I’m going to leave to go to Laura’s house to grind chicken necks shortly.  I needed to add a couple of cost saving measures so we’re going to do our own grinding for awhile.

I’ve got 3 puppies at the house: Stan and Bree from the Crystal Bennett litter.  Stan’s looking good. Bree’s not bad but not quite holding together as Stan is.  and I have Shasta…from the Flash X Profit litter.   I’d love to find homes for Stan and Shasta. But they need to be JUST the right homes since I want to show both of them or have both of them shown.  Stan should be easy to finish and would make a great Juniors dog.  Shasta is gorgeous…reminds me of Pelé…but I really don’t need 3 puppies here.  They would do soooo much better in their own homes.

Oh well maybe someone will see them at the upcoming shows and fall in love with one of them.

The new roof goes on this weekend.  Should be a mess around here for a week.

My nephew is graduating from Notre Dame in finance.  Meeting that branch of the family (California) tomorrow night for dinner.

Aerin is due on the 31st of May. I hope there’s a black boy in there for me.  The ultrasound showed 8 puppies so I can hope

The Van’s almost packed.  Michael is moving but with his eyes closed.  We MIGHT get out of her at a reasonable hour but I’m not holding my breath.  Already have breakfast plans with John and Jan tomorrow morning.   Indie shows at 1 pm in Novice.  fingers crossed for HIT!

I spent a good deal of yesterday getting dogs to their camps for the duration of the trip.  Tucker and Quid went to Linda, who then called me to let me know that Quid has a UTI and what should she give him…UGH children!  So he’s on 250 mg of amoxicillan 3x a dog.

Genna, Tag and Stan when to Laura’s and Aerin, Duncan and Reddi went to Kris  & John’s.

I picked up Joanne’s cavalier puppy to deliver her to them at Tulsa.  OMG what a cutie.  I’ve always gotten older puppies or adults.  At 12 weeks she’s half the size of a Dalmatian puppy but just as playful.  She met the dals yesterday and played with them without a hitch.

She’s wearing an altogether too big Snowood collar.  I did her toenails last night.  All my cavaliers put up a fuss but she didn’t.  Either she really doesn’t care or like Dals if you start them young enough there is no toenail drama.

OK coffee’s made and I need to put together a cooler.

It’s been a long while since I wrote.  Seems something else always pops up and I don’t get to the blog.

Updates:

The Crystal Bennett puppies are doing well.  Most have gone to their new homes.  Great homes too.  I still have the big liver boy. Very sound and very social.  I want to find a show home for him or a home that wouldn’t mind if I borrowed him to finish his AKC championship.  I’ve done that several time before.  I send a substitute dog for the weekend while the “show dog” is away.  Sometimes it works out that the owner comes along to the shows.   The girl I’m keeping had a name change.  She is now Snowood Crystal Blue Bellini AKA Brie

Cheryl kept the little black male and he’s proving to be a handful. Chuckle chuckle chuckle.

John and Indie have earned another title. It think they’re up to 10. They plan on showing in obedience and agility at the national.  I’ll be able to watch obedience but not agility.  Board meetings on Saturday.

Went to the Vet yesterday with Aerin.  It’s official, she’s pregnant and we’re expecting 8 puppies. Sire is GCH GlenOaks Fireside Gambler.(Duncan’s sire). puppies are due May 31, 2012.  Now to take reservations for puppies!

Darlene’s Flash X Profit litter is looking nice.  They tested all bi-lateral which is wonderful.  She has a liver show bitch available.  If the right home doesn’t come along she’ll be here too.

I had been so good about getting down in numbers now “poof” it looks like my numbers are going to go up.

I’m going to be a co-breeder on a cavalier litter…nope not at this house.  But at least I’ll have my name on the books at AKC.

Genna, Mac, Bryce and Reilly are within points of finishing.  We should have them all done by the end of summer…assuming we go to enough shows. It looks like I’m taking May off.

New roof schedule for the house as soon as we get back from the Dalmatian Specialty in Tulsa OK next week.

I promise to update more often…not daily just more often

Sigh,  I just got through talking with Cheryl B.  The puppies are doing fine!  The little boy that I tube fed for a week has made it and caught up with the other puppies.  He’s the one Cheryl is going to keep.  I’ll be taking the pink girl with the bad attitude.  Her name will be Snowood Crystal Blue Bayou and I’ll call her Blu.  She got an attitude like Cherry had (AM/CAN CH Snowood Black Cherry Optimist)  Cherry had an attitude but she gave me Coke (AM/CAN CH Snowood Optimist Cherry Coke) and a better attitude and personality I couldn’t find.  Duncan’s got the same attitude and personality which is probably why Duncan will stay forever.

Blu….not so much.

