Time To Catch Up!!

It truly is time to catch up! It's been over a month since I've posted to this blog. So much has happened that I do not know where to begin. Therefore, I will follow the sage advice given in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland:

"Begin at the beginning," the King said, very gravely, "and go on till you come to the end: then stop." 

My month in a nutshell: lots of traveling, two dog shows, a family reunion, a visit from Mom, puppies (!!!), some work at the office, grooming dogs, emails from my puppy owners, calls and emails from people wanting to be put on our waiting lists.

So here we go....

July 1 and 2 were spent at dog shows in West Bend, WI. We had a bit of success, not as much as I'd hoped for, but it is what it is. I took Josh and Onyx, and we participated in  three shows, two on Saturday and one on Sunday. Saturday at the first show Onyx won Reserve Winners Bitch to the major and Best Puppy.  Josh won Best of Opposite Sex. (His photo has not arrived yet or I'd share it with you.) At the second show Onyx won her class (she was the only 6-9 month puppy entered, so that was a sure thing). Josh took Select Dog. Later that afternoon, in the Best Puppy Non-Sporting Group competition, Onyx took a Puppy Group 3. On Sunday, Onyx again was the only one in her class, so the blue ribbon was hers. Josh did not get a placement.

Here is a photo of Josh and me in the ring at West Bend. The photo was taken by Michael Yang.

Our 11 year old granddaughter, Klara, went with me to the show. By Friday, she was eager to get into the ring herself. She was hoping Onyx would win so she could take her back in the ring, but that did not happen. It was Klara's first experience traveling with me to a 2-day show and staying overnight. We stayed in Jan Graunke's motor home, along with Karen Schlais. It was a great time.

I drove home from WI Sunday night and was home (and at the office) for one day then left on the 4th (wearing a patriotic t-shirt) to fly to Miami to visit my daughter, son-in-law, and their two sons (the older is almost 3 and the baby is 5 months old). Sorry, no photos. Their parents do not allow that kind of sharing on the Internet. Take it from me though, those boys are really, really cute! (Not that I am biased or anything!) The older grandson is a huge fan of Cars (1, 2, and 3!) and of Monster Trucks. It was so great to be with them all again. They live much too far away!

A week in Miami then home again to catch up on dog grooming (bless my husband for keeping the dogs' grooming on schedule while I was gone). I also had to put in an appearance at the office for four days. It's a good thing I work only part-time! Then I was on the road again for a weekend family reunion in Missouri. Mom, who lives in Nebraska, came back to Macomb with me and was with us for 10 days. We had a great time together! One day we went to Edwardsville to visit our son, Trevor, and another day we headed to Cedar Rapids, IA, to visit our son Aaron and granddaughter Klara. Then we hung around home, went to see Wonder Woman and Dunkirk (both great movies!), did some shopping and TV watching, Skyped with Erikka and the grandsons, and chatted a lot with each other. 

The Burlington (IA) Kennel Club (of which I am a member) hosted its annual show here in Macomb again this year. I had 3 dogs entered: Josh, Jenna, and Onyx. I had to leave Mom home alone on Friday while I helped set up for the show. Then we had friends from WI arrive Friday evening for the show so we hosted a crock pot lasagna meal that was really delicious, if I do say so myself!

The show was a success for the club, less so for me. Saturday was our best day. Onyx took Reserve to the major. Josh took Select Dog and Best of Breed Owner Handled. He also won the Non-Sporting Owner Handled Group and competed for Best in Show Owner Handled. (Alas, no luck there!) Sunday he took Select Dog. Onyx won her class. Jenna had her tail up both days, which was like a win as far as I was concerned. She took 3rd in her class both days. She'll sit out at least until next spring now and (I sincerely hope) will have grown more coat so she'll be more competitive. 

Sunday after the show, we all cleaned up the tarp and plastic we'd put down on Friday, swept floors, and stowed equipment. A couple friends came to my home after clean up to chill out a bit with some wine, cheese, crackers, and dessert left over from Friday's meal.

