Happy, Happy!

We had a nice, quiet Christmas with family and the dogs. They all got bully sticks to chew on, Mr. Darcy enjoyed his in a sunny spot in the yard. Not as cold today as it has been, no frost on the surrounding rooftops this morning.

It's Snow Time for Fiona!

Here's a pic of Fiona, (Hermione's daughter, Mr. Darcy's sis) who lives in Connecticut. According to her owner, Barb, she loves the snow. That's a good thing since the weather report is saying they are going to have lots of it for Christmas!

A New Start for Tina

On Saturday, Mom and I took RJ, Meg and Tina Sparkle to Long Beach to the AKC/Eukanuba show. Tina Sparkle went to meet a couple who were interested in her. RJ and Meg went to work in the Cardigan Meet the Breeds booth. Tina met the new people, (Roula and Hugh) and left midday for her new home in Irvine. It's always hard to let them go, especially when they've been family members for years, (4 in Tina's case) but now she'll get to be the one and only, and I'm sure she'll love having all the attention focused solely on her!
Meg and RJ had fun in the Cardi booth, mostly Meg, who sat for countless photos of her "huge ears". RJ enjoys it to a certain extent, but is easily over excited by all the noise, dogs, people and all that is associated with a huge show. It rained most of Saturday, and all the way home, too, coming down very hard in some areas. Our friend, Diane, and her smooth Dachshund, Francis, accompanied us to the show. Francis worked the Dachsie booth which was conveniently just across the aisle from the Cardi booth.
On Sunday we headed down again, (Mom, me, RJ, Meg, Mr. Darcy and Oliver) for the second day of the show. RJ and Meg showed on Sunday. RJ was WD, no competition so no point, and Meg was Reserve. Both showed well so that was good. I had great fun watching our friend Liisa show her Pem, Shelley to Best of Breed (and best of winners and best bred by) from the classes. She looked very pretty, and showed very well. She's only 17 months old, but deserved her win over quite a few specials. Shelley and Mr. Darcy have the same father, Chance. (Ch. Twinan Another Chance for Salvenik). I also got to show a Parson Russell Terrier, Sailor and was very proud of how well he showed for me. He's just a baby, too, only 19 months or so, but we made the cut in a big class of specials so I was quite pleased. His sister, Poppit, was awarded Best Opposite and Best Bred by, which was a real thrill for Debra and Kathy. Sunday's weather was much nicer, so the drive down and back was not nearly as stressful as on Saturday.

A Bad Hair Day!

I hadn't combed Tina Sparkle out for awhile, and noticed today that she had a tuft on her flank. So, I got out the comb and started combing. This is what I got off of her in 10 or so minutes!
It was quite incredible! Amazing how much hair one little dog can have. Maybe tomorrow she'll get a bath, as I have to bathe Meg for the Thursday show. I have some new shampoo samples to try from Isle of Dogs.

Happy Birthday, Gryffin!

It's Mr. Gryffin's 5th birthday today! He and the silly puppies were out in the yard, watching our neighbors put up their Christmas lights. I was resetting six of the pavers as I noticed they were a bit lower and we've got rain forecast for tomorrow. I don't want a big puddle to form, so I raised six of them up a bit to see if it helps. RJ sat still long enough for a picture, as did his Grandpa Gryffin, but Meg was her usual busy self and wouldn't sit still long enough for me to get a decent shot. Oh well. It's getting quite gray here, looks like the weather man may actually be correct in his prediction of rain. Might even rain on and off all week long, which could mean heading down to Long Beach in less than stellar weather for the AKC/Eukanuba show.

Group 4!

Here's Mr. Darcy, posing after his group 4 at the Antelope Valley KC show on Nov. 1st. I don't love Meg's pic, and haven't received RJ's yet, so nothing else to post picture-wise.
I'll try and take some of the silly puppies later today. Meg continues to exasperate, she's now managed to get two pairs of my reading glasses off the dining room table and chew them to uselessness. Both RJ and Meg are entered at the big AKC/Eukanuba show in mid-December, in Long Beach. We'll go down on Sat. and work in the Cardigan Meet the Breeds booth, then show on Sunday. Should be fun.

