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

 

November? Already?

“In November, the smell of food is different. It is an orange smell. A squash and pumpkin smell. It tastes like cinnamon and can fill up a house in the morning, can pull everyone from bed in a fog. Food is better in November than any other time of the year.”  

~ Cynthia Rylant

 ALAC National Specialty

So...it's been about three weeks since I have written. You might recall that I was getting ready to attend the American Lhasa Apso Club's National Specialty week in Mansfield, MA. Talk about time flying!

I traveled to MA with friends Jan Graunke and Karen Schlais. Jan drove. Since they live in WI and I live in IL, we met at a friend's house in IN, where I left my car. We had to unload some of what was in Jan's van so my pile of equipment, clothes, and other items would fit. We squeezed my  things and ourselves into the van and off we went.

We ran into some snow in PA and upstate NY, so we finally stopped for the night. We had to ask at 3 different hotels before we finally found a room. The next day we continued the journey, enjoying the fall colors, and ending up where we were supposed to be by 6:30 PM on Sunday.

Thus began a crazy, busy, fun-filled, meeting-filled week! It was great to see friends and acquaintances from across the US and from Canada and to meet people I had not met before.

Jan had her champion Carson entered in the cut-down sweepstakes. He didn't win, but he strutted his stuff, looking pleased to be back in the ring again.

On Wednesday, Karen and Jan's bitch, Sybil, won Best in Futurity and lots of pretty plaques and ribbons!

On Friday, Sybil took Reserve Winners Bitch at the National Specialty show, more pretty ribbons, and a box of prizes.

The highlight for me came Thursday at the ALAC Eastern Regional Specialty show when Luna finished her championship, taking Winners Bitch and a five point major!

Breeder judge, Don Evans, Luna, and me!

Later that afternoon in the Best of Breed competition, Luna took Best of Winners.

Unfortunately, even though she also won Best Bred By Exhibitor and Best Owner Handled, we did not get pictures of all those ribbons.

Here are some short videos of Luna in the ring. Thanks Marsha Susag! The first shows her being examined on the table.

This one is her moving for the judge.

This one is the announcement that she won the major.

Friday, Jan and I conducted the Judges' Education Seminar, which consisted of a slide show, narration, question and answer period, a judging demonstration, a hands-on evaluation of some Lhasas by the participants, and ringside mentoring during the judging.

If you are interested in seeing the seminar, there are two similar slide shows located on the website of the American Lhasa Apso Club. Go to lhasaapso.org. Then go to the left menu under Breed Information. Select one of the options labeled "Learn About the Lhasa Apso." You can also go to the Judges Corner and select one of the options labeled "Study Guide."

We left Mansfield Saturday morning and I was home and unpacking by 4:15 Sunday afternoon.

All last week I played catch-up at home and at the office.

A Missed Holiday

Suddenly, it was Halloween!

How could that be? No way was I ready for Halloween and Trick-or-Treaters. In the first place, I think I have mentioned before that I am a Halloween Scrooge. I hated the costume trauma as a child and as a parent. (However, I did enjoy raiding my children's Halloween stash and relieving them of those burdensome Snickers and Butterfingers.) Since our home is in an area where only two families have  young children, I left the porch light off, dressed up in my nightshirt that says, "Go Away, I'm Reading," and had an enjoyable evening with a novel. There you have it: Confessions of a Halloween Scrooge.

But in the spirit of the holiday, here's a "Ghost Story" for you:

And speaking of pumpkins' insides:
Did you know that "Canned pumpkin is a commonly prescribed dietary additive for some gastrointestinal maladies. From diarrhea to constipation, pumpkin can be a dog’s (or cat’s) best friend." Read more at http://www.bestinshowdaily.com/blog/the-benefits-of-canned-pumpkin-for-your-pet/

Showing Dogs

Sorry, I realize I am skipping around from subject to subject but that is the way my brain is working today.

Why do you show dogs? I get that question a lot from random people when they find out dog showing is my sport of choice. Well, their first question is usually about money. "How much money do you win?"

When they find out the prize for winning is points, a ribbon (albeit often very pretty ones - see Karen and Sybil's photos), and sometimes a basket of treats or grooming supplies, they seem to lose interest, but are polite enough to ask why then do I do it?

