Happy Easter!

The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances. ~Robert Flatt

Happy Easter! You know that I sometimes begin my blog postings with a quotation that relates to my mood, the season, the topic of the post, or whatever seems appropriate to me that day. In addition to the quotation above, I also found another that hits close to home this time of year: I lied on  my Weight Watchers list. I put down that I had 3 eggs ... but they were Cadbury chocolate eggs. ~ Caroline Rhea

And (true confessions), I recently ate an entire package of Brach's jelly beans - even the black ones! (Perhaps I should say, "especially the black ones.") I seem to be able to leave them alone any other time of the year, but at Easter they call my name from shelves across the entire store!

I recently ran across Dr, Sophia Yin's interesting and educational website that has some good dog training articles. I'd seen a link on Facebook to an article on puppies and children and how to teach children to watch a dog's body language and thus avoid dog bites. So, I followed that link, which eventually led me to another website, and so on. You know how it goes. Anyway, I found the few articles I read to be interesting and hope you also find them helpful and interesting. Here's a poster that was on the site regarding dog's body language of fear:

Speaking of Facebook, if you have not already seen them, check out the FB pages of Lhasa Friends and The American Lhasa Apso Club. You might also bookmark the website of the American Lhasa Apso Club. It has some nice resources on it. One I am especially fond of is Learn About the Lhasa Apso.

Windy did well at class Tuesday night. She is now used to the environment, the people, and the dogs so has more confidence and less fear. She lost her confidence and went into guard dog mode when, about the middle of class, a newcomer and his Schnauzer joined us. She decided she did not like the looks of that dog and was determined to let everyone in class know it. She's a character! So, from the moment class started her tail was up and she did a nice job stacking on floor and table, allowing the trainer to examine her. She gaited well when no dogs were behind her and equally as well when there were dogs behind her. I hope she can transfer her learning to an actual dog show. There is one coming up next weekend so we'll see. Please keep your fingers crossed for her to show well. I don't even care about winning right now (OMG....did I really write that?!). I just want her to relax and enjoy being in the ring.

I have no puppy pictures to share today. This week has been so busy that my husband and I have not been home long enough together to find the time to get out a camera and deal with wiggly puppy boys who would rather be running, playing, and wrestling with each other than posing for pictures. They'll go with me to the show next weekend to meet the owner of their sire. Their personalities are different. Gus is the sweetheart, cuddly puppy who loves to be held and who is content to play quietly by himself if necessary. Duncan is into everything and enjoys running into Gus at full speed and engaging in puppy battles. He likes to be held too but then wants down to make sure he hasn't missed anything. To be honest, I am not looking forward to an overnight trip with the two of them! They are "all boy" and are the sweetest when they are curled up together in the dog bed -- sleeping! LOL

Even though I have no photos to post of Gus and Duncan, I do have

Snickers

one that I received from Max's (now known as Snickers) new family. He's enjoying playing with the family's twin boys, and the whole family thinks Snickers is the greatest! This photo was taken after Snicker's first grooming and haircut. He's a cutie. Look at that face!

May the Easter Bunny bring you lots of chocolate and plenty of jelly beans...and may the snows disappear and spring finally make a grand entrance.

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

Joyce

Ummm...Where is Spring?

What we'd like to see in our yards!

The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month. 
~ Henry Van Dyke

Where is spring? It certainly has not shown itself in west central Illinois! The temps have been low and the wind chills even lower! The weather forecast for this weekend is snow, snow, snow! UGH…enough already!

What is on its way!

I've spent more than enough time in a car this past month to last me a long time: a 13.5 hour round trip in late February to pick up a dog in WI; an 8 hour round trip to a dog show the following weekend; a 6.5 hour round trip to WI to take the dog back; and, most recently, a 16 hour round trip to NE to visit Mom, my sister, and her family. When I returned, the following day involved a 4 hour round trip to Bloomington, IL for a work-related meeting and, once I returned home that afternoon, I changed into my jeans and hopped into the car for another 4 hour round trip to Peoria to take Windy to her  training class! Thankfully, except for the weekly training class in Peoria, the next trip on my schedule is not until the first weekend in April.

