update

No blog at the moment. Briefly I fell ill at the show on Saturday and Im now in hospital. Have had a scan, lumber punction and waiting for am MRI tomorrow. So miss my cariad and my kids.

Kids On Walks And Sensational Views

".... A poor life this if, full of care, 

We have no time to stand and stare."

Seriously, click to enlarge and LOOK!

Summer

Finally I have a of photo of lovely Summer to share. She was the bitch mated to Nico three weeks ago. Too early yet to tell if she's pregnant, or not, but we were delighted to see this happy biddable young lady today ... 

Someone Else Took Photos

Love these photos taken by Sara of Loki gating in the ring yesterday. They really do show off his powerful long stride. Look at that forward reach and follow through from his hind quarters. So so pleased to get to see these as I didn't see him in the ring on Saturday (I was hiding) and obviously I didn't see him yesterday, but my god I felt the power and pace. To be honest I wasn't prepare for it as he does have a tendency to move like dilly dream when I'm on the other end of the lead, saying that I guess that's whats needed in a leisure centre. But note to self - don't wear jacket over waistcoat, look more like a telly tubby than normal!!!!!!!
To be fair Loki has always been eye catching on the move, as a baby you could see the front extension was super. Even Steve use to say he loved watching him move. So two shows down, one to go ... onward and forward then eh!!! (Bet you we'll be last on Saturday!!!)

BOB For Loki At Windswept Merioneth

Chuffed to bits with Loki wins today. Best Of Breed, Best puppy In breed, Pastoral (Adult) Group 3, Puppy Group 2. Judge Mr Martin Sanders (Castellcoch) made my day by commenting that he loved him in profile but that he was "Fabulous" on the move! 

Sammi Belle also did me proud by being RBOB 

Youngsters In The Ring At WKC

 Sammi 

Loki 

I didn't initially include these photos as they were too dark, but with some trial and error editing I think they've come up quite well.

Critiques From Bolton 

"GSD – J 1 Stanley’s Lokean Of Blank, 11 month dog, good jaw set with excellent scissor bite, good length to stop, excellent strong skull with two well set ears & dark eye, good length of neck onto strong shoulders, excellent depth of chest with good depth of long, strong broad chest with straight front legs & well made feet, super topline & tailset, moved out with drive & reach, a boy I’m sure will go far. BOB, BP, PG4 PG
1 Stanley’s Blank Ivana, 7½ month bitch. Good jaw set & scissor bite loved her very feminine face with two well set ears, good length of neck to shoulders, depth of rib & loin, good strong movement."
Quite amused by Sammi's age - printing error I hope!!!!

Home Is Where The Heart Is ...

 Sammi, Loki, Mikey 

 Asha, Ziva, Tali 

Jezi, Finlay, Nico 

I just can't stop taking photos of my beautiful dogs on their walks in this stunning place that I'm lucky enough to call home! A few days/weeks of Winter are so harsh and hard here, but my god the rest of the year more than makes up for it. Fron in Snowdonia has more than stolen my heart! 

Just had to include a couple more... 

"How Do You Do It?" - She Said

"How do you get them to sit still for photos like that?"
Well simply I teach them to sit or down and wait. Start when they are young and only attempt it when I'm the right frame of mind to be patient. We have lots and lots of failures, someone looks the other way, pulls grass up or simply isn't playing. If I have to keep putting youngsters back the oldies then look bored so I give up. I've also learned that switching the sound off the camera gives me more opportunity to get it right, as with some it's one click and their gone. It's quite funny really if I try and get a pic of an individual the others will push in and sit next to him/her ... Yeah quite a lot of photobombing goes on here these days!

Elsa And Olaf

Now 2 weeks old

I can't wait to go and see them again! 

Elsa

Olaf

Yesterday's Show Dogs

Today's Mucky Pups

Living life to the full!!!

His First Veteran Win

Blanik Georgios - Mikey - Born on the back seat of a car on the bridge in Chwilog on the way home from the vets, it seems like it was only yesterday. But yesterday he was Mr Knobhead, screaming, shouting, barking and bouncing around like an idiot. Yesterday he was at a dog show, he won Best Veteran in breed at WKC Champ show.
But today he's just Mikey Mikey. His manners and obedience are impeccable, his recall is instant, he walks to heel through sheep with no lead, he's patient and tolerant of the youngsters, he's loving and affectionate. Yeah, like other Blaniks he's obsessed with me .. but if all he does wrong in his life is behave like a middle aged hooligan at a dog show, then who am I to complain? Love you lots Mikey Mikey!

WKC Today ...

Great day at WKC Championship show with a lovely friends and our stunning dogs. Proud of the team - Mikey Best Veteran, Loki 2nd in puppy dog, Sammi stood alone in grad, and Nico 3rd in limit (out of three) Also handled beautiful Bella to 3rd in puppy bitch. 

We had Winter this morning, and Summer this afternoon! 

