It's Time To Start Looking . . .

Mariah will be available to the RIGHT home

Finally made the decision to start looking for a "forever home" for Mariah.  Hopefully I can find one as good as the home Jaime/Jake went to, and the one Eddie will be going to soon.  Mariah is a great fit for my household, and both Ron & I really like her.  She's smart, willing, tries very hard to please, has lots of cute traits including talking and smiling, but she's just a bit too short.  Not a bad trait in a companion to be sure, she's really the perfect size for sitting on your lap, but she's a bit short for the show ring.   I could keep her for awhile longer, to see if she grows, but if the right home is there for her it would be a shame to miss it.  My first choice would be something local, within easy driving distance, so I could keep an eye on her.  If she gets a late growth spurt, I'd like the option to show her (at my expense).  If she doesn't, she can be spayed and live her life as a wonderful companion.  Let me know if you can provide the right home.  (I'd also consider placing her further away, if the situation is right.)

Not an easy thing to do as I really enjoy Mariah, but any young dog I acquire is a "maybe".  I'm still looking for just the right dog to add to my household, but it has to have the right personality for us as well as be star quality in the showring.  Guess I am still looking.  Because of my age, Ron's age, where I live, and future financial concerns, any permanent addition to my household has to be just the right dog to stay here forever.   Argus was the last dog I kept, and he's 5 1/2 years old.  I'd really prefer another brownie boy, but common sense tells me it ought to be a girl.

Plans are falling into place for Lucy to go home for awhile after the National.  Jess put both majors on her, but she still needs 5 singles to finish her championship.  Because Jess will not be available to handle her in May, and because Lucy is due in season momentarily, we decided she should go back to her family for a couple of months.  We'll bring her back later, preferable in July, but possibly not until mid-August.  We'll send her home with her health testing completed, and we've all agreed that it would be more practical to breed her next fall.  Her family will be moving this summer and a litter of pups could make things more than a little difficult!

When Lucy's family comes to pick her up, they will return Eddie who then goes to live with Lisen & Jerry, and Ruby the Brittany.  Eddie is such a sweetheart, and I know Lisen will really enjoy having a Dal again!   

Worries

Puck is afterall a California Dal!

Argh, one of those nights that last too long.  The kind where I wake up at 4:00 and can't get back to sleep.  Way too much to worry about! 

Big worries like will I ever be able to sell this big dumpy house?  How will I ever get everything out of it?  How long will I be able to afford the taxes for the "privilege" of living here?  Should I refinance, or wait until I need to include the cost of a new roof in the package?  How old is my roof?  How long do they last?   Do I need to put additional money into the house?  Will my neighbor be a problem again this year.  Will the new fence go in smoothly?  How long will it take?  How will we manage the dogs without a fence?  Who can I farm out for a week or two?  Would anyone take Mariah?

How will the training go for the new accounting system?  Will it actually work when we Go Live?  Will I catch on to the new system?  How will I manage my job & JoAnn's too, in a new system?  Will my boss survive the stress?  How long before we can actually do our work in a timely fashion?  Should I have taken the retirement buy out?  Will it be offered again?  Will there be lay offs?  Will "they" screw around with our retirement package?  Will we get a pay cut?  Furloughs?  Will the state shut down at the end of the fiscal year?  Will the state's budget issues actually get resolved? 

Am I getting more forgetful?  Will I develop Alzheimers?  Do I HAVE Alzheimers?  How would I know?  Are my eyes getting worse?  How long before AMD makes it difficult for me to work?  Will the Glaucoma or the Pigment Dispersion Syndrome cause more problems than AMD?  How would I handle being blind?  Can I afford the dental work I need this year?  Why is dental coverage so minimal?  Is it time for that hearing aid this year?  Does it annoy people that I say, "What?"  When will Ron go in for an evaluation?  One of us should be able to hear!  Why won't he go in for a general check up?  Eat better? Take vitamins?  Be more careful about cholesterol & sodium?  Am I spending enough time with my mother?  How long will she be able to live alone?  She seems to be doing well, but am I missing something I should have noticed?  If someone has a health crisis this summer, will I be able to manage that along with my job?  Will I really be able to retire in 3+ years?  Will I survive that long?  Will there be any Social Security left for me?

Will Jess and Don decide to move?  Can they afford to buy closer to work?  Can they sell their house?  Do they really want to give up their present home?  How bad does Ron's condo look?  Does he ever clean house? Does it look like a trash house? Should I nag him about it?  Should I go take a look?  Will I be the one who has to take charge of that some day?  What will happen to all his stuff?

