Show Results, Letters, and Some Photos

The Waukesha weekend was a good one for the Joyslyn dogs - in spite of the weather. Friday morning the Lhasas were in the ring at 10:00 for the Greater Milwaukee Lhasa Apso Club Specialty Show. The sky was overcast and the breeze was chilly. It was threatening to rain!

This was the first show weekend for Raven's two sons, Duncan and Jimmy. Jimmy (formerly called Gus) is known to AKC as Joyslyn Golden Tu Mon Ami Inka Dinka Doo. He is owned by my friends Jan Graunke and LaVonne Bennett. LaVonne showed him on Friday only at the Greater Milwaukee Lhasa Apso Club Specialty. Not only does Jimmy look like Raven, but he also moves like her. That little guy is amazing!  He won the 6-9 puppy class and then went on to beat the Open Dog for Winners Dog and earn two points! His first show! Following in his mother's footsteps, like her at that Specialty show in 2011, he took Best of Winners.  When it came time for the Best of Breed competition, LaVonne had a Special she was showing, so I got to take Jimmy in the ring. I was thrilled to be showing him and, for not having seen me for a few months, he showed very well.

Windy showed nicely in the grass, which pleased me because this was her first show on grass. She took Reserve Winners Bitch.

Fortunately for Lhasa exhibitors and their dogs, the rain held off until we finished showing. The first few sprinkles began as we were through taking pictures.  Then the sky opened and it poured for most of the day.

I was glad that I thought to pack a sweatshirt and wished I had a rain coat! Other breeds were scheduled for the rest of the day, and I felt so sorry for the dogs and their handlers who were showing in the downpour! Many exhibitors had spent the morning washing, drying, and primping their dogs to look their best. Everyone came back in the building soaked to the skin!

Saturday and Sunday were cold and windy days. There was no rain. By Sunday, I was thinking, "why bother grooming?" since the wind was high and the dogs' coats were blowing all over.  I confess to not doing my usual thorough job! Windy took Winners Bitch on Saturday and Sunday. She now has 9 points, including one major. She needs another major and some singles to get to the 15 points with two majors required for her championship.

Duncan

Duncan made his ring debut on Sunday. He showed nicely for me but did not win. He took Reserve Winners Dog, which sounds good until you know that there were only two dogs entered! He had fun, was happy in the ring, and had a great first experience.

My friend, Jane, took some video of Jimmy, Windy, and Duncan. Jimmy's and Windy's videos were taken on Friday. We knew we were not going to be able to video Duncan on Sunday, so I walked him in the grass at the hotel and Jane took the video there.

In spite of the excitement over Jimmy's big win, Friday was also a bittersweet day. Mira left us for a new home with Sarah, Al, and their Lhasa Tashi (also a Joyslyn's Lhasa). Here is a picture of Mira and me in the car on Friday saying good-bye. It was pouring rain outside so we had to crowd into my car to stay "dry." Of course, we were soaked by the time we ran to the car! My hair and face were wet with rain, which helped cover up the teary eyes.

Sarah, knowing how hard it was for me to let Mira go, has sent a lot of photos and updates. Among the notes: "I just wanted to let you know that everything is going well with Tashi and Mira!  At first Tashi was a little shocked, but as per usual the lhasa girl is leading the way. She has found her favorite spot on my comfy chair with her bone…She has investigated the house, found it suitable and is now settling in. She has stolen Al's heart!" and "She has such a cute little growl/muff when she wants her way, and Tashi just jumps back as if he's seen a ghost! They run around together and behave very well on our walks. Life is so good when you have two adorable lhasas to love you!"

Tashi and Mira sharing the sofa

On Saturday, Violet, Roman, and their Lhasa Yogi drove to Waukesha from northern Illinois to watch us show, cheer us on, and visit with me. Yogi is nearly 11 years old. He was so calm and collected around all the hubbub of the show. Yogi is related to Walker. His sire is Walker's grandsire -- and I'll let you figure out the relationship! It was fun to see them all again. I had not seen Yogi except in pictures since he left our home. Violet and Roman came to see me at another show about 7 years ago when I was showing Connor but they left Yogi home that time.

