“We are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime.”
~ Laura Ingalls Wilder
Well, November passed in a hurry and before I knew it, Thanksgiving descended. We had no company for Thanksgiving and I was not in the mood to make a turkey dinner for just the two of us, so as we did last year, we decided to eat out. Ooops...the joke was on us. The restaurant - all of them - were closed. So we drove home, and Lynn made pasta with arrabiata sauce. It was yummy!
Suddenly, the calendar said it was December and supposed peace and joy of the season became a whirlwind of setting up the Christmas tree, getting Christmas lists from the kids and grandkids, ordering, shopping, wrapping, donating, spending, spending, spending.
But I am pleased to say that the craziness was not as bad as it sounds. I love getting ready for Christmas and having family here to celebrate. All the prep is worth it. And I am happy to say that I'm done shopping and that once a few more items arrive from Amazon and I have them wrapped - ta da. I can relax for a while.
That's a joke. Relax?? We have puppies so relaxing is a bit difficult right now.
Ebony and I were supposed to go to the dog show in Belleville the first weekend in December. I decided not to go. Ebony needs the practice but she was the only class bitch entered and I knew that at least one of the males entered was also not going to be there, so we stayed home. I was also concerned about the new respiratory flu that has been taking the lives of many dogs. Better safe than sorry at this point. More on that later.
Last month I wrote about two Lhasas, a male and a female, that had to be re-homed because their owner was in the nursing home and not expected to live. I went to the boarding kennel where the dogs were housed and picked up the dogs from the owner's friends who had called and advised me of the situation. Fortunately, only a few days later, the dogs were leaving for their new home. I was so glad that their new owner opted to take both of them. At last report, they were settled in and doing well in their new environment.
I thought it was so kind of the new owner to take them both. They had been together since puppyhood.
Here are their pictures. First Willow and then Baron.
Speaking of puppyhood, here are pictures of our current puppies.
These three were sired by Chance out of Emmy. They were 6 weeks old when the photos were taken. All have been reserved. The one in the middle is the male. The other two are females.
These two were sired by Chance out of Pearl. Age 5 weeks when the pictures were taken. The first is the female. The gold one is a male. They both have also been spoken for.
Autumn and Josh had one puppy, a male. As a singleton puppy and a younger one at that, he is put off by the older puppies and seems to prefer sleeping. He loves his fluffy bed, as do all our other dogs. If your Lhasa does not have one yet, it would make a nice Christmas gift. I have found a good source for the beds at temu.com where the prices are quite reasonable and the beds have held up very well in the washer and dryer. (I was warned not to use fabric softener when washing the fluffy beds.)
We also have Deacon, who just turned five months old on the 6th. His sire is Josh and dam is Millie. We are hoping he will be our next show dog. Right now he is a shaggy puppy! His AKC name is Joyslyn's Legacy of the Wind.
So, in the midst of all this, our Russian Blue cat, Boris, died. He was always Lynn's special pet and tolerated me only when (1) Lynn was not around to give him attention, (2) He wanted something and I was the closest human, (3) He knew I would be irked when he sat on my chest while I was reading a book, so he did it as much as possible! He was a beautiful cat and would have been 16 in a few days. We miss him a lot.
Notes and Photos From Others
Thanks to all of you who sent photos of and/or notes about your Joyslyn's Lhasas. I enjoy sharing them on the blog.
Jessie sent this picture of Qat and wrote, "Here is Qat's first haircut. He looks like a different puppy...He has been a great puppy and is getting along well with the other dogs. The two young ones play and wrestle all day.
From Julie T. who now owns Jenna. "I hope you are well. I purchased Jenna from you in 2020 (I renamed her Linda). She is doing great and I love her so much. She’s a very healthy dog and I feel lucky every day we are together."
Nanda wrote about these photo of Ty and Gigi: "Always chewing on the same toys at the same time. We call it team work ❤️"
Stacy and Lisa sent Thanksgiving greetings from themselves, Lola (12 years old), and Enzo (age 4).
From the Johnsons: "Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!! Hope you have a wonderful day filled with blessings. Nick took this picture of Snickers today as that was one of his Christmas presents but the boys caved in LOL!! You and Snickers are our blessing as we love him so much!!
Doreen wrote about Henry: "Here is a handsome fella fresh from the beauty shop wearing his Xmas bandana ❤️. The groomer says Henry has the thickest hair she has ever seen on a Lhasa…he feels like the fur on a stuffed animal. He’s kept some of his red.. it has lightened up. Nightly, he sleeps on my pillow on top of my head 🤓I guess it’s our own version of Daniel Boone. He’s a sweet boy who gives the lightest of kisses-just a soft touch 💋 Hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday.
