New Puppy Pictures and Some Updates

Puppy Updates...Both litters are doing fine. Dancer and Mira are great mothers and are taking good care of their puppies. Dancer's puppies, already into their second week, were a week old on the 23rd. The picture of the two gold puppies is of her boys. The picture of the gold puppy and cream puppy is of her girls. The picture of the five puppies on the red blanket is of Mira's puppies, age 2 days.

Although I am still "fence sitting," a friend has 99% talked me out of letting Desi go. Another friend mentioned that I should buy some Bitter Apple Shampoo to deter Desi's coat chewing, but I have not been able to find the product so assume it has been discontinued from the Bitter Apple line.

Movements toward anti-dog legislation continue across the country, and I encourage all of you to educate yourselves on the issue since it impacts both breeders AND pet owners. Breed specific legislation is rampant. Right now the targets seem to be "pit bull-type breeds" so those of us who love and own dogs that are not that "type" have nothing to fear, right? Which breed(s) will be next? Where will your pets come from when all the breeders are gone? If your breed is targeted, will you move or will you put your beloved pet in an shelter to be euthanized since no one in your town/region will be able to adopt him? If you are new to this blog, please read the Tuesday, August 10th posting.

You should all take some time to read "A Case for Purebred Dogs from a Different Perspective:" http://knobnotes.blogspot.com/2010/10/case-for-purebred-dogs-from-different.html
Let me know what you think.

Walker and I attended three of the four shows in Springfield, IL this weekend. He was happy to have all of my attention and showed quite well. We did not place in the Group either Friday or Sunday, but did place third on Saturday. I'll post his photo later.

This is a sad week for me as I go about my usual routine when I long to be in Vancouver, WA at the American Lhasa Apso Club's national specialty.

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

Joyce

Updates

Pictured: Secret and the Invincibles toy that wasn't invincible!

First, an update on the Invincibles toy I bought for Secret, our resident "I-can-kill-any-squeaker-you-give-me" Lhasa. Recall that in a previous post I told you Secret would put to the test the Invincibles' invincibility. Sadly, the toy failed us! She had all three invincible squeakers dead in two days. I emailed the company to let them know my 10 lb. Lhasa had succeeded in doing what other larger, stronger-jawed dogs had failed to do. I emailed the company representative a digital photo of the toy so he would know which one I bought, and I also sent a scanned receipt from the show vendor as proof of purchase. The company is sending me a new toy, which I thought was very nice.

Since Walker will not be shown for a while, this week I cut about 2" off his coat. That was hard to do (not the actual cutting, of course…but getting myself psyched up to undertake the task). His coat is so long and pretty. The 2" merely took it to floor level, so although it no longer drapes on the floor, it is still quite long. Already I can see that the trimming resulted in healthier looking hair. It'll be in good shape for his next shows, and I think he'll actually be able to move better without all that extra length.

I am not-so-patiently waiting for the show photos from the Des Moines shows to arrive. As you read in a previous post, Walker took a Group 4 and a Group 2 at those shows. Evidently Sunday's judge mismarked her judge's book, indicating that the Shiba Inu was awarded the Group 2. AKC can straighten out the problem, but I need the photo for documentation.

Belle, Zach, and I will be in Freeport, IL for the shows on October 2 and 3. As much fun as it is to show Walker, I need to concentrate on the young ones for a while so he is staying home. It'll be relaxing to have only two to worry about getting groomed and into the ring. Three was crazy enough – and four made me a total wreck. I am always amazed at how the professional handlers manage so many dogs, so many different breeds, and so many ring conflicts.

With fall in full swing, our morning walks are resulting in the Lhasas' coats attracting a lot of leaves. We have quite a few maple and oak trees in our neighborhood. Picking leaves out of five long coats at 6 AM is not my idea of fun. At least the neighbor's gum tree is not dropping those prickly little balls all over everything right now.

I've been very remiss these past few months at maintaining our dogs' website. That needs to change! Anyway, I was surprised this week to get a call inquiring about the adult female I had referred to on the website. (That would be Secret!) I had forgotten that I had posted we had an adult female available! I had had no inquiries. So I was in a panic, thinking "no way can I let Secret go!" I responded in a very wishy-washy way on the phone. Later, I re-read my own article "How Can You Give Them Up?" and calmed down. She's my "always happy, always tail wagging, squeaker-killing sweetheart." Even so, I could do it. I think I could. I really do think I could. She'd be an absolute joy for anyone.

That's it for the update!

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

Joyce

Updates and a Good Book

Walker's latest show win photo arrived and here it is. It's hard for me to believe that he will be 8 years old at the end of September! He and I are going to hit a few shows here and there this summer and fall while I wait for the puppies to grow up and get their acts together. I've been walking Zach with Breaker, who is such a smooth easy mover, so Zach is learning some good lessons from his big brother. I'm doing something similar with Desi and Mira. It's working well too! Both Breaker and Mira seem to be enjoying their new roles.

Last weekend was one of those rare stay-at-home weekends for me. I did the usual chores: grocery shopping, laundry, dog grooming, etc. but I also found time to read. One book I read was one I did not want to put down. Since dogs, albeit not Lhasas, are at its heart I can write about it in this blog! Here is the story of how I came to read that book:

In February and March, while reading comments on The Mudflats blog, I became interested in this year's Iditarod. You can find out more about it at http://www.iditarod.com. Basically it is an annual dog sled race over 1150 miles of rugged Alaskan terrain. It pits people and dogs against terrain and weather. That is definitely NOT something I'd ever want to do, but I certainly admire those with the courage to do it.

