Welcome October!

 

"Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves, we have had our summer evenings, now for October eves." ~ Humbert Wolfe

I write this as a way to put off grooming and bathing Rusty to prepare for a show this weekend. I know I have all day tomorrow to get it done and feel a bit guilty for not posting sooner.

Speaking of Rusty. Here is the latest photo of him, taken at the Amana, IA show after he won the first of his two majors that weekend.

There is a lot to share in this post. Just thought you should know...

In mid-September I told you all about my upcoming trip to Florida to visit our daughter and her family. The trip was actually a birthday present for Mom's 89th birthday. She had not seen her great grandson, now ages 4 and 7 since they were 6 months and 3 years old.

The flights, airport layovers, and a couple instances of a wheelchair not being available aside, we had a wonderful time once we arrived. My daughter had planned a few excursions that (of course) included some shopping, making our luggage a bit heavier for the trip home.

We saw the new Marvel hero movie. I am a Marvel fan and so are the grandsons! Great movie!

We visited a winery and a fruit stand (Robert is Here). My mom is a lover of fresh passion fruit, which is not available in Nebraska, so she bought what was left to take home with her.

Row after row of tropical fruit

Aisle after aisle of sauces and jellies

We fast forwarded a few months to Christmas and visited the Christmas Palace in Haileah Gardens -- all the holiday decor you could dream of and more.

Mom and I at the Christmas Palace

We had brunch at the Tea Garden at the Cauley Square Historic Village, which had delicious menu choices and a decor of gorgeous antique furniture, china, lamps, and jewelry.

We went to the Palmetto Bay Sunday Farmers' Market.

We went fishing in the canal that runs behind my daughter and son-in-law's home. I was the only one who caught anything that day. I had not been fishing as a teen or adult, so notice that I was given my 4-year old grandson's fishing pole! How exciting to have tugs on the line. I reeled in a long one!

Here I am, holding my prize "fish." LOL

It was great to be together again since we live so far apart (FL, NE, IL). Mom really enjoyed her birthday trip.

Here are the 3 generations, wearing our matching pajamas!

The Most Recent Puppy Pictures

The Onyx and Misti litters will soon be ready to leave us for their new homes. Here are their latest photos.

Milo

Pearl

Josie

Nora

Bernie

Chrissy

Evie

Food for Thought! Plan Ahead!

Those of you who have been or who currently are on my waiting list for a puppy answered the following question on the questionnaire I sent you:

"What plans do you have for your Lhasa in case of emergency (e.g., you get a debilitating illness, are hospitalized, die)? In other words, what would happen to the dog if you or a spouse were unable to care for him/her?"

It is something to think about, no matter how old or young you are. Accidents happen, illness (e.g. COVID19) happens, unexpected death happens. Your beloved dog could outlive you. What happens to that dog you love if for reason of accident, illness, or death you cannot care for him/her? Do you have a will that includes who takes care of your dog? Do you automatically assume one of your kids or other friend or relative will take your dog and love it? Have you asked that person? Do you have an agreement in writing? Have you set aside some funds for your dog's care? 

This leads me to a situation, a death, that recently happened. The person who passed away left her Lhasas, and her daughter asked another Lhasa person to care for them and find them homes. I told her I would try to help by letting my blog readers know about the situation. 

She is trying to find homes for three females and one male Lhasa. If you are at all interested in helping by taking one of these dogs into your home and heart, please email

lindakendallsmith@gmail.com

Something that Might Be Fun!

I thought this was interesting when I ran across it on Amazon. I think Lhasas are smart enough to learn to communicate this way!

Photos, Messages, and Email From Others

From Judy L: "Raven's color on her body had been growing in darker for several years. In 2017 her body was silver. Now it is silver and black, with more black coming in all the time. Strange."

