First And Second Attempt

At playing on a program called  piZap ... yeah good fun :)

Just finding my way around ....

Getting a little cocky now!!! hehe

Dreams

Last night you both broke into my dreams and this morning I can't get either of you out of my mind. But I'm not distressed or weepy, maybe I'm a little sad but generally I feel good about our meeting. Somehow I feel warm and comforted by it, I feel we were close again, if only for a short time. Kai like it felt in the dream, I now  feel like I've just had my arms wrapped around your huge neck. Today I feel you around me again, if I try hard I can almost remember the texture and smell of your coat ... and I can certainly hear you individual howling in my mind. Storm like last night I now still see you running around happily and freely with other bitches, though I don't know who they are, this was something you could sadly never do in this life. I use to worry that I'd failed you, but please understand I tried my best to do the best by you ....
Thank you both for sharing a night with me, I pray it will not be too long before you again meet me in my dreams.

Poor Ziva

Whilst everyone was playing nicely this morning the usual noises of play were broken with merciless screams. Fearing a bitch fight I ran out in a panic and still in my slippers. Four GSD's were running around seemingly confused and poor Ziva had got herself in a right pickle. Somehow head first she was stuck in a snow hole! The hole she had  accidentally discovered is by the small shed gate, next to the kennel gate so still in pretty deep snow. The top of the small gate can just be seen in the first picture behind the clothes prop.  All I could see was her back end and tail, but luckily by the time I got up the snow drift she had wiggled her way out and was highly embarrassed. Must admit I did have a giggle afterwards, but the joke was almost on me as I tried to get down again .... in my slippers! 

Keep Working George!!!

1. 
   
   

   3hGeorge Michael‏@GeorgeMichael

   And all the pensioners who struggle so hard in this weather, just don't understand why we don't help them more...
2. 
   

   3hGeorge Michael‏@GeorgeMichael

   Looks like the snow is just about over in London now, it's been so beautiful here, but feel bad for all the people in the west of england...
3. 
   

   3hGeorge Michael‏@GeorgeMichael

   Hi everyone, hope you are all well, just to let you know I've been back in the studio a few weeks now, working on the new record....

   
   

More Snow

Hope Your Not Getting Bored!!!!

Walk Number 1

  What are the girls looking at????

Mikey Mikey have you no shame?

Walk Number 2

Three messing about

Out And About

Asha

Tali

Ziva

Jezi

Nico

Mikey

Finlay

The "A" Word

I haven't used the word "Alsatian" since I was a child and then I didn't know better. Now I always correct anyone who uses it and happily give an explanation to anyone who asks. I tell them that anyone who has the facts and continue to use it are ignorant or uneducated
What I hate more than "Alsatian" is people who spell it "Alsation!" I'm sure you know I'm not the best at spelling ... letters are often different in my first language of Welsh and I occasionally have translation problems .. that's my excuse anyway!
Most people involved in GSD's know there is a huge divide in this breed between people who consider the international German Shepherd to be correct, and people who promote English bloodlines. In my opinion people who promote the "English GSD" are not helping themselves at all, the majority do not believe in health testing, saying they have "No Problems" in their lines. They breed a heavy dog with short legs dippy backlines and questionable characters. They refuse to use any "German" bloodlines and so their gene pool is getting smaller and smaller.They are inbreeding heavily on old epileptic lines and producing dogs who carry and produce epilepsy. Though obviously it does exist, epilepsy is rare in German bloodlines. Hemophilia was a problem in German stock, but with testing carried out and carriers eliminated from breeding stock there have been no cases in years.
Now I find the "English bloodline" exhibitors want to try to split the breed.(Not the first time they've tried) They hate our unsound, weak hocked bent backed dogs and want to go it alone. But where the hell will they get new blood from? They will dig themselves and their poor dogs into a position on no return. If left to their own devices I fear for the future of their poor dogs! I know the "German/International" type is not perfect, they have their faults and like all walk of life the breed has it's extremists, but to me their simply is no comparison in healthy, type or character.
So their dogs don't fit the standard? ...hell let's change it!!!!
If you have time have a read ...
http://www.thealsatian.co.uk/

Dogs In Snow

Today we should have been at a dog show in Stafford, and yes I am gutted to have missed it. I think the gang would have done me proud ... but there you go.. another day another dog show! With drifts of over 8 ft there was no way I was getting off the mountain today! There are 70 odd photos on Facebook if you have the time and the interest to look....

Jezi -on a drift that's as high as the wall

Nico - watching Jezi

Finlay -Fatty Boy (Yes I love Enders!)

Ziva - tongue in normal position

Tali - watching her kids

 Mikey - looking amazing these days

Asha - pissed off, she had her nails cut for the show!!

Results ...

We just had a call from the vets. Riley had FIP.  Through work it's a condition I'm familiar with but Riley did not show the classic symptoms. Indeed our vet had never seen it presented this way before. So I know now he never had a chance! It does help to know as I've been going through it over and over, worrying that we did something wrong after bringing him home. Knowing in my heart I hadn't, but my head mulling it over and over .... RIP little man.

http://www.fabcats.org/owners/fip/info.html

 

 

Snow And Names

Well I should have been at work ... but after getting up at 6.15am as normal, the blizzard conditions got the better of me. So what does one do at 7.30am, dressed and awake but cold? Well light the fire and play on facebook I guess. Good move. Thanks to Heather for posting another photo of a baby Nico for me... What a star he is... this sure did make me smile! Nice to see he loved to carry things around even then, still does now, though these days he does give preference to having my hands in his mouth!!!
Last year I checked the meaning of the names of all our dogs so I decided to do the same with Nico. Well I know the Welsh meaning of  "Nico" it's were I got his name from. I'd called "Jay" after a bird (He was Jacob when he came here) so decided to do the same with Nico. (His original pet name was Danko - his registered name) A "Nico" in English is a Goldfinch ..beautiful birds, beautiful dog :) Looking into it a little further...... "The origin of Nico is Greek, and is a diminutive of Nicholas, meaning 'people of victory.' Nico is one of the great nickname names, full of charm, energy and sex appeal. It has risen 95 places in the past year, one of the ten highest risers on the boys' list in 2011.
Nico is commonly heard in Italy--as a short form of Niccolo--and also in France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, and Spanish-speaking countries."
And Danko? ....  as a boy's name is a variant of Daniel (Hebrew), and the meaning is "God is my judge."
So now we all know!

