Thursday 29 November 2012

Fadi

There's been all sort of stories/gossip in the paper. From what we can see this is the truth .... Fadi's father sadly pass away last week & he went to Lebanon for the funeral. He's now back in London and I't seems that it was Tuesday night he was a passenger in a cab that was involved in an accident. George was not with him in the cab. Fadi went to the hospital on Wednesday to get checked out & reported on FB that he was fine & just needed to rest for a few days.
News that Fadi was in a Clinical coma after the accident are grossly inaccurate. The power of the press eh!!!

Monday 26 November 2012

Results

 
Louis' blood results have shown that he is NOT anaemic! There are some borderline changes in the white blood cells, but nothing too drastic. So what is causing him to be so pale? Maybe just lack of nurishment as he's not absorbing the nutrients from his food? I don't know I'm just surmising!
Ah well .... Plod on!!!

Sunday 25 November 2012

Friday, Saturday and Sunday


Friday was Louis vet check day. With vet Jill away I booked to see Rachel. I find it hard when I don't have the consistency of seeing the same vet but decided to go in with the hope that a fresh pair of eyes would be of benefit to us. I didn't weigh him, I decided Ostrich scenario would suite me just this once .. hell I just didn't want to know. I had noticed over the last month that Louis' testicles and the inside of his ears had got quite white. Rachel agreed that he was "Pale" but said it's no surprise really. To be honest other than a conversation about a bowel biopsy no further suggestions were offered, (Something we have discussed at length with Jill) but we did decide to have a quick blood test done to find out the type and degree of anaemia. As ever Louis was a star, having his neck shaved and blood taken without ant fuss ..but he did scream blue murder when he saw the b12 injection coming towards him!!!!
On Saturday with the Blanik bus loaded we travelled to the Wigan for a fantastic meet up with friends at The Southport and Birkdale K.A show. For the second time this year the Blanik clan were consistently last in every class .. bar Jezi who was 4th but with only Ziva behind her. (I think the first time since May that Jezi has beaten Ziva) When we win we win well .. when we loose well you get my drift!. The judge was kind enough to say that she preferred Jezi's hard overline, which I agree with but she though Jezi had a better front than Ziva. That I strongly dispute!!! Both girls are adorable, but chalk and cheese really. Anyway I'm proud to have bred and own both, I'm proud of who they are growing up to be and proud of their achievements to date!
Sprenger Sieger Show Collar As we sat having lunch I over heard the judge discussing Nico with his handler. Though I was 2 tables away I thought "Sod it, they are talking about my dog ... I'm going over there!" The judge said how much she had adored him and that he was stunning in stance. But she felt he pulled too hard on the move making his hind quarters look unsound. I agree, but I also think that compared to 2 months ago his hind quarters have improved no end. She suggested I pull him out of the ring and allow plenty of free running for a few more months. If she only knew the life he's having now, and I only entered because she was a breed judge. My intention had always been to start showing him at Manchester Ch in January. Maybe I should have stuck to plan A then! Something else she pointed out was that he pulled his neck back when moving. Surprisingly she seemed to know some of his background, including the name of his owner abroad! Anyway she felt a prong pulling collar may had been used on him which makes me cringe. Yes he does pull his neck back in the ring, I had noticed that but had no idea what could have caused it!I have nothing but huge respect for his breeder for going to get him back when she did! No one will EVER mistreat this beautiful dog again!
Sunday we woke up to a beautiful morning, stunning winter sunshine. As we walk the mountain I realise again that as much as we love the shows this is what having dogs is all about. The show team wet through with a couple of individuals covered in mud! Louis having the time of his life, god knows were his energy comes from but he's bloody determined to keep up with the young and healthy!
Yeah I love my show days, I love to see them win and I love them no less for loosing. (To be honest, it's good for us to loose sometimes and after the successful year we've had it certainly keeps us grounded!) But really there is no doubt, the pleasure I get from watching them free running on the mountains is just a cut about the rest.

