We were invited to take some Dalmatians to the Mall of America for Toddler Tuesday. This is an event that draws 200 - 300 little kids and their caregivers, and this particular Tuesday featured a Dalmatian coloring contest, and a promotion for the Disney Dalmatian movie coming out in DVD. And real live Dalmatians to pet!
For events like this, it is important to select the most unflappable of dogs, as they will be mugged and hugged and poked and prodded, have their feet run over by strollers, and their tails and ears pulled by excited toddlers. We try to do these events whenever possible because we believe very strongly in promoting the image of Dalmatians as good family dogs and companions. Dals recieved a very bad rap following the popularity boom of the late 80s and early 90s. There were indeed lots of "bad" Dalmatians, because there were bad breeders and bad owners. (More on this later.) All the many thousands of good Dalmatians never made the news . . .
We decided to use "Stella" (OTCH Stella By Starlight UDX) bred by us and owned by Colleen Christianson, and my dog "Watson" (Ch. Paisley Pragmatic CGC). Stella is a retired obedience champion and has worked as a therapy dog. Watson is a small, sweet gentle guy with a totally unflappable personality. Both dogs were absolutely awesome, and performed flawlessly. We had a steady line of little ones coming through to pet the dogs for well over two hours, and they never stopped wagging their tails. Both dogs did tricks for the kids, and we answered questions about the breed. Many people commented on what lovely dispositions both dogs had. We got some of the "I thought Dalmatians were bad with kids" comments, while the dogs were doing their best to prove that was not the case. We just explained that there are bad dogs in all breeds, and that dogs must have inherently good dispositions and be properly socialized with children. The average well bred, properly socialized Dalmatian is an EXCELLENT family dog.
On the fishy front, I tried my hand at fish dentistry last night. Among my almost-50tanks of fish, I have two puffer fish. Edd is a green-spotted puffer, and Bucky is a South American puffer. Puffers need to eat hard foods (like snails in the shell) to keep their beaks/teeth from growing too long. When I purchased Bucky he already had the problem, and I was not able to get her to eat snails to wear her beak back. So I had to do surgery! Rather a scary process, but it was that or watch her starve to death. Clove oil is used to anesthetize fish, and beaks can be trimmed with a nail scissors. It only took a few minutes, and Bucky seems to be doing fine. Now I will hang out my shingle - "Fish Dentistry"!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Playing Catch Up Again
So much has happened in the past two weeks, with hardly a spare moment for blogging.
Violet was bred to Argus on Valentines Day - how appropriate. Babies are due April 17th, which should work out perfectly. The pups should be about 10 days old when I have to leave for DCA (the Dalmatian National). By that age they should all be strong and doing well, and Violet will still be doing all the work other than daily handling. Makes it a lot easier for poor Ron. They will be 6 weeks old when I leave for Australia to judge a Dalmatian show (and do some touristing, of course) and the pups will stay with Jess and Don for that week. Perfect timing for car rides, new surroundings, and lots of new friends. All the extra experiences will help to assure that the pups are particularly confident and well adjusted.
Hard to believe that these will not be the World's Friendliest Puppies! Violet loves everyone, and has just the type of disposition we prefer. Like Argus, and her grandpa Watson, Violet assumes that everyone is her best friend.
Violet was bred to Argus on Valentines Day - how appropriate. Babies are due April 17th, which should work out perfectly. The pups should be about 10 days old when I have to leave for DCA (the Dalmatian National). By that age they should all be strong and doing well, and Violet will still be doing all the work other than daily handling. Makes it a lot easier for poor Ron. They will be 6 weeks old when I leave for Australia to judge a Dalmatian show (and do some touristing, of course) and the pups will stay with Jess and Don for that week. Perfect timing for car rides, new surroundings, and lots of new friends. All the extra experiences will help to assure that the pups are particularly confident and well adjusted.
Hard to believe that these will not be the World's Friendliest Puppies! Violet loves everyone, and has just the type of disposition we prefer. Like Argus, and her grandpa Watson, Violet assumes that everyone is her best friend.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Tired Of Winter!
Dog Walking
NOT fun when it's -14 degrees for the last walk of the night and the first walk of the morning. Because Violet is in season she is not running with my dogs and is confined to the basement. Not lonely or boring for her there as my fish tanks are in the basement so I spend a good deal of time down there. However, we walk visiting ladies four times a day as it is good for their physical and mental health -but less good for mine! Violet is actually quite sensible about the whole thing and after a couple of blocks she turns around and heads back. Learned the route right away and takes me directly home when she's had enough of the cold. I'm sure when the weather warms up a bit she won't be willing to settle for such short walks.
Not Quite Ready Yet
I've introduced Argus and Violet twice so far, but she is not quite ready to be bred yet. Pretty close tonite, but probably just a day early, so hopefully she will stand tomorrow. That will make for an extra busy day, as I will be having dinner with my mother and watching Westminster dog show on her TV (I don't have cable). It's a "family tradition" for us, and we both enjoy it.
Painful Afternoon
Had hoped to work on my website today, but spend the afternoon moving furniture and laying bedroom carpeting. Hope I am not too stiff tomorrow AM when I have to get up and walk Violet! The poor website always seems to be put off because something else needs to be done.
Time to go feed the fish, walk Violet, and go to bed.
