Thursday, December 27, 2018

A NICE BREAK!!

Christmas is over and I am glad. It did go well, spent the Sunday before Christmas with my older son and family and we had a nice somewhat old fashioned Christmas. Christmas day I spent with friends for lunch and a couple of hours. That was nice too. The highlight was going up to Illusion farm with friends to visit Kathleen and all her Shelties and Walters litter of 8 week old pups. They are gorgeous, almost perfect pups. We saw Quinn's pups also and they are lovely too. I could have taken the little tri male home. Such a lovely pup. We also saw three older pups of Kathleen's, maybe four months or so. All three were lovely pups and the sable male that is going to a pet home could easily come here. Kathleen's breeding program is awesome and I have been so fortunate to get most of my foundation dogs from her. I am breeding Topaz to Keeper so I may soon have my own lovely pups. Time will tell. 
My grand daughter is coming to visit today and we will make cookies and play with the dogs. That is her favorite thing. 
This will be a nice relaxing day and maybe a movie tonight. I love the old western movies and the dogs just like to snuggle up. 
My new years resolution is to set aside and hour or so to do training with the young dogs. 
I have to have a schedule or I do not get a whole lot done. I will start with Bonnie who is 6 months old and a little on the wild side. I did a lot with her as a young pup so she does have some basics. Hopefully she will pick up where we left off and we will make some good progress. 
Well I am going to put some cinnamon buns in the oven for a mid morning break. Hope you all have a wonderful week between the holidays!!

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you all have a wonderful and peaceful day.
This is my second Christmas morning alone and I will say it is a little difficult to get used to. I played my husband's favorite song from Fast and Furious," When I See You Again." He loved this one, so I played it for him, I sure hope that he heard it.
I started a new tradition and made cinnamon rolls, played bagpipe Christmas music and shared the rolls with the dogs. Just a little piece for each. Made the morning special for all of us.
I opened a gift from my sister and it was perfect. A green zippered sweat shirt, just what I wanted. Keeper my new boy was not sure about the sound from the paper tearing. I let him sniff the paper and he was OK.
Off to my friends for lunch in a little while. I was alone all day last Christmas day, except for my Shelties, so not truly alone, but I am making progress.
Last night the kids all got one of their Christmas cookies that a friend made for them.
They are all natural and human grade and the dogs just loved them. A real treat!
The Highland music is still playing and I could sit and listen to it all day.
The music seems to soothe the dogs, maybe because of their Scottish heritage. They are all sleeping peacefully.
Have a wonderful day!!

       COOKIE TIME

Monday, December 24, 2018

CHRISTMAS EVE

Today will be a quiet day for  myself and the dogs. We celebrated Christmas yesterday with my son and family. My daughter-in-law is in the medical field and has to work today.
Other than caring for the dogs today will be work free. This morning they seem to know it is going to be a quiet day, even the young ones are being so good. Sometimes they get pretty rowdy playing with the toys and chasing each other around, they are being exceptionally good this morning. Hopefully they will be good throughout the day.
I gave my granddaughter a huge brown bear, dressed for Christmas, and Rosie took one look at the bear and decided he was not friendly. She would look at him from the corner of her eye and then leave the couch. And Brooke was startled when she looked at him. She decided it was best to leave too. You can see the expression change in their eyes,  they sure do feel and sense things and have funny reactions. I know they were happy to see that bear leave yesterday. 
A friend made them some nice natural cookies and today they will each get a cookie. They have been sniffing at the container since it arrived. They do have a hard time being patient especially when something smells so good. 
Ever since I was young and we had Collies, sheep and horses I would stay up until midnight and go out to the barn to hear the animals talk. They may not talk as we do but they definitely talk in their own way. I may stay up tonight to see what the Shelties  have to say, I think that I will know what they are thinking.
My  Shelties and I wish you all a very Merry and Blessed Christmas!!!

                                                                

Friday, December 21, 2018

BEAUTIFUL BLING

Bling is one of my seniors that came to me last May. She needed to retire and I had fallen love with her a long time ago. When she came here it took her awhile to adjust to living in the house with my other seniors. Now after seven months she is all settled in and she is completely house trained. 
The name Bling really suits her as she is a pretty and very flashy girl. Her registered name is Figures Paint Your Nails which suits her too.
After the dogs make their potty run early in the morning they all come up and spend an hour with me while I have coffee and look at emails. They love this routine and so do I. Shelties and dogs in general are very routine oriented. Once they get into a routine it is hard to change it. When four in the afternoon rolls around they all know that it is supper time, they let me know and don't settle down until they have had supper.
But this is about Bling. My front door has small side windows that run up both sides of the front door and they often act like a mirror. Well Bling has discovered these windows and this morning on her way to the kitchen and stopped and looked at the dog in the window.  She was entranced and as she looked she turned her head to the right and then to the left and back again. She made me laugh and what a great way to start the day. So I imagine that every morning now Bling will stop and see herself in the looking glass. I sure wish I could tell what was going on in her mind. After a couple of minutes she turned away and went into the kitchen.
Every one of my Shelties are characters and each have such different temperaments.Makes living with them fun and from one day to the next you don't know what is going to take place. The seniors have a great sense of humor. They know when they are doing something funny, and they love to be silly.
Below is beautiful Bling as a young girl!!

