photo op

WARNING: Photo heavy The assorted new residents at Foggy Bottom. About 1/2 are destined for the freezer by mid summer. The rest will be interesting to watch grow.

This one's got green feet.

This one's got feathers on it's feet already-we have three like that.

And last but not least... Junior. This is the Ms' favorite. He sits in her hand and loves to be carried around. Eghads, a pet chicken is all I need.

If anyone can tell me what breeds some of these are, would love it!

Later gators.... C

Hide it under a bushel, NO!

You ask me, I'll tell ya. Do I hide or keep secret events here? Nope. Do I stretch the truth? Nada.

Eddie's Vetgen coat length came back. And it was a no brainer but man there are times I'd love to have gotten different results.

He's a fluff. Tried and true.

He's also a finished champion with multiple 4pt major wins,
RN,
CGC,
TDI,
K9Ambassador,
Reading with Dogs participant,
a certain junior handler's best friend,
and soon to be sire of his first litter.

Coat is cosmetic. Its a simple recessive. Much worse to worry about and considering what he's done with his lovely coat, could be and are more pressing matters to worry about. Personally, many a fluff I've put in pet homes rather then keep and show. But it's what's underneath that counts and boy, does his underneath count for a lot.

Love ya, blue bear.

Later gators...
C

Where do I start?

I'm not sure where to start. Old dogs? Water? Chickens? Temperatures?

Participated in the 1st annual Ag Day with Hills Bank here in Cedar Rapids. It was a blast! Vicki and Sharon did a great job, as well as the rest of the employees in attendance. We took 6 ducks-Mr & Mrs Aflac, two runners, 1 cayuga and 1 ancona. Kids got to watch and pet them. Moose and Charlie went along too and had a great time socializing with everyone.

On the way home, we got hitchhikers, in the form of about 50 mixed chicks. Which are now residing in the study as it's too damn cold outside! Clarify, chicks are not outside, but the brooder in the garage still can't keep them warm enough. Mostly broilers, a few rhode island reds and some really funky breeds. 3 have varies stages of feathers on their feet. Some really cool marked ones and three with green feet? Should be fun. I see chicken in the freezer, lots of eggs and some neat rare breeds for the Ms to show at fair. And yes, she's already working on hand taming the off breeds for the show ring!

Old dogs. Alec spent the weekend showing collies with Rebecca. Judges-don't get me started but that's why I didn't enter cardigans this weekend. Anyway, on their down time, they were talking old dogs, in particular Rosie Tosie. Rebecca showed her way back when as well as a few of her offspring. Still remembers her and really liked her at the time. Alec's headed out to a few long distance trips with Rebecca later this spring and summer, so one of two of the cardigans will be going with him--I'll post where and when so I can make sure that those who show out there know to count us in. He also took Little Shit and Blue Bear for eye checks. Perfect angels, which he's so amazed at. They put on their halos straight when they need too. Dr Betts proclaimed them in perfect health and sight.

Old dogs-more. Clairee is deaf. Left side, full. Right side, selective. She's also a prone to some wandering and snooping and ignoring. Walkabout is not unheard of nowadays. Thank GOD for training for handsignals, though a few times lately we've gotten the" huh?" look.

Let's see, covered the old dogs, temperature, chickens, oh that's right-water.

The Ms heads downstairs yesterday morning and comes back up with a "dad, my sock's wet" comment. 1-2" of water in the basement. Flow switch on sump pump is bad. Thank GOD for lifetime warranties on pumps. New one already installed. Spent an unscheduled day off mucking out water, bleaching, cleaning(yes the basement did need a through cleaning), trips to finally take the Goodwill pile to the store. Rearranging what at times, seemed like a ship going down. No not really. Thankfully our basement isn't finished. Most of the storage items are in plastic totes, no boxes. Furniture up on blocks,etc. But there was the wet laundry, old furniture that is now headed outta here, dead dryer, and assorted crap that we just shoved here to take care of later. Well, later is now.

We did rearrange the dog crates so that it's a little more organized when we have to run for cover when the sirens go off. That in turn totally threw Click for a loop as she's so highly pattern trained that moving her crate, created a scene we were all anticipating during the day. So she runs down the stairs, straight for her "crate". It's now a large empty space. She stops. Confused, spins, looks up at Alec as in "huh?" Spins. Looks for her crate, turns and has to be picked up and placed in her crate in it's new location. It'll take her weeks to figure out the new set up. Once in her crate, she's fine, it's the getting there that's confusing.

