Friday - named NBQ (5th) of 26 Field Champions
Saturday - called back 1st, finished 3rd of 24 Field Champions
Sunday - called back 2nd and finished 2nd of 18 Field Champions
Congratulations to Stan Knoll and Outstanding Oslo!!!
Oslo had a terrific weekend at the Louisville and St Louis Dachshund club field trials in eastern Missouri this weekend!
Friday - named NBQ (5th) of 26 Field Champions Saturday - called back 1st, finished 3rd of 24 Field Champions Sunday - called back 2nd and finished 2nd of 18 Field Champions Congratulations to Stan Knoll and Outstanding Oslo!!!
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This was SUvCh NUvCh SVCh FC Hound's Kashmir who died at age 14.5, quite apparently in his sleep, three years ago while I was at work. Kasi fathered just two litters before leaving Sweden at the age of five but he is in many, many pedigrees of dachshunds around the world. And he was the father of just one litter after he came to the States, but that litter of seven, my O litter, consisted of seven very talented and highly accomplished dogs.
Thank you, Marie Gadolin - kennel Hound's, for sending me Kasi and his old Scandinavian bloodlines when I needed him most! ps Kasi is in Teo's pedigree as he is a great-grandfather. Newest photo of Teo (foreground) who turned 7 months on Oct 12. It is hard to believe that I have had him six weeks already. Teo is a cool pupster with many layers to his character. He is high energy and thinks quite a lot of himself, strutting often like a little prince! He is spurlaut, has good ground clearance, moves very efficiently, is highly attentive, weighs 19 lbs, and has the most coarsely-textured top coat I have ever had on a longhair. I love all these things about him and more. The biggest surprise to me is that OWL is spending the most time playing with him! They are looking something like kindred spirits.
It is Taya in the photo with Teo pup. Huge C@ngratulati@ns (and rosette!) to John Willmore, Diane Webb, and 10 year old Olive on Olive's Preferred Agility Champion (PACH) achievement today! Here are John, judge Ronda Bermke, and FC MACH PACH Autumn Olive von Dorndorf VCD1 TD CD RAE MXS MJB MXPB PAX NF JE Sfk Wa-T BHP-G.
I am delighted with all that Team Olive has accomplished! After running errands, I attempted to take a short nap this evening. Since I hadn't fed the dogs yet, it didn't work too well. I noticed the after-the-storm light through the window was interesting. So I got up from the couch and one at a time invited the dogs to take my place for an impromptu photo shoot. Didn't have to twist their paws, Owl and Taya had been trying to sleep on me on the couch anyway! First photo is Owl, next two are Taya, then Nexus, and Viljo. They are good dogs, good friends really, and I very much enjoy them all.
This weekend at a barn hunt event near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Nutmeg and Sage had a great time climbing hay bales and searching for rats. 12.5 year old Nutmeg earned two legs in the Senior class, 1st place of more than 20 dogs in the class including Jack Russell and Border Terriers, and she was Best in Trial! 4.5 year old Sage earned her first leg in the Open class and placed 2nd in the class of, by Maxine's estimate, 15-20 dogs. Good job, girls!! Maxine does not like to take photos so I am posting the Barn Hunt Association logo and a description of the event. From barnhunt.com: "The purpose of Barn Hunt is to demonstrate a dog’s vermin hunting ability in finding and marking rats in a “barn-like” setting, using straw/hay bales to introduce climbing and tunneling obstacles in the dog’s path. Barn Hunt is based on the skills historically used by itinerant “ratcatchers” in traveling the countryside, ridding farms of vermin, thus helping conserve and preserve food grains and cutting down on disease.
While ratcatchers often used breeds such as Jack/Parson Russell Terriers, they also used other non go-to-ground breeds such as Manchester Terriers, Rat Terriers, and a variety of breeds and mixes of small to medium size. At all times, the safety of the dogs, handlers, and rats is to be of paramount importance. Rats will be humanely handled and safely confined in aerated PVC tubes. While it can be used as an instinct test, there is also a handler component in that the handler must signal when the dog has reached the desired target PVC rat tube; thus, the handler must know and have a partnership with their dog. Teamwork will win the game." We dog people often focus on what we are teaching our dogs and lose perspective on what our dogs are teaching us. In some ways, I have a LOT of patience. But not like this. I guess I have always felt like I had to have something to work with. Yes, I would have been one of those people who thought "Why is she showing that dog?!" Stories like this one remind me that there can be a very rich pay off to just hanging in there and digging deeper. It is also cool to see a Berner who actually looks like a working dog. (Coulda/shoulda not put the music to the video but that's my opinion. I hit the mute button real fast!) Kudos to the team!
