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December 30, 2012
Christmas has come and gone and New Year's is fast
approaching. It seems that the older I get, the faster time
goes by. We always have a quiet Christmas and this year was no
different. As I had just got home from a week away, I was
content to spend the time with the dogs. Gaston, discovered a
new "passion" and spent his time on that. Our neighbour
recently informed us that we can cut down all the trees we
want on her bush lot that borders our property. We usually
spend more than $5,000 ordering firewood for the hi efficiency
wood stove in the kennel, every winter. Although we also have
a forced air gas furnace, lying by the crackling fire is the
preferred spot for the Pins in the cold weather. Even Oliver
has been known to indulge, which annoys the Pins to no end as
he takes up so much room! |
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Now Minpins are heat
seeking animals, so it is lucky that I use an electric heater
to warm my feet when I am on the computer. They really
appreciate this as they follow me everywhere. I also would
feel guilty to look down at them shivering away. |
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Gaston, loves
nothing better than to save money and has been in his glory
cutting down trees and converting them into fire wood. So far
this year, he has accumulated quite a stash! He swears that he
will never spend another penny on wood. <g> |
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Winter has arrived
with a vengeance and it was time to get the big box of dog
coats out of the basement. The older adults got excited when
they saw their coats as they remembered them from other years.
The "new additions" since last year didn't know what to make
of all the fuss. Once I wrestled them into their coats, the
reaction was immediate. Some laid right down and wouldn't
move, the pups spent their time trying to tear each other's
coat off, and some just stood there, waiting to see what was
next. Gaston has made a path in the snow with the the snow
blower and off we went. About half ran like crazy and had a
ball. A few stood at the gate and watched the others and
several stayed, immobilized in the kennel. This is a pic of
the pups trying to get back in the dog door. |
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All in all it was a
fun time. Gaston was able to get the path down to grass and
they ran like crazy. |
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Caroline and BB also
had a digging contest - goodness knows what they were looking
for. <g. |
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It's fortunate that
Gaston's dad gabe him a new snowblower this year or we
wouldn't be having all this fun. This is Gaston all bundled up
cutting a path through the paddock. |
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Reflecting on my
getaway, has made me more determined to downsize the number of
dogs at Patapin. This is going to be difficult as I get so
attached to everyone that stays for any length of time. The
reward is that every one of these dogs deserves their own
forever home. Life is good here but it is never as good as
having their own family, where they are special and get
limitless undivided attention and lap time. As you can see
from my site there are many excellent prospects waiting. For
the first time, ever, I will reduce my prices to assist in a
placement. Christmas is a particularly difficult time of year
financially for people and aside from that, the economy is
tough on everyone. So if you have been thinking of adding a
furry family member, this is the time to a top quality Minpin
at a tremendous price.
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December 23, 2012
I arrived home just before midnight last night from my six
day vacation to Ft Myers. I had the best time ever and we are
now thinking of buying a condo down there. Maybe there is a
life that doesn’t always involve dogs?? Stay tuned.
Cammi was the only one who knew that I got home as she has
moved into the house full time. She was SO excited that I
ended up letting her sleep with me. There was just no way that
she was going back in her crate and let me out of her sight.
Luckily, we both slept like a log.
Dogs are different from people. As I entered the house at a
time outside of my routine, Cammi realized that I had been
away and went nuts. When I came out to the kennel at my
“usual” time, everyone was happy to greet me but no happier
than any other day. I had read that dogs have a different
sense of time passing than people and this was an example of
that.
I must be going through my third mid life crisis. Just before
I left, I had the moving pic of Abi tattooed onto the inside
of my left ankle – something that i swore I would NEVER do. It
is still red and swollen and will look better as it heals.
They say that tattoos are addictive so I will wait and see.
You never know............ |
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I left sunshine and tempts in the low 80’s and woke up to
minus 5 and a foot of snow. Christmas is upon us. I wish all
my readers a wonderful Christmas and an even better 2013. I
certainly hope that my 2013 is better than 2012 has been – I
am over due for good fortune.
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December 15, 2012
This week we have some bad news, some disappointing news,
some pleasant news and some exciting news. Let's leave the
best for the last.
For the last couple of weeks, I have had some very promising
inquiries for Pink, Prize, Honey Bee, and my new litters. I
exchanged several emails with these people, sending lots of
pics. Then, when I was my most excited about finding "perfect"
homes for these well deserving Pins, every single person just
stopped emailing me. Always the last question is the price and
that seems to have discouraged three families. Lesson learned
- tell the price first. If they are still interested I will
send the info. I tend to send tons of detail in the best
interest of finding a good match and it is time consuming and
builds my expectations. It is also a big emotional investment
for me so therefore it is a big let down when these people
just vanish. I can well understand that everyone is very busy
this time of year and money is in short supply. I also don't
want people to feel pressured. All I ask for is a couple of
lines telling me that they have changed their mind and won't
be proceeding. I don't even need to know the reason. Why is
that too much to ask?
Now to the very bad news. Yesterday, just as it was getting
quite dark, I let the dogs out for a walk, which is my
routine. I usually have to come back in and give Al a personal
invitation as he waits on the grooming table for me to carry
him out. By the time I got back out, I could here chaos - wild
frenzied barking, like I had never heard before. We have a
chicken coop that is off the ground. The space underneath is
covered in wainscoting on three sides. Every one of my dogs,
including the three big ones were under the chicken coop. My
heart dropped and my stomach twisted into a knot. They had
something trapped under there! I screamed and Oliver, Belle,
Silver and a couple Pins came out looking sheepish. I got down
and crawled in on my elbows and knees. I could see a cat
laying on it's side with a dozen Pins attacking it, just like
piranhas. I kept yelling and crawled towards the cat. It was
almost completely dark by now. I had a jacket and a sweat
shirt on ant took off my jacket and put my sweatshirt over the
cat, all the while, swatting Pins out of the way. It did occur
to me for a split second that if I wasn't a strong pack
leader, they all might turn on me. They had all lost their
minds and the prey drive had possessed then completely. I
slowly backed out, clutching the cat in one arm and pushing
dogs out of the way with the other as I maneuvered my way. I
took the cat into the barn and laid it on a table. At first I
thought it was still alive but sadly, it was dead. I was
completely overwhelmed with many emotions coursing through me.
I left the cat wrapped in my sweat shirt, came out and
continued the walk. It was difficult, but I told myself that
the dogs were just doing what they had been bred to do and
came naturally and had no idea that they had done anything
wrong. I was still shaking when Gaston got home from work. I
told him that he could bury the cat as I was completely
drained. I also told him that I wasn't sure I recognized the
cat but everything was pretty much a blur. We have two barn
cats that we feed, immunize and had spayed. I am very attached
to them. They have been here since we first got alpacas, to
keep mice away from the grain in the barn.
If there was any good news in this at all, Gaston came back to
tell me that it wasn't one of ours. I was so relieved I got
tears in my eyes. Some poor unfortunate cat had found it's way
onto my property and met a tragic end. That doesn't happen
very often as most animals stay far away because of all the
dogs I have on the property. What an awful way to end the day.
Finally on to the to the better news. Most exciting and
surprising was that my friend told me that Manley ended up the
#2 Minpin puppy in Canada for 2012. I had forgotten that he
had a BPIS from the summer. It was worth 50 points for just
that one win. |
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I haven't mentioned
Silver for quite a while. The weather has been sunny and mild
and I was able to get two great shots of Silver, being Silver.
She is just such a fun loving dog. In one pic, she is zooming
around with her red and yellow Chinese dragon |
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and 10 minutes
later, she trades that in for a stick. |
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You can just see the
fun she is having reflected in her eyes.
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Mazie has been
getting under the fence which is something that her mother and
grandmother did relentlessly until they both came to a tragic
end. Mazie spends her entire walk travelling along the fence
looking for any tiny space that might have opened up over
night. Who would have ever thought this obsession to escape
would be passed down in the genes. Years ago, my first stud,
Reno did the same thing. I was almost ready to return him
rather than find him dead on the road. Luckily I had a brain
wave and put a plastic vet collar around his neck. This
stopped him from getting under anything. Idid the same thing
for Mazie. On out first test walk, I saw Mazie outside the
fence with no collar. I was totally stumped until Sprinkles
went running by with the collar on. I had put it on the wrong
dog! |
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I leave tomorrow for
my six day getaway to Fort Myers. Totally looking forward to
the warmth, sun and just getting away.
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December 09, 2012
This week has brought three promising inquiries wanting to
add a quality Minpins as family members. Predictably, two have
been looking for a black girl. For the first time in a long
time, I am expecting an all black litter. The parents are
Brazen and Fanta - two absolutely gorgeous blacks - and I have
high hopes. They are due in February. For a variety of valid
reasons, Sprinkles will be staying with me and I am hoping to
be able to send a very high quality show puppy from this
litter in her place. I have also bred two red litters and have
told these families that if they are non negotiable on black,
they should provide a deposit. If they will be happy with any
healthy, well socialized pup, then we can all wait to see what
pops out of the ovens. Of course if I can't produce what they
want, their deposits will be fully refunded per my website.
I have someone interested in either HB or Prize. I sent some
pics that I took in the kennel as it has been dark, dreary and
raining here for several days. The best pics are taken
outdoors in the sun and I normally wouldn't send these but it
will give them an idea. |
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Sadly my heart still aches for poor little Pink. The older she
gets, the less desirable she becomes for people wanting pet
puppies. I must admit that I am puzzled that she is still
here. Pink is by far the sweetest, prettiest, most
affectionate pup I have bred in a long, long time. Here's a
reminder. |
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My mood got a bit of
a lift this week when I took Mazie and Sera to the Pet Store
for ongoing socialization. Mazie had her butt whipped at her
last show in October as she wouldn't put her tail up and Sera
seemed to have the same problem. I can now excitedly report
that they have both had "light bulb moments" and couldn't have
been perkier or looked more show ready. Patience is not my
virtue and I had actually considered placing these girls, I
was pretty discouraged. So glad I waited it out! There is a
show near me between Christmas and New Years that I can enter
them in to test it out. Sera can enter in a new class called
Baby puppy, and Mazie would still be in the 9 to 12 month
class as she turns a year in early January.
Not only do I have that to look forward to, but I have booked
myself a six day getaway to the sun, leaving Dec 15 and
returning Dec 22nd. If I remember to take my camera, I will
share vacation pics when I get back. For the last three years
I have tried to do this as a favour to myself. I don't do well
in the winter as I have seasonal affective disorder, so my
mood darkens with the lack of sun. Also the older I get, the
more I hate the cold. When Gaston retires we hope to find a
place in southern Florida where we can escape with the dogs.
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December 02, 2012
Where to start? On a positive note, I received Romeo's
championship pic. [ch pic]. Romeo finished quickly and
defeated some lovely competition in British Columbia. I can't
thank my friends Meredith and Adam for taking Romeo and his
brother for training and socialization. |
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As it turned out,
Romeo is a natural show dog and loves to strut his stuff. His
brother Cowboy does not have the personality for showing and
just wants to be someone's much loved pet. |
Now, this brings me to Romeo's journey home. Meredith took
Romeo to the airport and dropped him off for the 7:00 am
flight to Toronto, where Gaston was to pick him up.
