Happy Halloween, Lots of Pictures, Random Musings...

On Halloween, what bothers some
      About these witches, is how come
      In sailing, through the air, like bats
      They never seem, to lose their hats?
Hitchhiking owls, as we have seen,
      Ride nicely on this queer machine...
Another thing: if brooms can fly,
      Do witches keep them handy-by
      To sweep the kitchen floor with, say?
      Or do they have them locked away
      For private passage through the sky?
~David McCord (1897–1997), "Witch's Broom Notes"

Happy Halloween to you all! Enjoy the costumes, the parties, the young trick-or-treaters that knock on your door, and treat yourself to something yummy to eat!

It's obviously been three weeks since I last posted, so there is a lot of news and just "stuff" to share. As you know, the week of October 16 was the American Lhasa Apso Club's National Specialty Week in St. Louis. It involved a great deal of planning and preparation from members of the club's various committees, but I am pleased to say that it was a successful week with many lovely Lhasas from all over the country (and one from Finland too!). Seeing friends I get to see only once a year was great.

However, before I left on October 14 for St. Louis, I had a lot to do to get myself and the dogs ready. I am a list maker, so here's a look at the lists I made so I would not forget anything. I am pleased to say that I remembered everything I needed and that it all fit into the car!

About 9:00 AM on the 14th, Lynn and I hauled everything outside and piled it in the driveway. I asked him to take pictures so I could share with you how everything managed to fit into my 2014 Ford Taurus. (I am so grateful for the trunk of that car!)

First, here is a photo of the trunk before we started loading the items from the house. The trunk already had 2 wire crates, 2 grooming tables (one for the show room and one for the hotel room), 2 ringside tables, an exercise pen mat, and the wheels in it.

The next three photos show all the things I had to fit into the trunk, the backseat, and the passenger seat. You'll see crates, 2 exercise pens, my stand dryer, tubs of groomings supplies, bags of groceries and dog food, luggage, and baskets for the raffle.

 And now, here are photos taken after the car was loaded. It all fit!!

Back seat, driver's side

Trunk

Back seat, passenger side

Front seat, passenger side

Actually, there was even a bit of room left over! I was glad I decided to load the car early because about an hour after I finished loading, the rain began! I left around noon and drove in rain most of the way to St. Louis. Unloading the car meant numerous trips into the hotel and up the elevator to our second floor room. Fortunately, the rain had stopped and was no more than a light drizzle during the unloading.

As for the week of the show, it was great! If you would like to see videos of the Futurity, the ALAC Regional Specialty, and  the National Specialty, go to YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJh_luMwE0Kmz-TZAoUsHAA

Those events took place on Wednesday and Friday. Monday was the day of the Greater Milwaukee Lhasa Apso Club (GMLAC) specialty. That was not video taped. Tuesday was the day for Rally and Obedience. That was not taped either. Thursday was a day of meetings.

Here are some photo proofs of my dogs during National Week.

GCh. Ch. Joyslyn's Heartbreaker, shown in the 7-9 year old veteran class

Breaker in the ring 7-9 year old veteran class

Breaker on the exam table

Breaker's first place ribbon and trophy from veterans class

Joyslyn's Onyx in the ring

Onyx won this lovely hand quilted table runner

On Monday, Onyx participated in the GMLAC Sweepstakes and Specialty Show. She won her sweepstakes class, then went on to take Best Puppy in Sweepstakes. Then she had to compete against the Best Adult in Sweepstakes and she won Best in Sweepstakes! In the GMLAC Spedicalty show, she won her class (Bred By Exhibitor), then went on to win Reserve Winners Bitch and Best Bred By Exhibitor.

Onyx...Best in Sweepstakes

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Onyx -- Reserve Winners Bitch, Best Bred By

Josh was shown in Best of Breed in the three Specialties. He made the cut on Monday and earned an Award of Merit. He did not make the cut on Wednesday. He made the cut again on Friday but that was it.

Here is a photo of the ribbons we came home with.

I also came home with a lot of Lhasa loot! I bought a logo T-shirt, and a logo mug. Then I bought a few Lhasa pins and statues. Not that I needed more Lhasa stuff in this house, but some of it was hard to resist!

Speaking of Lhasa items, my friend Marsha Susag surprised me with this beauty. Thanks again, Marsha. I love this one...so pretty! She has a place of honor in our home!

The annual photo contest winners were submitted by club members. The categories were Most Humorous (won by Susan Stoddard) and Best Head Study (won by my photo of Kimmi, Ch. Joyslyn's Heart Song).

Winner: Most Humorous

Winner: Best Head Study

Puppies
We now have only two of the puppies (Chance and Bekka) from the summer litters, and we plan to keep both--at least for the time being. I'm not actually sure if want to raise siblings right now. 

