2021 is now coming to its sorry end. A year of huge highs and bottom of the pit lows here for us, a year that really could have been better for most people I'm sure.
The arrival of Kaiah's "L" litter in January was mostly joyous, but I'll never forget, nor probably forgive the sadness of losing the last two pups. With veterinary help the outcome may well have been the same, but that doubt will always be there ... two lives could have been saved. To focus on the positives, Kaiah was a super mother to her brood of 3 dogs and 2 bitches. I can never really find the words to explain how wonderful it is to bring new life into the world, so precious, so innocent an open book with all the pages yet to be written. You can sit there and watch them sleeping for hours, they twitch and dream..but what are they dreaming about? I often find myself welling up with emotions and bursting into tears. Though I try not to focus on one puppy I guess I'd set my heart on Geraldine from very early on, hell I like a LSH and had Pink been the better bitch by far then I would have kept her, but the fact was that both bitches were pretty equal and therefore my choice was always going to be the S.C!
February was spent loving and enjoying puppies, we were blessed with time outside as the late Winter days bought some Spring like conditions. Though we knew it was on the cards, losing Debra was a huge knock. Ann was still in Stoke and I wrote to her most nights. I told her about my day, the puppies, life and friends, I added some photos, printed it off and sent it once a week. When the first reply came back again I was overwhelmed with emotion. Mid-Feb I made the big decision Geraldine was to become puppy Siska. Now wasn't that a shock!!! Her name came to me during the mating, I said to Joe .. I really want my baby Siscas ... the more I thought about it, Sis from Sisco and Ka from Kaiah .. I loved it, Steve was less impressed, but he chose the name "Orin" so this time it was my turn. My L litter left at the beginning of March, there is so much sadness saying goodbye to babies, but there is also excitement as you start to look forward to watching the writing fill in the pages of your own little book of mischief.
April was to be an unbelievable month. Isla's return was like something out of a fairy story. 11 Months, I still say it out loud .. 11 months, where the hell had she been? Knotty and ravenously hungry, she was not skeletal nor in need of shaving, the girl had done a great job of looking after herself .. but then she was always a big game hunter. You can see the knots on her head in this photo that Steve took just minutes after we got her indoors, they are like two little horns. Isla now always seems to be here, if you want to find her you can. Sometimes she's in the field, sometimes in the garden, but mostly she's in the cottage. Whilst she was missing I always said the not knowing was the killer, now she's home the not knowing is very intriguing, but she still won't tell me!
My Dad health became a great concern in the Spring too and Steve and I were shocked when we collected him from hospital after his emergency 999 visit. To be honest he is looking and feeling better now than he has for months, but there is increased concern again as his PSA levels are now on the increase.
Loosing Asha was heartbreaking, sweet, confident Asha seemed to have been here forever. In later life she did suffer from small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), but over the last few months we had found it easy to manage with a very low dose of antibiotics. (Antibiotic-responsive diarrhoea.) Asha must have been one of the easiest Blanik bitches ever, no malice, no aggression, confident, calm and self-assured ... but greedy, OMG so greedy, embarrassingly so at times. If you lost the bag of chopped chicken off the top of your crate at St.Helens, it was Asha! If you lost the cocktail sausages you left in an open bag at Stafford show ground .. it was Asha! Lisa's treats, Sally's lunch ... it was all Asha, but we loved her for it. Asha's greed made us laugh, meal times will never be the same again here, I can't imagine anyone will ever have such an accurate tummy clock again. This photo of her looking bright and alert was taken just days before we lost her.
