"Think of life like driving a car. The windshield of the car is really large so you see where you are heading. The rear view mirror is really small because you are not supposed to spend a lot of time and energy focusing on your past, on where you have been." ~ Anonymous
Look at these little cuties. They are almost 3 weeks old. On the right, a girl - black with white stockings. On the left, a boy - black and tan. These are Raven and Breaker babies. (Both have already been spoken for.)
I have some photos to share with you of Rafe's last shows. He was the only Lhasa entered so there was no pressure to "win." All we did was enjoy being in the ring together. Rafe was happy to have me all to himself at these shows and was very "up" all weekend. It was a good way to "end" his early show career. Of course, I am hoping that he'll mature well and I'll one day be back in the ring with him. We'll see...
The first two photos were taken by Jane Chapin.
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| Waiting Impatiently (Yes, he shook his head!) |
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| This is better! (He's so pretty!) |
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| Waiting to go in the ring |
We were joined by friends, the Sloans, who live in Des Moines and who own Ella, one of Rafe's daughters. Here is a photo Claire took of Ella and me:
Another exciting part of this trip was my friend Jane Chapin and her Shiba "Tux" (Ch. Hi-Jinx Black Tie Affair) participating in Tux's first rally events. He did a great job, earning two of the required three legs toward his Rally Novice title. He scored a 98 out of 100 both days, taking second place each day. (The first day another dog had a 99, and the second day a different dog had a score of 100!) Jane had not been able to take Tux to any training classes so she'd trained him at home. I'd say she did an excellent job! Tux knew we were proud of him!
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| Tux with his 2nd place and Qualifying ribbons |
A former post highlighted some proposed rules that would hurt hobby breeders. As a result of that post, many of you wrote letters to APHIS requesting that some of the rules be reconsidered or done away with all together. Thanks for that.
The letters from many hobby breeders and owners of dogs purchased from them did no good. The new rulings came out recently and do not bode well for many of us. I'm going to provide you with some links to other bloggers and articles that will help explain the repercussions of the new rules to you.
A report in the Canine Chronicle from the AKC Chairman said in part, "Just 20 years ago, a purebred dog was the dog to have in your life. Twenty years ago, a responsible breeder was viewed as a respected resource. Twenty years ago there were virtually no important legislative efforts aimed at eradicating all dog breeding. What changed in those 20 years? The noble quest to give every dog a “forever” home was co-opted by the animal rights organizations as a method to raise funds for their mission to completely eliminate pet ownership. Under the guise of supporting adoption, they have been raising a significant war chest – over $200 million last year alone – to fuel a campaign aimed squarely at destroying our ability to preserve breeds for future generations."
I hope you are able to take time to read the rest of the report.
Another interesting post from the Katharine's Musings On Liberty and Tyranny blog points out the dangers of the proposed rulings. It's an interesting tirade, ending with, "The animal rights movement is deliberately targeting the knowledge base of the dog breeds. They are trying to wipe out that insider knowledge that you can't find in a book or on the internet. Breed magazines run articles on the history of their breeds, certain dogs, and breeder interviews but that is still nothing more than the tip of the iceberg. They have figured out that wiping out the knowledge base is the key to wiping out the breed. You. And APHIS is coming. One generation and out is here."
The last sentence reflects back to a previous paragraph in which she wrote, "The vast majority of people who face a choice between removing all animals from their home and putting them in a sterile concrete kennel in their back yard and give up their rights under the Fourth Amendment will say no. They will simply spay and neuter everything they have and retire. No puppies for you! After all, vegan Whiney Wayne ever so famously said, "One generation and out." There you go. 45 AKC dog breeds are already facing extinction. Just what do you think this regulation will do for that situation?"
Again, I hope you can find time to read the rest of the blog post. She makes some good points.
Susi, author of the Dogknobit blog, writes that pendulum swing away from purebred dogs and toward shelter dogs paints purebred breeders and those who buy their puppies as "killers." The logic of the animal rights activists is that if you buy a purebred dog you are causing the death of a shelter dog. What? Seriously?
What happened to our right to buy what we want from whom we want?
I recall a puppy buyer from a couple of years ago telling me all her friends were laying guilt on her for not getting a shelter dog. But she knew what she wanted - a purebred Lhasa from a reputable breeder. So she ignored the guilt trip. That's what I thought of when I saw the clever title of the Dogknobit posting: "Guilt: It’s Not Just For Jews and Catholics Anymore (Purebred Dog Owners Can Play."
I've always wondered, why go after the purebred breeders. Who is out there breeding all those mixed breed dogs that are the ones that generally end up in the shelters? Why doesn't somebody target them? It seems they and their indiscriminate breeding practices are causing the problem.
For years the rallying cry of activists has been pet over population. Interestingly, the Dogknobit blog post goes on to explain, "Animal shelters in the USA have been casting a wide net to fill their kennels for years. According to the US Public Health Service, Chicago O’Hare was the destination airport for 10,125 dogs imported from overseas in 2006, half of which weren’t vaccinated. Scientists from the Center of Disease Control estimated that over 199,000 dogs (38,100 unvaccinated) came into the country through the Mexican border that year alone, and in 2007, one organization in Puerto Rico by itself shipped more than 14,000 strays in seven years to the United States for adoption at shelters. ABC News reported that according to G. Gale Galland, veterinarian in the CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, as many as 300,000 puppies a year – most from countries with little or no health safeguards, are being imported to satisfy the demand for puppies at shelters.
"And yet the responsible breeder of purebred puppies is to be blamed for the overpopulation at shelters and dumb friend leagues? The same person who runs health screens on the sire and dam, keeps a careful vaccination schedule, tirelessly socializes their puppies and screens potential owners – THAT breeder?
"These caring shelter workers, whom I really do admire, are guilty of painting breeders with a very broad brush. They fail to place blame squarely at the feet of owners who were responsible for their dog in the first place, and because it’s a dirty little secret, they likely don’t know that the dogs overcrowding their shelters may not even be from America. And finally, they don’t realize that when that purebred dog is adopted, American born or otherwise, it’s often by someone acting for a breed club."
And speaking of a breed club and rescue, the American Lhasa Apso Club has a breed rescue network. It has a few dedicated, hard-working volunteers around the country who try their best to provide foster care and seek new homes for rescued Lhasa Apsos.
Give your Lhasas a hug.
Life is better when you have a Lhasa to love you!
Joyce
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| A 4-week-old puppy from a long ago litter |
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