April Showers and All That - Catching Up After A Few Weeks!

I know, I know...I usually end the blog with those words; however, it has been a few weeks since I have written and, having received email and photos from so many of our puppy buyers in March and early April, I decided that my "slogan" was a great way to begin this post.

The other important thing I want to say is "Thank You" to the many people who sent email or sympathy cards to offer condolences about our Secret. Those cards, emails, and FB postings meant a great deal to me.

In brief, what has happened since I last posted includes a dog show, new puppies, and lots of photos and messages that I want to share.

Show Results
Autumn and I attended a 4-day show in Manitowoc, WI, at the end of March. We enjoyed the hospitality of friends Jan and Dean Graunke and the companionship of the other Lhasa exhibitors who attended that weekend: Karen Schlais, Sue Stoddard, Michael Papierniak, Lynn Replogle, LaVonne Bennett, and Matt Hoagland, who was showing Melissa Papke's Lhasa. Autumn showed very well for not being at a show since early February. She won the major on both Friday and Saturday, taking Reserve to Melissa's Lhasa on Thursday and Sunday.

Here are photos Karen took of Autumn and her ribbons on Friday.

Autumn now needs only two single points to earn her championship. We don't have any shows in April but May has three weekends of shows that we hope to attend.

Puppies
In early March, I drove to Madison, WI, to evaluate a litter of puppies that were co-bred by LaVonne Bennett and me. Their sire is GCHB CH Joyslyn MLS Dakota Wind Breaker (Josh) and their dam is GCH CH Mon Ami N Joyslyn's Shades of Summer (Misti). The litter (of 8!) was very impressive. I ended up bringing home a female that we call Ella (Ellie, Elle, Ellie-Bellie and (frequently) No-Ella!). (She is very fond of tearing up piddle pads and pulling on Autumn's ears!) She and Autumn became fast friends. Here are some pictures of her at age 9 weeks. Sad to admit it, but we have not take photos since then.

Her coat is already changing color and, as I push her coat the wrong way, I can see a lot of reddish gold color coming in. You can see some of that coloring on her ears.

Of course, I know that many of you reading this blog have been waiting for our first litter of 2019. I want to remind those of you on the waiting list for puppies how things work. You can also find this information on the FAQ page of the Joyslyn's Lhasa Apsos website.

How do you decide which buyer gets which puppy?
The first choice of a puppy always goes to me. People buying show puppies get to choose before people buying pet puppies. Otherwise, when you are put on a waiting list for a male or female, you are given a choice in the order in which you appear on the list and the order in which you send a deposit once I ask for one. (Generally after the puppies are a week or two old and I'm satisfied that all are thriving.) The only exception will be if I think a particular puppy's disposition is not suited for your family. For instance, a very stubborn outgoing puppy does not belong in a home where people want to baby him and are too timid to set boundaries for him. My goal is for both buyers and puppies to have happy lives together!

Explain more about the deposit you mentioned.
I do not take deposits until the puppies are born and I am sure they are thriving. When I am ready to accept deposits, I notify potential buyers by email. A deposit holds a puppy for you and assures you that I will not sell the puppy to another buyer. Deposits must be for at least $100. Fifty dollars of a deposit is non-refundable if you change your mind about getting the puppy. The entire deposit is refundable if a health problem shows up during the puppy's health check. The deposit is subtracted from the total amount due for the puppy. The balance is due on the day you come to get the puppy. 

Having said all that, I am pleased to announce that GCHB CH Joyslyn MLS Dakota Wind Breaker (Josh) and CH Joyslyn's Moonlight Beckons (Bekka) are the proud parents of seven (7) puppies. They were born on March 30. (Yes...while I was at the dog show! My husband had the pleasure of staying up all night to assist with the delivery.) They were  a week earlier than expected. All are doing well and gaining weight.

Here are their first photos, taken this morning at age 1 week, 2 days.

Two black females

Two black males

Two gold females

Gold female

Our next litter is due at the end of April. The sire is GCH CH Joyslyn's Heartbreaker (Breaker) and the dam is (CH Joyslyn's Onyx). Breaker is gold; Onyx is black, so we are hoping for puppies of each color.

Photos and Messages from Others
From Rafe (translated by owner Mary): “I am not just another handsome face. I earned my AKC Novice Trick Dog Title this week. That takes an educated mind.  I’ll  let you know when my certificate arrives!”

