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!

One of our regular reader's pup is our website main page feature this upcoming month.. someone needs to "race" over and see their little ham's picture!

Drifter, the color headed white sheltie pup we bred has a  "grandma" Dorothy.  Dorothy does some very nice pet portraits, and we added a little page for her work to our website.  It can be accessed directly with this link, http://www.geocities.com/vistadei/art.html   or there is a link to it from our main web page http://www.geocities.com/vistadei

Posted by: Vistadei at 11:38 | link | comments (1)

ewwwww... Mysty got a hot spot!!  I have never had a sheltie with a hot spot.  She started ripping her fur out and making it really sore, so I had to clip around the area.  There goes showing HER for the rest of the year. sigh... This heat has been awful, I bathed her with medicated shampoo, started her on anti-biotics and benedryl and put gold bond medicated powder on it.  Hopefully she will be a bit sleepy from the benedryl and sleep and stop chewing at it.

I got a phone call last night from someone who had seen one of our puppies at a car cruise.  It always amazes me that people think they will call and I will have puppies sitting around to sell that day!  I told her, we would be doing a breeding that would be ready for homes in the fall, but that we now have 4 families waiting for pups from that litter, that all of those families have come to visit us and the adults, etc.  The caller seemed to think that was unacceptable, and asked if I just had two dogs that I bred.  No, I have nine dogs, but only 4 are breeding age females, and I don't breed them every year, so if I breed each one every other year, that is only 2 litters a year.  Each litter is bred in hopes of show prospects, so we might only have 4 to 6 pet puppies total to sell each year!  So no, there isn't much of any chance that a cold call on the phone with no name, no information no nothing but "you got puppies and how much are they?" is going to get a puppy from us.  I guess that makes me stuck up and exclusive, but there are so many OUTSTANDING families out there wanting puppies, that it becomes more of an adoption process, and the new puppy owners become part of our big extended family.  I can honestly say, that each and every puppy we have sold, the owners have stayed in touch, we have a good idea of how they live, what they are doing, get pictures, Christmas cards and gifts, etc.  So far we have not lost touch with any of them.  

Posted by: Vistadei at 11:04 | link | comments

Oppsie Doodle!  I completely missed the Kennel Club meeting the other night!  I WONDERED why Dave called me just to say "hi, how are you and the dogs?" They must have thought I died or something.. ohhh speaking of which a very nice Sheltie breeder passed away yesterday, Kathy Tennant from Mass.  She will be missed, she bred some very nice dogs.  When I was looking at buying Decker, I was also considering one of her males and another dog, but decided on Decker.  She was a very nice lady, hope she found lots of shelties in heaven that needed some looking after till their owners catch up with them.  Nice to think she might be playing a heavenly game of frisbee with a gang of furballs, but probably she had to start grooming the second she got there.. I am not sure if angels know how to take proper care of Sheltie coats, and without a doubt they wouldn't keep the nails as short as they should be!  Here's to you Kathy, you left your mark on our world and it is a better place because of you..

Posted by: Vistadei at 13:08 | link | comments

Posted by: Vistadei at 13:50 | link | comments

Welll Destiny is back!!!  More on that later.  But it feels so good to kiss her little face, she is such a pill! It is sooooo hot here!  I spent all morning taking the dogs crates all apart and taking them outside and cleaning with bleach, also washed all the bedding, and all the dishes, so everyone will have a nice clean sleepy tonight.  Remember when we were kids and our moms hung the sheets out to dry and it all smelled oh so good to go to bed that night?  Well the doggies bedroom smells like that today.  I steam cleaned the carpet back there and scrubbed the walls too.  I really want to get single sheet linoleum for both the doggie bedroom and the laundry room.  That way if there are ever accidents or whatever there will be no problems with it getting between the tiles. Maybe a project for fall, right now we sit in front of the fans and enjoy our day off work.

Posted by: Vistadei at 17:51 | link | comments (1)

Well, Destiny went to her new home last night.  This is the first time that I have sold a puppy or a dog that I spent a few hours crying after they left.  Part of it was that she had wormed her way into my heart, but part of it was that I felt alot of hopes and dreams were going out the door along with her.  I have already got an email saying she was having a ball at her new place, sniffing out the bacon in the refridgerator and barking at the geraniums.  I know I made the right choice, but it was a hard one. I am tearing up as I write this, very unusual for me.

Had a nice talk with Lisa the lady I bought Decker from, she didn't do too well at her shows yesterday, sometimes it is nice to remind me that everyone goes through ups and downs with this hobby.

Nice to hear from you "R" and Cricket is not alone in being wiped out from the heat. It is miserable hot here too.  I have been leaving the dogs out really early (apologies to the neighbors for the barking/rabbit chasing at 5:30 am on a weekend!) but it heats up so fast, I don't want them stuck in here alllll day, so they go out for a few hours in the morning, and then take up their spots infront of their favorite fans for the rest of the day.

Posted by: Vistadei at 07:06 | link | comments (1)

Have you missed me?  I usually write my blog during my lunch hour and work, and my work computer blew up, and it has been weeks until I got a new one, but I got a new one today!! yippee!

Alot had gone on in the few weeks since I posted last.  I went over to Virginia and picked up Decker last Sunday.  It is getting too hot for shows, and he has blown a good deal of his coat.  He didn't do as well as I had hoped when he was out, but I guess he needs more time to mature.  I am thinking of putting him in a home with a Junior handler, but I am not sure yet.  I will decide after the UKC shows in Sept.

I am placing Destiny with a wonderful couple who will spoil her rotten I hope.  She has just not gotten as big as I would like to see for showing/breeding.  At over 5 months old she is still barely 12" and about 8 pounds. I am broken hearted, but it would be selfish of me to hold onto her when I have such a good home wanting to give her a great life.

 I really need to update my web page, but it has been sooooo hot, I do not feel like another evening on the computer!

Posted by: Vistadei at 14:15 | link | comments (1)