Unbelievably, West Jet forgot all about him and didn't get him
on a plane until 1:00 pm! Gaston was leaving to pick up Romeo
from work, so he had to sit there and wait for several hours
before he left for Toronto. Then to make matters worse, Gaston
ran into a huge blizzard and was stopped in traffic due to
poor visibility and accidents up ahead. He was concerned about
being late to pick up the little guy, who had already spent so
much time in a small crate but it was out of his control..
Gaston finally made it through and arrived to get Romeo two
hours late. Then the three hour drive back home through the
blizzard. This has never ever happened to me before but it
certainly opened up my eyes to the possibility of mistakes,
resulting in the possibility of tragedy. Fortunately Romeo was
none the worse for wear but it certainly shook me up. Lesson
learned - don't drop off a dog for shipment and leave. Stay
until you are sure that he has actually gotten on the flight.
The next morning I took Sera to the pet store which is
something I enjoy. We walked around and did some training in
the store for just over an hour. When I got back to my
vehicle, someone had hit me in the parking lot and had taken
off. There was a lot of damage and I spent the rest of
yesterday dealing with the police and the insurance company. I
swear that I am cursed! 2012 has been a terrible year for me
and I can only hope that the curse won't follow me into 2013.
It did make me smile when I took Romeo out to the kennel to
re-introduce him to his doggy family. It took him about 45
seconds to locate his brother Cowboy in all the exuberant
chaos of greetings by all. Then it was like a scene from the
Bo Derrick movie, 10. They ran to each other with love in
their eyes. Then they both got up on their hind legs, with
their front legs around each other's shoulders. They danced
around like this for over a minute and couldn't believe how
lucky they were to be together again. As everyone was so
excited, I opened the door and we all went for a walk. Romeo
and CB spent the entire 30 minutes chasing each other and
rolling around together. It was a heart warming reunion for
sure! |
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November 25, 2012
Lots of good news this week. First, Meredith finished
Romeo and he is now Ch Patapin Rhinestone Romeo! Pretty good
for a 6 month old ball of energy. Meredith called and told me
that he showed like he was "on crack." but the Judge liked him
anyway. She said that she was able to get a good pic of the
New Champion and I hope to see it later today. Meredith has
done a wonderful job with this little boy. She certainly
exceeded my expectations, which is hard to do.
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Then Nate's new mom
Shirley sent me a wonderful endorsement with a pic of Nate
that really shows his personality. You can see that as the
latest endorsement on the endorsement page. She also sent a
pic that warmed my heart. Finding good homes are my biggest
challenge and as you can see, Shirley and Greg are the best!
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I now have four
girls in season in the house and it is chaos. It snowed
heavily today but that hasn't stopped the boys from crying at
the back door to get in. I have been feeding Al and Brazen
almost 3x their daily allotment of food and they are still
thin as rails.
I now have a couple of older male puppies available as well as
Nate's sister Pink. It is a real shame that someone hasn't
fallen in love with this girl. She is a very special puppy and
really needs her own family to continue to blossom.
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November 18, 2012
Things are more hectic around here this week. Rhonda, Rita
and Fanta are all in season. Girls in season are hard to live
with. They do a lot of marking. They go around constantly and
lift their bums in the air and deposit urine, tinged with
blood. They mark against everything that is on the ground.
Also, once one marks, the other two have to run over and mark
on top of what that girl deposited. There are puddles
everywhere and I can barely keep up!!
Rhonda is ready to be bred and Al has done the deed twice. I
plan to breed Fanta to Brazen and have high hopes for the
litter. Both are gorgeous typey blacks who like to show. I
hope to breed Manley to Rita. Sera is out of Al and Rita and
has trouble keeping her tail up - can't tell you how sick I am
of that. It doesn't really matter how pretty they are, if they
don't like to "strut their stuff" then they don't make show
dogs. So, Manley is out of Beauty and Al. He finished in one
four day weekend and has beautiful pigment. He is a 10 1/4"
virgin and I am not sure what he is going to think about the
whole experience. If he takes to it like a duck takes to
water, I am hoping the pups will get Fanta's show personality.
I am used to winning and winning big. If I don't get something
exciting out of these three breedings, I will like retire for
good this time. Breeding dogs is expensive and hard work. If I
don't win, I won't have fun and if I am not having fun then
why continue? We will let fate decided. Fingers crossed for
these puppies.
I heard from Alexis and she sent me a pic of Monty. Have you
ever seen anything cuter than this? [pic] |
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I have a policy of unfriending anyone who posts graphic pics
of animals being abused or starving on fb. I posted several
times that it upsets me and that I can't get the pics out of
my head - ever. I am still having flash backs to pics I saw
years ago. I object so much to these pics being posted on fb
because you get no warning about what is to come. When they
put animal neglect/abuse stories on TV, they always give a
warning and I change the channel.
After being upset several times, I decided just to unfriend
whoever posts these graphic pics and I warned people about it.
Then I post what I did and why, without identifying the
person. Much to my surprise, there was a nasty backlash to my
last posting. I was told that animal lovers educate the public
by posting these gory pics and if I didn't agree with it, then
I couldn't be an animal lover. But that wasn't all.......then
they suggested that all animal lovers should unfriend me!
Crazy logic from crazy people.
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Sprinkles is going
to her new home in January. I took this pic of her on the
weekend to send to her new owner. |
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the very best thing that happened this week
happened on Sunday Nov 11th. Nate found the PERFECT home!!!
Shirley and Greg are readers of my blog and saw Nate on my
blog. They only live 40 min away and almost didn't email to
inquire as for some reason, they got the idea that I lived in
Thunder Bay (a 15 hr drive away) and as winter is approaching
were not prepared to make the drive in potentially bad
weather. However, Shirley fell in love at first sight of Nate
and sent of an email anyway. This is an example of how certain
things are meant to be. Not only did they live only 40 min
away, but they had just put their Cavalier Spaniel to sleep
for a terminal illness. They were heart broken and had a huge
hole in their heart. They have a big fenced yard and back onto
a 3km green space. They were also cooking human grade meat and
vegs for their Cav and as people know, I also cook for my
dogs. |
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When they arrived I
could tell that that they were dedicated dog lovers that
incorporate their pet as a priceless family member. They think
of their dogs as children and refer to themselves as mom and
dad! (me too btw). I told them that nothing could ever replace
their lost Cav but that Nate would fill up all of their hearts
to bursting but the hole left by their Cav would remain but
would shrink down to a very small hole. This is a pic that I
took in my driveway as they left for home with Nate.
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I had also received
an inquiry about Nate from blog readers from Alexis who
adopted my Monty about a year ago. Alex said that she would
talk to her husband and I hadn't heard from her for three
days. On day four Shirley discovered Nate and as they say, the
rest is history. If I do hear back from Alexis, I know that
she will be disappointed but right now a have a few wonderful
older puppies and young dogs needing a home.
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Speaking of other
wonderful Pins needing a home, I decided to put my favourites
on my blog from now on. Of course, Nate's sister Pink is the
next pup my heart aches for to find a wonderful family. There
is also nothing cuter than Pink. |
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Not only is she just
as cute or cuter but Pink is also spayed, has had all her
shots, is crate trained, lead trained, loves car rides, is
affectionate, intelligent, loves to be a lap dog but also
loves to play with all her doggy friends here. Pink was with
Nate in my house while Shirley and Greg were here. Every time
they paid attention to Nate or picked him up, Pink whined for
attention herself. I know Shirley would have taken Pink in a
heartbeat but her husband had his heart set on only one dog
that he could lavish his attention on. So readers, Pink is
waiting.......
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Now a word of
caution as I am about to add pics of doggie porn. For those
that might be offended, it is time to log off now.
This week, Beauty found herself a sex toy!!! She spent three
days obsessed with first a monkey. Then when Belle stole her
Monkey, she quickly substituted a bunny. I swear that Beauty
lost a whole pound from humping! She was in erotic heaven.
Beauty was a good partner and spent lots of time on foreplay
before the humping started. You can see her licking her monkey
before the humping begins. In one pic, Brazen was being a
voyeur and got a some sex education. Then we have a pic of
Beauty enthralled with Bunny. I was able to take lots of pics
as nothing could distract Beauty from her obsession. Her usual
favourite thing is walks and Beauty came but brought her
current partner along. Here are a very small sample of the
pics I took. |
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I only have one only
pic of an underage Coconut posing for porn. If I can find it,
I will send it to my webmaster Gunter to add at the bottom of
this email.
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November 04, 2012
This week, I spent three days trying to teach the Pins to
retrieve. Several years ago, I had six that would tear after
the ball together. The one that got to the ball first and
brought it back, got a treat. They never tired of the game and
it was an excellent source of indoor exercise in the bad
weather.
I started out with three small balls and a big pile of dried
liver treats. I threw a ball and most chased it. One picked up
the ball, looked around and then dropped it. I ran up and gave
that one a treat. This continued until they were carrying the
ball longer. Some would bring it half way back before dropping
it and some would take the ball and plop down into a dog bed
by the wood stove. I would give these dogs a treat in exchange
for the ball. After the three days, Honey Bee and Brazen had
moved to the top. HB would bring it 80% of the way back, drop
it and then look at me for her treat. Brazen would take the
ball to the couch and then look at me for a treat. Most were
happy to just run up and down and enjoy the fun. Of course,
the best way would be to teach one at a time - that just isn't
practical so we settled on this. Everyone had fun, including
me. I think I got the most exercise running to get the ball
and dispense the treats. <g>
The weather is now cold, cold, cold so out came the coats. The
adults that were here last year recognized what was going to
happen, started getting excited and stood patiently while I
was putting on their coats. The puppies and Rhonda, Rita and
BB (who arrived in the warm weather) were surprisingly
cooperative while I put on their coats. It took over 20
minutes before we went out the door. The experienced dogs took
off running. Some of the new dogs and pups, took off walking.
Little Pink would walk/run for a while and then lay down and
roll around trying to get the coat off. I think it was Pink
who got the most exercise as she completed the whole walk this
way. Rhonda walked 100 yards and then stood there until the
walk was over. Five minutes into the walk, Rita managed to get
her coat off and took off running. She seemed to be more
bothered by the coat than the cold weather. Next time we go, I
will take my camera - it is quite the experience!
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A friend asked for
an update on my dogs, so I took pics for her to see. This is
one of Sera. She is quite a precocious little girl. You can
just see the mischief in her eyes. |
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Nate's ears are up
and he is a lovely puppy both inside and out. I haven't had
any enquiries about him. My heart aches for him to find a good
family of his own. |
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October 28, 2012
I have come to the conclusion that I am my own worse
enemy. I used to live in the past and was always dwelling on
unhappy experiences that had happened years ago. I made a
concerted effort to live in the present and was finally
successful. Well, doing that has an upside and a downside. For
example, this weekend I was at the Tradex show in BC. - something
that I had been planning for and looking forward to for weeks.
Meredith was showing Romeo and I couldn't wait.
