Showing Amery

"Amery" is spending the week with us, and has fit in nicely.  She's one of the Cruise/Penny pups from the litter Jess, Laurie & I co-bred last summer.  It was the first litter my daughter Jess has raised on her own (although she helped with my pups for almost 40 years!), and it was a very successful one.

Two of the pups have been shown so far, Meribel (Jess's pup) who has a 5 point Specialty major, and Ellsworth (lives in Texas) who has 8 points and a major.  Amery has not yet been shown, but is getting ready for the National.  A third sister Gemma will also be shown later.

Mom Penny won the Futurity when she went to the National as a puppy, and I personally think that Amery is even better, but such a win requires everything to fall into place and the puppy to show really well.  Penny was quite experienced when she went to the National, and had already been to several specialty show weekends.  Amery goes to her first dog show next week, and it's just a small one.  We're doing it just for practice, so she knows what to expect, and so we know what to expect from her.  Jess will be showing Meribel in the Puppy Class at DCA, and Amery will be entered in Bred By Exhibitor class.  They will both be in the same Sweeps and Futurity classes though, so I'll show Amery there.  I haven't shown a dog in the classes since Argus was a pup.  Hope I don't screw her up!

Are Dalmatians Good With Kids?

Oliver meeting kids

We get this question a lot, and it's an important one.  The answer is generally yes, but it depends on three things.  The dog's basic disposition, how it is socialized as a puppy, and how it is raised by it's new owners.

There is a lot of variation in temperaments in this breed.  Like dark eyes, nice spotting, and correct gait, good temperament is something that should be bred for.  Although you can modify a defective temperament, you can't really change it.  By the same token, a dog with a basically good disposition still needs to be properly socialized and trained.  A responsible breeder matches the pups to the homes to be sure that a puppy going as a family companion has the appropriate disposition.

Responsible breeders take the time to introduce their puppies to small children from an early age.  We like to play "pass the puppy", with kids sitting in a circle on the floor and the pups being passed from one child to the next, with a hug for each puppy.  This can be done from an early age and is a great place to start. Children look, sound, and smell different than adults.  They move faster and have higher pitched voices.   A dog (of any breed) who is not exposed to kids from a young age is often intimidated by them and may act defensively.  The more children the puppies are exposed to, the better, and this should continue until all pups are placed.

When the pups go to their new homes this exposure must continue.  Even if the puppy buyer does not have children, they are part of every dog's world.  Nieces & nephews, grandkids, the kids next door.  All dogs should be comfortable with children.  New owners who plan to have a family must be especially careful to expose their dogs to children - friendly well behaved children.  It's also important to raise a puppy to be a dog, not a furry child.  Dogs treated as kids are much more likely to be jealous of a new baby.

It's important that all puppy-kid situations are carefully supervised.  Kids can be rough and puppies can be hurt or scared.  A small puppy who has a bad experience with children may always be uncomfortable around them.

Dals got a bad rap during the Disney Days of the 80s and 90s.  Dals were too popular, many were bred from substandard stock in puppy mills where they received NO socialization of any kind, and people bought the dogs "for the kids".  The under-socialized pups often went to homes where they received no socialization, no training, and very little exercise, and there was no supervision of any kind.  A recipe for disaster.

We Are NOT All The Same!

There was an article in our paper last night about a woman referred to as a "dog breeder" who has been charged with animal cruelty for an assortment of horrific incidents.  Although she is referred to as a breeder, she is not "one of us" but rather "one of them".  You could refer to all of us as "breeders", but we are NOT all the same.

The woman who was arrested is a commercial breeder and her dogs are a "product".  She raises many popular breeds and she breeds them simply for money.  She is not a dog lover, and her breeding animals are not pets, companions, or show dogs.  They are unfortunate animals, often very poor examples of their breed, who live in sub-standard conditions as they produce litter after litter, until their usefulness ends.  Then they are destroyed.  Her puppies are raised as inexpensively as possible, and given the least amount of care and attention she can get by with.  We've all seen the pictures of puppymill dogs living in horrible conditions, or read of the dogs who are rescued from "those places".

Rather than being referred to as "breeders", these people should simply be called "animal producers".  Their puppies are a cash crop, no more than that.  There are many versions of animal producers, some of them taking better care of their stock, while others are even worse.  The common denominator is that these animals are simply a product, raised for market, to be sold to uneducated buyers who don't take the time to educate themselves about the differences.

Responsible breeders "us" are not all created equal, but the common denominator is that we love our dogs and raise our chosen breed because we are trying to produce ever better dogs.  Better looking, healthier, more trainable, possibly smarter, with better dispositions.  Quality dogs bred to a standard with the ultimate goal being the best possible representatives of their breed.  If we are fortunate, some will be show dogs, or at least "show potential",  others will perhaps go to performance homes to pursue careers in agility, obedience competition, herding, tracking, coursing or any of the many things we can do with dogs.  The majority of these puppies will go to homes as companions, but these pups will be raised with the same care as their littermates.

Pups from responsible breeders come from top quality parents - healthy, good tempered, good looking representatives of their breed.  Most (but not all) will be champions, but champion show dogs don't automatically produce show dog offspring.  Each breeding is done with the idea of producing pups that have even more potential than their quality parents, but most pups will just be good looking representatives of their breed.