I had a wonderful time in Nebraska with my family. We talked a lot, shopped a bit, played some games, and simply enjoyed being together again. Unfortunately, my visits are not frequent enough, but we enjoy the time we can spend together. I might add that on each day of the visit, I was again in a car: Friday we went shopping in a larger town (about a 2 hour round trip); Saturday we traveled to Lincoln to pick up my sister's exchange student at the airport (about a 6 hour round trip); and Sunday Mom took us to lunch in a neighboring town (about a 2 hour round trip). Am I tired of being in a car? YES!

At last! This week the flooring installer came, pulled up the Duraceramic tile in our family room, installed a moisture barrier, and laid new tile (this time with grout and not sealant between the tiles). It looks great! Since the puppies were in a room adjacent to the family room, I moved them upstairs so they would be removed from the dust and commotion of the installation. Besides, we needed their room to store the family room furniture! It was a long two days for them (and us) since they did not have as much room to roam around and play as they were used to having downstairs. We were all happy when the furniture was moved back into the family room and the puppies' room was once again empty of the family room furniture, clean,  and available to them.

Duncan, 8 weeks old

Here are the latest pictures of the boys, now 8 weeks old. They had their first shots this week and passed their health exams with flying colors!

Gus, 8 weeks old

BTW…Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day! Zora and Zeus celebrated their "Irish Roots" (LOL) in style. (Zora seems happier about being decked out in green than Zeus does. I imagine he thinks it is undignified!)

Zora and Zeus, dressed up in honor of St. Patrick's Day

Ellie in her new home on her new blanket

Ellie's new owners sent a note with a picture of her: "Just returned from the vet and everything went great…Attached is a photo of her on a new blanket that Claire made.  She's adjusting so well and such a joy for us." 

We also received a nice newsy letter and a bundle of photos from Davy's owner. Davy was one of our retired champions who was placed with a new owner who has a profound appreciation not only for the breed but also for Davy. I get great letters detailing his personality and activities, always with a thank you for allowing him to have Davy. Here is one of the photos he sent. Yes, he still keeps Davy in a long coat and tells me they both enjoy the grooming time spent together.

Davy

Based on our experiences, I want to let any of you who are thinking about taking or given the opportunity to take an adult Lhasa instead of a puppy to give it a try. People call me all the time upset because they cannot find puppies and decrying the fact that breeders are not breeding as often as in the past, making good Lhasas from reputable breeders hard to find. That is happening for many reasons: many of us are getting older and are trying to cut back on the number of dogs we breed and own; many new, restrictive laws are being passed that limit the number of dogs a breeder can have; other laws seek to punish dog breeders, which makes us all more than a little concerned, lumping the good breeders with the bad ones. Bottom line -- many breeders who show Lhasas often have retired champions, both male and female, available. If you cannot find a puppy, ask the people you are calling if they would consider selling an adult. You may wonder how breeders are able to let their retired champions go. It is not easy. I'll refer you to a previous post that may help explain.

I hope Spring comes soon for all of you!

Remember, life is better when you have a Lhasa to love you!

Joyce

Happy National Napping Day!

Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap. ~Barbara Jordan (quoting Robert Fulghum)

Happy National Napping Day! (Okay, so I'm a day late!) I guess someone thought we needed some extra sleep following Sunday's time change. Someone was right!

Duncan, age 6.5 weeks

We had a little photo shoot of Gus and Duncan on Sunday night. They are becoming used to new surroundings. Now that Ellie has left for her new home, the boys have been moved to a bigger play area. We've also begun separating them from Raven for longer periods of time. They've been sneaking little tastes of her food for a while now, so weaning them should not be a huge problem. The photo of Duncan does not have the best contrast. Gus is black and, although Duncan looks black, he is actually a dark gold with a black overlay over his back. It will be interesting to see what color he becomes as he matures.

Gus, age 6.5 weeks

Ellie was a great one for dashing under my feet at inopportune moments (like every time I'd put my foot down!) and these little guys seem to be following in her footsteps. What is it about puppies that they don't seem to understand the cause/effect associated with my foot stepping down and their foot hurting? So now I'm doing the "puppy shuffle" again.  We are also teaching the puppies to use the piddle pads. They are actually doing a decent job of it and have not yet discovered the joys of piddle pad shredding!

