Announcements

Pictured: Ch.Joyslyn's The Charmed One (Piper)


It's Official! Breaker is now known to AKC as CHAMPION Joyslyn's Heartbreaker! Yes, it is true…his championship certificate arrived on Friday. He finished with 16 points, at the age of 13 months. He won two four-point majors, two three-point majors, and two single points. Positive comments from judges focused on Breaker's head, mouth and expression, coat texture, and movement.

He is going to be very unhappy when he figures out that being a champion means he has to stay home while Mira goes to shows! Eventually, I'd like to special Breaker but he is still very immature in appearance. Plus he needs to get his act together and that is going to take some maturing also. We'll be going to class every now and then to remind him what he is supposed to do in the show ring.

Also in the "good news" column:

1. Breaker's championship means that his mother, Ch. Joyslyn Secrets of the Heart, has produced enough champions to earn her American Lhasa Apso Club ROM (Register of Merit) Dam award. When you look at a pedigree and see the ROM behind a dog's name, it means that the dog has sufficient offspring that have earned their championship to be awarded ALAC's Register of Merit. According to ALAC rules, a sire must have at least 5 champion offspring and a dam must have at least 3 to earn the award. Secret's other two are Ch. Joyslyn Winds of Fire (Flame) and Ch. Joyslyn's Heartthrob (Davy).

2. Secret must be pregnant. If she is not, she has strange bulges on her belly and sides! Due date is November 14. Time will tell! I am so excited at the prospect of raising a litter again. The whelping area is set up in anticipation of the event. My brain is busy trying to think of puppy names. The last litter was easy since they were born on Christmas Day. This one will arrive too early to be a bunch of turkeys! LOL

3. I received lovely letters from Piper and Davy's new owners this past week. Both brought tears to my eyes, and I want to share snippets of the letters with you:

Ch. Joyslyn The Charmed One (Piper) went to her new home almost a year ago. Her owner wrote that Piper "… is an amazing little dog and has fit my lifestyle perfectly. It has been a joy to watch her “grow up” as a single dog. She now has the freedom of the house. Actually she now “owns” the house. I don’t have to close the crate door anymore. She comes and goes as she pleases and makes “decisions” about where she wants to sleep, when she wants to eat and what she wants to play with…I’ve been amazed by her fixation with TV! She will watch for the longest time and is sometimes annoyed when I turn TV off. I get wonderful greetings when I get home from work. She is full of energy since she has slept all day and spends the evenings squeaking toys, watching TV and laying beside my chair…She loves it when family company comes over but is most excited when my neighbor (her Auntie Vicki) comes over. She gazes out of the patio door waiting for her Auntie Vicki. I love her a lot and am so very happy to have her. I read your blog about “giving up” your adult dogs and I am so grateful that you raise these wonderful Lhasas…"

And I am grateful to have been blessed with wonderful Lhasas and people who are willing to open their hearts and homes to older dogs – and to continue to contact me to let me know how the dogs are doing. Puppies are so cute and sweet, but people who have adopted the retired champions have discovered plenty of love, devotion, and joy. Piper's latest picture is at the top of the page.

As you know, Davy left for his new home at the end of August. (See blog posting dated 8/31/09). His new owner wrote me a 6-page letter full of Davy's antic, saying that that Davy has made the adjustment well and that he is absolutely thrilled that Davy is doing so well. He wrote, "In a nutshell, Davy has proven to be one of the best, if not the best, dogs I have ever had…He loves to play with the dozens and dozens of toys he has. He'll grab and shake them, often growling at them simultaneously. He should have been called 'Joyslyn's Rugs A Flying' because the rugs really do fly once he gets started...His wonderful demeanor and likeable traits are the results of your efforts."

Life is Good When You Have a Lhasa to Love You!

Joyce

There and Back Again!

What a week! On the 11th Marsha Susag (from Fargo) and I drove from Macomb to Carlisle, PA, for the American Lhasa Apso Club's national specialty. Understand that this was not just any old annual specialty; this was ALAC's 50th Anniversary specialty! The week was packed with activities that had each day filled. A wonderful exhibit of the club's history, including many pictures of all of us looking much much younger, was available throughout the week. Meetings, awards presentations, seminars, dinners, to say nothing of 4 specialty shows, a Futurity, a fun match, and performance events (obedience, rally, and agility) all combined to make a fun-filled and busy week. A company videostreamed the Thursday and Friday shows in addition to taping them. DVDs will be available, a nice keepsake of the 50th.