Nico

Bella

 Mikey

 Sammi

Loki

Cajun

Feels like I've been waiting for years to see photos of this boy. This is Cajun, Tali's brother. He was the little guy who arrived hours after the rest of the litter. He needed reviving and had I gone to bed we would have lost him. 10 and a half now eh ... and yeah he does look a tad like Louis! 

RIP Little Soldier

Blanik Eclipse

 "Jake" 

21/7/03 - 18/8/15 

Jay and Krizzie's son, Louis' brother

Such a sad day - Loved and adored by Frank and Linda Lawton. Thank you both for giving him the perfect life, I could not have wished for more for one of my precious babies. Till we all meet again, go and push your ball around doggie heaven big man!

Baby Luna

Blanik Idelle

Conbhairean Danko Of Blanik x Blanik Hippy

Well she doesn't look her her mother, her father or her sister. She doesn't even look like her grandmother. So who does she look like? 

I'd say she the spit of a young Tali!!!

Tali 2008

So What's Going On With Tali?

We presumed that we have the answer as to why Tali has slowed down. Her vision is pretty poor, I guess you would slow down. At the beginning of the walk she grabs her toy and charges off as she always has done. But very quickly she slows down, sometimes eating mud and poo .. as you do, but sometimes just plodding along like an old dog behind me somewhere. Now this is no narrow cycle track or dangerous path with obstacles that she could bump into, this is acres and acres of open country side that she knows like the back of her paw, she has walked here since she was a pup. It's total freedom, a dogs paradise ... you would think!
So why is it that when I put the dogs in the van, drive to the other side of the village or take them to the back of the mountain that Tali is a different dog? These walks we do less regularly but in similar terrain. Why here is Tali like a spring chicken? Yeah she still eats poo, digs the odd hole and spends time rolling in unmentionables; but when she's far behind she runs to catch up, passes me and carries on enjoying her walk. You would think that if her sight was the problem she would be slower, more cautious in these less familiar places, but she's not!
Is Tali bored with walking
up the back? As ridiculous as it may sound, I would say so, but am I humanising here? None of my other oldies have ever become bored of walking in this wonderful place. Hundreds of thousands of dogs walk up a high street or round a park day in day out and they love it, but my word imagine the fun they could have with the freedom these get. We/they are beyond lucky.
So what is going on with Tali? Answers on a post card please ....
Both photo's taken near/in Llyn Cop - one of her favourite "new" places!

Sunday Walks

 Tali, Ziva, Asha

 Loki, Sammi. Mikey

 Finlay, Nico, Jezi

One of the Naughty Angel 

Plans

So things have changed here, or maybe they are settled rather than changed. Sammi's wonderful hip/elbow score means that I can now hopefully continue my line through her, as would obviously be my preference.

But what of the other girls? Well I will now permanently cancel plans to mate Jezi and spay her, she is a lovely bitch but has the highest hip score of the three, and a colour that I, like a lot of judges can not see past. (and she is likely to produce it in some offspring she may have - can you imagine the disappointment of great conformation and poor colour?) She also has a season every 4 - 5 months and as she has not had a litter it puts her at a higher of uterine/ mammary problems.  I hope I'm making the right decision as she does have lovely conformation and super movement, but in my eye Ziva and Sammi are more where I want to go with my line. Jezi and Nico dote on each other and neutering her also means that they can always be together! So no date set, but maybe bite the bullet and do it next month!
As I mentioned I will not be spaying Ziva, well you never know plans do change, things go wrong and keeping her entire means I will have a back up plan. Ziva has a season every 8 months or so, and having had a litter there are less future health risks for her than Jezi. Obviously if Sammi falls pregnant than Ziva can be spayed!
So when will I be mating Sammi? - Well depending on her seasons maybe at the end of 2016. She will be about 3 years by then, I want to campaign her in the ring for at least another 12 months without a break ... and I do prefer a Winter litter! No doubt from now on I will be taking a lot more interest in unrelated males with great health tests who are producing well. If I had to mate her tomorrow I know who I would choose, but a lot can happen in 12 months!
At the show last week end someone made a comment that was actually quite hurtful to myself and Ian. (Loki's breeder) I had decided to just put it out of my mind, but now I've been dwelling on it and it's really bugging me. So hopefully writing about it will help me forget it and move on! She insinuated, actually no she blatantly came out and said that I only had Loki because he was a "freebie!" Well anyone who knows me or even just reads this blog will know that I had a hell of a crisis of conscience over having Loki. I really did not want to bring a puppy in, but in the litter he always caught my eye. Yes I worried at the time that I was making a mistake, but as it happened he's fit in so well here, to be honest he's just another Blanik now! Also what she may not realise is that I gave up a lot to have Loki, I cancelled my plans to mate Jezi to Nico early this year, as I said at the time it was one or the other. And now, because Loki is here Jezi will not be having a litter at all, so actually if she thinks it's about finances (which it never was) I'm actually at a loss! Do I regret my decision? Hell no, not for one minute! Loki is part of our family, and as his name sake suggests he's quite the clown, mischievous and funny, cuddly and affectionate and he's growing up to be strikingly good looking. It's funny how the bigger picture comes together ... I guess these things are meant to be!