Mom left on Tuesday, July 24. I was on the road again the following day, this time heading for Springfield, IL, for two days of workshops sponsored by one of the state-funded early childhood grant projects for which I work. The theme of the workshops centered around the importance of the arts in early childhood. (And in case you are wondering, participating in the arts is VERY important for all young children!)

Oh, and did I mention puppies? Well, again my wonderful husband came through to help out. Shadow's puppies were born early -- while I was away at the family reunion. Lynn had to stay up all night with her, the first puppy being born at 2:30 AM and the last at 6:00 AM. Their birthday is 7/16/17. The litter's sire is Josh and the breeding is a repeat of the one that produced Onyx. Shadow had 5 puppies: Two gold males (one darker than the other); a black male with white markings on his forehead, back of his neck, face, chest and stomach; and two black females.

 

The day Mom left I was supposed to take her to meet my sister and brother-in-law on I-80 at Geneseo, IL, as they were on their way to Valparaiso, IN, to visit their daughter and her family and to watch their grandson as he exhibited his goats in the county fair. We were able to meet them on time, again because Lynn left his work to come home to deliver Kimmi's puppies! I could see she was in labor and worried about what to do, so gave Lynn the choice of driving Mom to meet my sister or staying home and whelping puppies. He chose whelping puppies. Kimmi also whelped early. She was not due until July 29. Again, we had five puppies. Kimmi was bred to Rafe. She had 3 males and 2 females, all are light colored. 

Here are Josh and Shadow's puppies as newborns. They will be 2 weeks old this coming Sunday.

 

Here are Rafe and Kimmi's puppies as newborns. They will be a week old next Tuesday.

If you are on my waiting list, I will soon be contacting you to find out if you are still interested in a puppy. They will be ready to go at 9-10 weeks old.

Also, when Chuck, who owns one of our puppies, wrote me recently, he suggested I have a Facebook page for my puppy buyers. I like the idea and just may do it one of these days if I think others of you would like to participate. You all have my email so let me know if it seems like a good idea to you also. Just in case you need the address, it is joyslynslhasas@outlook.com 

 

Letters and Photos from Others

From Mary, who has Rafe's litter brother:  "We haven't touched base in a while. Gabe's groomer does it up for holidays and this time Gabe got to be in the 4th of July picture. As you can see he is not real thrilledbut oh so cute. One of my friends thought he looked like a stuffed toy! Hope all is well with you. I do read your blog and can see you haven't slowed down. Gabe and I are doing well...Hard to believe he will be 6 in November."

Mary's Lhasa Gabe

  From Judy Laffoon's Facebook page about Raven's behavior as Judy's mother lay dying: 

"A huge SHOUT OUT to Raven, my purpose-bred Lhasa Apso who has been diligent in performing her duties as a guard dog. During my mother's End of Life days, Raven refused to stay in my room with me.  Raven slept directly under the bed where my mother was lying, and if anyone walked into the room, a short and breath-fully exhaled "RUFF!" was heard. Occasionally, Raven would leap through the air to land on Bobbie's bed and lie at the foot of the bed facing the bedroom door, ever alert to anyone wanting to enter there. When Bobbie was moved to a hospital bed and Raven was not allowed on the bed, Bobbie's husband, Bob, would wake up to find Raven curled up against him. If she couldn't protect Bobbie, she would protect Bobbie's MAN (aka Grandpa). When Bobbie was in the hospital bed, Raven would stand on her rear legs to check on Bobbie, to ensure that she was okay.

When Bobbie passed, Raven appeared to be forlorn. Is feeling forlorn an emotion only allowed humans? I think not. Raven was and still is missing her 'Grandma.' She senses the emotions of the humans in the house, and she can't find her Grandma anywhere. Thank you, Raven, for a purposeful job well done. Apparently Grandma's are pretty close to being on the same level of importance as the Dalai Lama. Just try convincing Raven differently."

Ch. Joyslyn's Midnight Enchantment - the faithful Raven

  Our condolences and hugs to Judy and kudos to Raven for her love and compassion for Bobbie, Judy's mom.

This July is first birthday time for the puppies born last July, so I took some time the other day and asked for updates on the "kids." I heard back from nearly everyone. Some sent photos; others did not.