                                                                    

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

JOYFUL KEEPER

This is the time of year for Joy, and when I think about it the Shelties bring me joy every day of the year, in so many ways. My new boy Keeper and yes the same name as the young Keeper who is with a friend learning obedience. It is a little hard to get used to the name Keeper for two very different dogs. My new Keeper has been here about three weeks and has totally settled in. He has retired from a breeding kennel where he spent a fair amount of time in the out side kennel. With his age the cold was beginning to bother him so it was time for him to retire. I decided to bring him here to retire. We will still use him for some breeding but he is a full time house dog and absolutely loves it. He is  almost 9 years old and the cold does bother him. He is in the house with me most of the day, except for potty runs outside with the other seniors. The first time he came in after a potty run he got so excited he just about turned inside out. He was so full of joy that he could not contain himself. He realized that he was coming back in to the warmth and it was not bed time, as he always slept inside. His joy made me so happy. He was truly full of joy and he realized why. What a beautiful thing to see and feel. His joy brought me joy and made me smile. Wouldn't it be wonderful to feel joy from the so many little things in life, joy makes you feel so good. Keeper feels this joy every time he comes into the house and realizes he is coming into the warmth and finds a spot he likes to lay in. He is so appreciative. Shelties are intuitive and understand so much more than we give them credit for. If I say the word cookie they all pop up and are truly joyful and very hopeful. 
We could take lessons from our Shelties, so many little things that we can be thankful for and joyful for. In the evening when everyone is settled in, it is very peaceful and they are content. The peace and contentment they show is very helpful for me. It is good to feel their peace. This peace will stay with me through the hard holidays and make them easier. Wishing you all peace and joy this Christmas!!


Wednesday, December 12, 2018

SOME DAYS NOT AS GOOD AS OTHERS

This was one of those days that I hoped to accomplish a lot. I am behind with the house and need to get it caught up. Maybe tomorrow as I did not feel well this morning. No special plans for the rest of the week so can get busy in the morning and have a productive day. This is a sad time of year for me. No matter how hard I try I can not get into the Christmas mood, maybe as we get closer. It is hard to decorate and get all the Christmas stuff out when you are alone. With Len gone it is even more difficult. There are days that I expect him to walk through the door but I know that is not going to happen. I really need to get up to the cemetery as that brings me some comfort when I talk to Len. 
My cat Girly just seems to know when I am sad. She jumps up and wants to cuddle. That is just perfect and makes me feel good.
A friend gave the pups a new toy and they just love it. A fox that squeaks but they have not learned how to squeak it yet and that is a good thing. Once they learn to squeak a toy they will do it relentlessly. 
I have a young female in for breeding and she is quite shy but slowly becoming part of the group. The three young dogs are the mob, so full of energy and do not often stop. With the cold temperatures they cannot be out very long, they don't like to be cold.But sure need the exercise. I should bundle up and walk them.
Keeper and Bling who are 8 years old will go out, go potty as fast as they can and then come scratch at the back door. Telling me it is cold and they want in right now!
I have offered to do the Sheltie club newsletter, we have not had one for about a year and it is too easy to lose touch with everyone. A friend and I are going to put it together.
It will be good to have something that will have a deadline for completion.
Time to give some thought to supper. Later this evening I need to teach Bonnie to come. She loves to play games and run around the table when it is time to go out. Time to get serious with her. 
Well that is all for now, hope you all have a nice relaxing evening.

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

ONE DAY AT A TIME WORKS FOR ME

I try to go one day at a time  and that works for me, I don't worry about what might come tomorrow. Just looking for a good day today and getting through the day with accomplishing something, either in the house or with the dogs.  I have taken on an almost 9 year old Sheltie male.  He is a Champion and a lovely dog and is still  young enough to use for breeding. At least for a couple of years. He is a love and very sweet. He is always next to me when I sit at the computer.  Every now and then I feel this nose poking my leg. He just wants a little nose rub, he seems to love that. His name is Keeper which is hard to get used to as I recently placed a 2 yr old named Keeper into a home where he is getting tons of attention and training which is just what he needed. I am fortunate to find such wonderful homes for my dogs that need  more than what I can give them. Young Keeper has a wonderful life ahead of him, he will meet his potential for sure. And I thank his owner Deb for all that she is doing for him. 
The new Keeper came here because he wanted to be a full time house dog,he does not like spending time out in the cold. He absolutely loves being in the house. Hopefully he will sire a few pups for us and he will spend his retirement years here. 
Bonnie who is now almost 6 months needs to get back into training. She has decided to do just what she wants, no matter what I want, so tonight we get started again with her basic training. When the weather was good I took her outside every day to train, we started at eight weeks and she learned so fast, but as it got colder I stayed in more. We will work in the front room starting this evening. Shelties are very smart and easy to train but you still need to put in the time to have a well trained dog. Tonight we start with the youngest,  she needs to learn that she is not in charge. It is up to me! I would like to expose her to sheep in the spring and she will need some basic obedience in order to do this. She has lots of energy and is fast and also very smart. I would hope that we could at least get her herding tested. A good goal for the spring. Although I go one day at a time it is good to have a goal for the dogs. They need to work towards something.



