Today's Theme = Family

I decided to choose "family" as a theme for this blog after spending a weekend that focused on family. On Friday, I drove to Richmond, Indiana, to attend the memorial service being held on Saturday for one of my aunts. The service for her was beautiful, but what struck me was the closeness of our far-flung family as we each arrived at the hotel where we were all staying. Aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws - arrived from Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska, Wyoming, Alabama, Tennessee, to pay our respects to my aunt, who was the 6th of eight children--and the first of the eight to pass away. We came together not only to remember but also to celebrate family and how close we really are, even though we are all scattered throughout the country. We had a mini family reunion and, through tears, laughter, and stories, were reminded how important family is to each of us.



On Sunday, Lynn and I traveled to Iowa for a happier reason for a family celebration, the 13th birthday of our granddaughter, Klara. Yes, we now have a new teenager in the family! She is very proud that she is now taller than her grandma.

Klara with her dad, our son Aaron

And, speaking of families, our Lhasa family has grown. Instead of Easter eggs, the Easter Bunny brought us the Onyx and Breaker puppies, born Easter morning--a week earlier than expected. We have seven beautiful shiny black puppies. Two boys, five girls. I will post photos of them after they get their eyes open next week. One of the boys and one of the girls have been spoken for. The others are available at this time. Sorry to those of you waiting for gold puppies. Black dominated! (You can always change your mind!)

The Josh and Bekka babies continue to grow. They are toddling around and making an effort to play with each other. Mostly, though, they continue to eat and sleep a lot! Bekka is a good and tolerant momma.

Two black girls - the one on the left (Izzy) is not pleased at being awakened!

Gus on the left, Jampa on the right

The smallest gold female

Gold females that at first glance are hard to tell apart

You will have noticed that some of the puppies have names and some do not. Those named have been given names by the people who will be buying them. The others are without names because I have not managed to come up with "our" names for them. Their new owners are waiting to give them names. Naming puppies is a serious undertaking!

I don't think naming my children was ever as difficult as deciding on names for puppies, even when the majority of them will be re-named by their new owners.

Sharing Notes from Others
Kathleen wrote: Joyce, I was very sorry to hear that your Secret had passed away.  I know that you wrote several months ago that you thought she was nearing the end of her life.  I know that she must have been very special to you, for she has stayed with you all of these years.  My sincere sympathies.
      On the other hand, it was great to read your new blog with all of the good news about Autumn, and all of the new (adorable) puppies.  I also loved the other owners’ pictures and stories of their Lhasas and how much they all love them.  Since they ARE Lhasas, I always like reading about the similarities in personality between them and Sophie.  It’s fun to especially read from puppy owners as their puppies grow up and start showing their individual and unique personalities.  It’s much like reading about Sophie growing up in many ways.
      Sophie is doing great, and is now a fairly mature lady at 3 ½.  She is now ready to quit playing “Fetch” after two or three throws, she sleeps in a bit more in the morning, and she is not quite as “rough and tumble” as she was as a puppy.  She is a happy, grown-up girl.  She is one who LOVES the outdoors (except in the rain), and will take walks (and inspect everything in the neighborhood) as often as you will let her.  She also LOVES to sniff (more so than either of the Basset Hounds we had years ago!), and I think she can find moles underneath the ground!!!  (If a neighbor has a “mole run” she is all over it until she finds a certain spot, and then sniffs there until I pull her away—we have not actually dug up any moles yet.)  Every day is a new and wonderful adventure with her.  Thank you for sharing this beautiful breed with so many people.
     Spring is finally here, and I’m sure that you are as thrilled about it as I am!  I hope you have a wonderful Spring season.
P.S.  Sophie has determined that our “family pack” goes this way: 1) me; 2) her; 3) Mike.  We laugh about it all of the time, but it is pretty obvious.  Poor Mike!"

Judy G. wrote, "Hi Joyce, Today, Izzy earned her AKC Trick Dog Novice title. She already has her CGC, so she just had to perform an additional 5 tricks. She was more than ready. We didn't take a class but we practiced in the backyard. She attends Rally with Winny every Wednesday so maybe she will decide to attend a trial with him.  Who knows!!" 

