Show Results and Some Puppy Pictures

Christmas is the season when you buy this year's gifts with next year's money. ~Unknown

Show Results

At the end of last week's post, I mentioned that Kimmi and I were headed to a show. This show was her first point show. She had been to a fun match at the end of August and a Beginner Puppy (4-6 months old) competition in September, but after that, she just sat at home. She was 6 months old in November but we don't go to shows during that month. We did, however, get to go to one training class. It was disheartening. The happy little girl who ate up the ring at the fun match and puppy competition seemed frightened. She was okay on the table for exam but when going around the ring, her tail was down. That's a definite no-no for a show Lhasa.

So, my hope was that by the end of the 3 days of shows last weekend she would be comfortable with dog shows and at least get her tail up.

On Friday, she seemed afraid as we waited outside the ring. She was trembling and unsure. My thought was, "Okay, it is what it is. Just let her walk." Oh she did that -- and more. Once in the ring she owned it. She sailed around, head up, tail up, with a "look at me" attitude. And, ya know what? The little rascal won! A three point major! The day after she turned 7 months old.

To make a long story short, Kimmi took the points all three days. Friday was a three point major. Saturday and Sunday were 4 point majors. All she needs now is four single points to have her championship.

That is not going to happen soon. We are not planning on going to shows until spring.

I will post the formal photos of her wins when they arrive. In the meantime, here are a couple pictures of her. The first was taken by Karen Schlais (thanks, Karen) on Friday after Kimmi's win. For those of you unfamiliar with dog shows, the blue ribbon was for taking first place in her class. The purple one was for the Winners Bitch (meaning the 3-point win). The red and white one was for winning Best of Opposite Sex to the Best of Breed. Best of Breed was won by her half brother, Stewie. He's about 10 days older than she is. By going Best of Breed over Kimmi, Stewie also earned a 3-point major. It was a good day for the Breaker kids! (Their sire is GCH. Joyslyn's Heartbreaker.)

Stewie, bred and owned by Karen Schlais and Jan Graunke, was also a winner on Sunday. He took Best of Winners over Kimmi for the 4-point major PLUS he took Best Opposite Sex to Best of Breed over two adult specials. WTG Stewie!!! I'll post a photo of him later also.

Stewie's litter sister, Penny, was also a winner over adults, as she won Reserve Winner's Bitch on Friday over two adult females.

Here is Kimmi at home with all her ribbons. The blue and white ribbon was for taking Best of Winners on Saturday.

Puppy Pictures

Time goes by so fast anymore that it is hard to believe Windy and Duncan's puppies are already six weeks old. They are strutting around like they own the place. They love playing with toys and are doing well with being weaned. Windy, still the proud mom, continues to nurse them between the feedings I give them. She is now much less likely to be tolerant of them eating from her food dish while she is trying to eat. Windy very much loves her food. She loves her babies too, but... let's just say she no longer wants to share with them.

Here are the latest pictures of the puppies.

Male, 6 weeks

Male, 6 weeks (awakened from a nap for the photo & not happy about that!)

Female, 6 weeks

Female, 6 weeks

Now, some of my regular readers might be wondering why I have not given these puppies call names as I usually do. One reason is that I have a name all picked out for the female puppy I plan to keep but I have no idea which one of the two that will be. The call names tend to stick with the puppies we keep. New owners are able to change the names but I can't seem to do that. So, for the next few weeks, the puppies will go nameless.

Notes and Pictures from Others

Mary has three Lhasas that she has trained for agility. The middle one in the photo below, Belle, is a Joyslyn's Lhasa. Mary wrote recently that her oldest Lhasa, Roman had had a dental plus some cysts removed. Her clinic allows other family pets to be present for recovery, so Mary took Belle and Moka with her. This picture is of the three of them cuddling together after Roman's surgery.