So now, back to work. End of the month. Meetings every night. Wash dogs for show. Pack for show. Get psyched to help Rebecca show some 20 collies! Oh and did I mention Little Shit is in season, finally?

Later gators...
C

Taking the challenge

As I catch up on the blog reading during my lunch hour, I was over at Garrett's blog and thought, you know what, I'm up to the challenge.

As our landfills overflow, cities have horrible air quality and especially how everything keeps getting more and more expensive, how do I now and what can I do to be come more responsible for my environment?

~Garden-we try to grow a lot of our own produce. Apple trees are planted, more to be added. Hot boxes are in the making so that we can do manure boxes(compost and heat). Then be able to use those through out the winter. We use heirloom veggies as much as we can and start out own seeds(heehee-David's office has 24 hour lighting and 75 degree temps-might as well take advantage of it!) I prefer not to freeze but dehydrate and now can most of the produce. Any waste-goes to the animals.
~Vehicles-the worst. We have two trucks, older. One tahoe and the grand am. Grand Am is on it's way out the driveway in the next two weeks. Tahoe spends a lot of time sitting unless we have dog shows to go to. Trucks-one is working right now, one is waiting for a fuel pump repair. David and I carpool to work now. Drop Meredith off on the way(avoids the school bus). All trips are planned with multiple stops and a specific route to avoid overlapping and being the most efficient. Making sure the tires are aired up, fuel tanks are full, and engines are running well.
~I walk. A lot. Instead of hopping in the car to go to the post office at lunch, I walk. I must admit I did drive to a store today that I can walk to, but considering the neighborhood I have to go through, chuck the savings for the safety. We have a sky walk system downtown for a reason.
~Home-we recycle, more then we throw away. Anything and everything. Any trash is not burned, but taken to the land fill and that's usually only once every two months. Shortly they will have one of those fancy incinerators, what are they called, plasma something? Very efficient and very environmentally friendly.
~Converting to a wood furnace system in the next couple of years. Solar too-working on costing that out right now. Should be able to be off the grid, rid of LP and able to survive the worst storms.
~We also avoid if we can massive amounts of pesticides and non-organic fertilizers on our property. That's lawn, garden and livestock inclusive. Ducks and Geese are great weeders, eat lots of bugs and the horses help with lawn mowing. Thanks to my good friend Dr Joe, we have knowledge of organic means to control livestock pests and some diseases.

Like Garrett mentioned, turn off the light when you leave the room. Unplug as you walk out the door-including computers and tv's. I know as far as household electricity goes, my biggest waste is the two dehumidifiers and sump & lift pump. That's where the solar comes in-run them off panels instead of the grid.

Mom and Dad have been working getting turbines up and running on a couple of their farms. Nothing yet, but coming closer to seeing that happen.

So what can you do to "green up" your world? Take Garrett's challenge--make a choice and difference.

Later gators..
C

Friday Foto

I know I've posted this a thousand times but with the rash of severe weather earlier in the week and I decided to change my screen saver on my computer, this seems like a good one to use.

2 years ago, this tornado, I think an F2, went 2 miles north of the house. Caused damage to two farms, untold crops but no lives lost. County Park to the north lost a huge chunk of trees and campers in the camp ground, but again, no lives lost, no serious damages. Sherilyn will remember this phone call--I was talking to her as they were driving back from MO and all of a sudden I said-"Gotta Go! Tornado! Bye"

So with that, I'll make my "be prepared" statement-go to the American Red Cross and get your disaster kits ready!

Later gators...
C

Change

We have time changes, changing our minds, life changing events. Then we have the change. Ladies you all know what we are talking about.

I swore I would keep this blog g rated, but living on a farm, sometimes we have pg-13 items, which of course includes the humans. Personally, this isn't something normally talked about, unless you work in an office full of women, many of us older. Conversations are all over the board. Mostly about last nights Dancing results, who got kicked off Survivor, did the judges use their save on the right person on Idol or which team we are rooting for in the Amazing Race. Recent turn of events have added the phrase-is it hot in here or is it just me?

The Ms is to blame for ruining my body-she giggles about that though I do mention that she should bite her tongue until after she has her 3rd child.

I've been waking up, again, at night for no reason. Haven't had this issue for about 2 years now. Last night, and Hubby noticed, I woke up at 2:15 wondering who turned the thermometer to Hot as Hell.

