Catching Up

"The 'dog days' or 'dog days of summer' are the hot, sultry days of summer. They were historically the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius, which Greek and Roman astrology connected with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck. They are now taken to be the hottest, most uncomfortable part of summer in the  Northern Hemisphere."
 ~ Wikipedia

Hello again. It has been a month since I've posted, and I have only the excuse that nothing has happened worth writing about and that I was sure no one wanted to know that my washer is still not fixed. Mostly I have been lazy. Blame those dog days of summer!  

I am fond of August since it is my birthday month. Not that I am fond of getting older...but the alternative is much less appealing! Don't you sometimes wish you could take all your current knowledge and experience, go back in time, and teach your younger self a few lessons?

Some good news is that the voting members of the American Lhasa Apso Club have approved the revised Standard that we have worked on in earnest since January 2016. The AKC Board has to approve it in August and, hopefully, it will be in effect in October.

Here is the revision if you have not already seen it.

OFFICIAL STANDARD OF THE LHASA APSO

Effective October 2019

General Appearance: Reflecting his Tibetan heritage as an indoor sentinel on the Tibetan Plateau, north of the Himalayan Mountains, the Lhasa Apso is a small, sturdy, well-balanced rectangular dog of moderation possessing a level topline and a tail carried well over the back. There should be neither exaggeration of any body parts nor hint of massive bone or body. A distinguishing characteristic of the Lhasa Apso is its heavy, dense, double coat that is parted in the middle from head to tail. In addition, the Lhasa Apso has good headfall and well-feathered feet and legs as these features protected this small dog against extreme temperatures and the rough terrain of his native land.

A Lhasa Apso is subject to the same requirement of soundness recommended for all breeds. Structural faults are undesirable, regardless of whether or not such faults are specifically mentioned in the standard. Any deviation from the ideal described in the standard should be penalized to the extent of the deviation.

Size: Variable, ideally between 10 and 11 inches at the shoulder. Bitches may or may not be slightly smaller but should possess feminine characteristics which easily distinguish females from males.

Head: Expression - Alert, thoughtful, intelligent. Heavy head furnishings enhance the proper Lhasa expression with good fall over eyes, good whiskers, and beard. Full depth of dark pigmentation on eye rims and lips is essential to achieve the desired softness of expression.   Eyes - Dark brown, almond shaped. Round full eyes and very small sunken eyes are undesirable. Ears - Pendant, set slightly above eye level and carried close to the cheeks, heavily feathered. Skull - Narrow, falling away behind the eyes in a marked degree, not quite flat, but not domed or apple-shaped. Stop - Moderate. Muzzle - Straight foreface of fair length with the length from tip of nose to eye to be roughly one-third the total length from nose to back of skull. A square muzzle is objectionable. Nose – Black. Bite - The preferred bite is either level or slightly undershot.

Neck, Topline, Body: Neck - Moderate in length, blending smoothly into the shoulders. Body – Rectangular when viewed in profile, with the length from point of shoulder to point of buttocks being longer than the height at withers. Chest of good depth extending to or slightly below the elbow. Prosternum well developed. Well ribbed up with the ribs extending well back towards hindquarters, strong loin, well-developed quarters and thighs. Topline - level from withers to croup, whether standing or moving. Tail - Well feathered and set sufficiently high to enable the tail to be carried well over the back in a curl lying to the side; there may be a kink at the end. Low carriage of stern is a serious fault. This means that when the Lhasa is moving, the tail is carried well over the back. A dropped tail while standing is not to be penalized.

Forequarters: Shoulders - Well laid back. Elbows close to the body. Shoulder blade and upper arm are ideally equal in length (i.e., length from point of withers to point of shoulder and point of shoulder to point of elbow should be equal.) Viewed from the front, the rib cage is oval in shape. Legs - Heavily furnished with hair. The legs are straight from elbow to pastern. The vertical distance from the withers to the elbow equals the distance from the elbows to the ground. Pasterns - Strong, perpendicular. Dew claws - may be removed. Feet - Well feathered/heavily furnished, should be round and catlike, with good pads. The hair may be trimmed for neatness.

