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