Wednesday 21 November 2012

We Still Have Winter Sunshine

But the forcast for tomorrow is awful
Louis and Finlay

Nico

Asha, Tali, Ziva and Mikey

Jezi beating up Nico

Tuesday 20 November 2012

Video's

Just a couple of short Videos taken on our blustery wet mountain today :)
Facebook where I originally posted the Video's have increased their size ...these are huge!!!
 
Nico tormenting Jezi, Little Louis trying to join in and Finlay watching someone else walking a dog!

" target="_blank">

Mikey and Ziva playing tug. Tali butting in and Asha running around with the banana toy!

Monday 19 November 2012

New Header ...

How many GSD's do you recognise? (God I hope I haven't missed anyone. Chino(Jake) is not there as I haven't got any photos of him online :( )  ...... PS No prizes for guessing Finlay!!!!!

Sunday 18 November 2012

Individual Photos at the Lake


Tali
Mikey
Asha
Ziva
Nico

Louis
Finlay
Jezi

No Twittering From George


Thanks for pointing out that there was an error on the twitter gadget on the top of the page .. I though maybe George's silence was affecting it!  Anyway this is the message connected to the link, (the same message connected to the flicker photo's link which I had to delete a year or so ago!) "We are sorry, this gadget appears to be broken. This gadget has errors and cannot be used until fixed." Ah well no George twitters, but I've added a "Followers" and Facebook/twitter link to the right hand side of the page. Please don't let me be a saddo with only one follower!!! lol

Thursday 15 November 2012

Just Good Friends

Jezi and Nico
Jezi - "Aww .. so rude someone bit my bum!"
Nico - "it wasn't me!"
 Jezi - "Listen boy, less of your cheek!"
"Haha ... no telling the boy!!!"

November Sun

Stunning, my favourite kind of day :)

Louis, Finlay, Nico and Jezi
 
Asha, Ziva, Mikey and Tali

Wednesday 14 November 2012

No Fat Jokes Please!!!!!


The diet's not going very well!!!
Yes he's overweight ... but he doesn't care and god he makes me smile.
These photo's taken last night so I can even blame the fact that he ate half of Jezi's breakfast this morning!
He scooped it out of her closed crate paw full by paw full ..
.. I guess he has as much will power as I do

Sunday 11 November 2012

No Barking ... it's a Dog Show!!!

Strange day for me at Rhyl Canine Society. Got there at 10.20 ish, went in and said "Hi" to my friends. Had a wee and a cuppa and went to get Mikey and Jezi from the van. Took them for a wee and got back into the Leisure about 10.50-55ish only to be told there had been a complaint about my dogs, because ... wait for it .... they were barking in the van!!!! I'm Gobsmacked and hurt that another show exhibitor should complain about my dogs barking at a dog show of all places!!! Mikey was BOB but not a smell in the group again :( ....thanks to my lovely friends for cheering me up during the day, shouldn't let these things get to me but being the over sensitive little soul that I am .... sadly I do!

Saturday 10 November 2012

Liverpool Kennel Association And Kai In Derby

 The artificial light at the Leisure centre in St Helens was awful today.
 All the photos are orange. Even I look like Rylan without the beard!!!!
Not wanting to look like an advert for tango I found my only solution was to make the photos black and white. After travelling it was a disappointing entry for the breed, indeed for the show. Mine stood alone in their breed classes with Mikey getting BOB. Sadly no luck in the group ... so we are still waiting for that point!!!!


Absolutely lovely photo of Kai, Asha and Mikey's brother.
Just too good not too share.
Thanks John ... can you see what I've done??

Wednesday 7 November 2012

Mr Michael

Your Silence Is Deafening ...
But I Do hope your resting and healing

Blanik Connor

RIP Sharpy
22.1.99 - 24.10.12
Chanask Jamiroquai x Lledfegin Camri
Goodbye to Nikki's last son.
Truly an end of a "Blanik" era.
 
 

 Thanks to his owners Ken and Norma for loving him for all of his life.
Sharpy, to us you were our Little "Tank Man,"
 - You Have Been Loved

Tuesday 6 November 2012

Guess What I Forgot??

