The "Lazy, Hazy, Crazy" July Days

The best joke I've heard so far this month:

A husband and wife were sitting on their deck, drinking wine, and watching a beautiful summer sunset.
The wife broke the quiet by sighing, "I love you so much. I can't live without you."
The husband chuckled and responded, "Honey, is that you or the wine talking?"
She said, "Oh, it's me...talking to the wine."





I confess that nothing too exciting has happened lately. The 4th of July passed uneventfully. Our town's fireworks display takes place at our university, which is only a few blocks from our house, but I had the radio on for the dogs and no one seemed to mind the "booms" that sounded frequently.

Josh went to class on the night of his 6-month birthday and seemed to enjoy being there with the other dogs. He is a lot of fun to work with and has a natural affinity for showing. I hope that attitude stays with him. At 6 months old, he is now eligible to compete in AKC shows for championship points. We're going to the Burlington Kennel Club show in Iowa in a couple of weeks. The Lhasa entry is small, but we're all planning on having a good time together. Three of us are starting puppies who just turned 6 months old.

When I last wrote, I told you how excited it was when Josh was chosen Best Beginner Puppy in Show at the Kettle Moraine show in WI. Here is the photo that was taken then. He was 5 months old.

Joyslyn MLS Dakota Wind Breaker (Josh)

I've received some notes and photos also.

Renee has two Joyslyn dogs that are half-brothers. She sent photos and wrote,"Their personalities are TOTALLY different.  Dalai still acts like a 2 year old, does whatever he wants whenever he wants and doesn't care what we think (barking at critters in the back yard). But he's bouncy and lots of fun and loves to snuggle. Namri has always been an "old soul".  Calm, cares if I'm upset.  Doesn't bark much-- hangs out by himself on his chair in the office. "



Here is a photo of Namri and Dalai enjoying the warm California sun, followed by photos of them just relaxing around the house.

I received a lovely note from Andy's owners, who live in Canada. Regular readers may recall that Andy was the red male puppy sired by Rafe (GCh. Joyslyn's Inherit the Wind) out of Maggie (Ch. Joyslyn's Moonlight Magic). Here are parts of the the note, "Andy is doing great. He is a wonderful addition to our family and his antics generate smiles on our faces every day…He is a gentle, loving puppy who loves to be cuddled and who prefers to snuggle up to my daughter on the couch for his afternoon nap. "Me too" also loves to follow up wherever we go and eagerly greets the family when they come home from school or work. You will be glad to know he was the quietest and calmest puppy in Puppy Class…Every day we are thankful for this lovely pup that you raised with such care and love. We continue to marinate him with love on a daily basis and look forward to spending many wonderful years together…"

Letters and notes such as this are what come to mind when people see my puppies and ask me, "How can you ever part with them?"

Andy's people sent me some wonderful photos of him. Here are two of them:

Jimmy, Duncan's brother who decided that the show ring was not for him, is enjoying life and a new hair style. He has a new owner who says he is doing great. When I see this photo and look at how he holds and head and neck, I think how much he looks like Raven, his mother.

Raven's other son, Duncan, was the subject of photo session at our house Sunday night after his bath. We took a lot of great pictures of him but I'll share just a few. He is such a pretty dog. His color is unique and his head and expression are lovely! (The rest of him is very nice also!) He'll be 18 months old on July 23.

We've been waiting and waiting for Raven to come in season. She's now two months past the time I expected her to be in season, so if you are impatiently waiting for me to tell you puppies are on the way, you will have to join me and impatiently wait a bit longer!



Now is the time to make plans for the 2014 American Lhasa Apso Club National Specialty. Here is the update flyer of events and hotel information. If you live in the midwest and love Lhasas, drive to St. Louis that week and you'll see Lhasas from all over the U.S. gathered for the National!

You may recall in December or January I mentioned receiving an annual Christmas card from John and Sparky. John and his wife, who has since passed away, purchased Sparky from us 18 years ago. I was saddened by a voice message John left on our machine yesterday telling us that Sparky passed away on Sunday. I called to express my sympathy, and John told me how much Sparky meant to him and how much company Sparky was when his wife passed away. John said Sparky could no longer go up steps and could not see well but otherwise was doing fine. His death was caused by a reaction to a medication the vet had given him. John wants another Lhasa! Don't we all!

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

Joyce