Here's Looking at You

Even Ty agrees - it's been one of THOSE Days. I tend to be a crazy person about cleaning around eyes. The dogs say hello, I clean around their eyes whether they need it or not. This was Ty just after I cleaned his eyes.

Now what do you think he was trying to say?

Boo Bursts On to the Scene

Scruffy says oh no not another capturing my Roxie's eye. Fickle women - I tell you!

Bed Head? I Can Relate!

Happy New Year...

Tak has the worst bedhead sometimes... his hair is fine, it is a riot some mornings... thought you might find this funny....

Hope the new year is finding you healthy and happy. 

Lyndall, Joe, Saki and Tak...

Lola: New Years

Dear Darlah and Nathan!

We wanted to wish you all the very best from our family to yours.  Lola sends her doggy family and their families her love as well.

Lola continues to be a family favourite.  She is so smart, it does not take her too long to learn things.  We always get a good laugh.  Her favourite toy is the soft frisbee.  She can spend hours fetching it, inside our house and in our yard.  Lately, she comes home looking like a mess playing in the snow.  I have to blow dry the snow balls hanging from her fur.  Today, she even went tobogganing with the kids.

Lola has also become a great hostess at our store.  She greets every customer personally.  They even started to bring their own dogs in.  Most are very curious about what breed of a dog she is, because they have not heard of the Havanese.  So Dave keeps educating them, promoting your impecable breeding practices, and handing out duck treats to the canine visitors.  Lola also loves to eat raw carrots and apples.  Her favourite remains cheddar cheese.

Take good care.

Inga, David, Cassie, Sylvia and Lola

P.S.  I'll send you more pictures.  Lola refused to wear the New Year's hat though.

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Lola is a Fiona, Phantom pup and her siblings is Benji, Chloe, Poppins and Simba. She looks gorgeous - Thank you for sharing with us and remind me where your store is so we can visit and bring a pup or two. :-)

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Here are the other 2 photos.

PS: I don't blame her for not wanting to wear the hat. heh

What Day Is It?

What is that smell on you? Is it the smell of a brand spankin' New Year? Are we another day older. Do dawgs make resolutions? If they could what would they be?

1. I vow to play more

2. I will walk with a bounce in my step

3. I will covet and hide all special toys so even the humans can't find them.

4. I will eat with gusto even if the humans don't get what a dog menu is supposed to be

5. I will keep learning and fascinate my humans by keeping them on their toes, so to speak.

6. I will be silly so my humans smile and click photos of me

7. I won't bark

8. I will tolerate those silly clothes

9. I will be nice to that x dog down the street that isn't really nice to me.

....... can you think of any if you were a dog?

To Tie Or Not?

Poor Panda plays with Roxie and the hair tie vanishes. What do you do? Well some dogs LOVE a target and a hair tie can be a target but you can correct and stop the behavior. Some dogs love to pull tails or chew on necks. All of this is correctable and if you had a show dog and you didn't want to wait it would become a mission to correct and refocus.

But if you have a pet - does it matter? Well we have show dogs and I would rather my dogs have fun and wait till it grows back then to ruin the fun so early in their lives. By taking the play out of them you will have a dog that rarely plays.

So what do you do if you care about their play and want to keep their coat? You are asking me with 3 dogs with chopped hair from play? Well, I am now getting serious in correction and its working. I am showing them you can play without chewing but when we have a visitor its a new lesson always and hey I still like to see my dogs play above any desire for a long coat.

It's only a bad haircut folks but a happy dog is a happy dog no matter what it looks like. :-)

Levon's Smile

Don't have much time to do a gallery but will try in the next couple of days. We have had a BLAST out in the snow running, jumping and just being silly. Then I had to wash the Spice crew and I am passing on the Treasure crew as I am spent but they had a bath not long ago. Should wash Spice but we shall see.

I have photos to do of the Spice crew so if I can figure out what photo is whom - well its going to be interesting.

Also, check out photos of Tangles as Top Cat and Best Friend.

Here is a photo I got today of Levon.

Shannon says, Hi Nathan and Darlah,

I hope you're both enjoying the holidays. The pups are impossibly cute these days. Like them, Levon is loving the snow. I'm attaching a picutre here of him - he is one of the happiest dogs I have ever known.

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We just love the Levon!

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We just got a photo of Boo who is Teaser and Truffie's pup. I can see Truffie's face - oh my how cute.

We get to see Boo on Thursday - how fun. I am truly looking forward to it. Truffie - you make nice puppies. :-)

Scruffy, Bentley, Sophie & Ringo

Hope you can see this video of how Scruffy spent his birthday. Tonight his brother Bentley is coming to visit.

Here are a few photos we got in email:

Dear Nathan & Darlah,

Today was the most special day of the year for our family.  One year ago today, the miracle that is Scruffy came into this world and changed our lives forever.  It has been such a blessing for us and we cherish every moment we have together.

