The Beginnings of Joyslyn's Lhasa Apsos

Bunnies are cuddly
The large and the small
But I like chocolate ones
The best of them all.
~Author Unknown

Happy Easter! Surely that means Spring is actually here and we won't be getting snow again like we did earlier this week! 

Today, I'd like to take a trip down memory lane. Last time I wrote, I mentioned that our wedding anniversary was coming up. (It was yesterday.) We've been married 42 years. As I thought back, I realized that even before we were married a whole year, we bought our first Lhasa. I thought I'd share with you how that all came about.

Such young newlyweds!

One question people always ask me is "how did you get into this dog showing/dog breeding thing?"

Good question.

How exactly did two people who did not come from dog showing families and who had mixed-breed dogs while they were growing up end up breeding, showing, and loving Lhasa Apsos for years and years? (since early 1973 - you can do the math!)

I'd say it all started with an encyclopedia salesman! Shortly after our marriage, Lynn and I were besieged by door-to-door salesmen who tried to sell us all kinds of things we couldn't afford. (We were in our last year of college.) One of those salesmen succeeded in selling us a set of encyclopedias. We both had grown up with dogs as part of our families and knew we wanted to have a dog. The "Dogs" section of that encyclopedia happened to have a very nice picture of a Lhasa Apso in it. Now, if you have ever looked at some of the older Lhasa Apso resources, you would know that some of the pictures of the dogs were not very attractive. So, I suppose if I'd seen one of those photos first I wouldn't be where I am today in the Lhasa world. However, this particular photo showed a lovely dog, with a pretty coat, and I was intrigued.

After we graduated from college, I landed my first teaching job at a high school in eastern Iowa. With my first paycheck, we bought a refrigerator (Harvest Gold, all the rage in 1970's appliance colors!). We'd seen an ad for Lhasa Apsos at a nearby kennel, so when the second paycheck arrived, we bought a dog, our first Lhasa Apso, and named her Joyslyn's Pheebe. Of course, other than the picture in the encyclopedia, we knew nothing about the breed. We did, however, know how to pronounce its name correctly from the start!

So Pheebe came home with us. An adorable grizzle Lhasa puppy, she soon won our hearts. We had to have another! So, with my third paycheck, Pheebe was soon joined by Joyslyn's Miss Buffy Jo. What a pair they were!

Now it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Joyslyn, our kennel prefix, is a combination of our first names. Looking back, I find it interesting that we even thought to come up with a kennel prefix because we had no mentor, no experience with pure-bred dogs, and no pedigree to look at for either of the girls we bought! But somehow, that day in March 1973 when we filled out Pheebe's AKC registration form, the prefix "Joyslyn" was created and it's been used ever since. People try to pronounce our kennel prefix as if it were spelled "Joslyn," like the art gallery in Omaha, NE. That would be wrong. The first syllable "joys" rhymes with "boys," "toys," "noise," etc. The second "lyn" rhymes with "tin," "win," "grin," etc.

So, that's what buying a set of encyclopedias will get ya!

Other News:

The Lhasa Apso was recently featured in the ShowSight publication. Here is a link to the Lhasa articles.

Puppy Updates:

The puppies are growing. All of Josh's littermates have left for their new homes, so he's been feeling quite lonely after having 5 siblings to run and play with. I was a bit afraid to let him play with the younger puppies, given the difference in their ages (6 weeks), but he has been very good with them, as if he knows not to play too hard. More frequently, it is one of them giving him a hard time!

Here are the most recent photos. First Josh, who will be 13 weeks tomorrow. He has been registered with AKC as Joyslyn MLS Dakota Wind Breaker. He will attend his first training class (just for socialization, petting, and table work) next Tuesday. One of the 4-day Memorial weekend shows in Bloomington, IL, will have a 4-6 month old beginner puppy competition, so I plan to enter him in it and in the fun match the club will host that evening. I bet he sleeps well that night!

The younger puppies are quite a change. The Windy/Breaker litter was very consistent and it was very difficult to tell the puppies apart, except for Cherry, of course! No problem with that with the younger litter. Magoo is the largest of the 4. (Robert and Catherine, sorry---he already has a bunch of nicknames you probably will not appreciate, such as "Magoo-ver," "Goo-goo," "Gooey," and "Goo.") He's the big eater and the puppy that has the most coat. It's a lovely coat! He is very serious and already does not like having his picture taken!