So cute!

Here is a recent pic of Charlie's boys. Lee, who will be staying with Anne (and Charlie) is on the right. He's a clone of Mr. Darcy, (their uncle) and I can't wait to see him as he matures.
I just wish they were close so I could see them in person.

Another Fun Dog Show Weekend!

No pictures yet, but we did have several taken at the shows in Pomona over Halloween weekend. Mom, Amy, and I took Meg, RJ, Mr. Darcy, Decker and Oliver to the shows at the Fairplex. On Saturday, Amy and Oliver attempted Rally Excellent for the first time, and were successful, earning a leg toward Oliver's RE title. He earned his RA title the weekend before! Oliver was also entered in Novice Obedience, but didn't get a Q in that class on Saturday. I showed RJ, Meg and Decker. RJ was Winners Dog, and then Best of Winners for a three point major for his first points. Meg won her class and Decker was third of four. Later in the day Mr. Darcy showed, and was Best Opposite. His cousin, Robert, recently arrived from England, was Winners Dog! We all spent the night and started in again on Sunday, with Meg taking the honors by going Winners Bitch for a three point major! She now has five points. Mr. Darcy was Best of Breed (about 30 Pembrokes shown) and then thrilled us by placing fourth in the Herding group, shown by Barb Hughes, since I developed a nosebleed just before the group judging. (air just too darn dry this past week) Oliver was also triumphant, earning a leg towards his Novice obedience title (he now has two and needs one more to title). I'm so proud of both Oliver and Amy. I'll post pictures when they arrive.

Match Fun

On Saturday, Mom, and I, accompanied by friends Amy and Christi, headed down to Featherly Park in Anaheim Hills for the PWCCSC/CWCCSC match. It's a practice dog show, and boy do we need to practice. We took Meg and RJ, both of whom don't really see the need to walk nicely on a show lead, and Oliver and Redford, both of whom are well trained dogs, who of course do not live with me!
Amy has been doing many fun things with Oliver, and at this match she practiced in Advanced Rally and Novice Obedience, doing well enough in Novice Obedience to end up high scoring Pembroke for the match!!! Christi has trained Redford to do things like sit, stay, down, etc, but hasn't done any formal trials with him, but jumped right in and entered him in Novice Rally, Novice obedience and the Canine Good Citizen test. He did very well, and got a qualifying score in Rally and earned his CGC title!!!!
Mom and I are understandably proud of both Amy and Christi and all they've done for our Rincon dogs. Unfortunately, my camera was misbehaving (memory card error, whatever that means) so I don't have any pictures of Redford, RJ or Oliver. One of our Cardi friends did take one of Meg so I've posted that one. Meg did manage to endear herself to our judge, who awarded her best Cardi puppy in match, which was very fun, as we won a cute crate pad and Cardigan zipper pull. Amy won a cute crate pad and Pembroke zipper pull for her high scoring win.
We got to visit with Kiss Me Kate, Mr. Darcy's sister, who lives in Tustin, and her new buddy, a cute tri rescue Pem named Spencer.
We also got to see two of Salsa's (Tina Sparkle's sis) kids, Diamond and Mark, both look very nice and should do well at the upcoming shows.
I was just out front with both Meg and RJ, practicing walking (not pulling, galloping, grabbing the lead in a mouth or bouncing like Tigger) on show leads and it was actually quite successful. Now to put that into action at the shows over Halloween weekend in Pomona. I've got Decker, Meg, RJ and Mr. Darcy entered there.
Mr. Darcy has big news, as he earned his first group placement, (and my first group placement, too) at the Cabrillo KC show on October 10th. He showed well, and I was very proud of him until he decided to melt on the photo stand, behaving as if he'd never stood for a picture before in his life!

Growing up!

Here are Meg and RJ, taken yesterday. Ears are still big, but their heads are changing a bit as you can see. We are entered next Saturday at the Cabrillo KC show in Del Mar, should be a fun day!

Other Happenings.

