Up and Comers

So these are my 'keepers' from the Tiger x Ballantyne litter, born 11/14/14. 

The first black brindle girl is Cora. (Formerly Helga). From birth she was the 'one' who I was drawn to. I am glad to see that others also appreciate her type and quality.

 The next girl is Ingrid. She was to go to another show home and they decided to go a different direction. I am so glad they did, as her quality and type are just exquisite! I am so excited to watch he grow as well. Different than her sister, above, but all the same refinement, bone, angles as Cora, and just as beautiful of head and expression.

 

Their handsome brother Olaf is below. He caught my eye as a youngster and I prayed that others would see his quality. The depth of quality in the litter was apparent (even with the fluffs!) and his soft eye and expression is exactly what I think of, when I think of a Cardigan. 

 

 

This girl is NOT a littermate to the brindles above. She is KiaLoa (formerly Gia) who is out of the Captain x Ballantyne litter born 8/14/13. She was DNA tested to be homozygous black, and homozygous 'wolf agouti' or 'wild type' (meaning she is not sable or tri). She is turning in to a lovely lady and even though she is technically not showable, her merits as a brood bitch are evident. I cannot wait to see what she produces when she is older and has her health tests complete.

 

In case anyone missed it, we have moved to Iowa for a job transfer/promotion. We have downsized our pack so all the above dogs are living with friends in show homes.  We are ultimately looking for a small farm in SW Wisconsin to call home, so we can bring all the dogs back together and the sheep, cattle, chicken and hogs as well :)

Stay tuned for more updates!

National photos

These photos were taken from John Phillips flickr website. I do not own these but will maybe be buying some from him! He took photos of every dog entered and even when they made the cuts!

So please enjoy a few of the photos of my dogs that he took.

I'll fill you in on the rest of the big news tomorrow! :)

Ballantyne in the black bitches in the Megan

 Ava in blue Merle bitches in the Megan.

 Ava again

 Ava being pulled the first time in Best of Breed, champion titled bitches

 Ballantyne in the Megan

 Cass man in sweeps.

 Campbell in sweeps

Above is Kim Keifer and I waiting for our sweeps class. Below, Ava being awarded runner up blue merle bitch

 Ballantyne in breed.

 Ballantyne

 Campbell moving in sweeps.

 Ava

 Cass man moving in sweeps

 Ava again in the Megan.

 Campbell in bred by bitch

 Ava in Best of breed.

 Campbell in sweeps

 Campbell again

 Campbell on the table in bred by

 Ballantyne in Best of Breed.

North Star Herding Group Club Specialty

This is the Naugthy Ballantyne :) Kind of naked (she blew her coat as it was coming in due to her coming in to season....sigh). She was BOS for a 5 point GrCh major here. Overall she has been shown as a special 5 times and earned a GrCh major each time for a total of 21 points I believe (still learning the GCH pts scale). I'm so glad my mentor Barb and Joanne told me to hang on this girl :)

She is 22 months old in the photo and 25 pounds. I look forward to seeing how she continues to mature and perhaps down the road will get her out to special her more. Equally as excited for her as a brood bitch!

Campbell's Best In Sweeps photo didn't accompany this one in the mail so hopefully tomorrow I will post that :)

Land O' Lakes weekend

it seems that no matter the dog show, the day before the first day of showing is another day of dog readying.

I spent most of Thursday bathing and grooming dogs, packing the Volvo and asking Mary again to haul half of my stuff. I swear I'm never showing 6 dogs in one weekend again unless I'm driving WITH her in her extended cargo van :) Many thanks to Mary for hauling my stuff and helping show Ava for me all weekend as well as take dogs back in for winners or sweeps.

Friday was the North Star Herding Group Club Specialty. In a frantic unload Thursday evening I was a nervous wreck in the morning as I had opted to leave my dogs at the show site (I will never do that again BTW...too stressful on ME). An early ring time and we are grooming like maniacs in our half sized grooming area that Teresa and I were set up in. Between Mary, Teresa and myself we managed to make it to ring 5 minutes early......only to realize the rings didn't start for another 30 min (insert large sigh and groan).

Cass ended up being the first and only dog in his class, and Mary had to show him as I had a ring conflict and showed Margot in her sweeps class in another ring. I was running like a fool and more than one person told me to slow down and relax (a slap across the face would have been totally appreciated as well Mary, Teresa, Diana or anyone else who told me to settle down!)