Why do people do anything they love to do? Is it because money is the reward? Do you win money because you have a passion for playing golf, or spending weekends skiing or boating, or running marathons, or playing on a weekend basketball or hockey team? Sure, some people make their sport their life's work, get sponsors, and go professional. The same is true with professionals who show dogs. They do it to earn a living -- and they have to be good at it to do so.

For the rest of us, commonly called "owner-handlers," we do it for the intrinsic rewards. For me those rewards are satisfaction, pride, and enjoyment, and yes, the thrill of winning, and knowing that the dog I  have spent hours training and grooming is on its way to a championship.

Those of us who show dogs enjoy the affinity that grows between dog and handler as we travel together, train and prepare for shows, take our 2 minutes in front of the judge, and get that ribbon (please Lord, let it be Purple! or better yet, Purple and Gold!) that means our efforts were worthwhile (or perhaps not!) that day. Those are the real rewards, and those of us who have been "bitten by the dog showing bug" keep coming back for more.

Some of you should give it a try!

More Bragging

Hey, it's my blog!  Here are the Lhasa Apso rankings for the 2015 National Owner-Handled Series.

That's Josh in first place! Ranked farther down at #16 is Josh's half-sister, Mysti, Joyslyn Mystic Wind.

 Photos I've Received

Here is a cute photo of Maci after her visit to her groomer:

Here is Vader and his buddy, Tricki, with Halloween wishes:

Their owner wrote, "Watching and experiencing Vader's milestones and progress there is no secret why people wait forever for a Joyslyns Lhasa. Yesterday we had to go to Petco for food and the boys just adore going bye bye. I felt so bad for Tricki while we were there. I am thankful dogs do not understand all human words as everyone who stopped to pet them, although they loved on both of them, kept going on and on about how beautiful Vader is. "





And here is Luther. He is a litter brother to my Kimmi. Alas, Kimmi is like the youngest child who has few photos in her album! So I have no current ones of her to share. However, since she and Luther look so much alike, you can get a good idea of Kimmi by seeing Luther.

When Luther's owner wrote about this photo, "Luther is smart! But, he doesn't work the remote .....yet!" I responded, "He's a male. Give him time!" If he is like other guys I know, he'll be hogging that remote control in no time!

 

 

 

 

 

Other News

Puppies from Ch. Joyslyn's Highly Classified and Ch. MLS Dakota Dancing in the Wind at Joyslyn were born on October 28. There are two boys and two girls. All will be some shade of gold eventually. I know that many of you on the notification list who are waiting news of the litter will be disappointed that there are not enough puppies for you all. I'll be contacting people personally in a couple of weeks. I'll also be posting weekly photos so you can watch them grow.

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

Joyce

How Joyslyn's Began - and Some Other Stuff

"Is not this a true autumn day? Just the still melancholy that I love — that makes life and nature harmonize. The birds are consulting about their migrations, the trees are putting on the hectic or the pallid hues of decay, and begin to strew the ground, that one’s very footsteps may not disturb the repose of earth and air, while they give us a scent that is a perfect anodyne to the restless spirit. Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." 
                      ~ George Eliot, letter to Miss Lewis, 1st October 1841

 

How Joyslyn's Lhasa Apsos Began

People often ask me, "How did you get started showing?"

Here is a bit of our story:

How do two people who had mixed-breed dogs while they were growing up end up breeding, showing, and loving Lhasa Apsos? I blame it all on an encyclopedia salesman!

Our first two Lhasas: Buffy and Pheebe

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

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

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

Joyslyn, our kennel prefix, is a combination of our first names. Looking back, I find it interesting that we even thought to come up with a kennel prefix because at that time, we had no mentor, no experience with pure-bred dogs, and no pedigree to look at for either of the girls we bought! But somehow, that day in March 1973 when we filled out Pheebe's AKC registration form, the prefix "Joyslyn" was created and it's been used ever since.

(Note: People try to pronounce our kennel prefix as if it were spelled Joslyn, with the "s" having a "z" sound. That would be wrong. The first syllable ("joys") rhymes with "boys," "toys," "noise," etc. The second syllable ("lyn") rhymes with "tin," "win," "grin," etc.).

It's been a crazy 42 years, a roller-coaster ride of highs and lows, of victories and defeats, of joys and sorrows.

People ask me if, given the choice, I would do it all over again. Who knows what path my life would have taken had it not been for a picture of a Lhasa in an encyclopedia and for Lynn saying, "We could show these dogs." Right now, today, I think my answer would be a resounding "Yes!" I'll quit when it's no longer fun (or when I can no longer walk around the show ring!)