I flew out on Wednesday and was sitting ringside on Thursday for
Romeo's performance. The first show, he didn't win and Myrna's
puppy, Hoochie defeated him. At the second show, he got one point
by defeating Hooch which gave him a total of six points. However,
the Judge was very concerned about Romeo's tendency to pull up one
of his testicles when he gets nervous on the table. Mr.
Frederickson took the time to find it but told Meredith twice not
to show Romeo again until the testicle was down permanently. The
concern was that most Judges would DQ Romeo for only having one
testicle. This meant that Romeo could not show again until the
testicle was down permanently. Once that occurred, I would have to
pay a fee and ask for a hearing in front of three Judges to prove
to them that Romeo now had two permanent testicles. It involved a
lot of red tape and time.
Therefore I decided to pull him from showing. I was disappointed
and discouraged and as I live in the moment, everything looked
very hopeless and depressing. I decided that there was no point in
staying and asked Gaston to book me on an earlier flight home.
Before I left, I changed my mind and told Meredith, she might as
well show him the last two days and see what happened. I had
written Romeo off as a show dog and really didn't care one way or
the other. I took Cowboy on board with me and left Saturday
morning. As I was getting into the Calgary terminal, Meredith
called on my cell phone to tell me that not only was Romeo not
DQ'd but he won WD, BOW and BOS!!!!! he beat everyone including
two Specials for three points, putting him on nine out of 10
points to finish. He couldn't have done any better.
My goodness, what an idiot I am. Rather than being there to enjoy
the exciting moment, I was in the airport, on my way home. You
think I would learn not to be so negative and so impulsive. I wish
I could say that I had learned my lesson but I doubt it.
Cowboy wasn't shown as he lacks confidence and keeps his tail down
in a show environment. I will continue to work on his confidence
as consensus is that he is the nicer of the two. I have a couple
of dogs with the same problem right now and will have to be
careful not to get discouraged and give up on them all. Today, I
am annoyed and disappointed with myself. I must concentrate on
doing better!!
Romeo only needs one more point to get his Championship and may do
that today. Fingers crossed.
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October 20, 2012
The excitement this week had nothing to do with me
directly but involved and IG breeder and his friend who owns and
shows some of his dogs. Johnny Angel is a very high profile
breeder and a master of self-promotion. He literally travels the
world showing his dogs and garners some big wins by carefully
selecting Judges that he feels will like his style of dog. IG's
are usually called into the ring just before Minpins, so we have
had a lot of pleasant, superficial contact. I have helped him show
his dogs and he has reciprocated.
My friend sent me a link to an article where the OPP and Humane
Society raided a property owned by the Judge and removed 140 dogs
in deplorable conditions. The Judge Lisa Avery said that she
rented the property to Johnny Angel. Most of the dogs were IG's.
It has since come out that a lot of people have known about this
for years but nothing was done. It shook me to my core that people
can seem reputable and to love their dogs but are hiding such a
horrific secret. Animal abuse affects me deeply and stays with me
forever. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it all week. I
needed to get it out and I am sure you will hear more from me in
the future about the outcome of the investigation.
The week here was so uneventful that I actually started to get
bored. Dreary, damp weather affected my mood was lethargic at
best. That is soon to end as I leave on Wednesday on a 9 hr flight
to BC to watch Meredith show Romeo at Tradex, the biggest indoor
dog show in Canada. She took Romeo and his brother Cowboy to train
and prepare for this show about 6 weeks ago. Romeo is all ready to
go but Cowboy will take a little longer. I will be returning on
Sunday with the boys and hope to carry on where Meredith left off
and have fun showing them.
I will be taking Sera with me. I had planned on taking a bit of a
dog holiday and going unencumbered but Sera got her ears cropped
on Wednesday and I am already having problems. Gaston is pretty
good at holding the fort but can't manage problem ears. It will be
interesting to see what people think of her.
So, I hope to be home in time to get an interesting blog update to
my webmaster. There will be lots to tell and I am taking my video
camera!. Oh and Johnny Angel has entered the same show. Now that
will be interesting to see if he attends. Stay tuned!
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October 07, 2012
This week, I mastered the Sonycam. When I say mastered, I
mean that I was able to take video of the dogs on their walk,
download it onto my computer and post it on Youtube for people
to see. Now, the videos look like they are taken by someone
who is trying to recover from a lengthy drinking spree and
there is endless footage of nothing but grass. It is also a
good idea to be sitting down as they are pretty “jerky” and
have the ability to make you slightly sea sick but hey, it’s a
start. I am going out to Tradex at the end of the month to
watch Meredith show Romeo and I want to hone my skills so I
can video-tape Minpins.
Romeo showed for the first time yesterday, right on his 6
month birthday. I am told that he looked good – very typey,
nice short back and best of all, he is a natural show dog.
Thank goodness, I don’t think I am ready for another dog who
doesn’t want to show and objects by not putting their tail up.
Romeo made me proud and got BOW. There weren’t any other class
boys entered, so he got two points by defeating the two girls.
Today, one of the girls took BOB, so Romeo didn’t get anything
but still showed well. Meredith is going to try to get the
show photographer to take some candid shots of Romeo in the
ring tomorrow. Hopefully I will have something to share next
week.
Sera’s ears are trying to stand naturally so I started taping
them today. I hope that I am able to develop a natural eared
line. It is definitely the way of the not so distant future
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Today is
Thanksgiving Sunday. The weather is gorgeous and the dogs
thoroughly enjoyed their walk.
I am not sure how many more walks we are going to get before
the coats come out but we are enjoying it while we can!
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October 01, 2012
Manley and Mazie were somewhat improved on the weekend but
still a long way from their former show selves. I did manage to
console myself with a major doggie shopping spree at the show
vendors’ booths. I ended up buying 17 sleeping bags and 12 cushy
pads. The winter is coming and even I would love to snuggle up in
their new bedding. I am also repairing their current sleeping
bags. I have had some of them for years and over time the Pins
have managed to open holes in the lining. I am putting an add on
Kijiji to look for a seamstress. I can’t even sew on a button so
it will be good to find someone to help.
I even sprung for a “Handycam” and plan to video the dogs on the
walks. Sprinkles’ new owner would love to see her in action. I
hope to be posting short videos of Life at Patapin soon.
I think that my traumatic summer is catching up to me. That, with
the stress of training and cropping 9 puppies has taken it’s toll.
I find that I am bordering on exhausted most of the time. I have
taken on a lot and because I am a perfectionist, I have been
anxious and stressed. I don’t have another show entered and it’s
time to relax and just enjoy the dogs. They make me laugh out loud
several times per day and I am sure they will help me rejuvenate
in no time.
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September 23, 2012
We have had a "normal" week for the first time in a long
time. I didn't end up going to the Burlington show this
weekend as it was an outdoor show and the forecast was for
cold temps and rain. The fact that it was outdoors this late
in the season caught me by surprise. Manley and Mazie hate the
cold and it would have been another negative experience for
them so I had no second thoughts about staying home.
After their dismal performance in the States, Manley and Mazie
need more exposure to indoor shows but that is not going to
happen now as our next one is this coming weekend. There are 2
Minpin Specialties and 2 all breeds so the pressure will be
on. From their behavior here when I practice them, I am not
optimistic. My goodness, if they don't keep their tails up at
home, we are in for another dismal experience. If that turns
out to be the case, I will pull them until next year and give
them a little more time to grow up.
For the past several days, I have been training the pups every
day, as is my routine. I have been seeing little, if any
improvement, so I gave them and myself a much needed break. We
have had lovely fall weather, sunny but cool and I have just
been hanging out with them. We have gone on lots of walks and
watch TV in the evenings, all bundled up on the couch. I plan
to start training again today, so we will see if my strategy
worked.
I think the break did me some good as I have been overwhelmed
with trying to get 6 pups ready for the ring. Sprinkles has
been the most stress as she will be going to a show home and I
feel great pressure to have her looking her best for her new
owner. I do this to myself so I am trying to chill out as I
don't do my dogs any good if I train them when I am tense.
They are very tuned in to my moods and sense immediately that
things aren't quite right.
Little Sera went for her tattoo yesterday and Silver went
along for her fall grooming. I just can't manage Silver's coat
and I am so glad that I have a wash and wear breed to show.
Here is Silver, looking all fancied up.
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I thought of two things when I downloaded this pic - one was
that we will have to start growing Silver's winter coat as the
cold weather is upon us. The second thought was - My what a
long tongue Silver has! <g>
Sera is a delight. She is in my office with me as I type this
and just got her head stuck in a bag of tiny cat treats. Gave
me my first laugh of the day.
This is a pic I took of Sera a couple of weeks ago. Her
personality shines right through. |
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Yesterday was the first day of fall and I was glad to see that
summer is behind us. With three potentially fatal accidents in
the Roadtrek and the tragic loss of Abi, it was a nightmare to
say the least. Here's hoping that we are moving into a period
of safety, health, happiness and accomplishment. Send good
thoughts our way.
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September 16, 2012
Another week has flown by. The weather has been warm and
sunny and we have spent most days outside. On the walks this
week, I managed to get a couple of cute pics to share.
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The one pic shows the Pins having fun on an old manure pile
(from when we had alpacas). I guess it smells good.<g.>
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Pink also had a little mishap this week. We have been having
fires in the wood stove in the evening and I decided to clean
out the ashes. I went to get the broom and came back just in
time to see a sneezing, coughing ball of dust come flying out
of the open door. Upon careful examination, it was Pink! She
was not amused. |
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We are at a show in Michigan this weekend and Mazie and
Manley's butts are getting kicked. Now it was their first
indoor show and they showed early in the morning when it was
cold but still...... Manley reverted to a quivering, butt
tucking version of his former self. Mazie wasn't that bad but
close. Lesson learned - If your show dogs that look like they
aren't trained or socialized properly then dogs of a lesser
overall quality will defeat them. On the way home, Manley
reminded me of his Group placement and his BPIS but I was
still disappointed in him.,
The highlight was the fun match. It comes after BIS and I
decided to enter five puppies. It had been a very long day and
most people thought I was nuts to enter that many puppies. I
had a lot with me as I am desperate to train and socialize
them all and spent the day walking each one around and around
the show grounds.
I showed up and much to my dismay, I was having trouble
finding someone to help me. Then a shining light appeared on
the horizon. It was my doggie friend Melanie. I thought she
had left but she just went home to change and feed her dogs
before giving me a hand. I was tired and flustered with all
the pups and Melanie was an experienced, calm, reassuring
influence. She focused on Sprinkles and put her through the
immersion program. She walked her and handled her on the
table. By the time Sprinkles went in the ring, it was like I
was seeing a totally different puppy. She had her tail up more
than I had ever seen it and she didn't even try to bite the
Judge when she was on the table! <g>
Beau also had had a turning point and had his tail up. This
was a major break through. I was almost at the point where I
decided that Beau just wasn't cut out for the show ring and
then this. I think that all the walking around the show
grounds really pushed him to a new level. Also, Brazen had a
break through. He is a gorgeous looking dog but has swung his
feet when he moved. I put him away and hoped he wood mature
out of it. Boy did he ever! Brazen has finally grown into his
amazing pedigree - Beauty and Four Tens to Win (a Grand
Champion and big winner from the States). Little Nate also
looked good and for a little guy he showed his heart out and
looked great.