Judy L also wrote about Gus. "Yesterday Gusto Spitz had his very first Walmart experience. He was very well behaved and made some new human friends. Everyone loves Gus. What's not to love? Gus has a fabulous Lhasa Apso head and face, and he actually looks like a Lhasa not a ST. Plus he is sturdy, beautifully colored/marked, and allows people who approach him to pet him. They always ask first, which is surprising. There is something about Gus that attracts people to him. I am also biased!!!

She also posted this on my FB page. Thanks, Judy!

Chuck sent this video of Cooper and wrote, "My welcome home after being gone a week. Thanks.  I love him so much."

Kassia wrote about LeeLu, "Our Girl..looking so grown up!"

Shelly posted on FB: "Tucker is exhausted from bossing around a bunch of Golden Doodles and Retrievers today at the Doggie Del Sol.  He gets to run free there but is adamant that he is placed with the big dogshopefully his last short cut for a while! My sweet bubba!"

Kris wrote, "There’s no vaccine for this love bug we’ve caught over here. In case you haven’t noticed we cannot stop squeezing him."

Judy B. wrote, "Hi Joyce & Lynn, I haven't given you an update on Zoie lately. It's been a busy summer and now we're starting to put things away for winter. It seems too early, but the trees are really turning fast. Zoie is quite the girl!  She loves to sit under the gazebo. She is so smart! Too smart sometimes! When she thinks that she isn't getting the attention that she deserves, she starts scratching on the carpet. She does get our attention! Our other two Lhasa's were good watchdogs, but nothing or nobody comes in our yard without Zoie letting us know.  We are slowly socializing Zoie. We have found that if we meet someone new outside first and then come into the house she is fine.  She and her daddy go for a walk every day. She has a lot of energy! We do love her and we don't know what we would do without her. Thank-you. We have had to see the vet lately.  She has been vomiting bile and the vet thinks that she is not tolerating her food.  We are slowly changing her food.  I hope that will do the job.  I've read your blog, so I know that you've been very busy.  I love seeing pictures of the puppies.  So cute!"

Note from me: I wrote Judy to let her know that a Lhasa vomiting bile is often the result of an empty tummy. I find that if I give my Lhasas a biscuit before bedtime, no one vomits bile! She does not need change her food! Oh the things vets do not know about our breed!

From Julie about Jenna (now Linda): "Hello Joyce, I’ve been meaning to write you and let you know how things are going. I did rename Jenna to Linda. She learned her new name very quickly. It's a strange name maybe but it’s how I know her.

Linda is doing so well. I feel so lucky I got her and I think she is lucky to have me. My mom loves her too and often babysits her when I’m at work. She doesn’t play with toys but loves walks and loves to run excitedly around the house. I give her smoked bones sometimes but she hides them more than she eats them. She likes to check on them periodically.

Linda is such a well behaved dog. I describe her as a “lady” because she is polite and never offensive. I definitely recognize the “lhasatude”. She holds her head up very high. She walks past other dogs like royalty and never barks at them. I can tell she’s annoyed with me when I’ve worked a few days in a row (she won’t sleep as close to me). She doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want and lets me know by staring at me like I’m ridiculous. She’s also a great guard dog will watch a door for a few minutes before settling down. 

I was initially hesitant about getting an older dog but the match could not have been more perfect. I know it must be hard for you to say goodbye to dogs and I want you to know Linda is living a good life."

Although it is difficult for me to imagine the beloved Jenna as a Linda, I am so happy that this placement has worked out. Jenna always wanted to be a "Queen" around here. Now she does not have to share her realm with any other dog. She must be thrilled!

This morning was  bittersweet because Onyx left for her new home where she will be with other Lhasas, two of them Joyslyn's Lhasas (Ty and Izzy). Her new owner, Judy G, plans to train her for agility and rally. It was hard to see her leave but I had geared myself up for it because I had promised Judy a while back that she could have Onyx when the time came.

Onyx - early in her show career

Never be afraid to adopt an adult Lhasa! Most breeders will have "young retirees" around 4-6 years old, and given the length of time a Lhasa lives, that leaves plenty of years of Lhasa love.