Seriously folks, this change in plans is not what I wanted to deal with right now. But at least the hot flashes are not happening during the summer-I'd be dead by now from heat stroke.

Later gators....
C

Muddy Eddie

Poor Eddie. For those of you who don't know the story, the photo a couple posts back is one of my favorites. And no, Eddie is Clean Eddie these days.

See as a puppy, Mr Moose and his sisters Ms Shooter and Ms Marg harassed him to no end. One day I looked out to see this hole being dug in the backyard. It was, of course, raining off and on so the hole was muddy. Eddie being Eddie, wandered over and went "whatca doin'?" That was his undoing. The Three Amigos took turns dragging him to the hole, pushing him in and sitting on him while the others pegged and pooked at him. I had to stop it at some point, at which he jumped up and ran to the overturned water trough and gave me a "what??" look.

It took three bathes to get him somewhat presentable. Rus a couple years ago, gave the Ms an award for Eddie--Muddiest Puppy--it's framed in the study with all the other awards, ribbons and certificates.

As yes, the continuing adventures of living with the Blue Bear.

Later gators...
C

Dare you....

I dare my fellow dog bloggers to come up with the following:

In your local community, what is the stupidest/funniest/weirdest law on the books?

Here's a couple to get you started:

In Alburnett-the next burg west of us, did you know it's illegal to spit?

Or in Springville-where my mother grew up and I do banking, Pandas are banned from being kept within the city proper?

Find me some good ones!

Later gators...
C

exhale

A while ago I received a phone call from JoAnne out in Ohio concerning recent developments in PRA tests or lack thereof or out right lying done by another breeder that affected most of her dogs as well as our Eddie. First off I can't thank her enough for being honest, forth right and making sure she contacted all who she had puppies with about this issue.

Secondly, it's a sad state in today's world when so called responsible breeders aren't taking responsiblity for the dogs they produce by failing to contact people and let them know about health issues that have cropped up in their lines. I mean seriously, if you have a dog with a health issue-cancer, PRA, seizures, etc, wouldn't it be in your best interest to let those people know that their dog might be affected by that health issue? Sad when an ego gets in the way of the best interest of an animal.

SO..... we sent for Eddie's PRA and Fluff test(now, no giggling there).

I AM OVER THE HILL!!!!!!!!!!!! Ch Beasak's Fogy Botm Uncle Fester RN aka The Blue Bear aka Dum-Dum aka World's Muddiest Puppy is CLEAR!!!!!!

Now to confirm his fluffiness-it was cheap to do it in addition to the PRA test. We'll set the world straight for once on that aspect of his handsomeness. Now with his CERF scheduled for this weekend, and waiting on his OFA results(I heard they are up to 4 weeks behind, so any day now), he'll qualify for his CHIC.

Okay, here's a better photo of him:)

No, wait, how about this one? And who the heck is that cute kid hidden behind the dog? FYI-she's 5'5" now and growing, again.

I can safely exhale now.

Later gators...

C

where did the weekend go?

I swear, I loose more time during weekends. I mean it's like they never exisited. All the plans and all that I have to show for 48 hours is laundry and a few loaves of bread. No paperwork filed, budgets updated, mail opened and gone through. No duck pens moved, no nails dremeled, nothing, nada, zilch.

I would gather that none of my devoted readers ever have this happen?

What did get done besides the laundry and bread baking? Drive! Marg is now living in IL near Chicago and we spent most of the day delivering her to her new home on Saturday. She's retired to a....retirement community! Pat's got a wonderful patio apartment so Ms Marg can sit and watcht the comings and goings of the community, bark at the birds and meet-n-greet the other dogs and visitors. Early reports coming in are that it's a perfect match.

David dug into the garden some, clearing the weeds from the vine area, removing the stakes and cutting his hand open. I have the list of seeds that we will start as soon as they arrive. Tomatos are already 5" high and due to be transplanted this week. Cold weather crops first, then the vines and then who knows what!

We had thunderstorms yesterday. A first for Charlie. He was a little concerned so his partner in crime spent her time distracting him with a wrestling match that went from the kitchen to the dining room to living room and back again. Dogs are out in shifts to the hay field since the back yard is partially flooded as the duck pond is overflowing. Big project for this spring is tiling the back yard and removing all the grass, opting for gravel and wood chips. I'm sick of muddy dogs!

And with that, I've lost another weekend. I figure that the week nights will be busy catching up as I know that I won't have time for stuff on the weekend, again.