I took Breaker with me and he thoroughly enjoyed being my "only" dog and romping with Marsha's dog in the hotel room. All that extra attention spoiled him quickly. He was shown four times in the 12-18 month class. On Monday he took first place, on Tuesday and Thursday he took second, and on Friday third! I was disappointed that he did not show better than he did. I was not concerned about the placements, but was annoyed because at least one of his seconds and the third place were due to his skittish behavior, especially on the table. And of course, it was all captured on video! I received nice compliments about him, as well as some ribbing about how naughty he was in the ring.

We returned to Macomb late on the 17th after a long day's drive from PA. Except for church, I spent all day Sunday unpacking, doing laundry, and greeting the dogs who had to stay home.

Some kind of bug swept through the dogs while I was gone, so poor Lynn (God bless him) had to deal with vomiting and diarrhea for at least 5 of the 8 days I was away. Everyone is fine, including Lynn, but all that clean up and worry is hard to face alone. Not all women who have show dogs have a husband who is as helpful and supportive as mine is. He helps with everything, from whelping puppies, to daily feeding, cleaning, training, and grooming! I am so thankful!

Life and work are back to normal, if there is such a thing. Belle and I are going to training class tonight. She is my continuing project! I'm beginning to think that not only her attitude on lead but also her small size (less than 9 inches and about 8 lbs.) will be detrimental to her winning a championship. She'll be "on hold" for a while. She is just 9 months old so could easily have a growth spurt. There is plenty of time to make a decision.

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

Joyce

Disappointment

As you know, we have not had puppies since the Christmas litter last year when Belle was born. Dancer went to the vet for an x-ray today, and I found out what I've been suspecting for a few weeks – Dancer is NOT PREGNANT. Now all my eggs are indeed in one basket: Secret was bred in mid September. I'm hoping she will have puppies so I will have something to show next year. They'll be due around November 16.

In the meantime, tomorrow AM my ND Lhasa friend Marsha and I are taking off to travel to PA to the national specialty. As a person who tries to find a silver lining to every cloud (it's hard sometimes!), I'm thinking that at least I don't have to worry about puppies being born while I am gone. Lynn is extremely good at assisting our girls, but I like to be there.

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

Joyce

What's Been Happening

Friday night began a flurry of activity at our house that probably will not end until the 10th. First, we have been remodeling our kitchen. Actually, to be more accurate LYNN has been remodeling our kitchen. He has done all the work himself while I urge him on and complain about the mess. As anyone who has ever been involved in such a project knows, things never go the way you expect them to and they always cost way more than you planned to spend. Our kitchen is no different.

One of the last things to be done was the tiled backsplash. The tile we ordered was backordered for 5 weeks. It arrived last week so Lynn and our son Aaron began the tiling job on Saturday morning. Lynn finished it Sunday and the grouting will be done tonight. Thank goodness.

The nice thing is that I haven't had to cook much these past 5 days. That is a good thing, since cooking is low on my list of enjoyable activities!

The dogs had a show on Sunday in Morris. Breaker took Best of Winners. Mira took 4th out of 4, and the reason for that remains a mystery since she showed like a dream and looked so good out there. Friends at ringside were flabbergasted, but that's what friends are for, right? Belle refused to walk, and the judge was quite irked with me and ready to excuse us. I finally got her to walk on the "down" but she then refused to budge to come back. Perhaps Mira's placement was my punishment??? As I said, the judge was ticked. I am not sure if she was disgusted with me because Belle wouldn't walk or upset that I got her to walk and then she could not excuse her! Whatever the reason, it is what it is. There's always another show.

That experience has led me to question whether I should even try to show Belle. She is so cute but if she won't walk I am simply wasting my money. She is 9 months old now. The other problem is that, unless she has an amazing growth spurt, I think she is going to be too small. You should see how adorable she is—but she is not even 9 inches tall and she weighs not quite 8 pounds. I think I have a miniature Lhasa at my house! She certainly inherited her grandfather Walker's coat. So, time will tell. After the national specialty I do not plan on entering any more shows this year so we'll let her grow up a bit and see how she develops.