Roman (a bit groggy after surgery), Belle, Moka

She wrote, "Miss Belle was quite the attendant to Roman;  Moka was a little more there for kitten chasing (clinic had 5 kittens wandering. Moka did the Moonwalk backwards when hissed at) and of course she was there for the picnic of snacks.  They both were right by Roman’s side as he went through the recovery phase.

Sharon, who owns 9 year old Giza, wrote this in her Christmas card to us, "The years are passing too rapidly. I can't believe Giza is 9 years old. The past couple of years she has become more of a guard dog - she's a late bloomer. There is nothing she loves more than to cozy up to someone for a nap. A nice large stuffed toy makes a good sleeping partner also… We all love our Giza, as do others who meet her."

Giza

Catherine wrote, "We just wanted to share Mallory's birthday picture with you!! She is just a beautiful, precious and smart little girl!! It's hard to believe she is 3 years old. We are so thankful for our 2 Joyslyn's babies! They're the best!"

Mallory

Maria also sent a photo in honor of Ella's birthday. She wrote, "We are celebrating Ella's third birthday. She woke up this morning with twice the energy as usual. So excitable as if she knew today was her special day!

Ella is a joy to all!  So sweet and loving!  But also has become very protective of the house. She will bark if she hears someone at the door or coming up the driveway.

As we shared before , Ella travels with us and also runs errands with us. She's known at the banks and especially Lowes and Walgreens. She's even joined us at the hardware store. She will sit in the shopping cart as I push her up and down the aisles with very good manners..... And patience!
The one thing that's different about Ella from our other two lhasas is that she loves puppies or even large dogs. She's very pet friendly as well as people friendly.

Our training is going well.  She has her moments of being stubborn just like a Lhasa.  And she has her moments of the "Lhasa crazies" where she runs and jumps from room to room.

Ella's sensitive side can just melt you as she looks deep into your eyes.  She visits my mom daily who is at a retirement community. And the residents love her. She makes their day and has good instinct to watch out for walkers and wheel chairs.

Ella

I'm in the process of knitting Ella a sweater.  She's become the fashionista with a lot of sweaters and a fleece coat and a puffy jacket and bows and boots!  Again not like my other two lhasas who would freeze up  when I put anything on them. Ella is special! .....and certainly not spoiled.  We wanted to say hi and thank you for our beautiful lhasa.
I agree.... Life is better when you have a Lhasa to love you !

Happy Holidays!"




Kim sent an email about Snickers:
" Hope you and your family had a blessed Thanksgiving. Snickers always needs to be laying on a blanket.  I was washing his two blankets that we keep in the family room and my one son dropped his clean PJ's and he laid right on top them in the middle of the floor.  We had to send you his picture.

Snickers

 He is just the best dog.  He gives everyone in our family so much love and kisses.
I had back surgery on the 17th of November and was home for 3 weeks. He never left my side and cuddled with me everyday.
I couldn't imagine not having him here.
He helped me heal.  It was a minor surgery but what a blessing that you sold him to us.

Hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!!!!"

This has Nothing to Do with Lhasas

I'm sharing a recent experience my daughter had when she purchased a new Pyrex liquid measuring cup at Home Goods. Once home, she put it in the dishwasher to wash the next time she had a full load. The next morning when she opened the dishwasher to put in dirty dishes, she found an unwelcome surprise. At some point, the Pyrex had exploded. Shards of glass were all over the insides of the dishwasher. She told me it took at least 30 minutes to clean it all up. We all wonder why or how something like this could happen, but we are grateful it happened inside the dishwasher and not while the measuring cup was sitting on the counter, where the shards could have injured a person or pet.

That's it for this week. I hope you enjoyed the photos. Best wishes as your Christmas shopping continues.

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

Joyce

Puppy Pictures and Some Other Things

How did it get so late so soon?
It's night before it's afternoon.
December's here before it's June.
My goodness how the time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon?
~Dr. Seuss

Puppy Pictures

I'm starting with photos of the puppies this week since it seems that is what most people want to see. They are now five weeks old and getting cuter and more photogenic as they grow. They are investigating, trying to play with each other, sleeping frequently, eating from their mom's food dish (she doesn't mind), learning to use the piddle pads, and charming all who see them.

