Yippee! Puppies!

It's official, confirmed by Ultrasound.  Holly is carrying at least 5 puppies.  I was able to palpate pups a few days ago, but thought it would be interesting to do the Ultrasound as well. She was great for the procedure and I was glad we did it.

Holly had a busy couple of days as she had gone in for grooming the previous evening.  I normally bathe my own dogs, but with this broken hand I can't do it right now.  It's been so dry and dusty here, and Holly has been itchy, so she got an oatmeal shampoo bath and hypoallergenic rinse.  That did the trick, and her coat is soft and satiny like Argus's now and the itchiness is gone.  The groomer also commented on what a good dog she was.

Fernly also got a bath, only her second one.  She's been swimming in the river which is very low and a bit funky, and Fernly was a itchy too.  My daughter Jess took Fernly home for an "overnight" so she could play with her cousin Meribel and have a bath and pedicure.  Here they are sitting in the doggy bathtub.  The two girls could hardly look much more different!  Thanks, Jess.

Ten more days of wearing this cast . . .

Antlers Anyone?

Short on time this AM as I have to squeeze in Holly's ultrasound into a busy day at work.  Fingers tightly crossed.

Received my first order of Elk Antlers directly from an Elk Ranch in Colorado.  They cost less than half as much to buy in bulk, and the dogs approved.  A very popular chew toy for dogs.  The girls approved.

Mailing Lists

Years ago I wanted to subscribe to a trade journal called Pet Food Industry.  It was available only to "pet professionals" so I became Paisley Pet Treats, in name only.  I enjoyed the magazine for several years and learned a lot about ingredients, sourcing and marketing.  When I was forced to fill out a company profile, I must not have sounded enough like a CEO because they cancelled my subscription which was mildly annoying.  That was many years ago but the fallout continues.

Apparently PFI sold subscriber names to companies that compile mailing lists, and my name was added to a variety of lists, including hair and beauty salons.  We've had a lot of weird calls about our "businesses" over the years, get a variety of product catalogs, and are on on the mailing list of a company that distributes popular magazines for waiting rooms.

Once a letter addressed to Paisley Pet Treats ended up in the mailbox of my flaky neighbor, and the next time she decided to yell at me about something (anything) she told me that she was aware of the fact that I had an illegal business and she KNEW I was not paying taxes on it.  Wonder how she knew that?  Hahaha.

Yesterday I received a box of Tylenol samples addressed to my "professional building".  Anyone got a headache?

Old Dogs

As I looked through my camera to see if I had any good recent pictures of Coral or Watson to add to this blog, I realized that I had not taken many pictures of them lately.  Why?  I think it's because I want to remember them the way they were, not the way they are.  But they are still the same dogs, just older models.  I need to take more pictures of them now, while there's still time, and time is growing short for Coral.  I have a picture of my beloved Rob, taken the day I took him in for the final journey.  I shed tears when I even think of that picture, but I'm glad I have it.

I once read a wonderful article by a gentleman who had recently lost a dearly loved companion, an elderly Labrador.  He had come to the conclusion that old age was not a problem for dogs, only for their owners.  Dogs don't reminisce about their past lives, all the things they used to be able to do, all the things they miss now.  They just live for the moment, and old age is now.  Given good care, pain management if needed, and an owner who loves them, they age gracefully and with no regrets, and when the end comes they go peacefully.

Watson is doing well at 12 1/2.  He's a bit grayer and a bit slower and a lot more stubborn, but he's fine.  Still sees and hears very well and still wants to chase squirrels and rabbits and fence fight with the dog next door.  He goes for his daily walks, can still sit up and beg, and is not in the least senile.  He had a bout of arthritis or some type of joint issue, but two acupuncture treatments and a couple of supplements took care of that, for the time being at least.  He sleeps a lot more now but has always been a laid back, easy-going guy.  Hopefully he has a couple of good years left.

Coral at 14 1/2 is running out of time, I'm afraid.  She still sees and hears well, and is not at all senile, but her poor old body is wearing out.  Because Ron is retired and can stay at home with her, he can get Coral outdoors as often as needed to pee, but she is losing control of her bowels.  She still gets her daily walk around the block, but in slow time now.  She sometimes needs help getting up on the sofa, and falls a lot as her legs grow feebler and her joints grow stiffer.  It hurts to watch her walk.  The mammary tumors are growing very slowly, and we made the decision not to do surgery, as she would not be a good surgical risk.  Coral's days are spent watching Ron.  Watching for him when he is gone, gazing at him when he is home and laying beside him on the sofa when he sits down.  She appears to be content with her life and we will cherish her and try to remind ourselves that this really is only a problem for us.

This Is The Week!

Holly says "I NEED a walk!"