Later gators....
C

no talk, all the time

Have people gotten so rude(or is it self-centered) these days that simple communication is out of the picture? I'm not saying where I'm going - none of your business, then they b***h about not being able to get majors on their dogs? Or the lovely little tale of I'm out of money and can't go to any more shows, then they show up? Or spend tons of money going to specialties or big breed events to show--when you know it's not the quality of dog they have but it's I'm here and look at me. I'm so sick of having to deal with those people. Ask and I tell, most who read the blog know where we are going, which after the next show, is no where. Okay, well, going but doing obedience not conformation.

Sorry boys and girls, needed to vent after a long week. I hate sitting here in my windowless office, while the Ms and her gang are enjoying spring break with trips to the creek, long walks and laying out in the sunshine. To be a child again, sigh.

That being said-no majors at the CIKC show-one dog short and many girls short. I know that there aren't many girls out in our area right now, at least not the 12 needed for a major, but I know there are enough dogs to make majors out there. Funny, in our region we seem to be getting bigger entries for specials then class dogs and bitchs. To which that means rePete will stay home. One less dog to take and groom because....

......an OMG note-we'll still be busy that weekend showing. Rough collies are gearing up for their National Specialty with 29 Saturday and 35 on Sunday. It's all hands on deck to show dogs for Rebecca! I know I've got 2 or 3 class dogs, 3-4 class bitches and a special to handle. And yes, though I said many moons ago I don't do hair, I will be helping with grooming. I learned some awesome tricks last weekend, watch out Clairee, I'm going to practice on you!!!

Let's see, oh, a fond fairwell to our beloved Margie. She's off to heaven as an only dog for a lovely retired gal. Road tripping her this weekend to her new home and I'm so happy to have found this special person for her to retire with. I'll try to post a photo of her and her new person when we get back.

And last but not leaast, just for Shelley---I turned off the furnace and opened the windows last night. It was the most pleasant nights sleep I'd had in ages. I hear it's about 20 degrees up north right now!

Later gators...
C

A few Irish Favorites....

An Old Irish blessing

Go n-éirí an bóthar leat

Go raibh an ghaoth go brách ag do chúl

Go lonraí an ghrian go te ar d'aghaidh

Go dtite an bháisteach go mín ar do pháirceanna

Agus go mbuailimid le chéile arís,

Go gcoinní Dia i mbos A láimhe thú.

Translated to.....

May the road rise to meet you

May the wind be always at your back

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields

And until we meet again

May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

(This is by far one of my favorites. My mom did a needlepoint on a pillow for me and it sits in the living room.)

A Wish for a Friend
Wishing you a rainbow

For sunlight after showers

Miles and miles of Irish smiles

For golden happy hours

Shamrocks at your doorway

For luck and laughter too,

And a host of friends that never ends

Each day your whole life through!

From Saint Patrick's Breastplate
Christ be with me

Christ before me

Christ behind me

Christ in me

Christ beneath me

Christ above me

Christ on my right

Christ on my left

Christ where I lie

Christ where I sit

Christ where I arise

Christ in the heart of every manwho thinks of me

Christ in the mouth of every manwho speaks of me

Christ in every eye that sees me

Christ in every ear that hears me

Salvation is of the Lord.

And finally for my Scottish ancestors.....

An Old Celtic Blessing
May the blessing of light be on you—

light without and light within.

May the blessed sunlight shine on you

and warm your heart

till it glows like a great peat fire.

A few sayings...

~If God sends you down a stony path,may he give you strong shoes.

~May the smile of God light you to glory.

~Irish Men: There are only three kinds of Irish men who can't understand women— young men, old men, and men of middle age.

Later gators...

C

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

I'm torn. One side of me is super happy to celebrate the holiday today. The other side of me says it's for the silly people on the other side of the water. See I'm married to an Irish man, but born 1/2 Scottish and 1/2 French. What a mix!!! But today, everyone is Irish--isn't that what they say???


I'm wearing my green, have my beads on and ready to watch the parade. I took a lot of photos last year but forgot my camera today. David is planning on joining us this year, so he might have his little disposable with him, so photos-if any, will come later.


Office has been visited by leprechauns. Shamrocks all over the place, decorations and every one's waiting for our annual lunch(Carlos O'Kelly's of course) and then a nice break from accounting work to sit out in front of the office and watch the SaPaDaPaSo parade.


(More Crabby Road )

Later gators...
C

And the wiener is...

