OUR FIRST SHOW OF 2022 AND PUPPY NEWS!

Good ol' Teddy R. was no dummy!

Enough said...

News from Our First Show of 2022

I had been waiting and waiting for the show in Des Moines, IA, which is usually the first show of each year for us -- not that there were not shows in January and early February; we generally do not go to them due to distance and weather worries.

So, I entered Rusty because he needed only one point to finish his championship, and I entered 6 month old Pearl just to see how she would handle all the people, strange dogs, sounds, and smells.

By Thursday AM, my bags were packed and ready to load. Then  the snow started and it snowed and snowed and snowed. I am by nature a worrier so I paced and fretted and wondered what to do. Should I call the hotel and cancel the reservation? etc.

As I watched the snow, a song came to mind and to pass the time, I wrote my own version. 

Dog Show Lady's Winter Lament

The snow is blowing

My concern is growing

I'm supposed to go to a show

Yes, I do care how much it may snow

I really want to go to that show!

The snow is blowing

But where I'm going

The weather is sunny and clear

I wish it could be that way here

I'm stuck at home this weekend I fear!

The snow keeps blowing

The drifts are growing

I watch with lessening cheer

It soon becomes obvious and clear

I'll miss my first show of the year!

Yes, I do care how much it may snow

I really want to be at the show!

Surprise Surprise! The Thursday evening forecast revealed that the storm had chosen a southerly route and Friday in our area would be clear, but freezing. Realizing that we had a late ring time on Saturday, I decided we could make it on time by leaving really early Saturday morning, so I called the hotel and canceled Friday night, finished packing the car, and went to bed early!

Rusty, Pearl and I left very early on Saturday morning. For the first hour we had some clear and some snow-packed patches, enough to make driving slower than usual. After that, the roads were clear and dry and no sign of snow along the way.

Saturday, Rusty dashed all my hopes of a win when he went into the ring and refused to walk. I was not a happy person. After that humiliation, I tried some tips suggested and worked with him for the rest of the afternoon, trying different leads, and trying to keep the hair out of his eyes. He was stopping because once he would shake, the hair would cover his eyes. Long story short: The work on Saturday paid off and he showed well on Sunday, earned his final point, and walked out of the ring a champion. Whew!

Pearl was a happy girl in the ring, a bit apprehensive on Saturday, but full of herself on Sunday. I cannot say she always had all 4 feet on the floor, but her tail was up and she was moving around the ring and having fun. Not a bad start!

I owe a big thank you to Michelle Hoopes, who owns Sunny and lives near Des Moines. She and her daughter came to the show on Sunday to watch us show. She gave me a great Lhasa bag! 

And I gave her a surprise (!) when I told her she was going to go in the ring to show Pearl in the Best of Breed class! She was a good sport about the surprise and did a fine job of taking Pearl into the ring, not too easy because Pearl was very determined to catch up to  to Rusty and me. Thanks again, Michelle, for being a good sport about helping! 

Here is Michelle's Sunny, a Josh son.

I should have taken photos of Pearl that day, but did not! I guess I was so focused on Rusty and fussing about how he would do in the ring that I just did not think about getting a picture of Pearl. She was so excited to be there that she probably would not have sat still anyway (I tell myself!!)

Here are two I took of Rusty at the show:

When we got home, we took this photo to commemorate his win and championship.

 

Puppy News

I am happy to announce that we have puppies on the way. The first litter is Archie and Millie's and is due this week. She definitely is full of babies!

Can you see them? You have to look closely!

Here are the parents:

Archie

Millie

Our second litter is due in early March. This is Josh and Autumn's litter, a repeat of the breeding that produced our cute little Emmy!

Josh

Autumn

 

If you are on the waiting list, I will be contacting you about the puppies once I know all are thriving, but you can email me anytime for news of the litters. I know most of you have been waiting a long time for a puppy.

Notes and Photos from Others

Jim sent pictures of Daisy laying around the house on various soft surfaces and wrote, "She always finds the coziest spots in the house." Here is one of them.

