Second Point for Gibson!

I got a letter from the AKC last week, stating that the dog that was Winners Dog on February 1 has been "disallowed" and that Gibson had been moved up from Reserve to Winners. In checking the web, Gibson now has 2 points! But how? The only entries were Gibson and the now disallowed dog, who had earned the point by placing ahead of Gibson. A call to the AKC was in order, but I still don't understand the reasoning. The rep said the dog was disallowed after earning the point, so any points earned go to the Reserve Winners Dog, even though the reserve and the dog defeated were one and the same. Apparently, disallowed is not the same thing as disqualified, which makes the difference in getting that point. Regardless, Ellen and I don't want to take any chances with Gibson's championship and will have him earn 16 points instead of 15, just to be on the safe side!

Strike One

Lauren had her sonogram this morning and most disappointing, she is not pregnant. We were just starting to feel confident that she was expecting as she was looking like she did for last year's litter, is always starving and had just started digging "nests" in her kennel. We'll keep our hopes up for Claire and Phoebe although right now, we're not that optimistic that Claire's breeding took.

Stay Alert!

That's how my horoscope started last Saturday. Unfortunately, I read that in the evening, after I let my mind drift while I was splitting wood. I got my thumb caught in the splitter and it's broken. I'm off work for a few days, learning how to do things one handed. I see the ortho doctor tomorrow who will hopefully give me a much less cumbersome splint. Even giving the dogs their breakfast was a time consuming chore this morning. Of course, cleaning kennels is not possible right now as is one on one attention to the pups. Twister especially was interested in getting a closer look at my splint and bandage!

Sorry About That...

The visitor count that I attached from blog patrol can give me lots of information--not that I understand or care about a lot of it. I not only see how many people have looked at Lauren's blog, but what time, which post was viewed and what country the viewer is from. It also tells me how a person finds the blog, through a bookmark or a search, which search engine and search terms. The funny thing about tags and titles is that I post something (let's say smooth boys) which in my context has a totally different meaning than to someone in say South Africa or various European countries. I wondered why this puppy blog was getting hits from outside the U.S. then saw what search terms were used and which posts were being viewed--oh my! I'm afraid I've disappointed many a person when they click on the blog and see it's about smooth collies! I'm sure it's not what they expected! Although there was one Norwegian who read all my posts after finding the pictures of our smooth boys--perhaps someone became a collie fan...?

First Point!

Gibson earned his first point towards his championship on Monday! He did a nice job Thursday to Sunday, learning how to be a show dog and getting used to all the new things. Ellen said he's not crazy about p.a. systems and had some puppy moments but on Monday he really showed and moved well. It was a very tiny show by Monday, but a point is always welcome!
Unfortunately, Claire didn't finish over the week-end. The best she did was a reserve. All she wanted to do all week-end was sleep! Apparently, she's pregnant, at least in her head! Let's hope she's carrying actual puppies further down, too!

Are They????

It's now been a month since Lauren was bred, 2 1/2 weeks for Claire and 2 weeks for Phoebe. My daily question from friends and co-workers is "so, what do you think? Are they"? The answer is....don't know! Lauren is showing some good, positive symptoms and Claire also indicated she could be expecting before she left for NJ. Phoebe has started to act different, but since false pregnancy symptoms are the same as true pregnancy, I won't say any of the girls are pregnant until the vet has confirmed it. My girls have fooled me way too many times! Of course, we are anxious and hopeful. We're stockpiling newspapers just in case!

A Wintry Mix

Tuesday was the type of weather day no one likes--first snow, then freezing rain and temperatures that stayed low enough to make it raw and nasty. David and I got home just fine on Tuesday night, but Wednesday we decided was better spent at home. Our little mountain is just high enough that getting down can be an adventure! We saw very little traffic, usually the vehicle going down the road coming back a few minutes later. Old girl Sophie fell twice when I took her out in the morning and refused to come back in without lots of coaxing. The puppies and Lauren spent lots of time out in the storm and were covered in ice. Phoebe wisely stayed in her kennel on her cot.





The kennel gate



Tucker, the "pupsicle"