                                                                      
                                        CH WESTSTAR'S FINDERS KEEPERS

Saturday, December 1, 2018

GETTING BACK INTO IT

Well I can't seem to do better than about once a week. Still trying to remedy that. My  will power is not what it used to be, but I am working on that too, in many ways.
Visited my friend in Maine and I am going to bring home another senior, but you would not know that he is a senior. We will co-own him and he will still be siring pups. He is a lovely, sweet boy who just needs to live in the house. It will be a challenge to house train him but it can be done. Bling who is also 8 years took awhile to house train but now she is very good and understands what she needs to do. She loves living in the house and is doing very well. She has chosen a favorite space to sleep in. It is on the landing on the stairs that go down to the dog room. I am sure that she feels cozy there and the heat from the furnace comes right up the stairs. 
The new boys name is Keeper and funny that about three weeks ago I placed a young dog named Keeper. At least there will not be confusion between the Keepers..This Keeper has been here before for breeding purposes and he learned the routine very quickly so I think he will again especially when he realizes that this is home.
Bonnie is a little wild one. She is constantly on the go. Her house training is coming along and would be much easier if we did not have to go down stairs, but the exercise of the stairs is good for me. I need to do more obedience training with her so that in the spring I can try her on sheep. Hopefully she has the natural herding instinct to go with all that energy. She is turning into a pretty girl, no hair yet, but hopefully it will come soon.
I have been busy with Christmas shopping and it is almost done. I would love to put a small   Christmas tree on Len's grave. Last year at Thanksgiving we did not have snow and I was able to do that. So far this year I cannot get into the cemetery. 
I bought a nice soft dog bed to go on the dog cot that I have. Well, every night more stuffing is taken out of it and I caught the culprit. Rosie my 7 year old has slowly been tearing it apart when I am not around. I can see the puppy getting into it but not Rosie. She is very determined about things she wants to do and this is one of them  She is too old to change. No more new beds for us!
It is breakfast time for the kids so need to get moving. Maybe if I am lucky I will write more later.
                                                                   

Friday, November 23, 2018

MEMORIES PAST AND MEMORIES PRESENT

A good time to sit and write after a very nice Thanksgiving with family and friends. I know that my granddaughter will be very happy to have me write again. 
I did all the preparation for the dinner myself, very different with not having Len here as he usually helped with some of the preparation. But I got it all done, Turkey cooking and the veggies were really easy. My son Lenny and his family brought the pies for dessert and the cool whip. Our friends Harriet and Bob came and they brought candied yams, which were delicious. 
Once Bob and Harriet left, all the dogs came into the living room and we played with them for at least an hour. Kaelyn who is 11 and Nathan who is 18 just love the dogs. They were down on the floor with them and the puppies were having such a good time. What a nice way to end a very nice Thanksgiving. Memories made!
Last year we visited the cemetery and put up a little Christmas tree at Lens headstone.Too much cold and snow to do that yesterday. Maybe if we get some rain and warmer days we will be able to get into the cemetery before Christmas and put a little tree up. Christmas was Lens favorite holiday. Maybe remembering this I will be able to get into the spirit of Christmas a little more this year.  I will try. Maybe Christmas eve I will stay up until midnight with the dogs and see what they have to say. I have always believed that the animals talk at midnight on Christmas eve. When I was a kid I used to go out to the barn to listen to the horses and sheep talk. So peaceful and quiet at that time of night, a little munching from the sheep chewing the hay. Some things just carry over from your childhood. You never give up believing these things. Animals are so  special that you never know what is possible.
My cat Girly, understands everything I say to her, it is truly amazing. This will be her first Christmas with me. She has been an awesome companion, helps to fill the void of missing Len. I would not know what to do without her. 
The dogs are wonderful also, but Girly just has a little spark of something special. Can't really put my finger on it. 
I have made a promise that I will finish my book in January. It is about three quarters finished and I am looking forward to getting it done. It is called Sheltie Heart! It has been a long time and needs to be finished up. I think that you will love it.
This is a hard time of year coming up but I intend to make every effort to make the most of this Christmas season and be very positive! All for now, maybe it won't be so long for me to get back to the blog, as I really do enjoy writing.

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

WHAT TO DO ON A RAINY DAY!!