The sanction match certainly went a long way to making my day
positive and fun. Again, thanks to Melanie. Melanie is
currently showing her puppy Diego Diego and he is kicking butt
like crazy. Most pronounced hackney I have seen in a long
time.
The downside, and it was a big one was when a Minpin
acquaintance came up and asked me what had happened to Abi. I
told her that I was still unable to talk about it and she said
that she "figured that one of my big dogs got her." Wow, was I
floored. If you don't provide an explanation, people use their
need for drama to fill in the blanks. I told her that one of
my big dogs did not get her and will tell you now that Abi's
death had nothing to do with my negligence, either direct or
indirect.
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September 09, 2012
I had a fabulous time at the dog show last weekend. On the
first day, Manley won the Puppy Group. This is nice, but not
that unusual for my puppies. The shocking thing was that he
then went on to win BEST PUPPY IN SHOW!!! I did not see it
coming and it was a truly surreal moment. |
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Was I proud? Speechless is more like it. The Judge whispered
in my ear that I should never look surprised and behave as if
I expected it all along. I think he was amused at my reaction.
I wasn't going to go the last day as I had a woman that was
driving all the way from Montreal to pick up a puppy in the
morning. Then my IG friend John, came up and told me that the
Judge was a "minpin specialist" who had over 40 BIS with his
own Minpins and I just had to come back. I told him that I
would try. I called the woman on her cell as she was enroute
and arranged for her to drive right thru to get her puppy. It
was 9:30 pm before she arrived but well worth it. I showed to
Mr. Fernandez the next day and I have never had such an
experience in 20 years of showing dogs.
In the breed, when he was examining Mazie on the table, she
turned around to grab his hand when he put his hand between
her lega. His immediate reaction was to scoop her up in his
arms and cuddle her near his face while he spoke softly to
her. My goodness, I was shocked again - twice in one weekend.
It's a good thing I have a strong heart or I would have been a
goner. All Judges will draw back when something like this
happens and fault the dog heavily.
The Judge then ended up giving the breed to Mazie, over
Manley. That in itself was surprising as she is not nearly so
behaved in the ring and judges haven't been able to see her
quality through all that hopping, skipping and twisting. When
he examined her again in the group, she didn't move a muscle
when he put his hand between her legs. This man helped Mazie
work through a critical turning point in her show career. In
any other Judge's hands it is likely that it would not have
gone well and she may have had a bad experience. Puppies are
very impressionable and it could have stayed with her forever.
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The Judge then gave Mazie a group 4 and Best Puppy In Group!! |
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I have always said that having dogs is full of incredible
heartache and incredible joy. When tragedy strikes it is
difficult to imagine ever being happy again but you have to
stay strong and keep moving forward.
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September 02, 2012
It has been a big week for my blog. Let's start with the
very best news. Little Manley was at his third show on Friday
and he went Best Puppy in Show!!!!!! |
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The competition was steep and I wasn't even really trying. My
friend said that I was probably more relaxed, therefore Manley
was more relaxed, therefore he showed better. I have to admit
that I was dumbfounded and it showed. The Judge whispered to
me that I needed to show more confidence in my beautiful puppy
and I should pretend that I expected it all along! (I posted
his Best Puppy in Breed pic as the BPIS pic wasn't ready by
the time I left today). I am so proud of this boy - small but
mighty!
Something uplifting also happened this week. I have no idea
who or how many people read my blog. This first person who I
identified was a woman who said nasty things on fb about me.
She was responding to something she read on my blog. This
time, I got the opposite response and received the following
email.
I've often
wanted to email you, I've been reading your Beauty blog and
been keeping up with all your dogs on your site for 2 years or
more now.
I wanted you to know that when I saw the post about Sweet
Abigail, I cried. I cried because she was so special to you
and your family but I also cried because she was so special to
me too.
I wanted you to know that regardless of whatever accident or
whatever hidden ailment, or whatever happened, you gave her
your best, and the best life. If you ever doubt that, look at
all of the wonderful MinPins around you, that are living happy
lives because of
you...........................................................
.......................................In closing I want to
say Sweet Abby touch us all and I am saddened by the news.
When I heard the news I gave Cleo and Pumpkin and hug and
kissed them.
I wish I had something more comforting to say than the fact
that sometimes souls come into our life for a small time and
leave us promptly because that is their purpose. It's a
profound impact.
So raise your glass, doggie treat, to Abby! She is forever
missed, never forgotten and was an amazing companion, dog,
loved one, and one hell of a show dog.
Thanks for your blog and I always looks forward to your
updates.
Libby
Orlando Florida
I was very touched by her taking the time to let me know how
she felt. It meant a lot.
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Now, I have two funny stories. I call this the Beauty blog
because I was showing Beauty as a puppy at the time I started
it and she was displaying all kinds of funny antics. When I
stopped showing her, there wasn't much to report. She had
matured into a much more sensible girl. Well, this week all
the "sensible" was forgotten. Not sure if I have mentioned it
but I cook my Minpins' food as I don't think that kibble is
good for them. It is a large pot of beef/chicken, beef kidney
and liver plus just about every vegetable, brown rice and a
large can of pumpkin. This week, I made an extra large batch,
that had to be cooked in two pots. We needed something big to
mix it in, so Gaston brought up one of those blue, rubber
totes that are used to store things in. We dumped both
steaming pots into the tote and I stirred it. As I was leaving
the room to let it cool, I heard a "thunk" then a "splat" then
terrible, loud, high pitched doggie screaming. I turned around
to discover that Beauty had jumped right into the middle of
the steaming hot stew. Fortunately for her, the shock was so
great, that she flew back out again and landed on the floor on
her side. I raced over, scooped her up and put her in the sink
and ran the attachment on the tap full blast with cold water,
moving it quickly, all over her body. Certain disaster was
averted but I am not sure how. It was a miracle (and I was
overdue for one of those). I am now thinking that Beauty
reacted so quickly and I reacted so quickly that the hot stew
didn't have a chance to penetrate through her coat. By the
time I was toweling her off, she had calmed down. The only
thing that appeared to be painful was her front and back feet
on the left side.
Some people might think that this not really a funny story and
I can understand that. But once I was certain that she wasn't
badly injured, I started to see the humour - I am sure that
Beauty thought she was going to be in heaven as she jumped
into the stew. Heaven turned into hell and Beauty flew out
even faster than she got in. I wish I could say that Beauty
learned a lesson but I am sure that she would do the same
thing again. I am not sure how many lives Beauty has left but
it is nowhere near nine.
The second story happened today at the show. I arranged with
the photographer to take some candids of Sprinkles. As we
walked over together, the woman touched her when Sprinkles
wasn't expecting it and she scared Sprinkles. Fear soon turned
into anger as Sprinkles wanted nothing to do with that lady. I
put Sprinkles on the table and every time the photographer
threw a toy to get her attention, Sprinkles thought that she
was trying to kill her and tried to jump into my arms. This
went on until a male exhibitor walked into Sprinkles line of
vision with his dog in his arms. Sprinkles looked at him and
instantly assumed a beautiful stack. [pic] |
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We knew that we had the "money shot" and the woman came over
to make up with Sprinkles. I gave her Sprinkles favourite
treat (liver) to entice her with. The photographer spoke
softly and offered Sprinkles the treat. As soon as the treat
got near Sprinkle's mouth, Sprinkles put up two paws and
pushed the woman's hand away. We couldn't believe what we were
seeing and thought it was a fluke, so the woman tried again.
Again, as she got close, Sprinkles pushed her hand away, hard,
with her two paws. We were both amazed. This little girl not
only has a temper but she holds a grudge. I am going to warn
her new owner that she is getting a very intelligent puppy,
with an anger management problem, that doesn't forgive. <g>
Actually, when my friend saw this pic, she asked me if I was
sorry that I sold her. People have trouble believing that I do
sell my best - after all, it is my reputation that is at
stake. The majority of (all?) other breeders keep the best for
themselves.
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August 26, 2012
The week was fairly uneventful until last night. I was
putting the dogs to bed with their dinner at 9:30, when I
discovered that Leggy and Silver (Poodle) |
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were missing. Now, dinner is a huge deal around here and that
is definitely a first.
It was pitch dark so I took the big flashlight and started
walking the fence line at the back that borders the neighbours
cornfield. I soon came across Leggy. She was frantically
trying to get back onto the property, apparently unable to
retrace her steps and get back in where she got out. I reached
over the fence and grabbed her by the neck as she jumped up.
She took off for the kennel and I followed behind and put her
to bed.
I went back for Silver. I could hear her barking, then
silence, then mournful howling. Silver was lost in the
cornfield! By this time Gaston, who had gone to bed, came out
half dressed to help. He cut through the cornfield towards the
barking. We could see the corn moving as Silver ran around in
a panicked state. He finally got close enough that she saw him
and followed him out. I finally put a soggy and exhausted
Silver to bed at 10:46. I was also soggy and exhausted and was
in bed soon after.
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I am still working on getting ears to stand on the last set of
crops. As you will recall, they ended up getting swollen and
infected and were a terrible mess. I am a perfectionist on
ears and am working diligently to get them to stand. Here is a
pic of Honey Bee. I re-taped her last night and was encouraged
to see that we are making progress. |
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I am also taping my two natural eared pups to provide
additional support. Sprinkles and Nate (Patapin Au Naturel)
are looking fabulous. I tape overnight and take the tape off
in the morning. These are beautiful pups and my method is
working perfectly. Sprinkles has been sold to a "show family"
that shares my love of natural ears and I am keeping Nate.
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I put this pic on fb of them peeking out of the run-in and it
was a big hit. |
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The only other news is that Rita's pup with Al - Patapin
Serendipity (means happy surprise) is looking stunning. Here
is a pic of Sera with her mom |
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and one of her
moving around the kennel
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I am pretty excited about this little girl.
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August 19, 2012
I guess the good news is that I managed to avoid any
accidents or tragedies this past week. I had entered Mazie and
Manley in a show in New Liskeard, an eight hour drive away. I
almost didn't go as I am now quite nervous about driving the
Roadtrek. Gaston took it in and had it completely serviced. He
also put four industrial tires on it, the same ones they put
on Purolator trucks. So, I sucked it up and left around 5:00
pm, to avoid the traffic. I gave myself a break by not taking
any extra dogs this time.
The tires made a huge difference and I can't believe how much
more stable the Roadtrek was on the highway. I felt much safer
and my confidence has increased. The last two hrs of the trip
is on a narrow, hilly, dark, winding road. It is treacherous
in the daylight but I was doing it in the dark during a
torrential down pour. It was white knuckle driving but we
pulled into the show site at 1:00 am, safe and sound. The next
day I was also told that I was very lucky that I didn't hit a
moose on the road. I guess night time is when that is most
likely to happen. The northern Ontario venue was lovely -
right on lake Temiskaming. I walked the dogs along the shore
line between shows and in the evening.
I didn't enter the last day, as they weren't my judges, so we
competed in four shows. As I mentioned last week, Mazie had
acted up on the table the last time she was shown at Barrie.
Well, she continued with unruly behavior and I didn't really
get her under control until the fourth and last show. So,
three times, she got her butt kicked soundly and then she took
winners bitch to Manley's winners dog at the fourth show.
