Hmm...That sounds as if it might work.
The Beginning
Many things have happened since I last wrote just prior to the July 4 holiday. That weekend was no holiday for me as there were some family concerns that resulted in some late night driving and a worrisome week. Things worked out okay, for which I am extremely grateful.Puppies have left for new homes. Hawk and Thor were the first two to leave. Then a few days later Becca's new family arrived to pick her up. In the meantime, because Jenna's new owner had had surgery and was unable to get a medical clearance for travel, he made last minute arrangements for me to fly to Miami to deliver her in person. What a whirlwind of activity that entailed. He made the flight and hotel arrangements while I was busy making arrangements at work to use up two of my vacation days and taking Jenna to the vet for her airline required health certificate.
Let me tell you about that health certificate. It's a piece of paper that basically identifies the breed of dog, the weight, the most recent vaccinations, and the name and address of the person the dog is traveling with, as well as the signature of the veterinarian who examined the dog. That piece of paper cost $45 and not one single person at Delta Airlines even asked to see it! When I checked in for my flight, I said, "I have her health certificate." I pulled it out of my purse with my I.D. to pass it to the person behind the counter. "I don't need to see that," she told me. "Okay," I replied, stuffing it back in my purse, all the while thinking, "Damn, $45 for a health certificate that was 'required' and no one wants to see it."
Now it is true and just my luck that if I assumed no one would ask for it and, therefore, save myself $45, then sure enough, they would want to see it and not allow the dog on the plane. It's not worth the risk.
Jenna was an excellent traveler. I woke her at 2:00 AM and put her in a crate. We drove almost two hours to the airport. When we arrived, I took her from her crate and put her in a Sherpa bag. We got through security just fine. Back in the Sherpa she went. While waiting at the gate, she fussed a bit so I took her out and she made a whole lot of early morning bleary-eyed travelers smile as they walked by. Once on the plane she made not one peep. During our layover in Atlanta, she fussed again and I took her out of the Sherpa to hold her. This time some children came over and asked to pet her. She was happy and so were they. A cute puppy makes a lot of weary travelers smile. The final leg of the flight to Miami went as well as the first. She was a quiet puppy.
I worried about her need to potty and wondered what to do. As I was walking through the terminal in Atlanta, I spied a family assisted restroom. Unlike the open-bottomed stalls in the other restrooms (from which I feared she might escape), this restroom was a room in and of itself with a full door, so in we went and I put piddle pads down to protect the floor. She used them. I threw them away and ta-da!, she went back into the Sherpa bag and we were again on our way.
(I'm pretty sure that pottying a puppy was not part of the plan for family assisted restrooms, but it worked, so keep that in mind if you ever need to fly with a dog and need to figure out where he can potty.)
The trip, as quick and unexpected as it was, was a gift for my family. My daughter and her family live in Miami so I was able to spend the rest of my time with them. It was great to see the three of them and to spend time re-introducing myself to my grandson. He is 10 months old and lives too far away for my liking!
The major "bump in the road" of the trip was that at 3:00 AM when I was on my way to the airport I was assailed by a number of wildlife who were intent on committing "suicide by automobile." I was successful in evading the skunk, the fox, the four deer (two together sauntering down the middle of the highway, the other two about 4 miles apart one on each side of the road staring at me as I drove by), and one raccoon. The second raccoon was granted his death wish. The only problem is that he did a great deal of damage to my 10-month old car! Luckily, it is still drivable.
I arrived home just before midnight on Thursday. The only wildlife I saw were a trio of baby raccoons about a block from my house. They were playing in the street. I guess they are all born with a death wish. I managed to pass them without incident.
Vader left on Friday afternoon. His departure meant that Kimmi was now an "only puppy." Kimmi was not happy. She is still not happy and seems to be missing her littermates quite a bit. Maggie is enjoying playing with only one puppy and the two of them are quite a comedy act. Kimmi often gets what we call the "Lhasa crazies" and takes off running full speed around the room.
Let's Call This the Beginning of the Middle: Show Results
Lest you think all I was doing was traveling across the country delivering puppies or waiting at home for people to come to pick puppies up, let me tell you that I also attended three dog shows. On July 12, Josh, Luna, and I went to a show in Ottumwa, Iowa. (We did not go to the Saturday show because the people who were picking up Becca came that day.)Luna and Josh were the only Lhasas entered. There were no points for Luna but I showed her anyway, thinking she could use the practice. Besides, I'd paid my $28 entry fee and thought I should just use the experience as an expensive training class. She did just fine.
We're working on points towards Josh's Grand Championship. He can earn them by winning Best of Breed, Best of Opposite Sex, or Select Dog.
Josh, the only Lhasa Special entered, took Best of Breed. We also participated in the National Owner Handled Series. He placed second in the NOHS Non-Sporting Group. Having won Best of Breed, he went on to compete in the Non-Sporting Group and took 3rd place. I'll post the actual show photo when it comes. In the meantime, here is a picture we took at home. The yellow ribbon is the 3rd place ribbon for the Non-Sporting Group. The brown one is the 2nd place ribbon from the NOHS group.