This is the week!  The week we'll find out if Holly is actually pregnant.  I'll palpate her in a few days (I'm good at that, if I do say so myself) and probably do an ultrasound later in the week as well.  I've always said that I would not bother with the latter, because it does not change anything, but I'll probably do it just for fun.  Cross your fingers please.

Holly is so much better about keeping her feet off the counter - Counter Surfing NOT allowed here - and has learned to sit and wait at the door, and for her collar to be put on.   She's also stopped pulling as much on our walks, a good sign that she is "slowing down" a bit.  She'd still rip my arm off for a rabbit or squirrel though. In her "real life" she runs on a ranch, rather than walking in a city, so she's made a very good adjustment.  Am also delighted that she loves company and covers everyone with kisses - just the way I like my Dals.

Another doggy weekend as Argus, his daughter Nena, and Josie's son Tate did Dal PR at Home Depot for Fire Safety Day.  That's Tate and Nena practicing a Down Stay.  Argus and I took advantage of all the space and worked on our heeling and fronts.  Have to wait 'til my hand is healed to get Argus and Fernly back to obedience class, but we are working some at home.  Fernly went along to mom's to watch football on Sunday and Josie did a Walk For Hunger with her friend Sue.  Next week, Coursing Trials!

Good news on the dog show front as Argie's daughter Weather (Letty's sister) picked up a specialty major in Kansas, and son Boca earned a major in New Mexico.

One-handed typing is SO SLOW!

House Dog Only, Please

This is what I want for my dogs.  Not necessarily sofa privileges, but I want any dogs I place to live in the house and be part of the family.  Dogs are companions to mankind, not livestock, and companion dogs need to be house dogs.  They don't require complete run of the house, and in fact my own dogs are limited to the kitchen, family room and basement, but that's where we spend most of our times and the dogs are with us there.  There are dog crates in my kitchen, where the dogs eat their meals, and the seniors or pups sleep at night.  It's where the other often sleep too - in crates on soft rugs - by choice, with the doors open.  Watson in particular retires to a crate about 8:00 PM, probably for the peace and quiet!

I just turned down a home for a potential show pup, an otherwise good home.  No dogs in the house in case they had company with dog allergies.  Not because anyone in the family had allergies, but just in case.  I read that as simply a person who did not want the companionship of dogs in the house, not a suitable home for a Dalmatian, or at least not for one of mine.   The kennel is attached to the stable, which would be fine for a Dal part of the time, but not full time.  In fact, I'd love to have a kennel with indoor/outdoor runs where I could safely leave my dogs if Ron & I were both gone for a couple of hours.  This person lives in a cold climate like Minnesota, and I just could see how little attention that a dog would get during the winter.  A new puppy in February, isolated in a kennel?  No thanks.

Holly is all settled in here and runs with the other dogs.  She gets along well, though occasionally swears at Fernly who likes to tease her.  Coral and Josie are fine with another adult Dal girl in the family, as I knew they would be, and of course the boys think it's great.  Too early to know if Holly is pregnant, but she is displaying that cloying, sucky, rather apologetic attitude so typical of pregnant bitches.   I should be able to palpate pregnancy at about 25 days, or I could take her in for an ultrasound to confirm it.

Need to respond to some puppy inquiries tonight, so hope to get my brochure updated and a pedigree done first.

Dalmatian PR

One of the things we try to do as responsible owners is to get our Dals out and about so the public can meet them and see what Dals should be like.  How they should look and more importantly how they should act  The reputation of the breed suffered a great deal during and following the popularity boom of the 80s.  Some of the bad press was deserved - there were a lot of bad tempered, hyper-active and unhealthy dogs placed as pets.  That's what happens when a breed is cursed with over-popularity as Dalmatians were during those trying times.  Raising pups for profit, as commercial breeders do, means everything is done as inexpensively as possible.  Breeding from poor quality animals that often had health and temperament problems (yes, temperament CAN be genetic - both good and bad, and health issues most definitely are) resulted in poor quality pups who received minimum care and no socialization.  These pups were often purchased by people who had done no research, knew nothing about the breed or what it requires to properly raise a puppy, and were quick to dump the dogs when things didn't work out.  Rescues were full of unwanted Dals, and it was a bad time for the breed.

Although that happened a generation ago, the stories remain, and it's up to responsible breeders to get our dogs out and let the public see what the breed is actually like.  At least the well bred, properly trained and socialized Dals.  There are still bad Dals out there, dogs who should never be bred from, but fortunately they are not very common any more.  The commercial breeders got out of Dals a long time ago, and there are few backyard-breeders.  Things are looking up, and many of the people who inquire about a Dal are potential first-time Dal owners.  For awhile the only people who wanted Dals were those who had previously owned the breed and knew that the horror stories were not true of the breed as a whole, only that there were indeed some bad dogs.