Watching them, I thought of Maxine Brinker and Nutmeg and their struggles early on. Nutmeg's problem, though, was that she was too willing. In her early years of competition, Nutmeg missed a lot of contacts and made up many of her own courses. But with Maxine's patience and persistence, Nutmeg learned the finer arts of agility - such as not flying off obstacles, or forging her own paths! And, like this woman, Maxine was nothing if not persistent. It paid off. Together, Maxine and Nutmeg earned MACH5. That's 100 trials of qualifying in both Excellent classes in the trial ("qualifying" meaning zero faults and within standard course time), and 3, 750 Master Agility Champion points!!! I believe they were the just the third dachshund team to do it. And the first standard longhair. I admire their accomplishments. I like black snakes. Or maybe I don't like them so much as I appreciate them. But I knew that a snake had decided to make its home between the inside and outside walls of my outbuilding. And if Blacky was home when my dogs were out, their verbal and non-verbal body language was speaking volumes. I figured it was a matter of time before the dogs got this snake as they have gotten others in the past. I was hoping I would get to it first and be able to cart it down the road. I have done it before. But lately I have not been above wishing that the dogs would just get it, kill it, and get it over with... This afternoon shortly before leaving for work, I went out to bring the dogs in. They had been out for about 15 minutes. Walking in, I saw Owl and Nexus pulling against each other on either end of the largest snake they have caught yet. And I saw that it was dead. I didn't know whether to think "Poor snake" or "YAY!" So I alternated. Then I thought, as I often do, well let me go and get my camera. I came back and took some photos. I got caught up in observing the dogs' behavior. Suddenly, I remembered - work! I barely had time to wash my hair and get dressed. As I pulled out of the driveway, I saw a hen turkey with five or six little ones traipsing along on the road behind her. As I watched, she climbed the road bank and the little ones were flapping and fluttering and looking like sparrows in their endeavor to follow mama up the hill. It reminded me of a toddler having to work extra hard to keep up with a long-striding adult. Suddenly, I remembered again - work! I had not had time to dry my hair, so off and on I hung my head out the window on the hour drive. I clocked in with four minutes to spare. As I walked into the conference room, they looked at me. "What are you doing here?" I said, "I'm working." They said, "No you're not." I had forgotten that I'd moved myself from working today to working on Thursday when I only had three RNs scheduled! Oh man. Well, I needed to go get some groceries anyway. Back home when I was pulling into the drive, I saw a large doe come out of the woods and stand beside the road for a couple of minutes. I waited to see if other deer were coming behind her. This time, I said to myself, you do have time to watch the animals! Unfortunately, I must report that the patter of little half-pints will not be heard here this summer. Neither Taya or Tasha became pregnant by Owl. It is very disappointing to all of us.
As Owl was becoming older, I had his semen evaluated in February 2013 and it was good. But with both of these girls failing to conceive, Owl's fertility is today a looming question. I have an appointment for Owl with Dr. Robert Hutchison in northeast Ohio coming up on June 19. Dr. Hutch is known to breeders nationwide for his expertise in canine reproduction. We will see the results of the evaluation and make decisions based on that. I AM planning to mate Taya again in her next heat. At this point, though, I do not know who the male will be. I will keep you posted. Sometimes you just have to laugh. After their digging and wall-wallowing snake expedition, I made some coffee and walked into another room. Taya, eyes closed, was lying with ball tucked in safe. I thought of Robin Mousseau's photos of her Trouble and got my camera. When Taya heard me click it on, she opened one eye. haha! She closed it again. Then Owl, coveting the ball and whining softly the whole time, came and said to me, would you PLEASE make her give me the ball? (Nine other balls and toys scattered around and he HAD to have the one Taya had.) Owl will tear down walls for snakes but he won't go for a ball that Taya has! That's just been the case the past couple of months. Taya is now a mature, well, you know, little bitch. Owl may be driven but he's not dumb. : )
Owl's 10th BIRTH day may also be his LAST day. That snake in the wall of the outbuilding? It is still there. I am not brave enough to post a photo of what the dogs, led by Owl, have done to the wall on the inside. Now I am ready to get rid of that thing, the snake, not Owl (yet) whatever I have to do. Well, come to think of it, so is Owl.