I was able to show Campbell in her class and back in the ring for Best in Sweeps....which by the way Campbell was fortunate enough to WIN considering her bouncy self and naughty antics. I do like those sassy Cardigan bitches. lol. What a thrill and honor and my first Best in Sweeps win!

In regular classes Campbell was 2nd in her class and Cass was again a lone entry in his class. Bolin in BBE didn't fare as well (5/5) but hey the rest of her weekend went well. :) Ava and Ballantyne were both entered in Breed in hopes of more major wins for their Grand Champion majors. Ava didn't need them but it would be a great thing if her grand champion was all majors!  Mary showed Ava for me (first time I've ever let anyone show Ava other than myself), and I showed Ballantyne. Both girls showed well and I was happy with Ballantyne going Best of Opposite Sex and Ava Select Bitch!!! Ballantyne earned a 5 pt major for her ribbon and Ava 4 point! I again had a ring conflict with Margot so I asked my Briard friends if one of them could show her for me. With only minutes of knowing Jackie, Margot did ok, but no points for her, which is fine. Her time will come! The Briarders LOVED her and had so many wonderful things to say about her I was beginning to blush :)

After the show I waited for photos forEVER and missed my Cosetta's annual lunch date with the Briard folk, but they were again complimentary on Margot and I was able to have Teresa try out the restaurant which she did like! The evening called for catching up with college buddies over beers and reliving a good Specialty day of showing.

Saturday was not as early and I didn't have Margot entered the rest of the weekend due to funds (re: no snow yet this winter for snow removal business). The judge was a woman who is well respectedd in Cardigans and has judged the Briard National. I had never shown to her before but she was wonderful with the pups and was very complimentary on my kids :)

Campbell won her class, as did Bolin (after being 5/5 the day before!) and Both girls showed well in the ring for Winner's Bitch. Bolin was considered hard for Winner's Bitch but in the end went to a more mature bitch and Bolin was RWB. Can't complain it was THAT close!

Ballantyne was BOS sex again and she was on the move. The judge pulled her first in the specials line up and I heard from many ringside that the judge couldn't take her eyes off of her. Ballantyne showed really well for me and went BOS over 5 bitch specials and all the class bitches for a 5 pt gch major again! wohoo!! I heard several thought she was going to get the breed and that meant a lot to me that others thought highly of my moderate sized girl. Ava was completely absent mentally in the ring and Mary had a workout keeping her in the game.

I met up with some good friends downtown Minneapolis for supper and then off to the bars with them for a few more drinks in St Paul after I pottied dogs back at the show site. Again a wonderful evening meeting up with old college friends!

Sunday we didn't show until after 2 pm and were honestly one of the very last breeds to be judged. Another good day with Cass being RWD, Bolin again RWB in another tight race for the Winner's ribbon, and Ballantyne was Select bitch for a 4 pt gch major!

After saying goodbye to all my friends....which there is NEVER enough time it seems to talk and catch up adequately, we loaded up the grooming area, packed up the car and I was finally on the road just before SIX pm. Unreal....

Overall it was a great weekend. Best in Sweeps with Campbell, Bolin two RWBs, Cass RWD (all to majors), Ballantyne three Grand CH majors (2 five points and a four point) and Ava one more four point major). Ballantyne now has 21 GrCh major points with ALL majors (5 shows, 5 days) and Ava has 23 GrCh major points with ALL majors (6 shows, 6 days). Before you know it they will have their Grand CH titles! Unfortunately for them, our next show will probably be the National or Fargo as with the lack of snow removal this winter I am a little cramped for extra funds :)

I wanted to thank everyone ringside for their help switching dogs, keeping the dogs quiet (ahem, LOL) and for the laughs and congratulations and hugs all around. It really is a fun thing, this dog showing thing ;)

Congratulations to all the winners this weekend on a strong entry of Cardigans! Always good wins when the quality is high!

Candid Photos from the St Cloud show

I love when I get to see ringside photos of my dogs. I never get to see that side of them so its really great when I get to see them. I will let you know who everyone is as well. There are some great photos here....

