I hope this Blog proves to be both fun and educational for anyone interested in Showing and/or Breeding Dogs. Spend some time with us and you will really understand the time and effort and emotions that goes into this hobby. Join me here for the good times and bad times, the joys and sorrows, the wins and losses. Welcome to life at Vista Dei!

Darby's leg seems fine this morning, no limping. Wew..  I will give him some more days off agility training, but I am really glad he doesn't seem to have a serious injury.  He is my little buddy and I can't stand to see him hurt or upset in any way.  Honestly that is why I can't stand to sent him out with a handler for shows, as I am afraid they won't baby him like I do.    It is hard to find good handlers.  I am still looking for a good handler for Decker.  The handler from Canada has not responded to my calls even tho she said she would be able to take him in May.  I am not suprised, she didn't act in the begining as if she were too serious, but she has a good reputation and I wish she would have taken him. Then another handler is interested in him, but she is not local, and I would have to ship him across the country for her to even SEE him other than photo's.. I would like the handler to move him and see if he looks ready before I spend so much to ship him and then hundreds of dollars every week, etc.  I want to know he is ready to WIN.

Posted by: Vistadei at 07:36 | link | comments

Ohh ohh puppies pee'd outside.. doing the happy dance, maybe they WILL "get it"!!  Thanks for the suggestion "R"!  I have no trouble teaching one puppy, but 2 at the same time is hard, last time I had 2 to potty train I just turned them out in a fenced area, but then they never learned to "go" on a leash, and are still funny about their privacy when "going".   So I thought I would try these ones on leash.. hahahah  you ought to see me in the morning with 2 puppies tangling up on leashes, wonder they don't knock me over.  My son tripped over Darby last night, and it must have bruised Darby's foot or leg as he is limping blahhh no Rally class or agility training for him today. But it doesn't seem anything is broken, I can't find any outright injury.  Give it a couple days and if he is still limping I will take to the vet, I think it is probably bruised. I think I will take Dusty to class instead.  China didn't grow yesterday. fingers crossed that she is done for this week!!  I don't know what I will do if she is 10 1/8" on Sunday morning instead of the 10".. do I put her in a pet home because of the 1/8" or do I ride it out? I don't think the show/breeding home will take her if she is over the 1/8" I can't blame them it is alot of work to get a puppy and grow it just too have it end up a bit large.  Well, will just wait and see, things happen as they are supposed to I guess.  Usually seems that way anyhow.  When I lived briefly in Hawaii the local saying was "hang loose" so that is what I try to do with the dogs, hang loose, not get uptight about any of it, but that is hard when so much of your life revolves around a puppy growing 1/8 of an inch!! hahahhaha 

Posted by: Vistadei at 13:26 | link | comments

Oh no.. China is in a growth spurt.. no no no.. she has to stay in size.. has to has to.. akkkkk   Oh I will be broken hearted if she gets too large.. sigh.  Shelties, why do they do such odd growth patterns, just to test our patience?  Luke's new family was in touch, he is doing great, and I am happy to hear that!  These silly pups just aren't getting the house breaking thing. Put them out in the yard and they "hold" it until they get back inside and then give me a flood.  Oh no. Thank goodness for Hoover steam cleaner.  Couldn't be without it.

Want to see a neat picture?  Cricket's mom and dad came by from Indiana and visited, and this is a reunion of our litter for 2003, with everyone but the puppy Shelby there. Cool, huh? Left to right is Cricket, Diana, Darby, Mysty, Dew-oh

 

Posted by: Vistadei at 13:40 | link | comments (2)

I was just sooo tired this morning, seems somedays all I ever get done is cleaning up after the dogs, washing their bedding, picking up poop, cleaning up the puppy's newspaper, brushing them, feeding them, cleaning their teeth.  Seemed that was all I got done the last 2 or 3 days.  I think it must be like people who have sextuplets and big groups of babies, as they are totally dependent on you for EVERYTHING, always.  Looks like I found the PERFECT home for China, but I am going to wait till she is actually there next week before saying anything more, so not to jinx things!  I used some of that sprinkle on carpet fresh, and looks like Diana might have had an allergic reactions, some swollen glands, I am going to see if they go down on there own in a day or so, if not.. off to the vet.  I sent in some show entries for Decker, I hate this one show site, you show down in a concrete pit, with the spectators standing on a balcony above your head.  Zero grooming space and the spectators kick the metal mesh railing and that really distracts the dogs.. oh and the parking lot doesn't have enough spaces and is generally mud. Joy.. great joy!