Sharing Pictures and News

Joyslyn Ja-Ma Dancing by the Light of the Moon, known to friends and family as Luna, recently earned the second of the two majors she needs for her championship. The judge was Richard Miller. Luna now needs only 3 single points for her championship. Here is the photo of that win.

Luna was a year old on October 10.

Marilyn, the owner of Luna's sire, GCH. Cozmos Custombuilt, sent me a photo of Luna's litter sister Olivia, taken with her owner and the other two Lhasas with whom she shares a home. Olivia is the black Lhasa on the right. She was an adorable puppy and looks as if she still has a charming personality.





Congratulations to Deborah and Ron Hauck and Joyslyn's Mystic Wind (Mysti) on the 3-point major earned at the Greater Humble Area Kennel Club from the 9-12 month class. Deborah and Ron are newcomers to dog showing. They and Mysti are off to a great start.

National Specialty

This weekend we're headed for Mansfield, MA, and the American Lhasa Apso Club's (ALAC) National Specialty. Tuesday's conformation show has 20 sweepstakes entries to be judged by Anne Bowes and 55 entries to be judged by Ray Filburn. Tracie Laliberte will judge 16 Futurity/Maturity entries on Wednesday, and Marsha Susag will judge the 9 entries in the cutdown sweepstakes.

Thursday is the ALAC Regional Specialty. Don Evans will judge 57 entries. Friday Darby McSorley will judge 65 entries in the ALAC National Specialty competition.

Luna is entered on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Wish us luck!! I'll let you know in a couple weeks what happened.

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

Joyce

Where Did September Go?

"Bittersweet October.  The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter." ~ Carol Bishop Hipps




I don't know where September went but it zoomed by so fast it barely registered with me! October may (I say "may") be a bit less hectic.

I last wrote the day before we left to go to Miami to visit our daughter, son-in-law, and year old grandson. We had a great visit and the time went all too fast! We did take a day to visit the zoo and took many pictures. Here are a few of my encounters with the "wild beasts!"

I know, right?

Back at home, I paid the dog sitter, who'd done a great job caring for the dogs (and the cat); did some laundry; groomed, bathed, and dried Luna and Josh; re-packed the suitcase; packed the dogs' things for the show; gassed up the car; and took off for weekend shows in Freeport, Illinois.

Show Results

It was a good show weekend for us. On Saturday, Luna won Winners Bitch and Best of Winners. I was so glad for the two points. With them, she had 11 points. Josh took Best Opposite Sex, Best Owner Handled, and he went on to take Non-Sporting Owner Handled Group 3.

I am not certain if those wins have already been calculated for AKC's Owner-Handled statistics, but I doubt it. However, as of today, Josh is no longer tied for #1 Owner Handled Lhasa, he is #1!! (I have a big smile on my face.)

He might not be on top when the final stats are calculated in a couple weeks, but for now I'm enjoying seeing his name next to  "No. 1."

Anyway, back to the Freeport shows: On Sunday, Josh again took Best Opposite Sex. I was thrilled to have someone point out to me that Luna's Saturday win was not 2 points but actually was a 3 point major! What a wonderful surprise!

So now Luna has 12 points of the 15 she needs for her title and has both of the majors she needs. Three more points will do it! Here's Luna with her ribbons for both days. On Sunday she took Reserve.

Congratulations also to Karen Schlais, Jan Graunke and LaVonne Bennett, whose male Jack became a champion by taking Winners Dog and Best of Winners on Sunday. Here's Jack, resting on his laurels after we returned to the grooming set up.

The shows were sort of bittersweet because they were the last shows for Josh this year. He has done very well for himself and showing him has been so much fun. He has enough points and majors for his Grand Championship (25) but still has to fulfill the requirement to defeat at least one other champion at three shows. He has done it once. We need two more. He needs to mature a bit, so we're going to wait until spring or summer next year. I figure that as fast as the months are flying by, it won't seem like such a long wait.

I confess to skipping out of showing Luna in the Best Bred By Group judging because it was happening later in the day and I was eager to get the car loaded and get on the road toward home. I had laundry and re-packing to do! I had to leave Monday evening for an early childhood conference.