The blue girl below is Ch Ebonwald's A Blessed Pirate Queen. She is nearly complete with her GrCH having 5 majors and having beaten other Champions for every one of them. Ava is my first bred-by champion and will be my first Gr Ch as well.

Those blue eyes always have a different 'look' to them than the brown eyes, but they are so stunning.

Two photos of Bolin, "Ebonwald Brace For Impact at Toshay", in very limited showing has 2 singles and a 3 point major. She's been slower to mature but that is ok. Just happy to watch them grow up and not fall apart.

Bolin in for Winner's Bitch on Sunday. (she won!)

My friend Mary showing Ballantyne as a special on Saturday. her first weekend as a special and she gets 2 GrCh majors by going select and then BOS. She is also really fun to show and although modest in size (26 pounds) she is being found in the all breed ring. Her movement is amazing and if I could change anything it would be a bit more bone and a lower tail set (but I'm being picky!)

This is my little Campbell, "Ebonwald Merrymoon Collateral Damage". As you can see her side gate is amazing. The entire litter moves like this. Her long upper arm and shoulder layback are fantastic. For anyone needing to see proper movement, have a look see here :)

Such a typey little bitch. I LOVE her ;)

I always look so serious.

A table shot of Bolin. beautiful head, length of neck, sweep (neck flows in to the back), dead level topline. If you want to see proper topline, sweep, neck this is it!

More photos of Campbell. She's slowing down here to stand, but still has more reach and drive than many.  She's also super fun to show with that typical Cardi Girl attitude :)

Below is the Cass Man "Ebonwald Merrymoon Call One's Bluff. He has both his majors already and is such a good boy in the ring. He's a lot like his sister in so many ways. I'm eager to see how he grows up.

St Cloud weekend

This past weekend was the first show that I entered Margot my black natural eared Briard bitch in. While she was super excited to be at the show and in the ring we didn't win anything except training experience,which I wanted. She needs to calm down a bit in the ring to move well by herself, but when we were in for Winner's Bitch, and she had someone else to follow, we moved much better. My friends and long time Briard breeders went over her and really loved her, everything about her so that was really wonderful to hear as well. I was also glad to know that Margot's size is totally ok and that Mitcham is just a big guy :)

Saturday I entered FIVE Cardigans (yes you read that right, I am crazy). I was able to go BOS with Ava for her 4th GrCH major on her fourth day as a special and Ballantyne her first day out as a special was Select for her first GrCh major. The classes didn't go nearly as well for me but I can't win everyday :)

Sunday again 5 Cardigans and I was a bit more prepared. This time Ballantyne was BOS for her 2nd GrCH major and Ava was Select for her 5th GrCH major. Bolin (Ebonwald Brace For Impact at Toshay) was Winners bitch for her first 3 pt major! She has only been to one all breed show since she came to visit so in very limited showing I am quite pleased with her. I didn't think she was ready yet but a few weeks ago I got her out and really went over her. While she isn't a perfect bitch I think she has a lot of merit and was pleased to see her do well. special thanks to Mary and Tanya, Tylor and Shelley, Lacy and Suzi for all of your ringside and grooming and photography support ;)

Ava now has 19 GrCH points in 5 shows with 5 majors.
Ballantyne now has 7 GrCH points win 2 shows with 2 majors.
Bolin now has 5 points towards her CH title with one major.

Shows always go so fast and no matter how much time I get to chat with dog friends it never seems like enough!

Its official!

CH Ebonwald's Be On The Lookout - DN28237503

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	Conformation - Awards Processed Through 01-NOV-2011
	CH   Number of Points 16   Number Major Wins 4   Number Major Judges 4   Total Number Judges 8

Whew! What a weekend!

I've been fortunate enough and blessed to have had a great run of dog showing this past year or so. The weekend of the St. Croix Kennel Club in Lake Elmo, MN has been good to me the last few years. 2 years ago Zoe was BOW for her 2nd four point major to finish. Last year Ava was BOW for her first 3 point major and this year Ava had a good year too :)

Ava was Best of Opposite Sex Friday and Saturday for two 3 point grand champion majors going over other bitch specials. She was BEST OF BREED on Sunday for a 5 point grand champion major over many specials! I have never had this happen before and its truly a great way to do it in front of so many friends! Thank you all for the congratulations and hugs and cheering :) All owner handled, and all with my first Bred-By Champion too :) I was told that she was chosen for BOB  as she out moved them all. Thank you so much Pembroke breeder/judge Tammy Johnston for awarding this to my girl :)

Ballantyne was completely lacking any kind of coat. So little that her guard hairs were now falling out. I had thought if the major would hold without her I wouldn't even bring her. No sense when she is stark nekkid! But Saturday and Sunday I was proven wrong and Ballantyne was awarded WB/BOW on Saturday and WB on Sunday for two MORE 3 poitn majors. She now has 3 majors and 13 points! BEING NAKED! LOL the judges told me that once she was back in coat she would be UNSTOPPABLE! How awesome is THAT!