Next week we'll have to begin training all over again in a new area of the house. The crew is coming next week to tear out the flooring that was installed incorrectly in our family room. They'll then replace it with new tile. So the puppies have to be relocated since their room is right off the family room and I do not want them breathing in all the dust and whatever else may be floating around from the demolition.

Here's a cute (short) video of Rafe playing with Ellie a couple days before she left. Rafe is the only male we have that wants to play with puppies - perhaps because he is still close to puppy age himself. (I apologize that the TV was  on. Turn down your sound so you don't have to hear it!)

Snickers (aka Max)

Winter is still alive and kicking in the midwest. States around us have had more snow. We've had a great deal of rain, so we are lucky in that we are getting much-needed moisture and are not having to scoop a foot or more of snow. The ground is saturated now and most people in this area are hoping that the temps do not drop. The ice would be awful! The dogs don't want to go outside and when they do go out, they come in soaked. The ones that are clipped are easily dried. That is not true for the coated dogs! Again, I am thankful for the exercise pen in our garage!

After bad weather causing our training class to be cancelled two weeks in a row, Windy and I are headed for Peoria tonight to her first class since last fall. We're hoping to get two or three in before her next show so she'll feel more comfortable in and out of the show ring and actually show off that "attitude" that so defines her!

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

Joyce

P.S. If you would not mind, it would be appreciated if you supported efforts to stop the PUPS Act as currently written. It may be (or not) a well-intentioned bill, but it has language in it that needs to be changed to protect small hobby breeders. This link will take you to a form letter posted by the Calvary Group. You can change the letter if you desire or send it as is. Once you fill out details about yourself, the program automatically addresses the letter to your Senators and Representatives. It's easy to do. If you are from Illinois, Senator Durbin will send you his usual form letter acknowledging your stance. At least this year he didn't send me one thanking me for supporting his bill. Evidently he found a new aide who can actually read and interpret constituents' letters.

Show News, Photos, Updates

Whatever happened to that early spring the groundhog promised us? Snow, snow, and more snow...our schools closed again today, and more snow is expected during the night! Enough already!

We are back from a successful weekend at the Belle City Kennel Club show. The show was held at the beautiful facility at Purina Farms in Gray Summit, MO. You may recall I was worried about Windy's tail. Well, we made some progress and reached what I hope is a turning point. She was not fearful and shaking this time. On Saturday, she held her tail down both for her individual class and for the Winners Bitch class. There was a brief spark of hope when she first took off to go around the ring, shook herself, and the tail came up. But, alas, it went back down. On Sunday, she again held it down in her puppy class. However, in the Winners Bitch class as she followed the other Lhasa around the ring, her tail was up. I was thrilled and felt as good as if she had won a major! One of the saddest sights is a Lhasa in the show ring with its  tail down. (It is an especially sad sight if you are the person on the other end of her lead!)

Rafe did well. I am so proud of him! He took Best of Breed both days over a nice male special and a nice bitch special. We showed in the Group but did not place. At the end of this post is another video taken of him in the Group ring on Saturday. Those two Best of Breed wins gave him more than enough points to finish his Grand Championship! Hurray!! We now have a new Grand Champion -- GCh. Ch. Joyslyn's Inherit the Wind. The video below shows him in Sunday's breed ring.

At home, the Raven's boys are doing well and growing fast. It's hard to believe they are already 6 weeks old. Time has passed quickly. They are enjoying investigating the family room and playing with Ellie.

Gus, 6 weeks

Duncan, 6 weeks

 Speaking of Ellie, she is now 3 months old. I found a picture of her grandmother (Rafe's mom) at age 4 months and think there is a definite resemblance.

Ellie, 3 months

Dancer, Ellie's Grandma, 4 months

Here is a link to the new Lhasa Apso video from the American Lhasa Apso Club.

Griffin II

The owners of Rafe's litter brother, Griffin II, (Loretta and Tom) shared a photo of Griffin. I enjoy seeing the kids from that litter. They are all just precious. They have lovely dispositions and such sweet faces. It's also fun to see the variety of "hair styles" given them by their groomers.