Hunter now lives in MO with Marilyn and Dennis. Little Shadow lives in SC with Violet and Roman. Dottie went to Jan and Karen in WI. Beethoven is with Gwen in IN. Thanks and best wishes to all who purchased puppies from our three summer litters. May they give you Lhasa love and be all you hoped them to be.

Notes and Photos From Others
From Marilyn: "Hi Joyce, I hope you and Lynn and the dogs arrived home safely. Wow! There aren’t even words to describe how I felt about watching the dogs in the ring. They were amazing, a true picture of beauty. I was even more impressed to watch you and the handlers working so zealously to groom and get them ready for the judges. What impressed me most is at our age, you were able to be on your knees, pop up, go around the ring, get on your knees, and pop up again!! I told Kathy she and I would have to show just 1 dog, go around the ring together, and help each other off our knees! I am so glad I went, I learned a bit, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
        On to Hunter. He is settling in nicely, loves Maci, and wants to be with someone at all times. It’s funny how Maci understands he is a puppy, and she tolerates him for just so long before letting him know she is the adult in the room. Potty training is going well. He knows what to do outside. He loves me, and that is what I wanted. We’ll see how he feels after I return from my next grandchild trip. I am so grateful to you. It has to make you feel good inside to be able to fill voids in peoples’ hearts. I didn’t necessarily have a void, but Maci is definitely Dennis’s dog. Plus, she needed someone, and I think Hunter will help that need. She certainly comes running if he cries. We thought about adding another way back when we got Abby, but again I was fearful about whether they would get along. Plus, Abby was so meek that she probably would have been traumatized had a little puppy entered her world.
        Thank you again for the gift you give. We love the breed and our breeder. Hope you can take a bit of time to decompress and celebrate Onyx, Josh, and Breaker before the next show. Fall will soon bring the howling winter winds, and I plan to be snuggled up with my Joyslyn’s Lhasa’s!"

Hunter in his new home

Hunter in his new home

From Judy: "Raven still has that beautiful orange bow in her top-knot, but I believe the sparkles on her center part have disappeared - Raven and Whisper have been quite active in their mock fights and rough play-housing. Raven's coat is growing out very nicely, although I believe the sibling rough-housing is not inducement to the growth of Raven's coat."

Here is Raven (Ch. Joyslyn's Midnight Enchantment)  after her visit to her groomer, Sandy. Note the sparkling bow and sparkles down her part. Raven is our Luna's (Ch. Joyslyn JaMa Dancing by the Light of the Moon) mom.

From Catherine: "I'm a little late, but that's the story of my life right now, but I wanted to share a couple of pictures of Maggie. We celebrated her 7th birthday on Saturday! We love this little girl! She's such a sweet girl that loves to be held and gives lots of kisses. Our groomer says Magoo and Maggie are two peas in a pod. Personality wise they are so much alike. On Tuesday, she went to the veterinarian for her distemper vaccine and everybody just loved her. Thanks so much for this little blessing in our life!"

This is Maggie (Ch. Joyslyn's Moonlight Magic). She is Kimmi's mom

Jill says Shadow is doing well and she sent me these photos of her. Shadow has been with Jill since early October.

Shadow lovin' her new bed

Shadow hanging out in the yard with her new buddy Cruiser

New toys and soft blankets for Shadow

Lori wrote on her FB page: "Finn got his first haircut yesterday. Just a trim, but you can actually see his beautiful eyes now! And he smells sooo good."

Finn after his hair cut

From Gwen: "Beethoven only barked for the first 15 minutes before bed in his crate Sunday night and probably 5 minutes last night.  He is doing well with potty training, although it's a little tough to tell that he's going between the grass and his dark coat.  He is warming up to the girls well, especially the younger one.  He is my shadow when he's not in his crate.  He is also following our other male around and they were laying down together last night.  He's also tried to nurse from our male several times.    He's eating and drinking well.  I took him to our Vet today for his first check up and to schedule his appointments for his shots.  His weight is up to 5.5#.  He has a great personality."


From Violet:  "We took Shadow to Pet Co for his first bath, they also trimmed the hair around the eyes. Kayla the girl who took care of him, said he loved the water, being bathed, but got nervous as soon as they put him on the table for the trimming around the eyes. They were so friendly there and just adored Shadow. We would take him back there. As soon as he got home, he ate his supper. Roman bought a basket type of car seat for Shadow in the back seat. Bet he would love it. He can see outside of the window.Shadow loves his soft bed, often jumped into it. Roman got a wine refrig by the dining room cabinet. Shadow saw his image, could not understand why the other dog not come out to play with him. He barked at it twice. Joyce, we are enjoying Shadow so much. Thank you."

From Jan about Dottie (whose name will be changing):  "Thought I would let you know that she is doing well. She is in with all the big guys and has settled in very nicely."