Rafe wrote (with help from owner Mary): "I may look tired—up at 0430—on the road at 0600 for an agility trial. Kind of a rude bunch of dogs, no social etiquette...yap, yap, yap! Do shelties ever stop barking???? Thank goodness I have good crate manners, a gentleman entering, exiting. I get a little Barky when the girls go outside without me....just don't want to be forgotten! The snacks are to die for..mini meatloafs and diced up steak. I was crated next to a pug with a leopard print stroller. Belle tried to hitch a ride...how embarrassing! "

What time is it? Where are we going?

Excerpt from Judy L.’s email, "I may have mentioned that Whisper loves tennis balls. She is either walking around with one in her mouth; lying down with one between her front paws; or batting one around like a soccer ball. She loves to play fetch with them also. Raven enjoys tennis balls, especially playing fetch. But she isn't as interested in having one at her immediate disposal 24/7. Her interests seem to be more about the "Babies" that she can carry around in her mouth. In one of the photos of Raven, you can see her laughing at me because I told her that I need to brush her out. Yeah, she's gonna be laughing really hard once the grooming begins. NOT."

Whisper with her ball

Sister Raven "laughing"

Dogs are our family members also. Their unconditional love, their forgiveness of us when we are not always at our best, their desire to please..how God-like is a dog.

God bless you and your family members - including the 4-legged ones!

Joyce

Puppy Photos

I hope you all had a nice holiday. I was on the road yesterday so managed not to be suffering today from an overindulgence of jelly beans and chocolate bunnies. Although....I bet all the Easter candy is on sale today!  Hmmm....

Here are photos of Josh and Bekka's puppies at 3 weeks old. If they look a bit grumpy it's because they were all sleeping soundly when they were awakened by me to pose for photos! Most were not thrilled about it.

Two black females - Isabella on the left, the other has not been named yet

The two black males - Gus on the left, the other not named yet

Two of the gold girls (they were most unhappy about a photo session!)

The third gold girl

And, while we were taking pictures, I decided to take a couple of Winter (who used to be named "Ella" but we changed it because neither of us really liked it.) Anyway, Winter is due for a bath, but here she is before her bath. She will be 4 months old in a couple of weeks.

And yes, my t-shirt says, "I kissed a dog." On the back it says, "And I liked it." Where did I get it? From a vendor at the February show in Indiana.

That's it for today. More pictures next week.

Joyce

Basically Some Pictures

Who's the lucky couple? The newly-wedded Joyce and Lynn Johanson, 47 years ago on April 15th. Ahhh...youth!

You know how I always say, "Life is better when you have a Lhasa to love you"? Well, today let's change that a bit to say, "Life is best when you have a spouse who loves you."

 And now, the real reason you stopped by to read this post today: the puppies!

Josh and Bekka's puppies were 2 weeks old on Saturday. Their eyes opened over the weekend. All are doing well and gaining weight, some faster than others (Gus, I'm talking about you, baby!) Here are the photos we took of them this morning. So far the only puppy whose new owner has given him a name is Gus. Just as an FYI, only one gold female has not yet been spoken for.

The two black males (Gus on the left!)

The two black females

Two of the three gold females

The small gold female

 And, here are photos of their parents:

Their sire: Josh

Their dam: Bekka

For those of you still waiting for puppies, the next litter is due the last week in April. The sire is GCH CH Joyslyn's Heartbreaker (Josh's sire) and the dam is CH Joyslyn's Onyx. 

Breaker

Onyx

 Last time I wrote I mentioned that Autumn had won two majors at her last show. Thanks again to judges Grace Fritz and Ray Filburn. Here are the official show photos:

Today I saw the stats for the National Owner Handled Series and noticed that our Chance was listed at #8. That was a surprise considering he has not been shown since early November.  We are hoping to get him in the ring again soon.

Chance: CH Joyslyn's Moon Shadows

Information is now posted about the American Lhasa Apso Club's 2019 National Specialty. This year it will be in Albuquerque.

Thanks for stopping by today to read this!

Joyce

April Showers and All That - Catching Up After A Few Weeks!