A group of us supported the Fridley Fire Station Open House last weekend.  The dogs were a hit, and we were invited to attend Fire Safety Day at the Fridley Home Depot next Saturday.  Some of the Dal club members did the Columbia Heights Open House the previous week.  We're doing our best to get the message out!   Dalmatians are terrific dogs - if you buy carefully and put the time and work into training your puppy.

Another Camping Trip

Fern went "camping" again last weekend, an overnight at Camp Carol.  She got to be an only dog for two days, just her and Lovely the cat.  Because Fern is house-trained and good in a crate she's easier to manage, but Fern is one of those pups who really needs supervision.  She notices everything, and assume they are all toys to be picked up and carried around.  Or chewed.  She's very entertaining, but not a pup that gets much freedom at four months of age.  She'll have to earn that.

Pups vary in that respect.  Some are so easy, and only play with dog toys.  Others consider everything a toy.  My previous pup Letty was always a good pup.  Fern's a bit more work but catching on quickly.  It will be awhile before she gets house privileges though!

Everyone knows stories of dogs who have trashed the house.  So why were those dogs given freedom they hadn't earned?  Pups are a lot of work and many of them require a great deal of supervision.  Just like children do.  Pups are not born knowing that pillows are not toys, that door frames are not for chewing and that dogs don't belong on the counter.  It's our job as responsible owners to teach them that.  If your pup chews a leg on the piano - who was supposed to supervising him?

Another Monday.

Monday.  Again. Already?

Hope this week goes better than the previous one that left me absolutely wiped out.  A nice dinner and a good Martini Friday evening left me in a better mood, but did little for the exhaustion.  Am I going to be able to manage two more years of this?

It's so frustrating to be employed in the public sector, and notably unrewarding these days.  Because we have not received decent raises in many years, and rarely get anything at all, we've lost a great deal of our purchasing power.  Health insurance costs go up, but our salaries don't.  Our union does a piss poor job of representing us and does nothing to explain the fact that many of us have taken over the duties of our fellow employees who have left but not been replaced, with no job upgrades or additional pay.  And John Q. Public thinks we get paid heath care when we retire. NOT. We just continue to lose ground and hope we can afford to retire some day.

Lots of happenings this past weekend, and pictures to go along with them, but typing with one finger takes its toll.  Until tomorrow.

Part Of The Family

Holly has joined the family.  When she arrived, already in season, she moved into the basement with only the fish for company.  She was bred to Argus, and walked 4 times a day, and once she was comfortable with us I left her loose there with lots of toys and bones, a radio and frequent visits.

Once she was out of season it was time to introduce her to the other dogs and fit her in to the pack.  My dogs are all good with other dogs, partly because of genetics and partly because of how they were raised.  I knew they would accept Holly, just as they accepted Nikon almost 4 years ago.  And Lucy & Penny in recent years.  Holly is from a multi-dog household and also has a dog-safe pedigree.  Being good with other dogs is a trait I value and insist on in my dogs.

I took a few precautions though, just to be sure everything went smoothly.

More tomorrow.  Typing with one hands is very slow!

Passwords

I HATE Passwords!  Whenever I am ready to do anything, anything at all, it seems as if the "remembered" password has been forgottten, either by my brain or my computer.  It's amazing how many passwords clog up my life and my brain!  At least five of them at work, and at least two dozen more in my personal life.  Health plan, financial plan, credit union, PayPal, Audible, BlogSpot, Facebook, Apple, MnFish, DCA, website, and on and on. Plus PIN numbers too. They should not be written down or stored in my iPhone, and they for sure are not stored in my brain!   It used to be easy when I just used variations on one simple password, but soon that was not secure enough, and passwords "expire" and need to be updated.  And they are forgotten and replaced, but the next time they are needed, the only one I can recall is the old one.

Project for this week - figure out all passwords, write them down, get them tattooed on my stomach, and then eat the written list.  THAT should be safe. So if you see me standing in line at the cash machine, and I pull up my shirt and study my stomach, you'll know I am not crazy.  Or if I AM, it's because of passwords!

The other thing I currently hate is typing with one hand . . .

A Bump In The Road

Well, drat.  A fractured Metacarpal in my right hand.  Who would think that such a tiny bone would require such a large splint?  I was not surprised that the x-rays showed a fracture, but was hoping I could just wear a wrap.  Such luck!  It's going to be a long month.  At least I am left-handed, although I normally use my mouse in my right.  Can do it either way though.

7:30 meeting this morning.  Ugh.  Inhumane.

The Socialization Continues

Time is running out.  The Window of Socialization will be closing soon.  Although some socialization continues for the life of a dog, the "window" is from four weeks to four months.   That's the time period when the puppy can most easily make adjustments and learn new things.  The more novel and pleasant experiences a puppy has during that period, the more confident and well-adjusted he will be as an adult.  Playing "catch up" is never quite as good, and it's important to take advantage of this time period  for exposing the pup to all "normal" things it will encounter in its life as a companion, performance dog and/or showdog.

