Lhasa Apso Blog: December 2020

"...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.