry is small, but there are majors available in bitches every day unless someone doesn't show up. Having enough Lhasas of either sex to make a major has been difficult in the past few years, so the fact that we'll have four majors available is exciting.

For my non-dog show readers--a "major" is a win of 3, 4, or 5 points. The value of the major is based on the number of entries of each sex. Major wins are important because a dog has to have a minimum of two of them to be able to earn his/her championship title.

Speaking of non-dog show people, today two of my co-workers were asking me about my plans for the Memorial Day weekend. I explained that I was going to a dog show and was looking forward to showing Rafe on Sunday when he would be 6 months old at last and eligible to compete. Then I told them I was also looking forward to showing him because he was "such a nice puppy." From the looks they gave me, I knew that the word "nice" meant something entirely different to them than it did to me in dog show jargon! I was not referring to his personality, although he is a sweetie. The reference to him being a "nice puppy" was to his structure, movement, and conformation to the standard. I tried to explain but just got more blank looks. Obviously, his "niceness" excites me more than it does them!

Wish me luck at the shows!

Have a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend. As you celebrate, take time to remember those whose sacrifices have kept our country safe.

Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you! Give yours a hug!

Joyce

The Puppies - Age Three Weeks

Here are the latest photos, taken last night. The puppies are now three weeks old. Enjoy!

I will soon have to come up with some call names to distinguish one puppy from another. They were born during a rain storm so if you have any ideas (other than Stormy) related to rainy weather, send me an email at lhasas@joyslynslhasaapsos.com. The black with the white around his neck is going to be Flash. That's as far as I've gotten with ideas. 

A pile of sleeping babies!

Here's a beauty -- the girl

The gold boys, one who did not want to wake up from his nap!

The BIB -- boys in black

Remember, life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you!

Joyce

Puppy Pictures and an Update

Zora

Wow….big shock! Here is a new blog posting from me! I have a lot to tell you.

Since it has been so long since I've written, I have to go back to early May and tell you about the dog show in Jefferson, WI. Maggie, Rafe, and I made the trip with our Shiba friends, Jane and Rebecca. Rebecca and I left my house shortly after 1:00 AM on Saturday. We drove to Jane's, about 40 miles away from Macomb, transferred dogs, luggage, and equipment to her van and were on our way by 2:20. Rafe made the trip like a pro and seemed to enjoy himself. He is so much like Walker that I am waiting for some of the traits I don't like about Walker to show up. For instance, Walker frequently barks when I leave our grooming area. Yes, Rafe started that too. Grr….

Griffin 2

It was good to be at the show with Lhasa friends Karen and LaVonne again. We hadn't seen each other since the Belleville, IL, show in early December. Email is fine for keeping in touch, but it's not as good as seeing friends in person. Each of us was showing a bitch in the Bred-By class, so the judging went fast as there was no in and out of the ring or changing armbands going on.

At the Saturday show, Maggie took third (out of three) – last place for our team! Sunday was much better. She took the point, which brought her total up to 8 of the 15 we need for her championship.

Griffin 1

The following week (last week) went by so fast. I had to be in Chicago for meetings for three days so had only Monday and Tuesday to "recover" from the show, get laundry and other chores done, and groom dogs. We did manage to take pictures of the puppies early Wednesday morning before I had to leave. Of course, by now (nearly a week later) they have changed. Last Wednesday they were just beginning to get their eyes open.

So…three days in Chicago and I had to hit the ground running when I got home Friday night. Thanks to my husband grooming Maggie and Walker Thursday night, I was able to bathe and dry the three dogs (Rafe also had a bath because he was going along for the ride), pack the "dog show bags" for the show Friday night, and still get to bed before 11:30.

Black female, 2 weeks

Do I hear you asking, "Walker?" "Why was Walker going to a show?" Yes, the old guy who is four months away from being a 10 year old got to go to the Scott County Kennel Club shows in Rock Island, IL. They are only an hour-and-a-half from home, and I thought it would be fun to show him again. His coat looks super and he misses the shows. He always looks so sad when I leave him behind. He can't figure out why he isn't going with me any more.