How long will Coral live?  What will Ron do when she passes? Will she have expensive vet bills?  Will the others stay healthy?  Why are vet bills so expensive?  Will we get Lucy home after DCA?  Will Lisen be ready for Eddie?  Is it time to sell Mariah?  Should I let her go as a pet, or keep strings so I can show/breed her if I want?  When is she coming in season?  Should I sell her before then?  How long should I wait on her?   Can I really afford to show Argus any more? Is it time to retire him? Will I miss the shows?  Will HE miss the shows?  Should I start him in Rally?  Obedience?  Will the tendinitis in my shoulder get worse if I do that?   Will I be able to get away for any shows this summer?  Will I be too stressed from work to do a good job with the dogs?  Will Reebok come in season at a suitable time?  How will she fit in here?  Will she get along with Coral & Josie?  Do I really want to raise a litter of pups?  Should we breed Penny this summer or wait?  How should we breed her?  Who should do the puppies?

Why is my brain so active at night?  Why can't I just go back to sleep?   Ah, the clock radio came on.  Thank goodness.  The news is bad, as always.  But the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and everything looks much better in daylight! A cup of coffee, and a group of wagging Dal tails really helps too.  It's gonna be a good day!

What Happened To Spring?

No time to post, but this say it all.  That's snow, not flowers.

Health Clinics & Decorated Dogs

Argus, Penny, Pauli & Lucy are signed up for a variety of tests at the upcoming DCA Health Clinics that will be held with the National in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky.  Because Argus is available at stud, and because the girls will be bred at some future date, they need to have all their health clearances done and up to date.  DCA is offering cardiac screening for the first time this year, so Argus will have that done.  Several of the tests should be done every few years, like the thyroid panel and the CERF exam, but he had his thyroid redone last year, and his eyes were rechecked in February.  Pauli already has her CHIC number too, for completing all her health testing, but she will also have the cardiac testing.

Health Clinic day is very busy day!  Laurie & I will work as volunteers, while Jess gets our dogs in and out of testing.  Not all DCA members understand & endorse the importance of health screening, but the response is always good and the turnout this year is excellent.  With 88 dogs participating -

• 61 CERF (that's eye exams)
• 45 thyroid tests (this is a panel of tests)
• 21 CHIC DNA tests (to include dogs in the DNA database)
• 20 microchips (positive id is required for the health tests)
• 6 BAER tests (most Dals are BAER tested as pups so this may be seniors).
• 31 cardiac auscultations (first year for this)
• 22 cardiac ultrasounds (first year for this as well)

While it is not true that randomly bred dogs (a nice term for mutts) are healthier than purebreds, buying your puppy from a responsible breeders who understands the importance of health screening increases the odds even more!

Check out the decorated dogs - Dalmatians, of course!

Just A Drop In The Bucket

Old wooden bucket at the antique show.

Love antique shows!  Ron & I have gone to many of them over the years, and Jess & I often go to antique stores when we have time to kill on dog show weekends.  I rarely buy, but love to look & to reminisce.  Last week my sister wondered if I was interested in attending the large show at the State Fair grounds.  These shows are held several times a year and they include a flea market, so the prices range from extraordinarily high to almost nothing.  Just depends on what you are looking for.  I am rarely looking for anything in particular, but occasionally find something that I must have.

Kris & I had great time and it was fun to discuss all the items we remembered from childhood, especially the everyday glassware &  bowls that now sell for such high prices.  Kris can still find deals at rural garage sales in her area and has made some excellent finds over the years.   I was quite taken by this old wooden bucket, but was not quite  ready to spend the money as I am feeling poor right now.  I took this picture, planning to think on it for a bit and to show Ron.  He liked the bucket and even donated money towards it purchase, so on Sunday I went back to the show, hoping it would still be there. The bucket was, but the dealer must have slept in, so I left a note and my cell phone number and wondered around for awhile.  My sister had asked me to pick up something she had liked too, but apparently the cold windy weather was more than they could manage, and several of the outdoor vendors were not there for the second day.  Hard to blame them!  I got my bucket though, and it looks terrific beside the leather chair, filled with magazines.

Am almost done with water changes on all the tanks, but last night I had a flood to deal with - again.  That's just one of the reasons the tanks are all in the basement!  As I was refilling the tanks that I had siphoned to remove debris & about 50% of the water, I noticed water on the floor and discovered that the plastic bin where I dump waste water into had sprung a leak.  At the same time, the sump pump in the bin decided to stop working (probably clogged with duckweed), so I had to remove the water by the bucket full and carry it to the floor drain.  Unfortunately, I forgot that I had left the refill water hose running in a tank, and that tank started to overflow too.  What a mess.  Multi-tasking is NOT my thing!

Spell check must not be working right now.  It's not possible that I did this entry without a spelling error. Guess I'll check in later and see if things are working better.   My computer seem to be developing issues again lately.  I think it wants a vacation!