It has been raining since last night and very hard all morning. Good day to get paperwork done and some grooming.
The dogs absolutely hate going out in this kind of rain. Bling absolutely refuses. I actually have to pick her up and put her out. I can't blame them, I would not want to go out like that. 
Keeper is working out well with  his new home and they are going to keep him. He is learning so much already. He will start formal training after the 1st of the year.
Luke, also is doing very well. A little issue learning to go potty on a leash but has finally caught on and all is well. They love him so much and he is staying also.
So for young ones I have almost 5 month old Bonnie, who is a bi-blue. Very smart and takes to training like a duck to water. She  absorbs things so quickly. She surprised me this morning with running up the stairs when I brought them in to have coffee with me. Next, I have Topaz who is one year old, she looks like a tri but is a cryptic blue. She needs a lot more training as she thinks everything is a game, she wants to play all the time. And last is Walter, who is 16 months. I  hope to show him in the spring so we need to get started with show training.
Days like today are just not motivating for me. I am sitting here with a cup of tea, debating what comes next this morning.
I am having Thanksgiving here this year, my son and daughter in law and two grand kids will be coming. Since Len passed I have a really hard time getting into the holidays. But will make the best of the day. One holiday at a time, not thinking of Christmas yet. I pretty much still go one day at a time which is the easiest way for me. If I think too far ahead just too much to worry about.
I do feel good that I am ready for winter, as much as I possibly can be. Window air conditioners out, storms down. Furnaces cleaned and serviced. Just need to fill my gas cans for the snow blower and the generator. I am ready but not really wanting snow to come. 
Maybe do a couple of games with the pups today. No way that we can work outside. 
I also have pedigrees to research for my friend Kathleen. I do enjoy research work and today may be a good day for that. 
Time to try to get motivated and make this a productive day.
All for now!

Saturday, October 13, 2018

October is a hard month!

Guess I have not done much writing lately. It was a hard first few days of October,with Lens birthday and our anniversary. I was going to go down to Rochester to shop today but just raining too hard and not worth the drive.
The dogs are in and laying all around the house and being good. Topaz who is 11 months and still very much a puppy is playing with the puppy, Bonnie who is only 4 months. They are great friends and play well together. 
I have a good book sitting in the living room just waiting for me to pick it up. I will probably do that this afternoon.
I have finally found a really nice home for Luke. He has been sterile for about a year, so there is no point to show him, since he can no longer produce. He is going to be the only dog and get lots of attention and exercise. He will love that and being a full time house dog as he loves to come in and curl up and sleep. I am excited for  him. It is hard to give up a dog but sometimes it is doing the best for them that shows real love for them.
Luke will be one happy spoiled boy. I placed three of my breeding girls when Len got sick as my focus was all on him, it had to be that way. In this past year I have bought two young girls and can now continue to produce quality, healthy and happy pets. 
I am not ready to give up breeding Shelties and I still want to do a little showing. 
If Len was here that would be what he would want too. He really wanted to do some showing. I will carry on with the dogs as long as I am physically able. I think they keep me going and keep me from aging fast. I could not have survived Lens illness and death without my dogs. I had to keep going for them. No sleeping in for sure. 
A miserable, cold and wet day. That book is beginning to look really good.
The weekends are very quiet for me as everyone is busy with their lives and all the weekend chores that need to be done. Maybe tomorrow I will get the shopping done. I do want to find a good quality puppy food for Bonnie, the four month old.
Hopefully there will be some sunshine tomorrow.
Well that is all for now, hope to not be gone for so long when I write again.

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Peace and Quiet

Finally I am able to take my friends Shelties back to her. Glamour had her pups and all the girls are bred. The peace and quiet of living with my own dogs will feel so good. I have had extra dogs here since late August. I am glad that I could help out my friend but I am tired and ready to get back to my normal routine, playing with Bonnie the puppy, walking Rosie when I can.  My kids all need grooming and I have to get into that and get everyone done.  I want to paint my dog room before winter also. After this year with so much dog activity and rain and mud, it is in need of a good cleaning and paint. I also have to decide if I should get more patio blocks or some kennel decking for the dog yard. I need to do something to get rid of the mud. My dog room would be so much cleaner if I could get rid of the mud. It really bothers me and the dogs get dirty every time it rains.
Tomorrow a friend is coming with me to help load up the dogs and take them back to Illusion Farm in Maine. It is wonderful to have the new pups here but it is time for them to go back with their mom. It is a big responsibility, they are thriving, eating really well and nice and fat and round. Very healthy pups. At two days you can't tell much more than that.
Glamour is an excellent mom and that really helps. It has been raining all day and wish it would stop. The dogs hate having to go out in the rain but no choice before bed time.
Time to face the rain and get everyone ready for bed. 

                                                                       

Monday, September 17, 2018

Beautiful Sunny Day!

This morning Rosie and I took a walk on the walking trail which is right next to the house. A perfect day for it. Lots of stress over the weekend that we needed to get rid of and exercise is the perfect way to get rid of it. 
Apparently I did something to upset my daughter in law but I have no idea what I did. I guess it goes back to the week my husband was passing and his funeral. Needless to say I was not concentrating on any one other than my husband. So much of that time was in a fog and I don't know who did or said what. But apparently she does.
Since Rosie needs to lose weight and I need to get into shape we went for a walk, and it was long enough that Rosie was puffing and I was breaking into a sweat. Will try to walk with her every day that the weather is good, she needs to lose about 5 pounds.
She hopefully is bred and losing the weight would be good for her.