 

Posted by: Vistadei at 15:04 | link | comments

Wow, almost had a dead puppy this morning!  No matter how much you think you have "puppy proofed" or made your home completely safe, they WILL find a way to get into trouble!  I have a laundry room that is completely puppy proof, or so I thought.  There is nothing to get into - period - and I have a screen door that closes it off from the rest of the house.  I wanted to lay back down this morning for a little nap, so I put China and Destiny in the laundry room to play.  They were digging at the screen door to get out with the rest of us, so I opened the screen door and put up a baby gate, so they didn't ruin the screen.  I laid down and about 15 mins later I hear this frantic screaming from a puppy.  I jump up run to the laundry room, here Destiny somehow, shoved her head under the open screen door and then stood up with her neck pinched in the hinge of the door!!  so her head is on one side of the door and her body on the other, and any movement of the door would just snap her neck!! yipes, did I have a hard time getting her out of that, because I couldn't let go of her to go get tools, or she would have really gotten hurt.  I barely managed to push her down to the floor then wiggle her head out.  If I had been in the shower or outside, she would have been a gonner! Now so many puppy buyers tell me they do not want to crate their puppies because it is "cruel" but it surely keeps them safe when you are away and can't keep an eye on them.  Life certainly is an adventure!

Posted by: Vistadei at 12:06 | link | comments (1)

Oh the puppies are soooo much fun to watch! Destiny and China are still here, and they play and play and play every morning, chasing through the house, grabbing tails, THIS is when they are so much fun.  It is very difficult to start potty training with two, I took them both out on leashes, they got all tangled up with each other, so I set out an xpen on the lawn and put them both in that, they played all happy, but surely waited till I took them back inside to go potty!  Yipes.  I will have China another week and a half to two weeks till we see how she grows, so have to get her started on the potty training. Would you like to see how much they are changing and what pretty girls they are now?

Posted by: Vistadei at 11:49 | link | comments

Do you know what the BEST part about raising and showing dogs is?  With every litter I get more and more new friends!  Really sweet people that love the dogs as much as I do..  I am so happy to have you all in my life.  Can't wait to see you again "R & R", I am really looking forward to Sunday and your visit, and I am ever so greatful for all those dog food cupons you send!  I so much enjoy everyone that stops by and brings by the dogs, or writes me emails.  Shelby's mom just sent a group of Proffesional pictures of her daughter and Shelby, they are really really sweet.  Dave and Denise are wonderful generous new friends, Shawn shares his training plans with Genny and puts up with all my boring "breeding" plans (and maybe someday will join me in this breeding adventure?) Sue and the girls, with 2 of my pups.. I can't tell you how much in awe I am of what you have done in life Sue, your committement to your girls as well as their pups, and how strong you are! Then there is my best sheltie friend Roni who chats with me almost every night on the ICQ and who lead me to Darby when I was first starting out, and Gina stays in touch even tho she has run off to Japan (can't wait till you move closer, girl!) Carol goes with me to shows when she can, even without her dogs just because she knows I hate to drive so far alone.  The new families that just took home Luke and Gabby are very nice people and I look forward to getting to know them even better. There are so many others that just come by every year or so to show me the puppies they bought, Kylie's mom take her up to Starbucks to visit my daughter when she is at work, because they knew Kylie was one of my daughters favorite puppies. Halo's mom brought him to my Antique store a month or so ago, I don't think he enjoyed seeing me as much as I enjoyed seeing him! hahah Sylis came by last month with his family, and he is just as nice as ever! I enjoy every visit and it is so great to see the love these dogs bring into their new families and how well cared for and spoiled they all are.  I wish every dog that came into this world could live as wonderful of a life as these puppies have in their new homes...doggie people are really special!