One Last Thing...

I want to share the following with you because it is important that this bill be passed. Dogs coming into this country without health checks are bringing diseases that impact our American dogs. (Remember the terrible dog flu a few years ago?) Many other countries require appropriate health checks and paperwork. It is past time the US does so too.

From AKC: "According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), up to 1.25 million dogs are imported into the U.S. annually. Many of these dogs are coming in without valid health certificates –and many of them are carrying contagious zoonotic diseases. Exponential growth in dog imports from a wide range of overseas sources has resulted in recent incidents of dogs with non-native parasites and zoonotic diseases such as rabies, viral infections, canine influenza, brucellosis and others, being imported and passed onto the general public. Current pet import oversight mechanisms established prior to the exponential growth of imports are unable to protect against this public and animal health threat.

The Healthy Dog Importation Act would address these significant concerns by providing additional tools to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to prevent the import of unhealthy animals, while continuing to allow imports of healthy dogs.

Key provisions of the measure:

•Provide authority to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to determine which vaccinations and other health information is required for entry of dogs into the U.S. This authority will be carried out by USDA’s Veterinary Services (VS) division.

•Require every dog entering the U.S. to be accompanied by a certificate of veterinary inspection (health certificate), issued by a licensed veterinarian accredited by a competent veterinary authority recognized by the Secretary. The health certificate must certify that the dog has received all required vaccinations and demonstrated negative test results.

•Require submission of health certificates to USDA, which will maintain a centralized, publicly available data base. Required documentation may be submitted electronically. All submitted information will be made available to the secretaries of Health and Human Services (CDC), Commerce, and Homeland Security (CBP) to promote interagency coordination and facilitate verification upon arrival in the U.S. Required documentation may be submitted electronically

•Require permanent identification of all dogs imported.

•Allow the Secretary of Agriculture to set fees for the issuance of importation permits to help offset costs for increased monitoring and oversight.

What You Can Do:

AKC strongly encourages all dog owners individually, as well as clubs, to contact their member of Congress and Senators and ask them to support the Healthy Dog Importation Act.  Let them know this is a bipartisan, common sense solution to address a significant public health threat for both pets and the people who care for them.

For additional talking points and information, review the following:

One-page fact sheet

Article: Ban on Dogs a Wake-Up Call About Importation Health Crisis

AKC GR’s Key Issues page on Pet Imports: Protecting Pet and Public Health ( www.akcgr.org/pet-import).

Use the form provided to directly contact your Member of Congress, or visit the AKC Legislative Action Center (www.akcgr.org) and type your zip code in the “Find Officials” box to get your member of Congress and Senators names and contact information.  

AKC Government Relations will continue to provide updates as they are available.  For questions or more information, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.

We thank YOU for helping to make a difference for the future of our breeds, and the health of all dogs.  

Message your Rep now!"

That's All Folks! Thanks for reading!

Joyce

Happy September!

"There is a time in late September when the leaves are still green, and the days are still warm, but somehow you know that it is all about to end." ~ Sharon McCrumb
 

Suffice it to say that "life is interesting" around here -- and busy too. The puppies are growing and getting more demanding. I heard one crying this morning and went to check on her only to find that she was frustrated because she was trying (and failing) to climb the stairs. 

We are working on weaning them and I have to say that it has been a frustrating experience. I have never had so much trouble with that process. After a week, I think the puppies and I have come to an agreement that my job is to prepare food and their job is to eat it!

Other than feeding and cleaning up after puppies, not much is new around here. When I last wrote, we were getting ready to go to 4 days of shows in Amana, Iowa. We went and had some good luck. 

These shows were held outside for most of the breeds. On day one the sky opened and there was a downpour. I had promised my friend Jane that I would help her show her Shibas. Their ringtime was 8:00 and by the time we were done, we were all soaked to the skin! It was worth it though when Jane's dog won the major.