Well my cat Girly, earned her keep last night. Maybe around 4 am I hear this weird yowling and it is her hunting noise. I turned the light on and there she is after this mouse, and she got it, threw it up onto the bed and I immediately threw it off. She went after it again but it was dead. I thought we had conquered the mouse problem this past summer but now that the evenings are getting cooler they must be coming back in. I am so thankful for Girly, such an awesome cat

Time to get into gear and get the dog room vacuumed and the crates washed out. This is a necessity very often. Especially with dirt and gravel kennels.

Hope everyone gets out to enjoy this beautiful day, take your pup for a walk, they will thank you for it. 

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

An Exhausting Time!

Another seven days have gone by and finally back to writing. I am helping a friend with dogs of hers due to a surgery that she had. I have a houseful and it is exhausting. I had thought I would start a puppy class with Bonnie but I am just too exhausted to get out of here early to make the class.It is an hours drive to class and I am just not up for it at this point. There are 14 dogs here and that is a huge amount of juggling.  Another two weeks and we will be back to normal here with just my dogs. It will be a nice feeling. Can you imagine trying to give them all attention, feeding and cleaning, and taking in and out. And that is with two girls in season and three stud dogs. 
Have seriously considered finding good homes for a couple of my dogs so that they all get more one on one attention. I always think that I can handle anything but just not so anymore. When I was younger and working a full time job, 14 dogs were not a problem, and not really a problem now just too hard to get out early in the morning.
I try to give house time to as many as possible. My dogs get upset if they don't get their house time so I make a point to keep their routine as normal as possible. 
Time to get moving, dogs are ready to eat and I need to get this day going.



 

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Off to a good start today. This is a very busy place with three girls here for breeding and having three stud dogs here makes for a three ring circus. I have to juggle dogs coming and going as only one stud is being used and the other two are not very happy. By this time next week there will be peace here. 
I am really ready for that and it will be peaceful even with my 9 Shelties. The others will be going home. 
My own girl Rosie was bred a couple of weeks ago so she is no longer a temptation to the boys. 
Today I need to wash down the dog room , with 12 Shelties it does tend to get messy. 
Another day of heat and humidity, makes working hard. Going to take Bonnie the puppy out to the agility area to play on some of the puppy equipment, she just loves this and at 11 weeks she is really quick. 
This afternoon when the heat and humidity are at its highest the dogs will be in the walk out basement which is very cool.
Being a widow is not easy. Every day takes an effort to get going, but I know the dogs need me and I am able to get up and get moving. My cat, Girly, is sitting on the desk right next to the keyboard. She is such good company. I love her to pieces.She gets along with most of the dogs, which is really nice. 
I am putting off getting to work this morning but maybe after a cup of tea I will get the motivation I need to clean the dog room. 
Bonnie is sleeping now and when she wakes we will go play for a little while.
My Shelties are wonderful. They keep me going.  You just can't ignore them.

Monday, September 3, 2018

No Ambition Today, too Hot and Humid!!

Seems like I just can't keep up the way I would like to. I know my granddaughter would not be happy with my missing so many days of writing.
The new pup Bonnie is settling in very nicely. Took her out to the agility area this morning and she loves to run the zoomies, she goes just as fast as she possibly can. 
I have three of my friends dogs here to help her out so it is pretty hectic. My friend Kathleen just had surgery for breast cancer and needs to take it real easy for the next four weeks and no lifting. I have two of her young girls and one of her stud dogs here for awhile. 
And today we are back into the heat and humidity which seems to zap all my motivation. I have such good intentions when I get started in the morning. They slowly melt away as the morning goes on.
There is a walking trail that was built not far from my house and I did get Keeper out for a walk yesterday. After the walk we played ball for awhile in the agility area and he loved it. He was not happy with the  bikers that went by but with more exposure he is will be ok. He did a little obedience with me on the walk and he really loves to work. He is so pleased with himself when he does  it right.
The two girls that are visiting are in season and are here to be bred and needless to say Luke is not very happy, as there is not a girl for him. He is off his feed and he howls at bedtime. Another week and the girls will be done and all will be normal around here.
I had planned to walk some this week but with the heat and humidity I don't think it will happen. Right now the dogs are all laying  around me while I sit at the computer and the air conditioner is running. They love the cool air. Soon I will go upstairs and get the air running for the cat. This house does not have an attic so the upstairs does get very hot. 
Today is Labor Day and since it is a holiday I don't feel so bad about not getting much accomplished, I have a hard time making myself work on a holiday, just something from the past as when I was growing up we always had a cookout on a holiday. Those days have been gone for a long time. The young people of today don't seem to do those family things. 
That has nothing to do with the dogs, just an observation. 
School starts tomorrow and I hope my grand kids have a really good first day of school. I will be thinking of them and remembering what it was like when the long summer was over. 
I think tonight I will do a little dog grooming and at least get something accomplished. The dogs will appreciate that. It has been a hard summer for double coated dogs, as the Shelties are, with a soft furry undercoat and a long outer coat. 
Maybe I will get a little ambitious this evening and write more about the dogs.

