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.

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!

Ava's new CH photo

I finally got my desktop computer back and software downloaded from HP to get my scanner/printer/copier back up and running. This photo has been here for awhile but it hasn't been scanned to my blog or website until today. So sorry for the delay!

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 :)

A Good Weekend

This weekend I finished my first dog from the bred-by class. Ava earned her last three single points to become a Champion! I even kept her in on Sunday to hold the point for the class dog, and to make sure she did indeed get all her points :)

She is my 4th champion, my 3rd cardigan champion and my 1st breeder/owner handled exclusively in the bred-by class!! This is my 4th champion in less than 2 years!

There were also health clinics for Cardiac, Thyroid, Patella and CERF.Ava and Ballantyne were done for Patella, as they had already passed the other tests. The gal doing the patella clinic told me how important it is in a herding and actively working breed such as a Cardigan to have good knees. She also said dogs that do agility should be examined.

I also heard this from the CERF, Cardiac and Thyroid vets/doctors. The cardiac doctor said the cases of bad hearts was nearly 50% of all dogs tested just 20 or less years ago and that breeders have made giant strides in their breeding programs and have made those cases now that have problems less that 10 %!! CERF doctor stressed the importance of the eye exams and that many of the genetic/heredity diseases can be bred away from. yet so many people don't do them.

There was a B Match Saturday night that Shelley and I stayed for. It sounded like a grand idea but after 13 hours of being at the show I was D.O.N.E. Margot earned a Group 4 and did extremely well on the leash and for the stand for exam. We need to work on everything but mostly with the 'showing the bite'. She did awesome at the show site with the sounds, smells, people and dogs. I also took two of Daisy's pups with as there was a potential home coming up from Milwaukee to see them. They did awesome for being away from their mom and the rest of the litter. I'm so proud of the boys :)

I also found out today that Brewer earned his first point going BOW at the show he was entered in!! That makes him the fourth puppy in the litter to be pointed. I never think any litter is good enough to have every puppy be a show puppy and finish, but glad to see that her litter had some puppies worth growing on and showing.

I wanted to thank Shelley Powers for all her help this weekend. I'm still not in a fit condition to do much and when I was getting fatigued she was there to help, even when I objected. Its much appreciated :) Also a huge thank you to Barb and Steve Peterson for allowing my dogs and myself to invade your home and eat your food and sleep in your house. I love the Duluth show because there is so much time to spend talking to friends and getting to know new ones! I'm drained each day and sometimes overwhelmed by it all but if anyone has an inkling of going to Duluth for the 4 day cluster, I highly recommend it! Plus you are literally one block away from Canal Park and dozens of GREAT restaurants and things to see and do!

Thanks everyone for a great weekend!

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.

FMKC weekend

The Fargo-Moorhead Kennel Club weekend is over! Thank God! I had to take a nap when I got home! :) Its always so much fun and work, but it is so worth it!

I went up Thursday to help my KC out. I am in charge of locking and opening all buildings every day, cleaning up the grounds and making sure there are tons of poop bags and garbage cans around the entire grounds. I even get a golf cart to tool around in!

Although numbers were down for the entire 3 day cluster, there were quality dogs to be had.

On Friday the judge Linea Linn Brown chose the Winner's Dog, Jasper, Shortdog's New Moon Rising, for Best Of Breed for a 4 point major to finish him! Congrats on your 4th major on him Teresa! Brewer was RWD and Ava was WB for a single point.

Saturday bright and early Tom Stewart was the Sweeps judge and chose Jasper for Best in Sweeps Puppy and my Ballantyne for Best Opposite in Sweeps Puppy. Best in Veteran Sweeps was Sully, GCH Cardidreams Blue Sullivan and Best Opposite in Veteran Sweeps was Cochen, CH Rhiwelli Cochen Cun O Gwenlais, owned by Barb and Steve Peterson.

Emily Fish was judging regular classes and she chose Teresa's boy for WD (she kept him in the classes to hold the major) and Emily chose Ballantyne as WB/BOW/BOS for her first 3 point major! Ava was RWB and Brewer was RWD. Ava was also best BBE and went on to win the Herding Group BBE! Thank you Teresa for being a good sport!

Not to be outdone, I had Ava and Ballantyne CERF'ed and Cardiac tested and they were both NORMAL for both! So healthy AND beautiful! :)

Sunday's judge was Jon Cole and he chose Teresa's boy again for WD (although he was really looking at Brewer as well...who was showing quite well, but Brewer was RWD to the major for the third day), and Ava was WB/BOW for her second 3 point major! Wahoo! She now has 12 points with both majors! Thanks again for holding the major Teresa!

