Show Results and Pictures

It's been a busy week! Last Thursday, I  and three dogs (Rafe, Windy, and Duncan) left for the 2+ hour drive to Bloomington for 4 days of shows. I secured a grooming space for myself and three friends, made new friends with people in the surrounding grooming spaces, and prepared for a lively weekend of showing!

Jan came with Jimmy (formerly known as Gus). Jan and LaVonne co-own Jimmy, officially known to AKC as Joyslyn Golden Tu Mon Ami Inka Dinka Do. We thought that Jimmy and Duncan would have a joyous reunion and enjoy playing with each other again. Nope. Jimmy wanted nothing to do with Duncan, an attitude that perhaps was the result of Duncan coming on too strong. Here's a picture of me with the two brothers.

Friday night the Corn Belt Kennel Club hosted a fun match with a $250 prize for Best Puppy in Match. Classes went as young as 4 months, so Jan and I entered the boys. Jimmy won the class and represented  the Lhasa Apso well in the Puppy Group. Once he decided to get his tail up, he showed beautifully, reminding all who remembered Raven's movement very much of her. The video below is of Jan and Jimmy showing in the Non-Sporting Puppy Group. Although Jimmy did not place in the Group, he did make the final cut, so we were thrilled with his accomplishment at his first dog show! Duncan showed well also. He was happy and kept his tail up. The judge said she had a hard time choosing between the two since she liked different things about each. It's hard to deny a dog that moves the way Jimmy does though! I think we can expect good things from both boys.

Another highlight of the match was that my friend, Jane Chapin, won Best Puppy in Match with her Shiba puppy, Zahara. What a thrill that was! Zahara is just 4 months old. In addition to this Best in Match win, Zahara also has two Best Puppy in Show wins at UKC shows.

Rafe and Windy did well at all the shows. Rafe won Best of Breed all 4 days. Windy took Reserve to the 3-point major on Friday and Saturday and won the major on Sunday. These are her first points and I was so happy that she won a major. (One major out of the way and one to go! We're off to a good start!) I hoped to get a photo of her with the judge, but the judge was elusive and never returned to the photographer's set up for photos. Jan took some pictures of Windy in the grooming area. Here is one of them.

Her coat is growing and she is looking good and showing well as long as there are no unusual noises. Our ring was near a set up that held many Golden Retrievers and it seemed that those people never turned off their forced air dryers!

One big disappointment was the weather. Rain, rain, rain. Friday and Saturday were cold and windy. The rains came Saturday night and stayed. On Sunday and Monday we were lucky for lulls in the rain which allowed us to load and unload dogs and equipment without getting soaked.

Home again, the dogs were happy to get back into their routine. Duncan, who had behaved so well at the show site and the hotel, turned into a holy terror and made up for his good behavior. He's still at it!

I was also glad to be home and sleeping in my own bed. I enjoyed seeing how the babies had grown while I was away. Here are photos of them at 3.5 weeks.

Hunter

Jethro

Lila

The next stop for Windy, Rafe, and me is Fargo, ND! We have a long drive ahead of us, and I hope that all those miles don't have to be driven in thunderstorms!

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

Joyce

Puppy Photos

Duncan, 3.5 months old

Rafe, Windy, Duncan and I are preparing for the 4 days of shows in Bloomington, Illinois, this weekend. I'm not sure about the dogs' attitudes about being at 4 days of shows, but I'm looking forward to seeing Lhasa friends that I have not seen for a few months.

Duncan is going not only to acclimate him to the atmosphere of a dog show but also because the club is holding a fun match on Friday night. It'll be his first "show" experience and I hope he'll think it's a good time. He usually thinks anything involving treats is a positive experience. His litter brother, Jimmy (we called him Gus) will be there also. I think they will enjoy playing together again.

Here are some photos of Duncan, taken last week. He still doesn't have an AKC registered name. I wonder about "Color Me Unique." He does have a striking and unusual color!

Duncan, 3.5 months old

Duncan, 3.5 months old

I also received some nice email from two families who have Rafe and Maggie's three puppies. It is hard to believe those puppies will be six months old on June 3rd. Wow...that time went fast!

Ella's owner wrote, "Ella's paper work arrived yesterday.  Thank you so much!  We can hardly believe she will be six months old, doing great, and a real joy with such a wonderful personality.  Her new playmates are Etta and  Lola our vet's Brussels Griffon pair and they are so fun to watch together. Congratulations on Rafe! What an accomplishment!!!!"

Ella

On the left is the photo they sent of Ella! Look at those long eyelashes!