Happy 10th birthday to the amazing "O" litter!!! Thank you, Jennifer!
I'm missing a lot of things now that I'm in China, like bread, ice for drinks, and air conditioning. But today I'm thinking of my little baby, FC Annie Ochre Von Dorndorf TDX CGC, "Ochre" is turning 10! She's taken me through it all and has probably had more dresses and bows on than any other dachshund. She taught me to fight for what I want and let me travel the USA for our competitions. I love this little dog so much, Happy 10th Birthday to the whole O-Litter! Laura got Ochre from me when she was six and Ochre was 9 months. It was a match made in heaven. Two accomplishments include going Absolute Winner at the DCA National Field Trial in Texas in 2008, and earning their TDX (in the first TDX test for either of them), at the DCA National Tracking Test in Wisconsin in 2011.
Probably sound like a broken record, but I glad to say over and over again that I am very proud of Laura and Ochre! Laura is presently on a summer-long mission trip working with orphans in China. Marta's second and last litter was born 10 years ago today. Father was Swedish import SUvCH NUvCH SvCH FC Hound’s Kashmir. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!
For the first years after I'd begun feeding Kiki the (formerly) stray cat, I really regretted it. Mostly because of Owl's obsession with ending her life but also because she uses wood posts on my porch to file her nails and she sometimes poops in the lily bed. BUT, there is nothing like a good farm cat to keep the rodent population under control. I see Kiki with mice and voles often enough to be reminded of it. I was reminded again this morning when I took the dogs out and she was having a chipmunk for breakfast on the porch. We startled her and she dropped it and hightailed it under the porch. Viljo snatched the awesome snack and boy did he enjoy it. Lip-smacking good, he said! Thought I would post this 15 second video of Viljo at about 5.5 months the morning he caught a vole. He was as happy as a piggy with turnips! And today is Taya's second birthday. She and her four sisters and one brother were born in Denmark at Kennel Tranevang. We are very grateful to their breeder Lise-Lotte Schulz. Many thanks, too, to Marie Gadolin who provided us with a number of photos and comments about each pupster. It was not easy, sitting here in Ohio, and trying to decide IF a puppy and WHICH puppy.
"Puppy" became "puppies" and half the litter is in the US. Taya is with me, Tasha is with Cliff Shrader and Cheryl in Louisiana, and Thor aka Seymour is with Derek Smith and Jennifer in Virginia. We are all VERY GLAD to have them! Their sister Terra is at home with Lise-Lotte. The photo is Taya, two weeks after coming to the States and a few minutes after a warm August tracking session. We walked to the pond for the first time and she, at 10 weeks of age, went right on in. It tells a lot about her nature. Happy Birthday to the T litter! A number of people have asked me if Taya is pregnant. Unfortunately, I do not yet have an answer to that question. Or, I should say, the answer is "I don't know." With Taya's due date next week, how is it possible for pregnancy to be so up in the air at this late stage of the game? First of all, I did not have an ultrasound done to confirm pregnancy. With one exception, I have never done it. While it is nice to confirm that a dog is pregnant, especially on a highly anticipated or long-awaited litter, I usually figure that I will know in a month or two anyway. Besides that, ultrasounds are not infallible. Stan and Tina Knoll had one done on Nadja and were told that she was not pregnant but Nadja whelped three puppies. And Diane Webb and John WIllmore had an ultrasound done on Olive that showed two puppies. Two weeks later, the fetal sacs were empty. The puppies had been absorbed. Through the weeks since the two matings with Owl, Taya's vulva has remained enlarged, and she has had a slight amount of clear vaginal drainage that has clumped hairs together and provided me with great hope that she is in fact pregnant. In the past, this type of discharge has been an infallible sign. And her nipples, while not yet large, have never decreased in size to what they were before Taya came in heat. I have prided myself on being proficient at determining pregnancy by abdominal palpation at about 30 days. But this time, my findings were inconclusive. I found myself doubting my fingers. "Yes." "I believe I feel a puppy there." "One, I think." "But did I really feel a puppy there?" "Maybe not." Like a broken record. As I have said, it is like I want this litter too much! The last photo is Taya this morning, at day 57 or so. (All the photos were taken this morning.) She followed me with her eyes but remained in the position that allows me to point out a couple more things. First, you can see that she is in marvelous "bloom". The fantastic sheen to her coat and extra-good physical condition are typical of a bitch during a pregnancy that is very much agreeing with her. Second, see how large and solid she (often but not always) looks lately when she is sitting or curled up. I have noticed all along how "thick" she appears in the area of the lower rib cage. Then she stands up and the bulk pretty much disappears. She has just as much waist today as she did two months ago. Sometimes she appears almost thin. And to date, I have neither felt a puppy move or heard a heartbeat. And, Taya knows, I have tried!
