Back from the Show

It is always wise to stop wishing for things long enough to enjoy the fragrance of those now flowering.
~Patrice Gifford

The quotation is a good reminder to me to be patient. I really really am wishing for warm weather, for no more snow, for Spring to come. It'll happen, sooner rather than later I hope!

While I enjoy looking out the window after a snow and seeing lovely snow-laden branches, I'm sick of winter and tired being cold, bundling up to go outside, scraping ice off windows, and scooping snow off the porch and driveway. The Lhasas, on the other hand, think snow is just great! Silly things.

Thanks to those of you who sent positive thoughts about Belle walking in the ring. She did okay. She was hesitant and stopped rather abruptly a few times but it was usually easy to get her going. She likes liver bait so that worked as an inticement. She doesn't like to be rushed and that is difficult in the show ring. There just isn't time for her to stop and think if she wants to go or not. My rule is, when mom says "Let's go" you need to move! She wasn't too sure she wanted to buy into that! She took second out of a class of three both days. I got a little excited on Sunday when the judge told me to take her to the front of the line. But she balked on the last go around and we were moved to second place. She got lots of oohs and aahs and "oh how cute" comments.

One great thing about the show was seeing my good friend Marsha who drove down to Des Moines to show her Lhasa. Since Illinois and North Dakota are not exactly neighboring states, we seldom get to see each other, so we had a nice visit, and made plans to meet again at an Iowa show in April.

Walker lost both days. Saturday just as I was ready to put him on the examination table he got the snorts (aka "reverse sneezes"). Although I got him calmed down and the snorting stopped, he was not quite recovered for the exam and the down and back. On Sunday I took him out of his crate to groom him only to discover he had thrown up. Oh yuck…all over his feet, his face, his ears, his chest. I have no idea why because we'd been at the show at least an hour and he'd been out of the crate once to use the ex-pen and was excited and happy. So, Kenic rinse-less shampoo came to the rescue. I washed and dried him and he looked fine. I waited to see how he felt because I did not want to show him if he was feeling poorly. (However, after the extra effort of washing and drying him, I thought I should at least show off my grooming skills!) I'd actually gone to the show that morning thinking I would pull his entry because a snow storm was forecast and, while I enjoy showing him and hoping to win Breed and show in the Group, I thought it would be good to get out of Des Moines early. Evidently the judge thought we should be on our way early too! LOL!

We had clear weather and dry roads to Iowa City and about 20 miles south of Iowa City. Then we ran into the storm. Let's just say we had a harrowing drive, arriving home two hours later than the trip usually takes. Roads were snow packed and white lines barely visible. An average pace of 30 mph felt safe. My friend who was driving did a great job getting us home in one piece, in spite of the fact that there were lunatics on the road zooming by us at 50 miles an hour or more, as if the road was dry and visibility was 100%.

I was gone only two days but it seemed as if the puppies grew a whole bunch while I was away. It was great to get home and play with them! Zeke is still waiting for the right home to come along.

Spring is coming, right???

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

What's In A Name?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."Romeo and Juliet (II,ii, 1-2)

What's in a name indeed? Evidently a lot. Think of how long parents debate the pros and cons of baby names. It's no different for us dog people. We search for the perfect name for our dogs. Sometimes inspiration strikes quickly. Other times, it's not so easy. I know that I have often spent more time coming up with a name for one of the Lhasas than I ever spent thinking of names for the kids! Thankfully, for a few extra dollars, AKC now allows us to use some of those "perfect names" that previously had to be abandoned because they were too long to fit in the few spaces AKC formerly allowed.

Thanks to those who left comments or emailed me about possible names with "Heart" in them for Zach's AKC registered name. One suggestion led to a song title list containing the word "heart." That yielded many interesting options! I also frequently check the Jockey Club Registration online list when I'm trying to name a dog. Again, some unusual and interesting options resulted. I went to Amazon.com and searched for book titles containing the word "heart" and ended up with a lot of romance novels with sexy-looking men on the covers and titles like "Captive Heart," "Wild Irish Heart," "Ravishing Heart" and "My Passionate Heart."

