“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4th, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.” ~ Erma Bombeck
All of our puppies are now in new homes, except little Minnie. She is now up to 4 lbs. and is doing well. She has a vet appointment coming soon and if she passes all the health tests will be leaving for a new home in August or September.
Speaking of puppies, I know a number of you are waiting for word of new litters. We did have an accidental (unplanned for) breeding that, according to the ultrasound, resulted in one puppy. Otherwise, we have 2 breedings planned for late summer/early fall which should give us puppies available by the end of the year or beginning of 2023. I know many are waiting for puppies, but I cannot hurry the process!
As I wrote in June, the dog showing this year has been a disappointment. The majority of shows Pearl and I have attended have been just us, basically expensive practice sessions. This past weekend we were in West Bend, WI. The Greater Milwaukee Lhasa Apso Club hosted a designated specialty there as part of the Kettle Moraine dog show. There was a nice Lhasa entry for a change! We had a chance at some points. But no luck getting them! Pearl showed okay - not super well, but not terrible! She was awarded Reserve Winners Bitch on Saturday. And, being the only puppy entered was automatically awarded Best Puppy. Here is a photo of her and her Reserve ribbon by a fountain in one of the show buildings.
For as much as the dogs and I travel, I am always grateful for safe homecomings. We have been very fortunate in the past and I hope that good fortune continues. Yesterday as I was coming home, we were almost involved in an accident. Thank goodness my guardian angel was on duty! I was driving in the left lane on an expressway, just passing a car to my right. Then that car was in the right lane basically keeping pace with mine. No other cars in sight. Suddenly, the other driver decided to change lanes and began drifting into my lane. There was no reason for it. We each had no cars ahead of us and none behind us. If there had been an animal or something else on the highway, the other car would have moved quickly, not have drifted into the lane. Maybe the driver went to sleep. Whatever the reason, I had to step on the brake and take to the shoulder to avoid being hit. And he (or she) continued driving in the left lane as if nothing had happened. (And, yes, I honked the horn--loud and long!)
Now, onto happier things: here are some recent photos of our two of our Lhasas.
These are of Minnie.
Debi likes to be over-prepared on hot days when she takes her Lhasa for a car ride because, as she says, "you just never know if your car will break down." She has a tip to pass on to those who are worried about having their dog in the car with them on a hot day, even for short rides to the vet or training class. She said that it can sometimes take a car's air conditioning a while to cool down when you first get in it, so she freezes either one liter soda bottles or figi water bottles and puts them in a large 2 gallon zip-lock bag that goes in the dog's car carrier to keep her cool for the trip. She said it works really well as extra air conditioning. She added that "Lacey gets a little wet from the condensation but does not seem to mind."
Photos and Notes from Others
People send me email saying they enjoy seeing and reading about other's Joyslyn's Lhasas, most that are somehow related to their own. So, here are the notes and photos sent since the June post. Thanks again to all who keep in touch, even if it is only occasionally.
From the Johnson family: "We wanted to send you Snickers picture. Again we love him so much!! He recently had a eye ulcer that needed a mini surgery but he did great and the whole family took off to care for him! We love him so much!!! Hope your doing great!! We love your blog and puppies!❤️❤️❤️"
From Betsy, "We celebrated Willow’s 2nd Birthday! We love her to pieces and she has such a fun personality!"
Judy sent photos of Gus and Lippy at their Blue Barn Ranch training center. She also called with an update to tell me how quickly Lippy is catching on to everything with his training and to assure me that Gus is being a good big brother and helping Lippy learn the ropes both at home and at the Blue Barn Ranch.
She wrote, "Lippy Maverick Jones successfully completed his Basic Obedience Training at Blue Barn Ranch this afternoon. Mr. Jones is one smart little Lhasa Apso! He learns very quickly to perform what the new command is and what is expected of him. Treats are required for his smartness to kick in. He is extremely food motivated, which is a good thing when you are training a dog. Next session we start Intermediate Obedience."
Michelle wrote, "Thank you for your blog Joyce, it is something I really look forward to reading because it’s positive and makes me smile to hear about and see all the beautiful Lhasa’s from your breedings. Sunny is doing great! We have started fully grooming him ourselves, I did most of it anyway all along, we are just trimming him now, he still gets anxious and doesn’t like the clippers when we have to use them but I think he’s doing better for us than the groomer we had come to our home. Pearl is so beautiful! She has really grown the last few months since I saw her!I understand your frustration with the shows being so limited with Lhasa entries. I’m happy our show was one you were able to get Rusty his championship."
Kathleen wrote, "Today is Beau Jangles 2nd birthday. He continues to be a sweet lovable Lhasa and I contuse to adore him. I want to thank you again for giving him to me."