Hindquarters: Well-developed rear assembly. Angulation of hindquarters should be in balance with forequarters to provide equal reach and drive. Legs - Heavily furnished with hair. Hocks - Well let down, set slightly behind the point of buttocks, perpendicular to the ground and turn neither in nor out. Feet – Same as forefeet.

Coat: Double coated, heavy, straight, hard, dense, not woolly or silky, of good length.

Color: All colors equally acceptable.

Gait: The Lhasa Apso gait is smooth and effortless with good front reach and equally strong rear drive without any hint of wasted action. There is no tendency towards hackney, exaggerated lift or rolling. The rear legs reach under the body and push out well behind, carrying the body forward in balance with the front. Going away, the pads of the rear feet give evidence of good follow through, without exaggerated kickup. The legs move parallel coming and going with a tendency to converge to a centerline as the dog increases speed. The topline is level and the tail is carried well over the back and may drape to the side. A Lhasa is shown at its own natural speed, neither raced nor strung-up. It is unacceptable to reward a Lhasa that consistently moves with its tail down.

Temperament/Character: Alert and sensitive to their surroundings, Lhasas are usually gay and assertive but may be chary/aloof with strangers. Their regal attitude gives them an air of seriousness. The breed is extremely intelligent, charming and loyal.

Show News

Last month I wrote that Autumn had taken Best In Specialty Show twice in West Bend, WI, and said I would post her photos when they came. Here they are:

Since then, we have been gone for 2 show weekends, one here in Macomb and the other in Waukesha, WI. At the Macomb show, Autumn was Awarded Select Bitch on Saturday and Best of Breed on Sunday. At Waukesha, she was Awarded Select Bitch on Saturday. Nothing on Sunday, but she deserved nothing because she was not showing well, rather sloth-like in her movement! Ugh! Anyway, now she has 18 points toward her Grand Championship. She has met the requirements of defeating other champions at three events and winning three majors. Now she just needs 7 single points. I'm hoping she shows better next time!

My friend LaVonne and I co-bred a litter sired by my Josh and our Misty. The puppies were 6 months old in early July. Three of them were shown this month. The female I kept, Winter, took Reserve both days at the Waukesha show. She loves to move but is very wiggly on the table and just not sure she wants some stranger looking her over! She is going to be a slow maturer I believe. I also believe it will be worth the wait!

Sue's Monte, pictured below, took Winners Dog and Best of Winners at a show in Marshfield, WI. 

Sue with Monte

LaVonne showed Nelson in Macomb and Waukesha. On Saturday at the Macomb show, he took Winners Dog, Best of Winners, and Best of Breed over 3 champions. That gave him a major win. In Waukesha, he took Winners Dog and Best of Winners both days. He now has a total of 6 points and is not yet 7 months old.

LaVonne with Nelson and all his ribbons from the show in Macomb

Suffice it to say that we are proud of the potential shown in these three puppies from that litter.

Disappointing News

 I wish I had better news for all the people on our waiting list who were hoping to be taking home Joyslyn puppies this fall. Our Kimmi was bred and a litter due August 8th, but a trip to the vet and an ultrasound revealed that she was not pregnant. This was a breeding that I had strong hopes for. Disappointment all around!

 Notes and Photos From Owners of Joyslyn's Lhasas

 Since it has been a month since I have posted, I have received a lot of emails and photos from people who have purchased puppies from us. 

Jan and Rick bought Rosie (re-named Zoey), a puppy from our last litter. Jan wrote, "I just love this puppy (Rosie) Zoey so much! She is such a pistol. She has so much energy…" 

Mary, who owns 2 of our dogs (Belle and Rafe) sent this photo of them with her other Lhasa, Moka, and wrote, "Kind of looks like Rafe is leading them in a prayer."

From the left: Belle, Rafe, Moka

She went on to say, "Last week: 2 baby birds in grass, not able to fly but flapping wings. Rafe saw first, rushed toward one. The little bird, screeching, mouth wide open, flapping at Rafe, parent birds doing dives toward Rafe. I was right behind him, calling off. he ran toward me.  The bird turned away, running . Rafe looked over his shoulder, went after bird, bird turned, ran at him, he ran backwards away from bird. It was comical. I finally got a shovel, scooped up each bird, gave them their first flight lesson..over my fence. Parents still swooping at me."