Of course, a lot of the names on the various lists would work well for naming a female, but Desi's name has already been chosen, so I had to keep in mind I was naming a male.

Here is a list of possibilities, taken from readers' suggestions, my brainstorming, friends' suggestions, and the resources listed previously:

Be Still My Heart
Brave Heart
Change of Heart
Close to the Heart
Eat Your Heart Out
Heart and Soul
Heart of Gold
Heart Stopper
Heart of the Matter
Hearts Afire
Heart's Delight
Heart Twister
Heart's Quest
Heaven in My Heart
Hero at Heart
Jack of Hearts
King of Hearts
King of My Heart
Knave of Hearts
Lion Heart
One Determined Heart
Piece of My Heart
Playboy at Heart
Playin' with My Heart
Secret Heart
Straight from the Heart
Thief of My Heart
Thief of Hearts
Thunder in My Heart
Total Eclipse of the Heart
Turn on Your Heartlight
You'll Be in My Heart
Warrior at Heart

I really like a few of these names and have not yet made a decision. I can see many possibilities for future puppies' names so I definitely need to hang on to the lists I've made. If inspiration strikes you or you want to "vote" for a favorite name on the list, let me know!

Now, here are ones that I rejected from the song title list, for obvious reasons!
Vampire Heart
Heart Attack
Stomach vs Heart
Cold Hard Heart
Bad Liver and a Broken Heart
Don't Phunk with My Heart
Your Cheatin' Heart
Heartache Tonight
Heart of Stone
Wooden Heart
Let the Heartaches Begin

And "Hearts Lettuce" from the Jockey Club website didn't turn me on either! Man, they give those horses some weird names! LOL

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

Joyce

New Articles and An Important Decision

I've posted abbreviated versions of some of my grooming articles on
ezine. Here is the link if you want to check them out. A couple new ones should appear by mid-February. I also wrote and recently posted two new articles under the "Articles About Grooming" category of my website. They are "Keep It Clean! The Key to a Long, Healthy Show Coat" and "Preparing for a Show: Finishing Touches—Tips on Trimming Pads, Feet, and Coat."

A major afternoon activity today was evaluating the puppies. I have two males that I really really like and I was having problems deciding which to keep. I thought it was Zeke, but the more I watched them, the more I thought perhaps I should keep Zach instead. Decisions, decisions! So this afternoon, I shampooed both puppies, plastered their coats down with the shampoo so we could really see the structure, and then stacked them on the table to go over them. Lynn took pictures of fronts and profiles. The "plaster-the-fluffy-coat-down-with-shampoo" method is one I have used for years. It gives me a chance to see a puppy's structure under his coat and is basically a way for my eyes to acknowledge what my hands have been telling me!

The decision has been made. I will be keeping Zach. Zeke is a great puppy, and I'll now be able to look for a home for him. I'm very glad to have that decision over with. I want to keep the "best" for the show ring and my breeding program, and I had to get quite nit-picky when it came to deciding between the two. But now it's done. I am happy with my decision. No more second guessing!

Now comes the next tough decision…what will the puppy's registered name be??? I'd like to use "Heart" in his name. His mom is "Secrets of the Heart." His grandfather is "Rebel at Heart." He has two half brothers who are "Heartbreaker" and "Heartthrob." I welcome suggestions. You can email me at lhasas@joyslynslhasaapsos.com or just post ideas in the comments section of this blog.

Next weekend I'll be traveling to WI to meet Karen to pick up Alvin. He'll be spending some time here with us while we wait for Dancer to come in season. If nature cooperates, she'll be bred in late February or early March. This was a breeding we tried in August that did not "take," so we are looking forward to having better luck this time by breeding Dancer here at home.

I hope to post some of today's puppy pictures later this 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