Here is a Monarch butterfly, newly hatched from its chrysalis. We have a large milkweed plant and several smaller milkweed plants that the Monarchs come back to each year to lay their eggs. We watch the caterpillars grow and then wait for them to hatch. This year we've had 25 or so, a few years back we counted over 100 all hanging in and around the patio next to the area where the milkweed plants are.

Pupdate!

Another week has passed and it looks like Sherman, Morgan and Lee have made the most of it. They are thriving, and Charlie is being a super mom. I sure wish Florida wasn't so darn far from California!
Red Flag warnings here due to Santa Ana winds and warm temps.

One Week Old.

Here are Charlie's puppies at 1 week old. Sherman, Morgan and Lee. I think I have them mixed up in the post below. They've doubled their birthweight and Anne reports they are getting cuter each day.

Welcome!

Here are Charlie's boys! From the left: Lee, Morgan and Sherman. They all gained a bit overnight, always a good sign. More pics later as a I get them!
Way to go, Charlie!

It's a Boy!

No pictures yet, but Charlie did have her puppies this morning. Five boys, but only three survived. The first was stillborn, the second was stuck, necessitating a trip to the vet's for a c-section. He was dead when they got him out, but the three remaining were all viable so that's good. Charlie was still groggy when Anne called, but was perking up. More later when I get the next report and a picture or two.

Still Waiting....

Anne sent this picture of Charlie a couple of days ago. Five puppies were seen on her x-ray, a nice size litter. I talked with Anne this morning, her temp is dropping, down to 98.7 as of noon, so maybe something will actually start to happen soon, as this is her due date! I wish California was a whole lot closer to Florida right now!

The Waiting Game

Here's Charlie (Rincon Channel Isle Charlotte) trying out her puppy box area while waiting patiently for her puppies to arrive. She's due on Sept. 16th, and is doing very well so far.
Anne will take her in next week for an x-ray, see how many little cuties are expected.

Here's Meg!

Here's Meg's win shot from the Sat. Santa Barbara KC show. I'm very proud of her, and I think the picture shows her off very nicely. (me on the other hand I cropped out, my face was beet red from the heat!) The judge, Miss Joan Luna, was very fun to show to, she had such a fun attitude. We showed at about 1:00 pm on Saturday, and then we waited til Portuguese Water Dogs and Old English Sheepdogs were done before we could take pictures, which was about 2:00. It was so hot in the arena by then, I thought all the OES might just melt!

A Very Fun Weekend at the Dog Show

Friday, Saturday and Sunday were spent in Santa Barbara at the Earl Warren Fairgrounds for the Simi Valley KC (Fri) and the Santa Barbara KC (Sat & Sun) dog shows. Of course, last weekend was a beautiful foggy weekend with nice mild weather, but this weekend was a scorcher with 95 degrees and humidity! There are rings in one of the buildings (no air cond. but large fans) outside on the lawn, and in the big horse arena where they bring in sod and create what can only be called an immense sauna.
Friday I showed Meg and RJ, their dog show debut. RJ bunny hopped his way around the ring but Meg showed well. They were both Reserve Winners. Mr. Darcy was entered, but didn't win, and I also showed Lissa's two Parson Russell Terrier boys, Brew and Dice. Dice won his class, and Brew was Reserve so not bad. Debra and Kathy had their two Parson champions, Sailor and Poppit entered but they didn't do anything. Debra showed two of her Akitas, Zen and Meatball, Meatball was Winners dog for a major, so that was exciting. Another friend, Maryanne, showed her Lhasa Apso, Cosmo, no win, but he showed well.
On Saturday, everyone above showed again, except RJ as I only entered him on Fri/Sun. We also had the Breeders Showcase, which is a new event. Debra and Kathy had Sailor and Poppit entered, Debra had Zen and Meatball entered, and Mom and I had Mr. Darcy and his mom, Hermione entered. The entry had to be two dogs, with at least one breeder in common. I showed Meatball with Debra showing Zen, Kathy took care of the Parson entry and then Debra showed Hermione for me while I showed Mr. Darcy. Judging began at the group level, and there were 27 pairs in the Terrier group, 23 pairs in the Working group (Akitas) and 11 pairs in the Herding group. The other groups (Toys, Sporting, Non-Sporting and Hounds) all had nice entries as well. Each group judge went over the dogs and then made notes about which ones he was considering for placements (1st -4th). That began at 3:45 and after the prelim judging we all had to head down to the arena (sauna) for 6 pm judging. Working and Terriers were towards the beginning, and neither of our groups made the cut. Herding was 5th, and our judge didn't make a cut as there were only 11 pairs to be judged. Normally they point to the winners starting with first place on down, but for this they reversed that for more drama. When our judge (Bill Shelton of Coventry Corgis) pointed to us for first place I was overwhelmed. Not only did we get a beautiful Rosette, but we also got a very nice check which is not a usual dog show prize! Winning first place meant we were in the running for Breeders Showcase Best in Show, but we had to wait until late in the afternoon on Sun to find out who came out on top for that. Debra and her husband Roy, and the dogs had to leave after Parson judging mid-afternoon to get home to their dogs they left at home, so Kathy stayed to show Hermione. She's known her since she was born so that was fun. We didn't win the big prize, that went to a pair of Portuguese Water Dogs from the Working group, but it was a very fun adventure just the same. Amy, Oliver's owner, took the pics of Kathy and me and the ring with Hermione and Mr. Darcy, thanks Amy! And in the regular dog show part of things, Meg was Winners on Sat and on Sun so she now has two points toward her championship, and Oliver, Hermione's son, had a very nice Rally Advanced weekend with a Qualifying score on Sat. for 2nd place and another one on Sun. for first place in his class!! His attempts at Novice Obedience were not as successful, but he sure looks like it won't be long before he does get it right. We also got to see Meg and RJ's aunt Penny (Rincon Three Penny Barcarole RE) who was there to try for a CD leg in obedience, but she didn't qualify.

