Hello, At Last!!!

We have had snow already. Pretty but UGH!

The wild November comes at last
      Beneath a veil of rain,
      The night wind blows its folds aside—
      Her face is full of pain.
The latest of her race, she takes
      The Autumn's vacant throne;
      She has but one short moon to live,
      And she must live alone.
~R.H. Stoddard (1825–1903), "November," c.1863


Catching Up!

Yes, November is half gone; Thanksgiving is around the corner, and the stores are loaded with displays for Christmas. Does anyone else feel like, "What the heck? What happened to October?"

As you know, the last time I wrote I was preparing for the American Lhasa Apso Club's annual National Specialty, held the week of October 22-26. What a week it was! We left for Frederick, MD, on October 20 and arrived on the 21st. Weather was cold and rainy. I really hate driving at night in the rain. The reflections of red tail lights on the wet pavement are so annoying.

I took only one of my Lhasas, young Autumn, who turned 7 months old on the 21st. I was not sure how she would take being alone because one or more of the older Lhasas had always been with us at other shows. She was pretty pleased to be the center of my attention for a whole week and even managed to make herself a bed dog for a few nights!

She loved being in the ring and was very showy. I was disappointed on Monday when she did not even place in her 6-9 month class. On Wednesday, she took second in her class. On Friday, she won her class! Then she went on to win Reserve Winners Bitch. Now, for those of you who do not know, Reserve is basically "runner-up" -- nice to be recognized but short of the big win. However, at a National Specialty show, if the number of (in this case) females entered is at least double the number it takes for a 5 point major, then the Reserve placement also gets a 3 point major. That is what happened! Very exciting for such a young dog.

A quick photo after Autumn's win

 

Autumn's official show photo with Judge Cozart and Show Secretary Don Evans

Later, a friend pointed out to me that since the same thing had happened when Josh was a 9 month old puppy that took Reserve at our National Specialty show in 2014, I am (so far) the only ALAC member that that has happened to twice. I'll take that!

9-month old Josh with Judge Campbell and ALAC President Tom Worlton in 2014

Actually, the judges were very appreciative of puppies that week. On Monday, Winners Dog was a puppy owned by Sandy Sorth and Juha Kares, and Reserve Winners Dog was puppy owned by Susan Giles and Steve Campbell. On Wednesday, 8-month old litter brothers owned by Polly Naumann and Pat Keen Fernandes took Winners Dog and Reserve Winners Dog. On Friday, one of those brothers took Reserve Winners Dog. 

As for the bitches, two puppies took Reserve: my Autumn on Friday and Rita Cloutier's puppy on Wednesday.

Other winners that week included Tia McLaughlin and Ann Laterman's male - almost a puppy since he was 1 day past his first birthday when he took Winners Dog on Friday. His litter sister took Winners Bitch on Wednesday, the day before her first birthday. The other Winners Bitch, who won on Monday and again on Friday, was also a puppy (shown in the Bred By Exhibitor class). She is owned by Ronny Junkins and Clay Williams.

Best in Specialty Show Winners were GCHB CH Siimline's Love Legacy Truth, owned by Susan Giles, Mivian Muttik, and Kersti Paju. He won on Monday and Wednesday. Friday's BISS winner was CH Shut Up and Kiss Me Del'Allberico at Xeralane, owned by Xeralane Kennels.

Another highlight for me was Thursday's Judges Education Seminar and Workshop. I am the Judges Education chairperson and each year look forward to opportunities to teach judges about the Lhasa Apso. As a former teacher, I appreciate being able to help others understand the attributes of the Lhasa. On Thursday evening, at the Awards Banquet, I was honored to be among those who received Lifetime Achievement Awards: Leslie Baumann, Keke Kahn, Marvin and Janet Whitman. Sami Payne was given the Member of the Year Award, and Clay Williams received his Breeder Register of Merit status.

After all the excitement, Friday evening consisted of a quiet dinner with friends, loading the car (in the rain), and going to bed early. Saturday our plans for leaving early were delayed by foggy gray weather and rain. We decided to wait until the sun came up and made the day brighter. My drive home took about 15 hours but I was glad to have made the trip in one day rather than two. Sunday was spent unpacking, doing laundry, and getting reacquainted with the Lhasas (and husband) I'd left at home. Oh...I should mention re-packing. On Monday at 6AM I was back on the road, headed to Tinley Park, IL, for a 2-day meeting for work!

Home again for two days, then Chance, Autumn, and I left (in the rain - again!)for a show in Winona, MN, where we shared a hotel room with friends Jan and Karen. Fortune smiled on us there. On Saturday, Chance took WD, BOS, and Best Owner Handled. In the Owner Handled Group ring, he took Group 1. The OH group was well represented with Non-Sporting dogs and it was a great honor to be selected as first from among them. Autumn took WB and Best Puppy. She also took first place in the Non-Sporting puppy group.

Sunday was a repeat of Saturday and I am pleased to report that Autumn now has 5 points (1 major, two singles) and Chance is a new champion! Here is a photo of him at home with all his ribbons from that weekend.

And here is the show photo of his finishing win. I think he is gorgeous! A big thanks to Jan Graunke for making sure he looked his best for this photo.

A damper on the weekend happened after I had loaded the car (in the pouring rain). I'd moved the car from where I'd parked it to the loading/unloading area near the building.