Mallory's owners wrote, "We just wanted to share a picture of Mallory!!  You talked about the  "don't like having my pictured taken" gene that Walker and Rafe have - I think  Mallory inherited the gene.  We have tried numerous times to get a picture  to send to you, but she just doesn't like having her picture taken!  We get  many compliments on how cute she is, and our groomer commented today on what a  beautiful coat of hair and what a sweet disposition she has!!  She's a  sweetie!!  She's still a little jumping bean!! Just wanted to add how much we enjoy your blog - love seeing the pictures  as well as reading the information you provide about the breed!! Thanks for making our life better by giving us our Mallory!!…One more note about our groomer, Jackie - Jackie and  her mother have been in the business of breeding (cocker spaniels and  poodles), showing and grooming dogs for over 48 years…So, my  point in relating this information is she has the many years of experience  to know and appreciate a beautiful dog when she sees  one.  She says Mallory is just an angel and took to the  grooming route right away!  Our veterinarian has also commented  on Mallory's beautiful coat and her sweet disposition.  She is a hit  with everyone around here!!  As a breeder, you should be proud!!"

Mallory

I am proud!! As I told Mallory's owner, I can take only partial credit. New owners have to raise and train their puppies, and poor upbringing and training can ruin any puppy.

I also heard from Snicker's owners. He is Mallory and Ella's litter brother. "Here is our boy that we love so much. He's been good and always makes us smile.  He's just so cute and has become a mommy's boy.  He follows me all around the home. He also loves when he hears the boys' bus and sits by our glass door and waits for the boys to play.  It's so cute. He gets up with Craig every morning and enjoys a tiny treat when Craig makes his lunch.  Hope you're well and hope your enjoying the nice weather."  This little guy reminds me so much of his sire, Rafe. His face, color, coat, expression are all "Rafe."

Snicker

The new puppies are doing well. Eyes are open and they are becoming more active, trying to get up on their feet a bit. The pictures below were taken when they were two weeks and two days old. As you know by now, we enjoy taking and sharing pictures of our puppies. However, I have started to wonder, given Rafe's obvious dislike of having his photo taken, if we turned him "off" regarding photography sessions because he had so many taken when he was young? These three were awakened from naps to have their pictures taken. You can see that they were not exactly thrilled to have their sleep  interrupted!

Lila

Hunter

Jethro

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

Joyce

Happy (Belated) Mother's Day

Sadly, I believe May is in the process of beating April for going by at warp speed! So, although I am two days late with my greeting, I want to say "Happy Belated Mother's Day" to my readers who are moms and to share this cute picture my daughter emailed me. (She knows me well!)

No sooner were the puppies born on May 4th than I had to  take off a few days later for a 3-day work-related trip. A lot of information related to our state-funded early childhood training and technical assistance project was shared over those three days! We had fun too...I was introduced to the Cupid Shuffle! :-)

Arriving home shortly before 6:00 PM on Friday, I started preparing for the weekend's dog show. Fortunately, I'd had the foresight to enter only one dog—Rafe. Lynn (bless him) had groomed Rafe for me on Thursday night, so all I had to do was bathe him and blow him dry. Even so, that was at least a 2-hour job by the time I added the finishing touches with the flat iron. I let him air dry for a bit while I packed the grooming bags to take to the show.  The shows, hosted by the Scott County Kennel Club were held in Bettendorf, IA, at new venue for the club. The grooming area I was in was well-lighted and roomy. The rings were all carpeted and, although I heard complaints from people with larger breeds that the rings were too small, I did not find them so. Best of all, the show site was within driving distance so Rafe and I were able to sleep in our own beds and I was able to get a couple loads of laundry done Saturday evening.

It turned out that Rafe was the only Lhasa there. Two others (a class dog and a specials bitch) had been entered but were no-shows. We, therefore, took Best of Breed both days rather by default! At ringside on Sunday, I was chatting with a friend who shows Yorkies. She commented, "I'm sorry. I did not see you in the Group ring yesterday." I replied, "That's okay. Neither did the judge." However, on Sunday Rafe took a Group 2. I was so excited and of course, we had to get a photo taken! That is when I learned the bad news...in addition to the many good characteristics Rafe inherited from his sire, Walker, it seems he also inherited the "I hate having my picture taken" gene. What an ordeal that was. My thanks to the patience of the photographer but mostly to the judge, Mr. Richard Miller. I'm sure that when the photo finally arrives, my face is going to be beet red! And I would be remiss if I did not also thank my Shiba Inu friends, Jane Chapin and Rebecca and Dustin Powell, for their constant friendship, support, and help with my Lhasas.

I looked at our red Group 2 rosette this morning and noticed that "Bettendorf" had been misspelled "Bittendorf." I wonder if anyone else noticed?