Rafe - GCH CH Joyslyn's Inherit the Wind (now with a Novice Trick Dog Title!)

Mary added, "When we got home from the last tricks class, he was comical. I unloaded him last; he was hopping up and down on our patio before the back door, elevating about a foot off the ground, happy to be home, happy all 3 were part of the event, not sure. He tried to play charge Moka. She backed up, took a flying leap over him to the deck." (By "all 3" Mary was referring to Rafe and her two female Lhasas, Moka and Belle, who had attended the tricks class too.)

Barbara wrote, "Hi Joyce, Hope you all are well.  Sending you Lovie’s paperwork. She just keeps getting sweeter every day.  I could not ask for a better dog.   She gets away with a lot of stuff  with that face too."

Lovie

Jim wrote that Daisy went along on their trip to San Diego. He sent a few photos and this was my favorite. Love her color!!!

Daisy

Sally and Bob live way up north in MI. Sally wrote, "Just a few more winter pictures. Ginger loves it outside so much, it's impossible to keep her clean! We got a "pack" to carry her in as you can see with Bob in the pictures. Sometimes she gets scared and wants to run back to the car, so the pack I thought would help with that until she's used to it. She really looks a lot like her father! I was exploring your website some more the other day. He is very beautiful. Do you think if you had kept her Ginger would have been a show dog as well? She is quite pretty, I wonder how she would have done. I hope you are having a nice spring, we aren't yet but I hope soon!"

Ginger running through the snow tunnel

Ginger

Many puppies show breeders sell are good show prospects. The problem is, we cannot keep them all! Even when we sell what we consider a good show prospect to a pet home, it does not make us sad. We want great quality Lhasas "out there" demonstrating to those who ask "what breed is that" just what a Lhasa is supposed to look like. People often write me saying, "We want just a pet Lhasas. We don't want to show." That is absolutely fine with me. The sport of dog showing is not for everyone. It is a lot of fun for those of us who do it, just as skiing, boating, soccer, golf, agility, etc. are fun for those who choose those sports. 



Vernita wrote, "Livvy is definitely a force. She demands all the attention and struts about the house like the mortgage is in her name. I  just love her to pieces. I will send pictures as well. She’s now been trained to sleep in her own bed since she was insistent on sleeping between my husband and I. It was hard for a few weeks but now, any of the other dogs that visit can’t go near her area. She’s very playful, at times, almost too playful but she listens quite well now. Only to me, of course. She doesn’t care for strangers and we like it that way so I don’t allow anyone to touch her except for family. She’s a bit sensitive to noise that she doesn’t understand like if something drops or a car radio that goes by too loud…I again want to thank you for bringing this bundle of life to our home. She’s taking her first road trip with us in a few weeks so we’ll see how that goes."

Livvy chillin' on the bed

Livvy at the store

Carol wrote, "Hello Joyce! Jaime’s litter sister, Autumn is ever so beautiful!!! Congratulations on her ongoing success as a show dog.  I am happy to tell you I received Jamie’s AKC registration certificate about 10 days after I requested it. I am sending along a couple of pictures of our wonderful little boy…It is hard to believe he is a year old! The first year has been quite a wonderful journey, becoming acquainted with his little personality and unique ways. We are blessed beyond words with this precious little dog. Some of our family came to visit from out of state this week and he was thrilled with the opportunity to be the welcoming committee and shower them with affection.They thought he was super! As a private Piano teacher, I longed for a dog that would be good with children. He has more than met that desire. Thank you for Jaime and for all the Lhasas you have lovingly raised to enrich the lives of many families. In my book, they are the best!"

Jamie

Pat sent photos of Willow (Autumn's sister) and Baron.

Baron (parents are Chance and Jenna)

Willow (parents are Rafe and Kimmi) and Baron

That's it for now. Thanks for all who sent photos of their Joyslyn's Lhasas to share. Keep them coming...I love seeing them!

Happy Spring to All!

And, with that, I will end as I began--because I cannot stress it enough:

Joyce








 

In Fond Memory

Champion Joyslyn's Secrets of the Heart ROM

August 21, 2002 - March 15, 2019

Today Lynn and I mourn the passing of our beautiful "old lady", Secret. Secret was the daughter of our Champion Joyslyn's Rebel At Heart and Champion Joyslyn's My One N Only. She is the mother, grandmother, and great grandmother of many of our Lhasas.