Some Family Fun

Yesterday, Mom and I drove to Beaumont to my brother's house. Left here at 5:40 am, so we could be at his house before 8:30. Then we all headed up the hill to Idyllwild, to see my niece Amy and nephew Eion perform in Twelfth Night. They had been at Shakespeare camp for two weeks and the performance was the culmination of their time there. It was at the Idyllwild School of the Arts, a gorgeous campus nestled in the pines. The stage was in a small hollow, very informal, and very intimate. Amy was Viola, who is also Cesario. Eion was the Sea Captain Antonio, and another smaller part. The dialogue is modified by one of the instructors, but the feel of the play was there. These are a few pictures I took (my brother Chris took over a thousand!). Amy as Viola, Amy as Cesario with Eion as the Sea Captain, Cesario in a duel towards the end, their big brother Patrick and a friend of his, and the three siblings after the play. Lots of driving but well worth it to see them perform, and enjoy doing it. Got back home at about 6 pm.

Another leg for Oliver!

Amy sent these pics of Oliver, taken on Saturday. He got another Q Sunday in Standard, which is great. He missed a tunnel entrance in Jumpers so didn't qualify, but he did the rest of the run well so that's all good.
RJ and I, plus Mom, Kathy O. and Whitey (Parson) went to Santa Barbara to watch some flyball. I've never been to a flyball tourney, very noisy, but the dogs seem to really enjoy it. There's a lot more strategy involved in getting the team organized than I realized. Quite fun to figure it all out.

Way to Go, Oliver!!!

Here is Amy with Oliver, aka Rincon Oliver Twist RN, after completing their very first agility runs today. Their first run was in Novice Jumpers Preferred and Oliver placed first in the class and ran 10 seconds under course time with a score of 100!. In their Standard Preferred run, they also placed first, with a score of 95, (he overshot the table). It was great fun to watch, I'm sure they'll be a very successful team. Mr. Darcy came with us, and he and Oliver got to play after the Jumpers run and after the Standard run. They are such goofy boys. Kathy and Wyatt came along, too, and Wyatt enjoyed his day out as well. Yesterday the silly Cardi puppies were 6 months old, where does the time go? RJ and Meg are entered at the upcoming Simi Valley and Santa Barbara KC shows at the end of August in Santa Barbara. Should be fun!