Holly and Kyle wrote: "…We are giving Riley (Duncan x Maggie puppy) her birthday kisses as I type this. She has been a fun little adventure. She loves to be attached to her big brother and her quirky funny thing is she collects our shoes and moves them to her bed or "her" rug. It's funny because she doesn't chew them she just moves them around to different levels of our house. The only health issue which wasn't a major issue was with her teeth. Her baby teeth and grown up teeth weren't growing next to each other. She had a little shark mouth. We took her to a canine dentist and he had to extract her baby teeth and two adult teeth due to major over crowding. Other then this issue she is a healthy happy puppy. Still small but don't tell her that :) We had a human baby at the end of May and Riley has done great! She loves to sit with me during his tummy time and lick his feet whenever she gets a chance. We love our little girl and can't thank you enough for allowing her to be apart of our family."

From Kevin and Barbara: "Kamper  (Duncan x Maggie puppy) is doing great…We even fenced in our yard (and it's a pretty big yard) so he has lots and lots of room to run. He likes chasing bunnies. He is learning new tricks ... like shaking hands and high fives. He is full of energy and even likes to go camping with us. We love him! We were just talking about how we wanted to celebrate his birthday later this week.  He's doing really well, loves to go for walks (can't even say the word around him without him getting excited), does a great job traveling - has been to quite a few states already & camping.  He is quite the lap puppy and he loves to snuggle.  His coat is very soft & he's kept his white paws."

Kamper

 

From Alicia about Edison (Duncan x Maggie puppy): "It is his birthday week though we are celebrating with a bone cake belatedly because my boys are away with their grandma this week…He is very smart.  On his own, he learned to scratch at the door for outside and the cupboard for treats.  He is catike in the way he shows affection in that he rubs his face and body all over you and wants to be in a snug position to you, such as squeezing between your crossed legs or behind your back. He prefers to be on or near you if it's time to relax.  He is very timid and easily scared, however.  It took over a week to convince him to go back outside alone after 4 July (think we might buy him a thunder shirt).  Scared of cicadas and strange people and weird smells (he ran away from his first deer antler).  He is much more vocal than Quimby (and Mud) who only barks in a sentinel style whereas he barks if Quimby steals all the toys, he wants to come in the house, or if he is really excited to play.  He is very eager to please and is more up to the rambunctious play of boys.  He is protective of the boys as he will try to nip Jeremy if he tries to wrestle with them. Having only one other Lhasa to compare, I would say Quimby is much more like our Mud in temperament though Quimby is a bit more prone to the selective hearing behavior to the point I've wondered if she was deaf at times but the vet assured me it was just attitude."

Edison

 

Sarah wrote about Mick (Josh x Luna puppy): "We recently got back from a trip to visit Brian's parents in upper WI.  I am downloading all my pictures now, so I will send more tomorrow, along with a bigger update.  Let me just say that Mick is wonderful!!!  We adore him more every day!  Oh, and he was perfect on the entire trip!  So good at the hotel, long car ride in his crate, and at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  Not a single accident or mishap and the perfect little gentleman.  So friendly and sweet and everybody seemed to love him--except for the neighbor's territorial little dog, Moxie.  She is a tiny half Shi Tzu and half Papillion…"

Mick

 

Mickey and Charles wrote about Biddy (Josh X Luna puppy): "Thank you for inquiring about Biddy.  We will do something special for her B-Day, but I have not decided what. Biddy is just fine.  I think pretty normal for a Lhasa.  She does not appear to have any health issues.  She weighs around 14 lbs.  She looks small.  But I guess that is about normal.  Our last dog weighed a lot more but I think she was just bigger boned.  She never looked fat. …Biddy is really active.  A lot of puppy left in her.  She loves to play and spreads her toys all over the house. The chewing stage is almost gone.  You still have to keep an eye on her.  If something small is on the floor or drops she thinks it is for her.  She loves everyone, especially the g-kiddos.  Our oldest g-daughter thinks Biddy is hers, NOT.  She has become leery of a few strangers.  Biddy really loves Charlie.  Our last Lhasa didn't care for much of anyone but me & my mother, so Charlie has to get used to a dog loving him so much. No mean Lhasa in this house.  She loves to play with other dogs.  Her playmates are big dogs, but Biddy has figured out how to get the best of them and she can take them down.  It is really funny…We had not planned to get another dog but are so glad we got Biddy.  She is the funniest dog I have ever had.  She is full of character.  She can be a clown.  She has not shown an ounce of meanness.  Of course she thinks she has no boundaries.  But I guess that is normal for a Lhasa.