Manley was a totally different story. In four shows he took
winners dog, best of breed x3 and a Group 4! This added up to
more than 10 pts, so Manley is now a proud Champion. He is
entered at Essex on labour day weekend and I have moved him up
to a Special. |
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I heard from two people who read my blog this week. Mind you,
I have no idea who reads it or how many read it. One lovely
woman, emailed me privately with condolences and the other
blasted me on fb for saying that she demonstrated bad
sportsmanship at the Barrie show. Quite the difference, eh? It
is interesting and a bit amusing that I didn't mention her
name but she outed herself in a public forum. Also interesting
that she chose to have a hissy fit about my personal
experiences and personal opinion, in my personal blog, by
going on a rampage in a very public venue. Although I was
surprised at the reaction, I think that what happened is that
it was just built up frustration and disappointment. Of the
last 5 times we showed together, I defeated her four times.
She never congratulates me and whether she likes to hear it or
not, she is just not a good sport. Also interesting is that
she has met me and my little special many times but there was
not one word from her when tragedy struck. I think that she
was probably the only one who ignored it as I heard from well
over 50 people, a lot of whom had never even met me. Some
people are just not cut out to handle competition and should
look for a new hobby.
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I have a boy and girl from Fanta /Al litter that look like
they will have natural standing ears. This has been a goal of
mine for a long time. I have started taping them to help them
along. |
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August 12, 2012
Well, life goes on. If I didn't have the dogs to get me
out of bed every day, I would probably still be curled up in a
ball. Never, ever felt that kind of hurt and I am numb. I have
been asked many times what happened. I can't talk about it and
may never be able to. I have been deeply touched by the
outpouring of sympathy (and yes, empathy) from all my dog
friends. It means more as most of them have had a similar
experience and have some idea of how I feel. Thank you all.
Moving forward.........I showed Manley and Mazie at Barrie on
the weekend. My competition arrived, checked the book, saw I
was there and promptly left. That's called poor sportsmanship.
The first day, Manley took breed over Mazie for the point.
First time in my life, I missed the Group, so Manley lost his
point and day 1 was not a good experience. I find that I am
much more distracted and less focused these days. Day two was
uneventful with Manley again getting the point but nothing in
the group. On day 3, Mazie took the breed, even though she
tried to grab the Judge's hand. My jaw dropped. This has NEVER
happened with any of my dogs and I was shocked. Not only
wasn't Mazie excused but she took a Group 4 and Best Puppy in
Group!! The Group is very competitive with all the top Toys
and this was a huge win for my 6 month old baby.
Mazie absolutely refused to stand for her winning pic with the
Judge. The patient photographer must have taken 10 shots and
luckily the Judge was patient. I picked the best of a bad
bunch. You can see that I have her neck yanked back in an
effort to get her under control. Because of that you can's see
the pretty arch in her neck or most of her other good points.
You can also see how frustrated I was getting by the look on
my face. I felt obligated to buy it as the photographer had
tried so hard. |
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I went back to the vet on Tuesday to get my last set of crops
repaired (due to the heat and humidity they had all gotten
infected, were swollen, painful and full of scar tissue). The
experience working on these ears is a nightmare in itself. It
has broken my heart to have to stretch them every day and
having to listen to the pups screaming in pain.
My husband came along to drive due to my last two trips, when
I had potentially life threatening accidents on the highway
both times. I am sure I am stretching believability, when I
tell you that we blew another tire on the way home and got
home at midnight rather than 3:00 pm. I won't go into the
details as I am numb and speechless about it and the things
that have been happening right now in my life. That was two
blown tires and one hitting a ladder that had fallen off a
truck in the 3 consecutive trips! u-n-b-e-l-i-e-v-a-b-l-e
I am so sorry to weigh you down with all this but that's my
life right now. I am leaving for another show on Monday.
Gaston has put industrial tires on the Roadtrek and had it
completely checked over. I am nervous to go back on the
highway but can't give in to fear. Surely things will turn
around soon. |
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August
05, 2012
 |  | | This free digital scrapbook made with Smilebox |
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Am Can Ch
Patapin Sweet Abigail
February 1 2011 to July 19
2012
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July
21, 2012
I can't believe that I am having such a tumultuous summer.
Take yesterday for example - When I got Rita up in the
morning, she had a strong, healthy, clear red girl snuggled
into her. |
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Somehow Al had managed to find a way to do the deed. I am
relieved that it is only one puppy although two would have
been playmates, as I am still overwhelmed with the
responsibility of raising five litters.
After getting Rita and her baby settled, I was cleaning the
kennel and had temporarily placed one row of crates on top of
another, so I could wipe the floor underneath. I turned around
a few minutes later to find Rhonda just finishing off a large
bowl of rat poison that had been on a ledge. She had quietly
climbed the second row of crates and was stretched up on her
hind legs eating away. I grabbed Rhonda and rushed to the vet.
After spending most of the day, I brought Rhonda home and I
have to give her 1 ml of vitamin K for 21 days. She seems fine
and I am so thankful that I caught her in the act. If I
hadn't, she would be dead for sure. For those who like to
learn along with me, the vet made Rhonda vomit. This is done
by inserting a white granular substance into her eyes. Rhonda
needed two doses before she vomited a quantity of food but no
bright pink pellets. The vet told me that was it as apparently
Rhonda had absorbed the the rat poison. At my insistence, a
reluctant vet gave her another dose of chrystals. Five minutes
later, Rhonda vomited a huge brifht pind pile of pellets. I am
so glad I trusted my instincts!! I find that I usually know
what's best and can only go to a vet who will work with me. As
rat poison interferes with blood clotting, the Vitamin k
strengthens the clotting agents. The vet told me that hydrogen
peroxide also works but it has to be a brand new bottle so it
will fizz.
I also threw Leggy into the car for the trip to the vet. She
was pregnant and had looked like she was on the verge of
whelping for days. When the vet brought in the x-ray, I
realized what a tricky girl she had been. There were no
puppies to be seen! Leggy was having the most convincing false
pregnancy that I had ever seen. She is gigantic as she had
been languishing around the house and enjoying three
scrumptious meals per day, which is the way I feed my pregnant
bitches in the third trimester. It is almost comical to see
how annoyed Leggy is the be back to reality. No more
languishing and one meal per day at bedtime.
|
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It looks like most of Fanta and Al's 4 pups will have
naturally standing ears. I was working in my office this
morning and turned around to see this looking at me.
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|
 |
I am always excited to get these ears as it won't be long
before cropping will be banned in Ontario.
|
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I took these pics of three up and coming pups on the walk
today. I can't believe how lovely they are. |
|
This is Manley
Beau, who is Manley's brother
and Prize
 |
I am still concerned that prize might end up too big to show
but right now he is stunning. I am going to have lots of fun
in the show ring for many months.
|
I have a show booked in Frederickton and fly out Thursday. As
usual, I am having second thoughts. Hopefully I will pack up
little Abi and head off. Stay tuned.
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July
15, 2012
I just got home from a show, just outside of London. My
entry - line told me that there was competition in the
classes, so I entered Brazen. He is over 1 1/2 yrs and doesn't
have one point. Although absolutely gorgeous, his front
movement makes my eyes hurt just looking at it. Brazen swings
his front legs in arcs - looks like a helicopter trying to
take off. I had noticed that it appeared to be getting better
as he matured so we gave it a try.
On Saturday, he took the breed over three American champions
that are in Canada to be shown. There were 2 boys in open dog
and a female in open female. That gave him his first 2 points.
Brazen's strength is his beautiful body. He is stunning on the
table and will hold his perfect stack until the Judge finishes
going over him. Today he defeated the two males but his "table
performance" wasn't enough to beat the female. He was choppy
in the front and if he wasn't twisted around to bark at the
female he had his head down and tucked into his shoulder. The
win against the males was also 2 pts, so now he has four
towards the required 10. I have a feeling that this is going
to take a looong time.
I took Mazie to socialize her and practice with her when the
rings weren't being used. I have now decided that Al throws
the "untrainable" gene. She so much reminds me of Abi at the
same age that it is scary. Oh, why does everything have to be
so hard? (whine, whine).
When I got onto my computer just now, Sandra had sent me a
candid pic of AJ. Her daughters has a horse and she often
takes AJ to the barn with her. This is a pic of AJ trying to
keep cool on a very hot day. [pic]. |
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Would you look at those ears? <g>
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July
08, 2012 |
There is lots of
news this week. Some surprising and some not so good. Might as
well get the "not so good" over first. The last time that I
set off to get Rhonda's pups cropped, I hit a ladder that had
fallen off a truck, in front of me, on the highway. Of course,
I had to return home and re-book my apt. to July 4th.
The date arrives and I packed up the four pups in the Roadtrek
and set off again. Things went smoothly and I was on my way
home (about 45 min. from the border) when I blew a rear tire.
I couldn't get completely off the traffic lane and was almost
hit several times before the state police arrived to help me.
There was considerable damage. |
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Because I was in
such a dangerous spot, a flat bed truck had to transport the Roadtrek
to a safer spot before the full extent damage could be
assessed. |
|
 |
To make a very long story as short as possible, it took AAA
and two different flat bed trucks to get me close enough to
the Can/US border for CAA to come across to take me home.
Apparently AAA is unable to cross the border. With all the
inevitable delays and screw-ups the entire process took almost
6 hrs. Keep in mind that this was in over 100 degree weather
with four very unhappy pups that had woken up from their
sedation and were in dire need of further intervention. I had
to sit with the driver each time the Roadtrek was hoisted up
and lowered back down but the pups had to endure it all. They
were stressed and fearful of what was going on and expressed
this with almost constant whining, punctuated with bouts of
screaming. We didn't arrive home until almost midnight and to
say the least, I was completely frazzled and exhausted (as
were the pups).
My husband and several of my friends have decided that I would
be crazy to go back for my final series of crops in three
weeks. It's the old sayings..."Bad things happen in threes"
and "Three strikes and you are out." I must admit that I have
been traumatized by that drive and two "near death"
experiences but I believe that an accident is exactly
that....an accident. Stay tuned in three weeks to see what
happens.
I went to a show on Fri /Sat of this week and entered Mazie
for the first time - this is the "surprising" news. Much to my
utter shock, the Judge fell in love with Mazie and gave her
the breed over Abi. I actually exclaimed out loud when that
happened as I never saw it coming. You have to take into
account that Mazie just turned six months old and it was her
first time in the ring. She mostly bounced and spun her way
around the ring. Judge Judith Byrne told me that she had been
able to see past her unruly behavior and couldn't get over how
stunning she is. Mind you, she is much more elegant that Abi
and has the most beautiful pigment and colouring but come on
now...really?. I had pics taken of Mazie moving in the ring
during her brief moments of brilliance and expect them to
arrive Wed or Thurs. I will put them on next weekend.
This coming weekend I have a show in Tillsonberg. I dusted
Brazen off and entered him along with Abi. |
|
 |
I had pulled
Brazen for 6 months as he was flailing his front legs like a
windmill. It is improving as he matures. My guess is that he
only does it about 40% of the time now. There are two other
males entered and we will have to see how he does. The way
things have been going around here, Brazen will probably
defeat Abi also.
|
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It has been over 100 degrees for over a week now so the Pins
are enjoying their pool. |
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June
20, 2012
The Big news is that Abi came home from her Northern show
with 6 group placements! |
|
 |
These amazing wins put her only 20 points from #3 in Canada.