Debi wrote about Lacey: "Lacey is doing well.  She is growing up so fast!...She is really good with our grandchildren, ages 3 and 6 mos. and they are very gentle with her.  My grandson loves to play with hot wheels cars and she loves to fetch them after he puts them down his ramp. He thinks this is very funny as long as she gives them back, lol.  She actually waits at the bottom of the ramp so that she can get the car before he does, but she gives it back and then waits for the next one.  It is really cute.  She also loves to play with my daughter's cat, but sometimes he cat doesn't want to play with her. 

Her new favorite thing to do is steal my husband's reading glasses.  He sets them down and they are instantly gone.  Lacey always announces that she has them by running around all crazy with them in her mouth.  She even goes as far as nudging out our rolling kitchen chairs, with her nose or paws, so she can jump up on the chair to get them off the kitchen table.  She has not broken them yet, lol...we are planning to enroll her in some beginner obedience classes.  She is doing well with sit and stay most of the time, butI think some classes will be good for her.  She can be a little stubborn sometimes, but she always has a good temperament. Our groomer has commented on what a good disposition she has and how beautiful she is.  We also get stopped all of the time from people wanting to see her on our pet store visits.We are such proud puppy parents!  She is such a joy!..."

From Maryann:
"Minako's coat is VERY nice and RARELY a mat! If so, it is so tiny and on the belly. We love that!...

We have continued taking her places. She knows as 

soon as I change my clothes that she is going bye bye 

and gets excited. She is still just so sensitive to noise 

and people. She excitedly climbs into the van and out. 

It is like a light switch within a few seconds after out.  

Minako does GREAT with the tail over taking walks as 

long as there isn't anything to distract her....She does 

GREAT without distractions and follows what we say andin return is excited to give a nice kiss with the tail 

wagging when relaxed. She shows MUCH  beauty in thatstate of mind! That's the latest, but we came to the 

conclusion to just let her do her own thing and maybe abreakthrough later."

Judy  G, who now has Onyx (Now Nyx), sent this update on her progress. Those of you who have Onyx's puppies may be interested in reading Judy's update. "Isn't winter wonderful? I am so tired of shoveling. Nyx is certainly enjoying running over the crusted snow and then creating new paths. We always create a maze in the backyard for the dogs, but she creates her own paths! She has mastered the steps (finally) so she thinks she is the master dog. She is silly and funny and twirls in a circle before she sits. She loves the other dogs and if they are sleeping she is nudging them to wake up and play. No wonder she is the first one to fall asleep at night. Many of our Thursday night classes have been cancelled, but she shows no fear on the A-frame and dog walk. Nyx is quick to learn, but a true Lhasa -- only does the obstacles once then is ready to move to the next challenge. The border collies make me crazy! They would do the same obstacle over and over until their owner calls them off."

Ginny wrote "Maple Plus Elk Antler...aka Puppy Pacifier.

Patty wrote, "Joyce, we bought our lhasa from you June 7, 2003. His name was Oliver Norman Bock. The little guy brought us so much joy and love. At the time of purchase we lived in Chenoa, Illinois. A year later, we moved to Central Florida. Oliver so enjoyed being a Floridian.
Oliver Especially loved riding on an air mattress in the pool.  😃 he loved chasing squirrels that ran across the top of the pool cage. Sometimes he didn’t quite make the corner and fell into the pool. I tried to teach him to swim to the stairs. That wasn’t an option for him. I bought him a life jacket. Anytime I put the lifejacket on him, he would only move his eyeballs. Nothing else. He wasn’t having any part of that life jacket.   😂 He was a stubborn little guy.
We had 16 1/2 amazing years with Oliver. He helped us through the ups and downs of life. Oliver went over the rainbow bridge the summer of 2019. Our vet and the tech came to our home to administer his shots. It was a great comfort and honor to hold him in my arms when he left us. We have his ashes.  💙

I am going through some file papers and I found his papers and medical reports on him over the years. I just wanted to write and let you know that we so appreciated you for giving us such a gift. This photo is from 4/2019. Oliver is on the right. You make a difference--you bring fur baby love to us.

I hope this finds you and yours well and safe. God bless you, Joyce. 🐾

How nice of Patty to write about Oliver after all these years! I can tell he was dearly loved.