I was staying with friends Jan Graunke and Karen Schlais. When I returned to Jan's motorhome, I announced that there was no way I was going to show my Lhasas and get them soaking wet after spending so much time getting them groomed and ready for the shows. They agreed, so we all cozied down in the warm and dry motorhome, kept the Lhasas dry and cozy too, and hoped for clearer skies on Saturday.

On Saturday and Sunday, my 9 month old Rusty won a major each day. We did have a photo taken of one of the wins. I'll post it when it gets here. 10-month-old Emmy took Reserve on Saturday and Sunday, but on Monday my prayers were answered and she won the points. That was all she needed to earn her championship.

The downside of course is that now she no longer needs to go to shows and she's going to be upset when I take Rusty and leave her at home. She likes to show except she doesn't like the table exam. (Her opinion is that being touched by strangers is not appropriate for princesses!)

We did not get a show photo that day. We'll just take one at home. My husband is a good photographer and I appreciate not having to pay the official show photographer between $30 and $50 for their photos.

If you are wondering why I am not posting photos of our puppies, it is because it's Lynn's turn to take a vacation, and he is out of state visiting relatives, so there has not been a photographer here. We'll get some photos to post next time I write.

Notes and Photos From Others

You all know by now how much I enjoy and appreciate when our puppy buyers send us notes and photos of their Joyslyn dogs. I like to share them with my readers, and many of you have emailed me to let me know that you enjoy reading them and seeing the photos.

Shelly posted this photo of Tucker on Facebook and commented, "Tuckerman waiting on IDA…his first Hurricane…he’s a Cajun dog now!!!"

Betsy posted on Facebook: "One year ago today we drove to Illinois to pick up our baby girl, Willow!! She fit right into out family and we love her so much! So glad we were able to find you, Joyce! Willow says hello and wants you to see a few pictures."

Jim wrote, "Daisy is surviving the stormy season in Florida with her new favorite toy, a big bird."

Melanie wrote, "Hi Joyce, Here are a couple of new pictures of Harper. She is getting cuter by the day. She loves to play in the yard. She will run around the yard then jump up on the patio and hide by the grill. Then when I call her she will run to the corner of the patio and jump off and run around in a circle. It’s a great game! When we come inside it’s time for a nap on the couch."

Shannon wrote, "Hi Joyce!  Minnie says hello and sends her love! As you can see, she loves napping! She is such a love bug and cuddles with mommy any chance she gets! 💗 "

Kathy wrote, "Hi, Joyce! It’s been a long time since I touched base!  I was sorry to hear about the loss of your Connor.  I know that he was very special to you. He lived a blessed and long life, thanks to you. On a more positive note, congratulations on your final retirement and your 70th birthday! (That one was a bit of a “yikes” moment when I celebrated mine, but much appreciated!) ... Sophie is rapidly coming up on six now. She is a great little dog, and she gives us joy everyday.  

I love reading the stories of the unique Lhasa behaviors in your blogs, so here is an updated picture of Sophie, and an example of one of her comical (and head-scratching) behaviors (I’ve included pictures): Some background first—Sophie no longer sleeps in her crate, but sleeps on the throw on the guest room bed.  Every night, she waits until we go to sleep and our room is dark, then she comes in and strategically places some toys in our room, where we will step on them if we get up in the middle of the night. There is definite thought-involvement and purpose in the placement of the toys.  We are not sure if they are placed there to protect us, or so she can hear that we are up when we step on a squeaker!  The number and placement varies nightly, but they are only placed in “can’t miss” places.  

One toy that HAS to be there every night is the small green tennis ball.  We call it “the protective orb”!  No matter where we move it, or which toy box we put it in, it is in our room every morning when we get up, even if it is the only toy she places that night.  Really, every morning. We would love to get inside that little head for just a few minutes!"

Sophie's strategically placed toys!