Lynn wrote about Amie: "Can you believe Miss Amie celebrated her 3rd birthday last Friday? Makes me just want to suspend the march of time, though of course that won’t work!! But she’s a beauty, isn’t she? We took her and Poppet up to our favorite spot in the mountains for a champagne picnic….no rain this time! Love, love, love this little being….thank you a million times over!!"

Amie - now 3

Lynn with Amie - a champagne picnic birthday

Chuck and Steve wrote, "Today is Cooper's 3rd Birthday.  He brings us lots of happiness.
Thanks for breeding such wonderful puppies."

Chuck and Steve's Cooper

Barbara wrote about Lovey: "Hi Joyce, Hope you all are well. I wanted to share some birthday party pictures with you.  She had a lot of fun being the center of attention" 

Lovey, the Birthday Queen

Vernita wrote about Livvy (who is Lovey's litter sister): "She is so much fun and full of energy. She doesn’t need to change for anyone because she’s home. For that reason, anyone outside of my daughter’s, she wants no part of [other dogs] and will bark and growl until they are gone.  I wouldn’t change a thing about her, and my daughters know what to expect when they bring their dogs around. She loves Noah, the other Lhasa, as long as he doesn’t go near her bed. To see them running in the yard and chasing birds they will never catch is just too funny. Yesterday was a lazy day for her. She wanted to get in the pool but only to float on her duck floaty. She wanted no part of swimming so we floated for about an hour then she took a nap. She’s still my husband’s babygirl but she tends to follow me everywhere because I take her for rides. I’m going to try taking her back to the doggy park this weekend for a second try. The first time didn’t go so well but I won’t give up."Michele wrote about Trinket: "Trinket had her second puppy shot this morning and weighed in at 6.6 pounds. She is doing extremely well and will be attending her first puppy class this coming Tuesday at the Vet’s office…In a couple of weeks, Trinket will have another groom appointment; I am trying to keep her hair long (she is accustomed to being brushed lightly every day).  This little pup is such a bundle of energy and very playful. I am having so much fun with her and will continue to keep you updated on her progress."  

Trinket

Molly Anne reported on Luna: "On this, the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong's moon walk, I just had to tell you our little Moon Lady's had her own  "one small step - one giant leap" moment. The last couple of days we experienced the remnants of Barry, with torrents of rain and high winds. Luna has been mostly housebound, since all the trails are muddy and soggy. This morning it was merely misting, so I took her to the large,well-drained lawn behind Walmart which offered a short excursion.
     Dutifully following Murphy's Law, just as we reached the lawn the heavens began spewing buckets. Rather than being unsure, Luna found this a wonderous experience, and began practically jumping INTO puddles! Not just wet, her feet were soaked, her legs were soaked and her ears were dripping, but  head up she kept exploring  more puddles.  She even began weaving thru some tall scaffolding to plop thru more puddles! Meanwhile, I am traipsing behind calling "good girl-good girl-good girl-good girl!", whilst trying not to laugh at her unabashed joy.  Reveling in the rain, she looked like she was striding on Westminster  turf rather than Walmart's! I regret that, having no pockets, I left the phone in the car and was unable to record her "moon walk"."

Some excerpts from an update Kathy sent about Jampa: "He's 18 weeks this week and he's grown so much!  He weighs over 8 lbs, now, and the vet says he's just the right condition for a puppy, not fat, not skinny. This week, he's been showing signs that his mouth is sore (teething!)…I started yesterday freezing a wet wash cloth for Jampa to chew on.  He seems to like that…We also bought a doggy pool for him a couple weeks ago.  He doesn't get in voluntarily, but if I set him gently in (2 inches of water), he will walk around for a few minutes and take a drink, then wants out.  The rest of the time he uses the pool as his outdoor water bowl. :-) Jampa's coat is getting quite long.  I brush him about every other day (depends on where he's been playing!), then comb to make sure there's no mats, and he gets a bath once a week. Jampa's coat is a deep brown color, instead of jet black.  Is that normal for a puppy coat, and will his adult coat be black?  It really doesn't matter, because we love him not matter what color he is/will be! :-)  He's tail is getting a little gentle curl on the end of it.  I was surprised because I thought they were born with the tail they were going to have. We've been going to puppy class, every Tuesday evening.  He really enjoys playing with the other puppies, and we're both learning canine good citizen exercises/capabilities."