Gigi wrote, "Thank you so much for sending your blog. I look forward to it and enjoy it every month... I just wanted you to have my baby, Cinder’s picture! She just had her hair done. “Don’t I look pretty in my holiday bling?” She liked it and kept it on for almost a week!
Debby sent this photo of Archie, watching attentively as as she played monopoly with the grandkids. (I crop photos that have children in them. I know my daughter does not want her kids' photos on the internet so I do not put others' kids pictures on the blog.)
Once in a while I get an email and photos that are a "blast from the past" when a puppy buyer from years ago sends me photos and a message about their Joyslyn's Lhasa. This came from Tom and Penny: "Joyce, greetings from Griffin on his 12th birthday. Following are some recent pictures. Griffin has been a wonderful boy, a treasure for Penny and me. We have taken very good care of him. He is still handsome and has never been sick. You had him for his first three months and we believe your initial care for him contributed to his good health. We are very thankful to you. Tom and Penny."
Another "blast from the past" from Kyle and Trish, who wrote about Fin: "It has been way too long since we sent you an update on Fin, he will be 10 in January and we wanted to send along a note and some recent pictures! ... we’ve moved from our condo in Chicago to a house in the suburbs... Fin loves having a yard to run around in and guard. It’s hard to overstate how much we’ve loved having Fin as a member of the family. He’s just as protective as he was several years ago, when he would plop down next to the kids as newborns. He has a real talent for snuggling up to your lap or leg (really anywhere) to steal a few pets or rubs...he is a great companion in the office on work from home days."
Michelle posted pictures of her Sunny, celebrating birthday #4!! Here is one of them.
Lisa wrote about Duncan, "His personality is confident (indoors at least), playful and at times — stubborn. He continues to be increasingly affectionate, climbing into my lap for some attention. I have been trying to curb his desire to play his latest “game” of throwing his toys or treats off sofas and beds on purpose so I will have to pick them up and return them to him. Hard to believe this time last year I was getting ready to make the 8 hour drive to adopt Duncan. I already cannot imagine life without my little “dark haired warrior.”
Judy G wrote about Winter: "she is loving the cold weather and running through the leaves. with Nyx. We have Rally class tonight as we are preparing to test for Virtual Intermediate. The vet said that Hobart Vet has not seen any of the new strain of respiratory problems. That's good to know but I have cancelled Nyx's December trial. With 3 senior dogs in the household I need to be careful. The head vet from Purdue Emergency in Westville said that they had 2 cases of young dogs and one passed away. She trains in agility with Nyx."
And that brings us to the next topic:
The Latest Health Concern for Our Dogs
A new respiratory strain is killing many dogs in the US and Canada. Information about a fairly new canine respiratory disease is all over the place. I listened to a webinar and the vets on the panel seemed to downplay the problem as if it were not a problem. They blamed the media for the hype about the illness.
One article I read recommended getting your dog to the vet ASAP as soon as symptoms were evident. Great idea. But in many towns and cities it is nearly impossible to get an appointment at a vet clinic unless you schedule well in advance. Emergency clinics cost a fortune.
AKC posted this information:
Here are two links to articles about the illness if you want to read more about it.
It is a time to be sensible and take precautions about going to dog parks, letting dogs sniff hello to other dogs on walks, etc.
So while I am looking forward to 2024 and going to dog shows again, I also am hoping that going to shows does not cause harm to my dogs. They are more important than champion titles and ribbons.
What I Do to Relax
I don't want you all to think that I am all about Lhasa 24/7, although it often seems that way to me, especially when we have puppies.
My favorite way to relax is to pick up a good book. I have been an avid reader since I learned how to read many many years ago. My usual preferences are mysteries, detective stories, maybe a light romance or historical romance once in a while to lighten things up. I also enjoy fantasy fiction. My daughter recently convinced me to start reading the seven-volume Throne of Glass series by Sarah Maas. I just started book 7 and, although I really want to know how the saga ends, I sort of dread the end because I have grown fond of the characters. Why am I telling you this? I don't know!
A Good Thing For My Husband
Many of you are aware that my husband Lynn, besides being a huge help with the grooming and care of our Lhasas, is both an award-winning playwright and an author of an award-winning detective mystery series featuring a Chicago detective, Joe Erickson. The series is gaining popularity, and his next book will be out in the spring. He is currently working on one for 2025 release.
So, yes a bit of a brag here. He was recently interviewed for a publication in the UK and, after I read it, I asked him if I should go get a tape measure to see if his head had grown any bigger! Here is a link to the interview, in case anyone is interested in reading it and perhaps becoming a Joe Erickson fan. Hmmm...maybe put one of his books on your Christmas list! (Over the years, I have managed to get him to mention a Lhasa in the books.)
And with that I will bid you farewell for 2023! May you have a wonderful holiday season whichever holiday is yours to celebrate.
Always remember:
Joyce
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