He was tired after his long day of showing.
While we were taking pictures, we took a couple of Luna also.
That night we also took some puppy pictures. Here is Kimmi, the puppy I decided to keep in hopes she'll be a good show prospect.
On July 18 and 19, Josh, Luna, and I attended shows in Ft. Madison, Iowa, sponsored by the Burlington (IA) Kennel Club. The weather was unbearable on Saturday, with a heat index of over 116. Dogs and people were panting and sweaty. The fans were busy trying to cool things off, but the show went on.
Saturday was our day. Luna took Winner Bitch and Best Opposite Sex for one point. (She now has 2 of the 15 she needs.) Josh won the Best of Breed, took a NOHS Group 3, and then a Group 4 in the regular Non-Sporting Group. I am very proud of him! I'll post his photo when it comes.
Sunday was not our day. Luna took Reserve Winners Bitch. Josh won Best of Breed but did not place in the regular Group. (There was no NOHS competition on Sunday).
I had one experience on Sunday morning that was new to me. We were stopped as we began crossing the Ft. Madison bridge that spans the Mississippi River. A large part of the bridge pivots to allow river barges to pass. We had to wait for two barges to pass; then the section of the bridge slowly pivoted back into place, and cars could once again cross the bridge.
I was very glad to hear from Helen that Sassy, Josh's litter sister, won two majors during shows in Houston and now just needs one point for her championship. Here are photos of Sassy. The judge is Eugene Blake. It was he who gave Josh the Group 4 at the Burlington KC show on Saturday.
 |
| Sassy - what a pretty face |
Let's Call This the End of the Middle: Notes and Photos from People
Judy wrote about Ty, her 4 year old Lhasa that is training for agility: "Ty is doing much better in class. He should be ready for a jumpers course this fall. He has a wonderful jumping style and is so eager to please. He is a Mama's boy. Ty knows his left and right and runs a course listening for directions now."Barbara wrote: "Daisy and I are doing great and Miss Daisy is Precious and a Doll and Princess and Queen as always - what can I say! Daisy is Daisy and am soooo blessed to have her. There will NEVER be another Daisy Mae!"
Cindy tells me that Hawk (now Luther) is learning to ring a bell to go outside to potty. He is not minding the wet grass. It seems he is a chewer though so they have to watch him carefully. He has settled in and is now sleeping quietly in his crate. (That was not the case the first few nights!)
Here is Luther in his new home.
Kristi had an 18 hour round trip drive to get Vader. She wrote: "We made it home. Vader received a clean bill of health from Dr. Oehmke today and Tricki and Vader are getting on great so far. This little guy is amazing and has stolen my heart. Thank you again for allowing Tricki and I to welcome Vader to our family!"
 |
| Vader at 10 weeks, a few days before he left. |
 |
| Vader visiting his new vet's office |
Joe sent a photo of Jenna, saying she was keeping them very busy.
And here is one of her taken before she left home. She's quite a charmer.
Regular readers of this blog know that I often seek pet homes for my retired champions. Recently Raven (Luna's mother) retired to home with my friend Judy, who lives in CA. Judy also owns Raven's litter sister, Whisper, whom she bought when Whisper was 5 months old.
This is what Judy had to say about them: "Joyce, I think we have created a TTT (twin-tag-team) Monster. Whisper and Raven are pretty much inseparable. Wrestling, chase, wiggling around side-by-side, growling, a bit of fighting following by make-up kisses. Whisper absolutely REFUSES to not be allowed to come in the house when Raven does, instead of the doggie door to the dog's room. She believes it is where she belongs, and I guess she is right. I have no idea if they have rekindled the littermate bond that they had 4-1/2 years ago, or if this is a new bond. I don't care - I'll take it, because what they have is exactly what I was hoping for in a lifelong companion for Whisper. And Raven also has her lifelong companion. I'm sure they can become closer - but they are pretty danged closely bonded right now. Success! It only took 3 months, which I think is fabulous. Raven also races around with the other Munchkins like she's lived here all her life. And the very best part... A TTT snuggle fest with me!"
 |
| Raven and Whisper, the "twins" |
 | ||
| Cleo before her haircut |
 |
| Cleo sporting a new style! |
Mary recently wrote, "We play some jump games in the yard, at distance; 2 jumps set up; Roman I just have to say go, he does both, Moka’s pretty good; Belle has started doing them at distance with enthusiasm. Before I’d have to get closer to jumps. The expression on her face is priceless. Happy.
Had a nice comment from my new vet, asking about if any of my dogs came from breeders who sold puppies; she is impressed with my Lhasas."
 |
| Mary's Lhasa girls, Mocha (L) and Belle (R) |
The End: Time to Stop Now
Life is Better When You Have a Lhasa to Love You!
Joyce
No comments:
Post a Comment