Jamie's Happy Designated Birthday day!!!
(Oct the 4th)
Never mind we'll celebrate On Dec the 4th - the day he arrived!
Back in 2009 - he was a little star!!

Now three years on ... and he's a bloody big star!!!
No fat jokes please!
Jamie" Oi Mikey Mikey ... they fourgotin me nappy birffday day!"
Mikey went on and said Noffing!!!!

Monday 5 November 2012

Hips and Elbows

Well it's that time, I hate it .. but it needs doing and I couldn't afford to do both together. So about 4 weeks ago I tossed a coin and took Jezi to have her hips and elbows scored. Her elbows looked great, apparently, but I had big doubts over her left hip. It looked really poor to me.(But what do I know??) I sent a photo of the hips in a MMM to a friend in the know and she immediately replied saying Jezi had not been positioned correctly...In the mean time the vet had seen the plates and came to the conclusion that the positioning was wrong!!! A small sigh of relief. The next plate was much better but the left hip still looked poor in comparisom to the right. Even I could seen the ball was smaller and not placed as comfortably in the socket.... but you pay your money and take your chance .. crossing everything the plates were sent off!
Today we have the results .. Elbows 0-0, the best score possible. Hips 6-12. the right hip being 6 and the left 12. I have mixed feelings, I hoped they would be better but after seeing the plates feared they would be much worse. The total of 18 pleases me tremendously but I'd be much happier if they were, say 9 -9.  (or something similar) I must admit I expected the left hip to be around 16, so I need to stop thinking about it and be happy with the score, especially considering she still fits into the criteria for a Breed Survey Class 1 Certificate....the top survey cetificate available. (53-53 is the max score and this is Hip displaysia  0-0 is H.D completly free)

But I have to just throw this into the mix.... Nikki's hips 7-7, Dexi's hips 2-3. Seffe's hips 6-5, Jay 7-9, Kai 3-4 all pretty even with Dexi's hips being pretty damn close to perfect. But then it starts to go wrong, Kiri hips 6-16, Krizzie 8-15, Tali 6-11, Asha 6-11, Mikey 5-9 and now Jezi 6-12. So always the left hip is poorer than the right hip, why? It can't be hereditory as Kiri, though bought up here was not bred here and H.D is now concluded to be 40-50 hereditory .. so it must be enviromental? What have I done differently? One thing comes straight to my mind. The top field. The pups have free access to this field, a field on a hill which is uneven and sloppes badly. Could this be a consideration, my friend certainaly believes it could! The older generation had no free accsess to this field as Mr S wasn't here when they were pups and it wasn't safely fenced off. My conclusion ... well honestly I don't know, but it's something I must consider and when the "I" litter arrive the top field will not be available for free running until the majority of the fast growing is done!
I'll now be saving my pennies to take Ziva for her screeing and hopefully to get Asha spayed in January. Depending on Ziva's results I will then decide who will be the damn of the Blanik "I" litter which will hopefuly join us in 2014 ....

Wacky Races AT Fron

 Nico in Full stride.
No not fantastic photography, just a lucky shot!
He was standing beautifully by the quarry, by the time I got my camera out of my pocket,
he was on his way back!

Nico stretching out with best mate Jezi ..
Not a hope he'll catch her though!!!

Sunday 4 November 2012

Just Practising

 Jezi - Not quite right but not a bad pic ....
Looking forward to getting better when she's with a handler at a future show.

Nico - Looking very different to other "Stance" photos you seen of him.
The reason?
Wondering if I could stand him differently for a judge who would prefer a different type of dog ...
yeah, happy with that!

Lexi - Lesson One. Don't stand a long coat with it's arse to the wind!
Lesson two. Don't expect a dog to look forward when it's owner is taking the photo!!!

Thursday 1 November 2012

2 x 4

Not best group pics but we do try!!!
 Nico and Jezi bored and about to take off,
Finlay and Louis fed up of badly behaved youngsters!!!
Mikey, Ziva and Tali watching the toy I threw to get their ears up ..
Asha, Watching something else!!!
 
Best make my way back ...
 the sun's setting behind the clouds on my beautiful mountain