A Beautiful Day

We spent Saturday and Sunday (July 25/26) in Lompoc at the Lompoc KC shows. I showed Mr. Darcy and went Best of Breed on Saturday, nothing on Sunday. I also helped show a friend's Parson Russell Terriers and won on Saturday as well. Our Lhasa friend, Cosmo, was Best of Breed on Saturday, too. RJ and Meg are pictured chewing on their bully sticks, captured in the rare moment that Meg was allowing RJ to actually chew on his. Most of the time she had both sticks and wouldn't let him near either one of them! Last night we went to handling class in Santa Barbara, we still need lots of work before we are ready to debut at the Santa Barbara shows at the end of August. 5 1/2 months is a very silly age!

Away I go!

Here's Freckles, she went to her new home on Sunday. She now resides in San Luis Obispo with Ryan and Marnina. (and a cat, which I'm sure she'll get used to)
We miss her, but are excited for her new life.

Pretty as a Picture!

Here's Decker, on the 4th of July, after going Winner's Bitch for her first major. She is somewhat out of coat in this pic, but has way more coat than she does now. We showed outdoors in the lovely sunshine on Friday and Sunday, but indoors on the 4th, hence the rather dark pic. She won on Sunday, too, but it was only 2 points so I didn't have a picture taken.

A new beginning!

This is Charlie, who now lives in Florida. She was bred yesterday to a dog named Bernard, who has produced some very pretty puppies so far. Charlie's Mom, Anne, and I are hopeful that Charlie will produce a nice litter. I can't wait to see if she is successful in that endeavor.
Freddie is embarking on a new adventure today. She's moving to Montecito, to live with a couple who have been trying to get me to part with her since December. Mom and I decided to let her go, and we hope all will go well. They live on a golf course, and every day the driving range closes in the afternoon and becomes a dog park for the residents. Not too shabby a situation.
Charlie and Freddie are sisters!

We Can Hardly Wait!

It's almost Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince time, and I can hardly wait. Brian and friends are going to the midnight show tomorrow night, so are Katie, Kit and Creig. Mom and I will go early Wed. morning, I think there's a 9:30 showing in Ventura we'll try to get into. I may put Brian onto ordering tickets online tonight.
No grand dog news to report, although I did get a nice call from the dark boy's new family. He's now Major, and is the love of their lives. Now if I could find homes for the remaining two girls who need places, I'd be very happy. Here's a pic I took of Freckles and Morgan a week or so ago.

Dog shows in Ventura

We spent the long weekend at dog shows in Ventura. Wednesday was set up day, we drove down and set up the EZ-up and the xpens, grooming table and chairs. Thursday was salon day, baths for Decker and Mr. Darcy, nails dremeled, coats blown dry. We packed up the van with all the other stuff we'd need, and headed down Friday morning for 8 am Parson Russell Terrier ring time. I helped our friend Lissa show her Parsons, then went and put the puppies in the xpen. 9 am was Cardigan judging, 10 am was Pembroke judging. Decker showed well, Mr. Darcy showed well, but no wins for us. We spent the rest of the day watching other breeds, chatting with friends and talking to folks about Corgis and Parsons and such.
Saturday morning, we headed down again (only a 20 minute drive which is so nice) and showed at 8 am. Decker was Winners Bitch for a 3 point major, which is very fun. Her uncle Redford came over to watch with his person, Christi. Then dashed off to see if help was needed with Parsons, and then back to the ring for Pembrokes. Mr. Darcy showed well, but no win. We watched our friend MaryAnn show her Lhasa Apso, Cosmo. I don't envy them showing all that coat in the wind! We also watched our friend Amy show Oliver, a Hermione son, in Rally Novice A and he got his third leg for his Rally title, he's now Rincon Oliver Twist, RN! Lissa's Parson, Ellie also got her title, so a good day in the Rally ring.
Sunday Parsons were at 8, Lhasas at 9:30 and Pems/Cardis at 1:35. Decker was triumphant again, only 2 points but I'll take it. Oliver and Ellie got insurance legs in Rally and Cosmo got a major reserve. Mr. Darcy didn't show, but he went along for the ride. Friday and Saturday we took the puppies, and they enjoyed meeting and greeting all the folks who stopped by to see them and marvel at how big Meg's ears are!