Penni!!! Thanks guys for the suggestions.

We now have Chateau Quack and the Chicken Chalet. A little bit of the Alps in the middle of Iowa.

Dogs are all excited about the new arrivals. Moose is walking around licking his lips and Pete has Charlie in training to bark at them.

Tomorrow is the big SaPaDaPaSo parade downtown. The office is all ready festive with lots of green, beads and a hint of spring. Can't wait! And the weather is supposed to be awesome for it too! Photos tomorrow or Friday when I get a chance.

Later gators...
C

Talkin turkey

Oh my, guess what we get tomorrow???? I must be a glutton for punishment-aiming for 6-10 of the stupid birds this year.

My chicken house is due to get moved to our place from my brother's in a couple of weeks. Just in time for the chicks to arrive too! I offered to take the bank's chicks home after they hatch. Mixed run of all kinds of chickens-broilers, layers and fancies.

So what should I name the chicken house? The duck residence is Chateau Quack, though that might change as the chickens might get the duck house and visa versa. Hum, suggestions????

Later gators...
C

Fickle

Ever get the feeling that just because you live that someone is out to get you? It’s amazing how long people hold grudges, make their purpose in life to hunt you down and ruin your life? Or throw out accusing comments that can easily be turned into slanderous statements? I recently had someone try to hack into my website. Luck has it that as soon as that happens I get notices from my host and they shut down the site until I get in touch with them. Personally, I’m could care less that someone is bored enough to tinker with me. Granted those people need to get a real life, maybe a real job, but who knows and honestly who really cares.

I think the saying from Two and Half Men says it the best---
Charlie: “leaverage is a fickle **b***h”
…….later on Jake says: ”and looks like the fickle b***h is back”

I guess the key is this, be very careful of what you put out on the web-blogs-chat groups-FB and such, it can turn around and bite back even harder. My life is open for inspection—want my computer-go ahead. BTW, looking isn’t a crime and that’s why I don’t have counters, trackers or visitor lists on my sites. Come, look, stay or go. Just don’t touch.


Later gators...
C

I'm famous!

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2011/03/12/photo-gallery-competing-columbia-kennel-club-dog-show/

Just look at my face! Tegan, the naughty little sable girl had so much fun cleaning out my ears, nose and taking the rest of the makeup off my face. But hey, it kept her quiet. She's a gorgeous girl who's almost finshed, been out just a month and per Rebecca, only slightly spoiled rotten.

I'd take her home in a heart beat. I love this girl!

Later gators....
C

An arm and a leg

Holy carp! The spring show season has officially been cut short. I'm in need of a prostetic arm and leg since that's what I had to pay for gas down to MO this weekend. Eghads and I think I can find a few more &)&**^*( words to cover my comments about that.

Beyond that, great weekend. 55 degrees, warm breeze while unloading Friday and showing Saturday. We haven't been to Columbia Mo for 6 years now. Hasn't changed much and just as much fun as always. Sunday was a little cold but hey, sun was shining, not raining and no earthquakes or tsunami's in mid America. I'm good with that.

On that side note, our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected by the recent weekend events in Japan and surrounding countries and communities. We were glued to CNN at the hotel all weekend long watching the recent updates. I just can't imagine being there and surviving it.

Back to dog shows!

Good friends, great show site(it's dirt but well maintained and packed), vendors-the goodies I got! Early ring times-not good. Long wait till groups, that's okay. Kept busy inbetween. Dinner with Don, Jacque, Rus and Sherilyn Saturday--lots of stories and I learned a lot too. Good to see Tom, Janet and Richard. Caught up with Wanda a little and of course, we can not forget the Davenitch crew! We cheered for Connie and her SFT who still bounces a lot. Kim, Kerri, and Cindy--good to see everyone after a long winter off!