Posted by: Vistadei at 23:16 | link | comments

I have started to notice that a great deal of my life revolves around poop.  What color is it?  What consistancy is it?  How often? How Much?  Sigh..

Gabby's new mom came to pick her up yesterday.  Now all the puppies have had very nice consistancy poops for the past week.. no problems. Vet check of the poops last week, all good.  Our early AM poops.. all good.  Gabby's mom leaves on her 4 hour trip to get here, about 2 hours before her arrival, Gabby lets loose with a huge, nasty, watery, messy, stinky poop.  Oh no, why? how? what do we do NOW??  Do I call her cell phone and tell her to turn around?  well you know if I do that, this is the only messy poopy the pup will ever have.  The other puppy's poops are just fine, none of them appear sick, a quick conversation with Luke's new family indicate his poop is fine, darn darn darn.. she must have eaten something funny.. why why couldn't it be one of the puppies that are still staying here?? Or a puppy sold to someone a few mins away?  So, I gave her Peptomismal, told her new mom about it, and prayed and worried all night that she didn't have any more messy poop and that what ever she ate passed all the way out.  It is not JUST the puppy I worry about, but the people too.  I never ever want to sell someone a puppy that causes them stress, extra expences, or heart break.  Now I don't think one messy poop is going to lead to heartbreak, but you know what I mean, I just so want everything to be perfect for their new families.  So I hope with another 4 hour trip home, they got there OK and her tummy is ok, and there is no more messy poop. 

Posted by: Vistadei at 08:43 | link | comments

Luke the puppy went to his new home last night, while I was sad, it was still nice to see him leave in loving arms.  Gabby is set to go home tomarrow, but her new owner hasn't answered my email for a couple days, so I hope everything is still on schedule, I know she has a 4 hour drive to get here tomarrow.  I believe the perfect home may have come up for China, I don't want to say too much and jinx it, but we are going to keep her here to check her size at 10 weeks old and I think if she stays in size she might be going to a great home.  My agility chute came yesterday in the post, but I was too busy last night to get it out and look at it.  Dave made me a new jump, wow is it nice.  So for agility now we have weaves, a tire, 2 jumps, a chute, a low dog walk, pause table and a small tunnel.  Now just have to get out there and practice (quietly of course! ssshhhhh)

Posted by: Vistadei at 13:45 | link | comments (1)

Well the first puppy in the litter will leave tonight, Luke, the male.  For the last 2 nights he has been sleeping by himself, then in the day he can go back and play with the other puppies.  I think doing this for a few days before they go home really helps build thier confidence and security, because if you just snatch them from the litter to send them home, then when they are alone for the first time, it is such a trama for them.  But this way they feel better because they are alone, then back to normal, then alone, etc  Hard on me, as Luke has kept me up a couple nights on and off, then tonight we will start with Gabby and then she will go home Sunday, then we will separate China and Destiny.  So I will have a week or so with very little solid sleep.  And now starts the worry about the pups.  I know everyone that buys one always loves them and has the best intentions, but often do not take care of them quite the same as I do, don't train them, or like with Lexi, buy her everything and spoil her rotten but "forget" the vet visits and shots, so she got sick and died with no shots.  I tell people how to take care of the puppies, I give them puppy packs and I am ALWAYS available to help them, yet things still can go wrong and I worry everytime a puppy leaves my care.  So far we have been very lucky, only lost Lexi and have a couple other puppies out there that are untrained heithens! Right now I just want to go cry somewhere, but I have to go give Luke a bath and cut his toenails and get his paperwork together for his new family.  I did place an ad for China, to sell her either as a co-owned brood bitch or as a pet.  No one who has expressed interest is the kind of home I want for her tho.. so will wait.

