Autumn Leaves! October Is Here!

 

"O hushed October morning mild,

Thy leaves have ripened to the fall:

Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild;

Should waste them all."

~Robert Frost, "October"

Well, we've said good-bye to September, another busy month around here. Highlights included:

1) a 4-day outdoor dog show over the Labor Day weekend in Amana, IA, where the weather was perfect and Pearl won all four days and came home with 9 points toward her championship and a lot of pretty ribbons! Here are some photos taken of her at the show.

2) The week following the show, I drove to Indiana to pick up a puppy. This cute little guy is named Marco.

3) We had puppies!! There are 8 of them. Some pictures will be posted next month. Looks like reddish golds, golds, blacks, and a black and tan.

4) We traveled to Nebraska to celebrate my mom's 90th birthday. Actually, the first celebration was hosted by the Boone County Health Center, where Mom worked in admitting for 46 years. Her last day at work was the day before her retirement party. On Saturday, my sister and I hosted an Open House, which was overwhelmingly attended by family and Mom's many, many friends. 

Left to right: Me, Mom, My Sister

Mom surrounded by grandkids and 4 of her 6 great grandkids

In one sense that trip was difficult for us. Because of the dogs, my husband and I seldom go on any overnight trips together. One of us stays home with the dogs. Nine years ago we went to FL for our daughter's wedding and the next trip together was the one to NE for Mom's birthday. We hired a dog sitter and left the poor woman with copious notes! (I am notorious for being a worrier!) She did a fine job, as did my friend Jane, who served as her backup! All was well when we arrived back home.

And before we knew it, October arrived!

Did you know October has designated holidays for each day? Before we even get to Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day and Halloween, some of the holidays include National Homemade Cookies Day, National Cinnamon Rolls Day, National No Bra Day, National Grouch Day, National I Care About You Day, Black Cat Day, National Caramel Apple Day...and the list goes on!

October began with another dog show, this one only 2 days, in Freeport, IL. Again, we had beautiful weather during the day (but chilly mornings and nights - Brrr!)

Pearl again showed well and earned a point each day. She is now up to 11 points, has both major wins, and just needs 4 single points to finish. I showed her in the NOHS (National Owner Handled Series) and she won second place in the Non-Sporting NOHS group. Here she is with her ribbon. We took this photo of her yesterday afternoon. 

What's next? Why, the National Lhasa Apso Specialty of course! This year it is being held in St. Louis on October 18 - 21 at the Holiday Inn St Louis SW, Route 66, 10709 Watson Rd. The shows are held on the 18th, 19th, and 21st. The 20th is set aside for meetings. If you live near by, you should come to watch. There are 42 Lhasas entered from across the country, so you'll be able to get a big "Lhasa fix" that week. Go to lhasaapso.org for information about each day's schedule. As of this writing, the times for the competitions are not available.

Notes and Photos

Jessie sent this photo of San.

Sally wrote, "I sent you these 2 pictures of Jaxon so you can see his colors. My niece asked if I highlighted his hair which of course I didn’t. It’s a mixture that’s for sure and so thick dear lord 😂" Here is one of the pictures she sent. What a beautiful combination of colors!

Stephanie wrote to let me know Auggie had been neutered. "His discharge paperwork said that "Auggie is a very sweet and absolutely gorgeous boy!"  Of course, I agree with that professional assessment.  And when I went to pick him up, the vet told me that one of the staff members said he is so cute & perfect that he should be on a shelf in a toy store!..He is full of personality and is such a happy-go-lucky little fella...I love this picture of Auggie and LadyBug playing "mind tug-of-war" with the ball.  They have plenty of balls, but they always seem to want the same one.  Auggie ended up winning this stare down.  They play really well together and I believe they are thankful to have each other."  

Paul wrote, "This is what happens when you pay too much attention to your phone and not your daughter."

From Marianne about Kaiju: "...thank you once again for him he is just such a good puppy.  He recently realized that the window behind the couch is the best place to watch the neighborhood. Now I catch both my guys checking out what is going on. He is just such a happy cuddly little guy... well not so little he is 17.2 lb now.  We love him dearly and he is not spoiled at all."