Jampa

Some excerpts from Judy's email about Gus, Raven, and Whisper: "Gus will be 15 weeks tomorrow. He is already almost the same height as Raven and Whisper, and I would not be surprised if he doesn't outweigh both of them - no baby fat on him. Raven and Whisper will be 9 years old in October. This week Gus has found his rear legs, and probably has built up the muscles in them. Several days ago he was able to jump up on the chaise lounge to play with Whisper. He has been trying to get up on the chaise, but just couldn't get there.
Whisper has accepted Gus and they play together often every day. Raven doesn't usually play with Whisper and Gus, but stays close by in case she needs to rescue Gus from MEAN Whisper. LOL Yesterday, Gus was in the bedroom area walking around and playing with assorted dog toys. Next time I looked at the bed, Gus was ON it! WTH? He had obviously jumped up onto the somewhat tall wooden dog bed, and from there had jumped up onto the bed. This not-so-little puppy continues to keep me on my toes. He is doing really well in his obedience training, and has Class #3 on Sunday. His second Private Session training is on Tuesday."

From the left: Gus, Whisper, Raven

Raven, Gus's Great Grandma

Here is one of a series of photos Pat sent of Willow (Autumn's Litter Sister) and Baron (Chance and Jenna's son)

Left: Willow, Right: Baron

Jill sent this photo of Onyx's mom, Shadow. Onyx and Shadow are so much alike, both in appearance and personality -- very laid back, sweet-tempered, and mellow

From Barb about Ryder: "He is a great addition to our family.  He is a very happy little guy and well mannered.  Loves to give kisses, play inside or outside, and chase birds in our backyard.  He’s very smart, figures things out quickly.  He’s very attached to our other Lhasa - Kamper.  Wherever Kamper goes, Ryder goes.  Ryder is social, he’s good around other people and other dogs, and does well with training and commands.  He travels well in the car too, just curls up on his bed.  They are both protective & will bark if someone is close to the house, which I’m ok with.  

I would say a few minor things were working on - potty training took a bit longer with Ryder, he still likes to sneak off.  He loves to splash his water everywhere & even flips the bowl over, and recently has started chewing on random things - bark/wood from mulch, & wool dryer balls.  

He has a great personality & it’s a good mix between our 2, Kamper is sweet and a little anxious, and Ryder is more friendly & social. Both love to snuggle.  We love having the 2."

Ryder, a Chance and Jenna son

Kamper on the left, Ryder on the right, both Joyslyn's Lhasas

Dianna wrote about Meeka (formerly known around here as Xena): "I just can’t stop playing with her!  She plays fetch (with balls and sticks) and brings it back almost every time!  She comes when called with a specific whistle!  Practiced that in the kitchen with treats only 3 times and she’s got that nailed down!  I can’t even tell you how much this puppy is loved! Since losing my Dad (my last parent) in Dec., if she sees me crying when I’m holding her she’ll lay her head on my shoulder.  It’s the cutest thing!  I couldn’t have hand picked a more perfect puppy.  When I was at your house watching her and picking her up I don’t think it hit me that she was actually going to be MY puppy."

Meeka

Marilyn wrote about Hunter, one of two of her Joyslyn's Lhasas. Hunter's 2nd birthday was July 25. "What a goofball he is! Both dogs are the great guardians of the Conrad residence. Nothing or no one gets in the house without a barking frenzy. They are wary of strangers and other dogs, and it takes time for them to warm-up to people. Typical Lhasa behavior! Both Maci and Hunter certainly add excitement and joy to our lives. I hope you have a great rest of the summer."
 

Hunter - 2 years old

 What's Available?

While we do not have puppies available, we do have two young adult males that are available to the right pet homes. Both are black. One just turned a year old. The other will be two years old in a few days. Just contact me for details if you are interested.

ALAC National Specialty

This year's National Specialty is in Albuquerque, NM! If you live close, you should come. It is 4 days crammed with lots of Lhasa activities, attended by Lhasa owners, breeders, and exhibitors from across the US -- and some who fly in from other countries just to participate in the event!

 

 Thanks for reading! Until next time, remember...

 

 Joyce

 

 
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