Posted by: Vistadei at 14:53 | link | comments

Well the last couple posts were funny and light, but now we turn to the serious issues that face breeders everyday.  I bought my home 18 years ago, and purposely found semi-rural property in an area that was not zoned, so I could have all the animals I wanted.  A few years ago, our township supervisors tried to zone our township, and a few months ago - after years of the resident's fighting against it  - the zoning laws finally went through.  At that time I debated about getting a kennel licence so I might get "grandfathered" in, even tho I do not have nearly enough dogs to require one, but after much thought I decided not to get the state licence.  I fully expected the township to try to limit the number of animals in our newly zoned "single home residential area", but I was unprepared for notification on a new ordinance that says "Any dog that barks or makes any kind of noise for a period of TEN MINUTES any time during the DAY or night will be considered a nuisance and will be removed through a contract with the humane society" wow.. so when I play in the yard for a half hour with the dogs, throwing a ball, and they bark.. I am in violation.  When I teach agility to one and the other's bark because they want to come out too, I am in violation.  If someone who wants to make trouble simply stands and knocks at my front door while I am away and has a tape recorder in their hand, I will loose all my dogs? Now I have to worry about my beloved animals being thrown in the county pound and adopted out to some goofus with $50 in their pocket!

 

Posted by: Vistadei at 15:49 | link | comments (1)

Yawn... sigh.. puppies are regularly pooping at 5:25am now, every single morning.. I am sound asleep.. sniff sniff..ahh it is enough to wake me up, I hop out of bed, knowing if I waste even one moment it will mean a bath for all four of them as they step in it, wrestle with each other and smear it all over as if it were finger paints.  I turn on the light, squinting in the sudden brightness, swing a foot over into their pen and scramble to gather the papers with the offending piles.  All four puppies go into attack mode, biting my toes and ankle, leaping up to shred the nasty papers as I roll them into a pile.  All the puppy barking wakes the other dogs whose normal schedule is to sleep until 6:00 am.  "Oh.. oh SOMETHING must be going on", they think.. puppies are barking, Mom is squealing in pain as the small shark -like teeth sink into her ankle, and hey.. "Even if everything is OK  out there, I am awake and have to PEE.." so all seven adults start barking to get out of their crates and out to the great outdoors.  Now I really didn't want that, because no doubt the neighbors are still snoozing, but they insist.  I let them out of their crates, then open the laundry room door.  Keeping in mind that the local wild-life thought 6:00 was potty time, the yard is still teaming with bunnies, squirrels, moles, birds and who knows what else!  As I open the door, the dogs make a wild dash, nearly knocking me over to hopefully grab a bunny for  morning playtime and breakfast.  They rarely do have bunny stew, but it never keeps them from trying and barking at the top of their lungs.  The squirrels head for the trees where they sit and throw nuts at the dogs, keeping the agitation level right up at maximum.  Of course, the puppies hear the uproar, and they turn up the volume a few notches, wanting out of their pen.  I fill all the water bowls, then let the puppies out to run around the house... might as well just carry the roll of paper towels right with me to clean up the inevetable puddles!  Oh there goes the waste can, and another puppy is dragging around the door mat out into the living room.. and hey, where did that pair of underware come from?? Yawn... geezz I wish I could go back to bed!

Posted by: Vistadei at 14:59 | link | comments (1)

Well, I broke down and bought the $100 agility chute last night, ordered it anyway, nice bright purple!  My son and I worked Darby on the weaves yesterday, he is doing great with 2 people, it is much harder to teach with just one person.  On Wed, I am getting the wood for a dog walk.  I was going to build a deck this summer, but hey, that will take up too much room, now I guess we will be setting a mini agility course in the yard! (Shawn, come on down and try it out when I get it done!)  Now the question is... invest in a proffesional Tunnel, or go with the cheap ones?  I guess the dogs do not learn to "bank" on the sides of the cheap ones, but it is about $125 for a cheap one, $350 for a proffesional one.  How much of this am I going to do?  Will have to think on that more, our main focus right now has to be the weaves, chute and teeter.