Except I didn't! My mom, aunt, and uncle stopped by late Monday afternoon on their way home to Nebraska from Indiana where they'd attended a family wedding. They stayed the night and I left for the conference Tuesday morning -- and made it in time for the keynote address.

The ALAC National Specialty

The big event happening in October is the American Lhasa Apso Club's National Specialty week, October 19-23. We'll be in Mansfield, MA. The schedule for each day is below.

As you can see, it will be a busy week. I recently read an article, "Why Do We Go to the Nationals,"  about national specialties that I would like to share. Although the author does not show Lhasas, her descriptions of what goes on at her breed's specialties mirrors the activities before and during most nationals.

The theme for our national this year is "Lhasa Strong." If you live too far from MA to come to watch, make plans for the specialty in CO next year or MO in 2017. We have a lot of fun and you'll see some beautiful Lhasas from across the country. We often have exhibits from Canada and sometimes from European countries too.

Notes and Pictures

As you probably know by now, I enjoy getting email, letters, Facebook messages, and photos from people who own a Joyslyn's Lhasa. Some are great about staying in touch; others check in now and then; and some prefer no further contact at all (darn!) Here are some of the latest messages and pictures.

Kristi wrote, "So sorry it has been awhile so thought you would like an update on  my little Dark Lord Vader.  He is one clever little man. He has sit, paw, and drop down. Unlike his big brother he has zero interest in fetch. I can not believe how gorgeous his coat already is getting at just 20 weeks old he just stunning…I really miss your weekly blogs but I guess when you do not have puppy updates there is only so much to write about. For now I am enjoying Luna and Josh's progress and way to go Kimmi on the puppy win!"

Here are two of the many adorable photos she sent of Vader.

In an email with the subject line "Bed #4," Marilyn wrote, "When are the puppy days over? Maci has succeeded in chewing the zippers on 2 cushions and destroying the foam bottom on another!! Hope this one lasts awhile! Hope you are well." She sent a photo of Maci's 4th new bed.

Josh did the same thing to two beds that had plastic zippers. After the second one I learned my lesson! No more zippered beds for him. He had a great time though. I came home to foam from one end of the room to the other.

Deborah wrote about taking Mysti to IABCA (International All Breed Canine Association) shows. "It was pretty exhausting for Mysti, 4 shows but I do think she is actually becoming more accustomed to the atmosphere.  The IABCA is not as big as the Dallas show (where she freaked out slightly) and had a more laid-back atmosphere but it did help to get her out there. Mysti had great critiques about her structure and movement. The negative ones were minor, I felt.  If you want to see them, let me know and I will scan and email…Mysti did get her National and International puppy championship and won reserve Best in Show Puppy in the 3rd show."

A huge congratulations to Deborah, Ron, and Mysti!!! Way to go! And you can bet I wrote her that I want to see the judges' critiques. That is one big difference between the AKC and IABCA shows -- the IABCA judges have to write critiques on each dog. AKC judges just point to their winners and placements. They do not give written critiques.


And here is one of the photos Violet sent me of her Yogi. He's getting "up there" in age but is still going strong.

Announcement

It is early days yet so I hope I am not jinxing things by announcing that, if nature cooperates and all goes as planned, we should have puppies available after the first of the year.

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

Joyce

Fall Is In The Air

 "There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!"
-   Percy Bysshe Shelley





As each new month approaches, I think to myself, "This month will be better. The craziness will end." Nope! It hasn't happened yet. I've been on the go nearly every weekend since mid-July. September has been no better, and the October calendar is nearly full already.

The big event in October is the American Lhasa Apso Club national specialty. (Okay, October is also the birthday month for both my sons and those are big events too!) This year's ALAC specialty is held the week of October 18th at the Holiday Inn in Mansfield, MA. The theme for the event is "Lhasa Strong." Here is the logo for this year's specialty. I love it!!

For those of you who might be interested in attending and seeing Lhasa Apsos from across the country, here is the tentative schedule of events for the week.

 I've entered Luna. Josh is staying at home for this show. His last shows of the year are coming up next weekend in Freeport, IL. Josh has done a great job in the ring this year for being such a young Lhasa. As of this writing, Josh is currently tied for first place in AKC's National Owner Handled Series with 270 points. He has only a few more points and a couple more requirements to earn his Grand Championship title. Now we'll take some time off and let him mature in mind, body, and coat before we start showing again in 2016.