Looking for a lovely Sheltie puppy visit my website to see pictures of Kathleens puppies that are available! Jopavist Sheltie Shop

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

I know it has been a few days since I have written, so many things seem to get in the way. My granddaughter reminded me that it has been four days. 
So for the news Walter is coming back for the school year. I have missed him more than I ever thought I would and I am happy that he is coming home. He needs Topaz to play with. My sons dogs are a little older and Walter irritates the oldest by trying to get her to play. Now Pup Pup will have some peace. Walter and Topaz are close in age and perfect for playing together.

I have started a Go Fund Me site for good friend Kathleen Hathaway. She has a very aggressive form of breast cancer and could use some help with medical expenses. 
https://www.gofundme.com/manage/keep-illusion-farm-running
We appreciate any help or sharing that we can get. It takes a lot to keep the farm running and the medical expenses do come first.

Tomorrow we are having a grooming day for the Shelties at Illusion Farm. Kathleen is going in for surgery on Monday and having the dogs groomed will be one more thing that she will not have to worry about. It should be a fun day.

Guess that is about all the news for today. I probably won't get back here tomorrow as I will be helping with the grooming of the Illusion Farm Shelties.



                                                                                 



Thursday, August 16, 2018

Tomorrow will be a busy day. I am off to Fryeburg to pick up a stud dog to breed to my Rosie. He belongs to a friend of mine and it is just as easy and less stressful for Rosie to stay home and bring the boy to her. He is a lovely red sable and if we are lucky will have some very pretty tri-factored sables. It is has been more than a year since we have had a litter here and I am looking forward to it. It is a lot of work to raise a litter but so much joy too. Rosie is getting a little older and this may be her last time to have pups. 
When I get home I will start getting things ready for our new puppy that is coming on Saturday. She is a little bi-blue female and so sweet .Her conformation is outstanding and I have high hopes for her. 
I think she will be a stunning Sheltie. We are calling her Bonnie but not sure yet as to what her registered name will be. Just wanted a nice Scottish call name. We had a Bonnie years ago who was an awesome little sheep herder. She had no fear and could put the nastiest of ewes in their place.
This Bonnie will not be sheep herding but will be doing some scent work and lots of obedience and possibly some therapy work. I would love to have two or three of my dogs certified for therapy. They need to get their Canine Good  Citizen certification and then they can take the therapy dog certification. The elderly people in nursing homes and people housebound love to see the dogs. They bring these people so much joy and I feel good knowing that we are helping to bring these people a little joy to their lives. Another rewarding thing to do is to bring the dogs to the library so children can read to them. Children who are uncomfortable around their peers have no problem reading to the dogs. This builds their confidence and helps develop their reading skills.  It is a very rewarding experience. 
I hope that my granddaughter is spending time with Walter and keeps up with his training.
Walter is now living  with her and I want them both to be very happy. She has taught him to do a high five and maybe he will learn a few more tricks. 
It is getting late and tomorrow is a long day so need to come to an end.  Will try to write more tomorrow. Spend time with your dog, he will love you for it.

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

My granddaughter visited today and reminded me that it has been eleven days since I have written on the blog. So I need to remedy that. 
Today we visited a friend who has pups and we helped her to bathe them. Really had fun doing this. We washed the pups and towel dried and put them under a warm blow drier.One of the little blue boys was so good, nice and calm in the bath, no wiggles, he is so sweet.The blue girl who is coming to live with me was one of the worst wigglers. She is so beautiful and she is sweet to, just was not happy with having a bath. She comes home this weekend. I am really looking forward to having her here. I am going to start training her right away. I find that puppy brains are like little sponges and they absorb everything so quickly. Although,today Kaelyn and I were teaching Topaz to sit and at nine months she caught on really well. So I need to get busy with her, she is so bright and loves to work for you. 
The humidity has been bad here and it sure takes away my motivation. The dogs don't like it either.
They love to sleep near the air conditioner and feel it blowing on them. 
Our puppy Walter is living with Kaelyn and I know she loves having him there. We co-own him and he is now under her care. She has taught him to do a high five and I hope that she will teach him many more tricks. He is a smart little guy too and I started him with the basics at 8 weeks old. He learned so quickly. I hope to do the same with my new little girl that will be here soon.

I have been alone over a year now and I am slowly getting used to it.The dogs are good for me and help to keep me going. Also my cat Girly is an awesome companion. She is with me most of the time. The only time she stays upstairs is when my boy Keeper is in the kitchen. She is afraid of him as he will try to chase her. I would love to break this habit but it is very difficult. He is a very determined boy. He loves to train and I need to do more with him. He learns very quickly and I enjoy seeing him learn, he is so proud of himself. 

Well that is about it for today, it is getting late and the dogs will be going to bed soon. I will try hard to write everyday, as my granddaughter reminded me it has been 11 days that I have not written.  I am sure that she will keep me in line. 


                                                                        
This is our new little girl, Bonnie!!She will be here on Saturday and we are excited!

Saturday, August 4, 2018

A  dark and dreary day today. Good day to spend time with the dogs. I have been on this computer most of the morning but just decided I needed to get to this blog.
Trying to get together a few people to go help Kathleen groom her dogs. Kathleen has cancer and always appreciates help with keeping the dogs groomed. We make a party out of it and have fun.