Priscilla wrote about Trixie: "Trixie has been a delight. She is so happy, sweet, and serene (most of the time, LOL). She tells Ozzie when she wants him to play with her, so she is starting to boss him around a bit. She is walking outside fairly well while wearing her harness. She knows how to ‘sit’ but is pretending not to understand other commands. Training with treats has commenced!

She is into interior decorating with the dog beds, which she drags onto a pile—like a fort. And after she has finished, she smiles proudly at us! I’ve attached a somewhat recent pic of her—she’s up to 10 1/2 pounds now."

Paula sent this photo of Eleanor helping with homework.

Nanda sent these photos of Ty.

Sporting his new shades!

Resources

AKC has many good resources available on its website.

Here is one that might come in handy:

AKC: Introducing AKC GoodDog! Helpline Video Chat

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/advice/introducing-akc-gooddog-helpline-video-chat/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20201027-nibble-breeder

Let Our Trainers Help Your Puppy Buyers Face to Face! The AKC GoodDog! Helpline is excited to announce our new video training service. Sometimes having a trainer’s eyes on a dog can help to identify the best solution to a training issue. Owners can schedule a video session with one of our trainers who can help them understand what their dog’s actions signify as well as advise them on how to get the desired response.

Also, I recently received a copy of a new book about the Lhasa Apso: The Complete Guide to The Lhasa Apso by Vanessa Richie.

I was immediately put off when in the Introduction she wrote, "At just a foot in height at the shoulders..."

That is so wrong, which makes me wonder if she referred to the Standard at all when she wrote about our breed! 

From the Standard: "Size: Variable, ideally between 10 and 11 inches at the shoulder."

This is a case where size does matter!

I skimmed through the book and noticed it had a lot of general knowledge in it that applies to any breed, and like similar books of its kind, just sort of plugs in the word "Lhasa" and provides Lhasa photos in those sections. It contains some nice pictures and quotes from Lhasa owners and exhibitors.

There are 18 Chapters in the book. Chapters include Is the Lhasa Apso Right for You? Breed History of the Lhasa Apso, Lhasa Apso Attributes and Temperament, Finding Your Lhasa Apso, Preparing Your Budget and Family for Your New Lhasa Apso, Preparing Your Home and Schedule, Bringing Your Lhasa Apso Home, Introducing Your Lhasa Apso to Your Other Dogs, etc. 

The book sells for $19.95. Publisher is LP Media

Speaking of the Lhasa Apso Standard, here is the section on the forequarters and shoulders: 

Forequarters: Shoulders - Well laid back. Elbows close to the body. Shoulder blade and upper arm are ideally equal in length (i.e., length from point of withers to point of shoulder and point of shoulder to point of elbow should be equal.) Viewed from the front, the rib cage is oval in shape. Legs - Heavily furnished with hair. The legs are straight from elbow to pastern. The vertical distance from the withers to the elbow equals the distance from the elbows to the ground.  Pasterns - Strong, perpendicular.  Dew claws - may be removed. Feet - Well feathered/heavily furnished, should be round and catlike, with good pads. The hair may be trimmed for neatness.

With that said, remember that Life is better when you have a Lhasa to love you! Indeed it is!

'Til next time -- thanks for reading!

Joyce

Hello September!

“No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit.” ~ Helen Keller

First, I want to thank everyone who sent texts, emails, and cards to wish me happy birthday!

August has been a crazy month. 

Have you ever had one of those weeks (or months) when, looking back, you wondered what you did and where the hours/days/weeks went? That is what happened to me in August. I visited family in Florida to help with our two grandsons while our daughter recovered from a surgery. The boys were a lot of fun and then it was time to go home and when I got here, all I could think was the half the month was gone and I had accomplished nothing.