Responsible breeders take advantage of the available health testing - it reduces the chance of producing pups with health issues.  It gives us more tools to produce ever better dogs.   As in all animals, many things can be inherited, including health and temperament issues.  We can't guarantee that our pups will not inherit any health issues, but we can test for many of them now and reduce their incidence.  An NO, mixed breed dogs are NOT healthier.  Many health issues in dogs occur in all breeds, and mixed breed dogs (or Designer Dogs) can inherit them from both parents even if they are different breeds - and you'd better believe that the producers are these animals are NOT testing - they are animal producers, not breeders.

Out of time and I did not even get a chance to address socialization and temperament, perhaps the most important of all.  Maybe tomorrow.

From A Dog's Point Of View

While walking dogs in the evening, I often encountered joggers who run up on us, sometimes from behind, acting as if they own the sidewalk.  My dogs are city dogs, have been exposed to this from puppy hood and pay little attention.  One time a jogger came up from behind, actually brushed against me on a narrow sidewalk and almost knocked me down.  Fortunately Sidney did not react with aggression, but in that case it might have been justified.  I was extremely angry and yelled at the jogger who just laughed.  I was angry not because I was injured, but because of what could have happened.  My hands were shaking as I gave Sid a hug and told him he was a very VERY good dog.  I was angry at the jogger for being so stupid, and for setting himself up for a dog bite injury.  Had Sidney thought he was protecting me from that idiot, he would have been labeled a "dangerous dog" - for attempting to protect me in a situation he preceived as threatening.

My dogs are all trained, well socialized, and respond in a friendly fashion when properly introduced to strangers.  HOWEVER, I have no doubt that they would protect me if needed.  Most dogs will protect their owners, and Dalmatians as a breed are no different.  I would expect them to protect their owners.  They don't understand the concept of "jogging".  A stranger running up on us in the dark, from behind, saying nothing, could easily be perceived as a threat, particularly to a reactive or under socialized dog.  I cringe as I watch joggers running up on dog walkers, never even considering the possibility that a dog might see them as a threat.

Not all dogs who are out walking with their owners are well socialized, properly trained companions.  Some are rescue dogs from questionable backgrounds, some are poorly trained, out of control pets, or under-trained reactive adolescents, while others are simply from protective breeds, often with clueless owners.  One of these mornings I expect to wake up to a news report of some "unfortunate" jogger who was bitten by a dog while out running, and I will wonder who was actually at fault.  An unthinking jogger, a dog walker who did not have control of his dog, or a dog who simply perceived a threat and acted accordingly.

Mission Accomplished - Safely

What a trip!  On Friday I drove down to the the Kansas City area driving in rain, followed by super strong head winds that really screwed up my mileage.  Made for some white knuckle driving, but Letty and I arrived right on schedule despite a stop at the Brass Armadillo Antique Mall where I got sucked in by a liver-spotted Dalmatian bank.  It now lives on a bookshelf with some of my Dismal Desmonds.

Had a great time at Maryla's but woke up on Saturday to warnings of a violent storm coming our way. Lots of texting back and forth among the involved parties, but we got things worked out and all the pieces fell into place. I was able to meet Becky and retrieve Pauli at noon, and was home by 7:00 PM, running ahead of the storm all the way.  After I got through Des Moines they were hit by heavy rains, high winds, power loss, trucks off the road and large scale urban flooding.  I missed it all.  Whew!

Even had a chance to do a bit of touristing in Kearney which is known as the home of Jesse James.  I'm not a big history buff, but do appreciate the touristy part of history, and enjoyed our visit to the James family home which is maintained by the county as a very interesting museum, with an excellent movie of Jesse's life and many worthwhile displays.

Swapped dogs with Jess when I got home, and Pauli went off to stay with her until she is out of season, and Amery came to stay with me for awhile. 

Puppy Inquiries

Several more good puppy inquiries this past week.  It's nice to hear from people who have put a lot of thought into the idea of acquiring a Dalmatian puppy, and also understand why a breeder would want to know about their home and family.  Responsible breeders put a lot of time, money, effort, and emotion into health testing, planning a breeding, getting the deed accomplished, raising the puppies properly, and placing them in the appropriate homes.  We CARE where our puppies end up.

Now that things are actually happening here - Lucy's pups due in two weeks, and Pauli successfully bred, it's time to post and share the puppy pages (pictures, pedigrees, information about sire and dam), and find out what the potential buyers are actually looking for - companion, show, performance, color, sex, energy level, personality type. (HOPE to get that done next week.)  Of course most potential buyers will start off saying that they would prefer a black-spotted female, but most will be actually be perfectly happy with liver pups or males.  It's funny how the "traditional" preference for a companion dog is a female, yet in this breed the males are often the sweetest, most willing, and most affectionate.  If I could only have one Dal it would most certainly be a male.

When I had my first litter of Dals over 40 years ago, livers were very uncommon in the breed, and most people didn't even know they existed.  Now many of my inquiries are specifically for livers, Brownies we call them, while others say they would prefer black but liver would be OK.  Then they see the liver pups and suddenly it's liver they prefer.  Nothing cuter than little Brownie boys!

I just love this picture of Argus as a pup (at the top), laying with his friends Josie, and Morris, all Brownies.  Morris was an elderly dog at the time I got Argus, but like all my boys was very tolerant of puppy antics.   Like Morris, Argus went on to become a multiple Best In Show winner.  Morris was the grandsire of our Coral, who just turned 14 yesterday.  Such terrific memories I have of all the wonderful Dals who have shared by life!