Walter is still living with my granddaughter and all seems to be going pretty well. I miss him but I know that he is well loved and cared for. And the big plus is that I can see him often. Every time I look at this picture I smile.
 

Sunday, July 29, 2018

                                               
                                                                               GIRLY

Starting Over Again!!

A beautiful day today and maybe time to get the dogs out to run. They have so missed being able to do that. I am remiss at writing and once again will try to keep up.
This past week was a hard one and just not sure why. Harder than many of the several past weeks. Maybe because the one year anniversary of my husbands passing has come and gone. Really no way to explain. The weekends are hard as they are very quiet and most people are involved in their own lives on the weekend.

This month Walter, my year old lovely sable boy went to live with my son and granddaughter Kaelyn, I know he will be well loved and get a lot of attention. It was hard to keep up with the training of three young dogs. I am still struggling to keep up with the other two young ones. I need to make myself give them the time, they love it and it is so rewarding and makes me feel happy to see them progress.

My lovely Jeep, my agility boy is living with a good friend and doing agility which he loves. He is settling in really well and training and competing. He is a boy that loves to work. He needed more than what I could give him. I let him go so that he could continue to work. He was not working here and I know that he loved it. He has been gone about 2 months and I miss him so much but I am happy that he has the opportunity to work. He is an awesome agility dog.

My bereavement person says the second year after losing a loved one can even be harder than the first year. Maybe because during the first year reality has not really set in. Although there are days none of my life seems real, this life will take a long time to get used to. I have learned so many things and done things I never had to do before. Even little things like popping a  mouse out of the trap!UGH!!

Again I am so thankful for the dogs that I do have with me. I am looking forward to someday another litter of pups. They really brighten your life. The dogs are always close by.

I also have my cat, Girly, she is the most awesome companion.She sleeps on my bed and is always close by as long as Keeper is not in. He is my one cat chaser and I would so love to break him of that habit. Life would be much more peaceful if he did not do that. He is called Keeper as my husband named him and wanted to keep him, there is no way to let him go.

Once again I will get motivated to keep this blog up. I need to start taking pictures of my pups again, I miss doing that. So much that I need to get back to.💗

Saturday, July 21, 2018

Keeper

Here is Keeper, a sweet, lovely boy who just wants to please.




 

Happy to be training!

Today I finally   followed through on the promise that I made to myself. I promised to get busy with my two young dogs and get busy with their training. 
I did some heeling, sits and downs with Keeper. It has been awhile but he did not forget anything.I was so proud of him. He now needs to go to a class for socializing.  I got him started on some very basic nose work. He caught on very quickly and I think that he may have a future in nose work. It is a good mental exercise for any dog.

I finally leash trained Topaz today and started her on sit. She is one smart pup. She is now walking on the leash and doing very well. I tried her with a little nose work also and she loved it. She will also have to get started in nose work. She showed less fear of the boxes than Keeper. Sticking her nose into the boxes immediately finding the cookie,she loved the fact that we were playing a game.

Now that I have started I will not let them fall back again. They will get some training every day so they can be the best possible. I would like for them to compete in nose work and hopefully obedience at some point. 

My year old pup, Walter is living with Kaelyn, my granddaughter. He is trying to adjust to the new environment but I think that he is missing the pack that he grew up with. We will give him some more time and see how it goes. I don't want him to be unhappy.But I don't want my granddaughter to be unhappy either. Later in the week we will determine how things are going.

All in all it was a good day, very productive with the dogs. I think they will be caught up very soon.
This is definitely giving me something to look forward to.I have always loved working with the dogs and I am so happy that I was able to get back into it. 


Tuesday, July 17, 2018

A Happy and Sad day!!

Yesterday was a good day, and a sad day. It was the one year anniversary of my husbands death from cancer. It was the day a year ago that my life turned up side down. I have come a long way since that day. I have had to learn to do many things that I never did before. I continue on one day at a time, with the help of my sons and my granddaughter Kaelyn. 

Walter, who has my husbands middle name as his name and will be a year old on July 26, was born 10 days after my husband passed. He is a special puppy and is now living with my granddaughter Kaelyn. She is his care taker and is helping him adjust to a new life. We are hoping that it works for both of them. If not he will come back here and spend the rest of his life with me and Kaelyn will visit with him. Time will tell.

Hot and humid again today, hard on the dogs, they don't care for the heat. Thunder storms predicted so Bling will find a place to hide, she is terrified of the thunder and lightning. She is eight years old and I doubt she will ever adjust to storms. Keeper who is two years old is a little bothered but not terrified. He will get on the couch and wait for it to pass, the rest of the dogs do not seem to be bothered at all. 

I am pushing myself to get back into the training mode and get Keeper going again. The heat makes it hard for outside work but the house is cool and he can start with a little nose work inside. He was so energized last night that he spent fifteen minutes running from living room to kitchen and back again, he was so funny to watch as he was trying to go full speed. He did pretty good and both Topaz and Luke were trying to get in on the chase. This tells me that they all need more exercise. 

Time to get the dogs fed and the morning started. I  hope I will be able to tell you about Keeper's success with nose work. So many dogs seem to love it and learn so fast and mental work tires them out physically. Will be back here soon.