I had escaped from the terrible reality and trauma surrounding the birth of Winter's puppy. He was born on the Friday before I had to leave for my trip. Winter's labor was hard and not much was happening. The puppy was stuck in the birth canal. I called our vet's office at 1:00 to ask for help and was told by the person answering the phone that she was out to lunch and they were very busy but she could get me in at 4:30 if I wanted an appointment. I still get hot even remembering that call! 4:30 was hours away.

The puppy was finally born, a male, but he died. Oh the hot tears of sorrow, frustration, and anger all mixed together!! He was a huge puppy - over 9 ounces. He was a beautiful boy with gold color and white markings on his feet and face. I Knew we should have had a C section earlier in the week, but Winter's progesterone was at 8 and, for that reason, the vet thought we should wait. As traumatic as it was, I am glad I was there. It would have been awful for Lynn to face that alone.

If you are one of those people who think breeding and raising puppies is easy, think again. There are constant worries from pre-breeding through whelping. Then different worries crop up as the puppies grow. Are they all eating? Is their mom taking care of them? Is their mom eating well enough? Is the smallest puppy getting pushed away from the nipple? Will I be able to find good homes for each puppy? The list goes on.

And some might say, "Well, look at the money you make off those puppies!" To that I say, "Let me show you my vet bills!"

From the Lhasa Apso Standard: 

Neck - Moderate in length, blending smoothly into the shoulders.  

Body – Rectangular when viewed in profile, with the length from point of shoulder to point of buttocks being longer than the height at withers. Chest of good depth extending to or slightly below the elbow. Prosternum well developed. Well ribbed up with the ribs extending well back towards hindquarters, strong loin, well-developed quarters and thighs.

 Topline - level from withers to croup, whether standing or moving. 

Tail - Well feathered and set sufficiently high to enable the tail to be carried well over the back in a curl lying to the side; there may be a kink at the end. Low carriage of stern is a serious fault. This means that when the Lhasa is moving, the tail is carried well over the back. A dropped tail while standing is not to be penalized.

Just an FYI:

If you have traveled lately with your dog, you know that most hotels/motels are charging ridiculous amounts for your dog to stay with you, in addition to their already high prices. Isn't inflation wonderful??! Anyway, if you feel like staying at a Red Roof Inn, here is some information that will save you some money. 

My Favorite Part of This Blog: Notes and Photos from Others

From Ginny: "Maple is turning a yr old on August 5th! Happy birthday to our sweet, goofy, lovable, little lady. She is everything we had hoped she would be and more. We can’t imagine our family without her. Here’s to a lifetime of birthdays together!🙏Thank you Joyce❤️"

Ginny with Maple

Debra wrote, "Joyslyns Golden Seng Kye is now four years old.  He gets more beautiful every day."

Seng Kye

Maggie wrote, "Here’s a picture of my mom and Finley. We love her SO much. She is the sweetest puppy. I hope you’re having a great summer!"

Finley

Nanda wrote about a recent frightening experience and I wanted to share it because we all need to be reminded that something like this could happen to any of us. 

She wrote. "Let me start by saying that Ty is doing great! But on Monday I decided to make a fruit salad and while I was cutting the grapes I managed to drop ONE SINGLE GRAPE on the floor. Ty was so much faster than me and ate it. So, knowing grapes are toxic to dogs, I immediately called both our vets - traditional and holistic - and both told me to go straight to the ER since we didn’t have Hydrogen Peroxide on hand. Even with all the experience we have owning and fostering dogs our knowledge was outdated. We were under the impression that it takes a certain number of grapes to harm dogs. We now know that for the small Lhasa even a single grape is harmful. My poor little guy arrived at the hospital so happy to see pets and people, completely unaware of the horrible induced vomiting awaiting for him. The grape came out and my heart broke. I feel so guilty. Here’s this titanium healthy dog whose never been sick and only goes to the vet for routine happy times having to endure all this...He loves his food and the 12 hour fasting required for after the procedure wasn’t any better. My little “Will Work For Food” begged to eat. There goes the rest of my heart. We counted the seconds to feed him again and he’s back to his normal life."