Secret was one of three puppies (Piper, Secret, and Walker) we kept from three different litters, all born within a few months of each other, and all shown together until each finished. She was the second of the trio to earn her championship. She became a champion in May 2004.

Here are a few photos of her through the years.

9 weeks old

 

First major age 8 months

Taking Reserve Winners Bitch during National Specialty Week

A Head Study

In the show ring

 

Clipped down in her later years

Thanks for the love you gave, Secret. We'll see you at the Rainbow Bridge. Say hi to Walker and Piper for us.

An Essay By Ernest Montague:

DOGS NEVER DIE...

"Some of you, particularly those who think they have recently lost a dog to 'death', don’t really understand this. I’ve had no desire to explain, but won’t be around forever and must.

Dogs never die. They don’t know how to. They get tired, and very old, and their bones hurt. Of course they don’t die. If they did they would not want to always go for a walk, even long after their old bones say: 'No, no, not a good idea. Let's not go for a walk.' Nope, dogs always want to go for a walk. They might get one step before their aging tendons collapse them into a heap on the floor, but that's what dogs are. They walk.

It’s not that they dislike your company. On the contrary, a walk with you is all there is. Their boss, and the cacophonic symphony of odor that the world is. Cat poop, another dog’s mark, a rotting chicken bone (exultation), and you. That’s what makes their world perfect, and in a perfect world death has no place.

However, dogs get very very sleepy. That’s the thing, you see. They don't teach you that at the fancy university where they explain about quarks, gluons, and Keynesian economics. They know so much they forget that dogs never die. It’s a shame, really. Dogs have so much to offer and people just talk a lot.

When you think your dog has died, it has just fallen asleep in your heart. And by the way, it is wagging its tail madly, you see, and that’s why your chest hurts so much and you cry all the time. Who would not cry with a happy dog wagging its tail in their chest. Ouch! Wap wap wap wap, that hurts. But they only wag when they wake up. That’s when they say: 'Thanks Boss! Thanks for a warm place to sleep and always next to your heart, the best place.'

When they first fall asleep, they wake up all the time, and that’s why, of course, you cry all the time. Wap, wap, wap. After a while they sleep more. (remember, a dog while is not a human while). You take your dog for walk, it’s a day full of adventure in an hour. Then you come home and it's a week, well one of your days, but a week, really, before the dog gets another walk. No WONDER they love walks.)

Anyway, like I was saying, they fall asleep in your heart, and when they wake up, they wag their tail. After a few dog years, they sleep for longer naps, and you would too. They were a GOOD DOG all their life, and you both know it. It gets tiring being a good dog all the time, particularly when you get old and your bones hurt and you fall on your face and don’t want to go outside to pee when it is raining but do anyway, because you are a good dog. So understand, after they have been sleeping in your heart, they will sleep longer and longer.

But don’t get fooled. They are not 'dead.' There’s no such thing, really. They are sleeping in your heart, and they will wake up, usually when you’re not expecting it. It’s just who they are.

I feel sorry for people who don’t have dogs sleeping in their heart. You’ve missed so much. Excuse me, I have to go cry now."

Me too...

Joyce

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A Trip Down Memory Lane

"March is the month God created to show people who don't drink what a hangover is like." ~ Garrison Keillor

Happy March. We keep getting closer to spring...

It's weird to say, but this morning when I walked out the door to go to work, I thought, "Hmmm, it doesn't feel too bad out here this morning." The temp was 22 degrees - a veritable heat wave after the strong, cold winds we had earlier in the week!! The "in like a lion" wind came in late February for us and it was crazy for a few days. I kept hoping that the trees would stay rooted!

A few days ago I did something I had been intending to do for a long time. I purchased binders and sheet protectors and organized 20 years worth of monthly articles that I wrote for Dog World Magazine between August 1976 (appeared in the November 1976 issue) and August 1996. My goal then as now was to inform people about the Lhasa. At the time, Lhasas were fairly new to the scene but becoming more popular. The general public was attracted to them--although most could not correctly pronounce the name--and very few resources were available to teach people about the breed, especially about how to groom them. Since I was basically in the middle of nowhere in a small Nebraska town, I learned by trial and error (a lot of error!!). I eventually had some great mentors, even though they were "long distance" in Iowa, New York, and Missouri. I decided to share what I had learned with others. Among the topics I wrote about were grooming; ALAC activities; evaluating puppies; breeding practices; "miracle" recipes for growing coat and putting weight on a dog; training; new resources; Lhasa size; Lhasa Standard in general; particulars about size, topline, movement; co-ownership pros and cons; what to include in a letter of inquiry, and so on.

