Memory Lane

Our granddaughter pulled out one of the dogs' photo albums last week to look at the pictures and of course wanted to know everyone's names, etc. I happened across this picture and wanted to share.

The picture of is of me (Oh how young I was! Probably 22 or 23. And thin!)with Lutzmor Dolsa Bo Jangles, the first dog we purchased as a show dog. Unfortunately, although he won a couple of points, he grew much too large for us to continue showing him. He was not too tall, but too large boned and built like a tank. I know when he matured he ended up weighing over 25 lbs.! We had him neutered and he was our pet. What he did was give me a lot of heavy coat to groom, and like so many "first" show dogs, gave me a dog to practice on and to learn from.

And he loved me!

Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you. Bo was one of many who has blessed my life.

Joyce

Sharing a Picture and Other Stuff

And here she is...our lovely Mira, officially (at least to us) now known as Ch. Karlyn Joyslyn Who's The Fairest.

While I am eagerly awaiting AKC's posting of her final major, I wanted to share this photo with all my readers. It was taken the day Mira won her last major, giving her a total of 16 points.

Those of you who show dogs can now skip these next few paragraphs while I help my non-showing readers understand some of our "dog show jargon."

To become an AKC Champion, a dog has to win a total of 15 points. Each year AKC publishes what is known as a "Points Schedule" for each breed for each region (AKC refers to them as "Divisions") of the country. I live in Division 5, comprised of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.

(Let it be said here that most people wonder what the exact formula is that AKC uses to determine each year's Point Schedule, because often it makes no sense to those of us who are bound by what seems to be its arbitrary annual calculations.) But back to the topic...

Using the point schedule, a person can figure out how many points her dog might win at a particular show. The points are calculated by the number of each sex in competition. The more dogs entered, the more points the win is worth. For example, from May 15 2009 to May 14, 2010, the points for this region for Lhasas are as follows:
two males = 1 point, 4 males = 2 points, 5 males = 3 points, 6 males = 4 points, and 8 males = 5 points.
two females = 1 point, 4 females = 2 points, 6 females = 3 points, 8 females = 4 points, and 11 females = 5 points.

The Points Schedule differs for each breed and for each region ("Division") of the country.

Of the 15 points a dog needs for his/her championship title, at least 2 of the wins must be what we refer to a "major wins" or simply "majors." Those are wins of 3, 4, or 5 points. The majors must be won under two different judges.

The other wins can be what we refer to as "singles." That is, wins of either 1 or 2 points. A dog might win 15 (or more) single points, but without the 2 major wins, he/she cannot become a champion. Mira had 10 single points and one 3 point major going into competition on March 6. Her win that day earned her the second required 3 point major and resulted in her having enough points to receive her championship, for which I am very grateful.

Many thanks to Mira's many fans and to her breeders Karen Schlais and Jan Graunke.

On another topic...

I've started taking Zach and Desi to training classes, which entails moving at the speed of light after I get off work each Tuesday afternoon, flying home to get the dogs fed and pottied, getting myself and puppies in the car and on our way for an hour and a half (or so) drive to Peoria where the class is held, being at class an hour, then heading home again, arriving about 10 PM. Whew...

I am pleased to say that after 2 classes, both puppies are doing just great. Last night there were 2 five month old Shih Tzu there and my dogs thought that it was wonderful to see someone their size. Big and small dogs attend the same class, so we had a German Shepard behind us and a Shih Tzu ahead of us. Fortunately, the Shepard was benign and simply curious about that furry little thing in front of him, and the Shih Tzu was happy and willing to play!

Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you. (It's also much better when one of those Lhasas does NOT get carsick each time she goes to training class, but that has yet to happen and is another story altogether! LOL)


Joyce

Musings...

My husband escaped the midwest winter for a few days by visiting our daughter in Miami. He came home with a sunburn! While he was away, I spent the weekend in solitude, just doing what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it. Every woman needs a weekend like that!

The picture at the top of the page is the latest of Desi. All three puppies are doing well and growing fast. Zeke is a cuddler and lover, content to curl up on my lap. The other two are hellions. Zach has decided it is funny to dance away when I want to pick him up, so we are working on overcoming that behavior. He has quite a sense of humor!