With a bit of help from his humans, Eddie wrote, "Dear Grandma. It’s been a while since I have been in touch. I am happy, healthy and loved very much. I am a very good boy and very smart. If I am told to jump up onto the bed or the sofa.. wham! I am there. However, If you want me off the bed or the sofa, I am afraid you’re going to have to lift me gently down to the floor. Sorry, but that’s how I roll. I have an incredible vertical jump and often check out what’s on the kitchen counter or dining room table. I love all wildlife and never bother any of them when I am out and about. I don’t chase or bark at birds, squirrels, other dogs, chipmunks or outdoor cats. (Well, there is this one outdoor cat that insists on smelling my bottom but that’s another story.)
 
One day a big storm came along with loud claps of thunder and bright flashes of lighting! I was very frightened and shook uncontrollably. Daddy was in the basement watching TV so Mommy rushed me down there and Daddy held me for hours while I continued to shake. This happened a couple more times.  Mommy even gave me a little pill to try and help keep me calm but it didn’t help at all. Then one day Mommy, Daddy and I were all together when another big storm came along. It’s crazy, but I was just fine. Turns out the key to keeping me calm was all three of us together while the storm came thru. I guess I must of flipped out worried about whoever I wasn’t with during a thunderstorm. Anyway.. I am fine with storms now that Mommy and Daddy figured it out. 

Well, I’ve got to go now. Mommy is going to bed and I have to get in there and claim my snuggle spot before the cat gets it. Take Care Grandma. Love, Eddie."

Sally sent a photo of Ginger on her birthday: "Happy third birthday to Ginger!!! (Groomer on Friday 😉)

Best of luck in your next show!!!

She also sent another of Ginger and Jaxon. Hmmm...looks like Ginger has decided he's not so bad after all!

Terry wrote, "Rudy is still the perfect gem!   He is so good & he knows best how to get in trouble."

Kris wrote, "Ti is phenomenal. He loves everyone. Our family is completely in love with him." In another message, he updated Grandma's healing process: "Healing fast with Titan’s love and attention. He is smart and kind to her. He pays attention to her every move and he gets concerned about her safety when the physical and occupational therapists are working with her. He doesn’t bark at the therapists but he wants to be on Grandma’s lap just as a precaution." 

Eric wrote about Harley, "She is doing well, she is still rather skittish of other people but has really bonded with us. She is even playful with my neighbors dog. Having the comfort of having a fence in between them helps. She does not care for fireworks at all she was literally hiding under my daughters bed and shivering on several summer holidays."

Next Up

Rusty and I have a small show in early October and then Lynn and I will have a busy weekend when people come to pick up their puppies. Following that we will be heading for the American Lhasa Apso Club's National Specialty in MA.

As you can see from the agenda below, the week will be packed with shows and other events. On Thursday, Jan Graunke and I will be presenting a judges' education seminar and hands-on workshop. The "teacher in me" loves the opportunities I have to share my knowledge about the Lhasa Apso with prospective Lhasa judges (and others too!)

Check this out: Introducing the Lhasa Apso

What is the Difference Between a Show Puppy and a Pet Puppy?

When people call me to ask questions about the Lhasa Apso or to inquire about puppies Joyslyn's might have for sale, I am often asked to explain the difference between "show" and "pet" quality puppies. I find the difference often hard to explain without leaving the impression that "show" means "good" and "pet" means "bad." I have many times heard breeders (myself included) refer to a puppy in a litter as "just a pet", inferring that there's something wrong with him. What qualities are necessary for a puppy to be labeled a "show quality puppy?" And what lack of qualities cause a puppy to be "just a pet?" Read More!

Just remember: Each Lhasa was born to love and be loved, and whether that Lhasa is a family pet or top dog in the country, he deserves to be "Best of Breed" in the hearts of his owners.

That's It for Now! 

Thanks for visiting the blog, for reading this post, and for checking out the links!

Joyce