My little "untrainable" girl has become a showing machine. I
am so glad I didn't give up on her, tempting as it was.
|
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I feed the puppies their lunch in a wire crate on the counter.
I took a couple of pics that captured a funny moment. In the
first pic, Rhonda's boy is all stretched out after a good
meal. |
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 |
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Then, boy #2 decided that he wanted to have his pic taken as
well, and he went and laid on his face! |
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It made me laugh.
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I was surprised to discover that our pond is covered in a
mysterious green substance. It didn't deter the pups, who went
right in the check it out. |
|
 |
Apparently it wasn't toxic, as this was 3 days ago and they
are healthy and active.
|
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Last pic was taken the same day. You can see that BB is dirty
from the pond. She is guarding the poor bird that she managed
to pluck out of the air. |
|
 |
I am making another effort to get the pups ears cropped on
Wednesday. I never look forward to the long drive on Michigan
highways but after my accident, the last time I went, I am
dreading it. Cross your fingers for me!
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June
20, 2012
I am leaving for my Northern show on Thursday, so this is
an early update. Even though it's only been a few days,
exciting things have happened - one good and one not so good.
First with the good. Abi completed her Canadian championship
last weekend in two days. She defeated 3 American Champion
adults to take breed and on the second day, finished in style
with a Group 3 win in a very strong group! I am going to keep
showing her to see if she can keep up her winning streak. Stay
tuned.
Then yesterday, I was on my way to Ohio with 8 Minpins (6
crops and 3 dental cleanings), going 75 miles/hour down the
highway. A ladder fell off a truck somewhere ahead of me and I
am still not sure how we all avoided a multi-car pile up. I
was the one who hit the ladder and it almost took me into the
cement barricade. It took police and a wrecker to lift my
vehicle up and pull the ladder out. |
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 |
I was very, very lucky and made it back home with only minor
damage to the Roadtrek. I have re-scheduled the vet apt for
July 4th and hope for better luck. I always knew that taking
care of all these Pins was going to kill me one day. <g>
|
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Once I got some of my sense of humour back, I decided that
everything wasn't negative at the accident scene. This is a
pic of the cutie who lifted my vehicle! lol
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 |
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June
14, 2012
Abi goes to her first Canadian show tomorrow since
finishing her American championship in 3 weekends. I am hoping
that she will finish her Can championship as quickly so she
can move on as a special. She just needs 4 more pts - fingers
crossed. I am also taking Manley, Mazie and Beau to give them
their first exposure to the show environment. Mazie will be
old enough to enter the ring on July 4th with the boys soon
after. Right now, they have a long way to go to be ready.
About once a month, I treat all the dogs to a fresh, frozen
marrow bone as a treat. From their reaction, I would say that
it is their all time favourite day. They are patient as I hand
them out as everyone knows that they will got one. Then I have
to stay close and supervise, to discourage any of the bigger,
greedier dogs from stealing the other's bones. The worst bone-
napper of all time is Caroline. She barely finishes hers
before she is looking around to scam her next bone.
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|
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It has been warm, so the minpins have been enjoying their
small wading pool. I went out yesterday and was surprised to
see a very dirty Mabel and Mary splashing around in their
pool. M & M had just returned from the muddy pond and the
water in the pool was soon black. Needless to say, the Pins
were not impressed. |
|
 |
One one of our frequent walks, I managed to get a good pic of
Honey Bee. HB is maturing well and though a bit long backed
for my preference, has the potential to turn into a striking
specimen of the breed. |
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 |
She is booked to get her ears cropped next week.
|
Life is flying by and I find myself very overwhelmed with
puppy socialization, cropped ear care, immunizations,
registrations, training etc etc. In addition, show season has
begun with a vengeance and I am entered the next 4 weekends.
Next weekend, Abi is entered in Thunder Bay. I only hope that
out TB trip doesn't end up the same way as our Yukon trip.
Stay tuned........
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June
9, 2012
I didn't end up going to the Yukon. When the Judging
schedule came out, I discovered that there weren't enough dogs
entered in the show to make it worthwhile to go all that way.
Abi is in a local show next weekend and I am sure we will make
that. I called CKC and found out she has 6 pts, so 4 more to
finish. Then Miss Abi will be an Am and Can Champion. Woo Hoo!
Prize is turning out to be quite a delight. I took a new pic
of him stacked in the field |
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 |
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and it shows great promise. Then I couldn't resist taking one
of him "smiling". Prize is just full of joy and loves every
minute of his life. |
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The weather has been warm and the Pins have been going into
the pond to play and to cool off. I titled this pic |
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"Swamp Puppies" |
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Then I couldn't resist taking a pic of Beau trying to retrieve
a big stick. |
|
 |
Beau, Mazie, and Manley have been a real challenge to train. I
try to do a bit every day. They will be able to be shown in
July and are still twisting and biting the lead when I try to
move them down the driveway. Who said that showing Minpins was
easy? <g>
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June
2, 2012
I made another huge blunder last weekend. Our Komondor
Oliver get's all his matted dreadlocks shorn off every spring.
We have had the person who sheared our alpacas do it but we
sold the herd and took Ollie to a groomer last year. The poor
boy stressed terribly when he left the property. He vomited in
the vehicle and it took 3 people to pull/carry him into the
shop.
This year, I decided to be kind to Oliver and do it myself. We
picked up a set of shears, on sale at TSC for $400.00. A bit
pricey, but they would last a lifetime of Komondors. On
Sunday, with Gaston holding/steadying Oliver, I began. I was
surprised and happy that his heavy, dirty coat was peeling off
smoothly. Ollie was his usual stoic self and stood like a some
what disgruntled statue. After about 15 minutes, my arm was
getting tired and Oliver looked like he could use a break as
well. My husband held up, what looked to be a huge matted
clump of fur near Ollie's ear and told me to "just zip this
off before you stop."
I leaned over and zipped and instantly a huge spurt of blood
gushed out. Upon careful examination, I had cut the poor guy
behind his left ear. Although the ear was intact (thank god)
there was a good 3" gash that was bleeding profusely. I called
my vet, who agreed to meet me at the clinic and we
lifted/dragged Oliver into the back of the SUV. Of course,
when I got to the vet, he had vomited all over the back of the
vehicle. I pulled Oliver out the vet and I pushed/pulled him
into the clinic. Two hours eight stitches and $400 later, we
repeated the process and I drove him home. We weighed Oliver
and discovered that he was in excess of 140" and that was with
most of his coat removed. No wonder he was so hard to move!
So, my valiant effort to be kind to Oliver and save him
unnecessary stress ended up costing me over $800. The worst
part was the cost to Oliver - an emergency trip to the vet,
sedation and eight stitches. Did it matter to Oliver that my
intentions were the best? Probably not.
Oliver is still a work in progress but I have given him a week
off. I will remove the stitches this weekend and then try to
tidy him up. |
|
 |
I took another pic of Prize, in the yard. This little guy is
built like a tank. I so hope that he doesn't go over-sized.
You can see that he is a smug little bug and is just full of
himself. His personality is to die for. |
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I put collars on Fanta's pups so I could evaluate them
individually and then took this pic. |
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It's true that all puppies are cute but there is just
something special about this litter. They are cute, cute,
cute!
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I realized that no one has seen my kennel. There are some
inner pics on my website, and this is the outside. |
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I spend much more time there than I do in the house. Of
course, when I am in the house, the dogs follow.
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Big news is that I am getting ready for me trip to the Yukon!
I entered Abi in a dog show in White Horse. I have mentioned
that I can't finish her here due to lack of competition, sooo,
I am traveling many, many miles to try to finish her from the
group. This also may turn out not to be one of my better
ideas. Stay tuned!
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May
25, 2012
Well, let's start with the big news. Abi took winners both
days at the show last weekend and finished her American
championship with points to spare! I included this pic to
reminding you how gorgeous she is. This is bragging time for
me! |
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Now Abi and I have to concentrate on making her a dual
champion and finish her in Canada. I may have said this
before, but this is very hard to accomplish as their is no
competition anywhere near me.
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On to the next biggest news. I brought home a puppy from the
show. I swore that I would never do that. I won't bore you
with the circumstances that lead to this decision but needless
to say, he is black, he looks just like my type and he has a
pedigree that fits perfectly with my breeding program. I call
him Prize. |
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For all those disappointed people who ask me for a black,
things are going to change at Patapin in that regard.
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The next thing was a big surprise for me. I was coming down
stairs with my camera and saw this. |
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So, I took a pic right then! The original purpose of Minpins
was to work as ratters. It looks like BB hasn't forgotten her
roots. I had to bribe her with a big chunk of hamburger patty
to be able to take it away from her. She was very proud and
had been holding the other Pins at bay. No one was getting her
catch. No one that is except the lady with the yummy treat!
|
I have been corresponding with a very nice woman from
Australia. Deb found me on the internet and fell in love with
a pic of Brazen that she had come across. She contacted me and
after some back and forth emailing, I offered to help her
improve her breeding program. Now, what do I do? Send frozen
semen or an actual dog? Stay tuned.
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May
18, 2012
I guess the big thing this week was ears! I took Manley
and Mazie to a new vet in Michigan. It turned out to be an 8
1/2 hr round trip but it was worth it. Dr. Anne was wonderful!
Very talented at cropping ears and I'd even go so far as to
call her an artist. She works in a very small building that
looks like a big shed from the outside. I was present to give
my opinion and hold the pups as they woke up. When she was
done, she bundled up their heads for the trip home. I took
this pic as soon as I arrived and put Manley and Mazie on the
lawn to have a pee. |
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As you can see they looked like Marg Simpson. You can also see
in their eyes that they are heavily drugged - not a care in
the world..
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We went in the house and I removed the colourful head gear and
things looked like this. |
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The next morning they were up and bouncing around. Their ears
were very sensitive and they soon learned not to bump into
each other's ears. The next challenge is taking out the
stitches in a week. I just hate ear cropping! Oh why couldn't
I have fallen in love with a breed that can be shown with the
ears they were born with.
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I heard from Alexis and she sent me this pic. |
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I think that Monty is the first Patapin to be in a wedding
party! Doesn't he look handsome? Alexis said that he was a
member of the family and they never considered not having him
participate. (I just love my homes!)
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I also got this pic from Lisa. She couldn't wait to show me
how AJ liked to sleep. I have seen that pose many times. Only
a Minpin could be relaxed in that position! |
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Oh yes, I am off to a show in Flint MI tomorrow and Sun. I am
showing Brazen and Abi. Cross your fingers for us and I will
let you know how they did next week.
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May
12, 2012
Of course the big news this week is Fanta's four puppies -
three girls and a boy. |
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They were born
on May 7th and are a beautiful colour - all dark mahogany and
stag. Fanta is a first time mother and is doing a great job!
