Luna Windsor

Luna is now heading into her last week of pregnancy too. Though Zoe was mated 5 days before Luna I think the pups will arrive closer together. Zoe ovulated on the Tuesday and was mated Wednesday, Luna ovulated 2 days later on the Friday, but wasn't mated till Monday. Going on ovulation dates the pups could come as soon 2 -3 days apart. When people have used my dog I like to show interest and be helpful where I can, to be honest I'm really excited. 

Today's News

When we came back from our walks we had to stay in the garden as the chimney sweep had arrived. It was pleasant enough to be out there to be honest, though I had to stop Ross from wrecking the joint. I felt he was a little stiff today, maybe we over did it in the fields yesterday, we did stay out a long time and broke the kong rules so Sammi could have some peace. 

The wagons coming and going from the quarry were bloody annoying today, they seemed non-stop. I really didn't think they were suppose to use that track and go through the village. I had quite a close call with Orin as he was off to one of his pissing places (Maybe I need a more polite term for them than that!)  I never bother as I know where he's going, but today I had to do an emergency recall. He did stop straight away, but hesitated before coming back. It felt like forever, but must have only been about 10 seconds, lots of praise then for thundering back and almost taking me out! Why was I not prepared? Well like I said until today I've not seen the wagons go that way ... well other than a handful over the years anyway, I must have seen 7 today, what's changed?

Sammi seems Ok again now, she doesn't really interact with Siska, she just gets on with life. Siska continues to think she's the big I am, everyone puts up with it apart from Orin. Yesterday she grabbed at him as he was in full flow running up the field, he turned to face her and squared up to her ... she had no response! Good to see that someone will not be pushed about! 

Following another "incident" with Zeus I do wonder what has made this dog the way he is? I'm really not used to not being able to do anything I need too to my dogs. Zeus gets so worried, and we all know a worried, nervous dog can be a dangerous dog. With no option for flight, I have no doubt again if we were not both there he would have chosen fight! I am so pleased that we did not rehome him, as few and as far between as these incidences may be I fear not many people could have managed and a serious situation could easily arise. Steve is still so angry that his character has been affected by the stressful situation he was in, and yes I agree that probably things were managed badly, but maybe he hasn't got the strongest character either?  He continues to be the star of my Facebook page with people gushing over his good looks - he gets far more comments than those rather plain looking standard coats!!!!!  

Nice Out There

Zoe

Beautiful Zoe is due next week and now looking very pregnant. 

Bless her, I wish her and her family a safe and easy whelp. 

Kaiah Tribute

It's taken me a long time, but finally I've been brave enough to do it, and it has been sent to the GSD magazine as a full page advert/tribute. 

Niwl Stop Walk

 With the mist so thick this morning I opted to stay in the fields, still we were out for ages and had a great time. I just can't risk going on the mountain in such poor visibility, safety comes first. The air was damp but not cold. 

Loki, Ross, Sammi 

Loki and Ross

Sammi

Siska and Orin

Orin

Siska

Zeus

Eastender

 "Don't be sad ... there isn't enough time!"

Wow, so true but not that easy when your broken, though I will continue to try. 

Proportions

Simple and basic yet not everyone gets it. Length of leg is greater than depth of chest, and the breed is slight longer than tall at a ratio of 10 to 9 but 10 to 8.5 is acceptable. This breed should not be long and deep and on little legs. 

The wither is the highest point of the back, the back should be short and straight but not level, (spines do bend and a dog in a stance looks different to a dog standing naturally), the croup is long and sloping.

Visiting Zeeta

On our way home yesterday we popped in to visit Anne and see Zeeta. I needed another look at her, to look at her with my head and not my heart. Put aside that she has the sweetest nature for one minute, of course that is a huge factor but I need to make sure I'm not letting her delightful character cloud my judgment, I need to see beyond it and look at her construction. So here is my opinion - she has a beautiful head and expression with a dark mask and importantly for this combination, very dark eyes. High wither, firm back and a long sloping croup. To me her hind angulation is on the borderline and her second thigh is possibly slightly long. She appears a little short in this photo, but I don't think she was, I certainly didn't notice that she was. Importantly, her front legs are straight, as are her feet, though they are slightly long and flat. She did have long nails and fluff between her toes which may not help there. She is a little back/slack on her pasterns, but I don't think it's anything as bad as I've seen win in the ring! Her colour is outstanding and though she is a L/C she is not excessively coated - I could cope with that! 