I'll be leaving shortly, heading down to Kansas City to pick up Pauli who has been honeymooning with Louie.  I'll spend the night with Maryla who owns two of our Brownie dogs, RedHots (Watson son) and Phoenix (Coral daughter).  I've sure met a lot of interesting people through my dogs!  On Saturday I will connect with Louie's owner Becky to retrieve Pauli, drive home to connect with Jess who will be taking Pauli home until she is out of season, and leaving Amery with me for the week.  Amery is a beautiful Penny daughter who I will be showing at the National next month.  She lives with our friend Laurie, but is co-owned by Laurie, Jessica and me.  She's a beauty and I'm expecting that she will do well at the National.  Yep, she's a Brownie too.

Time to load up Letty and hit the road. Letty is riding along to keep me company - it's lonely traveling without a dog.   Stay tuned.

Happy Birthday Coral!

Coral has a big smile for everyone.

Happy 14th Birthday to Coral, Ch. Paisley Snowood Family Ties ROM (L). She's slowed down a bit, but can still leap onto the sofa to sit with Ron and hop up on the grooming table for brushing (and cookies), can spot a squirrel at 30 paces, hear the refrigerator open, and stand off the younger dogs if there is a pot that needs licking. She's Ron's shadow.

Coral is the dam, grand dam, great grand dam etc. of many wonderful Dals, some famous, many just beloved companions. She is known for her big grin, beautiful brown spots, and the friendliest happiest disposition ever. Coral has never met a stranger, and even at 14 she insists on greeting all company and everyone she sees on her daily walks. 

The dogs will be celebrating with cheeseburgers and vanilla ice cream, Coral's favorite.

We are so fortunate to have such a healthy long-lived breed, and it's important that we as breeders and owners not to lose that.  Appropriate health testing, careful breeding, and well thought out veterinary care will help to insure that future generations of Dals will bless their owners with many years of companionship.

Warning!

I've posted a similar warning in the past, but this is a very important message -

Pet Treat Warning

The article includes this statement, "We strongly recommend that you check the source of all cat or dog treats you may have purchased, and do not give them to your pet if they were made in China. It would be best to avoid any pet food or treat products made in China, and probably a good idea to avoid all dried animal parts, because they are not heated to a temperature that will kill pathogenic bacteria."

Please read the label carefully!  Any treat made in or sourced from China should NOT be purchased.  Why take chances?

Two Weeks To Go

No doubt about it.  With two weeks to go, Lucy is obviously pregnant.  Since pups do most of their growing the last three weeks of gestation, she'll be quite a lot MORE pregnant looking by then.  Her family is eagerly awaiting the arrival of puppies!

Lucy lives near Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada.  She went as a companion and possible show puppy, and turned out even better than we had anticipated.  Daughter Grace finished Lucy's championship in Canada, and my daughter Jess finished Lucy's American Championship in the U.S., and they finished it with an outstanding record that included winning the Open Black Class at the National, as well as 2 - 5 point Specialty majors.

When her owners asked if Lucy could have a litter of pups so they could keep one to show, I agreed - as long as she finished her American Championship, and passed all of her health testing.  Our dogs are never bred unless they have the appropriate health clearances.  The other requirement was to wait until they moved to Thunder Bay, as they were living far from good veterinary services, and when you do a litter of pups you need the services of a good vet - just in case.  Dals are normally good whelpers, but an emergency is an emergency!

I took care of the health testing while Lucy was staying with us for dog shows.  She had her hips and elbows x-rayed and certified by OFA (Orthopedic Foundation For Animals), her eyes were tested and passed a CERF evaluation, her thyroid panel was evaluated by the lab at Michigan State, and her heart was examined by a Veterinary Cardiologist.  She passed everything with flying colors.  Lucy's hearing had been tested by BAER (Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response) when she was just a puppy, so we knew that she heard in both ears.

All this testing was quite expensive, BUT as responsible breeders we want to produce the healthiest puppies we can, and to do this we have to breed from healthy adult dogs.  We can't test for everything, but it's important that we take advantage of the available testing.  That's one of the things that separate Responsible Breeders from "Puppy Raisers", the latter being those folks who do it strictly for the money, with no regard to the (lack of) quality of the pups they produce.

Yes, Lucy's family will raise the puppies until they are old enough to wean, and we know they will be super-socialized by the kids and their friends.  They'll come down to me then, for heath check ups, BAER testing, pictures, evaluation, and eventual placement.

Interested?

Mission Accomplished



Pauli as a puppy

We did it!  Everything fell into place, the deed got done, I survived, and even made it home in time to spend Easter with my family.

The trip did not start off very well when I got caught up in brdige construction traffic in Minneapolis, and a long detour in Worthington.  I only have myself to blame as I KNEW (or should have known) there was construction in both places, because I purchased the Right Of Way for those ongoing projects.  Why did I not think to check that out first?  The detour near Worthington was a big time-waster, and I should have checked a map rather than following the detour signs.

I had "Sally Forth" my Garmin but she wasn't much help either as she went silent on me.  The screen still worked, but she refused to say anything.  A bit later she found her voice, but was not speaking English - it sounded like Dutch (or as I imagine that to sound) but more guttural.  When I finally figured out how to reset the languages I discovered she was speaking Afrikaans.  There are an amazing number of language options on a Garmin!

Sally did find Jeni's rural Iowa home, though I did have to guess what she was saying.  I figured out the "turn left" and "turn right" so we did OK navigating the curving roads and rolling hills.  Pauli was glad to see me, but she's such a happy thing she probably greets everyone the same way.  Jeni had bathed her, but apologised for the long nails as she said it takes two people to do them.  (Jess will get her whipped back in shape on nails!) 