Right now, I am "puppied out". I have never had so many
litters in such close succession. Luckily I am home 24/7 as it
is a full time job taking care of them properly. The Patapin
high standards of raising/socializing a litter remains the
same, no matter how many there are. It seems like I never sit
down. Because it's my passion, I enjoy the busyness - it is
just so rewarding.
I am having the dilemma of showing a natural eared Minpin.
Both Mazie (Al and Leggy) and Manley (Al and Beauty) have
natural standing ears. The problem is that they keep going up
and down. Although most people think that it is much harder to
finish a natural eared dog, I feel that if the dog is nice
enough, it won't be held back. It is note worthy that both the
Can and US Nat'l winners females were natural eared this year.
As we are far down the road towards a ban on cropping, it is
definitely the way to go if you can.
Right now I am struggling with knowing whether Manley and
Mazie's ears will be firmly upright when the time comes to
show them. As you can see from the pics, they are both
beautiful specimens of the breed. |
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Manley's
ears are the best but you wouldn't call them strong.
 |
Mazie has
one up and one down
 |
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Sadly, I am a
chicken and have booked an apt to crop Mazie on Monday. I
won't know about cropping Manley until the time comes. I am
very conflicted about him as he looks wonderful with his ears
- they really suit him. My decision and hopefully pics will be
revealed next weekend.
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I am off to
another show next weekend with Abi and this time I have
entered Brazen. |
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I am not happy
with the way he moves but we will see what the Judges think.
Abi has her majors and only needs 4 points to finish so
hopefully I will have good news to share on the show scene
front.
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May
6, 2012
The most exciting news is what happened last weekend at
the Michigan show. As mentioned, I was very concerned that Abi
would resort back to her old tricks and embarrass me in the
ring. Well, my little girl surpassed all expectations!! Both
days she defeated everyone (including 3 specials) to receive
two 3pt majors! Abi was full of attitude, was lots of fun to
show and I couldn't have been happier.
I have entered her again as her 3 majors (a 5, 3 and 3) give
her 11pts and she needs 4 more to finish her Am Ch. I have
also dusted Brazen off and have entered him as well. He is
very late maturing and still may not be ready for the ring.
Fingers crossed.
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I received an update
from Jennifer about the 2 littermates she adopted a few months
ago. She attached a picture of Ginger and Cooper looking out
of her living room window. As you can see, it looks like they
are holding hands. |
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It is so nice for
them both to have each other. It really pays off to be
uncompromising and wait for really exceptional homes. I feel
an almost crushing responsibility for the pups I bring into
the world and couldn't sleep at night if I wasn't 100%
confident about their new families. I have said it before, it
is definitely the most stressful part of breeding.
BB's girls are tearing around and even going on the 40 min
walks in the field. Rhonda's boys are starting to toddle
around and get into trouble. Time passes so quickly. I will
try to get some pics for next week.
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April 26, 2012
This weekend I am showing Abi in Michigan. This will be
the first time since she got home from Cindy's and got the 5 pt
major in Phoenix and won her class at the Nat'l. I am so hoping
that she will strut her stuff for me and not resort back to her
old tricks. Cross your fingers. I will let you know how it goes.
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April 22, 2012
The good news this week is that Penny has found her
forever family! At the same time, I have made my final
decision about what I am keeping to show and I am looking for
wonderful homes for Mazey and Manley. These two are lead
trained, crate trained and super-socialized.
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As you can see from the pic, they couldn't be cuter and are
intelligent, affectionate, fun loving little characters. Info
about price and guarantees are on the Available page.
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I am sure that you have heard many times that minpins are
fearless. I took some pics this week of 5 lb Manley fighting
with two 60 lb Maremmas (Mary and Mable). |
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As you can see, Manley is determined to teach those girls a
lesson! He bars his teeth and grabs their coat, while adeptly
avoiding their giant jaws. After 5 minutes of vigorous
battling, I would say that it ended in a draw (although Manley
insists that he won).
Rhonda's boys have had their eyes and ears open for a couple
of days. They are growing like weeds and Rhonda is a wonderful
mother. I have great hopes for these puppies. Around here,
hope springs eternal!
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April 14, 2012
Rhonda's boys turned one week old! There are two big,
strong boys and a very small one. I always find him off by
himself which is not a good sign. I have been supplementing
him with goats milk and vitamins, twice a day but I may
increase that to 3x/day. I have also been injecting ringers
under his skin. It is the best way of quickly hydrating a
puppy as it goes directly into the system. He seems to be a
fighter, so I am optimistic. They are all a rich, dark colour.
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I practiced with Abi yesterday as I have entered her in a show
in Michigan at the end of the month. She is off to a good
start with her 5pt major but still has a ways to go. Well,
wouldn't you know....she pulled like a sled dog and wouldn't
keep her tail up when standing. If I hadn't seen her perform
perfectly with Cindy at the Nat'l, I never would have believed
that Abi learned one thing. Damn!
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I received a wonderful, unsolicited endorsement yesterday form
a family that picked up the second boy from Leggy and Al's
litter. This is AJ. |
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You must go and see it on the endorsement page as the mom has
a way of perfectly describing what it's like to have a Patapin.
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April 7, 2012
Wow! Where to start? It has been a very busy and exciting
week. Of course, the highlight was the Nat'l in Mesa, Arizona.
The venue was excellent, the food couldn't have been better,
lots of good friends and the quality of the Minpins was
outstanding. It was my favourite Nat'l and I had a wonderful
time.
Cindy and I wanted to do everything to ensure that Miss Abi
performed well in the ring. That included me staying totally
away from her, so Abi wouldn't know I was there and become
distracted by looking for me when she was in the ring. That
worked perfectly until the last day prior to showing. Due to a
mix-up in communication, I ran smack into Abi. She looked like
she was having seizures when I picked her up - squealing and
vibrating like a wild thing. Then she licked my lips off and
cried and squealed some more. We hoped that all was not ruined
and Abi would manage to keep her focus in the ring. Well, it
had a happy ending. This little girl showed like a dream and
actually won her class! I couldn't have been prouder. I will
be eternally grateful to Cindy for getting my little monster
under control in the ring. Now I can have fun conquering the
show ring in Canada! <g> |
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I arrived home late Wednesday with Abi in tow with everything
going smoothly. When I went to unpack my suitcase, this is
what I found. |
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Miss Rhonda was determined not to be left being again!
Thankfully, she had waited for me to have her pups.
The weather, was beautiful on Thursday and I received an
enthusiastic welcome from the rest of the dog family. Monty's
new family came to pick him up at noon and it was love at
first sight. |
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It really pays off the be uncompromising when picking the
right family. That way, I don't feel sad, when I send off a
new puppy to their forever home.
Rhonda ate a good lunch and an hour later, I headed out to
take everyone on the 45 min. walk. I put a coat on Rhonda, as
the wind was chilly. When we got back, I picked Rhonda up to
take her coat off and there was an opaque bubble protruding
from her vulva and I felt a strong contraction. OMG! I was
shocked!!! I have never, ever had a bitch begin whelping
without showing the typical indicators - refusing to eat,
restlessness, clingy etc. I hollered at Gaston to bring my my
whelping supplies and I ran to my bedroom with Rhonda. I soon
saw two tiny feet protruding out. Damn! It was a feet first
delivery. Not a full emergency but difficult none-the- less. I
tried for half an hour to get a good grip on those feet with a
wash cloth but the pup kept slipping back in. I called my
emergency vet and asked her about a shot of oxytocin. She
agreed and Gaston brought it to me from the fridge. Rhonda was
able to push harder and I managed to get a good grip in the
legs. I pulled as Rhonda contracted. Finally, after 45 minutes
of trying, a big. dark red boy entered the world. He had been
like a cork, stopping the pups after him. Rhonda popped out
the last two boys within 30 minutes and we were done! [pic]
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The boys are a beautiful colour and all are thriving. Al is my
only stud and I had my fingers crossed for a nice boy that I
could use as a stud as well. Now I have a good selection to
choose from. Life is good.
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March 31, 2012
I've been busy getting ready for the Nat'l in Phoenix and
leave Sunday morning. It will be good to leave the damp, cold
weather behind for sunshine and temps in the 80's! I am
looking forward to watching Abi strut her stuff in the two
shows she is entered in. However, Cindy called yesterday to
say that Abi hasn't touched her food for three days. She has
enticed her with everything she could think of but can't get
her to eat. Otherwise, she is happy, playful and active. I am
not sure what's going on, it's hard being so far away. I'll
let you know next week if Abi is able to pull it together and
make me proud.
One of Al and Beauty's 3 boys leaves on Thursday. He is going
to a wonderful home and I am excited for "Monty". I just sent
them a pic of their boy, which I think is the cutest. This is
Monty playing in Belle's tail. |
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I get back on Wednesday, Monty leaves Thursday and Rhonda is
due to have her pups on Sunday. Time is flying by. |
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March 25, 2012
It's been another busy, busy week. I left for Katie's on
Monday and flew back from California with Rhonda on Wednesday.
Katie was a perfect hostess - we walked with IC and Handsome
in the scenic mountains, went out for two delectable fresh
fish dinners, toured Carmel on foot, saw Doris Day's dog
friendly hotel and the list goes on and on. Needless to say we
packed a lot of fun and adventure into just over 30 hours of
time.
Rhonda is due on April 9th and I will try to fit in a quick
trip to the Nat'l and back prior to her whelping. I am
determined to see Abi perform if Rhonda co-operates. Just SO
much excitement!
There has been a turn of events for Leggy and Al's girl puppy.
She left one week ago yesterday, to live with Corinne, her
husband and Corinne's mother. All were confident that "Penny"
would fit right in with her "human" brother of 8 months.
Sadly, Corinne called after 6 days and said that she was
completely overwhelmed with trying to manage a new puppy along
with her infant. I was sad, but not completely shocked. I had
advised Corinne against this when she first inquired. I told
her that it would be best to wait until her child was at least
6 years old. However, Corinne eventually convinced me that she
had enough support in the home and determination to make it
work. When Corinne and her mother arrived last Saturday, they
were well aware of the challenges they would be facing and
appeared well prepared to incorporate Penny into their close,
family unit.
They arrived exactly one week later to return Penny to her
birth family. Fortunately, the puppy was ecstatic to be home
and appeared vibrant and healthy. Corinne was tearful and
remorseful and accepted full responsibility for not listening
to me. I however, also assumed a lot of the responsibility for
this placement breakdown. What I did learn was yet another
lesson to trust my instincts and hold firm, regardless of how
well a family presents as being well equipped and "ready" to
take on a new puppy. It is difficult for me to accept that I
am still making mistakes after more than 15 yrs of breeding,
showing and placing Minpins. Humbled once again, I am
determined not to make this mistake again - haven't I said
that before?? sigh.
Bottom line is that this lovely girl is now available to join
her forever family, ideally suited to making her a member of
their household. |
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March 18, 2012
It's been a big week! BB had her puppies on Tuesday March
13th. |
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For
a little girl with a huge belly, I was shocked that there
weren't a lot mor pups. She is now being an excellent mother
to her very dark mahogany, big and chubby girls. It's a
completely new bloodline for me and I can't wait to see how
they mature.
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Then Al and Leggy's pet boy and girl went to their new homes.