After seeing her again yesterday, and Joe confirming last week, that it is a top quality, top producing pedigree, I'm still seriously considering a bitch puppy from this mating. Cross fingers for me that she's pregnant and that there will be a couple of S/C girls to chose from. I'm not out ruling a L/C female, but I am out ruling a male!

A photo from the day of mating which shows Zeeta's head, expression, eye colour and more importantly that she is not narrow in the chest and that she has straight front legs and straight feet. 

Snaps At Blackpool

This photo just made me smile, Orin scenting for me, but it looks like he's running with his eyes closed. 

Apparently they said no Gazebos or brolleys on the show ground. Well I'm sorry but our little miss was not sitting out in direct sunlight! 

Blackpool

Siska won PGB but I gather the verbal critiques was not too flattering, ah well! 

Orin went really well but only managed 3rd in limit, still the best male on the whole show ground in my humble opinion, lol

Callan was second in PGD and called back in to challenge for the RCC 

Wow a super compliment. 

On the whole a lovely morning, though I did feel the judging was somewhat rushed. Gone are the days when you can arrive with bitches at lunchtime eh! 

Tis My Bedding And I'm Proud!

I really considered washing it or throwing it out, but hell she can have a wash and put on.!!!!! That green bedding may have got thin but it was still ok ... hell Krizzie had puppies on that so that was Louis or Tali days! 

Happy Birthday George

Naughty Archie

I've spent the best part of the morning calling, looking, overthinking, dreading the worst and crying. I've checked all the cat beds, I've been around the garden, been on my hands and knees looking through the bushes, on the boncan looking through the trees, in the top field looking through his dens ... no sign. I've had totally logical thoughts which I've dismissed because of my state of mind and have remained illogical throughout. 

You see the thing is, like Jamie and Perry, Archie is always here in the morning. He likes to show off as I'm cleaning the yard he runs around chasing imaginary beings, he runs up the gate post and onto the shed roof, and we chat away as he waits to come in with me. On the odd morning that he's not there he's in the front garden and always comes, usually answering as he's called. As I have a cuppa before walking the dogs he demands his cuddle ... 

Now until Isla went missing I had never been a neurotic cat owner. I totally understand the different lifestyle to dogs, cats come and go as they please and in most cases I only require a daily check -in, even less with Luther as I have had to adjust to his ways ... but I need to see the others every morning, well, Jamie, Isla, Perry and Archie anyway ... I can cope with seeing Choo later in the day as that does happen. 

So after hours of searching and crying, where was he? Behind the sofa on a blanket that must had fallen down there .... 

Devestating News

 When you think you are having it bad, then you realise some people are having a worse time! We've been told today that Loki's brother and sister and a third dog in the same home have all died of algae poisoning over the hot period. I can't imagine what the owner is going through. Please be careful near water in this hot weather. 

Rowan

I received this this morning, please PM me if you want the contact details of the owner ... 

 " We are looking to rehome Rowan as are circumstances have changed with are work and we have had to take on a lot more work due to the financial situation at the moment. Rowan is the pup of Pepsi and Orin, he is a lovely boy as you can see in the pictures he will sit, lay down, stay, and come on command with treats although most of the time without as well. He is KC registered and we have his certificate that will go with him. Rowan is upto date with all his injections and flee and worming treatment. He has no know health issues and gets a check up every month with the nurse at the vets. We are asking a fee for him although we really just want a good home for him were he will have all the attention, walks, and love."

The Pensioners

Look at my beautiful dogs, look at those mountains. WOW.

Nine O'clock last night as they checked out the standard of the work in their field. 

Not At Cheshire Show

As we were walking, Zeus was doing his usual rolling around and I saw his bottom looked very dirty. I told Steve that after I'd finished the walks we'd have to have a look. OMG, what a bloody mess. All I can think is that a piece of poo had got stuck in the hair and then he'd sat on it ... or something equally revolting. So two pairs of hands, a bucket of warm water, scissors, a brush and a sponge and we managed to clean the caked on disaster - I did muzzle Zeus as it meant we could restrain him without concern, he grumbled a couple of times and tried to get away more times than I can think, but in all fairness he did well. Another reason not to have any more long coats eh!

I've no idea what happened to this photo, did I manage to click on portrait maybe? But then wouldn't all of the background be blurred? Anyway it was the only one I had of the three so I'm not deleting it. 