It was a phenomenal weekend for me and one I can't believe happened, or will happen again any time soon!

To top it off, I picked up my new Briard puppy, Margot, at the show as well. She is a black AND natural eared, so I will have my work cut out for me with that, but she is very sweet and very fun so far. I can't wait to watch her grow up!

There was a potluck/picnic at the campers for the Briard and Cardigan folks and it was well attended with lots of food, laughs and we got to see Barb and Steve's puppies and super spoil them while we sat around and talked dogs. Saturday night the Cardigan crew went out to eat and afterwards had some ice cream to celebrate the eventful day and the beautiful 85 degree weather with a slight breeze.

Everyone commented on how they loved the show site and the KC members and they will be returning for the show next year too! I can't wait until next year's Supported Entry and hope that many others will come out for it as well next year!

Ava photo in the Group ring

http://lyndabeam.zenfolio.com/p10262070/e165b999a#h165b999a

Ava looks extremely displeased with me but I think it was just the second before she was blinking? She really is a happy dog. I swear! :)

Thanks to Dawn for finding this for me :)

She's growing up...

My blue girl who acts JUST like her mother Zoe on Saturday of the St. Paul, MN show. We were RWB two of the three days. I'm quite pleased with how well she is growing up! Thank you Lynn for the photos!

Ava is just over 13 months in this photo and has 6 points so far towards her CH with one 3 point major from a breeder judge.

St Cloud Day 2

Ava was WB, BOW, BOS again today as the only bitch entered. She is now at 6 points with one major. Brewer moved wonderfully around the ring with Adam today although Brewer had a melt down on the table and pee'ed all over the table and Adam. Aside from that he showed well, but did not get WD or RWD because of that. Adam was frustrated but I told him everyone goes through it. Considering it was both their first show weekend I'm just happy that they both made it around the ring :)

I forgot to mention that on saturday our judge commented that it was so nice to see this breed being shown by all YOUNG PEOPLE! I beamed I think all the way home but I guess age is relative...and he was a pretty old judge lol.

St. Cloud day 1

Ava was the only bitch entered. She was WB, BOW and BOS to Picasso for one point. Brewer being shown by Adam was RWD. I'm just happy neither tripped or fell down in the ring and both looked pretty good if I do say so myself ;)

Ava's 3 point major official photo

I've been kind of busy the past 4 weeks (hence the lack of blogging)

Oliver is walking. Fairly good actually. He tries to get up on the couch to which he gets a super stern look and then I lift him up. Goofy boy.

Puppies are growing. I'm so busy working that I just haven't had time to enter any shows or honestly have the desire. Its good to see all my friends but its like pulling teeth trying to get everyone to the same shows ;)

Here is the full photo and one of just Ava. I think she's growing up nicely. All wins from the BBE class.

Ava and Brewer

Here is 'Grandma' with Ava. Grandma was watching TV. Ava was watching herself in the reflection of the patio door :)
Brewer is really channeling Mac's personality. He is SUCH a love and he also loves empty water bottles. He has such a pretty head.
This picture shows his pretty dark eyes...the one above I had to 'adjust' to get rid of the green eye glare. He is such a sweet soul. I wish he would 'grow up' the way I was hoping. So until that happens...you just get candids :)

Weights

I took the babies in to get their Rabies shots today.

I also weighed them out of extreme curiousity. My dogs always seem so small.

Brewer weighed in a whopping 19 pounds at just 4.5 months old.

Ballantyne weighed in at 15.3 pounds. I knew she was smaller (always has been) and she'll probably stay smaller like her momma Ell. It'll be interesting to see how Bolin and the rest of the pack weigh in. I know Bannick (now Brody and living in Connecticut) is 19 pounds as well, and Brody was a smaller puppy when he left me. Luckily Brody is also being red raw so the comparison is right in line with my dogs.

Ava also went along for the ride and to get weighed. She was 27.2#. She now weighs the same as Ell. Standing them side by side however their lines are very different. So are their pedigrees. Ava's appetite is like any teenage. hungry ALL.THE.TIME!

A Hot Summer's Night

These girls are always smiling :). Well AND it was like 88 degrees inside the house. For northern Minnesota that is PLENTY HOT thank.you.very.much!

*note Ballantyne's eyes had to be 'fixed' on the PC. they didn't turn out like her normal eyes, which are a very gorgeous color. She's also looking for a new NAME. Any suggestions?