The Lhasa entry again was small, which is really sad but no big surprise for this area. Where have all the Lhasas gone?

LaVonne was there with her bitch Toffee. I had Maggie. Both were entered in the Bred-By class. Walker was entered in the Best of Breed competition as was a champion bitch, Tango.

Black males, 2 weeks

Saturday was our day. Maggie won the point. Now she has 9. She needs a major and three singles to finish. Walker won the Breed. Sunday was the opposite, with Toffee taking the point and Tango taking the breed. Rafe went with us on Saturday only and had a great time. He is getting quite full of himself. I've been very lax about taking pictures of him. One excuse I have is that he has so much hair you can't even see his eyes and he looks like a gigantic Lhasa. Wet him down and he suddenly becomes much smaller! What a coat…Walker's all over again, which will eventually be wonderful, but right now (and later during puppy coat change) is a little daunting.

Showing Walker again was such a joy, and winning the Breed on Saturday was just icing on the cake. I did not expect to win but, oh boy, was it fun to accept that Purple and Gold ribbon! Walker enjoyed the ring and didn’t miss a step. He was lively and gorgeous, especially in the Group. He turns it on when people clap and cheer and no one would ever have suspected that he had not been in the ring since the October specialty. I'm hoping the ringside photographer will soon post some photos she took of him.

Gold males, 2 weeks

So, in addition to the photos of the new babies, I posted photos of Griffin 1 and Griffin 2 (previously known as Sebastian) and Zora (previously known as Gracie.) Olivia's new owner doesn't keep in touch, so I do not get to see photos of how Olivia has grown. It's sad, but keeping in touch and sending me photos of the "kids" is not a condition in the sales contract! I just want those of you who do send photos to know how much I appreciate getting them.

Wednesday will be photo day for the puppies again, as they will be three weeks old. I will try to get the pictures posted faster this week, but am making no promises.

Time is flying. Eyes are open and the puppies are up on their feet (well, sort of) and investigating. Mira still doesn't want me to touch them. She puts her head between them and my hand and gently pushes my hand out of the way. (However, she has no idea what goes on while she is taking her potty breaks and time-away-from-the-puppies breaks. The puppies and I are getting well acquainted in spite of her efforts to keep them to herself.)

Only 10 days to go, and I'll be loading the car to go to the Memorial weekend shows in Bloomington, IL with Maggie and Rafe. Once again, the Lhasa entry is disappointingly small. Rafe is entered in the puppy class for his first ever AKC show on the 27th, so I am looking forward to seeing how he takes to the ring. I sure hope he likes it. I have high hopes for him.

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

Joyce

Sharing Puppy Pictures

The black boys, 1 week old

Well, there isn't much news. We've been busy watching the puppies grow. They were a week old yesterday, and I wanted to get photos posted because I know that at least three of you are excited about seeing them.

The gold boys, 1 week old

Gabe left for his new home in Indiana on Saturday. He is learning new things and is very much loved. He's been meeting lots of neighborhood dogs and people. Mary, his new owner,  said the vet and staff fell in love with him.

Rafe is not quite sure what to do with himself now that he is the "only" puppy left  at home. Even with the extra attention, he misses rough-housing with his littermates. He'll be riding along to the Wisconsin show this weekend to get a first taste of life as a show dog.

Maggie is going to be shown this weekend. The entry is not huge, which is good, because she has not been to a show since the beginning of March. It'll be nice to ease back into the routine. Last time, she was being a pill about letting the judges look at her bite. We've been working on that. Wish us luck this month as we finally get to go to some shows.

The black girl, 1 week old

Between the puppies' birth and Gabe's leaving, we focused on celebrating our granddaughter's 6th birthday. She was so excited about the idea of being 6! Remember when you could not wait to be older and the time between birthdays lasted forever? Now, while I am glad I am still around to have birthdays, it seems as if the years are flying by! I don't mind being older, as long as I am not expected to "act my age!" Being a grandma is keeping me young.


Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you! If you have one handy, give that sweetie a kiss!

Gabe at his new home

Joyce