Jody wrote, "Bernie’s getting so big! He is such a delight!! He has quite a few puppy friends in the neighborhood-a Borzoi, German Shepherd and a terrier mix. He doesn’t seem to be intimidated by size and is friendly to all. We just love him-thanks!"
From Jan: "Thought maybe you would like to see a few pictures of Pebbles. I can’t believe she is THREE years old🎉🎉. We love and enjoy every minute of the past three years.. Not a day goes by that she doesn’t make us smile or laugh so hard. Example the last picture is the next day after grooming.. 🥰 you have to laugh!! Mike and I have enjoyed your blogs. We so appreciate all the hard work you have put into preserving this VERY SPECIAL BREED OF DOG."
Jim wrote, "Daisy thinks she's cute. She got groomed for her summer cut and our groomer sent us this."
From Stephanie, "Auggie got his next round of boosters today. He weighed in at 9.2 lbs! He’s growing like a weed! He’s gotten longer & taller - and he’s just as feisty. I’m sending to you a few pics (with captions) so you can see how he’s enjoying life. He’s doing fairly well on his house breaking - when he wants to! He & Lady Bug are playing together some, but mom’s pug Lucy Lou is his best friend. They play constantly when they’re together!!
I really enjoyed reading your blog this month (as always) and it was fun to see some of Auggie’s siblings. My heart hurts that this wonderful breed is in jeopardy!! If people only knew how wonderful these little pups are, they would be one of the most popular breeds I’m sure!!"
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| caption: Look mom! Another stick for our collection!!! (One of his favorite pastimes is finding new sticks!) |
Gwen wrote about Mozart: "should have named her Devil Went Down to Georgia vs Mozart based on current mood, She's all full of energy very playful or asleep nothing in between. But she is a sweetheart."
From Sheila: "Hi there, just checking in , love love our new family addition Bogey. [FKA Griffin]
Got his hair cut so looks a little different. It has been 95+ degrees and we could not see his eyes so decided it was time ...Training going well, a few accidents but getting through it. He is going to go to dog school in September. Just wanted to THANK YOU, we love him and he is a perfect addition to our family.
Priscilla let me know that "Trixie had her vet visit on Friday. She was perfect and everyone just loved her sweet disposition and person." You can certainly tell that Trixie and Minnie are sisters!
Debi sent an update on Lacey, who will be a year old in August: "Lacey is doing well. I can't believe she will be one year old already in August! We had her cut short for the summer. She started dipping her front paws and face in her water bowl when she got too hot from playing, even indoors with air conditioning. I picked her up from daycare and she was all wet. They told me that she went swimming in her water bowl. She started doing the same thing at home, lol. she hasn't done it since she was groomed, so we think she is more comfortable. We will probably let her coat grow longer again in the winter.
She has her own boat to ride in when we are in the pool. It took a few tries before she started liking it, but she even lays down and takes a nap in it now.
We have an umbrella set up so she is in the shade most of the time and keep her on a leash in case she decides to jump out of the boat. She hasn't
yet, lol....She is such a happy and playful girl! She likes my daughter's cat's toys so much, we had to buy her some (those little balls with the bell inside).She loves to toss them in the air with her mouth and then move them around the house with her paws. It is so funny watching her play with them! She is just such a wonderful dog! We have so much fun with her. We can't imagine a day without her!"
Kim sent this photo of Olivia, looking like a princess.
Pam and Paul sent this one of their Josie making sure the refrigerator is well stocked.
Other Random Things
1. Of course, we all need to keep in mind during this hot weather to never leave our dogs in the car, even with the windows cracked for air. That is not enough to protect them from heat stroke!
2. Nothing In Life Is Free (NILIF) is a program that helps people teach dogs how to live in harmony with humans. NILIF will improve your dog’s behavior and teach him to trust and accept you as his leader in a non-confrontational way. NILIF builds your dog’s confidence by providing clear rules and enjoyable outcomes for good behavior. Soon, your dog will voluntarily be following your commands more and more of the time. The program can be used by all people, regardless of age, size, or personality type. It is a non-confrontational technique, designed never to put the people or dogs involved at risk.
https://www.sfspca.org/sites/default/files/dog_commands_nothing-in-life-is-free.pdf
https://www.sfspca.org/sites/default/files/dog_commands_nothing-in-life-is-free.pdf
3. The YouTube promo for Lynn's novel, Corrupted Souls can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbRB4XPg5qQ.
4. If you want to see a lot of Lhasas from all over the country all in one place, the Lhasa Apso National Specialty in St. Louis in October is the place to be.
There are regional specialties on Tuesday and Wednesday, but if you can make it on Friday, that would be the day to come. The tentative schedule is below. (Note that Thursday is set aside for meetings. No showing that day.)
Keep yourself and your dogs cool and safe in this hot weather, and if you are flying anywhere this summer, good luck! I hope your flight is not cancelled! We live in crazy times!
Joyce
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