Ty

Debi wrote about Lacey: "I cannot believe Lacey is one year old!  We shared the same birthday week which was fun. She got a lot more toys and treats, lol, I think she is competing with Ty for how many toys they have.  She loves her new birthday lamb! We even gave out goodie bags for all her dog friends in daycare. We are very happy that the weather has cooled down a bit so we can take mare walks. We have spent most of the summer in the swimming pool, she still loves her boat. She is just the perfect dog and so sweet!  She is my little shadow.  We enjoy her every day!" 

Lacey

Sally sent birthday greetings and photos of Ginger and Jaxon.

Ginger - the little lady

Ginger rolling in the grass to celebrate her birthday

Sally wrote, "I can't believe she's already 4! Just a couple pictures- the ones of her outside yesterday..... that is her favorite thing to do is roll in the grass! Or dirt.... or sand😂

She is perfect of course ❤️ Hope all is well! How is little Pearl? I hope she's getting in some shows!

Jaxon is really good! He and I are going to a little obedience class so he can be around more people and dogs he is very shy. Everyone loved him of course."

 

And here is Jaxon

That's a lot of coat to brush!

Other birthday greetings and photos came from: 

Lori and Finn

Finn

Michelle and Sunny

Sunny

Judy, Gus, and Lippy

Janice, Gigi, Cinder, and the Scotties: "Happy Birthday to the best Lhasa lady we know! May the coming year be filled with joy, laughter and many blue ribbons!"

Cinder (Right) with her Scottie "sisters"

From Catherine: "Happy Birthday, Joyce, from Maggie, Mallory, Magoo and the whole Fields family! We hope you have a (p)awesome day and this next year is full of happiness, good health and many blessings!"

Judy posted "Lippy Maverick Jones ready to leave Sandy Paws Pet Grooming after his Spa morning."

Jim sent a photo of Daisy and her new bed and wrote, "Daisy’s grandma is spoiling her and got her a new bed. She loves it!"

Maryann wrote, "Minako is the only Lhasa that scoots up beside us, looks at us, then FLOPS her head on us like a person cuddling up. She has a sweet personality!

Kasia sent this photo of Leeloo and her best friend.

Stacey sent this photo of Enzo and Lola. She wrote, "Lola is 11 and she’s tiny (10 pounds) but mighty! Lola and Enzo play every morning and she’s usually on top!!"

Enzo on left, Lola on right

Jodie sent a video of Bernie (and his blanket) and wrote "He is a joy!"

Ruth wrote about Dani: "She has really grown.  I can't believe she is 10 pounds already. She has had 3 hours of one-on-one obedience training at home and we both learned a lot.  When this is all over I am going to get her into a class so that she can be around other dogs."

Stephanie sent an update on Auggie: "I hope you & Lynn have been enjoying your summer.  I thought I'd let you know that my sweet Auggie is being neutered tomorrow (I'll send you the paperwork when I get it from the vet).  He is such a bundle of joy.  He still bounces around like a Tigger, loves to play with the other pups, gives lots of kisses, and likes to "bump" you with his nose when he wants your attention.  He mastered going up and down the steps - down took alot longer than up; he can now jump up on the couch - so the other dogs can no longer escape him; and he is such a "big boy" that he can do just about everything the other dogs do.  When he drinks, he dunks his entire chin in the bowl and proceeds to completely soak the floor, the other dogs, and any human he subsequently greets!  haha.  He had his first haircut - I really, really didn't want to cut his hair, but the poor fella was so hot that he was spending way too much time laying on the air vents.  I've never had a pup with hair so thick - and I've learned to sleep with the ceiling fan on!  :) He's so soft and fluffy and just absolutely adorable.  My mom guilted me in to having his hair cut for his comfort, but he was still quite fluffy even after the haircut (I told her to cut about half off) and he's about ready for another trip to the groomer to have it done again. The groomer absolutely loves him and he was very well behaved.  I would give anything if my hair would grow as thick and fast as Auggie's!  Maybe I can transplant some to my head! haha.  I thought you might enjoy a few pics from the last month or so. We absoutely love Auggie and just can't imagine our lives without him.  Thank you for blessing us with him!