I would have liked to have taken time to read through all of them again, but I was in a rush to get the binders filled and cross the chore off my to-do list. A few articles did catch my eye.

One article was written as a result of a Futurity I judged. It included a critique of the entry and what I liked about the dogs that were my winners. Boy, did that bring back memories. I recall being so nervous about judging a Futurity. I had been in the ring many times as an exhibitor, but to be asked to judge was an honor and I wanted to do it right. I did! My Futurity winner went on to finish that day in the regular judging! Whew!

In another article I commented on people saying to me that I must have a lot of puppy sales as a result of my being a columnist. That was not true, as I pointed out in the article. No one really paid attention to the by-line as evidenced by a phone call I took one evening during which the caller kept quoting from a couple of my articles and explaining that the author obviously knew more about Lhasas than I did. So I asked him the name of the columnist. He responded, "Joyce Johanson," so then I asked him if he recalled to whom he was speaking. He started to say something and basically ended up with "oh."

Social media has, if nothing else, been a good vehicle for getting information from others quickly. (Whether or not they know what they are talking about, everyone has an opinion.) Back in the days when I was writing the columns, readers would mail letters or call me with questions about an article's topic or about anything they were concerned about regarding Lhasas. In the next article (usually published a couple months later), I would ask readers if anyone had advice on the subject of the call. More waiting for mail and phone calls, then another article would be written and submitted, then published a couple months later. It was the norm. We would not be able to be that patient for answers nowadays!

One funny thing -- I once received in the mail a plastic bag containing a huge amount of hair that someone had groomed out of their Lhasa during his coat change. She wanted me to look at the amount of hair and let her know if it was normal or not. I wrote back assuring her it was. I can't blame her for being concerned when I still get nervous when I see the mounds of undercoat coming out of some of my Lhasas when they are going through a coat change. 

Here is an interesting article from June 1987, titled "Life After Death:"

Remember crying when you watched "Lassie, Come Home?" Remember the tears while you read Incredible Journey?  How brave those animals were! What devotion they felt toward their owners!

Well, except for the fact that there was no one to chronicle her adventure, nine-month-old Lhasa Apso Chelsey, belonging to Bruce and Nancy Ritchie of Vinton, IA, has an equally amazing story. If only Chelsey could talk.

On December 16, Chelsey died. Nancy let her outside for a quick run and Chelsey ran right into the path of a pickup. The truck struck her and its wheels ran over her midsection, killing her instantly.

As Chelsey lay motionless in the street, Nancy examined her carefully for signs of life. Chelsey neither breathed nor moved. There was no doubt--the little dog was dead. Distraught, Nancy wondered how she'd explain to her five-year-old son Bobby that his puppy was dead, and when the truck driver offered to take Chelsey's body, Nancy agreed.

Bobby got a new puppy -- a Shih Tzu.

Bruce, Nancy, and Bobby Ritchie now own two dogs. Chelsey came home!

No one knows how or why, but somehow the little Lhasa survived the injuries to her mid-section, survived being "disposed of" (Nancy surmises Chelsey was thrown into a ditch.), survived the December/January temperatures, and returned to her home in Vinton exactly four weeks after her "death." She was dirty, somewhat underweight, but obviously alive and glad to be home.

Nancy, who had worked six years on an ambulance crew, has had to take some good-nature teasing from townspeople about declaring a live dog dead. Her husband also has remarked that if he drops dead, he'd like a second opinion!

The mystery remains. Where were you for 30 days, Chelsey? What did you have to go through to get back home?