Just A Little Snow

I was hoping for a little snow and a little is what we got. Sadly the forecast for Friday is for more snow and possibly blizzards. Normally I'd be dancing with excitement, but I have Manchester Champ show on Saturday and for my sanity I have a great need to go. Also I have 4 dogs entered and it's a hell of waste of money not to go....but nothing I can do I guess we'll have to see what mother nature throws at us over the week-end.

Nico, Finlay and Jezi the scond she took off!!!!

Asha, Tali, Ziva and Mikey. 

He wouldn't lie down as it was cold on his willy!!!

More Nico

Sorry if I'm bombarding the blog with Nico pics at the moment, but he really is helping me focus on the positives in life at the moment. His nature is so like Louis, well actually in type he's similar too, but not necessarily in looks. He and Jezi are the clowns of the family and together they are a nightmare, but in a funny way. He's not standing here posing nicely as it may appear, he's stalking Jezi and about to pounce. How I wish I'd had the camera ... but I didn't and this is the best I could get with the phone. As it was another dull day I have fiddled slightly with the quality of the image, but the dog is of course untouched.

George

Just trying to distract myself. 

See he is good for something!!!

Waiting For Snow

My heart is heavy and I still have a sick feeling inside me, I'd like to just curl up and cry....but the kids need to go out, they make me carry on and even force my face to crack a smile ... thank god for my kids!
The air was pleasantly cold, the sky dark and grey and I'm hoping for just a little snow :)

Asha, Mikey, Tali and Ziva in front

Mikey and Ziva

Jezi, Finlay and Nico

Nico and Jezi playing ... honest!

Nos Da Bach

I don't know what to say, I can't stop crying. What next does the world want to throw at me? I put him through all that because there was a chance, I put him through it all and we lost him. For the life of me I can't see the positives right now, he's been ripped out of my life when he should have just been starting his...too young, far too young to die.
I hope he's found his friend ... I hope he's found Louis ...
RIP little Riley - You Have Been Loved

Just Home

My poor little man looks very pathetic.

I bet he feels battered and bruised right now. 

We know best and worse case scenario, 

we have been well prepared for both but we hope for a full and speedy recovery.

We are back at the vets on Monday for this check-up, he was very anemic and they need to keep a check on that.  

 Until then Ive set him up a space all his own in the kitchen.

 I don't think interfering German Shepherd noses will be helpful right now! 

Riley will need lots and lots of TLC now. 

That's something we can give him by the bucket full.

News From The Vets

Riley's tumour has been removed and he's now in recovery. 

Typically, the Vet phoned when I was out with the dogs. Not that I don't trust Steve, It's just I like to deal with these thing myself, I guess it helps me!  Anyway Riley is awake, the operation went well but was complicated. They hope there will be no further complications with the blood supply to the gut following the intrusive surgery, but it may be a week or so before we find out if there is a problem. The tumour/lump was the size of an egg and was, as they suspected, on a lymph gland. Thankfully all the other organs look ok. We now have a night of biting our nails and may phone at 10am tomorrow to see how he's doing.
Come on little man you can do it....

I Who Never ....

I'm not afraid to admit that I fear what the next 24 hours will bring. Over the last few days Riley has been pretty lively and eating well, but I'm not naive enough to think that he'd be alright without the metacam. As much as I'd like to stick my head in the sand and carry on as we are, I do realise how quickly the lump is growing.(Before Xmas it was the size of a ping pong ball ... now apparently it feels a damn size bigger!)  If there is a chance of a future then there really is no choice other than to deal with it head on and find out what's going on. To leave him as he is would be neglect, it would be plainly cruel to hope something this size just goes away, when it obviously won't!
In the 80ies/90ies I was a big Marc Almond fan and a lyric from his song "I Who Never" is going round and round in my head today ....
"This could even make me pray
I who never ever ever prays
I who never
I who never"

Today At the Vets

Sadly Riley's lump has grown in the last week. We now have no options but to send him for an exploratory operation. He is booked in for Thursday morning and if the lump can be safely removed they will remove it ... if not then there will be no option other than to let him go under anesthesia. Sorry, I don't feel the enthusiasm to write any more at present ....

Tomorrow Our Tali Will Be 8 yrs Old.

 Happy Birthday Blanik Frankie!!!

Two or Three Things!

I Just love this photo of Riley sitting on my lap on Friday nights. I took it with my phone so there was no flash. So many photos of him are ruined with the flash. Tomorrow will be a big day, and I'm very nervous of what may come ....

Look who's got onto the photographers page for the "Our Dogs 2013" annual. 

Way to go Nico!

Just thought this photo was ideal for explaining why I didn't like the front assembly on the photo of  Nico stacked into the show stance. The angle from his legs leading up to his chest is so obviously correct when he stands naturally and in the stack photo he just looks too straight. Couldn't have got a better photo to confirm to myself what I really already knew!