The route I took, I29 to St. Joe, then across on 36 to I35 was all new to me, so I enjoyed the drive.  Everything was so green, the trees were all flowering, and it was a lovely trip.   Letty came along for the ride, so I stopped a few times to walk the girls and enjoy the gorgeous day.  Letty is normally very quiet, but once mouthy Pauli joined us they both felt a need to bark and guard the car when I stopped for gas.  Shut up, you two.  Pauli has a very deep voice and sounds fierce, but is just about as friendly a dog as you will ever find.  Her warning bark is all for show - thank goodness.

Because of a late start, construction and detours, Maryla met me just off I35 and we took a shortcut to her rural home.  Glad she had not given me directions for all those turns - I never would have made it!  Maryla has quite a menagerie, two Dals (my granddogs Red Hots and Phoenix, Coral & Watson kids respectively), a Peke puppy, a Himalayan cat, a pair of Peacocks, and a flock of hens.  I went home with 3 cartons of fresh and colorful eggs - thanks girls!

Maryla & caught up on each other's lives, went out to dinner at a noisy bar which made conversation a bit difficult (but the food and drinks were great), and then I spent the rest of the evening being entertained by her parrot Evita - what a hoot that bird is!  Although I would never want the responsibility of owning one, I absolutely adore parrots.  Evita has a large vocabulary and a wonderful personality, and I was sore from laughing so hard.

After fresh eggs for breakfast, I took off to meet up with Becky and Louie.  Everything fell in to place thanks to texting, and Becky and I connected right on schedule.  Pauli joined Louie in the car, and they all departed to meet Angie, while Letty and I left for home.  Pauli and Louie will be staying with Angie for the week, and she will manage the breeding.  Fingers crossed!  Letty and I had an uneventful trip home, but I was tired when I got there. 1044 miles on the road.  And next week I get to do it all over again, except that the trip will be more direct as Pauli is coming back with me.

And Away We Go

Everything is just about ready for my departure. Car is loaded, suitcase just needs a few things added, crate rugs are ready to go out to the car, dogs just had their breakfast, and Argus is sitting beside me all ready to go. He always knows when I am preparing to go out of town because he's gone with me so many times. He'll be disappointed to find that Letty is going along instead. I will miss him a lot, but it would be a really dumb idea to take along a male when going to pick up an in season bitch and ferry her to her husband-to-be. She's Argie's daughter, but that won't make her any less interesting to him!

I find it hard to drive without a dog in the car to keep me company, and when I do I often find myself making comments to the dog who isn't there. Letty is good company, quiet in the car and a great rider, fun to walk and explore with, and a very good companion, but there is a special bond between Argie and me. All the dozens (hundreds?) of trips and thousands of miles we covered during his show ring career, all the motel rooms we've shared, all the people we've met, all the adventures we've shared . . .

Things appear to have fallen into place. Jeni will be waiting for me to pick up Pauli, Maryla is expecting us to spend the night, Becky is prepared to meet us tomorrow to get Pauli from me, and Angie will meet her at some halfway point to get Pauli and Louie from her. Just a week ago I got the news that Pauli was in season, and it seemed impossible that the pieces would all come together for this adventure. Hopefully they actually did, everything goes smoothly. Stay tuned!

I MUST Be Crazy!

Pieces are falling into place for breeding "Pauli" (GCh/UKC Ch. Paisley Choco Chip Brownie Delite) to "Louie" (GCh/UKC GCh. HiSpots Simply Sublime). Fingers crossed this all works out! Tomorrow I drive 5 hours to pick up Pauli from her handler Jenni, then another 5 hours to visit friends Zak and Maryla, where we'll spend the night. Looking forward to seeing them, my Granddogs Red Hots & Phoenix, the Peacocks, and new Peke Teddy. The next morning I will continue south and meet up (somewhere) with Becky and Louie. Becky will drive a couple more hours and connect with Angie(Louie's other mother) who will keep both dogs for the week and manage the breeding. I'll spend 8 - 10 hours driving home. And the following weekend I can do it all over again. ARGH. Sure wish I had a fuel efficient vehicle!

Yes, this DOES sound crazy.

Lucy Puppies!

I heard from Patti on Monday and she seems quite sure that Lucy is pregnant, so it's time for me to put together a new Puppy Page for the litter-to-be, and check back with the people who have contacted me about pups.  

As you know, this will be the Pella's litter.  The pups will be raised with their kids until weaned, then come down to me for health checks, BAER testing, evaluation and pictures.  We'll decide which is the right pup for them to keep for showing, I will select my puppy from the litter, and I'll take the responsibility of placing the other pups.  That spares them the need for interviews & placements, and makes the pups more accessible (Lucy lives in Canada).  So the pups will not be here until some time after six weeks.  In the meantime, if you are slated for an interview and want to meet the resident dogs, we can get that taken care of during May, after I am back from the National.

Lucy was co-bred by me, grew up with Pellas, and their daughter Grace showed her to her Canadian Championship.  Lucy stayed with us while we were showing her in the US to her American Championship, and I took care of all the health testing.  Lucy has BAER-bilateral hearing, OFA certified hips & elbows, CERF-normal eyes, and passed her OFA cardiac & thyroid evaluations, so she has her CHIC number.  The dog she was bred to "Indie" is also an American Champion, but is primarily a star in the Agility ring.  His hips, eyes & hearing are also OFA certified and he too has his CHIC number for completing health testing.   Both dogs have exceptionally nice temperaments and are beloved family companions in addition to being show dogs.

Pictures tomorrow, stay tuned.