This was not one of the easier litters to whelp. Not really sure why.  i could speculate but it would be just speculation.  Dr J. doesn’t think we would have any problem breeding Crystal again but I’m not sure.  I’ve never done a breeding after a c-section.  We’ll see.

Arizona is having COOL weather…actually it’s cold.  I’m wearing my jeans and long sleeve shirts.  Not wearing my sandals…which I brought nor my summer shirts.  Oh well.  We’re heading for Santa Fe to do some touristy stuff on Wednesday and Thursday.  I want to do the museums and Michael wants to check out the Indian jewelry.  He’s fascinated by the turquoise.  he bought me an inlaid turquoise, coral & silver necklace for my birthday.   I have more turquoise jewelry than I can wear.   The native artisans come to the Santa Fe square and sell their stuff directly.  Much less expensive than the shops in Gallup NM but just as pretty.

I had wanted to get the car washed and cleaned out while we were here but it looks like it will have to wait until June afterall.

When I get back home, we’ll have to get the motor home.  After spending most of the winter at the dealership while the floor was being repaired, we brought it to Laura’s house to clean.  I hooked it up to the Motorhome outlet she had installed and son of a gun the electrical panel started smoking!  I pulled the plug. The microwave was fried.  Everything seemed to run OK on the generator but BACK to the dealership to be checked out.  The extended warranty on the motor home took care of the microwave and the electrical panel checked out OK.  The MH is making it’s first trip on March 31/April 1 up to Manitowoc for the Packerland shows.  I wouldn’t take it out this early but my rule of thumb is 10 consecutive days with the low temperature above freezing.  My word it’s been 20 degrees above freezing. So we’ll dewinterize it on Monday or Wednesday depending on my arrival home.

Ahh Michael’s finally up and moving so we’ll be off now.

I had meant to keep the blog up to date with the puppies but the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Cheryl kept us busy before the puppies arrived with painting my kitchen.

Crystal started labor on the 20th and the first puppy arrived at 11:56 PM.  The next two came in a reasonable amount of time but the fourth was a no show.  We did everything we could to move things along but had to call the vet and do an emergency c section early Saturday morning.

We lost 2 huge girls and had a itsy bitsy boy and then 2 normal puppies. My vet allows breeders to be back in the surgery gallery – they have windows into the surgery suite so you can watch what’s happening.  Crystal came through the c-section just fine.

After she was awake and nursing we took her home.  Cheryl didn’t share with me until after that she thought we were going to lose all the puppies because we took them out into the cold and to the vet. I had a box set up for the puppies with towels – lots of towels – for insulation and a hot water bottle.  Kept the puppies roasty toasty on the trip to the vet.  While there, I replaced the hot water a couple of times…I’ve done this before.  One the way there I rode in the back just in case Crystal decided she could have the puppy.  The trip didn’t hurt the puppies at all.

The littlest guy has been a problem. Is there a reason he’s small?  puppies in a little do run the gamut from moose size to teeny.  He was full of gunky fluid when he was pulled from his sac.  We suctioned his mouth and nostrils and Jo gave him oxygen.  By the time we took him home he wasn’t raspy any more.  he’d nurse but not like the others.  So I supplemented him first with his mom’s milk – they need to get colostrum into them for antibodies and general health reasons. Then with Esbilac.  Yes I had to milk Crystal.  I ran out to find a breast pump…do you know they have electric double milkers for humans?  but I couldn’t find the old fashioned manual kind so by hand it was.

I explained to Cheryl that I had milked cows and goats by hand and “How do you think you get Chihuahua cheese?”  She missed the joke on that one. Perhaps a little too stressed at the time… You know Chihuahua cheese from the state of Chihuahua in Mexico…not really from the Chihuahua dog???? Oh never mind.

I upped the the amount I was feeding to  full meals on Tuesday instead of snacks. By Thursday he was fighting the tube and on Saturday it was time for him to be on his own.  He’s gaining weight but I don’t think he’ll ever be as big as the others…but that’s not a bad thing.  An apartment sized Dalmatian won’t be a bad thing at all.

I’m off to get my oil changed and to agility class with Duncan!  the next blog will be on our agility work.

Merry Christmas.  I probably won’t write for several days so this will be my Christmas post.

I’ve made Christmas cookies and from scratch potato soup or vichyssoise.  I like it hot so it’s just plain potato soup with leeks.  In the summer it is a great cool soup as is gazpacho but that is for when I’m not wearing a sweatshirt.

Christmas presents are wrapped.  You’d think we had kids  here…Oh wait, Mike and I didn’t have to grow up   I’m ready.

I sent a few e Christmas cards out today. I probably forgot someone.  I’ve got several boxes of REAL cards but I never seem to get to them in enough time to send them via the Post Office.  and the Post Office will be “slowing down” mail service.  And they wonder why we use the internet and fax  more and more.

