Glad Tidings For Christmas and A Happy New Year!

 

Best wishes for the holiday season and throughout the new year.  Thank you for reading the blog and a special thanks and good wishes to all of our puppy buyers. We appreciate very much those of you who keep in touch with photos and updates telling us how much you love and appreciate your Joyslyn's Lhasas. It means a lot.

Joyce

Merry Christmas!!

 

"...and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, 'God bless us, Every One!'"~ Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

I know it is early, but since this is probably my final post of 2020, I decided to wish you all a Merry Christmas anyway!

Speaking of Christmas carols, at our office, like so many others, we are having our Christmas party via Zoom. My staff who have done the organizing have great plans which include COVID-related lyrics set to well-known Christmas music. I did a short one and a long one:

First, to the tune of "Joy To The World:"

Covid sucks. 

I have to say

I'm tired of wearing a mask

I need a hug that's not just virtual

I want a normal life! I want a normal life!

I want, I want a normal life!

Second, to the tune of "I'll Be Home for Christmas:"

Enough of that! I hope that whatever you do to celebrate your holiday, whether face-to-face or via Zoom with family and friends, that you have a great time and stay healthy and safe from COVID. Let's hope that 2021 gets us back to "normal" before it's over!

Puppy Pictures

Our puppies are now nine weeks old and most will be leaving for new homes soon. Here are some photos. First are the three females: Dora, Daisy, and Emmy (we plan to keep Emmy). The two boys, Maxim and Vinny, are next. 

Best Laid Plans

"Best laid plans often go awry."

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch."

Those sayings have been reverberating through my head recently. An ultrasound revealed that there were no puppies! We were planning/hoping that breedings done in early November would result in pregnancy. But they did not!

If you were among those on our list waiting for a puppy, I am sorry to be the bearer of disappointing news. Unless a miracle happens and proves that the vet's ultrasound machine was wonky that day, there will be no puppies born here for a while.

On A Lighter Note...

I have some nice photos to share. I'll start with a video sent by Michelle, who told me that each night Sunny removes her husband's sock. No one taught him to do it. He just takes it upon himself to do the nightly task!

Here is Sunny decked out for Christmas.

He doesn't quite seem to have the Christmas spirit yet! Michelle says he was glad to get his outfit off.

Sally sent this picture of Ginger. Look at those long, lovely eyelashes!

Tom and Penny sent a photo of their Griffin on his 9th birthday. They wrote, "Griffin continues in good health, generating smiles and pet from family and others, and is a joy in our lives.

Kim sent a lot of photos of Snickers, who just turned 8 in early December. She wrote that he loves laying on blankets and snuggles with his people on the recliner - of course on a blanket. Here are two pictures of Snickers.

Janet sent this photo of Pebbles Grace decked out for Christmas, writing "SWEETEST DOG EVER...she is our heart."

Kassia sent a photo of Aspen, whom she re-named Leelu. Kassia wrote that Leelu gives lots of cuddles and kisses. She said, "...we are working a lot on sit, come, and stay. My husband laughs a lot because she will do it for him but not me!...She is amazing with my old lady friends and they all love her a lot! I could have sold her three times. NEVER HAPPENING"

Judy wrote about, Zoie who is Leelu's litter sister: "I can't tell you how much joy she has brought to our lives. She is so smart and as cute as a button. She has a new Christmas collar and loves it."

Note the tail wagging in the second photo.

Betsy owns Willow, who is a litter sister of both Zoie and Leelu. Here is the photo she posted of Willow. Another cutie!! Betsy noted that, unlike her sister, Willow doesn't like her recent haircut or her Christmas scarf!

The three are now 6 months old.

Joey calls us "Aunt Joyce and Uncle Lynn" and with the help of his typist (one of his people, Paul) manages to stay in touch. In his recent email, he said he was having an easier time now opening the doors to the outside and that he was losing his baby teeth. Regarding the photo, he wrote, "You can see I have been put to work cleaning the treadmill among other places."

Joey was recently neutered and Paul says Joey hates the cone because he is unable to get through his door to go outside. I guess he doesn't like relying on others to meet his needs! Anyway, Joey also loves snow and discovered that the cone makes a handy scoop. Here is a video.

Theresa sent this photo of Joey's brother, Rocco, pictured here relaxing under the Christmas tree after a rousing play time with his friend, Kitty.

Jim sent this picture of Daisy, along with Christmas greetings. She is comfy as she waits for Santa.

Daisy keeping watch for Santa!

That is all for this post. Thanks to those who keep in touch and send photos and/or updates. I love getting them.

Lhasa good wishes to you all for an Apsolutely fabulous holiday season! 

"May your days be merry and bright!"

Joyce

Happy Thanksgiving

 

"When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. ~Tecumseh

Lynn and I have had our Thanksgiving feast and the clean up is done. It is always odd to be just the two of us for this holiday, so I cannot claim we were alone because of COVID 19. The kids live away - one too far and the other two far enough that they prefer to come for Christmas instead. (They missed a tasty meal, if I do say so myself!)

The puppies are 7 weeks old today, but we've not yet gotten around to taking their pictures today. They have grown a lot! A bunch of cuties for sure!