Just Like Daisy

Daisy with her cat Reggie

I received this picture as an email attachment last week and it brought back so many memories.  Although this Dal girl is known as "Daisy" to her family, she was "Viva" when she lived with me, and I owned her until she was about a year old.  I kept Viva from a disasterous litter that contained multiple deaf pups, the kind of litter that gives breeders nightmares.  Both parents and all four grandparents had bilateral hearing (they heard in both ears), but sometimes in this breed the genes line up wrong and even the most carefully planned litters can produce this.  Because Dals are genetically "extreme white piebald" (with an additional gene that adds the characteristic spotting), deafness is always a possibility in a litter of Dal pups.  The only way we could totally eliminate deafness would be to make the breed solid colored - no longer Dalmatians!  By using BAER testing so that we know the exact hearing status of our dogs, we have a valuable tool that can be used when planning a breeding, but there are no guarantees.  Genetic deafness occurs in many other breeds as well, and it is heartbreaking to have deaf pups, BUT it is a breeder's problem.  We can identify any deaf puppies before the pups are old enough to go to new homes, so there is no excuse for a buyer to end up with an "unexpected" deaf puppy.

Viva was the only hearing female puppy in the litter she was from, so I kept her for awhile, showed her a few times, and she even won a few points.  She was quite small and extremely cute, with pretty markings and sparkly black eyes, but she wasn't really what I wanted to go forward with.  When Shelly & Ed contacted me about a Dal to fill the hole left by the passing of their beloved Herbie, I reluctantly decided to let Viva go, knowing it was a terrific home.   Viva became Daisy, and is much-loved, well cared for companion and valuable member of the family, in the kind of home we all want for our dogs.  She even has her own cat!

So now I am faced with a similar problem, placing Letty.  I love this dog and she fits into my household perfectly.  She smart, beautiful, easy to live with, a terrific housedog, and gets along well with my other dogs, but . . .   I kept Letty knowing that she had a tail that might be a problem in the breed ring, and that she was not nearly as outgoing as I want my dogs to be. These traits were evident from the time she was 4 weeks old.  I kept Letty knowing this, because she picked me from the beginning, and because she was so gorgeous otherwise.

Bad tails are a fault I truly abhor, and are unfortunately very common in the breed.  Being common does not make them right, and just because some people show them does not mean that I can/will do so.  Even more unfortunate is the fact that we have campaigned dogs with "doctored" tails, and people breed to them not knowing the dog has and will produce bad tails.  I've waited a long time with Letty, hoping hers would come down and straighten out, but knowing that was not likely to happen.

The other issue with Letty is that she does not have the kind of temperament that I breed for.  I love silly, out-going, bold, confident, happy-go-lucky dogs who love everyone.  That is my goal as a breeder, and is typical of my dogs.  We still have some of what I call "old fashioned temperaments" in this breed.  Dogs that are a bit more reserved and suspicious, and slower to warm up to strangers.  These dogs were very common when I first started, far less common now, but they still show up.  Letty is one of these, despite enlightened socialization.  She'll never truly enjoy the excitement and stress of dog shows, and I would never breed her because of this.  Both bad tails and less-than-ideal temperaments are genetic in origin, and when they show up it's our job as responsible breeders to identify them and act accordingly.

So . . .  I know there is a home as good as Daisy's just waiting for a wonderful dog like Letty.  She'll be a great companion, but not a show dog or a producer.  She'll stay here until a perfect home comes long, no matter how long it takes, and when she leaves I will shed many tears, but know that she will have a wonderful life.  Just like Daisy.

Puppies In Paisleyland

The plot thickens.  Do I really want to do this?  Will I survive with my sanity intact?  Stayed tuned.

Still have not heard from Patti as to whether Lucy is pregnant.  I presume she is, but it's sometimes hard to tell until the last few weeks, as pups do most of their growing the last three weeks of gestation.  If she lived with me, I could have palpated her at 25 days to be sure.  A ultrasound could have been done too, but I've always thought it a shame to spend the money to confirm something that you can do nothing about.  Perhaps I will hear something today.  I need to get back to the people who have expressed an interest in the litter, but want to know she is actually pregnant.

We've been waiting for Best In Show winning "Pauli" (GCh/UKC Ch. Paisley Choco Chip Brownie Delite) to come in season.  Actually, we were hoping she would wait until AFTER the National in early May, but the next best option was that she would come in season now so she would be out BEFORE the National.  We want to take her along as she qualified for the Top Twenty this year, and I'd like to take her in with her daddy Argus for the Stud Dog Class, but we don't like traveling with girls in season.  She came in season on Friday, so Jess will send in her DCA entry.  Thank you Pauli!

That left me with the decision of whether or not to breed her this time.  Pauli turned 4 in March (how can that be) and we like to breed bitches for the first time before they turn 5 years of age.  Very few plans for the summer, so this would be a good year to raise a litter of Pauli puppies, except for the fact that Lucy (hopefully) has a litter coming too.  Lucy's litter belongs to the Pellas, but they will be down here for BAER testing, evaluation, pictures, and placement.  Unfortunately, the timing will overlap a bit, with Pauli's pups arriving before Lucy's will have left for new homes.  Can I manage this?  Guess I will have to, assuming that both girls conceive.  If I don't breed Pauli, Lucy will have no pups.  That's one of Murphy's Laws.  If I do breed Pauli, both girls will have a dozen pups.  NOT!