Friday, July 13, 2018

Pretty good start to today. The whole upstairs is vacuumed and clean. Feels good to accomplish something positive. 
Now to get started with the dogs. I am going to start with Keeper as it has been awhile since I have worked with him and he was doing so well. Once I have finished with Keeper I will start leash training Topaz. I have been very lazy in getting her started. She is a bright pup and I think will catch on very quickly. 
Since Walter is living with my granddaughter and Jeep is with a friend of mine so I do have more time to work with my young dogs.
Luke needs to go back to a Canine Good Citizen  class so that he can be certified for Therapy. I am really looking forward to get into visiting the nursing homes once again. It is such a nice feeling when people are getting pleasure and joy from one of your dogs. They so look forward to seeing the dogs. 
I am slowly adjusting to life with just my dogs. They keep me going and are good friends. They give me a purpose and get me going in the mornings. I have my morning coffee with the dogs and it is a very pleasant time of day. 
Next is to schedule a time every day to exercise the dogs. They are in need of exercise and when exercised they train easier and are calmer and give me more focus.
I think the best time is earlier in the morning to get them out and moving. 
Setting goals is good for me, something to work towards and keep me focused.I will let you know how these goals work out. Hopefully I can follow through. Good productive days are just what I need.

Thursday, July 12, 2018

New Day

Happy for another new day! It is always a blessing when I can get up and face a new day. 
Walter has been with my granddaughter for 3 days now and all seems to be going well. I have not heard yet today but I am sure that all is fine. 

Another of my Shelties, Jeep is with a friend of mine so that he can work in agility more. I don't have the stamina to keep up with  him and he loves to work so much. He will be competing in a trial this coming weekend and I hope he does well. We are co-owning him  so he will have two homes but spend his time in his new agility home. He has been adjusting very well, I am really happy for him. 

Most importantly for all my dogs is safety and happiness. 

I am still going to get Luke his CGC so that he can be certified for therapy dog work.  He completed the class, but the day of the test he missed the test due to having a foot of a toy removed surgically. That slowed him down for quite awhile. But he is now well recovered and ready to take up training again.

My oversize Sheltie, Keeper will be starting nose work soon and I hope the mental stimulation will slow him down some. Nose work looks like it can be a lot of fun. 

I need to keep my Shelties stimulated and engaged in some sort of work. When they are bored is when they get into some sort of trouble.

I would like Keeper to become a confident working dog so that he he could compete in some obedience trials, eventually. Living with the Shelties is almost a full time job especially when it means keeping them all groomed,  healthy and happy.

I would not have it any other way. They keep me going,  they are good company and with having to adjust to a new life style without my husband, they make it a little easier.

                                                                         Keeper


 

Monday, July 9, 2018

Funny how things turn out. How each day  something comes about that you had no idea that it would happen. Today Walter our little year old sable male when to live with his co-owner, my granddaughter. She is old enough for the responsibility of a pup. He is a year old so he is house trained, leash trained and crate trained. She just needs to spend time with him and do some training. I am looking forward to seeing how it goes and what Kaelyn can accomplish with Walter. Being summer it is the perfect time for her to have a puppy. I am counting on my granddaughter to keep him happy and safe. 

As with any new animal, safety is primary especially until they are well adjusted. It is important at all times but when they are new to the environment it is critical. I am sure that Kaelyn will keep him safe and spend some time with hm.

Funny how each day something comes about that you had no idea would happen. I had been considering a new home for Walter but this is absolutely the perfect solution.

This leaves me with seven shelties and it seems so quiet here. They will all get more attention and time which is what I want for my dogs. 

Today really turned out to be such a good day. Unexpected but perfect. 

That is about it for now. Will try to keep this blog going smoothly. 

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

The dogs are out for their last time tonight, the fireworks will be starting and they do not like that noise in the least. We had a nice quiet day and it was way to hot to do anything much. 
I read some, worked on the computer while the dogs slept in the cool air of the AC. After their dinner they were full of it and played a little game of chase between the living room and the kitchen. Keeper tried to get into the zoomie mode but not much room for such speed. 

I hope to get something accomplished tomorrow. Maybe get a couple more dogs groomed, I can do that in front of the AC.  I hope to start some nose work with the young dogs, I can do this at home until a class opens up for them. They need the mental stimulation which will hopefully wear them out.

I am looking forward to getting back into some dog classes. I really miss them. 

The fire works are starting so need to get everyone in and ready for bed. 

Hope that everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July.
 
I promised my granddaughter that I would try to keep this blog up. She discovered it by accident and enjoyed reading it. So for her and myself I will try every day to write a little.
My son came up yesterday afternoon and I helped him get the boat out of the tight lean to and into the garage to work on it. It was almost like helping my husband again. Took me back to those days. My son should enjoy using his Dad's boat. I am happy he has it as he is more of a water person and fisherman.
Today the 4th of July is a holiday and I will not be celebrating, it is too hard to do those things yet. I will be grooming my dogs and enjoying them. My dogs are such good company and give me purpose.
Below is a photo of my granddaughter with her pup Walter, who now is almost grown up.