Chickens in Miami

My daughter lives in Miami. The last time I went to visit her I was amazed to see a rooster hanging around the parking lot in front of the area Publix grocery. Her friend told me that Miami is full of chickens, so each spring my daughter sends me photos of the latest hatchlings that live in the park across from her apartment building. Here is the most recent. Evidently Spring has arrived in Miami!

We received sad news from Fred and Melinda that Lily, Ch. Joyslyn's My One N Only passed away a month shy of her 15th birthday. Melinda and Fred bought Lily from us when she was  9 years old as a companion for a very active young Lhasa male, "Keeper," they bought from us who later became their first champion. Melinda's note said, "Fred and I wanted to thank you for letting us have Lily so many years ago…we've had her sweetness and silliness for nearly 6 wonderful years. Not long enough....She was always entertaining (even during her dreaded grooming sessions, lol). We are broken hearted…[the house] feels and sounds empty with our very special little Silly, Pilly, Lily gone."

Lily the show dog!

Lily was quite a character. She enjoyed life to the fullest, was quite a clown, and was sometimes a challenge to show. For example, she did not want to follow ring protocol and preferred to stack herself facing backward instead of forward in the line up. She was very animated and more than one judge was left smiling or shaking his/her head after seeing Lily. She would not be denied though, and more often than not came away the winner. At home she had many nicknames, including Lily Ann, Lily Munster, and Silly Lily. We were happy to share this lively girl with Fred and Melinda. I know she gave them a lot of love and joy.

Lily on a boat in her retirement

Unfortunately, the "Problematic PUPS Bill" (so dubbed by AKC) has once again been reintroduced. Here are some snippets about the bill from AKC's Legislative Alert.
Federal Legislative Alert: Problematic PUPS Bill Reintroduced for 2013
(Friday, March 01, 2013)
"Federal "PUPS" legislation (S 395/HR 847), sponsored by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rep. Jim Gerlach has been reintroduced in the U.S. Congress and assigned to the House and Senate Agriculture committees. The bill is substantially the same as previous versions introduced in 2011 and 2010, which never received committee hearings...as currently written, the definitions proposed in this bill are misleading, overly broad, and potentially damaging to small responsible breeders who individually maintain and breed only a few dogs in their homes.
AKC's specific concerns with PUPS include the following:
*   Defines "high volume retail breeder" as someone with "an ownership interest in or custody of one or more breeding female dogs". This definition is overly broad and does not take into account co- and joint ownerships common among dog owners, dog show participants, hunting club members, sporting dog trainers and other hobbyists. This would hurt many small hobby breeders who keep or breed only a few dogs in their homes by subjecting them to commercial standards of regulation as a result of agreements they maintain with other small breeders.
*   Defines "high volume retail breeder" as someone with "an ownership interest in or custody of one or more breeding female dogs". Because the threshold for regulation is based on the number of dogs bred and sold, any reference to the number of dogs owned or in custody is unnecessary and potentially misleading.
*   Defines "breeding female" as an intact female dog aged 4 months or older. This is misleading and implies that a female dog may be bred at 4 months. Female dogs are not sufficiently mature at 4 months of age to be bred and should not be deemed "breeding females".
*   Exercise language should be clarified with respect to the terms "solitary and goal oriented" to ensure that the daily exercise requirements do not preclude training that involves other types of wholesome activity that could fall under this definition (e.g., playing fetch, field training for hunting dogs, or the responsible use of treadmills for keeping canine athletes in top physical condition).
*   PUPS would exponentially expand the pool of breeders regulated and inspected by the Animal Care Division of the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal, Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS). However, a May 2010 audit of this program by the USDA's own Inspector General demonstrated that the existing inspections program is insufficient to carry out current responsibilities. AKC believes these issues and full funding for the current program and enforcement of current laws should be addressed before attempting to exponentially expand the program's responsibilities and workload.

AKC encourages you to respectfully share these reasonable concerns about the potential damaging consequences of this bill with your member of Congress."

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

Joyce

Here is a video of Rafe in the Group ring last weekend.