Jessie asked to be put on the waiting list for another puppy. She sent this picture of San taking a nap and wrote, "San is such a good dog, we are so happy with him."

That's it for today! Thank you for reading the blog and and special thanks to those of you who send pictures and updates of your Joyslyn's Lhasas.

Always keep in mind that

Until next time, stay safe, stay healthy...and be kind!

Joyce

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT......NO!!!

 

To be honest, as pretty as snowfall is, and as lovely as landscape is right after a snowfall, I hate snow. Or I should say that looking at it is not so terrible, but I hate the cold and the work and inconvenience that comes with snow: Scooping the porch and the driveway. Digging a path for the dogs in their outside pen. Defrosting the car's windshield. Trying to avoid the car skidding when it hits the ice. Hoping other drivers know how to drive on ice and snow packed roads! Winter around here is not for the faint-hearted!

My guess is that the many of you still reeling from the two big storms that have hit are feeling the same.

The nice thing about snow is that it melts. Of course, then we worry about rivers flooding!

My husband missed the big snow that happened hear this week. He spent this past week in Florida visiting our daughter and her family. His birthday and that of our youngest grandson are a day apart, so he went there to have a joint celebration.

Of course, he may have to dig his vehicle out of a snow bank when he gets to the airport tomorrow. He knew a big snow was forecast so took a snow shovel to the airport with him.

That left me, the dogs, and the cat to hold down the fort here at home, which was going quite well until the snow storm hit. We made it through with some potty schedule adjustments. The snow was so deep that I could only scoop part of the dogs' outdoor exercise area before I had no where else to put the snow. The clipped-down dogs got to go out for a quick potty once the snow stopped and I had scooped an area for them. Mostly, I was glad I had the exercise pen in the garage. What a time-savor -- no one came in from outside looking like a snowman/dog and I did not have to go outside. Win-Win.

So once again, I refer you this article about the benefits of using and exercise pen. If you have a place for one, use it! It bets the heck out of walking a dog in below zero weather!

An Article From AKC
I thought some of you might enjoy reading this article that was recently featured on the AKC website: "Ways You're Annoying Your Dog." Here is the link.

Puppy News
If all goes as planned, we should have puppies between end of February and early March. While I have enjoyed the respite between the litters, it will be nice to have puppies here again. I'll share photos as usual.

Notes and Photos
Jill sent pictures of Breaker and wrote, "Breaker would growl at the puppy in the mirror…he doesn’t anymore, but he likes the mirror. Now he lays in front of it and I put another mirror next to it and he watches me by looking in the mirror. It’s in the bedroom and he can see himself laying in his bed (crate)."

Nanda and Kris sent a cute video of Titan and wrote, "We are thinking about you today! Titan is turning 1! He’s happy, healthy and delicious! Thank you so much! We are forever grateful for this gift!"

Michelle wrote, "Hi Joyce! Hope all is well! We’re in the middle of the cold snap here, probably about the same for you! I’m not much for dressing up my dog except for a cute picture! But Sunny tried out his dog Helios suit on Tuesday the last nice day we had to walk, it’s a lightweight rain suit but it helped to keep his coat clean and that’s what I was hoping for when I bought it, he just gets so dirty."

Sally sent pictures of Ginger and Jaxon and wrote, "They just came from the groomer so I guess they were seeing how good they each smell.😂 Jaxon's hair is even thicker than Ginger's!"

Violet sent this picture of her Shadow.

Ginny sent this picture of Maple say, "She's under there somewhere!"

Mary R sent this photo of Rafe.

Debra sent this one of Seng Kye. 

Judy wrote about Zoie, "Hi Joyce & Lynn! We wish you both a happy and healthy New Year. Our Zoie is doing well. Her toy box is overflowing since Christmas. I'm sure you've heard the saying "most dogs have owners, Lhasas have staff." How true! We love being her staff! She is so loving and loyal. She is so very smart. I am sending some pictures so you can see how much she has grown. She is really a wonderful watchdog. She loves people after she knows that they belong in the house.  We are so lucky to have her! Thanks again!"

Thanks, everyone for keeping in touch and sending photos! I love getting (and sharing) them!