If only Chelsey could talk. 
================================================================

Judge's Critique

I mentioned that I wrote a critique about the Futurity I judged. A critique is not required of judges so I was both surprised and pleased when I was looking through the American Lhasa Apso Club's website a couple weeks ago and ran across the critique the 2018 National Specialty Judge wrote about her Specialty winners since my Autumn was included in the critique. Here it is:

A Few Notes and Photos from Others

Lynn wrote about Stone, "Here’s a few photos so you can see Stone’s coloring. The gold is mostly around his nose and you can see he’s getting more white, as well. He’s got two spots of white on his right ear and on his legs, they’re starting to get white and “lighter than black” hairs. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t eventually end up with gold on his legs, as well, as they’re starting to change, just like his face. Although it’s not showing up very good in the photo."

How interesting! As a puppy (and he still is just 8 months old) Stone was black-black! We generally do not see what is called "silvering out" until the dog is older. I told Lynn that even for myself I preferred the term "silvering out" to "getting gray!" 

Stone

Judy shared news about Ty and Izzy, her two Joyslyn's dogs: "Hi Joyce."WOO HOO!  Ty finally completed an entire agility course at the Lhasa Apso trial I was in charge of  Feb. 8,9,10. On Friday the temperature high was Zero!! Many of the dogs did not show up. Saturday Ty jumped 7 jumps and then decided to quit.  Now on Sunday he completed 15 jumps, refused the 6th weave pole, but finished up with the tunnel..He did not make time, but I was on cloud 9.  We drove home in the snowstorm, but I was so happy. We  finally reached our goal of finishing a course.  Since he was the only Lhasa running he received a standing ovation. Lots of good memories…Izzy is my forever student. Three years of agility training and then 3 off courses. She does what she wants to do. Two years of rally and I don't think I will ever put her in another trial. She ran all over the course and then sat down!  She enjoys training with Winny so she will continue going to class."

Izzy, Izzy...definitely a Lhasa with a will of her own!

From Lisa: "I hope all is well with you! What a brutal winter!  Of course, my sweet puppy doesn't care. She loves the snow… I named her Tilliebelle. She is spunky, sassy, and cuddly when she wants to be, and everything I could have ever hoped for. She has become my shadow, and has gone a long way to fill the empty shoes left by my senior Lhasa."


Sally wrote, "Ginger finally got a bath and out of that dumb blue cone around her neck. She doesn't like the hair dryer but that will come along.We are starting to get some longer walks in and she loves being outside…She weighs 11 pounds. I'm glad you like her AKC name. She is so sweet and so good. I'm so happy to have her."

Ginger

Violet sent a photo of her Shadow and his favorite sleeping position.

Announcements

We should have puppies during the first week of April and the last week of April, if all goes as planned.

Also, if you are interested in being on the list for a retired adult female, we will have two of our girls available by fall.

That's it for now!

Stay warm!

Joyce

February!! Winter Weather! Show Results! Pictures!

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says 'Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.'” ― Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There

Happy February! It's a month full of special days--Groundhog Day, Lincoln's Birthday, President's Day, Washington's Birthday, Valentine's Day...

For me it is special because it brings us one month closer to Spring! I am so sick of cold, snow, freezing rain, slick streets, wearing layers of coats and scarves and boots and gloves, not being able to let the dogs out for any generous length of time to potty and play because of the extremely low temperatures...

I am enjoying a nice warm day at home today because it is Lincoln's birthday, and I work at  a state university so it, like all state entities, is closed to honor our 16th president. Springfield, Illinois, hosts the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, a really wonderful place to visit. So hats off to Honest Abe and his place in history.

"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution." ~ Abraham Lincoln

I am also enjoying a day away from the office. Things have been in a constant state of stress at work as two HUGE changes took place in the last three weeks. Both arrived with no warning or little warning. In one case, notice was emailed that the university was reducing reimbursement for use of a personal vehicle for university travel from 58¢ a mile to 20¢ a mile (!). That was bad news because 8 of my staff are located in different cities in Illinois and their job is to travel around 54 Illinois counties providing services to preschool teachers and families of children 3-8. No fleet vehicles are available to them so they are forced to use their own cars.

We received a 3-day notification of the other change which arrived via email on the MLK holiday week. This change required everyone who was not already Civil Service personnel to undergo procedures for conversion to Civil Service status. We administrators and supervisors had two days to get the paperwork done for all our staff members. Of course such a change means a change in status, benefits, time reporting requirements, etc.

What a zoo--resulting in headaches, employee concerns, unrest, stress, and feelings of unfair treatment. It's not over yet, but at least a day off gets my mind off work for a while. (Yet here I am complaining about it, so obviously...!)