First, the boy was picked up by Allie. |
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AJ is going to definitely be a spoiled member of the family
and will travel with the family as they support Allie's
brother in his hockey league. Three days later, the girl was
picked up by Corinne and her mom. |
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Corinne is a stay at home mom and "penny" will get lots of
attention as she is raised with her human brother Tristan.
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As if all this wasn't enough, Gaston picked up another new
addition at the Detroit airport - Winter's Margarita. |
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Rita is an American Champion and from the same wonderful
bloodlines that are behind our Al.
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I am leaving for California tomorrow and then the Nat'ls in
two weeks. Life couldn't be busier or more exciting!
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March 11, 2012
Today has been a busy, busy week! My new (pregnant minpin,
BB, arrived and she is gorgeous. |
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The icing on the cake is her temperament - she is confident,
affectionate, intelligent and very calm but not soft. There is
not an aggressive bone in her little body. BB is due on March
18th and gets bigger every day. I can't believe how excited I
am to welcome this litter!
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Leggy and Al's litter are all gone. A girl and the boy are
going to wonderful families and I chose the second girl as my
pick puppy to show. This is the pet girl that is leaving next
weekend with Corrine |
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and this gorgeous sweetie is my pick!
Now to come up with a name worthy for her.
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One of Al and Beauty's boys are going to their wonderful
family on Easter weekend and I am trying to decide between he
remaining two cuties. They are all so similar that I have a
difficult decision to make. I relish those kind of dilemmas!
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I received a wonderful endorsement this week from Willy's
family. Willy is Beauty's brother and he just turned 3 this
month. You must go to the Endorsement page to see what Willy
has been up to. They even sent a pic of Willy, the "hunter"
and his prize catch that I attached as well. |
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The weather is warm and sunny today and life couldn't be
better! I will share all of this coming week's highlights with
you next weekend.
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March 04, 2012
A lot has happened this week. My new breeder friend
delivered my pregnant female and I couldn't be more pleased.
She is gorgeous! Best part is that she is going to give me
puppies by March 18th.
Then, Cindy called to say that Abi got a 5 point major in
stiff competition at the Scottsdale show. Yes, that's the same
Abi that wouldn't behave for me in the ring. Cindy must have
the magic touch. I am patiently waiting to see if Abi can
repeat her success today. She is also showing her at the US
Nat'l and I can't wait!
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I noticed that Mary and Mabel weren't my sweet little babies
any more |
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but are growing like weeds. I took this pic of them playing in
the field on our last dog walk. They just turned 6 months and
have lots more growing to do. |
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February
26, 2012
Allie and her mom and dad visited on Friday to see Leggy
and Al's boy and leave their deposit. They were extremely
pleased and will be back to pick him up in 3 weeks. They are a
close family that spend a lot of quality time together. They
travel every weekend to watch Allie's brother play hockey and
this pup will join the family on the road. What a lucky guy. |
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You can see
why Allie was so excited. This pup couldn't be any sweeter
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I made my pick for the show ring and I am confident that she
will be exceptional. The other girl is going to live with
Corrine, so there is nothing left needing homes.
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They is still one, possibly two boys available from Beauty's
litter. I just put small collars on them today. It is so I can
tell them apart and start assessing movement and temperament.
This a pic of a Beauty boy meeting my Maremma Mabel for the
first time. |
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I also captured this cute pic when I took off the light to
start cleaning the run. This is my pick Leggy girl dancing for
the light. She is fearless and full of fun. You will have to
forgive the dirty floor. This is what I face every day when I
do my cleaning. |
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My new pregnant female is being delivered by her breeder on
Wednesday. This is a big step for me and I can't wait!
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February
19, 2012
Not much has happened this week. Cindy reports that Abi is
adjusting well and is showing like a star. She even keeps her
tail up, when she wouldn't do that for me. Cindy also says
that Abi isn't pulling when she is on lead. The little brat
pulled like a sled dog when I showed her. Hopefully Abi's
light bulb moment will not go out when she gets home. If not,
I am going to have a lot of fun showing her.
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Beauty's pups are 3 weeks old and have their eyes and ears
open.
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They are also
eating soft food. Leggy's pups are slim and trim but Beauty's
are as fat as a butterball turkey. I had announced Beauty's
litter as 2 boys and a girl. When Cindy was here, she noticed
that Beauty actually had 3 boys! Sometimes I worry about my
observational skills. <g>
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I just took this
pic. Beauty's 3 week old pups were asleep in the dog bed and
Leggy's boy and girl went over and snuggled up with them. It
works fine when every one is asleep. It doesn't work very well
when they are awake as Leggy's pups overpower Beauty's pups
when they play. Then they beat them up!
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I have two
wonderful homes lined up. Once I make my show picks at 8
weeks, I can let the families know what, if anything is left.
Placing my non-show prospects is the most difficult thing
about breeding. In this case, both homes are wonderful!
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February
12, 2012
Cindy left yesterday in the middle of a blizzard. We spent
all four days on the property, playing with dogs. She also
helped me evaluate my two litters and found her "pick" girl
from Leggy's litter. This little one is short backed and
prances around like she owns the world. Best part is that she
is just full of energy and mischief. She only sleeps half as
much as her siblings and is always jumping, rolling and
exploring every nook and cranny on the main floor.
Beauty's pups have their eyes and ears open now and I moved
them downstairs, for more socialization. Leggy and Beauty now
have runs in close proximity but are getting along well. I
sure have my hands full!
Mary and Mable were very aggressive with Cindy. I although I
could keep them away from her, it took a lot of
discouragement. We have a 10x10 pen set up in the yard and
when Cindy and I were out walking or in the kennel, I locked
Mary and Mable in the pen. It gave me peace of mind. I have
zero tolerance for aggression and was very unhappy with the
Maremma's reaction. I was surprised as I had taken them to the
vet and walked them around the pet store many times when they
were younger and was pretty confident that they would be fine
with people. Now that Cindy is gone I am going to try to get a
serious handle on this behavior.
I took a pic of Abi and her mother Caroline, standing side by
side to show that there is a huge distance in size. Al looks
to be a size reducer and certainly improves on what he breeds.
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As I mentioned, I am unable to go to the Nat'l in April. Cindy
has nothing to show this year so when she was here, she asked
to take Abi back with her and she will show her first in a 4
day show in Scottsdale, and then on to the Nat's. I warned her
about my belief that Abi was untrainable but Cindy was
confident that she could break through her resistance. I wish
her all the luck in the world - she'll need it! |
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Cindy
and Abi, just before leaving to go back to Oklahoma
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February
04, 2012
It's sure good that I fixed my camera. I have attached
pics of Leggy and Al's new pups at 5 weeks old today. They are
playing on their "playground". They entered my intensive
socialization program 2 weeks ago. They are healthy and active and
I have already started to stack them.
   
Beauty's pups are thriving. I expect their eyes and ears will open
soon. I will send pics next weekend.
I have purchased a new brood bitch and I am having the breeder
breed her for me. The due date may interfere with my going to the
Nat'l. Fortunately, Cindy Fortin doesn't have anything to show
this year and is coming up on Wednesday to pick between Fanta and
Abi to take back with her. She will get her choice ready and show
her at the Nat'l. I am very happy about that solution and looking
forward to spending 4 days with Cindy. Will let you know next
weekend what she decides to do.
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January 31, 2012
 Hooray!
I just fixed my camera. I am adding a pic of Beauty's pups at 5
days. I was very surprised to get a clear as Beauty is black and
Al has dark pigment. I decided they are still too tiny to dock so
will wait until I think they are big enough. |
January 28, 2012
Beauty finally had her puppies. She had three tiny pups,
in quick succession on Wednesday Jan 26/12 - two red boys and a
red girl. It's a good thing that she hung on to them as long as
she did as puppies were the smallest I have had in a long time.
Pups are growing every day and Beauty is a good mother. I would
attach a photo but I still haven't purchased a new camera. Must go
out and start looking. I liked my old Kodak so much that it will
be hard to replace.
I have withdrawn Brazen and Abi from showing. I am not happy with
Brazen's movement but will see if he matures into a better moving
specimen of the breed. If he doesn't improve, I may use him in my
breeding program as I love the pedigree. I still think that Abi
has tons of potential but I have been unable to train her properly
for the show ring. She pulls like a sled dog and has trouble
keeping her tail up on the when stacked on the floor or the table.
I just can't figure out how to get her to have that" light bulb
moment.
Leggy's pups are doing great! They have their eyes and ears open
and are motoring around. I have started their intensive
socialization program, playing my my CD's of noises and getting
them out by the fireplace and exposing them to my noise makers- a
flute, groomer, tambourine, crinkly cellophane paper etc. They
have dark pigment and "long necks", which could mean nothing at
this age but it's encouraging. More motivation to purchase a new
camera.
I am seriously thinking of bringing Fanta back out and getting her
AKC championship. I will enter a show in Michigan and see how she
does.
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January 21, 2012
I went for over a week with no internet. I just got that
fixed and now my camera doesn't work. I was going to post a pic of
Leggy's puppies. Their eyes opened yesterday, which was two days
late. They are trying to walk and hold their heads up when they
are out of their bag. The pigment is gorgeous and I have high
hopes for this boy and two girls.
I showed Brazen on Friday. There were two shows that day and he
lost both times to crazy Abi. If I could get Abi properly trained,
she would be dynamite. She is the best mover I ever had and is
very high spirited. In Brazen's defense, he has demodex on his
forehead and it has gone right into his eye. His eye is sore and
watery and half closed. When I put drops in it it gets much
better. Still one of the Friday Judges said that it certainly
ruins his expression which is a big part of winning. I put a pic
of Brazen on that was taken at the show. His bad eye is on the
other side. I love his long arched neck, his prominent chest and
his perfect topline.
I am showing for two days next weekend. One of the Judges is Keke
Kahn. In my opinion, she really knows her minpins. It will be
interesting to she what she thinks of my two.
BIS Caz, number two minpin last year is being campaigned again in
my area. As there isn't any other competition, I will not be able
to finish Brazen or Abi. I got their ACK numbers and may have to
show in Michigan this year.
If my camera can't be fixed, I will have to buy a new one. It is
vey important to document each litter as the pups mature. I miss
it!
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January 07, 2012
Of course, our big news is that Leggy had her pups on Jan
4th. - one boy and two girls! She had a hard time at the end,
getting very big and walking unsteadily on her feet. I had her
x-rayed and all looked well with four pups located. Sadly, one of
the girls didn't survive the birth. Pups have lovely dark pigment
and are shiny, content and feeding well. Today, I am doing tails
and dews - one of my least favourite thing and then it's waiting
for eyes and ears to open some time around day 12. |
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Beauty's pregnancy has been completely uneventful and she is due
on Jan 16th. It looks like she is having another small litter - I
predict two pups.
Brazen is being shown in his first show this weekend in Texas by
his sire's (Magic) breeder, Cindy. Fingers crossed. It is a small
show and he would have to take breed over four specials to get a
major. Cindy is sending him home on Tuesday and I can't wait! He
and Abby will be shown in two weeks at London.
The weather has been mild and spring-like and everyone has been
enjoying their extended walks. I am enjoying not having to put
eight coats on before we leave.
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The BeautyBlog 2011 |
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