I guess it is meant to happen though, as it was just last week that I decided how I wanted to breed Pauli and contacted the dog's owners to confirm.  "Louie" (GCh/UKC GCh. HiSpot's Simply Sublime) was the first dog we considered for Pauli, but then we started second guessing ourselves.  After considering about two hundred additional dogs (I am not exaggerating here), we eventually came back to Louie as the most suitable choice.  This will not be a walk in the park, as Pauli is currently with her handler (she was entered at some dog shows this month) and the dog we want to breed her to is in Kansas.  Looks as if I will be doing some driving later this week, picking up Pauli, then meeting up with Louie's co-owner Becky.  Becky will deliver both dogs to Louie's other co-owner Angie who will keep both dogs there and manage the breeding.

This is Louie.  I selected him because he has a sweet, mild-mannered disposition (Pauli is pretty high energy), a good pedigree, the appropriate health testing, and because he has the physical traits that I think will match up well with Pauli.  Both of his parents are liver factored, and he has a liver brother, but that is no guarantee Louie will be liver factored.  If he is not factored, liver Pauli will have a litter of black-spotted pups.  We never have only black pups in Paisleyland!

Tuna Fudge? Oh My!

Although I enjoy cooking, I rarely bake.  We would never finish a cake, but cookies or brownies would disappear quickly, which is not necessarily a good thing.  Because I have little will power when tempted by such delicacies as fudge brownies or chocolate chip cookies, it's better not to have any in the house.  At Christmas several friends always give me batches of cookies, so my baking is usually limited to a loaf or two of a pumpkin chocolate chip bread or cherry nut bread, which I immediately freeze until needed.

Last night I baked for the dogs.  I'd posted to Facebook requesting suggestions for small training treats, to supplement the bits of microwaved turkey hotdogs that Argus likes so well.  The training method we are using for his obedience class includes the use of food rewards, lots of them, and the treats need to be small, neat, and not require any chewing.  Turkey hotdogs quartered lengthwise, sliced crosswise, and microwaved in paper towels for a couple of minutes creates small, tasty snacks, but I wanted other suggestions.  One of them was Tuna Fudge.  Directions follow -

Ingredients:

• 2 (6 ounce) cans tuna (do not drain)
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 eggs , lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients with an electric mixer until well blended.
2. Spread mixture into a greased 9x9 cake pan.
3. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
4. Store in refrigerator or freeze.

They went together quickly, and my elderly (25 year old?) portable mixer worked just fine as the batter was not stiff.   The concoctions seemed a bit too moist on top after 20 minutes, so I baked it an additional 15 minutes uncovered at 250 to dry it out a bit more.

Perfect!  Although the house smelled strongly of tuna and garlic (not a bad odor, but I did open the patio door for awhile) the dogs thought the results were justified.  I cooled the stuff, cut it into chunks, froze most of them, and kept some out (in the fridge) for training this week.  Perfect texture, for cutting/breaking into small bits for tiny treats.

Critters

The Red Winged Blackbirds were at the feeder again this morning.  Very cool.  Although they are one of the most common birds in the US, they generally live along ditches and swamps in rural areas, and until last year we had never seen them in the city.  I love their songs, so when Ron mentioned last year that they appeared to be nesting along the pond on the nearby college campus, I went over to see them.  To my delight they started showing up in our neighborhood and would sit on the wires and shrubs to serenade us.  One of the females sits with the sparrows and finches at a feeder now, though the short perches make it a bit hard for her to hang on.  Her mate sits on the wire and sings.  Lovely!

When I came home at noon yesterday, Ron mentioned that a Bald Eagle had flown right down our street that morning as he came back from walking Josie.  Not very high above the ground either, so I suspect it was watching for roadkill squirrels or hopefully a live one.  We could use a few more squirrel catchers/eaters in this neighborhood!  Who would have thought that Bald Eagles and Turkey Vultures would ever be this common in the city? I often see them when walking along the river with Argus. And Red Tailed Hawks sitting on phone poles are an everyday occurrence.  Nice.

We've been relocating squirrels for the past week as the neighborhood and especially my yard are absolutely infested with them.  They drive the dogs crazy by sitting on the privacy fence, eating from the bird feeders (which are NOT squirrel proof), and drinking from the birdbath on the deck.  We've caught five of them now, and will try for a few more.  I know we can't eliminate them (unfortunately) but reduced numbers for awhile will help for awhile, and perhaps keep the dogs from going through the patio door.  I particularly object to them digging little holes all over my yard - looking for last years acorns?  With our boulevard Oaks large enough now to produce bumper crops of acorns now, squirrels are worse than ever.

And rabbits!  But there seems to be no way to catch rabbits.  Where are the coyotes that supposedly live in the city?  One rabbit in particular hangs out in my yard and dashes under the deck when he sees the dogs.  When he sees humans he acts like a pet rabbit and holds his ground until you almost step on him.  Rabbits were a big problem last year and we had record numbers.  The mild winter probably allowed more of them to survive too, so this year may be even worse.  Rabbits are such buggers about damaging plants - but at least we don't have deer!  Yet.

Facebook Friends often post "cute" pictures of deer.  All I can see is roadkill.  They are such pests.

Sitting Home

Ain't it the truth?  I just paid $56.00 to fill the tank on my mini van.  The price of gas will definitely affect my dog showing this year, not to mention my errand running.  It's only 7 miles to work, but because I come home at noon most days (aren't I lucky?) the work miles add up.  At least one trip to mom's once a week adds another 25 miles, and obedience classes add another 10, so even if I sit home most of the time I'm going to be driving at least 200 miles a week.  My 5 year old mini van gets reasonable mileage, but is certainly not fuel efficient.

