Risa at Jeans

Risa is enjoying Jean, Quito and Kooba I am told by Jean and she is fast when it comes to squirrels.

We miss her but my heart does good when I hear from Jean and how she is doing. Risa is an amazing dawg. She's the grand dam and Kat's mom.

Thanks Jean for being you.

I am missing our dawgs as we have now arrived at our limit per our bylaw. <sigh> Who knew and how unfair that there is one when there are so few really good dawg homes. Yes, someone reported us - not for barking, not for care - but the number of dawgs.

This hurts my ability to help the rescues. Instead I have to manage and try to help in ways that I can.

Crazy as we groom our dawgs daily, love them, exercise them, snuggle with them and totally adore them!

But we are happy to hear about their adventures. Thanks everyone - you know who you are! Give the dawgs extra snuggles - will ya?

Good Things Come to an End

Teaka came to visit with her sister so she could get her Baer test. Teaka's sister went to her forever home and is much loved!

Teaka was born in Sudbury. In the dawg community many of us really try to help each other out. Sudbury doesn't have testing abilities except for clinics so we took Teaka to her appointment and tomorrow, freshly bathed she's off to Sudbury straight from  a dog show.

In the past we have been known to pick someone's dog up that is heading to Europe and being the overnight delivery people. We try to help and in return people help us.

It reminds me of the barter system that used to be so prevalent and I wonder how we got away from helping each other.

Teaka is a force to be reckoned with - an alpha in the making but I suspect she will be excited to be back at home and knowing that she lent us some enjoyment by hanging out with us. She also did a fine job riling up our crew. We will miss her!

Bathing & Raw Bones

 The problem with bones that are raw is it gets stuck in their beard even if its frozen as their face and love for it warms it up and all that wonderfulmarrow gets stuck in the beard as I saw with Risa and Raylan. So, it was wash the face time today and Raylan had a bath. So, be prepared to wash the face if you use raw bones even frozen ones. Showing and raw bones don't go together.

Tomorrow Raylan gets a bath so he can be shown.

They are threatening to have a whopper of a storm come Sunday. We know how often the weather people are wrong so...time will tell.

The dawgs will adore something more than a dusting.

When we take the dawgs out back, we are always carrying around bags in our pockets for cleanup. It's best to pickup on site. Besides, come spring you will be glad you did.

Here's Looking at You

Did you ever notice your dawgs look at you with adoration in their eyes? You can tell you are loved. It's genuine and quite nice.

If you are sad they try to take care of you. It's amazing.

I find the Havanese so intuitive.

They are also great troubleshooters and sometimes too smart for their own good or is that our good. hahahaha Can you tell, I love them!

Cuddles & Snow

The dawgs are missing Whitney. It's strange. They sniff her spots as if to say where is she. I miss her too.

I wish I lived somewhere that dawgs live as long as humans and you could have as many as you want as long as they don't irritate the neighbours, are loved, groomed and well taken care of.

Too many dogs don't have homes. Good ones are not always easy to find.

Grooming is difficult. I need to wash a few dogs but keep waiting for the hand to get better. I am a tad crazy. I look at the dawgs and I can't handle them not being brushed and knot free.

Well, I am going to rest the hand and hope tomorrow is a better day. Catch you then. Dawgs are really enjoying the cuddles and the snow!

Hard to Groom

It was a hard day to groom as I slipped and fell yesterday and I believe I sprained my wrist. Needless to say, I did a half job but I bet you that you couldn't tell. Hopefully tomorrow my hand cooperates and we get back to doing what we normally do or I will be shaving them down....nah

Catch you tomorrow!

Nah Nah Nah

Red loves to tease. He has such a personality and he can't help himself.

He found the new snow delightful and so did the rest of the crew.

I have never been to the UK but I don't think snow is the usual in England except in the mountains. I may be wrong but Raylan and Red best get their fill as soon they will be departing and learning to bark with a different accent.

We had a roaring grand time with the snow and it's supposed to snow all week but me, I fell on my head and hurt my grooming hand. Now this is going to be fun - NOT.

Snow Squalls

I have more photos from our weekend visitors but I won't resize and post them till tomorrow. All our human and their canine friends are keeping warm from the snow squalls in their own home today. Us, we are playing recovery from the busy-ness. We enjoy it so but we do think we are getting old as we get tired. ha

I said I would take a break from grooming but I didn't.

Next weekend Raylan is in a show so between baths that are due and his getting ready for a show, it will be a busy weekend next week.

So we are taking a moment to exhale and then the busy-ness happens again.

I bet you that you can relate with all this holiday shopping and festivities. Take your own moment to exhale. It's important to seek balance!

Some Busy Weekend

We have had lots of visitors, human and canine alike this weekend and tomorrow afternoon I think we will all take a snooze. Yeah right...

Siblings got to see each other, old canine friends got to visit and the human owners got to visit. It was great though I must admit I am totally tired.

It used to be that December was a crazy boarding month for us but now we just have friends drop in to say hello, visit, catch-up so we don't lose touch completely. Thank you to those that have allowed us stolen moments to play catch-up and click a few photos for memories.