The puppies have grown and, as you will see in the photos below, are already opening their eyes. They are eating well, are comfortable and content, and are such sweet babies. The people who reserved the two boys have named them. The black is Hunter. The gold is Jethro (think NCIS, not the Beverly Hillbillies!). The female, who will stay with us, is unnamed as yet.

Hunter,  10 days old

Jethro, 10 days old

Lila, 10 days old

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while, know that I agonize over decisions about placing our retired adult champions. I have finally reached a decision to find a home for Breaker, officially known as GCh. Ch. Joyslyn's Heartbreaker. I've got a small ad on our Joyslyn's website for him and now this notice on the blog. Breaker is still in full coat. It's super easy to take care of if a new owner wants to do so. He is 4 years old, a sweet and loving dog who really likes a lot of attention and is very content to just chill in the family room. He has his own page on our website if you are interested and want to see more pictures.

Breaker in the Group ring in Iowa City

GCh. Ch. Joyslyn's Heartbreaker

Our next show will be the one in Bloomington, Illinois, on May 24th - 27th. If you are near the area and need something to do on the Memorial Day weekend, come out to the Interstate Center and look us up! Lhasas are coming from Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Missouri, and perhaps from other states as well. On Friday night the club is hosting a big fun match with classes for dogs as young as 3 months. I think I will take Duncan. His brother, Gus, now re-named Jimmy, will be at the show also. I am looking forward to seeing him again. Duncan will appreciate having someone his size to play with. All our adults think he is annoying! (He is! He is also smart, independent, and stubborn -- in other words, a Lhasa Apso!)

If you have not already seen it, you might like to see the American Lhasa Apso Club's Learn About the Lhasa: A Home Study Guide.

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

Joyce

They've Arrived!

On Saturday, May 4, Mira had three puppies: One black male, one gold male, and one gold female. All of these puppies were spoken for before they were born. As usual, I will post pictures of them as they grow.

Here is the first, taken when they were two days old:

L to R: Gold female, gold male, black male

Life is better when you have a Lhasa to love you! These three puppies will surely have a lot of love to give the people who love them in return.

Joyce

Pictures and Some Musings...

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.  ~Proverb

Really??? I sure hope so, but there has not been much proof as yet!

So, the calendar says "May," and the weather says, "That's what you think!" We've had two lovely May "teaser" days to make us think it is finally spring. Mother Nature is laughing, or perhaps given the changing climate situation, she is crying. Certainly, her tears have resulted in rain, a lot of rain, for our area. Looking on the bright side, at least we are not scooping snow as some of my friends who live in other states are doing.

(The clip art is in honor of my tulips that have had the nerve to bloom! Brave little things.)

Mira has not yet had her puppies. She went to the clinic on Monday for an x-ray and we learned she is having three puppies.  I am looking forward to their arrival, wondering how many are boys, how many are girls, and what colors they will be. Here are pictures of Mira and the puppies' sire, Alvin. Mira is the black Lhasa; Alvin is the cream Lhasa.

I received some email and some photos from people who purchased puppies that were born in April last year. I'll share the emails and photos with you.

The first came from Oliver's owners in honor of his birthday. Ellen wrote, "Here's a few photos of Oliver celebrating his first birthday. He truly has become the love of my life. Thank you!"

Oliver enjoying a doggie treat shaped like a cupcake.

The second came from Lucky's owners: "…He has a tremendous amount of energy and loves to play and make friends with everyone...We felt he needed more activity during the day so we put him into day care, a facility that caters to dogs 30lbs or less.  After a couple of visits with some apprehension he finally fit in. So much so, that he is considered a Greeter. New dogs come in and he takes the responsibility to take them on a tour to show them the 4 corners of the facility, where most dogs have a afternoon nap etc..etc… Not Lucky he is there to play and Maybe Just Maybe he could develop into a WalMart Greeter--only if he remains in one spot. He is a lot of fun…he has a tremendous amount of energy and we have decided (now that he is older) to enroll him in another training program. We will see what happens..."

Lucky -- the Doggie Day Care Greeter!

Some of you may have seen the recent Today Show where the AKC spokeswoman truly had an epic fail and managed to put all purebred dog breeders in a less-than-favorable light. AKC wrote a response, but the damage was done on a national level, and no amount of letter writing is going to fix that! I mean, millions of people watched the Today Show. Only a small percentage, mostly AKC breeders, received AKC's letter. And who among the vast millions is going to stop to go to the AKC website to see what  that organization has to say? Here is the AKC rebuttal:

The AKC is extremely disappointed that The Today Show was given all of the information below but chose not to include any of it in their segment this morning. We met with the producers for an hour prior to the taped interview — which also lasted nearly an hour — and we provided them with supporting documentation, and they chose only to include less than 1 minute of airtime for AKC. They disregarded important facts that should have been told. In fact, we requested to receive a copy of the tape of the entire, unedited interview with Jeff Rossen so that we could show you all of the information we gave them, but their lawyers refused to provide the footage to us.

