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