Shows

For many the dog show "season" never stops, but for us the 2022 show season has not yet begun. However, it will soon! I have entered Rusty and Pearl in shows in Des Moines, IA, in February and in Maquoketa, IA, in March. Rusty still needs that final single point. It seems like it has taken longer to get it than it did to get the previous 14! Pearl is a beginner and I have no idea how she is going to respond to the hubbub a dog show. I guess it is sink or swim. The weather has precluded us from going to a training class for the last 3 weeks. I've been taking her to the pet store to walk around.

If you live near either Des Moines or Maquoketa and  the weather is good enough for you to come to the show sites to see us, let me know and I will give you the ring times and numbers.

So that is the "not much" that is happening around here!

Stay safe -- and stay warm!

Joyce

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

“NEW YEAR—A NEW CHAPTER, NEW VERSE, OR JUST THE SAME OLD STORY? ULTIMATELY, WE WRITE IT. THE CHOICE IS OURS.” ~ ALEX MORRITT

Again, Happy 2022 to you all. I hope Christmas was a nice holiday. Ours certainly was, even though we were missing 5 people: my mom and our daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons. They are with us on even numbered years.

Both sons, a girlfriend, and two granddaughters made this a special Christmas. 

My Article!

I was honored that my article about the Lhasa Apso personality was recently published in the January 3 issue of Show Sight. Here is the link to the article if you are interested in reading it. The majority of the photos are of my Lhasas. 

Speaking of Writing...

Lynn is hard at work on novel #4 in his Joe Erickson series. Novel #3, titled Corrupted Souls, should be available in March or April if all goes as planned. You Joe Erickson fans don't have too much longer to wait! If you have not yet started the series, the first two books are available from Amazon. Search author "Lynn-Steven Johanson."

Our Next Show Prospect

I am currently training 5-month-old Pearl (Joyslyn's Satin and Pearls). She has a darling disposition and really wants to play with our cat, Boris, who wants nothing to do with her. I have been taking her to the Pet Supply Plus store weekly in an attempt to provide some socialization. Her first visit went well until a loud mouth kid saw her and screamed "puppy!" and ran toward her! That was it for the tail! Since then she has been shy about going into the store. I want/need to get her to a conformation training class, but the closest is an hour and a half drive each way and with the weather we have been having, I'm a bit leery about night driving.

Here is Pearl. Her sire is Archie and dam is Onyx. We took the picture to mark the occasion of the first time I put her hair up in a topknot. She kept that one in for nearly a week. When I put it up again, she immediately ran to the dog bed and rubbed her face and head on it! 

Notes and Photos from Others

Thanks to all who sent greetings, updates, and photos recently. I enjoy getting and sharing them.

Judy G. recently sent a letter updating me on her Lhasas. She has 3 of my Lhasas and a 4th that is the sire of our Bekka. She wrote that Ty (age 10), who is a son of Breaker, "will soon begin his new career as a rally dog." Ty has been running agility but has the habit of walking the first four obstacles then "taking off and finishing with a flourish." Time to call it quits!

Judy described Izzy, now age 15, as acting "like Winnie the Pooh's friend Tigger" and always being "happy and loving."

The litter Pearl is from was the Onyx litter. Judy now has Onyx. Her note about Onyx said, "She is adventurous, humorous, loving and has completely taken over everyone's heart. She walked into our house and into our hearts."

From Kathy: "Just letting you know how happy we are with Bandit...He is such a joy and everyone thinks he’s such a handsome little guy. Guess he did pretty good with his puppy cut today. The bath and blow dry were ok, but he was moving wherever she moved the scissors. He is still a beautiful color, I think he’s going to be lighter after he has a few cuts. But there will be some black on his face. So happy to see his beautiful eyes. He did good with the grandkids over the holidays our 6 and 8 year old grandkids even carried him and I do believe he enjoyed it. Just filling you on how he’s doing. We love our Bandit. Thank you for the awesome care you gave him. We’ll keep in touch!"

From Christina about Daisy: "Aww we do love her! Thanks for giving us such a great pup! Here she is this morning getting ready to work with dad. She happily sits perched on the desk until snack time haha!"

