Lhasa Apso Blog: Marching Toward Spring

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade." ~ Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

Hi and Happy "Almost the End of March." First, I was waiting for the show photographer to send me the photo of the day Haven finished at the show in Madison. Then it arrived before my friend Jane and I were leaving for a show in Louisville and with all the grooming, packing for both Haven and me, and getting food prepared for the trip (we were traveling in Jane's RV), I just did not have time to write the blog.

The show in Louisville was fun, in spite of the fact that Haven did not do any big winning. I think we maybe came away with 1 Select Bitch point.

The weather was crazy with nice spring days and not-so-nice rainy and windy days. The trip home in the RV was hair-raising because strong wind gusts kept trying to push us off the road--for 6 long hours. I was glad I was not the driver.

Once home, there was unpacking, laundry, and repacking the show equipment and grooming items in preparation for a show the following weekend in Maquoketa, IA. We went for Saturday only. Good thing too, because by the time I got home from 7:30 AM church on Sunday, all I wanted to do was sleep. So I did - the rest of the morning and into early evening!

Anyway, here is Haven's winning photo taken at the show in Madison.

She finished the first day of the 4-day show by winning the final major she needed, but at the request of the other Lhasa exhibitors, I agreed to show her in the classes rather than move her to the Best of Breed class. Majors are hard to come by and had I moved her to Best of Breed, the major would have been (in dog show vernacular) "broken."

She continued to win the next 2 days. On the 4th day she lost (even I was glad!) and that meant that majors went to 2 of my friends and

In addition to the regular show photographer, the venue provided a "selfie booth" for casual pictures. Here is Haven's...oh, excuse me...Princess Haven's!

Since the Louisville show was just before St. Patrick's Day, many exhibitors and specialty clubs had shamrocks and other Irish green decorations on their tables.

So, even though it is after the fact, here are some interesting facts from the Internet about St. Patrick.

He was not Irish: St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy Roman-British parents around 390 AD.

He was once a slave in Ireland: At age 16, he was captured by Irish pirates and spent six years as a sheep herder in Ireland before escaping

He used the shamrock as a teaching tool: Legend states he used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) while preaching Christianity.

He originally wore blue, not green: The color historically associated with St. Patrick is "Saint Patrick’s blue," a light shade of blue, not the green worn today.

He never banished snakes: Ireland does not have snakes, but this is due to its separation from mainland Europe after the Ice Age, not because of a miracle.

St. Patrick was never formally canonized as a saint by a Pope, but he was recognized as such in early church history.

We appreciate him and enjoy celebrating his special day anyway!

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Puppy News

There is not much to tell at this point. We bred one of our girls recently, so if you are waiting for a puppy from us, keep fingers crossed that we will have a litter in May.

Notes and Photos

Jan sent this photo of her CH Aasha. (Litter sister of Haven)

Karen shared two photos of Floyd on his way to his championship. Floyd's sire and dam are Chance and Millie. She wrote, "He is such a good looker, and has a personality that is just so great."

From Janet about Pebbles: "Can you believe it’s March already… AND can you believe this beautiful girl will be 7 on the 31 of March. Where has the time gone? I can still remember walking down your steps not knowing which little girl would be mine. And there she was. I have had such a full heart of love EVERYDAY since you handed her to me. Thank you again for letting me be her person."

Elizabeth wrote, "When Mabel isn't being ornery, she's incredibly sweet. Mabel is intelligent and very much knows it. She often looks at me as if to say, "I know more than you." Mabel is an effective communicator and enjoys herding me to the sofa for a snuggle. Thank you for entrusting me with the care of this magnificent little dog. It's a privilege to be loved by her. ." and included this picture.

Just for Fun

My sister recently sent my husband this card for his birthday. every time I look at it hanging near my computer, I laugh. I hope it at least brings a smile to your face.