Category Archives: puppies
monday, monday…
Time for another round-up post!
My weekend is Sunday/Monday – at least in the off-season. When tourist time rolls around we are open all week, and who knows what will befall me. I like to set aside one day to take a ton of pictures (because it’s good for my soul) if the weather is nice. Today the sun was warm and lovely, even if the wind was brisk. Here are a few from my yard session and my walk with Ella later on.
View the full album here.
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Whiskey, growing up like a dream!
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Ella tries to talk Ian out of his hard-won stick.
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Magnum prepares to pounce.
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There were no pictures of Elli, as she chose to sit on the porch and look disgusted while everyone ran around and chewed on sticks.
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Ella is in love with Whiskey. I don’t know if it’s Whiskey herself, or if it’s because Whiskey is a puppy. Ella has always liked puppies, and likes them more since she had some of her own.
Well, she likes her until…
…she tries to steal her stick…
…!!!
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There is a great nature trail a quarter of a mile from the house. It’s been impassable most of the winter because it’s shaded by timber and the snow doesn’t melt. I can’t wait for warm weather, to hike it every day.
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Under the category of puppy updates, the Rush x Ella babies (a.k.a. the mostly “Astronomy” litter – Valentine had to be funny, and mine, no matter what kind of star name I tried to give her, or how I tried to give her away) are growing up.
Rook (Hagaren’s Wandering Star) continues to be goofy…
“My ice. Mine.” (Narration by Brianna.)
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…Leeloo (Hagaren’s Blue Moon) continues to be beautiful…
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…and Caity (Hagaren Regent Calico Sky) has a new blue puppy to keep her busy.
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I am planning to go South next weekend to look at Joanna’s new Daisy Poppy babies, and to spend a little time with my own. I love having grandpuppies!
Valentine loving on Brian.
And Ollie getting in on the kisses, too.
Brian is Kathy and Jim’s son, and Ollie’s “official” owner. He is also (apparently) the most popular young man in the world. I swear I get more hits from Google because his name is listed as Ollie’s owner than I do from people searching for dog-related things!
Karen posted some current photos of Brady, Ella’s next husband, and I stole them from her Facebook feed. She says he was out playing with the sheep, and went straight from the pasture to the table. Valentine and Ollie are the first dogs I have owned with correct coats, and Brady is the same. I have to say, I may become a coat nut!
And, lastly but not leastly, a big congratulations to Carolyn Cannon and Mandy Katasse, whose boy Pilot (GCH C-Myste Baledwr Free To Disagree) went Best of Breed at Westminster today. He brought a whole cheering squad with him from all over the country, and it seems to have worked! Carolyn and Mandy bred my own foundation dog, Golem, as well as his sister Blue. They are the most wonderful people, and I am so glad they have been blessed with this amazing experience! They must still feel like they are dreaming.
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As of this writing they have not gone to group, but I know there will be many people sitting in front of their TVs tonight, cheering Pilot on.
the next step
I had been planning to post my breeding plan sometime soon, and then Joanna went and announced her lineup, so I will just have to look like a dirty copycat. ;)
I had planned to repeat my Rush litter, since I have been so happy with his babies, but then I moved far enough away that driving Ella down to Alabama wasn’t a comfortable option anymore, and if you think I am made insane by dog shows, let’s not think about what a stress-ball shipping chilled semen would make of me. I also thought it might be a good idea to see what another stud dog could do for her. Eggs not all in one basket. That sort of thing.
I have pretty much scoured the earth for black stud dogs. I looked at several when I was at the 2010 National (which is where I got to look at Rush all grown up, and decided to go with him), and after much debate (and annoying of friends) I have settled on one of the other contenders from that time.
Next time Ella will go to Brady, GCH Woodrose Whip Up A Rumor. Brady is bred by Karen Lyons, and owned by Karen’s sister, Cheryl Mulcahey. The photo on his Cardiped page is outdated, taken when he won back-to-back group placements as a nine-month-old puppy. I was supposed to take photos of him in Fitchburg a few weeks ago, but he had a girl waiting for him down south, and ran off to be with Granny Karen for a few months to chase sheep and special a little in preparation for the National. I do have a few not-the-most-greatest photos, which I took of him ringside at the 2010 National, where you can at least see how he matured. Cheryl says she will pester Karen to take some more.
Brady is a handsome dog who brings Ella: a better shoulder and better shoulder placement; a beautiful deep keel; ample neck; a strong topline; a good front; and a hard, correct coat. The line-breeding will be primarily on Fudge (the same line-breeding as I did with Rush and the reason, I suspect, that I was able to improve Ella’s front), with BJ and Inky (both ROM producers) a little father back in the pedigree.
Brady is OFA Good, PRA clear, and DM clear. He is a fluff carrier, and so is Ella, so we will probably get some coats. I think we will only get brindle points. Brady is a half-sibling, through their dam, to Dawn’s Ian and Elli, and Dawn showed him towards most of his Grand Champion points.
I am shooting to do the breeding May-ish, but that will depend on what it looks like work is going to do (Summer is the busy season), what money is like, if I have enough people on my waiting list, and everything else lining up. If everything isn’t perfect I will push it back until her winter heat. I do not plan to keep anything from this litter, which means I will be looking for someone to co-own my show puppies with me. And I will have pet puppies available, of course.
Half of me hopes I get something nice. The other half hopes it’s just a bunch of fluffy pets, because this show puppy thing is rough. My first litter – all pets – was so much easier…
Right now I am thinking I may go back to my “Table of Ellaments” theme for this litter, as it was a lot of fun and I didn’t get to use it. Hagaren’s Nickle and Dime has a nice ring to it. Dawn suggested that last time, and I thought it was adorable. There will probably have to be a Hagaren’s Mercury Blues, too. ;)