China Doll (our blue eyed puppy) is getting prettier and prettier.  She is without a doubt the prettiest puppy I have ever had in a litter,  She is old enough to measure, and she is 8 1/2" at 7 weeks old, which is right on the top of the line on the growth chart.  On the other hand, Destiny, the dark sable is 7 1/4" at 7 weeks well within the safe size, but every day she looks more and more like a pet, and less like a show quality puppy.  Will wait and see, many times because of the way the head grows they go through different stages that look better or worse than other stages.  Too early to tell. 

Here are some pictures, this is Destiny

And here, the puppy on the left is China Doll, the puppy on the right is her brother Luke (see the heart mark on his head!)

Posted by: Vistadei at 08:21 | link | comments

Hmmm well the potential sale on the China Doll Puppy (blue eyes) fell through this morning.. wonder if that means I should re-consider keeping her and growing her out?  hmmmm

Dave and Denise came up last night with Drifter (our former puppy) and Spirit (collie). Dave made me a nice NICE set of adjustable weave poles.  I can't wait to get started training with the new weaves.  It was nice to have a collie in the house again.

I am trying to decide weather to buy a agility chute for $100 or try to make one... hmmm I know I could make one for a WHOLE lot less, but would I ever get it done??  The puppies vet visit went well ($72 there) all got their shots, poopies tests etc, everything looks good for them to go home next week.

I really need to up-date the kennel club web sites.. bad Crystal, bad, bad!

 

 

Posted by: Vistadei at 13:35 | link | comments

The puppies first vet appointment for their shots is tonight.  Ewww.. had to bag up their poo's this morning for exam, yeee - ewwww, after they sit all day waiting for the appointment, I figure what ever the vet charges tonight he EARNED IT!!  ugghh

Last night I took pictures of the litter playing on their little "agility" equipment, and posted to my web site.  They have a little tunnel, I use an upside down chair for their "a-frame" and made little tables for them to climb on.  They are cute.  Next week they are ready for their new homes!  How time flies, the pick up dates are set on the 2 of them, and the third I am still waiting to hear from.  Dark girl, I am trying to pick out a perfect name for her.  Poor Mysty is still wanting to nurse them, and when I don't let her, she gets so full of milk and uncomfortable, then I break down and let her in just a min or two to get the pressure off, I know that will keep making more milk, but JEZZE.. I feel sorry for her.  She has never wanted to nurse this long, the pups are almost 7 weeks old.

Posted by: Vistadei at 14:13 | link | comments

Wow, 280 some people read this blog and only TWO comments on which puppy to keep on the last post?  Ok, well "R" was right, although I really like the pretty girl, the larger size and sable merle color and blue eyes are too many strikes against her, and I have offered her to a nice pet home, so hopefully they will decide to take her when she is 8 weeks old.  Now begins the watching and waiting to see if the little dark colored girl will live up to our expectations.  (Oh, for "R" .. this little girl has a mo-hawk on her nose just like her 1/2 sister Cricket does!) Dog club meeting was last night, it was nice, lots of business going on as we approach the show season.  I have different handler interested in Decker, she is in the USA, have to decided quickly if I think he is ready to win in the AKC shows. The Canadian handler has not answered my emails of late, hard to tell if she is away, or simply no longer interested. Our sheltie nationals are coming up in a little over a week, I can't make it this year.  Definately getting there next year tho, they will be in Virginia Beach.  I stopped really tracking the costs of dog stuff on this blog, it gets depressing to see it in black and white.  Suffice to say the last trip to Petsmart for food was $83 and have vet appointment for the litter's first shots tomarow night, then a bunch of show entry fees coming for May, as well as some time off work to get to the shows. Yippes!

Posted by: Vistadei at 14:56 | link | comments