18Feb12
We got some snow and the dogs had fun outside this afternoon. Wish I'd remember to take the camera outside with me! They LOVE to catch snowballs. The scramble to catch them gets quite competitive! It's supposed to get up to 40 by mid-week. What a strange winter! Have only had to shovel the walk twice so far, and never had to plow the driveway. Great :) I'm sure those who love snowmobiling are very discouraged.
07Feb11
I forgot to mention that Sandy Holmes has puppies! Iddi Biddi has 5 beautiful puppies. Sandy's contact info is on my Home page.
We just made our annual change in dog food. We're switching to Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon. It's one of their grain free foods. Will let you know if it doesn't work out. So far they are loving it. You should also change your dog's food at least annually. You can just change back and forth between 2 brands/types or change to something different every year.
06Feb12
What an amazing sunny day we had today. I think it got over 50 degrees. Tonight there is a lovely low full moon.
Digby's owners sent photos. They have 2 more classes in their Canine Good Citizen session and are hoping he can learn to heel nicely on the leash (he likes to pull) so that he can pass the test they'll give after the last class. They are considering Rally next. Let's send good thoughts that Digby passes his CGC test and learns to walk on the leash without pulling!
04Feb12
Diane took Ollie to the library yesterday and the children read books to him. He is such a good dog to be so patient and well-behaved, especially for a dog who won't be 2 years old until the end of May. Diane is also going to try to get this 'reading to Ollie' program started at another library that is nearer to their home. She has had such a good time training with Ollie that she has decided to take some dog training classes at a nearby college!
28Jan12
I added Reilly's Christmas photo to her page. Chris reports that she loves to ride in the car and has started another obedience class.
21Jan12
Diane just emailed that while Ollie was at Treibball class today they gave him a Canine Good Citizen test and he passed! He's now Milestone Liberty On Parade CGC!!! Yay Ollie & Diane :)
20Jan12
Yippee!!!!! I think the website is WORKING! Phew.....
GREAT NEWS - Ffyn finished his Grand Championship at the Cleveland shows in December!!!! A Milestone first. I'm so proud of him and so thankful to Vicki & Ricardo for having him shown. He's such a lovely dog - structure, movement, health, and temperament.
Speaking of top dogs - Trooper is back at Kim's getting ready for some hunt tests in the next few months. Jamie and Randy came to the American Spaniel Club show 2 weeks ago to watch the dogs and visit. We had a nice lunch after Apple and I ran around the ring.
Evan and Laurel came over from Nashville to see Apple and I in the ring. We took second in our class to Sandy's lovely Betty Jo. Apple showed well and I had more energy than I did in Cleveland 3 weeks prior. She still needs 3 points to finish her championship. It was so good to see Evan & Laurel - I've missed them so much.
Ollie's family sent photos that I put on his page. He and Diane are taking Treiball classes which they both love and will be taking a tracking class next. Welshie's love to track. I watched Plum track the meter reader's footprints from the fence gate to the meter across the yard. It's a natural thing for them and not difficult to train.
The 'A League Of Their Own' litter turned six months old yesterday. Hard to believe it's been that long. A few updates:
Pixie's owners sent a new photo of her and the kids. All three are growing :) Pixie is doing well. She is happy to go to the groomer and Sophie brushes her coat and her teeth at home. She loves to ride in the car to take Sophie to and from school. The teachers tell Pixie how pretty she is.
Digby's owners sent video links that I put on his page. He had his rabies shot last week and they have now been taking him to dog parks and day care for exercise. As you can see from the video he has fun following a Great Dane at the dog park. Their neighbors have a puppy about Digby's size and they are having fun playing together. He is in an obedience class that offers CGC (Canine Good Citizen) testing after the class is done. Hoping Digby will get a CGC title - he just has to master not pulling on the leash.
I saw Anna's owner, Rhonda, at the dog show 2 weeks ago and she reported that Anna is quite the character, nearly fearless and very bold.
Francis' owners sent photos and a lovely email: Francis.....what to say about him......He is just the most wonderful dog. He brings joys and laughter to anyone he meets. It is impossible to not smile when seeing him .... even when he is jumping on you with dirty paws and you have beige pants (this actually happened to a poor fellow walking his dog in the park who said: what a lovely dog!).
The mail lady always hopes to see him and lets him sniff her mail bag and lick her face.
He is just adorable and affectionate and full of mischief and joy of life. We simply adore him!
He is completely toilette trained, gives excellent eye contact (unless he wants to do something he knows he should not) and knows some hand signs. He is learning stay but it is an uphill battle as he wants to stay with you and not by himself.