We really love having people reconnect with us, drop in, say hello and allow us to cuddle with their precious ones. Check out our moments from today.

Visitors

Yvonne was in town to meet a potential puppy buyer with her dawgs and pups. We are friends and help each other out. Her house is mine and visa versa. Our house was just closer for these potential buyers (yes they got a pup) and they got to see the dad, the grandma and hang out and hey I got to hug and snuggle with Yvonne's pups - yum!

This is one of her cuties.

It is really important to socialize puppies, adults always. We had a lot of dawgs here today and it reminded me why I used to board. It is that critical exposure to other dogs that lend a comfort ability that is necessary for a dawg to become balanced.

Here is an excerpt on socializing from an article I had written.

By socializing, we help our dogs learn how to cope and respond, in a healthy and acceptable manner, to the spectrum of people, animals, places and things they might encounter in this world. We also practice a word association to help our dogs relax when they encounter something different.

By exposing our dogs to different kinds of people, we as owners, can help create a balanced dog. What we do makes a difference. Everything from dog obedience classes to vet visits to walks in the park, to visiting our home and other people's homes, can help them develop confidence and ease. This goes a long way in helping them become stable and balanced in the face of unsettling situations.

Socialization does not end at puppyhood. It is a lifetime adventure that will lead you into making new friends and much laughter and joy with your addition. In the book "The Other End of the Leash", applied animal behaviorist Dr. Patricia McConnell talks about "juvenile-onset shyness", a period in adolescence when dogs become more cautious and perhaps aggressive towards people and animals who are unfamiliar to them. If this aggression is due to a lack of experiences in adolescence or early adulthood, one way to prevent it would be to continue socialization well into adulthood. We embrace this and have seen it create positive results.

So socialize but do it in a safe way!

Taking Photos

Ever take a photograph and someone is doing something you don't want? Well, with the Havanese all you have to do is keep on clicking as they always seem to be dong something that you want to remember.

Sure they may squint like in this photograph or maybe they got dirty or ... but isn't that something you want to laugh about for years to come?

When taking photos for holiday cards, you can get them done professional but you can also do them yourself. Just try your hand at being creative. Have fun and enjoy!

In a couple of months Raylan will be off to England so we are doing a lot of memory keeping with him and click, clicking away. The same goes with Red. We will miss them but they will be loved dearly in their forever home. We know that.

Today was a funny day for the dawgs. I got them playing retrieve every chance I got. We got a lot of cuddles in and I am tired today. But I doubt they want t go to bed like me. hahahaha

Lessons Learned - A Mark in Life

Yesterday, in the pouring rain I had to take Whitney in to get put down. She hadn’t been eating for several days and she was vomiting. She was down to 48 lbs. That is very tiny for a golden. She had lost 20lbs. All the way there I had to listen to her choking and trying to breath. It was one of the hardest and it felt the longest trips. Mixed that in with the last time I went to the vet we had lost a puppy – our 2 ouncer that wasn’t meant to be. The other I was supplementing gained 3 ounces since we started eating food – oh my. She is almost 2lb at 4.3 days. She will be fine. Save one, not another. One was meant to be and the other not, I suppose.

We all arrive at the rainbow bridge eventually. Intellectually you know this. Your heart still breaks. Whitney was an exercise as lessons learned. She taught me to be more patient, understanding, to go for it despite everyone saying she will never be more than a broken fearful dog. I can’t begin to tell you how many trainers told us just to love her and it will never be better. They were wrong. It took walking her next to traffic 8 times a day and walking by that dog on the other side of the fence and peeing on couches and not getting angry – just getting a new couch and putting waterproof coverings on it – just understanding fear and having a strong desire to release her from those constraints. On and on she had so many issues and we are not give up people. When she stopped walking 2 years ago Nathan took her in the pool several times a day and exercised her legs. She began to walk again.

She transformed into a happy dog and I am pleased that she graced me with learning about fears, how to eradicate them by slow conditioning and what true unconditional love is about.

There will never be another quite like her but her memories and lessons will remain for a lifetime. I am better due to her. We are all better if we allow our dawgs to teach us what we often don't take the time to learn.

Life is too busy...too hard...too everything but they live in the moment and a broken dog can become whole with love and patience and time. Maybe if we took 5 minutes each day to connect with someone else's fears, feelings, loss etc something special would happen to us.

We would suddenly be better than if we didn't take the time. Life is memories to treasure. You can choose to make them special or not. Life sometimes gets in the way but suddenly you arrive at your own rainbow bridge without leaving a mark. Now that's the real crime.

Breathe... get past your own issues and connect and care and love with your dawg - with your family, your partner etc. Life is too short not to and what is the alternative? You will mourn missed moments.

We have so many memories and if I had to say what created that glint in her eye that you would see here and there – it was the puppies. She LOVED them so. It was as if they transformed her.

Allow your dawgs and your loved ones to transform you. They are worth it! All you have to do is try and want to.