One of the most important things for pups to be exposed to and comfortable with is children.   Kids of all ages, loud ones, active ones, quiet ones.  Kids that cover pups with kisses and insist on hugging them, and kids who are fearful.  Fern and littermates were around a lot of children while the litter was being socialized, and Jess introduced Fern to Don's grandkids.  She's met children while on walks, and has taken cookies and petting from them, BUT she has never lived with them.  Never watched TV from a child's lap, been fed by a child, hugged on the rug by a child, or actively played with them.  Kids look, smell, act and sound different than adults do, and pups who do not get enough exposure to kids are often fearful of them, and some otherwise friendly dogs will even snap if they are "cornered" by kids and feel threatened.

Fern has exactly one week to go in the socialization period.  Where did time go?  Last week it occurred to me that she really needed a "dose of children".  Then, when she had a scary experience being grabbed by a screaming toddler, I KNEW we needed to be proactive about this.  Fern isn't a bold, fearless, devil-may-care type of puppy like her grandpa Argus, but rather a cautious, sensible one like Uncle Watson was as a pup.  Pups like that take a bit more work, but we try to socialize ALL pups as if they needed extra work, so no one gets less socialization that they need.  You can't easily go back.  The things we DON'T do now will be much harder to accomplish later.

Fern went to stay with Heather and her family for a few days.  Heather has two lovely daughters, a neighborhood full of children, four dogs (only one a Dal) and two cats.  A perfect place for Fern's education to continue!   I should have done this sooner, but I sort of lost track of time.  The window is still open for a bit longer though.  Thanks Heather!

All Is Well

No post today.  Where does time go?

Did It!

Success!  Stepping on the scale last night confirmed that I'd reached my weight loss goal. I was pretty sure I had, because I could "feel" it, but the scale confirmed it.  Hooray!  It was "only" five pounds but it needed to be taken care of before it became ten pounds.  Or more.   I CAN lose five pounds, but not absolutely sure I have the will power or resolve to lose ten or more, plus that would indicate that I'd gotten careless about eating and exercise, and established some bad habits that would be harder to break.  Best to deal with this as needed rather than letting things (such as pounds) pile up (or on).

My weight has stayed within a 6 pound range for about 40 years.   I eat carefully (most of the time) and walk every day thanks to my dogs. I listen to my body and we normally communicate pretty well.  When I "feel" as if I've gained some weight, the scale always confirms it.  This summer has been harder.  Perhaps my age, or perhaps just the temptations, and I lingered near the top of my regular range most of the summer.  We eat out quite often, but I do it sensibly and almost always bring home leftovers for the next day's lunch.  I rarely bake, never chocolate chip cookies which I love, and we rarely have dessert when we eat out.  The heat and humidity this summer made it tempting to walk less, although I still walked every single day.  Argus demands that!  What I did though was get careless about "treats", started feeling a bit deprived I guess, and suddenly I was consistently a pound over my maximum.

I often stop at Kowalskis on my way home from work, to pick up some produce, or perhaps a deli item for dinner.  They have a really tempting bakery and I got in the habit of buying cookies, and unfortunately most bakery cookies are HUGE, three times the size a cookie should be.  Or scones - I love frosted scones.  And those lovely dips they sell in the deli.  I LOVE tortilla chips with a really good dip.  And then there is ice cream, something I buy rarely, but suddenly found myself buying more often.  A small bowl of ice cream at bed time was so nice, such a special treat.  Yep, I know exactly why I was having trouble with those pesky five, then six, pounds.  No surprises at all.

So back to sensible eating.  An apple instead of a cookie, a small glass of lowfat chocolate milk instead of a brownie.  A glass of skim milk at bedtime. No ice cream in the freezer - we'll go back to buying it for special occasions, not every day. Leftovers for lunch the next day.  I still have tortilla chips on hand, but I take a few out and reseal the bag.  No reading the newspaper with a bag of chips beside me.  No cookies in the freezer.  Longer walks in the evening, and brisker ones too.  Having Holly here has helped - extra walks required.

Diets are not a beginning and end.  When they are thought of that way the pounds will always come back.  Diets are really about lifestyle changes.  Eliminating the bad habits that so easily creep into your life.  All the tasty temptations.  Let's hear it for sensible eating!

No lectures about other people's weight issues, although I feel very strongly about what obesity does to our health care costs.  Yours and mine too, unfortunately.  But I am only in charge of my own health.  Nope, I will NOT celebrate with ice cream or a cookie, but one of those expensive fall apples - now that's a treat!

Would Your Dog Protect You?