He has lots and lots of new teeth (we kept one of the ones he lost) and no longer gets car sick (thank God).
He has a best buddy (2 year old Josh): you can see them playing on the floor on one of the pictures I have attached.
He does have toes and ears fetish: he nibbles gently on them which is a really weird sensation :).
Clover's owners sent a cute photo of her in the car. She is such a pretty girl.
I guess that's all the news I have missed reporting in the last 2 months. If not, please remind me of what I'm missing!
18Jan12
I have been working on my website almost daily since I got my new computer for Christmas. The newer version of the software I've been using is giving me challenges. I hope to have it updated online soon!
27Dec11
Added new photo of Digby on his page. His owners say he's fully house trained and has lost all his puppy teeth. He loves playing with other dogs, now weighs 30 pounds, and starts his next obedience class mid-Jan. They also say: 'Personality and energy-wise, Digby has been the perfect fit. He's very playful but also loves his cuddle time. My family has really been enjoying Digby's visit with them. My mom is convinced that he's the prettiest and smartest dog alive! Thank you again for breeding such a wonderful addition to our family.'
26Dec11
News from Ollie's family: 'Another doggy day care story from last Wednesday. There were two new boxers last week, one was an all white deaf male. Neither had any experience with play and Ollie just stepped right in to show them! When he figured out that the deaf boxer wasn't responding he went around him and did a play bow until he got his attention! It seems like he is a doggy therapy dog as well as for humans!! They love him at doggy day care and it seems that his energy and intuition help the staff with all kinds of situations. Again, we are so blessed'
Added new photos of Francis and Kea that their owners sent. They report that the dogs are doing well. They have such a great place to exercise the dogs. You can see some of the terrain in the photos. Lucky dogs. Francis likes to nibble on ears and toes when he gets the chance. They also say Francis 'is just the most wonderful dog. He brings joys and laughter to anyone he meets. It is impossible to not smile when seeing him .... even when he is jumping on you with dirty paws and you have beige pants (this actually happened to a poor fellow walking his dog in the park who said: what a lovely dog!). The mail lady always hopes to see him and lets him sniff her mail bag and lick her face. He is just adorable and affectionate and full of mischief and joy of life. We simply adore him! He is completely toilette trained, gives excellent eye contact (unless he wants to do something he knows he should not) and knows some hand signs. He is learning stay but it is an uphill battle as he wants to stay with you and not by himself.'
Vicki sent a photo of Ffyn and herself taken at the Cleveland show last weekend.
Carla sent news of Pixie. They boarded her at a kennel while they were away and Pixie did just great there. She 'got lots of outside time and time playing with other dogs. She ate all her meals and was happy. Since being home, she has adjusted right back into the routine. She has had no accidents and is hitting her bell every time to go out. The kids missed her while we were away and they were all happy to be back together.' Here is the link for Pixie's graduation photos from Puppy Kindergarten and Puppy Preschool: http://www.pupsgrowup.com/Graduates.html.
25Dec11
Merry Christmas!! What a lovely day we had. The big surprise for me was the work I thought Jason was doing on my laptop, turned out to be a fabulous desktop with huge new monitor. Thank you all for the lovely photos you've been sending and I'll get them posted as soon as I can.
I also want to brag a moment on the success Apple and I had a weekend ago in Cleveland. I entered her in the show, knowing I'd be almost 3 weeks out from my last chemo treatment, and wanting very much to see my friends and show my pretty dog. I didn't realize just how weak and tired I'd be, and never could have gotten through the weekend without the extraordinary patience and help of my wonderful friends. The good news is that Apple got the points on Saturday and went Best Opposite Sex. Ffyn went Select Dog all three days.
06Dec11
Ollie's owners sent the following in an email: One really amazing thing happened at doggy day care a few weeks ago. When I went to pick Ollie up there was a very fearful and shy dachshund, she was kept separated from the other dogs and people so when we go to pick up our dogs they put her in a separate area from where we go in and out. Well, the owner said not to worry she likes Ollie, so when Ollie was let into the waiting area the little dachshund nestled under Ollie's chin and he let her stay there until we were ready to leave. She ran over and jumped on the couch as we left and Ollie went over to her and gave her a lick as if to say good bye! The owner said that they let Ollie in with any new puppies and shy dogs!! He seems to be a "therapy dog" even with other dogs :-) You just have to love our little guy for all his amazing ways! Thank you for your great breeding!! I do feel it starts with you ;-) I have to say that Ollie is also who he is because of the opportunities, care, love, training, etc, that his wonderful owners have given him. Thank you Diane & Mike.