My back yard is dry YEAH! so the dogs aren’t mud muffins.  They get homemade organic dog treats made by Sandy and Bob.  I go to their house and do Huli and Babe’s toenails once a month.  It started out by my going to SHOW them how to do their dogs’ own toenails but somehow it’s turned into me going every month.  Sandy has always just made something when I get there.  This time it was Apple Cinnamon cake for people and Christmas tree dog treats.  The cake was good.

Tomorrow after presents are opened, we’ll have biscuits and gravy for breakfast which should tide us over until we meet friends for brunch up at the Abbey resort in Lake Geneva.  I keep imagining that I should do Christmas dinner here…and then I remember how much easier it is to go to the ABBEY.  Thanks Kris for reminding me every year!

Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year

Oodles of doodles
By Naomi Kane, ARTICLE, LIFESTYLE
The history of most of today’s purebred dogs starts something along the lines of Lord Somethingorother, local gamekeepers or huntsmen, needed a dog that could catch rats all day long, herd livestock, guard something special, pull heavy loads or hunt over some special terrain, so they bred local dogs to imported dogs to achieve this special  purpose and created the Wirehaired Specialhund. The Wirehaired Specialhund remained popular, even when its original job became obsolete, because of its wonderful temperament, adaptability etc., etc.

We have purebred dogs today because a fancier or a few fanciers thought a dog with those characteristics would be useful or just nice to have around. So what is wrong with experimenting, why not try new things and what exactly is the difference between the Bullmastiff and the labradoodle, aside from the silly name?
Qualities of a purebred

A purebred dog comes from the mating of two registered purebred dogs of the same breed. The resulting puppies can be reliably predicted to have the physical and mental characteristics of their ancestors. This means that if you breed a Poodle to a Poodle you
will reliably get Poodle puppies that will grow up to look and act like Poodles.

Purebred dogs have a standard of excellence – a written description of the breed’s ideal look and characteristics. Generations of purebred dogs have been carefully screened and selected so that only the healthiest, best tempered and best looking are used to produce
more puppies of that breed. Purebred dogs are registered and have pedigrees that can be traced back in some cases to the beginning of the breed. The qualities of the dogs that go into the pedigrees are known and recorded so that faults and good qualities can be tracked. Breeders and breed clubs work tirelessly to maintain high ethical standards and keep the look, temperament and health of each breed.

A distressing number of people think that simply putting a name to a mixed-breed puppy makes it a real breed. Jugs, puggles, schweatens, cockapoos and every doodle imaginable are populating parks and handbags around the world. Clearly, many people either don’t know or don’t care that if you mate a Pug to a Beagle you have a litter of mixed-breed dogs, even if you call them “Puggles.” Misinformation and rumour touted as fact; the all too-human propensity for falling in love with the first cute puppy you see; and a real lack of awareness on the part of purebred dog breeders and organizations has resulted in a
worldwide frenzy of crossbreeding anything to everything. Crossbred puppies with goofy names are advertised as “designer breeds” and sell for exorbitant prices while carefully bred, health-tested purebred puppies from responsible breeders are overlooked.

Characteristics of crossbreeds
How many times have we heard that mutts are healthier than purebreds, mutts have hybrid vigour or that Poodle crosses are hypoallergenic? The myth is that if you breed two dogs of different breeds, you can accurately predict the exact attributes the ensuing
puppies will display, and that these “designer dogs” will be healthier than purebreds due to “hybrid vigour.” The truth is that crossing two different breeds will result in some puppies looking like each parent and some puppies resembling a mix of the two – maybe.

Even though the breeders of these pups say they can predict things like coat type, colour, temperament and size, they cannot. The only things that can be predicted for sure are that the puppies will be awfully cute because puppies always are, and that many of these dogs
will end up in shelters because they got bigger and weren’t  hypoallergenic as advertised.

Doodle dogs are deliberate crossbreeds and their producers have no intention of developing a breed; they simply continue to crossbreed and sell puppies. Doodle producers do some fancy double-talk touting their puppies as special and better because they are crossbred. If you have a weak heart or high blood pressure, skip the next section
or at least make sure you’re sitting down.

The North American Cockapoo Registry – yes, they call themselves a registry; that isn’t the shocking part – says, “A true cockapoo is
ONLY a purposeful, planned crossing of a purebred cocker spaniel with a purebred poodle. Without a traceable background anything cute and fuzzy could be (and has been) passed off as a “cockapoo” by unscrupulous people.” If they weren’t so successful it would be funny, but instead of seeing the idiocy and finding a nice Poodle or Cocker
Spaniel with a real, traceable background, people read that and buy a cockapoo.