More Notes from Friends, Pictures, and Updates

After reading about Oliver in the last blog, Sherri, who owns his sister wrote, "Libby is doing great.  I loved your blog where you are talking about one of her littermates (I think)—Oliver.  Everything the owners said described Libby: the licking, the chewing, the stubbornness, loving snow.  It is funny to think her siblings might be the same way.  She is a real princess and I think she knows it.  Today we got about five inches of snow-and she just ran through it like she was in heaven! She is a joy in our lives!"

Griffin I

 Tom and Penny, owners of Rafe's litter brother, Griffin I, sent photos of him and wrote, "Joyce, Griffin sends regards on his 15 month birthday and hopes you and family are well. We selected Griffin on Valentine Day in 2012  and he continues to be a joy."  

Max's new owners picked him up on Friday evening and sent this email Saturday morning: "We love him!! He never cried once on the way home. He woke up at 4am for a short cry and went back until 5:55am. He is such a joy to have...Thank you for giving us a beautiful new addition to our family!!P.S. He loves the snow." Max's new name is Snickers. His new family of four includes two junior-high aged boys. They'll keep him busy!!! It was charming that the whole family was so excited to see him and fell in love with him immediately. He was thrilled with them too!

Max/Snickers dozing in his new bed

I love it that all three messages say what a joy the dogs are to their families!

Lisa and Stacey wrote, "Just a quick note to say hi on Lola's second birthday (OK, 3 days late). Lola is quite the character -- smart, cute, sweet, opinionated, and very little (9 pounds now!!)...She also still loves going to the Saturday morning play group, but is much more particular about her playmates now. Some weeks she just focuses on the human attention, but if her favorite dog friends show up she runs around and wrestles. I'd hoped to get a photo of her to send you, but she absolutely hates the camera and even runs from my iPhone. I'll send a photo when I can get a decent one. Anyway, we absolutely love her!" (And, although they didn't say it directly, I know that Lisa and Stacey think Lola is a joy too!)

Ellie, 12 weeks

With Max's departure with his new family, little Ellie has been alone since Friday night. She doesn't care, and I really thought she would. She's enjoying getting all of the attention, has learned to amuse herself by batting a choo hoof across the tile floor, and has turned into a little diva (sounds better than "brat!"). She's been  playing with Maggie (her mom), Raven, and Windy. Rafe wants to play but she pulls and chews on his coat so I nixed that! I think he was relieved. She's also been trying to play with Raven's two boys, but they are not too sure they want to play with her! She's used to roughhousing with a puppy her own size. I warn her that soon they are going to be bigger than she is (like Lola, Ellie is a dink) and they'll gang up on her and get even. She doesn't listen.

The little boys each have a name now. The black is Gus and the gold is Duncan. I'm still struggling with the name "Duncan," but I looked at the black one day and said, "Hey Gus," so that obviously is supposed to be his name! Then I felt pressured to come up with a name for the other puppy. Duncan could have been "Hunter" (my suggestion) or "Buster" (Lynn's suggestion) but since we have three dogs whose names end in the "er" sound (Walker, Breaker, Connor), we decided that a fourth would be too much! Gus and Duncan are both beautiful puppies, with great personalities and very nice structures. I'm impressed!

Duncan, 5 weeks

Gus, 5 weeks

The new, horrible thing: Information and warnings about a rodenticide that has no antidote has been circulating among various dog-related listservs lately. The substance is bromethalin, a neurotoxin affecting mitochondria in the brain and liver. The information I received said that the poison killed GCH Polar Mist Cruz’n T’Party At Zamosky (Cruz), the top winning Samoyed of 2013. Speculation was either that he was purposefully poisoned or that the rodenticide was in the hotel room where he and his handler were staying. Either scenario is possible, but given that there is a reward being offered, my guess is that people think he was purposefully poisoned. Unfortunately, poisoning at shows does happen, either by animal rights activists whose agenda includes attacks on people who show (although why they take their anger out on the animals whose welfare they claim to champion, I have no idea) or by jealous competitors who want to eliminate the competition. Either way, the whole idea of it sickens me. Here is a link to the information about the rodenticide and why its ingredient is such a danger to dogs (and I would think humans as well. We have brains and livers too!). It works fast. Once signs are evident it's almost too late. There is no antidote.