Biddy

From Steve and Chuck about Cooper (Josh x Luna puppy): Steve wrote"… the groomers have been complimentary about his attitude and disposition. Coopers temperament had mellowed out a lot, although he is still very interactive and playful, he plays a lot of flippy flopper (a cloth/ring Frisbee)  and catch with small cloth animals.  We have 7 outdoor cats, which Cooper is there pack leader, he is close with one black cat in particular there is almost never a walk without him…Cooper has become a wonderful addition to our family, and I could not imagine him not being here. We can not thank you enough, so glad we found you on the internet. we will try to send some current pictures, we are partial, but he is the most handsome boy ever! he gets compliment almost on a daily basis." Chuck wrote: "Cooper is a delight.  He has a wonderful personality.  He stays at home for about 5 hours alone.  When we return he is so excited to see us.  He is completely potty trained and has been for at least 6 months now.  We have a large yard (10 acres)he goes on long walks.  He has not been around as many other dogs as we would have liked, but does ok with the ones he meets.  He loves apples and pears and gets a small slice every morning.  He still goes to work with us a couple times a week, but he seems to prefer spending more time at  home.  He gets over tired at the store because he doesn't want to miss anything. Adopting Cooper was one of the best things that has ever happened to me.  I know Steve feels the same.  I truly wish you could see how Cooper and Steve interact."

Cooper, helping Steve take off his sock

 

Cooper with his birthday "cookie"

 

You might recall that in June I posted photos of two adult house guests that I said would be seeking new homes. Both have found their forever homes, Winslow in IN and Cinder in GA. 

Cinder's new owners wrote: "So far so good here. We spent yesterday doing soccer-mom driving around picking up the rest of the dogs after Janice finished class. We let them see each other but didn’t introduce them until today. She met Lily and seems to like her, and Lil doesn’t really seem to know/care that she’s here. One advantage to old age! Right now Cinder is in the office with Mazie. We decided if Mazie accepted her, Raven would. They really aren’t paying a lot of attention to each other and that’s good. The only issue we might have is that Cinder is very clingy with me, but I think as she is more comfortable with everything and everyone else, that will subside some. Even tonight she doesn’t seem as afraid we’re going to leave her as she has been. And any time the Girls howl, which is anytime they’re on the other side of a door from us or we leave the house, Cinder is captivated! She seems to love it!!"

A later email added, "Life with Cinder is going great! She's joyful and loving, and makes my heart much happier than it has been. She likes Mazie and Raven, and the three play together occasionally...I think I told you how delighted she was every time the Girls howl. Well, now she has joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and is a perfect, “Judy Collins” soprano. Breaks us up every time they sing 'the song of their people'.”

 Here is a photo of Cinder in her new home. Cinder has Scotties for her new "sisters."

Cinder in her new home

 

Winslow's new owner wrote: "What a perfect fit into the family! He was introduced to Odie then Ty and then the girls. They all smelled each other outside then came into the house. No problems at all. He lined up for treats as if he has been here forever. He even went for a short bike ride with Odie leading the way...He is such a sweet boy. He goes on bike rides and is learning the weave poles, and basic turn commands. He will start rally/canine good citizen class after his surgery. He snuggles right up to me in the evening and has found his spot on the bed. He loves to go for walks. Everyday he goes with different dog, and he is kind to the poodles we walk with...Thanks again for such a wonderful dog. Everyone at dog training can't wait to see him." 

I was happy to be able to help find Cinder and Winslow such loving homes. 

I have now reached the end so, as the King recommended, I will stop.

Lots of Lhasa love to you all!

Life is Better When You Have A Lhasa To Love You!

Joyce