I think I have had all but an hour of sleep quite literally. I took her bowl out to feed her and then put it away. I am beyond sad.

It's Raining

Today I drove to our vet and held Whitney as she took her last breath. It's moments like this that you wonder how life can be so short for our pals that give us so much.

I am not even sure how I made it back but I think the rain was pouring off my face inside my car. But I won't bore you with my sadness.

What did Whitney teach me in her short life? Patience, unconditional love and that being broken can be turned around. Whitney was a rescue with a heart of gold.

We never put so much into a dawg as we did her trying to turn her around and rid her mind of fears and we were successful with much work. She was happy. Her only residual fear was thunderstorms and even that was minimal as the years went by. She taught me that when others tell you something is impossible, go for it as it may not be so.

She is already sorely missed. Our gentle soul that adored the puppies all the way to the end.

Why Do Dogs Nest?

Dogs "dig" at the ground or on a bed to create themselves a den. It's also why they turn around before curling up to sleep at times.

Canine moms also create a den for their impending brood up to 24 hours before they give birth. They know before we know.

Is it instinct or a learned behavior?

They say instinct but when you watch moms, they do show the little ones what to do so perhaps it is a little bit of both?

The dawgs had a wonderful day today getting groomed, playing retrieve and doing a hunt and seek game.

Another Dusting?

Did you know if we get wet snow your havanese can get snowballs that form on their legs and tummy?

The quickest way to remove them is to just run them under warm water but then you have to dry them and brush them.

Next way is to take a brush and brush them out and then dry.

Another way is to put a jacket with legs on them and avoid it all. hehehehe

Or just enjoy the season and laugh about it. I do!

Closer to England

Nathan went out to Lindsay and Raylan won Winner's dog and Best Puppy in Breed getting him closer to that championship so he can go to England.

The roads were treacherous but they went, they won and now they get to chill till tomorrow.

We are so proud of the little man but let's see how proud he is when I have to bathe him again tomorrow morning before he goes. At least he's on later in the day.

PS: We won't tell you the stories of the missing dress shoes and how Nathan was on the hunt.

One has to plan these things AHEAD of time.

We went tp Woofstock and I have to say I like the summer one MUCH better. Less vendors at this one, too crowded and dogs peeing everywhere in close quarters. We ended up buying a huge bed rrom Mammoth. That's all.

Big and Little Dogs

 Do big and little dogs get along? Depends ... Absolutely! You see it depends on the dawgs.

I find big and little relationships fascinating.

Do Havanese know other Havanese? Yep!

Well tomorrow Nathan is going to a show with Nathan so I am off to wash Raylan.

Me, I am staying home and doing dawgs and pups. What about you?

Bella Goes to Forever Home

Bella is a puppy from our Kat and our friend Paula's Teaser. She was here to go to her forever home and she left tonight. This saves her new owners a drive to Sudbury.

I work with Paula on the Rescue committee and we just had 2 rescues come in that need adopting. Check them out. They are not at our home as they usually are as we have been told we have a bylaw limit of dawgs (no more rescues or boarding) so we are attempting to find foster homes and forever homes as quickly as possible. It's VERY tough.

So, if you know of someone interested, please let me know. I will hook you up with our foster home parent and she will tell you more about them. She will have the day to day with them and will know them best.

Well, we are already missing Bella and so is Raylan and Red. It's already so very quiet around this place.

I do love the puppies sooooo and you all know Nathan does too!

Remember, if you are getting a puppy, be aware during the teething stage to stop the play when they nibble on you, and over emphasize the ouch. They are babies learning from you.

As always, if you need anything, and questions, just ask. We are always glad to help. Without the dawgs we would not be who we are nor be fulfilled.

Baths Today

Mommy is losing it. She thinks I need another bath but I swear I got one last week. She says she is going to look it up.

So when she put that apron on, I went outside and decided I was going to stay there. It's not that I dislike baths as I do get a nice massage and treats and Mommy one on one time but I have better things to do, don't you know?

If you were a dawg how often would you want to be washed? Mommy says as soon as we feel or look dirty.

Baer Testing

What is Baer Testing? it's a hearing test. We have never had a deaf puppy but we still check the pups. Deafness can happen from the environment, nutrition, genetics - so many reasons and rather complicated but testing is important to evaluate the pup and it allows us as breeders to make decisions based on what we know, not what we assume.

Two pups from our friend Paula is here as they were in for Baer testing. In Sudbury, where Paula is from you have to wait for clinics or drive 10 hours round trip but here in Toronto we are blessed with having someone local.

One of the pups will be going back to Sudbury as soon as we can make travel arrangements and the other is going to her forever home (her name is Bella) on Thursday. We are excited for her. These are our Kat's and Paula's Teaser pups. One of the pups is going back to Paula as a show potential after her adventure here getting a test done and getting to socialize with the other dawgs. We will miss these two and so will Red.

We now have a date in March for Raylan to make his way to England and then it will be Red's turn. Talk about missing.... These pet passports from Defra are so complicated.

But they will be loved!