Good luck with all of your upcoming shows and seminars!"

She sent so many super cute pictures that it was difficult to choose, but I chose these two.

Look closely at this one! how did he manage to do that?

Mickey posted, "Biddy-Boo aka Bad-Biddy-Boo turned 6 years old today.   She chews on this bone every bedtime & still hasn't needed her teeth cleaned.   It wasn't a perfect day because she went to the groomer."

Here is Gwen's Mozart

Pam and Paul's Lil 1 and Josie

Little Minnie went to her new home last Sunday. Her new owners had a Lhasa from us previously (Hilo). He recently passed away. Here is a photo of Hilo (Left) in his bed and Minnie (Right) cuddled in the same bed.

And this is Minnie with her new owner.

Ty wrote, "Mommy needs to read for mental health hygiene. Starting today: "

Ty with Lynn's first 3 books

Nanda read my husband's novel, Havana Brown, and sent me this review: "Delicious! I started reading around 8:40PM last night and read right through to 3:30AM until I had devoured every single and absolutely wonderful last drop. It’s very fast moving and very easy to get quickly lost in. I am glad this is the start of the series, because I want more. I was so happy when Ann Meyer came from the hallway carrying a Lhasa Apso Puppy in her arms! And when Joe and Sam accidently met Michael Fleming (David Burton) at Maria Martinez’s funeral, I had to stop to get a glass of water because my heart was beating too fast. At that point I was convinced that Lynn was trying to kill me. I got attached to Carl, Monte and Anita and I cannot believe that they died. I also cannot believe this is not on Netflix yet. I am planning on starting Rose’s Thorn tonight." 

About Rose's Thorn, she wrote. "OMG. Loved it! Even better. My poor heart rate! From the time Joe and Destiny found Melissa Kinkaid’s car to her exhilarating rescue I probably lost 500 calories. No need to go to the gym tonight. How adorable is Deputy Will Tucker? Joe’s marriage counseling “session” with Dwayne Greene…AMAZING. I cannot stop thinking about Sheriff Pollock’s wife (Georgia). I feel so bad she has pancreatic cancer and lost her husband. I get attached. I have issues. I will start Corrupted Souls tonight. What else can possibly happen?????"

Time for a commercial (because I want everyone to read Lynn's books!). 

So far three books have been published. The first, Rose's Thorn, started out as a screen play. (Lynn has been writing plays since I met him during our college days and has won awards for many of them.) I read the screenplay and commented that it would make a good novel and suggested he should turn it into a novel. After much thought, he did. He has no agent so was fortunate indeed that he found a publisher (Level Best Books) and was given a contract for three books, which has now extended to five. The series features a Chicago homicide detective, Joe Erickson.

(My role is to read and edit, read and edit...)

The second book, Havana Brown, is a prequel to the first. The third, Corrupted Souls, won a Literary Titan Gold Book Award in May of this year, shortly following its publication. All have received great reviews and high praise from readers and reviewers alike. YouTube has a promo video for Corrupted Souls at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbRB4XPg5qQ

The fourth book, One of Our Own, is supposed to be published in the spring. Lynn is currently working on a fifth in the series. Author is Lynn-Steven Johanson and the books are available from Amazon in soft cover and Kindle forms. Amazon, of course, offers reviews of each book. Your local bookstore can also order them, as can libraries.

End of commercial! 

Training Information

One common complaint of puppy owners is puppy biting. Often after new owners pick up their puppy and send me n update, two things are usually mentioned: how the potty training is coming along and how do we stop the puppy from biting. I always suggest they read "Angel days and devil days: teaching bite inhibition to puppies," by Vicky DeGray.

YouTube has many puppy training videos. Here is one of them: How to Stop Puppy biting in Seconds. It offers some good ideas about what to do.

Thanks for taking time to read the blog -- and special thanks to those who sent texts, emails, and photos. I enjoy them all.

Joyce