So how did we make this a unique and wonderful day for Scruffs? Well, we spoiled him rotten of course!  We had a few outings in the fresh 10cm of snow, me in my snowsuit and Scruffs in his new jacket.  He got a special breakfast and dinner light on the kibble, heavy on the treats and cheese. Yum!  He took an afternoon nap with Roger and had some snuggles with me, too. We played many rounds of fetch with his new reindeer toy and tug with his favorite elephant.  I even let him sneak some socks out of the laundry basket so we could play chase Scruffy all around the house. To close out the day, we sang him Happy Birthday and helped him blow out the candle on his birthday cheesecake. He can't tell us his wish but we are sure it somehow involves treats! 😃

Here are some photos of his day and a video from his snow play......notice how he decided "I'm done now, see ya!"  That's our Scruffs!

Cheers,

Lori & Roger

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Here is Scruffy's brother Bentley who is visiting us this evening. We are so excited to see him. It's been too long.

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Then we got some great photos of Sophie over the holiday season. She's another way too far away.

Hello Talemaker crew,

Mama and I made a surprise trip to PEI for Christmas. It's the first time she's been home for Christmas in 6 years. We had a great drive and I've now become something of a pro at this cross-border travel. :-)

Surprising the kids was my favorite part. I was so excited the whole neighborhood could hear me!!  I am having so much fun. I even got to play in a little snow. There's a big storm coming tonight so I'll really have fun tomorrow.

Christmas was great fun. I hung a stocking, wore Christmas pajamas that I did not want to take off, and of course got a few presents. I mean what dog doesn't deserve toys at Christmas??

Mama has attached a few photos for you to enjoy. I hope all the crew at Talemaker is enjoying the holiday season. Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2013.

Love, Sophie

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We also got a photo from Stephanie With Ringo dressed up for the big chill. He certainly is stylin fine! Ringo, you are close enough to come to play when things settle down!

Happy Birthday!

We want to send out a Happy Birthday to Ziggy, Coco, Scruffy and Bentley. Can't wait to hear about their birthday 'day'!

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Tomorrow we get to share with you a holiday in PEI with one of our pups and her owner. Soon we will go back to romps in the snow and all the crazy fun here. :-)

Tomorrow & the Simba

We all want to wish you a happy holiday. This is our first Christmas with Simba and we luv him soooo much. What a wonderful addition to our family.  He is a true sweetheart   Hope u and ur family are enjoying the holiday. Special hugs to Fiona.

Lara. Devi. Bella Alex and Chloe.

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Thanks for sending this. He looks so spoiled and having so much fun. We miss him. Hope you are having a grand holiday - even more special as this is Simbas first!

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Update of Ziggy (coming tomorrow) and Happy Birthdays going out to Scruffy, Ziggy, Coco and Bentley. We get to see Bentley the day after his one year old Birthday - how fun!

Last of the Cards

Dash from Yvonne and Kat and Teaka from Teaser and Kat

Hi Nathan and Darlah,

Merry Christmas to you and your family! We hope you have a wonderful time in this holiday season!

We are doing well in Hong Kong. Dash and Teaka are used to the presence of baby Evan, and I think they will enjoy playing with him when he gets older :-)

Miss the play dates with your crew!

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Eugenia: We miss you also!! Wish you lived closer. Glad you are adjusting and the baby is beautiful!

Poppins, Deb & Josh!Nathan & Darlah

Wishing you peace, joy & love this season & throughout the coming year!!

Poppins, Deb & Josh

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You look so very happy - so wonderful to see! We miss you and great to see Poppins!

Hi Darlah & Nathan

We wish you all the very best for the holiday season. As well. much happiness with family, dogs, puppies and visitors throughout 2013.

Patt & Bruce, Jazmyn & Marlee

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We just adore these two! They are not a Talemaker duo but we love them as if they are and you can't help it! Glad you came into our lives!

Katsura's Boyz & More

There's not really a story behind the pic, other than the fact that we had an urge to get them to wear hats the other day.

It was a tricky pic to take, because Monty wanted to eat everyone's hats, and nobody liked wearing them. We had to use a toy and food to keep their attention. It's also why Mac and Ray are leaning, since My's standing behind me holding treats in front of Monty.

Have a great holiday, we should get together again sometime soon!

Cheers, Steven and My

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As we have a few more cards or photos to get in, we will add a few more received and tomorrow add in the rest.

Ripley Update:
Hi Nathan ( and Darlah, too!) Thanks for the holiday email. Though Ripley was not born at Talemaker, he is a Katsura baby, so I do consider us part of the extended family. Ripley and I have had a great year.

He is the best thing I have done for myself in a long time. So thanks to you, Kat, Lola and Yvonne.

Happy Holidays,
Sue Warner

Chloe Update:
As you can see, she is a highly stressed dog and finds it extremely difficult to relax!  Happy holidays from the Duncanson family.