So results: Dill, 1st in his puppy class. That's good as he beat the puppy that beat him in Des Moines. 2nd on Sunday. He's making progress, the problem is that he's plain(no chrome), longer nose then they like and natural eared. It'll take awhile to get him pointed and finished but he's worth it-nice dog.
Pete and her pointy little head-no expectations of grandeur with breeder judges for her. I'm very realistic about her. Not everyone can deal with it, BUT, we did give the judges pause for thought as she outmoved everything else in the ring and they were having a hard time deciding on what they really wanted. 2nd in her class to a much typier bitch.
Now for Charlie. My adorable, long eyelashed, super cuddly Charlie Bear. Dawn pin pointed it for me-he's his grandpa Wally in a brindle coat. So friendly, so willing, slightly more sensitive but adores everyone. Suck-up pro already. He's far from perfect but first with Moose and now Charlie, I have a pieces of my heart back. Anyway, after a horribly stressfull last weekend for the boy, we tried a few new things this week and weekend. Much better. In particular his diet is now different and he's getting some goodies along with it. But also, he's got a new bestie in the form of the rough and tumble Peterman. They moved the large collie crate several inches over the weekend at the show site by wrestling and sliming each other.
Charlie was RWD on Saturday and Sunday under Breeder Judge Gayle Garvin was WD for his first 2 points.

We also had an awesome, sort of, weekend in collies. Alec and Connor were BOV both days in smooths. Pretty etched glass vase sitting on the counter from the breed prize. I got to show a lovely blue merle rough girl to BOW's and Rebecca took BOV with 8 1/2 yr old veteran Jerod. Even got my photo in the paper with the naughty sable girl cleaning my face while on the table. We did skip group on Sunday though as we were all tired and well, the judge was, oh never mind, just a judge and we'll leave it at that.

Long drive home. Glad to be back in my own bed and another day off would be great. I'll try to get a few photos posted from the few I took. Now to Dubuque---sort of.

Later gators...
C

I am so gonna kill him for this!

So I get an email from a person that my husband works with about dog crates. Nothing in the email says anything about an alternative use for crates, just the best place to get an inexpensive crate.

I rattle off about what type of dog, how much you want to pay, quality, etc. The best places to get what type and where not to get them. I was giving all kinds of good advise to a dog owner, or so I thought.

Damn him--he got a huge laugh out of this and every time he looked at me last night he chuckled.

They don't want the crates for dogs. They want a secure spot to store long range missle guidence system parts.

Go figure!

Later gators....
C

I don't get it

Okay, during lunch I read the latest on world news, maybe flip over and read today's funnies or try to get spoilers on a couple of my favorite shows. Read the current issue of several dogzines-pays to keep up with the goings ons in different breeds-never know how it might affect my breed or the the sport at some point. I also drift through different dog websites, blogs and such.

As for world news, well, I won't get into the details much but man, you wonder what people are thinking these days? "My people love me!" Name that dictator. Does he have such a delusional life that he can't or is it won't see what is happening outside of the happy little make believe land he's created?

The dog world is just like that. So many people have a delusion of what is right, what is wrong and that they have perfect dogs. Recently in browsing a few websites I've been seeing health clearance information. That's all well and good, but isn't our job as responsible breeders to explain health clearances and not just post them? Good, normal, clear----great to label but in many different breeds, those words can mean many different things within the context of the same health issue and it is misleading.

For many years when we were in collies, labels on eye issues were simply beyond confusing for the public. So much to the point that many breeders gave very unspecific explanations of what actually CEA(collie eye anomaly) is. 15 years ago words such as normal, go normal, clear, CEA 1, etc were used. Unfortunately that lead to miscommunication and lots of wrong information. CEA like PRA in cardigans is a simply recessive-you are either a noncarrier, carrier or affected. But what you see on websites is normal, clear, go normal, etc. That doesn't really tell you much on the actual status of a dog. Makes you wonder what a person is hiding or if they really know what the truth?

Same is happening in DM in cardigans and pems to an extent. I've seen a couple websites with information about dogs with test results as normal. Normal what? It's again simple-the dogs is a non carrier or the dog is a carrier or the dog is at risk(carries two sets of the genes responsible for the disease). Simple.

Or how about this one--a website states that the "breed" has few if no health issues. Their dogs are considered health and have not had any health issues in puppies produced. No health certification numbers or documents available. Yet a link to the "breeds" more formal information page shows multiple health issues, many of which can be handled with responsible breeding of dogs with proper genetic testing. So which is it? Health dogs or head in the sand? I'll be honest, this same "breed" is in the midst of some super serious changes right now. That's why the " " personally it's not a real breed, yet.

Why can't people be just state the truth? Has the norm now become less is more? I just don't get it.

Later gators....
C

Round-a-bout we go.....

Mt Horeb, known for trolls, the world reknown Mustard Museum and now round-a-bouts. Seriously folks, this is a sleepy little town with barely any traffic. I just don’t understand the need for this traffic nightmares. Four just going into town before the first gas station! All four are different sizes and shapes. The Ms swears that’s where the trolls live-in the round-a-bouts that is. I told her that some of them were there and some more in other snowy woodsy lands.