Speaking of personalities, I recently retook the Myers-Briggs personality inventory. The last time I took it was in 1996. My personality types did not change in all these years. (I am not sure if that is good or bad. At least I am consistent!) Once again, I came out as an ISFJ, which means Introversion, Sensing, Feeling, Judging. The 8 types, which can appear in a variety of combinations are Extroversion (E) – Introversion (I), Sensing (S) – iNtuition (N), Thinking (T) – Feeling (F), Judging (J) – Perceiving (P). Here is the ISFJ description:

"Dependable, reliable and trustworthy, ISFJ's like to belong to solid organizations that are reasonable in their ambitions and loyal to their employees. They feel useful when their roles and responsibilities are clearly established and they can monitor their activities and productivity in tangible ways. They tend to be rather modest, traditional and conventional, to like sensible clothing, to be thrifty, careful and wise with both money and possessions. (I can see those who know me well nodding their heads! LOL) Once they accept a project, they will see it to the end. They manage their time well and are realistic about how much time and resources will be needed. They tend to like to stay in one neighborhood, often choosing to live close to where they were themselves raised. They are often involved with volunteer organizations and have a developed sense of citizenship and accountability. When they purchase something, it is after careful consideration; rarely will they buy something without having a known need or use for it. They may keep possessions for a lifetime and treasure those that were given to them. They tend to have a good memory for specific facts that are necessary in their day-to-day life at work and at home. They accumulate facts and details to orient themselves, relying on repeated experiences that have been proven trustworthy. A fact once experienced may be the product of circumstance and happenstance; it is not in and of itself reliable. When an introverted sensing type hears an idea, they rummage through reams of archived facts to find an experience that provides information for the relevance and realism of an idea. When an introverted sensing type utters, "It's never been done!" they are saying that no information about the relevance or usefulness of the idea is available to them. They tend to shy away from surprises and what is perceived as unnecessary change." (Again, I see you smiling!)

It's a decent description of me, more so than a lot of the horoscope profiles! (Although I am a Leo, so you know what that means!)

If you are interested in the Myers-Briggs, I think you can go online and take abbreviated versions of the inventory.

Back to dogs: For years and years I've been using the Golden Almond mat and tangle removing spray from JB Wholesale. That stuff works like magic! Alas…the company has discontinued the product. I have one full gallon left and less than half of the current open gallon. Then the search will be on for a replacement. If any of you have found a product you like, please let me know. I prefer getting recommendations rather than going through trial and error.

This week we are gearing up for a dog show. Mira and Belle are going to Belleville, IL to a show. Mira has not been in the ring since December. I hope she remembers what to do! With all the snow we haven't been able to do much practicing. Her coat had grown so long that when I groomed her Saturday I decided it needed trimming. Trust me, it is neither fun nor easy to trim a black Lhasa. Usually when I do it, Lynn brings his bright shop light in from the garage and focuses it on Mira so I can really see what I am doing. Of course, he was not here and I had no idea where to find the shop light, so I did the best I could.

For me, one of the worst things about showing a black dog is worrying about what to wear. As one of my friends warned me the day I got Mira, "Now you will have to change your entire show wardrobe." It was true -- I always wear black, or at least in my pre-Mira days. I have at least 6 black skirts in various styles and patterns!! I wear them with a variety of jackets, but still…it's the skirt that is closest to the dog! Last night I was digging through the closet trying to find something to wear this weekend. Having lost 50 lbs. this past year, I don't have a lot of clothes that fit me well so there is not as much to choose from anymore. I need to go shopping! I haven't shown Mira since early October so haven’t had to worry about show clothes that complement her color. (My friend Jane showed her in December when I could not go in the ring because I was recovering from foot surgery.) I came up with something for each day, and reluctantly left the black skirts in the closet. Just one more reason to want to get that last major on Mira! She of course, is just now going out of season. She is still swollen and occasionally twirls around to "get" her rear. I have visions of her doing a repeat of her performance at the Twin Cities Lhasa Apso Club specialty last August. Never a dull moment when Mira is around!

Wish us luck!

Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you!

Joyce

Will Winter Ever End?

"February is merely as long as is needed to pass the time until March."
- Dr. J. R. Stockton

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant."
- Anne Bradstreet


Aren't you all just tired of this weather? Someone emailed and asked how I was doing, and I responded that I felt as if I were just going through the motions of living, doing what needs to be done, and waiting, waiting, waiting…for warm weather, sunny days, flowers and trees budding. The only thing really good about February is that it is short! Even the idea of "March," knowing that it often brings blizzards and chilly winds, seems to lighten my heart because March brings April that much closer.

And… in a few months we'll all be complaining about how darn hot it is!