The article about the rodenticide in the January 29, 2013, DVM Newsmagazine is "New Rodenticide without Antidote Alarms Pet Toxicology Experts: 2008 EPA Regulations May have Unintended but Dangerous Consequences," written by Julie Scheidegger.

We are hoping the recent snow storm was the last for our area and are looking forward to March and perhaps warmer, calmer weather and the beginning of spring. I was writing appointments on the March calendar and noticed that Daylight Savings Time begins on March 10th! Wow…so soon!!

I am also hoping for decent weather for our travel to this weekend's dog show in Gray Summit, MO. There are not many Lhasas entered, which is nothing unusual. There are only two class bitches entered, one of them being my Windy. Unfortunately, our training class was cancelled due to the snow storm, so she did not get the practice I was hoping for. Wish us a lot of luck. My goal is for her to get over being uncomfortable at the shows and to enjoy herself in the ring. If she does that, I'll be thrilled. The wins can come later. I hate seeing her so scared and nervous. She is the total opposite at home -- full of herself, confident, bossy. The big entry is the Best of Breed class. There are two champion males entered, one being Rafe. There are also two champion bitches entered. I'll let you know how things go.

I'm also including a video of Rafe and me in the ring at the show in Des Moines a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to my friend Rebecca for taking the video and surprising me with it.

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

Joyce

Puppy Updates and Notes from Friends -- Pictures Too!

Daisy and Friend

Gabe

I received a Valentine's note from Daisy via her owner, Barbara. Daisy was a litter sister to our Ch. "Zach," now known by his new owners as Zeus. You've seen pictures they've sent of him. Mary also sent a Valentine's greeting from Gabe, Rafe's litter brother. Look at that tail!!

Daisy was instrumental in helping Barbara through the loss of her husband to cancer. "Daisy" wrote that "… she says I was the BEST medicine for Dad that he could ever had right to the end.  Do not quite understand what she means cause it just comes natural for me and was doing what I do best - give unconditional love to everyone!  Everyone I meet wants to take me home with them but Mom is right there giving them the eye that will never happen!!!  She told me that I AM her BEST OF SHOW…" Daisy also reported that one of her jobs is "goose patrol." She said, "…we have huge gaggles of geese coming from the two retention ponds and Mom can yell and chase them but they ignore her.  I just come the door and they start to squawk and take off.  The neighbors call for me if I can come out for goose patrol.  When I do my job, I do get a treat each time and they all treat me like a queen!   Love getting those phone calls for help!!!!"

Barbara added a P.S., "Joyce, just want to thank you again for blessing me with our "PP" like Tom called her - Precious Puppy…Guess you know that she is dearly loved and cared for and brings smiles to everyone!  Still thinking of taking her as a therapy dog..."

Whisper

Judy posted a photo of Whisper on her Facebook page. Whisper is a litter sister to Maggie and Raven. Like Maggie, Whisper likes to carry around her stuffed toy. Judy and I both refer to the toys as the girls' "babies." Maggie's favorite is still the green alien. According to Judy, Whisper's favorite is whichever toy her other Lhasa Sophie is playing with! Judy wrote, "Whisper is such an intelligent Lhasa. She learns fast....Doesn't Whisper have the prettiest and most feminine face? I love her eyes. Those are so striking and inquisitive. Whisper still is the one who initiates play with the others. In spite of her always leaping on Sophie, they are like best friends and constantly are racing around together."

Mallory left Friday morning with her new owner. They had a 13-hour drive back to South Carolina. Catherine wrote, "Just a note to update you on Mallory.  She was a trooper on her  13-hour trip to SC!  She was a perfect traveling companion and only whimpered for the first two blocks!!  To use your words, she IS a  doll!!  She has been playing and getting acquainted with her new  surroundings.  She is such a sweetie and full of kisses!!   She really has a great personality!!  We just love her, and she appears to  love us!"  Then she added a P.S., saying, "Life is better when you have a Lhasa to love and Mallory kisses!!"

The dog show in Des Moines last weekend was a fun "first show of the year" for me. Rafe remembered his ring manners. He looked good, showed well, and received compliments from both judges. Alas, in spite of all that, he ended up with the Select Dog Award and not the Best of Breed. Those two Selects gave him two more points toward his Grand Championship. Now we are down to needing only 6 singles.