So, that is why I have to answer the question with I don't know. It has been a rollercoaster ride for weeks. She is. She isn't. She is. She isn't. She is. She isn't. She is. She isn't. Taya is handling the mystery better than I am. Abdominal x-ray on Friday will provide THE clue. Here is a full report from Diane! We're back from the Dachshund Club of America National Specialty -- Thank you for a great report on your marvelous accomplishments and, too, the fabulous photos and videos!
I am so proud of all of you!!! ps Wow, that Bossa is fast! Maxine Brinker called: "Patt, she did it!" Nexus' sister Nutmeg, (they turned 12 in March), went into this weekend needing TWO of the 750 points required to become a Master Agility Champion for the fifth time. She ran a strong Jumpers course, first course of the day, and completed those requirements for MACH 5!!! She is just the third dachshund to achieve MACH 5! Maxine said she will run Nutmeg in Standard today, may also, depending on how good Nutmeg appears to be feeling, run her tomorrow, after which Nutmeg is Retired from agility. A lot of swimming, some earthdog and barn hunt, and, hopefully, helping Maxine discipline a new puppy, are the plans for Nutmeg's future. FANTASTIC ACCOMPLISHMENT AND C@NGRATULATI@NS TO MAXINE AND MACH 5 NUTMEG!! Watch the run which was videoed for Maxine by Pam Dural and posted on Coach's Eye. Owl's sister Autumn Olive von Dorndorf, nine years and 11 months old today, is the Triathlon Winner of the 2014 Dachshund Club of America National events!
HUGE C@NGRATULATI@NS to Olive's owners and handlers John Willmore and Diane Webb of California!!! While Tasha is in Ohio to be mated with Owl, Cliff Shrader and I visited Jennifer Fry and Gretel in Columbus. Before this weekend, Tasha and Taya had not seen each other since they were eight weeks old at home in Denmark. But they get along fabulously and have played hard. It is quite interesting to see that the sisters are so similar in habits, expressions, size, and even their voices. Thank you, Jennifer, for the visit and photos! In the Madison Area Dachshund Club class of 18 Field Champion Dogs, three of the five ribbons went to Nexus, Oslo, and Owl!
I am proud of all of them but especially 12 year old Nexus. On an 85 degree afternoon, the warmest day we've had in months, Nexus put forth great effort had some excellent runs! I did not run Nexus and Owl on Friday or Saturday because I wanted to concentrate on my youngsters Taya (on Friday), and Viljo (Friday and Saturday.) I think the older dogs were telling me, to heck with this sitting in the car business, we want to run rabbits! At the same trial where Taya was 1st of 17 Open Bitches, Oslo was 2nd of 15 Field Champion Dogs!
Here is Oslo receiving his award and singing! Not howling, that's Stan, but Oslo has a beautiful voice. haha! I think we are singing Happy Birthday to Linda Snyder. Congratulations to Stan Knoll and Oslo!! Taya was entered in her first field trial today. I really debated putting her in because I didn't think she was quite ready. She has been out on rabbits five times and all those times were within the past 10 days. Stan Knoll talked me into it and I filled out the entry form 10 minutes before closing time. After a very good first series run, Tayter was called back High of 17 Open Bitches and went on to Win the class. Yay Tay! (There are no runs for Absolute this weekend.) I have decided not to enter Taya tomorrow or Sunday. She may be pregnant, the weather is going to be warmer than we have seen in five months, and I want to develop her a bit more before she competes in the fall which is what I originally had planned for her. But I am very pleased with how Taya handled herself and her running mates today! This good photo of Marta at 13 years was posted on Facebook by Jennifer Fry. Marta, with the ever-present blue oral appendage, was a very special dog in her own right. She was also mother of the wonderful N and O litters. Nexus and Owl are the two who stayed with me. They regularly remind me of Marta aka "Smart Mart."
Thank you for the photo, Jennifer! |
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February 2015
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