Male, 5 weeks

Male, 5 weeks

 

Female, 5 weeks

Female, 5 weeks

I usually have named them by now so we have call names and can identify them when we refer to them as individuals. I don't know if my muse is on vacation, but inspiration has not yet struck, so for a while yet, they remain nameless.

Photos of Joyslyn Dogs That Others Have Sent Me Recently

Pictured below are Brigsley, who will be two in January, and Snickers, who is 13. Miranda tells me they get along great. Both are dogs the family purchased from us. Cuties!

 Another picture of Brigsley. He is Josh's litter brother.

 This is Luther. He is Kimmi's litter brother. A picture of their litter sister, Abby, was featured last week. Both Abby and Luther have that ornery look in their eye. Kimmi doesn't have that glint in her eyes. She fools us. She looks sweet and harmless but manages mischief. For example, two evenings ago while I was balancing my checkbook and focusing on the math, she managed to pull one of my husband's favorite DVD series off the shelf then proceeded to mangle the cover. She looked so innocent when the discovery was made.

A Look Back

A few weeks ago I retold the story of how Joyslyn's Lhasa Apsos began. You might recall that I saw a photo of a Lhasa in an encyclopedia, became intrigued, and later saw a litter advertised, bought a female puppy, and a month later bought another female puppy. (Is one Lhasa ever enough? Evidently I did not think so!)

Well, I finally remembered to dig out that ancient encyclopedia and find the photo. I took a picture of it and here it is -- the photo that started us on our journey.

 

That's all for this week. Kimmi and I are preparing for her first point show this weekend. Ready or not, we'll be in the ring. Send positive thoughts our way. No pressure to win this weekend. I just want her to come away with a positive ring experience.

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

 

Joyce

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Be thankful for what you have. Your life, no matter how bad you think it is, is someone else's fairy tale." ~ Wale Ayeni

 

 

A Reader Offers Helpful Resources

Last week a reader posted a comment regarding his Lhasa's tendency to bite. Another reader sent me an email with the following advice:
" Hi Joyce:  Happened to read your blog and the comment after last post. I had a Lhasa with those issues. He was a proud, but shy and then fearful biter at times. Anyway, I suggest the books below if you don’t know of them. ONLY positive reward training. I think the idea now is not to be dominant over the dog pack but have an understanding working relationship. There’s some articles out there about “Nothing in life is free." I used that with him a bit.  Also, my trainer, positive reward, said to start out, every piece of food comes from your hand, no dishes, for about 3 months. With Taz, I had to be careful he didn’t grab bite. I used an open hand.  I think that’s in Ruff Love book also. Books that helped me, below.
On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals Paperback by Turid Rugaas
The Other End of the Leash by P. McConnell
Ruff Love by S. Garrett"

Notes from Friends and a Photo

This week I heard from two people who have puppies from last year's Windy and Duncan litter.

Vivian wrote, "Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family and furry friends.  I want to tell you again how wonderful LilLea is.  We just love her to pieces.  I don't know how I lived without her in my life.  She is extremely special and she goes everywhere with us…I know that if you showed LilLea she would win everything, she is just that beautiful.  Her stance is very regal - a really nice Lhasa.  And she is very smart."

Deborah wrote,  "Mysti is always entertaining us.  She jumps straight up like Tigger and I saw her jumping up and trying to turn the door knob with her mouth.  I have been in the kitchen feeling some one behind me and she has jumped high enough that her head is right next to my shoulder.  Jumping counter high is no problem for her but fortunately she is not airborne long or she could get into some real mischief.  She must have some powerful hind legs! Your puppies are just beautiful, no matter what color.  Mysti has been heathy and coming to us already piddle pad trained has been wonderful.  She is our little princess." 