I saw the cutest t-shirt at the show last weekend that really hit home for me. On the front it said, on three lines:
I don't need another dog
I don't need another dog
I don't need another dog

and on the back it said
Do you want to see my new puppy?

Then there was another that had a fourth line on the front that said
…Unless it's another {fill in the breed} . (I, of course, would add the words "Lhasa Apso!")

Miss Windy went with us to Des Moines, not to be shown but to try to get her acclimated to the world of dog showing. She is frightened by the environment -- the noises, etc. and was not at all comfortable being out of her crate  and on the grooming table. She was even less pleased with me when I put her on a lead and we took a walk outside and then inside around the grooming area and vendor area. I waited for a quieter time when there were fewer people and less hustle and bustle, but she still was worried. She is basically a Lhasa with a strong ego and high option of herself so it was difficult for me to see her so  uncomfortable. We're going back to training class next week, then to another show the following weekend to see what happens. She just may have to go along for the ride until she gets more comfortable with the shows.

Max, 11 weeks

Weather permitting (a winter storm is forecast for our area), Maggie's boy, Max, is leaving this weekend for his new home where he will be re-named Snickers. He looks grumpy in this picture. He wanted to play and squirmed to get down. He had better things to do than pose for another picture! He was also a little irked at me because he had to sit still while I combed his mustache.

Ellie, 11 weeks

Ellie will be lonely without her siblings, and I'm sure her protests will be loud and lengthy. She'll enjoy more attention though and, once Raven's boys are a few weeks older, Ellie will again have some playmates. I think Windy will enjoy playing with her too. Windy can be quite bossy at times, but she is very playful, outgoing, and loving to her people. The older Lhasa girls do not always appreciate her, but I think Ellie will. Windy wants to be alpha. (She's a "legend in her own mind.") Ellie doesn't care, so they should get along fine.

Raven's boys, 4 weeks

And of course, Raven's baby boys are growing and learning. One of them barked (if you can call it that) last night. So cute. They've begun exploring and playing with toys and just falling asleep at a moment's notice. Raven likes playing with them. The lighter one seems to be the more inquisitive one at this point. Notice that they still do not have names. I am thinking about recycling a couple call names from previous litters because they seem to fit these two. We'll see.

I've appreciated the numerous calls and emails asking about our next litter. We are hoping for a breeding at the end of March/first of April, and that's about all I can tell you right now.


Life is better when you have a Lhasa to love you! Give yours some kisses!!!

Joyce

Updates and Puppy Photos

Izzy when she was a year old

This week, I've heard from Judy in Indiana, who has two Joyslyn's Lhasas that she is training for agility. One of them, Izzy, recently was entered in her first agility trial. Judy wrote, "Izzy was true to form, and looked at the first jump as if she had never seen one before! We will be attending a 'dog motivational' seminar in Leslie's new building in late March. She loves attending class, but you know Izzy. Her larger than life personality makes her a very special special dog. She is still my doctor." Judy's other Joyslyn's Lhasa, is Ty, who is a half-brother to my Rafe (same mom) and who is a son of our GCH. Joyslyn's Heartbreaker. Judy wrote, "Ty is doing very well in class. Leslie says he will be my best dog. He loves all the contacts and is a beautiful jumper. He is still a puppy with all his antics. He is the class clown at home." He comes by the antics and clown business honestly. I  think he must be much like Breaker. Another of Judy's Lhasas, Odie, did very well at the trial and nearly qualified! I'm looking forward to seeing Judy with them when ALAC holds its agility trial in association with the National Specialty in October 2014 in St. Louis.