Today we three should have been at Cheshire show. When I entered, I had every intention of going but with the judging order, the parking and everything else I kept rethinking it. Maybe it would have done me good to go, but to be honest I'm still struggling. I'm not sleeping and so emotional. 🙁 I just keep wondering when will I stop crying? When can I move on?  I guess all the loss has caught up with me. There has been so much sadness in the last 12 months, 4 dogs, my dad, little Junior and Steve health, I guess it's all just caught up with me. I try and be OK, but I'm not, losing Kaiah has pushed me over the edge. I consider myself to be a pretty rational, sensible person who is generally in charge of her emotions, but now I just feel broken and I've never experienced these feeling for such a prolonged period before.

I miss Kaiah so much, the guilt is eating me up. Steve thinks that I won't be able to move on until I stop blaming myself ... but how do I ever do that? How do I learn to close my eyes without seeing her face? How do I learn to speak her name without the intense sadness? How do I ever remember the good times? How do I ever remember her with a smile instead of a tear? Time heals they say ... well that's all I can hope for! 

Kaiah and Siska a year ago

Puddles Means Happy Dogs

Great day to walk, stunning sky, puddles and happy dogs

Sunday Walks

Honey I'm Home

Of course a huge welcome when I got home this morning, bordering on a battering from Orin to be honest! Siska hadn't eaten whilst I was away but has tonight, to be honest I think the heat is affecting their appetite with Ross and Zeus also leaving their breakfast several times this week. 

I didn't sleep too well last night, the heat in that house was worse than here. I had the curtain and window open in the bedroom to try and get some air in. Really our stone cottage is better for keeping cool. What I didn't consider of course was that I would hear traffic, the bypass wasn't there when I lived there. So there was traffic, trains, seagulls and something that sounded like a donkey being murdered - which really could have been geese .. Oh I don't know. Anyway after midnight I guess all but the seagulls quietened down and that's when I became aware of the ticking clock, well it was lights on and move it to the bathroom. 

I came home earlier than I had anticipated, Mum just seem to want to rest her eyes and do nothing, she's a little sore but knows from having the other eye done that it's well worth a couple days discomfort. 

Sleepless In Fron

 Another pretty sleepless night, I honestly thought I'd sleep, but as soon as we switched the TV off my brain re-awoke. There is not a lot you can do in the night when that voice in your brain just won't shut the feck up. The tears start to flow and the harder you try to sleep, especially in this horrid heat, the less chance there is you'll nod off. I swear I've never cried so much for so long, I've never felt so broken, so hurt and so cheated of anything in my life. I'm told it'll get better ... here's hoping as I still can't think about her or talk about her without crying, to be honest I'm crying now. 

To try and distract myself I think about Beti .. I imagine what she'll be like, of course there is no guarantee that Beti will even be born this year ... but hopefully sometime there will be a Beti at Blanik. I think then about Miss Otis - would the names Beti and Oti be a little too similar in sound? Maybe I'd just call her Otis then! It's so important to get the right sounds to call in pet names, and making sure there is no confusion for 2 puppies is paramount. 

I doubt I'll sleep tonight either ... but for different reasons. Tonight I'm staying at Mum's, it'll be the first night I've spent in my childhood home in over 30 years. Mum has had her second cataract surgery today so we all agreed it was best I stay to help her with the dressing and drops in the morning. I'll miss my "family" but hopefully I'll be home for lunch! 

Oh, remember the runner and the collie? Well today in the intense heat she was running with the dog along the main road heading out of Fron. The collie was off the lead and in the middle of the road, luckily Steve was concentrating and slammed his brakes or it could have been a dead hot collie and not just a hot one! People are so stupid!

Ross

A cracking photo of Ross in the field this morning. Just a lucky natural shot of him waiting for Sammi. Ok he's out of coat, but he's hiding nothing. Such a shame he was not a showman, isn't it! 

This Morning

Hopefully I'm just being paranoid, but just keeping an extra eye on Sammi who doesn't seem to have the same spark this last week or so.  

Siska an Orin - the heather starting to bloom

Someone wanted to play hide and seek - I didn't!

WELKS Critique

Gold Star Today

On our way back to the van after a lovely walk, and would you believe it, a runner and a dog on exactly the same path again. This time we were on a higher path, but Siska clocked her again. She was off, I called, she stopped and came back ... she set off again, but only took a few paces ... before stopping and coming back. Lot of praise and treats ... but I'm not complacent!