 The smallest puppy is little Bailey. She is tiny and loves being held. She snuggles right down. My granddaughter fell in love with her and held her for ages. They were both happy with the situation. The best word for Bailey is "dainty." Another good word is "sweet."

The other female is Sadie. She is gold and full of charm. She loves to bat her feet as she plays with me. She's a bit larger than Bailey, but not by much. She too likes being held and is fascinated by toys. We interrupted her play this AM to take a picture. She was not too thrilled about that but cooperated nicely. She was soon back to her toy and enjoying herself.

Finally, the other male is Andy. He is a kick! He is the explorer of the litter and is fast on his feet. He wants to see beyond the closed doors and is in constant danger of getting stepped on as he tries to maneuver himself into position to get through the door before I can stop him. He seems to have a sense of humor too!

All have been spoken for and it won't be too many more weeks before they are settled into their new homes.

We have had so much fun meeting the people who purchased the puppies from Windy's litter. Reports from them say that the puppies are settling in nicely. Josh and Sassy are the only two who kept their names. Tyler is now Mozzie; Archie is Fin; Bandit is Brigsley; and Cherry is Cinder.

I've been getting calls asking about the next litter(s). We probably won't have any puppies born and ready for new homes until October and again after the first of the year. Our girls tend to come in season about the same time, which is always "fun" (not...but that is nature!).

In the meantime, you might recall that Duncan has a litter brother named Jimmy. Sadly, in spite of the efforts of his owners, Jimmy decided he did not like the show ring. His owners have let me know that they would like to find a welcoming only-dog pet home for Jimmy. He has been clipped down. If you are interested in more details about him, let me know, and I'll give you his owner's contact information. My email is lhasas@joyslynslhasaapsos.com.

I hope you enjoyed the photos, the updates, and the story about how an encyclopedia salesman changed our lives! Without that guy stopping by, we would never have embarked on this great Lhasa Apso adventure some 41 years ago.

Life is better when you have a Lhasa to love you! I have loved many and been so adored in return. Priceless!

Have a great Easter holiday!

Joyce

Photos from Brigsley's, Sassy's, and Fin's new owners...

Fin obviously enjoys hanging out and napping on the sofa!

Sassy has two older "brothers" now. She's made herself at home. If I know her, she's already telling those boys what to do!

Brigsley has an older "brother" too. Snickers is also a Joyslyn's dog.

Spring is Here! Happy April!

Isn't it appropriate that the month of the tax begins with April Fool's Day 
and ends with cries of "May Day!"? ~ unknown 

Spring...a time of reawakening and change, a time of shedding winter wear and donning the colors and fabrics of spring and warmer weather, and, yes, a time of paying taxes.

We chose to make tax day a special day in our lives, so we were married on April 15 (42 years ago!). Actually, that's not really true. We got married on April 15 because in 1972,  it was a Saturday and because it was right at the end of finals week at our college and because all our college friends could thus stick around for a couple extra days to attend the ceremony.

We've had some changes lately at home. Over the weekend, Sassy, Ty, Bandit, and Cherry left with their new owners, all wonderful people. I've had preliminary reports from a couple of them that the puppies are settling in well and not missing their littermates all that much. Archie and Josh are still here as I try to make up my mind about which to keep. My deadline is Saturday.

Here are the weekly photos. The older puppies aren't thrilled about the photo sessions. They are too eager to get down and play. We did capture some cute faces. The younger puppies are more manageable and don't seem to mind the camera.

Archie, 11 weeks (so sweet)

Josh, 11 weeks (he looks so sad in this picture!)

Rafe and Maggie's boys, age 5.5 weeks (Andy and Magoo)

Rafe and Maggie's girls, age 5.5 weeks (Bailey and Sadie)

After having to put various colors of nail polish on the gold Breaker and Windy puppies just to be able to tell them apart, it is kind of nice to be able to distinguish among these four at a glance.