Joe sent a picture of Kimmi's sister, Abby. She is adorable!! You can tell from her expression that she must be a "real character." (The word "ornery" also comes to mind!)

Thanks Joe, Deborah, and Vivian for staying in touch!

Puppy Pictures - Age Four Weeks

We took some photos of the puppies this morning. So far, they have been very cooperative about the photo sessions. Experience tells me that that will soon change and the wiggling will begin. You might notice that a couple of them were obviously awakened from a nice nap.

Male

Male

Female

Female

They still sleep a lot and are very content and quiet. I am enjoying that while I can! They have started to explore and play with toys and each other.

A Thanksgiving Wish for You:

I hope you enjoy this special day with people (and dogs!) you love.

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

Joyce

Puppy Pictures

“Is a picture really worth a thousand words? What thousand words? A thousand words from a lunatic, or a thousand words from Nietzsche? Actually, Nietzsche was a lunatic, but you see my point. What about a thousand words from a rambler vs. 500 words from Mark Twain? He could say the same thing quicker and with more force than almost any other writer. One thousand words from Ginsberg are not even worth one from Wilde. It’s wild to declare the equivalency of any picture with any army of 1,000 words. Words from a writer like Wordsworth make you appreciate what words are worth.” ~ Jarod Kintz


That said, here are the most recent puppy pictures. The puppies are now three weeks old.

Male 3 weeks

Male 3 weeks

Female 3 weeks

Female 3 weeks

And, finally, we took a couple pictures of Kimmi. Kimmi went to training class last night. Let's just say that I hope she doesn't act like that at the show next month!

This next picture is of Ralphy, sent by his new family. He is Kimmi's litter brother. He's a cutie too!

 

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

Joyce

 

 

 

News, Pictures, Puppies

Oh the joys of fall. The leaves are all over our yard, yet we have but one tree. The leaves in our yard are "gifts" from the neighbors' oak and maple trees. So kind of them to share. Not!

 The Piddle Pad Saga

One day in mid-October, Value Pet Supply, sent me an email advertising a sale on its piddle pads.

With a possibility of two litters on the way and being a bargain shopping type of person, I was very interested! What a deal! These were the thicker, more expensive pads  than those I usually buy. (My thinking is that when the puppies get to "that age" when they determine that tearing piddle pads to shreds is a lot more fun than peeing on them, they might as well be shredding the cheaper ones.) Anyway, I quickly clicked the ad and the link took me to the company's site and the sale page. I explored a bit because there were other pads on sale - different dimensions, different absorbencies. I got out the calculator to determine just what kind of savings per pad I'd be getting.

Then I clicked on the best deal! 800 pads for $99.99! That was 12.5¢ a pad -- and free shipping besides. Now, that was a deal! So I quickly added the item to my cart and made payment.

Two days later I left for the national specialty. One night when I called home, I asked my husband if a box had arrived for me. He said two boxes had arrived so I asked him to put them in the spare bedroom -- and promptly forgot  about them.

Once home from the trip, I was unpacking and happened to open the door to that bedroom. Two huge boxes, that turned out to be four boxes stacked in pairs, awaited me. Eager to see the contents, I began opening the boxes. Piddle pads.

Lots and lots of piddle pads.

Do you know what 800 piddle pads look like?

Where does a person store 800 piddle pads?

Wherever she can find a space.

The closet shelves are full of piddle pads. Any empty space under the beds has piddle pads crammed in it. Pads are stacked on closet floors.

I do not think I will run out of piddle pads for a long time. When I am dead and gone, and my kids are cleaning out my house, they'll be finding piddle pads in odd places and questioning my sanity.

By the way, they are really nice piddle pads and I highly recommend Value Pet Supply as a source.

It Turns Out That I am a Big Winner!