05Dec11
Great news: Trooper finished his Championship on Saturday in Savanah, GA. He also went Winners Dog on Sunday. I'm so proud of the wonderful life he has been given with Jamie and Randy. They have done an excellent job of training and socializing this handsome, friendly, happy dog. I believe he has a bright future ahead of him.
30Nov11
Reilly's family sent two cute photos. I have them on her page and had to put one on the home page. Too cute! They took her to a local holiday parade in northern Michigan in her Christmas dress and she got a lot of attention. She loved meeting everyone and all the dogs and children.
Digby and his owners are visiting in KY and said he was a perfect traveler - slept the whole way, and pottied when they stopped to walk him. Once they got to their destination, he quickly figured out which door to bark at when he wanted to go outside.
Ollie's owners fenced in part of their yard and are enjoying having a safe place to exercise and play with him. They sent photos of him and the family at Thanksgiving.
Wishing Jamie good luck this weekend with Archer and Trooper at a dog show.
I had my last chemo treatment yesterday. Yippee!!
21Nov11
Sandy Homes came over today with Paisely, Betty, and Crockett to play and run in the yard. The dogs all had a great time. They ran a lot - retrieving balls over and over. Was really nice to have them here.
Added photos to the pages of Anna, Digby, Reilly, Pixie, Francis, and Trooper. Anna is continuing to be a very busy girl who is always looking for something to get into. Reilly loves playing catch in the yard. Pixie went on a road trip to visit family and friends. She is a wonderful traveler and loved playing with all the children and their dogs. Francis continues to be very sociable with every being he meets. The photos of Digby and Trooper and Archer are from the hunt test Nov 12th in Alabama and were taken by Aki Pampush, Kristi Hedges, & Susan Willingham.
14Nov11
I missed the Tree Litter's third birthdays. I had planned to get their photos on the website at least on the the 11th, but that didn't work out. Now that I'm feeling better, I'm going to try to get all the updates in.
Owners of Lily, Crash, Bailey, and Clover sent photos of their 3 year olds that I'll put on their pages. Click on their names to go to their pages. I managed to take two photos of an impatient Apple on the day after her birthday. Three years ago was a very momentous time for Milestone Welsh Springers. What a joy it was to watch those puppies grow and thrive, and they still give me joy whenever I hear how they are doing, how their families love them, and especially when I get to see their photos.
As you can see from Lily's photos, she is thriving. They are working to get her Percorten dosage down some and to get her shot cycles to once a month. Lily is fine at home when the family is out and gets 2-3 walks a day.
I had to put one Crash's photos on the homepage. Kristen said their other Welshie, Che, would rather eat people food, but that Crash just loves his dog food and they feed them in their crates so Che doesn't let Crash eat her food, too. They got a good laugh when they saw him lying in his crate with his dish on his head. They report that he "is a great dog. He loves people, strangers, kids, whatever. Nothing bothers him. His favorite things to do are eating ice, going on hikes in the mountains, and playing with Che. We couldn't love him more."
Bailey is a barker - a very vocal personality. Otherwise they say he's a good dog. He is looking handsome as ever. They also sent a cute video of him playing with a new birthday toy but I can't find a way to put it on the website because of the type of file it is.
Clover has new playmates - another guinea pig and a rabbit! It took some training but her owners have trained her to treat the rabbit as a housemate, just as she does the guinea pigs and the two of them hang out in the yard during the day and play together - the rabbit even chasing Clover! The rabbit prefers Clover's bed over the rabbit cage.
Apple has grown into a lovely Welshie. She is still the least obedient of our household - due to lack of any training on my part. She is our Slinky Butt and though she can still be a Monster Puppy, she is also a snuggler and a sweet, pretty girl. I had expected to have finished her championship before now, but that will have to wait while I finish chemotherapy.
Ffyn is doing great. His owners are still showing him occasionally so that he can earn his Grand Championship.
As for the 2011 puppies, Digby's owners took him to the hunt test in Alabama on Saturday so they could meet other Welshie owners and to let Digby play and socialize. They had a great time and were pleased that the other dog owners commented on how well socialized Digby is. They sent photos of Digby with Trooper and Archer who were also at the event, and links to new videos.
Also, Rhonda sent a photo of Anna. Rhonda has a new camera and is learning how to save the photos on her computer and to attach them to emails. I'm grateful for her efforts and love getting photos.
And of the 2010 puppies, Jamie called to say that they & Archer are happy to have Trooper home from training at Kim's. Jamie and Randy worked at the hunt test and introduced Digby and his owners to the other Welshie owners and their dogs.