Would your dog protect you?  Dalmatians are basically a guard dog breed so we assume they will do that, but sometimes it's nice to know that your dog is discriminating, aware of what is happening around you, and will step forward if the situation warrants.  When Jess said she was posting this story to Facebook, I decided that it would perfect for my blog today too.  Meribel is a very friendly outgoing dog who loves everyone - normally.  This is an example of how good dogs react to a suspicious situation.  I hope you enjoy this story.

Jessica MacMillan

16 hours ago

Have you ever asked yourself if your dog - particularly your Dalmatian, would protect you in a bad situation? Well, I think I got a taste of Meribel character judgement today.

As most of you know, we go walking for about 2 miles every lunch - typically the same route, but today I changed it up a bit. Today's path took on us a fairly busy road, but safe for pedestrians. As we were walking we came

around a bend and about 300 yards a head of us, coming our direction was a thug guy with pants hanging down his legs, a black coat, and a net stocking cap (hairnet type thingy) - kind of lurking along - I am sure you can picture the walk. Behind him about 15 feet was his loud, flamboyant girlfriend (or whatever). She's flinging her arms around, swearing, talking loudly and just being obnoxious

Now Meribel is very socialized and like all busy body Dalmatians, is interested in all people, but watches them and then walks by. As we came around the bend and when she saw this guy, she started to watch this situation very, very intently and as the couple got closer, Meribel hunkered down, got in front of me and started to growl very deeply in her throat. She was not about to let them out of her sight. As we walked past the guy, he glared at me and the dog and just at that time all of Meribel's hair stood up and she growled so he could hear her. The guy didn't do anything, but she must have read something and her whole demeanor changed when we finally got passed the noisy woman. She went back to her sniffing, snooping and looking at everything..

After all of this, we turn down a side street and there was a mom, her son, her daughter and their little Chihuahua out.. The Chi was very cute and wearing a cast so we stopped to talk to the family. Now, after this whole incident, I was very curious to see what Meribel would do. Would she continue to worry about the prior situation, or would she go back to being the busy body dog who has to know all dogs and loves children. As we got closer, Meribel got down to the same height as the Chihuahua and did her "See, I'm small too... Don't you want to play?" thing. As we were standing their chatting, the young girl came up and wrapped her arms around Meribel, who preceded to cover her in kisses. My brown dog could switch gears that fast! So after a few minutes and Meribel giving up on the Chi - who wanted to be friends, but wasn't sure about the big dog, we headed on our merry way.

As we we headed back to the office, we had to cross a bridge over a major freeway, but it's the homestretch and a daily routine.. Meribel pretty much knows the people we meet and they know her.. As we came up around a corner, she stood up as tall as she possibly could - on all fours, her hair standing up and there is this low, deep gutteral growl. "What the h*ll?" Up a head of me was that same couple.. He's lurking along and the girlfriend (or whatever) is still reading him the riot act! Meribel watched them with an evil eye as we walked by, along with the grumbling under her breath... We caught up to the guy a head of us (who she always talks to) and she again climbed all over him and was her usual self.

To me this is the PERFECT dog temperament and exactly what Dalmatians are supposed to do. Would Meribel protect me - absolutely - no question in my mind! It was absolutely fascinating to me that she could switch gears back and forth that fast.

I do love this breed and love this dog!

Your Daily Chuckle

Short on time this morning, so you'll have to settle for this picture.  One of the oddest looking mixed breeds I've seen lately.  Let's hope this combination does not catch on! Dalsets?  Basmatians?  This little dog is supposedly a Dalmatian/Basset Hound cross.  Certainly looks the part!

Some interesting discussions on Facebook, including whether dog show judging is political and whether or not there are actually "fixed" dogs in the ring.  My answer to both questions is "occasionally".  

Never Too Cold To Swim

It was supposed to be a weekend spent on yard work and house cleaning, but like most other weekends it was also filled with dog-related activities.

The Japanese Beetle grubs did a real number on my back yard last summer, leaving large bare patches that were quickly overwhelmed by the clover that is always waiting to move in. The yard has also been invaded by large clumps of some kind of coarse grass that I've been killing and digging. This weekend I finished up the recovery work, fertilized, and planted new grass seed.  Fall is supposed to be a good time for reseeding, but obviously Mother Nature will need some help with the watering as the drought continues.    Next year I'll be on top of the grub control, now that I have identified the enemy.  My yard looked SO good last spring, until the beetles began to eat the grass roots and kill off large patches of lawn.