NOT fun when it's -14 degrees for the last walk of the night and the first walk of the morning. Because Violet is in season she is not running with my dogs and is confined to the basement. Not lonely or boring for her there as my fish tanks are in the basement so I spend a good deal of time down there. However, we walk visiting ladies four times a day as it is good for their physical and mental health -but less good for mine! Violet is actually quite sensible about the whole thing and after a couple of blocks she turns around and heads back. Learned the route right away and takes me directly home when she's had enough of the cold. I'm sure when the weather warms up a bit she won't be willing to settle for such short walks.
Not Quite Ready Yet
I've introduced Argus and Violet twice so far, but she is not quite ready to be bred yet. Pretty close tonite, but probably just a day early, so hopefully she will stand tomorrow. That will make for an extra busy day, as I will be having dinner with my mother and watching Westminster dog show on her TV (I don't have cable). It's a "family tradition" for us, and we both enjoy it.
Painful Afternoon
Had hoped to work on my website today, but spend the afternoon moving furniture and laying bedroom carpeting. Hope I am not too stiff tomorrow AM when I have to get up and walk Violet! The poor website always seems to be put off because something else needs to be done.
Time to go feed the fish, walk Violet, and go to bed.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
New Family Members!
New Arrival
Violet arrived yesterday and will be staying with us for the next four months. Linda McSherry flew in from Maine and brought Violet along with her. Linda came to attend a baby shower for her daughter Christy, and Violet should be ready to breed this weekend - how's that for perfect timing?
Like Argus, Violet has completed her all her health testing and has been assigned her CHIC number. She is BAER bilateral (hearing), CERF normal (eyes), and OFA good (hips). We try to breed from only the healthiest and best tempered Dals. Responsible breeders are "the guardians of the breed" and the decisions we make now can have a major affect on future generations. For that reason, only the healthiest, best tempered dogs should be used for breeding, and the closer they fit the breed standard the greater the chance that they will pass on the desirable characteristics of their breed. Argus and Violet are both American & Canadian Champions as well as having wonderfully outgoing dispositions.
We are so pleased that Linda was willing to let Violet come to Minnesota to have a litter with Argus, Violet is a grand daughter of our beloved Watson, and when I purchased Argus it was with the idea that I wanted to breed him to several Watson daughters and grand daughters, in hopes of combining the best traits of two of my favorite dogs.
Mother Nature 1, Sue 0
I was supposed to be in Indianapolis this weekend, but entered the shows with the idea that I would go only if Mother Nature cooperated with dry roads and reasonable temperatures - she didn't. So instead I got to enjoy a new batch of Angelfish babies.
New Babies
It's pretty cool to watch a cloud of about 50 tiny babies swimming around their parents. Angelfish are cichlids, and like other members of their family, are programmed to raise their youngsters rather than ignore (or eat) them like many other kinds of fish. Because Angelfish have been commercially bred and artificially hatched for so many years, most have lost the instincts to parent. I purchased my fish from a breeder (yep, there are fish breeders too) who specializes in Angelfish, and who breeds fish with natural instincts that can successfully raise their young. He would be the fishie equivalent of a show breeder and responsible hobbyist, and is very involved with breeding quality Angelfish. He's also available to mentor, just as responsible dog breeders are.
Violet arrived yesterday and will be staying with us for the next four months. Linda McSherry flew in from Maine and brought Violet along with her. Linda came to attend a baby shower for her daughter Christy, and Violet should be ready to breed this weekend - how's that for perfect timing?
Like Argus, Violet has completed her all her health testing and has been assigned her CHIC number. She is BAER bilateral (hearing), CERF normal (eyes), and OFA good (hips). We try to breed from only the healthiest and best tempered Dals. Responsible breeders are "the guardians of the breed" and the decisions we make now can have a major affect on future generations. For that reason, only the healthiest, best tempered dogs should be used for breeding, and the closer they fit the breed standard the greater the chance that they will pass on the desirable characteristics of their breed. Argus and Violet are both American & Canadian Champions as well as having wonderfully outgoing dispositions.
We are so pleased that Linda was willing to let Violet come to Minnesota to have a litter with Argus, Violet is a grand daughter of our beloved Watson, and when I purchased Argus it was with the idea that I wanted to breed him to several Watson daughters and grand daughters, in hopes of combining the best traits of two of my favorite dogs.
Mother Nature 1, Sue 0
I was supposed to be in Indianapolis this weekend, but entered the shows with the idea that I would go only if Mother Nature cooperated with dry roads and reasonable temperatures - she didn't. So instead I got to enjoy a new batch of Angelfish babies.
New Babies
It's pretty cool to watch a cloud of about 50 tiny babies swimming around their parents. Angelfish are cichlids, and like other members of their family, are programmed to raise their youngsters rather than ignore (or eat) them like many other kinds of fish. Because Angelfish have been commercially bred and artificially hatched for so many years, most have lost the instincts to parent. I purchased my fish from a breeder (yep, there are fish breeders too) who specializes in Angelfish, and who breeds fish with natural instincts that can successfully raise their young. He would be the fishie equivalent of a show breeder and responsible hobbyist, and is very involved with breeding quality Angelfish. He's also available to mentor, just as responsible dog breeders are.
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