The 3 Girls

in order by our names for them:

Dora, Daisy, and Emmy

 The 2 Boys

in order by our names for them:

Maxim and Vinny

I'm sure their new owners will soon have different names for them. We name them so we can easily identify which one we are talking about.

Some Photos from Others

Sally sent a video of Ginger playing in the sand along the beach. I could not get it to play on the blog, but here is a photo she sent of Ginger.

Here is Aspen with one of her new owners.

Below is are photos of Gus, who lately has been helping his mom, Judy, take care of a sick friend's puppy. He wants her to be comfortable in her new environment.

 

Paul sent some pictures of Joey, the first showing Joey in an unusual sleeping position. The second is of Joey pouting after hearing his owners discussing another dog.

Finally, here is Shadow, who stayed by his owner's side as she recovered from a fall. He kept a watchful eye on her and was very concerned. Here is a photo of him checking up on her to reassure himself that she was doing well.

One thing I had intended to post last time but forgot about is this information:

That's it for today! Thanks for taking time to visit the blog. If you own a Joyslyn's Lhasa, get in touch and send pictures. You know I love getting them and hearing how the dogs are doing.

Until next time, remember:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Joyce

November!

 

"November comes and November goes,

With the last red berries and the first white snows.

With night coming early, and dawn coming late,

And ice in the bucket and frost by the gate.

The fires burn and the kettles sing,

And earth sinks to rest until next spring."

~ Clyde Watson

November...hmmm...well the election is over. Thank goodness. We have a new president. What will the new year bring?

I have to say that the temps here in Macomb this week have been high and almost summer-y. What a nice change from the cold windy days that ended October. We are enjoying the warmth while we have it.

In the last post, I wrote that I would share the photos of Millie when they arrived. They have arrived and here they are. The first is of a Group 4 win at the Ft. Dodge, IA show.

The second is of her first major, taken in Jefferson, WI.

The third is of her Owner Handled Reserve Best In Show.

I was hoping to finish Millie before the end of 2020 but it looks like we will have to wait until 2021. I am very proud of her October accomplishments. In three weekends of shows, she garnered 13 points - including both majors, 6 Best of Breeds, a Regular Group 4, an Owner Handled Group 1, an Owner Handled Reserve Best In Show, and an Owner Handled Group 2. We have a show coming up next weekend but are entered on only one day and there is just one point available. Even if she wins, we'll be short 1 point since 15 points are needed for a championship.

Puppy Photos

Below are puppies from our newest litter. They are now 4 weeks old. The first three are the females. The last two are of the boys. Pure cuteness!

Links to Some Articles You Might Be Interested In Reading

1) This article explains how to get involved in the sport of dog showing.

2) This one clarifies something that a lot of people just do not understand -- how to tell the difference between a Shih Tzu and a Lhasa.

3) This link takes you to a Canine Chronicle article about Lhasa Apso attributes and priorities regarding the breed.

Photos and Notes from Others

I know I wrote "from others" but our Aspen was caught sleeping and I had to share the picture. She loves her toys!

Mickey wrote, "Devil Dog Biddy snuck out the basement door and was on the run yesterday..."

Theresa sent a photo of Rocco's haircut and told me how much he is loved.

Pat and Chris sent pictures of Teddy decked out for Halloween. They wrote, "He continues to bring such joy and laughter to us both. He has an incredible personality, is truly a clown, and sweet beyond belief. He is such a loving and outgoing puppy - we feel so blessed to have him in our lives. I have attached a couple of pictures of him "modeling" his Halloween costume. He's going as Cousin It, although in one of the pictures, he's managed to put a Blues Brothers' vibe in it. He definitely is a ham!"

Michelle sent these photos of Sunny in his costume.

Some Lhasas got to play in the October snow! Here is Sally's Ginger.

Ted wrote, "I wanted to share some photos of our new security system. Lucky normally sets up his barrier of toys prior to going down for the night. Very comical. Not too sure what he is protecting us from but he has a system.

Kathleen sent an update about he Beau. "Beau and I took a cold walk this am. He went to the groomer yesterday and we can finally see his eyes which makes him even more adorable. Here are some photos to show how he has grown and how he looks with eyes. He is growing up and continues to be the sweetest little thing. He is potty trained, walks well on his leash and loves everyone he meets. Everyone thins he is adorable and I love everything about him. I know his sisters are much beloved in their new homes, but I believe that I have the best of the five!!"

Lots of puppies seem to be getting haircuts. Betsy sent these of Willow's recent trims.

Joey, the tiny black puppy we had to feed with a sponge has turned into quite a character. Paul sent photos of "supervising" the deck clean up and of him trying out the treadmill and giving up when he could not get it to turn by using his front paws. 

I sure hope I did not miss anyone's note or photo. Mea culpa if I did! Just send me a gentle reminder!

Then There Is Archie

Archie has not been having fun at the shows. He is so happy and outgoing at home, but at the shows he has his tail down a lot of the time and just does not want the judge to examine him. It is stressful for both of us. All but one of the judges who have seen him at shows has encouraged me not to give up because "he is worth the effort." 

We are not giving up (yet), but it is hard for me to deal with him and his two vastly different personalities. So...on Monday evening he and I have an appointment with an animal communicator. We'll see how that goes! I just keep telling myself, "Life is Better When You Have a Lhasa to Love You!"

Joyce