Biggie Update:
Hi there!
Here’s some photos of Biggie – he’s doing just great. I bought him a Frisbee the other day and it took him about 15 minutes to figure it all out (how you can’t pick it up with your mouth while you’re standing on it!). Now he’s a little expert and carries it proudly around the park. He’s really a joy and I can’t wait to spend some time off with him over the holidays.

Happy Holidays,
Jessica Waese
B.Arch. OAA

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Be Sure to check out Tangles and the Xmas Tree with Paula's adorable son!

Scruffster's Xmas & BDay

Hi D & N,

This is Scruffy's first Christmas and we are so excited.  He got to experience his first tree, his first stocking, and he even chewed on some of the wrapped gifts when I wasn't looking.  He is also enjoying his first real snow of the year, aside from when he was just a wee little thing.  He loves it! He was literally hopping around, smushing his face in it, pawing at it and even chasing it.  It was so incredible to watch as we have never seen him move quite like that before.  He will be mighty spoiled as his birthday is the 27th.....double the gifts for him! He is hoping Santa will forget about the wrapping paper incident and take him off the naughty list.

It wasn't easy to get a good picture of him with the entire tree so this was the best I could do and after dozens of tries he just gave me this look of "This better be worth it Mom or else you are just insane!" See photo #2 and you will know what I mean!  Haha, he is such a character :)

Hope you are both well. See you in the new year!!!

Lori & Roger

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Here at Talemaker we wish you all a very Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year. Give the dawgs a hug and snuggle from us!

Xmas Update

Hi Nathan and Darlah,

                Lucy has just been amazing! It's insane to think that all the pups will be 1 year in February, where has all the time gone? Lucy just got groomed yesterday and is all pretty for Christmas. She came home with a Christmas bandana and a bow in her hair. It has been such an experience for her since there has been snow on the ground here recently. She loves playing in it and hops around like a little bunny! We've been putting her in a lot of sweaters lately and she surprisingly doesn't seem to mind them, which is great because she looks adorable in them :)

                Hope all is well and hope you have a Merry Christmas!

                                                The Caruso Family

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Lucy - it is so great to see you and we really miss you. You look sensational and your mommy and Daddy need to get a video camera for the holidays so we can see the bunny hop. :-)

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Tomorrow we have Scruffster!

Xmas Cards

Stella gal and Valerie is wishing everyone a wonderful holiday! Isn't she just so cute!

Tomorrow we update you with a few photos from Lucy!

Xmas Cards

This is Shady's family - isn't this the cutest family photo. I just love it.

Shady is a Wasabi pup and they just adore him. It's how it should be!

Wasabi made wonderful pups indeed!

Tomorrow we give you Stella. :-)

Xmas Cards

Alice, Thomas, Rocia and Jim Farrell and their dawg Pacho sent us a card. Pacho is such a wonderful dawg! We are sharing them in the order they came in. We wish you all a very Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year.

To see today's play, look at the message below.

Fun Play

We had a lot and I mean a lot of fun play but I am short of time. Nathan has me doing photos for the magazine so I have no time to do them for the blog but I am hoping I get HIS job done so I can return to sharing photos here.

Here are a few photos taken today. Shhh don't tell him I did a few despite having this rush job for him. hahahaha

Yes, that is Jeannie under Risa. heh

Chasing Jeannie - oh my!

Daisy and Shoshi ran and ran and ran. Oh my are they going to sleep tonight!

Scruffy in the air playing with Shoshi. It's old gal play day. hahaha

Ty was playing with Shoshi and Scruffy - can you believe? Shoshi you are a kid again - bravo!

Xmas Cards

As I receive Christmas Cards and New Year Cards in the mail. I will scan them in and share then with you. This is 2 of my most fave people (Carol and Malcolm) and their dogs Coco and Doozie.

Malcolm wasn't a dog person per se but these two won his heart in such a huge way. I call that Havanese magic!

Thanks for being in their lives!

Scruffy and Snow?

Well we haven't had snow and they don't live too far from us but the Scruffster had some fun in it. They are predicting another no snow year. I hope they are wrong.

Be sure to check out Abigail's blog as Tangles has a new pal.

Now my tip for the day. I can sometimes be slow but Val, a Master grooming said it won't work and you can't do it but I did. I am glad. What did I do? If you have a boy that is getting urine on his legs, shave his belly, all the hair around his private parts and you won't have to wash those legs everyday. I just did this with Kat and Logan. I also removed hair around Jeannie's private parts, Daisy, Risa and Shoshi. It works for females too and reduces the possibility of having a urinary tract infection as you are keeping the area clean.

The first time you do it they won't like it. They lick the area but day 2 it stops. It feels strange, I imagine. But wow what a difference indeed. Jeannie has so much hair between her legs that her legs were getting crusty no matter how many times I cleaned her but not today. Wow - I may be slow but I love to share when something works so you aren't going the slow way I am.