On Saturday I went over to take a look at Louis, who was Lucas in the Argus/Reebok litter that it now 14 months old.  I sold him to a pet home with the agreement I could show him if I wished, as he was such a handsome pup.  He's now a very handsome adult dog and could certainly be shown and win, but like his sister Letty he has "tail issues".  Unlike Letty who just carries her high, he also has a funny corkscrew twist to his.  Their mom has a new litter this fall (no not here - I leased her last year), and we'll be curious to see if the tails are so weird this time.  With entries so low in this area, it's hard to find points, and as a State Employee I continue to lose purchasing power because raises are non-existent.  Money is going to be tight around here next year, so we'll be showing no extra dogs or doing unnecessary dog show trips.  Louis is a much loved pet and it looks as if that will be his career - keeping his family entertained.  I got a cute video of him doing tricks that I will post later.

This was Fernly's weekend to swim.  The weather was a bit chilly but that did not slow her down a bit.  On Saturday she & Argus went down to Hidden Falls Park on the Mississippi where she splashed in the shallows, bravely ventured out over her head, came up splashing and swimming, and decided it was FUN.  There was cold wind blowing, so we did not stay too long as Fern was shaking with the cold, but insisted on going back into the water.  On Sunday we went to Lake Como and got a chance to play in shallower water where Fern learned to retrieve sticks.  Had hoped to stay there for awhile but it's hard to find a time when other people and dogs are not intruding in our space.  Fern's definitely going to be a "water dog".  Argus is more of a splasher, and does not understand the need to retrieve more than one or two sticks.  Fern acts more like many of the older Paisley Dals who loved the water and would retrieve sticks from the water forever.  Hopefully it will be warm enough for a few more water adventures this fall.

Fern's socializing is going well, although yesterday she decided that the vacuum cleaner is actually a monster that wants to eat her. She's never been very comfortable around the vac, but this reaction was stronger.  We'll have to do some desensitization, to convince her that "vacuums are our friends".  Stay tuned.


  

Walking, Walking, Walking

58 degrees with a light rain.  In a few minutes I will take Holly out for her first walk of the four she will get today.  Because visiting ladies have a giant crate in the basement, but no access to the yard, they get 4 good walks a day.  Because they never get to pee in my yard, and always go out the side door from the basement, my boys never get too stressed about girls in season.  Argus is "sniffy" and a little distracted right now, but handling things fine.   I hear the horror stories of dogs howling 24 hours a day about girls who need their attention, but that's never been my experience.  Some of them have howled when they hear the side door or the side gate open as we leave for a walk, but that's about all.  Dogs in my neighborhood never run free, so we're safe from unwanted attention, and just go up and down alleys, which are more interesting than walking streets and sidewalks.

Holly is doing well, and we've come to an understanding that she will not rip my arm off in an attempt to catch every rabbit or squirrel she finds.  She's actually walking quite nicely now, though always on the watch for potential prey.  She's been a really good visitor so far and is easy to manage.  We'll do breeding number two tonight, and a third on Sunday.  Timing works out well as we've got a chilled semen breeding for next week, a lovely champion girl from the southeastern US.  Owner had hoped to drive her up, but the timing was bad for him, so we'll go the chilled semen route.  Five of Argie's Champion kids were conceived that way.  It's easier on me to drive him back and forth to the Repro Vet for collections, but I rather miss getting to know my doggy "daughters-in-laws".  It's really a blessing though, in really hot or cold weather!

In addition to Holly's walks, Argus & Fern each get one too.  The bad news is, I'm tired.  The good news is, I've lost three pounds this week!  Only two more to go and I will be exactly where I want to be again.

Argus gets a reasonable amount of use, but is by no means a "hot" stud dog.  My Rob was one of those and we had many many visiting girls for him.  He was almost impossible to collect, and that was back when it was still relatively easy and affordable to ship bitches for breeding.  We occasion had two girls at the house at the same time, either two for Rob, or one each for him and his son Morris.  THAT was a lot of work, but Rob left a legacy of many wonderful offspring.

Fern had her third training class last night and is coming along well.  Again, she did her recalls and came to ME rather than racing around the ring to see her doggy friends.  I'm always surprised when a Dal this age actually comes when called - too many more interesting things out there.  She's doing well on her Sits and Downs, and last night we started Stays.  In addition we work on show-type stacks, as well as Watch, which means she stands for a cookie rather than sitting - we'll need this for the show ring.  Amazing how quickly pups catch on to things.  She's not quite the chow hound that some of the Dals are, but works pretty well for food treats as long as I use some variety.

Now, she needs to do an overnight with someone new.  Any volunteers?

Ah, Technology

So much for resolutions!  Thought I would wake up by 5:30 this morning, since I always do.  Nope.  Today I woke up to the alarm clock, leaving me short on time.  Must have been tired!.

Holly & I went to visit the nice people at IGH Animal Hospital, where they did a blood draw and took down the appropriate information on when Holly came in season, when she had her previous blood draws and what the progesterone readings were.  Because they can do the testing in house, we had the results back an hour later.  He ovulation date was either 9/18 or 9/19, and because eggs have to ripen for a few days but because sperm lives a few days after a breeding and can "wait" for a ripened egg, Holly's breeding dates were 9/19 - 9/23.  Because we are doing live breedings rather than chilled or frozen, we don't have to be more specific than that.