I know, I know...I usually end the blog with those words; however, it has been a few weeks since I have written and, having received email and photos from so many of our puppy buyers in March and early April, I decided that my "slogan" was a great way to begin this post.

The other important thing I want to say is "Thank You" to the many people who sent email or sympathy cards to offer condolences about our Secret. Those cards, emails, and FB postings meant a great deal to me.

In brief, what has happened since I last posted includes a dog show, new puppies, and lots of photos and messages that I want to share.

Show Results
Autumn and I attended a 4-day show in Manitowoc, WI, at the end of March. We enjoyed the hospitality of friends Jan and Dean Graunke and the companionship of the other Lhasa exhibitors who attended that weekend: Karen Schlais, Sue Stoddard, Michael Papierniak, Lynn Replogle, LaVonne Bennett, and Matt Hoagland, who was showing Melissa Papke's Lhasa. Autumn showed very well for not being at a show since early February. She won the major on both Friday and Saturday, taking Reserve to Melissa's Lhasa on Thursday and Sunday.

Here are photos Karen took of Autumn and her ribbons on Friday.

Autumn now needs only two single points to earn her championship. We don't have any shows in April but May has three weekends of shows that we hope to attend.

Puppies
In early March, I drove to Madison, WI, to evaluate a litter of puppies that were co-bred by LaVonne Bennett and me. Their sire is GCHB CH Joyslyn MLS Dakota Wind Breaker (Josh) and their dam is GCH CH Mon Ami N Joyslyn's Shades of Summer (Misti). The litter (of 8!) was very impressive. I ended up bringing home a female that we call Ella (Ellie, Elle, Ellie-Bellie and (frequently) No-Ella!). (She is very fond of tearing up piddle pads and pulling on Autumn's ears!) She and Autumn became fast friends. Here are some pictures of her at age 9 weeks. Sad to admit it, but we have not take photos since then.

Her coat is already changing color and, as I push her coat the wrong way, I can see a lot of reddish gold color coming in. You can see some of that coloring on her ears.

Of course, I know that many of you reading this blog have been waiting for our first litter of 2019. I want to remind those of you on the waiting list for puppies how things work. You can also find this information on the FAQ page of the Joyslyn's Lhasa Apsos website.

How do you decide which buyer gets which puppy?
The first choice of a puppy always goes to me. People buying show puppies get to choose before people buying pet puppies. Otherwise, when you are put on a waiting list for a male or female, you are given a choice in the order in which you appear on the list and the order in which you send a deposit once I ask for one. (Generally after the puppies are a week or two old and I'm satisfied that all are thriving.) The only exception will be if I think a particular puppy's disposition is not suited for your family. For instance, a very stubborn outgoing puppy does not belong in a home where people want to baby him and are too timid to set boundaries for him. My goal is for both buyers and puppies to have happy lives together!

Explain more about the deposit you mentioned.
I do not take deposits until the puppies are born and I am sure they are thriving. When I am ready to accept deposits, I notify potential buyers by email. A deposit holds a puppy for you and assures you that I will not sell the puppy to another buyer. Deposits must be for at least $100. Fifty dollars of a deposit is non-refundable if you change your mind about getting the puppy. The entire deposit is refundable if a health problem shows up during the puppy's health check. The deposit is subtracted from the total amount due for the puppy. The balance is due on the day you come to get the puppy. 

Having said all that, I am pleased to announce that GCHB CH Joyslyn MLS Dakota Wind Breaker (Josh) and CH Joyslyn's Moonlight Beckons (Bekka) are the proud parents of seven (7) puppies. They were born on March 30. (Yes...while I was at the dog show! My husband had the pleasure of staying up all night to assist with the delivery.) They were  a week earlier than expected. All are doing well and gaining weight.

Here are their first photos, taken this morning at age 1 week, 2 days.

Two black females

Two black males

Two gold females

Gold female

Our next litter is due at the end of April. The sire is GCH CH Joyslyn's Heartbreaker (Breaker) and the dam is (CH Joyslyn's Onyx). Breaker is gold; Onyx is black, so we are hoping for puppies of each color.