In the meantime, Zeke, Zach, and Desi are all doing well—eating, growing, loving chew bones and stuffed toys. I've decided on registered names for the two I am keeping. Desi will be Joyslyn MLS Dakota Heart's Desire and Zach will be Joyslyn MLS Dakota Playboy at Heart. I'll leave it to Zeke's new owner, whoever he/she will eventually be, to officially name him.

I'm off to a show in Des Moines, Iowa, tomorrow. What amazes me is that there is actually (for this show and this time of year) a nice Lhasa entry—0-5-2-0. (Translated for those who do not show: no class males, 5 class females, two male specials, and no female specials.) I am taking Walker and Belle. (Will she walk?? Pray for us! I don't care if she wins. I just want her to show!) Next month Mira and Belle are entered in shows in Belleville, IL.

In a previous email, I referred to shampooing the puppies before evaluating them so I thought I'd show you some pictures of Zach when he was wet, to give you an idea of what is under the coat.
So, the picture of the wet dog at the top of the page is Zach, bless his heart!

I hope you all stay warm and cozy…and that the rest of February zooms by so we are that much closer to spring!

Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you (and to cuddle with you on these cold winter nights – and days!)

Joyce

Puppy Pictures

Hi! Not much new is going on here. I traveled to and from Madison, WI yesterday to meet Karen and to bring Alvin home with me. We are hoping that Dancer comes in season soon, as expected. When she does, she will be bred to Alvin. Every time I see that dog I am so impressed. He is beautiful -- and has a personality to match!

The most recent puppy pictures are posted at the top of the page. They were taken last Monday. The one I am holding with his leg hanging over my arm is Zeke. The other one whose legs are over my hands is Zach. Desi is the one sitting on the table looking camera shy.

Zeke will soon be going to his new home in Oklahoma. Zach and Desi are staying here. Their debut will be at the Bloomington, IL shows at the end of May if all goes as planned.

Have a good week!

Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you!

Joyce

Time for a Bit of News

Hi Happy Monday! (Although it is now Sunday night, I assume you will not be reading this until tomorrow!)

I know. I know. I haven't posted anything in ages! I understand your frustration because I am following a blog called "The Dirty Western" in which some anonymous folks at the university where I work dig up all the dirt and then let the rest of the world know about it! If they don't put up a new post at least weekly, I start to fret.

My excuse? Lack of good ideas!

So, an update. We have three puppies left from the Twist x Secret litter. Their pictures appear at the top of this entry. They were 10 weeks old on Friday. I call them Desi, Zeke, and Zach. Why? Because my granddaughter came over to play with them and wanted to know their names and that was all I could come up with for the boys. Desi has been named Desi for a while now! I hope to show her. Her name will be Joyslyn MLS Dakota Heart's Desire. Right now Zeke is the "keeper" as far as the boys are concerned. I'd keep Zach too, but two are quite enough for me to keep and train right now.

My weekend was a good one. My Shiba friends and I attended our first dog show of 2010 in Des Moines, Iowa. I showed Walker, who is now old enough for veterans classes and needed to get back in the ring to remember what it's all about. He hasn't been in a ring since August when he took a Group I and Group III at the Burlington, IA shows. The good news is that, although we lost the breed on Saturday, we won on Sunday (Thanks, judge Dr. Smith!) and went on to take a Group 4 (Thanks judge Mr. Fredrickson). In addition to the ribbon, Walker won a lovely microfiber throw – soft and cuddly. I did a quick calculation on the drive home and figured that that throw cost me about $150. (Never, never add up how much it costs to go to dog shows!) LOL

I took Belle, in a last ditch effort to get her comfortable walking on a lead. She was not being shown. She just went along for a training opportunity. I was ready to give up on her. She is so darn stubborn. She drags a lead around the family room (under careful supervision) each evening for at least an hour. If I try to pick it up, she freezes and refuses to move! I am pleased to say that this weekend she turned a corner. She decided to walk! She got lots of attention from other exhibitors as well as the general public visiting the show. The little girls especially fell in love with her -- and with her name. "Oh -- just like the Princess Belle!" She is very, very cute! She learned she liked liver and that hot dogs were not too bad either. So now I guess I need to find a show and enter her and see if she'll be as showy inside the ring as she was outside it!

Have a good week!

Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you!

Joyce

Puppy Pictures

The puppies were 8 weeks old on January 8th. I've posted their latest pictures. Cute, aren't they?

They are a happy crew that follows me everywhere, evidently hoping either to trip me or be stepped on! I've certainly learned to watch where I'm putting my feet. They will forgo even the most attractive stuffed doggy toy for the opportunity to untie my shoe laces and tug on them. Every day brings a new discovery.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Joyce