Show Results
In spite of weather warnings, Autumn and I went to Indianapolis to a dog show last weekend. I have to admit that I was happy to be at a show in spite of the cold and wind (and the snow that came later). The January snows and ice storms kept us from attending any training classes (the closest one is about an hour and a half away), so Autumn was not as well behaved in the ring as she was last fall. She hates to have her head and face messed with, probably because I constantly have to put up her pony tails since she rubs them out as quick as I put them in and because she has tear stains that I am trying to overcome so I wash her face and clean her eyes a lot too. Anyway, she was not keen on the judge touching her head.

We totally lost on Friday, took Reserve on Saturday, and won 2 points on Sunday, bringing her point count to 7 including one of the necessary two majors. Here is a photo that our friend Mike took of her in the ring on Friday.

Sunday was a 'hurry up--show--pack up--and leave' kind of day. A snow storm was coming in and indeed managed to hit before we left. We packed the car while dealing with wind and heavy snow. The drive home was treacherous with a snow-packed slick interstate through Indiana. Once we got to Illinois the roads were clearer and remained that way for the rest of the drive to Macomb. Whew!

Our next show will be in WI at the end of March and I certainly hope we can make it to some training classes before then.

My Good Luck
So...it looks like out of the blue I may be able to retire as a millionaire after all. I can go to more dog shows, hire expensive professional handlers, kick back and relax, stop worrying about bills...the possibilities are endless! What a dream come true! How did such a thing happen?

I will share the good-news email I received yesterday: "We are pleased to inform you of the result of the just concluded annual final draws held on the (8/02/2019) by Coca-Cola in conjunction with the British American Tobacco Worldwide Promotion. Your email was among the 20 Lucky winners who won one million Dollars,{$1,000,000.00 Dollars } each on the COCA`COLA COMPANY PROMOTION!"

 How nice of them. And I don't even drink Coke! LOL

Photos from Others
Lynne sent a photo of Stone.

Sally wrote about Ginger, "She really is so adorable. I can’t believe how fast she’s growing. She’s so nice too.... everyone does love her :)" 

Here is a photo of Rita's Penny. Penny is a full sister to Autumn but from a previous litter.

From Victoria about Stella: "I am working on an update with pictures. I will send it soon. I just remembered I never sent you a message after Stella's appointment with her vet. Her vet says Stella is in excellent health; she was so good with everyone there! She and I have been working very hard on the grooming process. I have kept the pads of her feet and nails trimmed, as well as clipping around her eyes. She just needs a full trim…I truly cannot thank you enough for all you did to give us THE PERFECT PUPPY!!!"

Mary sent a photo of her two Joyslyn's dogs, Rafe and Belle, both of whom went to live with her as adults. Rafe has been with Mary for a year now. She wrote, "I think it is coming up on Rafe’s first year anniversary with us. Lots of learning on his part, on mine. I think the best attribute bringing him to live with us is his non-aggressive nature with the girls. I am amazed how Rafe strives to be part of the trio....Rafe starts a tricks for fun class this week. Should be fun for him...I did resort to booting Rafe for some subzero temps. He is not fond of me putting the boots on, even less fond of them coming off, but once he is outside, he prances like a pony, no hopping on 2 or 3 legs from feet freezing. I threatened to leave the boots on during his grumbles; he wasn’t impressed. I hate putting them on, really tough to get on the girls, just making sure they don’t pop off, but below zero is almost a must. Belle will stop if one comes off, like to show me…MY BOOT!"

What's Next?
Well, if the breeding between Josh and Bekka resulted in puppies, we should have a new litter around April 5th. We have a breeding planned to take place between Breaker and Onyx this coming weekend. Those puppies will be born in late April. Color-wise, we expect both blacks and golds. Each sire is gold. Each dam is black.

Josh also sired a litter, now about a month and a half old. The dam is a champion co-owned by LaVonne Bennett and me. There are a couple of gold puppies in the litter but most are an attractive tri-color (black, tan, and white). Here is one of the boys.

 

We will have one, perhaps two, adult females (our retired champions) available for new homes sometime this year. Please contact me if you would like to be on the waiting list for one of them.  

Finally, Happy Valentine's Day to you all. 

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

~1 Corinthians 13:13

Joyce