I was really excited before any of this happened actually. I knew I would be getting to stay with my bestie Erica in the hotel all weekend. I haven't seen her at a dog show since Sioux Falls last year and going to shows without her or her mother Mary is just plain not right! It was great to be able to catch up with her and have our usual 'blonde' moments lol. I also got to see so many of the Cardi and Briard people I haven't got to see as of late. It was good catching up with  them as well :) Oh and I was even able to go downtown Minneapolis for supper one night with some college friends. I love downtown life and it was a great break from 'reality' to be out amongst peers doing what I love to do: socialize over cocktails :)

All in all a great weekend that I'm sure won't be repeated for a long time, so I want to revel in it as long as possible :)

For those not on Facebook....

Ballantyne's Sweeps photo finally came in the mail! We usually wait 4+ weeks for our show photos. Unlike in the PNW where they get them the end of the same week! Ballantyne is stacked a bit nicer here, than her major win under Emily Fish, but I still like both photos :) Thank you to both breeder judges for seeing her merit.

Normal dogs

Ava and Ballantyne got their OFA certificates in the mail today for their NORMAL Thyroid, Cardiac and CERFs. I'm not surprised but since i did Zoe and Ell's Thyroids two years ago, there have only been 12 more Cardigans tested for thyroid and sent in to OFA. If thyroid is not an issue in cardigans I would think more people would test knowing that they are 'ok' and post the normal results.

At any rate, I know my girls are normal for these conditions and I'm happy knowing that I give my puppy buyers babies that have a lesser chance of getting health issues down the road.

My dogs' health is of the utmost importance to me. I'm happy that I can say they are normal for these things. Well.....as normal as my dogs can get ;P haha

Test Results:

Just got my test results via email for some of the dogs:

Sadie - DM carrier. I was curious to her status even though she is spayed. This makes me feel good as she will not ever be at risk for this disease.

Ell - Pink test; E/E (normal). she does not carry the pink gene 'e'. After finding that Daisy did, I wanted to make sure with Ell.


Ava - Pink test E/E (normal), DM N/A (carrier), Fluff N/A (carrier)


Ballantyne - Pink test E/E (normal), DM N/A (carrier), Fluff N/A (carrier)

Bolin's tests were sent off today as I was able to collect them from her when i visited Denise's place. Will keep you posted.

I am a little bummed about the fluff and DM status of Ava and Ballantyne. Their mothers were carriers for both, sires were clear/normal for DM and Hux was clear for fluff, so was hoping to 'improve' on their statuses. Oh well...at least they are not at risk or affected.

FMKC win photos

Too tired to say much else right now. Just got home from Oregon :) It was a fantastic week! More soon about my trip I promise!

Ava winning a 3 point cross over major on Sunday under judge Jon Cole. Ava is now at 12 points with both majors. 

 Ballantyne is shown here winning BOS/BOW at the CWCCA Supported Entry on Saturday. Thank you breeder judge Emily Fish!

Now I'm just waiting for my Best of Opposite Sex in Sweepstakes photo. Maybe tomorrow?

My puppies

This shows you from left to right Ava (Huxley x Zoe) Brewer and Ballantyne (Pilot x Ell). These are the result of my first two litters. As you can tell they are all goofs :)

Ballantyne aka "Naughty" with Sadie.That is a face of mischief.

Siblings Brewer and Ballantyne. Love them. Such awesome expression :)

here is the current litter Levi x Daisy. This was chaos as I was approaching the xpen. I add new items to the xpen every day that help stimulate their brains and overcome any fear they may have. today were several new surfaces including a dog fence partition, a crate divider, a cookie cooling rack, and a muffin tin. No lie. This works folks.