Some Not-So-Good News (But It Ended Well)
From Rita: "I wanted you to know that the vaccinations on Saturday were a disaster for Penny. After an oral dose and a shot she was sent home with a tablet to be given a day later at home to avoid vomiting. Penny on the way back started to throw up and by the time we reached home she could not even lift her head or stand. I thought we have lost her for ever.  We called the vet right away and took her back. The vet gave another shot which seemed to help her,however a day later, on Monday night, two hours after eating her Drontel pill she again heaved and threw up 12 -15 times. We called the vet and was told to withhold water and food.  
She is now sleeping in her crate and hopefully will be ok tomorrow. Also I remember reading about a vaccine that Lhasa should not be given but cannot find the source again…On the positive side Penny weighed 5 pounds and 4 ounces, she  played fetch with the ball in the yard very well and met her first butterfly today. I thought you should know.. May be there is a better way to help with the vaccinations…The vet explained that the throwing up was probably due to presence of Leptospirosis in the vaccine."


Okay, so after reading that, I totally freaked out. Those of you who have purchased puppies from me know that I have in the sales contract that the puppy should not be given a vaccine that contains Lepto. I also spend time pointing out to buyers why I put that in the contract. But...in the flurry of playing with the puppy and excitement of finally being able to see the puppy in person and meet us and the sire and dam, people tend to forget. Lesson learned...Next time it will be written on a separate sheet of paper in huge capital letters!!

Here is an excerpt from an article titled "Read This Before You Vaccinate For Lepto" by Dana Scott
Here is the link to the entire article, if you are interested to read more.
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/read-this-before-you-vaccinate-for-lepto/
 
"…About Lepto Vaccination
     Many dogs are routinely vaccinated for lepto, despite high adverse effects.
     Here’s a summary of what you need to know about the lepto vaccine before deciding to give it to your dog.
     You must vaccinate for lepto at least yearly. Unlike viral vaccines which likely last for the life of the animal, bacterial vaccines such as lepto only last for a year at most. This means that many vets recommend vaccinating every six months to protect your dog. Leading veterinary immunologist Ronald D Schultz PhD has said that you may need to give a lepto vaccine as often as four times a year. As you’ll see below, the lepto vaccine involves a high level of risk for your dog.
 
The Vaccine Is Limited
      The lepto vaccine may not cover the strain of lepto your dog encounters. There are 20 different species of Leptospira bacteria and more than 200 different serovars. The original vaccines contained only the L. canicola and L. icterohaemorrhagiae serovars. The current vaccines now contain L. grippotyphosa and L. pomona. The latter two strains are now much more common. Two additional serovars that appear to cause infection, L. bratislava and L. automalis, are not included in the vaccines currently available.
     So if you do decide to vaccinate your dog, it’s a very good idea to find out which strains of lepto are in your area so that you don’t give your dog a risky vaccination that won’t even protect him.
 
Vaccinated Dogs Shed Lepto
     Vaccinated dogs and livestock can shed lepto in their urine. This means they can infect other dogs, wildlife and even you. So routine lepto vaccination actually increases the threat of lepto on the whole.      The greater the number of vaccinated animals, the greater the spread of lepto.

Adverse Effects
     There is a high rate of adverse effects from the lepto vaccine. Veterinarian Patricia Jordan DVM has documented several cases of tumors from the lepto vaccine, especially from combination vaccinations that include leptospirosis. Kidney failure is another common reaction, as you’ll see below. Bacterial vaccinations can also cause autoimmune disease.
     In the UK, where leptospirosis vaccination is quite common, Canine Health Concern conducted a survey and found that the vaccine can also cause the disease it’s meant to prevent.
     In that survey, 100% of dogs with leptospirosis caught it just after their lepto vaccinatons.   Leptospirosis attacks the kidneys and kidney failure was a very common effect after lepto vaccination. Dr Jordan explains that the basement membrane can be damaged by clogging when the immune complexes drain via the lymphatics. The kidneys are a big part of the lymphatic system. The body tries to clear the toxins in the vaccines and the kidneys are damaged by this clearing mechanism.

There’s a long list of other documented adverse effects from the lepto vaccine:
    •    Anaphlylaxis
    •    Anorexia
    •    Dermatitis
    •    Infection with flesh-eating bacteria
    •    Uncontrollable pruritis (itching)
    •    Vomiting
    •    Lethargy
    •    Lameness
    •    Vocalization
    •    Fever
    •    Dehydration
    •    Polyarthritis
    •    Kidney Failure
    •    Liver Failure
    •    Pancreatitis
    •    Mast cell disease
    •    Urinary tract infections
    •    Diarrhea
    •    Chronic weight loss
    •    Enlarged spleen
    •    Cancer
    •    Enlarged lymph nodes
    •    Death"
I cannot even express how angry I am at that vet for either not knowing or not caring about the adverse effects of that vaccine. Thankfully, Penny recovered and I sincerely hope both the vet and her owners will not be using a vaccine containing Lepto on her again. EVER!!!

Life Is Better When You Have A Lhasa to Love You!

Joyce