Photos and Messages from Others
From Rafe (translated by owner Mary): “I am not just another handsome face. I earned my AKC Novice Trick Dog Title this week. That takes an educated mind.  I’ll  let you know when my certificate arrives!”

Rafe - GCH CH Joyslyn's Inherit the Wind (now with a Novice Trick Dog Title!)

Mary added, "When we got home from the last tricks class, he was comical. I unloaded him last; he was hopping up and down on our patio before the back door, elevating about a foot off the ground, happy to be home, happy all 3 were part of the event, not sure. He tried to play charge Moka. She backed up, took a flying leap over him to the deck." (By "all 3" Mary was referring to Rafe and her two female Lhasas, Moka and Belle, who had attended the tricks class too.)

Barbara wrote, "Hi Joyce, Hope you all are well.  Sending you Lovie’s paperwork. She just keeps getting sweeter every day.  I could not ask for a better dog.   She gets away with a lot of stuff  with that face too."

Lovie

Jim wrote that Daisy went along on their trip to San Diego. He sent a few photos and this was my favorite. Love her color!!!

Daisy

Sally and Bob live way up north in MI. Sally wrote, "Just a few more winter pictures. Ginger loves it outside so much, it's impossible to keep her clean! We got a "pack" to carry her in as you can see with Bob in the pictures. Sometimes she gets scared and wants to run back to the car, so the pack I thought would help with that until she's used to it. She really looks a lot like her father! I was exploring your website some more the other day. He is very beautiful. Do you think if you had kept her Ginger would have been a show dog as well? She is quite pretty, I wonder how she would have done. I hope you are having a nice spring, we aren't yet but I hope soon!"

Ginger running through the snow tunnel

Ginger

Many puppies show breeders sell are good show prospects. The problem is, we cannot keep them all! Even when we sell what we consider a good show prospect to a pet home, it does not make us sad. We want great quality Lhasas "out there" demonstrating to those who ask "what breed is that" just what a Lhasa is supposed to look like. People often write me saying, "We want just a pet Lhasas. We don't want to show." That is absolutely fine with me. The sport of dog showing is not for everyone. It is a lot of fun for those of us who do it, just as skiing, boating, soccer, golf, agility, etc. are fun for those who choose those sports. 



Vernita wrote, "Livvy is definitely a force. She demands all the attention and struts about the house like the mortgage is in her name. I  just love her to pieces. I will send pictures as well. She’s now been trained to sleep in her own bed since she was insistent on sleeping between my husband and I. It was hard for a few weeks but now, any of the other dogs that visit can’t go near her area. She’s very playful, at times, almost too playful but she listens quite well now. Only to me, of course. She doesn’t care for strangers and we like it that way so I don’t allow anyone to touch her except for family. She’s a bit sensitive to noise that she doesn’t understand like if something drops or a car radio that goes by too loud…I again want to thank you for bringing this bundle of life to our home. She’s taking her first road trip with us in a few weeks so we’ll see how that goes."

Livvy chillin' on the bed

Livvy at the store

Carol wrote, "Hello Joyce! Jaime’s litter sister, Autumn is ever so beautiful!!! Congratulations on her ongoing success as a show dog.  I am happy to tell you I received Jamie’s AKC registration certificate about 10 days after I requested it. I am sending along a couple of pictures of our wonderful little boy…It is hard to believe he is a year old! The first year has been quite a wonderful journey, becoming acquainted with his little personality and unique ways. We are blessed beyond words with this precious little dog. Some of our family came to visit from out of state this week and he was thrilled with the opportunity to be the welcoming committee and shower them with affection.They thought he was super! As a private Piano teacher, I longed for a dog that would be good with children. He has more than met that desire. Thank you for Jaime and for all the Lhasas you have lovingly raised to enrich the lives of many families. In my book, they are the best!"

Jamie

Pat sent photos of Willow (Autumn's sister) and Baron.

Baron (parents are Chance and Jenna)

Willow (parents are Rafe and Kimmi) and Baron

That's it for now. Thanks for all who sent photos of their Joyslyn's Lhasas to share. Keep them coming...I love seeing them!

Happy Spring to All!

And, with that, I will end as I began--because I cannot stress it enough:

Joyce