Last night I started packing for the specialty! We leave the morning of the 11th! I cannot believe the "stuff" that I have to take—not only for myself but also for the dog (Breaker) and for the club. I am beginning to wonder if it is all going to fit in Marsha's van. I know she's bringing almost as much "stuff" as I am. The neighbors will probably be amazed Friday night and Saturday morning when they see us loading the van.

Although I hate the preparation for the trip to Carlisle, PA, where the specialty will be held, once we are on the way, I know I'm going to enjoy seeing everyone again and participating in the activities planned for this special week. The American Lhasa Apso Club (ALAC) is celebrating its 50th anniversary so celebratory events have been added to the usual activities of the week. Lhasa exhibitors come from all over the country to attend the event. We generally have visitors from outside the country also. Many Canadians belong to ALAC and are quite supportive of our specialty. It's not uncommon to have folks show up from the UK, Denmark, Germany, or Australia.

If I have time this Friday when I get back from the vet, I'll let you all know what we find out about Dancer. She certainly does not look pregnant to me! I'm prepared to be disappointed (but secretly holding on to the hope that she is carrying at least a couple puppies). It's been nearly a year since we've had puppies, and I miss them so much!

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

Joyce

What's Been Going On

It has been a while since I've posted. I apologize for that, but life has a habit of getting in the way of my good intentions. So today's post will be one to catch you up on what's been going on.

The primary focus this past week has been family. My mom's 77th birthday was Tuesday so I traveled to Nebraska to help her celebrate. The trip generally takes 8.5 hours or so but the above-speed-limit traffic on Iowa's stretch of I-80 reduced the trip time by quite a bit. Hey...I was just keeping up with traffic!!

We had a surprise lined up for Mom and it went as planned. In June of 2008, my daughter and her boyfriend moved to Miami. She's a labor and delivery nurse. He is a resident (ear-nose-throat). They decided to come to Nebraska as a surprise and, even though everyone except Mom knew about it, nobody let anything slip. Mom was totally shocked and so very happy to see the kids! I was also...even though I visited them in Miami in July. I miss my daughter so much and it was great to see her again.

I totally blew my diet. Mom's great home cooking and all the desserts laying around whispering my name created havoc with my eating habits. I decided to go with the flow, yield to temptation, and get back on track this week.

On Friday, we drove from my hometown to David City, Nebraska, where we'd lived for 16 years. I taught English at Aquinas High School in David City and had been back for short visits only a couple times in the past 20 years since we moved to Macomb. On our way to Omaha to the airport, we stopped in David City to visit friends. Among them was our next door neighbor who was not only a wonderful friend but also the daycare provider for all three of my kids, as well as the godmother of my youngest. We also met my daughter's godmother, who was a close friend and colleague when I was teaching at Aquinas and now is principal of the grade school. She took us to the high school so I could meet the few people whom I taught with who are still there as well as see some former students who are now teachers there. One of them grabbed my hand and looked at my fingernails. She wanted to make sure that I'd kept them long as she remembered them. She said she recalled my habit of rolling a pen or piece of chalk between my hands as I lectured and the clicking sound it made against my rings. She said she catches herself doing that sometimes! Oh dear. I had no idea I did that! My classroom is now a computer lab and the school building has 3 new additions. The school has a really cool construction program. The students actually build a house that is then auctioned off. They build all the cabinets and everything. I was impressed. The instructor told us that for the last few years the house has been purchased before the students started building so no auction was necessary. The students involved in that project are learning great skills!

Saturday the kids flew back to Miami, and I drove home with a couple stops along the way for shopping at malls in Iowa. I seldom get out of town except for a dog show and then shopping is not possible because the weather is always too hot or too cold to leave the dogs in the car for long, and the hotels generally do not want dogs left alone in the room, even if they are crated. I hit some good sales and came home with a bunch of clothes that will be fun to wear.