The day that we lost Asha I got an e.mail that I was not expecting. Zeus' owner could not manage him and wanted to send him to the Police force. OMG how could I ever be in the right headspace to deal with this? But I had to, had he gone in and failed on character or health, then I would have lost him forever. I reminded his owner that she had signed a contract and that Zeus had to come home to us. I then contacted a mutual friend who thank god was able to help me through. I was informed that Zeus had been put in kennels as the owner was afraid of what he may do as she had family staying over, I was informed that the kennel staff had to use a grabbed to get hold of him .. OMG what the hell was going on with this puppy? I was informed that he had tried to bite a trainer, that he guarded the house and husband ... so much negativity. Thankfully, the mutual friend picked him up from the kennels the next day and met me in Chester Services with him. Ian came with me and I told him on the way, that I really didn't know what we would be facing, I was scared that this puppy was now a dangerous dog. I honestly felt sick with worry. My friend removed the dog from the vehicle and I took the lead and walked away with him. I spoke quietly to him, I just said something like, "hello pup pup pup, what you been up to then?" I heard my friend say to Ian, "OMG look at him it's like the weight of the world has just been lifted off his shoulders, he's so relaxed!" Zeus arrived home and within minutes he was playing ball with Steve. He came over as a bouncy, lively, silly dog but that was not the reputation that had preceded him and I was aware and tried to be one step ahead of him. No, he's not the perfect dog, he has reacted oddly to some things and it leaves me wondering why? But to be honest, he is a perfectly happy, chilled, clown of a dog. I don't do sit, down, wait stand in the middle, but there are house rules that he has had to learn, and learned them he has. We've had numerous conversations in the office about little things, but that is only to be expected .. is it not? As I look back I can't dispute what I have been told, these things have happened in Zeus' past .. I can only conclude that he was stressed beyond belief and that a dog in 2 different circumstances can be two different versions of himself!
On the 4th of June Loki collapsed. Everything has been documented here. The shock of it all was
overwhelming and I never thought that Loki would recover to where he is now. Loki collapsed a second time on the 19th Of Sept. He lost all mobility and it took 3 of us to carry him home on a blanket. I swear had it not been a Sunday I would have had him put to sleep that day, but on the Monday there was some improvement and the vets allowed me try him on steroids. Loki has not looked back since. Did something move again that day? Is it now in a less precarious position, or is it just steroids doing him proud? Well we don't know, all I can say is that Loki is doing well, I know it's day by day but we continue to make precious memories and enjoy his company.
The first show of the year for us was "The Royal Cheshire Show" on the 22nd of June. At 15 months old Orin was going into the ring for the first time. He should have had months of experience under his belt, but at least all the juniors were in the same boat. Ian took him from the van into the ring, we decided it was best if he didn't see me. My hands were shaking and my heart was racing. He stood O up and it hit my like a light blub moment, OMG that is my dog. The positives dismissed the negative I'd worried so much about, that impressive looking male was my dog! Ian and Orin worked as a team and moved superbly .. suddenly I was aware of what I had, what I had bred, and I got quite emotional. Orin didn't win, but he was second and as far as I was concerned all of a sudden my eyes had been opened .. the future looked bright. That it has been, he's hardly been beaten, he shows himself off to advantage in stance and moves with power and drive. There have been so many highlights with Orin this year, but another that has to be mentioned is SWGSD when he and Derrick were separated from the others in the class and went head-to-head for 1st and 2nd place. The judge reported that on movement Orin was his winner. Derrick has yet to beat Orin, but he will, he's a super boy.
Siska hit the ring in July, she too started off in second place at her first show but she more than made up for it at North West Regional a couple of weeks later when she won MPB. Siska's performance is less consistent than Orin's, typical female, I'll do it if I feel like it. There have been at least 2 classes that she's lost because she was misbehaving, but Sarah always manages to get the best out of her. At 6 months she looked super, but she's been on and off since and looking back at photos from The National, well she looked pretty shit! Anyway she really is coming back together now and I can only hope that she will just continue to get better and live up to her early potential.
Our last show of the year was Sheffield, Young Callan and Siska were both second in their puppy classes. There was no age class for Orin but he was still shortlisted from 14 to the last 6. I was chuffed, but there is no doubt the tear-jerking highlight of that day was watching Nico at 10.5 years old go into that ring and say "Hey everyone - JUST LOOK AT ME!" Five years + out of the ring and he beats champions to be best veteran males, 7 and 8 year old champions too! He looked amazing, gave a fantastic performance and loved his day out. Yes I cried!
So now we are at the end of the year, 10 dogs and 7 cats .. Two I did not expect to have back but I'm so glad that I have. I look forward to next year and hope that health and good fortune goes hand in hand with success love and friendship. I can't deny as January approaches I fear what is ahead of me but deal with it I must. Happy New Year to you all!