Duncan, Lila, and I went to the Packerland shows in Manitowoc, WI, on March 30 and 31. It was our first show weekend of  2014. I decided that I was not going to venture out with the dogs in the frigid temps we had earlier in the year. Duncan did well. He won both days, taking Best of Winners each day and picking up two points. Now he needs only three points to finish his championship. Lila showed as I expected her to, that is to say she held her tail up, but not her head; she walked around the ring (actually she raced around the ring), for the most managing to stay by my side rather than between my feet; and she stacked nicely on both the table and the floor. I cannot seem to break her habit of moving with her nose to the floor, and may have to face the fact that the frustration on both our parts is just not worth it. I learned a lesson with our Belle, who really disliked being on a lead. If Lila hates it, I'm not going to insist. Being a show dog is not the most important thing in a dog's life!

The puppies' leaving, the Palm Sunday and Easter weekends, and a visit from our son-in-law take up all the April weekends, so our next shows are not until Mother's Day and Memorial Day weekends. Please send positive thoughts that Duncan will finish and that a miracle will happen and Lila will finally figure out the show lead doesn't weigh 50 lbs and  that she can indeed walk with her head up and feel no pain! As I told our last judge, "She keeps me humble."

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

Joyce

More Photos, No News!

Thanks to Kathy R. for creating and sending me the lovely Lhasa Apso garden!

I heard from Mary, Gabe's owner. Gabe is a litter brother to Rafe. She sent some great photos of him. Here is my favorite of Gabe batting his paw.

And here he is, just chillin' out....

Windy's babies are growing. Here are their pictures at 10 weeks. They are in alphabetical order: Archie, Bandit, Cherry, Josh, Sassy, and Ty.

These puppies enjoy following me everywhere. Here they are, flummoxed by the stairs.

 And here they are taking action.

Rafe and Maggie's puppies are growing fast too!
Here are the two males. Their new families have named them. Andy is on the left and Magoo on the right.

The girls' families have not named them yet.

They are a bunch of charmers. Love 'em all!

I hope you enjoyed the photos!

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

Joyce

Pictures...Lots of Pictures

Springtime is the land awakening.
The March winds are the morning yawn.
~Lewis Grizzard


Saturday, I saw a robin on the front lawn -- my first "robin sighting" of the season. Saturday, I went shopping and was able to leave my winter coat in the car. Sunday, I woke up to snow and cold windy weather. By noon the snow had melted. We've had cold, snow, wind, drizzles, fog, and sun. I guess it must be spring!

For your enjoyment, I am posting the latest puppy pictures.

First we have photos of the Breaker and Windy puppies. These puppies are wonderful. They are a handful, that is for sure. What one doesn't think of the others do, but they are so sweet as they go about their destruction (just joking about the destruction part!). Multiple times daily I change and straighten the newspapers and piddle pads. Within seconds of my turning away, the play begins. After all, what is more fun than playing tug with piddle pads and hearing a satisfying rrrrrrrr.... rip of newspaper and romping through the resulting pieces? Bones are fun, and so are toys, but it's more fun to pull the throws off the sofa, untie dad's shoelaces, and chase the cat.

They've learned the routines. When I leave for work in the morning and again at noon and when it is time for bed, I just say, "C'mon babies, let's go in your house." They come running (well...okay most of them are already under my feet) and wait to be picked up and put in their pen. One of them, little Miss Sassy, is always the last to go in. She has learned that if she goes into the family room and lies on the dog bed, she'll have some extra time before it's her turn to be picked up.

Poor Boris (he's the cat, a Russian Blue). I'm sure he dreads the run though the gauntlet each time he goes downstairs to get a drink, eat some food, or use his litter box. He gets even by getting them to chase him, then running up the steps. He'll often sit at the top of the stairs and taunt them, knowing they cannot climb the steps. Sassy tricked him the other day when she figured out how to climb. The others watched as she made it up four steps. Boris bolted and smart little Sassy turned around and figured out how to get back down!

Ty and Bandit, 9 weeks

Archie and Josh, nine weeks

Cherry and Sassy, nine weeks

And here are just some candids taken one evening as they were hanging out in the family room...

We took - or tried to take - some video but the puppies are intrigued by the camera and stop what they are doing as soon as they notice someone pointing a camera in their direction.

Rafe and Maggie's puppies are now three weeks old. They are so chubby. She must be feeding them cream and not milk. It's amazing to see the differences of six weeks between the two litters. The young ones are moving around their pen, exploring a bit (but they get very tired!), and trying to play with each other.

Here they are...

The girls, 3 weeks

The boys, 3 weeks

See what I mean???

I had email this week from friends and Lhasa family (i.e., those who have purchased one of our Lhasas). Thanks again, Kathy R., for your email which lightened my heart and brightened an otherwise dreary day.