Dog show weekend, that’s what took us on a scenic tour of Wisconsin. On the way up, I took a detour to show The Ms the state capital in Madison where all the hub bub has been going on with the Unions, Governor and legislature. Gotta make it educational when you travel on a school day!

Freezing rain on Friday night, then an inch of snow during the night. Makes the hotel parking lots fun. WI DOT does well with the main roads. First time up at this showsite and it’s not bad. Parking sucks, but you have to work with it, I guess. I grumbled my opinion all the way on my 5 mile hike from the Big Tow. And yes, the Big Tow is back in action. Needs new plugs now but that’s workable. U joints is the next big fix. Then it’s for sale!!!!!

Shelley stayed with us for the weekend and we had some great discusions about this that and the other. Dogs all got along well-intact males sleeping right beside each other-never meet each other before either.

Saturday Charlie acted like Big Nicky—hates being outside the ring but inside, wee haaa, tail up and wagging, good ears. He did well and won his class of 2. That’s all I can ask for at his first show. But the big news is that rePete of the Pointy Head took WB then BOW for a cross over 4 pt major!!!! One more darn major and that pain is done. She’s not really a pain, just super silly and loves the whole show thing, but that pointy little head……

It was also really awesome to see some great people! Liz and her daughter were up to see Charlie. They are owned by Maxwell(formerly James) of the Dirty Dozen. Charlie got tons of hugs and scratches. Then Pam, owned by Arlo, Leonard(Pete’s brother) and rescue Ike, was up to see our good friend Dr Deb show valhunds. Congrats to Dr Deb on finishing Trisket!! Looked great in the group ring too. Pam got handed Peterman’s lead while I was in with Charlie. Said Pete keeps a very keen eye on me with other dogs but was ever the lady. Not sure if being a lady is really in her dept, but hey, she puts on a good front.

Sunday dawned with a late ring time-thank you dog show goddess! The Ms had a dog change in juniors due to a ring conflict with cardigans. Guess who it was?? MOOSE!!! He was so happy to not just go to a show and look pretty but to actually play show dog. Unfortunately, he’s now on a diet. Talk about show slug—yeah, he’s big but until you really look at them out in the ring you don’t realize that he’s a little tubby. Okay so he’s not swimming in fat but a couple pounds lost wouldn’t hurt him. The juniors judge even asked the Ms if he was a table dog to which she said yes(first indication that the judge doesn’t know a cardigan and that the Ms will get docked points for her “bad front” feet placement). Then the judge said, oh he’s so big, the Ms-he’s just large for the standard. Then she almost dropped him getting him on the table.

They shared KFC chicken strips in the ring. She lost a couple of fingers. But overall, they looked good. A few things to fix-his weight, getting him to extend over himself and not gallop around the ring. They’ll all have fun during Merlot’s maternity leave.

Sunday-nothing in cardigans. Can’t figure this judge but that’s okay, I know enough not to show to him again. Charlie once again won his class and Chip was RWD to the major. Not bad for their first weekend out.

Now the best part is hanging out in the grooming area during the show. We found a gal who does the bling leads and she’s deconstructing an old lead of mine that I love the beads on but hate the leather. We’ll pick it up at a later show. We made friends with some great malamute people as well as the basset contingent at the show. We did though, have a group behind us that was hot. Collie people can be a little touchy. It was something about no shows and majors and what not. Names discussed and boy, I was glad to have at least one show where I didn’t have a collie with me. Eeek! The labs had a specialty and the WB on Sunday did something big-I think finished and you had a huge roar when the judge pointed and people jumping and hugging and crying. Super cool too-the dog’s got a hunt title on it too. That's really what the shows are about-having fun with friends.

Raffles-won nothing but the funds went to some great health causes. New cardigan socks for my footies. And I have to save up for this guy who makes the most awesome PVC xpens and whelping boxes. My Christmas list has started early this year.

On the way back we did more educational side trips-drove to and along Lake Michigan for awhile, saw the huge veterans cemetery and went past Miller Park, home of the Brewers. Got home late, so happy to be in my chair with a good cup of tea. Abbey was happy to see me, Eddie was beyond happy to see us, he was squealing.

So what do we do now—repeat it all again in a week! I haven't been to a show in so long, I forget what it takes to get there and back. This time around Alec's driving!

Later gators..
C