On the home front, Lynn was busy while I was away. He and our oldest son tiled the floor of the dogs' room. It looks great! I really appreciated all their hard work! To tell the truth, I'd been doing a lot of nagging about it lately!! In July 2008, we had a contractor pour a new concrete floor for the dogs' room. The next month we bought the tiles, which have been SITTING in those boxes since then! It was time to get the job done!

This week's challenge will be getting the dogs ready for a show on Sunday. All three (Breaker, Mira, and Belle) are entered. There is a major so we could come home with a new champion if things go well. Keep your fingers crossed for us!!

I've also got to start getting things packed and ready for the trip to the Lhasa specialty in PA. We'll be leaving on October 11. As fast as the days are flying by, it will be here before I know it. I organize by list...and my list is getting very very long!

I'm also setting up the whelping pen for Dancer. I want her to get used to being in it so it becomes "home" for her while she is waiting for the puppies to be born. I admit that I'm having serious doubts about a pregnancy. She just is not "showing" as much as I think she should be for as far along as she is. Perhaps the litter will be a small one. I'll be so disappointed if we don't have puppies. I've waited so long for this litter! But I'm not giving up...time will tell!

Life is good when you have a Lhasa (and a great family) to love you!

Cheers!

Joyce

Updates and Pictures

Breaker's pictures from the Twin Cities Lhasa Apso Club specialty and the St. Croix Valley Kennel Club shows have arrived. I'm so proud of him.

The training classes for Breaker seem to be working. He has not been shying away from the trainers and has actually been wagging his tail when he sees them coming. The big test of course will be at the show on October 4. If the planets line up correctly, he'll be perfect on the table and sail around the ring like a true showman. I also have to say, "If I am not so nervous that I make the dog crazy..." Whatever...it'll be what it is, and we'll go from there.

Mira's been getting a workout too. I've changed her lead and she is learning NOT to toss her head back and look straight at the ceiling when I have her stacked on the floor! I just hope she remembers her lessons on October 4! I want to bring home a new champion!

We will not talk about Belle, who is in season and miserable. She would not walk before and she is not about to do it now. So there, thank you very much. Enough said!

In the meantime, we are hoping that in mid-October there will be babies in the litter basket! Dancer feels "full" so I'm hoping she has puppies. I guess I could have an ultrasound done to see for sure, but since there is no huge need to know at this point, I'll just wait. We generally have an x-ray done a few days before the due date so we can count puppies and know what to expect. I can wait until then. Sadly, I'll miss the whelping. Dancer's due date is smack in the middle of ALAC's national specialty week, and I'll be in PA. Thank goodness Lynn is accustomed to whelping puppies. He stays calm and cool. I totally trust him to do a good job helping Dancer bring her babies into the world.

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

Joyce

Miscellaneous…some updates

Walker's photos came this weekend and I am happy to share them with you! It was nice to see the photos and re-live the fun and excitement of those wins!

It seems the only person Belle wants to walk with is our 3-year-old granddaughter! Belle is now 8.5 months old, and I am at my wit's end with her. Nothing I try seems to work and the Klara option is out at shows!! I guess Belle will come around in her own time – or not. Lately you hear me moaning, "Why can't things be easy?" (Hear the tiny violins playing in the background.) She is looking cute. She has a lot of coat, like her mom and her grandpa Walker. See the photo.

Mira and Breaker are headed to class tonight. They have a show coming up in early October and, after his less-than-stellar performance on the table and her antics at the last show (except she is good on the table!), it's time for class. We have three classes we can attend, one in Peoria on Tuesdays, one in Moline on Wednesdays, and one in Davenport on Thursdays. The only problem is that each is at least 1.5 hours away! It's nice to have options so the dogs experience different environments and different "judges" to examine them.

Presently, we are waiting to determine if our Dancer is pregnant. We have not had puppies since Belle was born in December last year, and Dancer's breeding to Ch. Karlyn's How Do You Like Me Now ("Alvin") has been long anticipated. She was due in season in March and did not come in until August 1. My dogs have a habit of doing things when they feel like it I guess!

I received a call Sunday from Davy's new owner who said things were going great and that Davy was such a loving and playful dog. They are having a lot of fun getting to know each other. I'm so glad Davy is happy … oh, and the new owner too!

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

Joyce