Although Holly had not been interested in Argus the previous night, they suggested that we try her again that evening, and if we did not get a breeding we could bring her in for an AI - just to be sure we covered all bases.  I explained this to Argus, and he said he'd be glad to save us those precious dollars.  Holly concurred, and we got a breeding.  She wore a muzzle for the first breeding, just to be sure did did not take exception to Argie's advances (he's kind of a pushy guy).  Everything went just fine, Argus got the job done in his usual speedy fashion (he does not believe in foreplay), and Holly stood and wagged her tail the whole time they were tied.  When we were done, Argus rolled over and had a cigarette . . .  No, just kidding, but Holly grabbed the squeaky fish and started flinging it in the air and squeaking it madly.  And she had a big smile on her face.

The cool little info sheet that we got as an email after the progesterone results also gives the appropriate date for an ultra sound (to confirm pregnancy) and the x-ray (to count number of pups) as well as listing the whelping date as +/-2 days - November 20, 2012.  The puppy due date is not tied to the date of breeding but to the date of ripened eggs being ready for fertilization (2-3 days after ovulation).  Ah, technology.

Not For Sale

Nope, she's mine!

I continue to get inquiries about Fern, from people who have seen her picture on my blog.  As of now, she is NOT available.  We're very happy with her so far, and suspect she may become a permanent resident.  With my second youngest dog already seven years old  (her grandsire Argus), it's time to keep a puppy - or two.  Of course we have to get through teething, and Fern has to continue to move soundly, not carry her tail too high, grow up to be neither too large nor too small, and a number of other things that will decide whether or not Fern gets to play dog show.  All promising pups do NOT grow up to be show dogs.  So far, things are looking good.

Today is my first day of getting up half an hour earlier.  Ugh.  I'm usually awake by 5:30, so I might as well get up earlier and get a head start on my day.  It's a good time to putz around the house doing small chores, train Fern a little, and it gives me a chance to walk Holly before traffic makes it more of a challenge.  Honest to gosh I am glad I don't have a kid riding a school bus.  Some of those drivers do the stupidest things!

Holly is all settled in and is such a good girl.  Not ready to breed yet though, and when introduced to Argus she showed him all of her pearly white teeth.  She was nice about it, but said, "Just try it Buster!"  He strutted and danced and posed, trying to win her over, but she was having none of it.  He would have given it a try had I held on to Holly, but it was obviously too early.  When I brought Argus back upstairs he settled right down, so he knew it too, but is always hopeful!  May take her in for a progesterone test today, just to get a better idea of where we're at in her cycle.  It's a nice tool, and saves a lot of time.

Every Dal Needs A Fire Truck Photo

As someone noted, every Dal needs its picture taken on a firetruck!  Here's Fern with her Cousin Meribel, taken while Fern was "camping" with Jess and Don.  Apparently they were quite the hit when they stopped by the fire department, and donations to the departments fund raiser probably benefited from having "real" Dals visiting. They were invited back in an official capacity next year.

Fern had many adventures over the weekend, part of the socialization process, and spent a lot of time playing with Cousin Meribel too.  I picked Fern up yesterday noon and she was pretty quiet all afternoon and slept all evening.  This morning however, she's back to her lively silly self.  Missed her!

Things are getting busy again in Paisleyland!  Holly arrived from Texas yesterday evening, which means I have a dog to walk four times a day.  Because visiting ladies live in the basement, with only the aquariums for company, I take them for long walks so they don't get bored.  We'll try a first breeding tonight.  Off to walk Holly now!

Go Mariah!

What a nice weekend!  All kinds of fun dog show wins for the "kids".  Although I wasn't there to see any of them, I sure enjoyed getting all the good news!

That's Mariah on the right, with her owner/handler Kay.  If you've been reading along for several years you'll recognize Mariah.  She's from the litter Argus sired with a Champion Dal girl from Florida.  I flew down to select Mariah as my stud fee puppy and later sold her to Kay.  What a perfect home that turned out to be!  Mariah will eventually be bred to Kay's wonderful dog Champion "Gibson" and hopefully I get a chance to fly to Arizona and look at THAT litter.

Up in Canada, Argus's daughter Champion "Lucy" was being shown by teenager Grace and they had a wonderful weekend, winning a Group Three and a Group One!  Lucy has been on a roll since getting back in the ring after her pups.   That's Lucy on the right, with her lovely puppy daughter "Jordyn".  Lucy and her pups were also featured in my blog, thanks to wonderful pictures from mom Patti.  It was great fun to mentor the family as they raised their first Dalmatian litter, and did a wonderful job of it too.  Jordyn is already winning as a puppy, and has a Best Puppy In Show to her credit, also handled by Grace of course.  Grace hopes to show Lucy and Jordyn as a brace eventually, and is already working them together.