Here are some top facts that The Today Show didn't tell you:

• They didn't tell you that no other organization does more to protect dogs than the AKC and that "being the dog's champion" means, among other things, donating more than $24 million to canine health research, conducting kennel inspections, and offering more educational programs for responsible dog owners than any other organization.
• They didn't tell you that when an AKC inspector finds substandard kennel conditions they must immediately report it to the appropriate federal, state and local authorities to take action.
• They didn't tell you that, in many instances, the highly publicized raids for which animal rights groups take credit in the media have come about as a direct result of AKC's reporting to law enforcement.
• They didn't tell you that, as we explained to Jeff Rossen and his producers numerous times, there are no "AKC Registered Operations" or "AKC Registered Breeders" and that breeders use AKC services voluntarily.
• They didn’t tell you that less than 5% of AKC’s registration revenue comes from commercial breeders or that the AKC is a not-for-profit organization whose total revenues are less than the total marketing budget of the HSUS.
• They didn't tell you that AKC saw substandard breeders leave the registry in droves in the mid-1990's when we instituted an inspections program. We did it anyway, even though it affected our bottom line negatively, because it was the right thing to do for dogs. And, more breeders left when we began DNA testing.
• They didn't tell you that when AKC has concerns with legislation, it publicly puts legislative alerts on its website where anyone can learn about how a bill may potentially affect responsible breeders and dog owners' rights and not do anything to protect dogs.
• They didn't tell you that AKC works to ensure the enforcement of cruelty and neglect laws, as well as the provisions of the federal Animal Welfare Act. As a result, AKC has a productive working relationship with local animal controls, state and local law enforcement, state departments of agriculture throughout the country, as well as the USDA.
• They didn't tell you that AKC is well respected by lawmakers who consider us credible experts on dog issues, and rely on our thoughtful and considered advice when it comes to legislation that will impact dogs and their breeders and owners.
• They didn’t tell you that the purebred rescue groups they referenced are actually AKC breed parent club groups and affiliates that make up the largest dog rescue group network in the country.
• They didn't tell you that The Today Show's Natalie Morales made a TV public service announcement in conjunction with the Ad Council and the HSUS.

Please send your comments directly to the Producer of the Today Show Don Nash don.nash@nbcuni.com and the President of NBC News Phil Griffin phil.griffin@nbcuni.com.

Watch the segment on the Today Show website and then go to Rossen Reports and Today.com and NBCNews.com to post your comments in support of AKC and all the responsible dog owners and breeders in this country.

The fact is that no matter what your sport, your ethnic group, your religion, or any other group you belong to, there are good members and bad members and a whole bunch in between. Stereotyping all members of a group because of the bad deeds of a few is all too typical in today's society.

I'll also share a recent email from a friend: "You may want read the article about HSUS, the organization widely quoted in the Today Show hatchet job on AKC and dog breeders. One sees the words Humane Society and assumes the organization is reliable. It is not! After reading the article, send it to as many folks as you can. By the way, the article was supplied to me by a vet who suggested that the Today Show may want to do its next "expose'" on HSUS!"

Rafe, Windy, and I went to the dog show at the Marshalltown, IA, fairgrounds last Sunday. Saturday was our granddaughter's birthday and, not knowing what her parents had planned, I thought it best to avoid entering the show for that day! Windy had no competition but, having paid my entry, I decided she needed the practice at a real show, so I showed her anyway. She is in season, so it could have been a costly mistake for Rafe. He was all fired up in the ring, bound and determined to get to her. I wish I had a video to share because at one point I was holding on to him for dear life as he leaped toward her, determined to escape my grasp. Luckily, he stood on the table for examination and he moved well going around the ring. In spite of his behavior, the judge preferred him over the other male special and gave him Best of Breed. I was pleased and also very very happy to get out of the ring. Once again, my friends at ringside (and the one in the ring with Windy!) were getting a good laugh at my expense.

Here is a photo of the bookcase my husband made for our granddaughter's birthday. She'll have plenty of room to store books and toys! He made shingles for the roof and added cute touches such as the scalloping and the "fence" on both sides.

And here is Hilo, who has the right attitude for this dreary, damp, chilly, rainy day in Illinois:

 

Don't you just want to hug him?

Remember, Life is better when you have a Lhasa to love you!

Joyce