Barbara sent a picture of Daisy that was meant to assure me that Daisy was not spoiled! :-)

Daisy...definitely not a spoiled Lhasa!

My daughter sent pictures of my granddog, Henri, an Affenpinscher.

Henri coming home from the groomer's

Henri sacked out on the sofa

I received a call from one of our librarians who asked me if I'd participate in the summer reading program for children ages 4-8. The theme this year is "Paws for Reading." So, I'm on the schedule for early June. I chose a book (see image below) and will take whichever puppy I decide to keep and/or Lila, a show lead, and some grooming tools, and will talk a bit about Lhasas and dog showing. (Attention spans will be short, so it'll be a brief presentation.) I'm also taking a lot of my old show ribbons to give to the children who want them. It should be fun!

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

Joyce

Finally...Some New Photos!

March is an in between month, when wintry winds are high. 

But milder days remind us all, Spring's coming by and by.  

~Author unknown 

My husband, Lynn,  and I had conflicting schedules last week. I was away at a workshop and returned home the afternoon of the morning he left for an out-of-state conference. Since he is the photographer, puppy photos did not get taken until early this week.

Sunday the puppies had their first experience with a bath and a blow dryer. Cherry was the loudest protester of the six. By the time her bath was over, I was almost as wet as she was! This is a week of firsts: later today they will have their first experience in a travel crate, their first car ride, their first appointment for checkups at All Pets, and their first vaccinations. They'll be tired by the time we get home, and perhaps will settle down and take naps for a while.

They are wonderful puppies - lovely, lively, and smart. Like a swarm of two-year-olds, they are curious and into everything. Last night, for example, they discovered that tugging on the phone cord resulted in the phone falling on the floor, a loud bang that shocked and scared them. But a minute later, they were back at it. I suppose they wanted to find out if they'd get the same result!

Our family room and utility room have changed appearance as the puppies have extended their investigations. There are gates up everywhere, creating barriers for not only the puppies but also for Lynn and me. Life is a challenge with six lively, curious puppies dogging your every step.

A friend stated in a recent email, "You must be busy with all those puppies." Yes, I am. I love them though, in spite of the fact that they are constantly trying to trip me as I walk across the floor. They've made up a game called "Who Can Get Out of the Gate Before Mom Closes It?" The girls are the winners so far.

Speaking of games, the fun of shredding piddle pads and tearing up newspapers has been discovered. Sometimes their room looks like a disaster area -- but they are having fun! They are happy puppies and entertain themselves, stopping by to check in with me now and then, as long as I am in sight.  

I am vigilant. We recently remodeled our family room, and I have horrible visions of the new baseboards being chewed on as the puppies begin to teethe.

So  here are the recent photos...

Archie and Josh, 7.5 weeks

Tyler and Bandit, 7.5 weeks

Cherry and Sassy, 7.5 weeks

Next time I post, I'll put up photos of Maggie's babies. We have not taken any since they were born. They will be two weeks old tomorrow and should have eyes open soon and be more photogenic. Four of the five are plump. The fifth is our "runt" and, hopefully, like the little duckling Ruby in the children's book Ruby In Her Own Time, will do things her way and eventually catch up to her larger siblings.

In this day and age being a dog breeder is difficult because animal rights groups tend to paint us with an unflattering brush. They also try to "guilt" people who want to buy a purebred into instead adopting a dog from the shelter. I've had a couple of puppy buyers tell me that their friends gave them a hard time about buying a purebred. Recently, Michelle Gonsalves' article, "Neither of My Dogs Killed A Shelter Dog," was published in Show Sight. She makes some excellent points, and I hope you take time to read her article.

I had good news from my friend, Marsha. She wrote, "Twist and I got the job done today and finished that Open Standard Agility title!  He is now officially CH MLS Desiderata Twist RN OA NAJ." Congratulations, Marsha and Twist! Twist is dear to my heart. He lived with me for a few months when he bred our Secret.  One of results from that breeding was my Ch. Joyslyn MLS Dakota Playboy at Heart ("Zach").

Mary emailed  this week and told me she and Belle have one leg toward Belle's Rally Advanced title and were working on some foundation agility. Mary sent these photos of Belle, taken at the fun run agility trial.  Belle is indeed a beauty!

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

Joyce