Closer to home, Champion "Pauli" resumed her Special's career and picked up a Group Two!

And over in Indiana, Argus's son Champion "Oliver" made his Special's debut with two nice Best of Breed wins.  He's going for his Grand Championship and got two of the required majors for that title.  Oliver had a severely broken leg as a puppy and went through months of therapy.  It's amazing that he is even walking on that leg, much less moving soundly enough to be a star.  A success story indeed!  Oliver is one of my favorite Argus kids, from a litter of 5 puppies.  One of his brothers is also a finished Champion, and a sister just started her show career, receiving her first point this weekend too.

Fernly comes back from camp today.  Lots of great pictures to follow.

Off To Camp

I love this picture!  The only thing that would make it better would be having Rob in it too, but Rob had already passed on when Argus joined us - in fact 12-year-old Watson was born the same week that his great grandfather Rob passed.  Funny how certain dogs are forever in your thoughts. . .   I still miss Rob and think of him often.

This picture shows "Watson" Ch. Paisley Pragmatic, "Josie" Ch. Hapi Dal Paisleys Preference (L), "Argus" GCh. Paisley NspirD By Broadway (L), and "Coral" Ch. Paisley Snowood Family Ties (L), all Rob descendants.

Fernly did well at Puppy Class last night.  Even managed to do two recalls to ME, despite all the far more exciting things going on around her.  I won't take that for granted though, as she's pretty scatter-brained right now!  Sits and downs were very good - amazing what pups will do for tasty tidbits.  Stays come next, and we'll be working a lot on leash walking in class next week.  Gotta practice that every evening.

Puppy playtime was not as fun as it should have been.  Two dogs in our class apparently don't play well with others, and in both cases Fern was the target.  When they were wrestling as puppies do, each of them started showing their teeth and snarling, and not in a playful manner.  NOT appropriate behavior for 3-4 month pups.  In each case one of the instructors quickly stepped in, but I was not happy about having Fern in that position.  It's important to me that my dogs are comfortable playing with other dogs, and I don't want Fern having bad experiences.  If that happens again next week, I will opt out of the playtime.  Just not worth it.

It would be interesting to find out when those pups were separated from their litter mates.  Am guessing in both cases that it was far too early, and the pups did not have a chance to develop appropriate "social skills" with their litter mates, and their dam or other adult dogs.

Fern goes camping this weekend with my daughter Jess, her partner Don, Dal "Meribel" and senior Shepherd "Simmie".  Not a camp actually, but we call it "camping" and it's an important thing for puppies to do, especially puppies that stay with their breeder rather than going to new homes.  Fern is friendly and outgoing, but this will help her confidence level even more as she adapts to a totally new situation.  Hopefully Meribel does NOT teach Fern to dig holes, as Fern already has enough "hobbies", but oh well.  Hope Jess and Don and Simmie survive the non-stop wrestling and running that are inevitable with two young Dals!

Today I need to finish up a new puppy brochure and send it out to a number of people who have inquired about pups.  I've tried to make it both interesting and informative, and have included a lot of pictures.

Puppies? Probably

Puppy plans are still up in the air, as we await the results of Holly's progesterone test.  Because her owner is not sure that she caught Holly on the first day(s) of her cycle, and because she will be out of town for a few days, Holly went in for a progesterone test to help determine how far along she is in her season.  If she's too far already, it won't work to ship her here next week - it might already be too late by then.  Tools like progesterone testing are very helpful in situations like this.  If the timing is OK, I've decided to go ahead with this.  Holly is lovely, has a pedigree full of beautiful dogs, including some very nice livers, and the temperaments are consistently very good.  Fingers all tightly crossed - and I told Argus to cross his paws too!

Puppy class for Fern tonight, her second week.  She did well last week and really enjoyed the puppy playtime part - of course!  Like Letty did last year, Fern enjoyed leading the pack, then doubling back and jumping over her classmates.  Is that a Dalmatian thing?  We'd been working on sits at home, so she caught on quickly to that, but lead walking not so much.  I've never had a Dal pup who found the treats in my hand more interesting than the other dogs and people in class!  No way will Fern learn to walk sedately on a buckle collar.  We're walking every evening, using a cloth slip collar and teaching "Walk" as a command, keeping her on my left side.  We include a bit of gaiting too - wow, can she fly!  I'm sure she will be unable to concentrate on walking nicely at class tonight, with all the distractions, but I'm pleased with how well that is coming along.  I'd like to show her a few times in the new 4-6 month class at AKC shows - if I get to any this fall.