At any rate, I started reading about the race, its history, and various mushers involved in it this year. That was when I first read about Lance Mackey, a musher who'd won the 2007, 2008, and 2009 Iditarods and was going for a history-making four years in a row. Wow! Best of all, he actually did it; he won the 2010 race.

Most of us are familiar with another Lance — Lance Armstrong, who refused to allow his cancer to stop him from meeting his athletic goals. In Lance Mackey, I found a new hero. This Lance is also a cancer survivor, whose surgery left him with no salivary glands and extreme discomfort in his hands and feet. If you are into reading about come-from-behind people with the gumption to overcome obstacles and set and achieve goals in their lives, then I highly recommend that you ask your local library for The Lance Mackey Story: How My Obsession with Dog Mushing Saved My Life. ISBN 978-0-615-34423-2. Published by Zorro Books, the book takes readers from Lance's early years through his 2009 Iditarod win. Once you finish it, you'll definitely wish you could read on and learn the story of his 2010 race, when Lance finished in first place with a time of just under 9 days. I was especially impressed with the bonds he forges with his dogs.

Back to what is happening here:
• Secret is no more pregnant than I am. There will be no puppies whelped next week. Our hope now lies with Dancer.
• Our next shows are in Iowa City on the 26th and 27th of this month. The entry is small and I'm hoping the young ones behave themselves. For them, it will be a training weekend. Walker is entered on Saturday only, and he'll enjoy being in the ring with me again. Speaking of Walker, if you want to see him in action at a show, doing his "down and back," go to http://s461.photobucket.com/albums/qq337/rpowell7905/?action=view¤t=DSCN2567.flv

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

Joyce

June is Zooming By! Updates!

Wow…this month is already zooming by --- only 13 more work days! As for today: TGIF is my only comment!

I returned Wednesday night from five days in Phoenix where 3 co-workers and I attended the annual professional development institute sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. A day of flying, gaining 2 hours, attending three FULL days (8-5:30) of conference sessions, then another day of flying, and losing 2 hours made me wonder "where am I now and what am I supposed to be doing next?"

I am here and I should be grooming a dog!

As for Lhasa updates:
• If Secret is pregnant I will fall over in joyous shock. I have a waiting list of 12 people looking for puppies! However, Secret still has a lovely, trim, girlish figure that shows no signs of a pregnancy! Her due date is the 22nd, so I've resigned myself to disappointment. I'd thought perhaps she would "blossom" during the five days I was gone. Sadly, she did not!
• Dancer was bred in mid-May so perhaps we will have a July litter.
• Congrats to friend Marsha, co-breeder of Desi and Zach, whose two young males each won a major at the recent Fargo show.
• Speaking of Desi and Zach, Desi came into season while I was in AZ and poor Zach is beside himself wondering why he has suddenly been denied opportunities to play with his sister. I think Desi is enjoying her chance to play with Belle, who is more her size and who is much gentler in her play than Zach is!
• Our next shows are in Iowa City on June 26 and 27. Zach is entered both days, Desi one day, Belle one day, and Walker one day.

At one conference session we discussed "healthy emotional climates for children" and how such climates lead to the emotional skills of identifying, labeling, expressing and managing feelings; delaying gratification; controlling impulses; and reducing stress. Having the ability to handle frustration, control emotions, and get along with others as a young child predicts that child's success in school and later life. Children need a climate that makes them feel respected, important, accepted, included and secure. So do you… So do I… So do our Lhasas! Go give yours a hug!

My Lhasas certainly make me feel respected, important, and accepted. In their eyes I am faultless. Bless them for their loving hearts!

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

Joyce

More Updates

In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony. ~ Eva Burrows

What a wonderful month April was – especially the week of April 21- 28 for that was the week we welcomed my mom who drove here from Nebraska, our daughter who flew in from Miami, and our son who drove home from college. They came to celebrate our granddaughter's 4th birthday.

Family is so important. As I go through the routines of each day, and get caught up in the tasks and frenzy of deadlines and to-do lists, it is easy sometimes to forget that simple fact. Then there is sort of a loneliness that creeps in and a wish to be able to just hug my mom or one of the kids who live away from "home." With two of them away now, I understand how Mom felt when we left Nebraska and moved to Illinois.

Anyway, being apart makes coming back together even more special. We had a great time. Now that our children are all "grown," they feel a little freer to expound on some of the secrets of their childhoods and deeds that, at the time they were committed, I am certainly glad that I was unaware of what was going on! The stories, the reminiscing, the laughter, the traditions, the making and sharing of meals, the celebrations—these are the heart of family.

On another topic – Some news that people have been waiting for: we may be having puppies in late June! It's way too early to tell yet, of course, but the breeding has been done. Now we wait.

Mira's beautiful coat was clipped over the weekend. Lynn had to do it. I couldn't face the task. I'll get a picture of her and post it one of these days. I think she is enjoying the freedom a short coat brings.

Belle and I are leaving for a dog show in Wisconsin this coming Friday. The entry is low, but we are looking forward to the trip and seeing some of our favorite Wisconsin Lhasa people and meeting some people I've been corresponding with about a puppy. At the end of May, Zach and Desi will be old enough to go to the four Bloomington, IL shows over Memorial Day weekend. I have the entries for them, Belle, and Walker made out and ready to mail…but when I calculated the cost, I couldn't bear to write the check last night. Yikes! (All I could think of was "I sure hope they'll all walk or this is so going to be a waste!") So I'll face that task this evening!

I'll give you an update on Belle and the Wisconsin shows the next time!

Life is good when you have a Lhasa – and family – 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