There are plenty of local shows, but no Dalmatian competition around here - the only class dogs are ours, and I can't see paying $25.00+ entry fees to show our pups against one another.  Any show with even a few points will be at least 250 miles away, so we will think twice before sending in any entries.

My property tax notice came yesterday, and it won't belong before I am spending 10% of my GROSS income on property taxes and assessments.  That's not right!  Because we do not tax the wealthy at appropriate levels, and have cut the money that goes back to the cities & schools because of budget shortfalls, the cities raise our taxes to make ends meet.  Yes, I know that's a simplistic view of the universe, but that's how it affects me.

Who Stole Spring?

Spring is gone, winter is back, at least that's how it felt outdoors this morning in the cold rain.  Still above freezing, but just barely.  Temperatures will be "normal" today, but warming up again tomorrow.  The lawn is so green, and the perennials seem to have survived the lack of snow cover over the winter.

Argus & I went down to the river yesterday, exploring Crosby Park.  Had hoped to get some wildflower pictures as I figured that the Marsh Marigolds should be flowing soon (instead of in May, when I normally admire them).  They were just coming out, but as I took shots the battery on my camera died.  Drat, no extra batteries along.  Fortunately I had my phone with me, and got some nice iPhone pictures, including the Bloodroot pictured above.  Argus practiced Sit-stays while I took pictures.  He thought the stays were pretty boring compared to the excitement of the dead Muskrat we found along the river.

Pruned my To Do List down quite a lot over the weekend, although I never did get the porch cleaned or the porch windows washed.  That moves to the top of the list for next weekend.  Hahaha!  I did however get the yard raked and flowerbeds cleaned out, lots of small house chores completed, and yesterday evening I finished my taxes - thank you,Turbo Tax!  Coral got bathed too, so everyone got their "spring cleaning" last week.

Still trying to decide when/how to breed Pauli.  We've discussed and discarded dozens of dogs looking for Mr. Right, and have now come full circle and back to thinking about the dog I was originally going to breed her to.  It all depends on when she comes in season anyway.  Ideally she will wait until after the National in early May, but bitches are rarely that cooperative.  We'd like to show her in Top Twenty at the National, and have her in Stud Dog Class with Argus, but do not want to take her along if she's in season.  If she came in soon we could get her bred and she'd be out of season in time to go along with us, but don't suppose she will make this easy.

Still need to touch base again with the folks who have inquired about Lucy pups.  I haven't forgotten you! 

Waiting For Walk

Argus, Letty & Watson wait patiently

The Eyes Have It

Always watching me!  This is what I see while I stand at the counter or bar and eat my lunch.  When I see Argus and Letty mooching around the family room they don't look so much alike, but when I see them like this - well, the resemblance is pretty amazing.

No time for blogging today.  Hope your day goes well!

Speaking Of Livers

The Brownie Girl Party!

Back row from left to right, Don Dvorak, GCh. "Penny", "Meribel" & "Amery" (Penny's 7 month old daughters).  Front row - Heather Kemp, her Dal "Gemma" (another Penny daughter), my "Letty" (half sister to Penny) and me.

When I was looking for my first Dalmatian, I wanted either a black or liver spotted female.  Although I'd never seen a liver at that time, I knew it was an acceptable color, so it did not matter to me which one I purchased.  I ended up with liver-spotted "Criket", who eventually became Ch. Blackpool Red Nora CDX,  and the rest, as they say, was history.  Although I have owned my share of black spotted Dals, I admit to being partial to living with livers (when I judge I have to be "color blind").  

We've come a long ways over the years, and livers have gone from being "second class citizens" to the color of choice for many people.  Livers have done extremely well in the breed ring and often rank amongst the top Dals in the country.  They have also done very well at the National, and the year "Argus" won Best Of Breed at DCA, BoB, BoS & BoW were ALL livers.  The year my "Morris" Am/Can Ch. Paisleys Pointblank CD ROM was BoS at the National, Best of Breed was also liver-spotted.

Because I've always had attractive outgoing adult liver Dals at my house (good "sales dogs" I've never had a problem selling liver puppies to companion homes, and my puppy reservations are often for liver pups.  In the breed ring, livers continue to be very popular.  We've come a long ways!   

Watch Homes

This is Gemma, one of the Cruise/Penny girls.  Everyone loved her as a pup, but we were afraid she would end up too colorful for the show ring, or that her spots would stay too small to be attractive.  She went to Heather, who grow up with Dalmatians, had previously owned mixed breed rescues, but had always dreamt of having a Dal of her own.  Heather purchased Gemma with the agreement that we could take another look at her before she was spayed, in case we wanted to show her.  When I saw Gemma at 4 months, I was quite convinced that she would be better off as a spayed pet, and Jess felt the same, but we needed to see her again before making the decision.  So glad we did!  Wow!  Gemma changed from a clunky, boringly marked baby into a swan!  We knew she had the structure, but were surprised by all the style, how her color had deepened and her spots had cleared.  Her spotting is just the right size now - smaller and it would not be so flashy, larger and she would be too colorful.  And what wonderful structure!  Two extra sound ends, a wonderful body and topline, great feet, a perfect tail, and an amazingly long neck.  Plus, an excellent disposition!  So glad this one did not "get away"!  

Being able to place pups in "watch homes" is so nice.  The buyer just wants a pet anyway, so if the dog turns out to actually be pet quality, nothing is lost.  Some pups appear to be show potential from an early age, while others have things we are not quite sure about, things we need more time to evaluate.   Because our dogs are kept as pets, not as kennel dogs, we generally do not keep these pups past about ten weeks if we can find pet homes willing to work with us.  When a pup like Gemma turns out to be so lovely, we do not expect the owner to show or pay for the showing, we only require that they  allow us to "borrow" their dog from time to time if we want to show it, and we pay the expenses.  Works well for all of us!