When I was all loaded, good-byes and thank yous said, I got in the car, turned the key and..nothing! Dead battery! A helpful woman with jumper cables came to my aid. Then about 45 minutes later my car informed me that I had a low tire. Ugh. However, it was not kind enough to tell me which one. So when I finally found a gas station, there I was, in the rain, checking each tire's pressure. We made it home without another tire incident, but when I took the car in to have the tire fixed, it turned out to be "un-fix-able." A nail was in the wrong place for a fix to be possible. Evidently, a person can't just get one new tire (I knew that, but was hopeful), and based on the mileage on the current tires, I was convinced to get four new ones. Merry Christmas to me!

Thankfully, no more long trips until the first weekend in December when Autumn and I go to Belleville, IL, to some shows. That will be it for us and dog showing until March. I am sure my husband will appreciate me being home for a while. The burden of adult and puppy care fell to him while I was away all those days. 

Puppy Photos and Notes From Others

Last weekend was puppy pick up day for Josh and Luna's three puppies. Here are some photos we took a week before they left.

Jet at 9 weeks

Jet profile

Molly 9 weeks

Ginger 9 weeks

 I had been agonizing over whether to keep Baron or not. I've been so tired with all the running around lately that I just could not fathom training another puppy. So, I decided that if I really felt that way, it was probably a sign that I should try to find him a home. My husband, who has a great eye for a dog, argued that Baron was too nice of a puppy to sell to a pet home. I argued back that he would not be the first nor the last really nice quality puppy I sold to a pet home because the majority of our puppies could easily be shown and finished. Anyway, I tried to sell him. I offered him to four people who were on my waiting list for a gold male. They all turned him down. By the second time, I said, "Okay, God, if a third person turns me down, I guess that's a sign I am supposed to keep him." Then the third said, "Not a good time for me." Not one to argue with God (ha ha), I tried a fourth person. Nope. So, I guess Baron will stay with us.

He has an exuberant disposition and constantly wags his tail. He is smart and funny. Best of all, he likes to show. I took him to a training class -- his first -- on Wednesday night, and he had his head up, tail up, floating around the ring like he owned it. He stood on the table for exam without fussing about it and did not budge when the trainer looked at his teeth. Now, if he can only keep that attitude through the winter months while we sit around waiting for the spring shows. He'll be 6 months at the end of January.

Actually, as I have looked at Baron, I am reminded a lot of our first Champion, Rocky, when he was a puppy. Perhaps it is just my imagination or maybe wishful thinking. Time will tell.

Here is a picture of Rocky when he was 7 months old and won his first point. (I wish I still looked that young!) 

From Carol about Jaime: "Hello Joyce! I’m finally sending some pictures of our wonderful puppy Jamie. He has brought us so much joy! The first couple of photos were taken with his hair at full length… 6 inches long! Over the last several months he’s had a couple of puppy grooms until last Tuesday, two days ago when he had a full grooming. I think he’s so beautiful and so do many others 😊...Joyce, it was well worth the long trip north. Jaime is a real joy. Thank you for appreciating the Lhasa breed and sharing your love for them by producing such wonderful dogs. It is obvious was raised in a healthy environment, with caring, affectionate owners who prepared him for his future owners and for the world at large.  Since the moment we picked him up he allowed me to play with his feet, look in his mouth, rub his tummy, and play with his ears.  And early on he liked the game of fetch and seemed to understand how to play it!  I’m proud to say that within eight weeks after we became his owners he had been introduced to 90 people..... as I kept a list 😃.
Thank you again for this beautiful little doggy. I will send you some pictures and a little message every now and again."

Jaime

Jamie with Carol

From Marilyn: "Hi Joyce, I was doing a bit of decorating for Christmas the other day, and Maci and Hunter were overseeing the operation. The one of Hunter alone is his guilty look after having just eaten some angel hair, and I don’t mean pasta! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving."

Hunter and Maci

Hunter

From Deborah: "Here is Jet’s first selfie and I can’t believe Ron took this on the train on the way home!  Jet is a sweetheart!"

Jet with his new Dad!

From Vernita: "I just wanted to give you an update on Ms Livvy. She is such a joy to have and is really starting to come into her personality. She is finally on a schedule with sleeping but she still finds the leaves of Autumn too much to handle when she goes in the yard. I assume because the yard is so big, and must look even bigger to her, she has a million toy leaves. My husband grabbed his blower and blew leaves in the air and I sat on the deck and watched her trying to catch just one. She had her first trimming, by me of course, this past weekend and we can now see how gorgeous her eyes are. I think she’s starting to get used to the other dogs coming over on Sunday and the minute they arrive she becomes ten feet tall.

She grabs their tails and ears and they just drag her along but she loves it because she gets her way with them as well. She is a charmer so my grand dogs are playful yet firm with her when she tries to bite eye’s and ear’s. We really allow all of them to run and play for as long as they wanted while my daughters were gone to a baby shower. One picture will show you how they all came in and were done. They turned my ottoman into a large dog bed She has grown a lot and her little bark is too funny. She has discovered that if she works hard enough, she can jump. Our first big hurdle in the last few days was she’s finally able to go in and out of the house without assistance." 

Ms Livvy - tired little pup

Ms Livvy and friends after a hard day's play

Lisa about Molly: "Hi, Joyce! This little sweetie is so much fun!! I took her to the vet on Sunday, and they told me she is healthy. They gave me a schedule for her shots. I told the vet about the Lepto vaccine, and she is looking into it… She sleeps all night, and is a pro with the piddle pads. I will stay in touch!!"

Debra about Seng Kye: "Just thought you might like a note.  He is growing so much.  He is a beautiful joy to have around.  Everyone in the family and office have fallen in love."

Let's End With A Smile 

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

Joyce

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!