Most labradoodle merchants offer labradoodles and Australian labradoodles. The difference between them is that Australian labradoodles are supposed to be a purebred developed from infusions of a few other breeds into the original Poodle/Lab crosses.
According to some web sites, there is a move to seek eventual breed recognition. So now they have it both ways: A mixed breed is better, except when it isn’t.
Hybrid vigour

Millions of dollars have been put into health research and testing by responsible breeders of purebred dogs. Records and databases going back generations make health issues in purebred dogs visible; therefore it looks like purebred dogs have lots of health issues.
There is no database or health record for mixed-breed dogs, but it is evident from observation that they have health problems.
Crossbreed producers claim to be breeding “top quality” dogs and fixing health problems by producing puppies with “hybrid vigour.” To begin with, no reputable breeder would knowingly sell a puppy to somebody planning to produce mixes, so the breeding stock
must come from other, less-than-reputable sources. The quality and health of their bloodlines is suspect to say the least.

Hybrid vigour refers to the mating of two different species within a family of animals, such as a lion and a tiger, a horse and a donkey, or a dog and a wolf. Since crossbreed dogs are simply a mating of a dog and another dog, the genes for health problems have an excellent chance of doubling up and expressing themselves in the offspring. Claims of super health are nonsense; veterinarians see as many problems in “designer dogs” as in purebreds. Since most doodle producers do no health testing and their breeding stock is
unlikely to come from health-tested backgrounds, some “designer dogs” get the worst of both worlds and inherit different problems from each parent.

So what is the difference between a Bullmastiff and a labradoodle? The Bullmastiff (or any other purebred) breeds true, and puppies can be guaranteed to be as advertised. Purebred dogs are the result of research, artistry and dedication. While there are some irresponsible breeders and problems in the purebred fancy, purebred dogs are healthy and reliable overall. Labradoodles and other mixes are a hodgepodge of possibilities that cannot be predicted, thrown together in an effort to make a quick buck. Size, colour, coat type and temperament are a guess at best.

A wake-up call
People “in dogs” have no idea of the gulf that exists between them and the average person looking for a pet. Despite the obvious discrepancies between myth and reality, many people continue to believe the doodle hype. Purebred-dog clubs and breeders need
to realize that they are in direct competition with the doodle merchants because many people think a St. Berdoodle is a breed.

Purebred breeders are passionate and protective of their breeds and have been in the habit of downplaying them to discourage too much popularity. It’s not untypical for a breeder to answer puppy queries by listing all the reasons their breed is not suitable for everybody, especially the person calling to enquire. There are breeders who won’t sell to pet homes, or who breed only if they want to keep a puppy for their own breeding program, leaving potential pet owners puppy-less and feeling snubbed.

Responsible breeders don’t like to advertise in newspapers, and are afraid to market their dogs because they don’t want to be perceived as puppy merchants. If responsible breeders are hard to find or won’t breed for the pet market, then pet buyers will go where they can
get a puppy – straight to the designer-dog merchant who makes them feel special because they have a special dog that is “better than a purebred.” Once they have that puppy, they will love it, protect it and defend it as passionately as any purebred breeder.
The world of purebred dogs needs to wake up and get marketing, educating and reaching out to the average pet-buying person or watch as oodles of doodles fill the need for pet dogs.
By Naomi Kane
Frequent contributor Naomi Kane is a CGN evaluator and has been breeding Leonbergers
for over 10 years.
Photo: gettyimages.com • Sharon Montrose
(Originally appeared in our February 2009 issue)

We got back from Concord NC without a hitch…and we drove straight through.  I don’t think I’ll do that again.  I was totally wasted on Monday.  We were able to get another major on Genna so I’m happy about that.

This has been a busy week.  I took Crystal to the vet on Monday for her second AI.   Dr Jo had the session videoed…hopefully to go online and had several observers:  Dr Jose from the clinic and a vet student doing a vet clinic visit..now required.  I did put in a plug for breeders to the vet student…”if it weren’t for breeders, you won’t have a practice”.   The AI was almost text book.  I understand that it was on Saturday, but that was because they didn’t video it then.

We dropped Crystal off at home on the way to the dog show.  She was THRILLED to be home and Mac was just as happy to come with us.

At Lake Shore KC Mac was Winner’s dog and Best of Breed for a point.  Genna was Winner’s bitch and Best of Opposite Sex for a point.  She gets to sit home now until next February and the Indy Specialty shows.  Riley was Reserve Winners.  We also got an early Christmas present in the Cavalier that I showed was Winner’s dog for his first point.  Tucker is a cute Blenheim male and looks like a double of Quid.  Tucker is Fluffy 8.

Today I started getting the den ready for 2 more dogs.  Darlene is bringing Flash and Py here while she and Paul head for the south sea islands.  I think they’re gone for 3 weeks.

I’ve got an IDCBA meeting tomorrow night.  The IDCBA puts out a breeders’ directory for Illinois and sends it to the veterinarians in the state and also does legislative oversight.  I think it’s time I start going back to just member status for some of these clubs.