Ed Sheeran – The Joker And The Queen [Live at the BRIT Awards 2022]

This guy just gets better 

A Decent Day

Thanks to John with his Vizsla's who waited and gave me time with Loki and gang to do the circle back for home. Whilst Loki is well, very well, the distance we do is shorter than it used to be, going further is not an option! 

Preparing For Crufts

Oh Orin look at those tufts - it'll soon be Crufts! 

The total GSD entry is 115 - 45 of which are males, there are always more females. 

Let's hope this coat can be kept in check. A brush every day for now I think! 

Van Decal

 Having spent most of my Xmas money on the trolley, I had £30 left and decided to get a decal for the van. Blanik Bus no1 (Above) had a decal which I had personalised. I loved that van and it gave me the confidence to realise I could drive something bigger than an estate. I think I got it in 2008 and when it went, it went bloody well, but my god it was unreliable. When it decided the day before Crufts 2013 that it wasn't going I decided to get rid of it ... enter Blanik bus no 2. OMG it's yellow, digs, jokes and remarks, and one person wouldn't even be seen in it! An ex Police van, I loved it's power, what a van ... Catch me if you can!

A friend made a design for me with photos of the dogs that I currently had, that cost me £20 and to have it printed and fitted cost me £70 - now as I said that was 2013. The only thing wrong with that van was that lt leaked into one of the back crates and no one was able to find out where the water was coming from. When Kaiah got absolutely drench waiting in it for her class at a show I sulked with it and started looking for something else. It had to be the same design, I want a van with 2 side doors and 2 side opening back doors. Blanik bus no 3 had belonged to another GSD exhibitor, it has done a lot of milage, but I couldn't afford anything in that condition with lower mileage. I miss my shit off a shovel 2 litre turbo but I like my van. It's been here since July 2019 and finally I've decided to decorate it .. simple I know but it's nice!

Steve and I did the best we can, if only my arms were a little longer.haha. There are a few bubbles but hopefully they'll settle! 

Now what do I do with my last £10?

Merlin And MalaKai

Sammi's son and Kaiah's son having a great time in the safe field in Staffordshire. Wow, someone has a lot of cleaning to do when they get home. The boys are so typical of their siblings, aren't they. Merlin reminds me of Isla and Nico, and MalaKai is so like a masculine version of Siska. These two litters are so closely related but for me so easy to tell apart in their facial features. I'm convinced that Merlot line (Kaiah's dad) has made more obvious chances to her progeny, MalaKai and Siska particularly have a slightly different look about them as does Jethro Kaiah's brother. On saying that they are all pretty similar, just changes a doting breeder would notice.

Sammi, Kaiah, Siska

Battle Of The Brush

Look where this plonker is now, On the cat sofa on top of Loki's crate. He can barely get his fat hairy butt into it! 

Talking of hairy, brushing is still a challenge, he seems to consider it one big bloody joke. He loves having his belly done, but there really is more that needs doing. It's still a regular battle to be honest. He's moulting now, so I need to do it more regularly. I can hold him still with one hand and do him with the other but if I let go the mouth starts going. It's not aggression, it's not nasty but I'm not sure if it's stupid mouthing or that somewhere along the line he learned that if he used his mouth what he didn't want to happen stops. Of course I never stop, I continue to brush and take no notice of his stupid behaviour. Anyway, tonight we may have made a breakthrough and I stuffed his baby toy into his mouth as I brushed him and he mouthed on that instead. Let's see what he thinks if we try again tomorrow!

Pastern Problem

Over the last week or so I've had two conversations with GSD folk who like me have noticed a weakness in the LSH's front pasterns. Not all of them of course, but so many that it is becoming a noticeable problem. (The pastern is the area of the leg that is below the wrist (or carpus) on the front legs but above the foot. On the hind legs, the pastern is the area of leg below the heel (hock) but above the foot.)

To produce a LSH both parents must carry the gene, so on average when 2 standard coated dogs who carry the gene have a litter 25% of the litter will be LSH, 50% will be S/C but carry the LSH gene and 25% with be S/C but not carry the gene. Two LSH mated to each other can only produce LSH puppies. 

It is often said that a LSH in a litter by S/C parents is the most "shapely" puppy in the nest, and it's often also said they have the best pigment. So if the gene that produces LSH can produce excellence in construction, beyond just producing the coat then why not weaknesses? Am I making sense or overthinking it? Something is producing  weak pasters in LSH puppies when the rest of their S/C siblings have strong pasterns. I've looked at so many LSH dogs and their photos recently, some are shocking ... but it would be unfair of me to use them here, so I'll use my own and rest my case!

KC Standard - "Pasterns firm, supple, with a slight forward slope. An over long, weak pastern, which would affect a dog's working ability is to be heavily penalised. Length of foreleg slightly exceeds the depth of chest."

The Last Few Days

Sorry for the silence. Yesterday I had the chalazion removed from my eyelid. Apparently a quick and easy procedure, as eye things make me squeamish I asked them not to tell me what they were doing, just to get on with it! Put it this way as they took it from the inside there will be no scar ... yeuk. To be fair it wasn't painful, but having an injection into my eyelid was not funny! Anyway TLC from my little friend when I got home, the dressing is off today and give or take a black eye, it looks pretty good really!

Today we were back at the hospital. I have to be careful what I say, but put it this way, both the most important men in my life are now dealing with the same condition. The approach to treatment is drastically different, I fear we have a lot to face this year! 

With only field exercise over the last three days, I can only praise my canine family for their excellent behaviour, particularly in the evenings when we've felt little like entertaining the youngsters. As we've been isolating, we are now short on supplies, so I guess the guys will have to cope again tomorrow so we can get some food in!

When We Were Out

Xmas Shopping

Thanks to everyone who gave me money for Xmas - I didn't buy make-up, shoes or a handbag - I got this trolley for carting stuff from the van to the show ring, and a decal for the van. (which has not arrived yet.) Jamie has been testing this out to make sure it'll hold the weight 😮 Now I can say that, you can't!!! The trolley collapses almost flat and is less than 3ft tall, so there should be no problem getting it into the van. Can't wait for a go now, I think I'll take Jamie for a spin!