Oh, and did you know that on November 1,  I was informed that I won $4.5 million dollars? Wow…that would buy a lot of piddle pads and dog food -- and pay for vet bills and entry fees -- and pay off the house and the car. I received the call on my cell phone from this number (876-583-6897). The caller referred to me as "Mrs. Joyce," asked me when I was going to be home because I had won a 2nd place prize of $4.5 million in the PCH sweepstakes. I replied "that was fast" because I had entered only once just that morning by clicking on an ad posted on FB! He asked me how I was feeling about receiving a check that afternoon for $4.5 million. I replied that I was feeling "skeptical." He seemed disappointed when he asked me why. I said because I had (1) never won anything in any lottery or sweepstakes and (2) because I never give my cell number when an online form asks for a phone number. But, I said, I would be very happy if it were true and not a scam. He assured me it was not a scam and the check would be delivered that afternoon. I said I just wanted to check to make sure he had the correct delivery address and asked him to read my address to me. He hung up! I'm still waiting for the money!  LOL

Does Your Dog Scratch All The Time?

Andrew Hillier, BVSc, MANZCVS, DACVD, Senior Veterinary Specialist - Zoetis, will present a webinar on "The Itchy Dog."
Topics include:
    •    Why dogs itch
    •    What pet owners can do to help reduce skin irritation
    •    New treatment options available to veterinarians
    •    Improving quality of life of dogs with chronic skin disease

http://www.akcchf.org/educational-resources/chf-and-vetvine-webinars.html
http://vetvine.com/article/193/akcchf-itchy-dog-event

The webinar takes place on Monday, November 23, 2015 at 8:00 p.m. EST.
Click here to register.
If you are unable to participate on the 23rd, this webinar will eventually be archived on the Canine Health Foundation site. There are currently webinars about canine cancer, joint health, and brain exercise on that site.

News and Pictures from Others

Violet wrote about Yogi: "Joyce, it was very interesting to read your blog. I still think our Yogi is the best handsome dog. He got such a pretty face with big brown eyes. God blessed us with him. Our neighbor's two year old granddaughter loved coming over to visit Yogi. Yogi was very gentle with her. I still can't believe he is 13 years old. Hope he still has two or three years of life in him. We don't have a fenced yard. Yogi trained himself never run away, always came back by the screen door. He still sleeps with me, always on the couch with me. Sometimes he would stay on the floor by my feet." 

Mary updated me on Belle's agility performances and sent me these links to photos of Belle running the course.

The first picture in this series shows Belle stopping at the tire. The look on her face says it all!
http://herreidphotography.zenfolio.com/p546874036/h6a842465#h60c9b150


The last one in this series is a favorite of mine - it shows her going over the jump.
http://herreidphotography.zenfolio.com/p994412205/h6cfce0a0#h6cfce0a0

Mary wrote, "Belle is so much fun, has a fun attitude, happy when running. Today, 2 standard runs early, then a couple hours later we did a short game, very short standard run. One pic of Belle and tire, Belle has stopped on the take off of the tire;  she is looking at me…Really, I have to jump through?  She wasn’t as peppy except when she ran to inspect a piece of lint.   2 Qs a piece. Belle got a little title for the Standard runs, yesterday and today. Moka, first time ever, 10 sec. under coarse time for the game. All the dogs ran it in 20 sec, she ran in 40, so still slow but under the coarse time limit.  She was faster than Belle today;  Belle was faster yesterday.   Ran the 2 back to back last run;  very nice judge;  said she’d do a briefing if I wanted to rest….someone helped me with dog handoff.  Belle got a little perturbed when she saw I was playing games with Moka and she was with some stranger. [My friend] had to walk her away and learned of Belle’s 'putting on the brakes if you make the leash tight, lady!'”

It is Official

The certificate came from AKC, along with an invitation to enter Josh in the National Owner Handler Series in Orlando in December. I will not be able to go but was thrilled to have been invited.

Puppies!

Windy's puppies were born on October 28. Two weeks old today, they have just started to open their eyes. I have a very long waiting list so none of these puppies are available.

One of the two girls

The other girl

One of the two boys

The other boy

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

Joyce