It was fun on Sunday to see Pat W. at the Lhasa ring. Pat had a pet Lhasa for many years and really appreciates the breed. She shows a lovely Soft Coated Wheaten named Flynn, who had some nice wins on Friday and Saturday. After we showed the Lhasas, we went to Pat's grooming area to visit with her and to meet Flynn. He is 11 months old and such a sweetheart.

Flynn

Our next shows are this coming weekend in Burlington, IA. The Lhasa entry is all Joyslyn. Duncan and Jimmy are the only class males. Windy is the only bitch entered, and Rafe is the only Special entered.

I have been blessed again this week with emails from people who have Joyslyn's Lhasas. Some also included photos.

Mary sent a cute photo of Gabe. Poor Gabe has been ill with  an inflamed bowel and had to start a hypoallergenic diet. We're happy the vet was able to diagnose the problem because Gabe had stopped eating and was feeling low. With the new diet and some meds, his appetite has returned and he is himself again.

Gabe, just chillin'

 A note from Barbara reminds me how much she loves her Daisy:  "I pick up my Daisy, and her big eyes and look always perk me up - she always understands me - happy or sad!  Who needs a support group - get an upper like my Daisy!  All I can say is, thank you again and again from the bottom of my heart for my Daisy!  Just when one thinks she cannot get cuter  and smarter, she never fails to amaze me everyday.  Like Tom said, she is a PP - Precious Puppy!  Everyone loves her and then they want to take her from me - have you ever seen a protective Mom - no need to say anymore!!!!"

Laurie tells me that Hunter has learned how to go up the stairs and that he is growing fast. She wrote, "Hunter loves his time with the other dogs. Zora is teaching him how to have a really big bark (great). Zeus likes to play with him when Zora is getting groomed. Our puppy has brought much needed balance to the animal kingdom. Hunter is half snuggle bug and half stinker. He is so happy and his tail constantly wags. He so wants to run with the big dogs." She went on to tell me about his vet appointment and wrote "… he went on and on about how wonderful Hunter is. He is always impressed with your breeding program. Hunter charmed the people in the reception area. It's my little secret that as handsome as he is now, he is going to be even more gorgeous when he gets older."

Hunter learns to climb stairs

Laurie's Lhasa Trio: Zora, Hunter, Zeus

Ted and Ev wrote about Lucky's latest adventure. (Lucky is a half-brother to the Jethro/Hunter/Lila puppies. Mira is also his mother.) You might recall from previous posting about him that Lucky is trying out various jobs (e.g., WalMart Greeter and golf ball retriever).  Most recently Lucky decided to try on a new hat and become a geese chaser at the local pond. Ted wrote, "Lucky is walked daily in a park-like setting with homes on 2 sides and an open park on one side.   In between is a manmade lake that attracts hundreds of geese every year.   Some remain throughout the Spring to Fall. Lucky has walked past this lake numerous times with geese swimming around or just having a power nap.  The stench from the lake and surrounding area with all of the goose dumping  is high.  I’m not too sure why Good Old Lucky decided that he was going to chase the geese out of the lake, but he jumped in and started barking at them, making lunges towards them----the geese are honking away and Lucky is barking and charging them in the water.  This went on for about 5 minutes until he got closer to shore and Ev was able to scoop him out of the water. Like I mentioned the stench from the water and surrounding area is very very high so you can imagine what our  “guard dog” smelled like.  It was awful.   He had a ball and we had to scrub him down (a couple of times) to rid him of the stench…He is certainly a character and keeps us smiling and laughing at the various things he comes up with daily."

It might have been fun to see a video of Lucky policing the geese! I'm so glad I did not have to be in charge of that clean up. Ugh! Poor Ev!

An article by Frank Losey, "ASPCA Violates Dog Breeders"  discusses possible repercussions for hobby and show breeders (like me). And here's a little tongue-in-cheek poster to help you understand why breeders breed dogs. LOL

Life is better when you have a Lhasa (or two) to love you!

Joyce