And the gifts just keep coming…

Citrine on her 14th Birthday

This morning, I opened my email and found a letter from Lois in NY. Here is part of it, so you will understand why I call it a gift: "Today, February 12, 2013, is Citrine's 14th birthday, which seems like a good day to send you an update on one of your older Lhasa's…Citrine is doing well. She went to the vet in January for a routine check up, and the vet told me that she is in good shape for her age, except for her teeth…Citrine is a happy, mild-mannered girl.  I call her Citrine the Beauty Queen because she prefers to sleep until 9 or 10 AM, doesn't like going for the 6 AM grooming appointments, and doesn't like to get her feet wet.  She likes to see visitors, but will sit quietly on the floor while someone pays attention to her.  She isn't overly friendly (like the two Dachshunds), but she doesn't hide behind the couch and bark (like my two other Lhasas). Citrine definitely isn't a lap dog, but she does like to sit next to me on the couch and loves to sleep on my bed. Occasionally she will play with the youngest Lhasa who is almost 6. The one dog that Citrine doesn't like is Heidi, the 10 year old Dachshund. Heidi isn't a particularly bright dog, and she repeatedly steals Citrine's treats. Heidi will stand and look at Citrine until she forces Citrine out of one of the dog beds because Heidi wants to take it. Both of these actions are always accompanied by a lot of growling from Citrine. It has been a pleasure having Citrine in my life, and I have no regrets adopting her. She is such a joy to me."

This is our Ch. JaMa Joyslyns Deja Vu (DJ - Citrine's sire)

Lois' reference to adoption is because she adopted Citrine in 2005 from the person who was Citrine's original owner. I point this out because sometimes people are reluctant to adopt older dogs. As you know from my own stories recently about Davy, Zach, and Belle, many times breeders have wonderful dogs that they decide to part with (never an easy decision) in the hope of finding wonderful, loving retirement homes for them. I have been fortunate in that regard, and as a result, have met some great people who love my dogs sincerely.

Belle

Mary sent a Valentine card with a photo collage of her Lhasas on  it. Very cute. I especially liked this one of Belle. She must be yawning, but it looks as if she is yelling. I thought it was funny so I cropped it out to share.

The puppies are all doing well. Two of the older ones will soon be leaving. Mallory leaves on Friday for her new home in SC. Max leaves next Friday for his new home near Chicago. Ellie is going to be beside herself! She is staying here for a while until I can determine whether or not she'll be a viable show prospect. If not, I have a long list of people waiting for a female puppy who I know would love to have her. She is adorable but is a tiny thing. She seems to be all fluffy coat, although there is definitely a dog under there, a very determined young lady indeed! She knows what she wants.

Ellie, 10 week

Max, 10 weeks

Mallory, 10 weeks

The "little boys" or "the babies," as they are known right now are growing and getting cuter by the day. As yet they remain un-named, although names in the running today are Mason, Hunter, Riley, Shadow, Rowdy, Luke, Moses, and Bishop. I had eight other names on the list before I narrowed it down to those! And these are just the call names, mind you. The exercise gets more complicated when it's time to individually register them with AKC. Naming my kids was easier! The lists were not as long, that's for sure.

The colors of the babies are fascinating. The black puppy seems to have some red color in his coat, giving it a rusty appearance in the right light. The dark gold puppy is marked like a black and tan on his legs and butt, with tan cheeks and eyebrows. Of course, that marking was easier to distinguish when he was born than it is now. Interesting. He looks dark because the gold is dark, nearly a brown, and it seems that he will have a black overlay across his back. Right now his back looks black but if I push his coat the wrong way, I see a deep gold color. It'll be interesting to see his color in a few months.

Raven's boys, 3 weeks

The next two days will be busy for me as I bathe Mallory for leaving and Rafe and Windy for this weekend's show. Rafe is being shown. Windy is going along for the ride, the goal being to get her acclimated again to the sights, sounds, and smells of a dog show. Her last show was in Belleville in December. She was in season and did not have a good ring experience. She held her tail down and generally was not into it! Our training classes have not yet started. I also have to get in gear and pack my clothes as well as all the dog paraphernalia! The bulk of it seems to be "contingency packing." If you have show dogs, you  know what I mean. If you don't, but if you have ever had young children you had to take anywhere, it's the same concept!



Wish us luck!

Being "grandparents" to an Affenpinscher, we were excited by the Affie's win at Westminster. What a grand way to end a show career! Many congratulations to Susan Giles and "Kid" who won the Breed at Westminster and who represented the Lhasa Apso and all of us Lhasa lovers well in the Non-Sporting Group. We were cheering for you, Susan and Kid.

Show dog or not, give your Lhasa(s) a big hug and kiss today and everyday. They give us so much love.

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

Joyce