From Ginny about Maple: "She is getting so big.. eight pounds now and just as gregarious, happy and energetic as always. This sweet girl adds smiles to each and every day. 💕Holding on to everyday of those puppy antics although I won’t miss teething! She is so innocent and full of life. What a blessing. Happy Christmas and stay safe New 22!"

From Kassia: "Caught these two having a chat after Chris came in from shoveling snow..it was very cute because she had tried to run off for a game in the snow and he had yelled at her to come home ..it was too cold and she came!! So he gave her tons of praise and popped her in the house and finished the sidewalk as she watched him thru the window..he refers to her and he as the bearded ones!!" 

Victoria wrote about Honey: "Hello Joyce, Honey’s first Christmas was exciting. She received a new toy & small treat bones in her stocking from Santa! Her favorite part of this month was napping under the Xmas tree on the soft, velvet tree skirt. I hope you had a great Christmas with your family and sending best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year!"

Cynda sent Christmas greetings and posted this photo of her Luther. Handsome boy!

Mickey's Christmas greetings included a photo of Biddy (in the back) and friends.

Catherine, who owns 3 Joyslyn Lhasas, posted: "Merry Christmas from all of the Fields (Maggie, Mallory and Magoo)! Joyce, through your wonderful Lhasas our lives are so much brighter and filled with joy! Thanks for letting us be a part of your Lhasa family! We hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!"

Jody wrote about Bernie (and Lynn's first novel): "Hi Joyce, Well, Bernie surprised me this morning. We have had a harness on him for over a week now and a very light, regular leash which we sometimes let him drag behind him to let him get used to it (and we could grab it if he tried to go under the deck!). So he finally got the hang of having a leash attached to him, we started with one of Buster's but it was way too heavy so we bought a much lighter one. Today he walked the sidewalk through the entire cul-de-sac as if he had been doing it all of his life! He is amazing!! He met so many new people and reacts cautiously and then warms up to them in no time. Everyone is just blown away by how cute he is!! On Friday we took him to the vet for his second distemper shot and he didn't have a reaction.

 I just finished Lynn's first book-I did not see that coming-it was a page turner at the end! Going to order the second book today and loan the first book to my neighbor. I'm a Joe Erickson fan- Swedes rock!!"

Lori sent greetings from her and the handsome Finn.

Debi wrote about her Lacey: "Lacey, Clay, and I want to wish you and Lynn and your entire Lhasa Apso family a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR! Lacey lost all of her front top teeth and some of her bottom teeth and still manages to get a puppy bite in here and there.  lol. She is bringing so much joy to our entire family!  We could not imagine a day without her! I sent some pictures, one before her haircut and the rest after her haircut.  She looks adorable! and we can see her beautiful, little eyes now. Merry Christmas!

Kris and Nanda sent a Christmas photo of Ty.

Michelle wrote: "Joyce, I just read your latest blog on my lunch break, I always look forward to it and it always brings a smile to my face to see the pictures and hear all about the beautiful Lhasa’s that you have bred and those you are showing and loving as your own. All of us who have one of your puppies or retired adults is so incredibly lucky! I honestly thought your prices were a bit low when we got Sunny, but what do I really know about it other than you still probably spend more than what you are earning by the time you figure all of your time, essentials, food, vet bills, etc… it’s clear that you aren’t in it for the money, but that the dogs are more important and it brings you great satisfaction to see your accomplishments in both preserving the breed and showing the breed and the joy all of it brings to others. So I applaud you for charging a bit more for one of the very best puppies money could buy! Nothing else to be said here! And you can’t hang up on an email! Also, I’m very sorry to hear about Henri, you had told me about him in the past and he certainly did seem like quite the wonderful dog! I love how each has their own personality! I’m sure he will be missed! I hope you and Lynn and your entire family has a wonderful Christmas!"

Thanks again to all who took time to send me an update and photos! It is so much fun to see our puppies grow into adults and also to get updates on the adults and seniors as they grow. I am so fortunate that my dogs have such loving homes.

We hope to have puppies born in late February and early March. I'll keep those of you on the waiting list updated as time goes by. The breedings were done recently, so it is much too early to know if pregnancies have resulted.

Everyone should know by now:

Best wishes to you all for a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

Joyce