Am so excited to have my first spawn of Illyodon cortesae!  That means I have 3 different spawns growing up - Ameca splendens, Phallichthys fairweatheri, and I. cortesae .  I currently have 475 BAP points (Breeder Award Program) and these three species will push me over the top for my 500 point award, assuming each spawn has at least 4 surviving youngsters at the age of 2 months.  The youngsters will go on the BAP table at an upcoming meeting to be auctioned off to other fish club members, and the appropriate number of points will be added to my record.  Different species are worth a varying number of points, so my 500 points will represent somewhere between 40-45 different species spawned and raised. That was my goal for 2012.   Hooray!

Back to The Adventures Of Argus, tomorrow.

Speaking Of Obedience

Here's my cute little Letty at 8 months.  She's a just a peanut, and weighs in at about 35 pounds.  Although I much prefer the boys, this little rascal has won my heart.  She's exceedingly cute, very funny, and tries so hard to be a good dog.  She'll be sitting home this spring as Amery, Meribel and Gemma are much more together for their ages, and Eddie is ready, so we have plenty of dogs to show.  I'll just enjoy her as a pet for now.

A very good evening at obedience, thank goodness!  Argus had been such a butthead the previous week I had begun to wonder if it was worth the effort to go for an obedience title on him.  Training a 6 1/2 year old dog who has been heavily campaigned in the breed ring is a lot different than starting with a new dog.  In addition to learning, Argus also has to unlearn, as so many of the things that made him a terrific showdog are a handicap in the obedience ring.  Although we were a good team in the breed ring, the level of attention required for a good obedience dog is far greater, and the "cues" he was getting from my body language are totally different from the ones he will need for a good obedience performance.  Because I had started him with a totally different training method, it too me awhile to apply the new methods to Argus and to figure out how to make them work for both of us.

Our biggest hurdle has been and will continue to be attention.  A good conformation dog pays attention to his handler but is also stimulated by everything that goes on around him in the ring and at ringside.  It keeps him up, interested and turned on.  A good obedience dog is focused solely on its handler, a big change for my busybody Argus who is interested in everything happening around him. 

Heel position is another issue.  In the past six plus years Argus and I have logged perhaps thousands of miles, and he's either walked on a Flexi Lead, or a regular slack lead, but never right beside me.  As long as he does not pull, I allow him to walk out ahead of me, from a foot or two to 26 feet (the length of a Flexi line).  He's been shown in the breed/group/Best In Show ring hundreds of times, on a short lead but again out in front of me.  Although he is paying attention and can anticipate what comes next, he does not watch me intently as he must do in the obedience ring. 

His third major problem was the fact that to him a Sit command means just that, Sit.  The concept of a straight sit at my side was hard for him. 

To be continued . . .

   

Lovely! Both The Weather & The Pups

What a lovely weekend in Minnesota!  The warm temperatures are of great concern, as is the continued drought, but because there is nothing we can do about it (other than worry) we might as well enjoy the incredible weather and hope for the best.  Temperatures in the 70s and 80s are about 40 degrees above normal, and we desperately need rain.,  There is plenty of moisture in the air, too much in fact, but it is not falling as rain, just sitting there making it humid.  So strange.

Laurie arrived from Virginia on Thursday, bringing Penny and Amery.  Penny was just along for the ride, but her daughter Amery arrived to get ready for the National.  We hadn't seen her since she left for Virginia with Laurie last fall, and we were absolutely delighted with how she is developing.  We had a Brown Bitch Party at Jess's, with Penny, Amery, Jess's Meribel, their sister Gemma, and my Letty who is not a littermate, but actually a half-sister to Penny, but similar in age to Amery, Meribel & Gemma.

Amery

One of our projects for the day was to get current pictures of the puppy girls, and it was amazing to me how mature and "together" they were at 8 months of age, or at least how mature the three Penny daughters were already.  Poor Letty looked like a real puppy by comparison, in size as well as maturity.  Funny how they all mature different.  The Penny daughters are far more "together" than Penny was at this age.

Amery went as the "pick" bitch, but as in so many litters there is often more than one pick.  Gemma went to a "watch home" with Heather, because we were not sure how her spotting would turn out.  She was a colorful pup with a lot of bone and substance.  When I last saw her at 4 months I thought we would just write her off and let Heather spay her, but when we saw her on Saturday everyone agreed that Gemma should have a show career as she very striking and sound, and so exotic she just takes my breath away.

Jess's Meribel stayed with them because they really needed a puppy to take their minds off the health issues of one of their Shepherds.  As a first time breeder, Don had grown very attached to the pups and really NEEDED one of the pups to stay.  Meribel was not the star of the litter but was a lovely pup with a great personality, and like Gemma has turned out better than we had anticipated.

Such fun!  Three gorgeous liver girls from one litter, plus their handsome brother down in Texas.  We considered dozens of dogs when we were trying to decide how to breed Penny and finally remembered Cruise.  When I first thought of him, we were not even sure if he was still siring pups as we had not seen him in many years, but a call to his owner confirmed that he was still available, and had all appropriate health testing. Point for point he had the things we wanted in a husband for Penny, and his pedigree matched up nicely with some similar ancestors (that's called linebreeding) and many dogs that we knew.  And the rest, as they say, is history.  More pictures tomorrow.