Last weekend, Josh, Luna, Kimmi and I attended shows in Rochester, MN. We hung out with friends from WI, MN, and IA and came away with some nice wins.

Here is a photo of Kimmi, taken after her bath and before we left for Rochester.

The Rochester kennel club held a Beginner Puppy Competition for dogs ages 4-6 months old. There were five Lhasa puppies competing. The Best of Breed winner was Simon, a 5 month old male, owned by Julie Timbers and Lynn Replogle. Kimmi won Best of Opposite Sex. Also competing were Kimmi's half siblings Stewart and Penny, owned by Karen Schlais and Jan Graunke, and Maggie, owned by Lynn Replogle.

Here are the three half-siblings (all sired by GCh. Joyslyn's Heartbreaker, who is also Josh's sire). From left to right: Kimmi, Stewart, Penny.

Also on Saturday, Mary won the 6-9 puppy class with her Riley. Here is a photo of Mary and Riley that I took in August.

Karen's Sybil took Winners Bitch and Luna Reserve Winners Bitch.

Josh took Best of Breed and Best Owner Handled. In the Owner Handled Group, he took a Group 4. He did not place in the regular Non-Sporting but did make the cut!

Karen took this picture of him in the Owner Handled Group.

On Sunday Karen's Jack took Winners Dog. Luna took Winners Bitch. Josh took Best Owner Handled. He also took another Group 4 in the Owner Handled Group.

It was quite a busy weekend -- and the almost 6 hour drive home seemed endless!

Notes from Others

I've received some photos and emails from others that I'd like to share. Sarah sent this photo of Mira, taken right after her haircut. Mira is Duncan, Kimmi, and Luna's grandmother. Mira enjoys a queenly life of leisure at Sarah and Al's house.

I also received a photo of Maci. She is a littermate to Riley.

A third puppy from that litter was Mysti. Here is a recent photo of her.

I also received a very moving email last week from Lois about a Joyslyn's Lhasa that she shared her life with. Lois wrote,
"Dear Joyce,
    I am very sad to tell you that my best girl Citrine, Joyslyn-Ris'N Star of Josels (born February 12, 1999), passed away Monday afternoon, August 17, 2015 at the vet’s office.  She was 16 years, 6 months, and 5 days old. 
     Citrine was diagnosed with kidney disease in April 2014.  She had been doing relatively ok until July 5, 2015 when it became much more noticeable that she was failing. She seemed to be disoriented at times and would get lost in my small house.  She would walk in circles in the house, bump into the furniture and walls, and get into a corner and couldn’t get herself oriented and back out.  She would eat, but I did have to put her in front of the food and water for her to find it.  She had to be carried outside and in because she could no longer negotiate the doorway and the stairs.  There were training pads in numerous places in the house for her frequent accidents.  She still had a very strong, sharp bark and she would bark when she wanted something or needed help.  About once a week she would surprise me by coming to the door and wagging her tail when I came home from work.  Most of the time she was no longer able to do that every day.      
     Citrine really took a turn for the worst on Saturday afternoon, August 15, 2015. She was very tired, weak, couldn’t stand, and was unresponsive.  Citrine had never been much of a lap dog, but she allowed me to hold her for extended periods that weekend.  Much of the time she was as limp as a rag doll.  She didn’t eat between 9 AM Saturday morning, August 15 and 1 AM Monday morning, August 17, but she did have a little water a couple times when I put her in front of the water bowl.  She managed to eat a little bit of chicken (her favorite food) about 1 AM that Monday morning, but I knew that there was no hope left when she refused to eat chicken later.  It was very difficult for me to convince myself that it was time to let her go.   
    Thank you, Joyce, for the dedication that you have given over the years to your dogs.  Citrine was certainly an example of the temperament, health, and longevity that results when there is love, excellent care, and quality breeding.  Of course, Citrine being the daughter of your DJ helped, too. It was an absolute pleasure being the final owner for almost 10 years of this beautiful Joyslyn’s Lhasa Apso.  I am missing her very much."

Most of us reading this blog know how much it hurts to lose our Lhasas, as they are indeed beloved family members. My heart just goes out to Lois. I am so appreciative of the love she gave Citrine.

The book, The Heaven of Animals, by Nancy Tillman, is a book worth having. Although it is a children's book, I believe its message can be soothing for adults and children alike as they grieve for a deceased pet.

I think we can all agree that...

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

 

~Joyce