Huld, Kata

I'm not normally fond of Hosta flowers but this un-named volunteer has some nice ones.

Huld and Kata guarding the house.

Elin and Miranda

Elin notified us that her beloved Miranda passed away. She told us that she was there when Miranda was conceived, when she was born, and at the end. Miranda made her laugh and took her far in performance events becoming the number six ranked Cavalier in North American flyball. She also had two obedience high in trials. Recently Miranda's health had deteriorated and she had to take things easier. Elin told us that Miranda couldn't understand why, "- - - we weren't running and jumping and chasing balls any more." Our dogs give us unconditional, nonjudgmental love and we miss them terribly when they leave us. They make our lives whole.

Howards End

"Differences - eternal differences, planted by God in a single family, so that there may always be colour; sorrow perhaps, but colour in the daily grey." Howards End - E.M. Forster - 1910

Rachmaninov, Forster, Icelandics

On a hot muggy July day, finishing Howards End and listening to Rachmaninov's Piano Concertos nos. 2 with Entremont and Bernstein & 3 with Watts and Ozawa, dogs curled up around my feet, daring not to move so I don't disturb them - - - bliss.
(Click on photos to enlarge them.)

Kippa

Kippa loves to run and compete with her 'house mates'. Apparently she loves to sleep draped over her mom's head - to keep it warm? - so her name is most appropriate, if coincidental.

Kippa recently won BOB (Best of Breed) at an AKC show on the west coast. I'm not surprised.

E. M. Forster

In the winter one cannot remember how much green there is in the summer. It surrounds and nurtures me.......

Although I have watched Howards End many times on DVD, I have never read it so bought a copy and started. Immediately I was swept away. Delightful and insightful. Brilliant. It helps put all the pettiness that surrounds us and attempts to dominate us in perspective.

The photo was taken on a hot, sultry mid-July day as a thunderstorm was about to break -

AKC Shows

I understand that there are two new AKC Icelandic Sheepdog champions in the United States - the very first in the breed. I think I heard one was a male and the other a female. (Don't quote me.) How absolutely awesome and perfect - for a whole variety of reasons. I would love to post photos of those two dogs with the permission of their proud owners and breeders. (Hint, hint!)

(These two photos are NOT of those dogs.)

I know there will be many more AKC Icelandic Sheepdog champions in the near future.

The AKC opened up the show ring to Icelandic Sheepdogs at the end of June 2010. Four of my favorite Icelandic Sheepdogs are doing extremely well in those conformation shows. ALREADY!!

I'm waiting for new photos or photos of the two males attached when they are "finished" and are the champions they truly deserve to be. I will update this when I get them. (Click to enlarge!)

Collars

Hi Jaime;
This morning we went to get coffee. When we got home we let both of our dogs out of their kennels. As always they started playing ruff as they always do. All of a sudden it was like they went nuts barking and growling. He was on top of her and had her by the throat. I grabbed him and he wouldn't let go, so I thought. I actually hit him in the ribs a couple of times which didn't help a bit. By this time she was wetting on the floor and drooling on the floor trying to breath. I grabbed him by both jaws and could not get his mouth from around her throat. Finally I got my fingers in his mouth and discovered her collar was caught in his lower teeth, he had turned to try and get loose and tightened her collar around her throat and his teeth. Got her collar over his bottom teeth and that freed her and him.

She got her breath back and is okay.

He was just as scared as she was, and kept fighting harder to try to get his teeth loose so he was shaken by the incident.

I was glad we were home when it happened or we may have had two dead dogs.

I have been around animals of all kinds all my life. Never have I seen or heard of this happening before.

Both are fine and back to their old selves again.
================================
I told my friend about this and sought her advice. She is an AKC judge, has bred Goldens for over 40 years, shows her dogs in the CKC and the AKC, and is married to a retired vet. This is what she wrote back: -

This is not unusual. When I worked with my husband saw it a few times. Once resulted in one dog's death & the other dog's jaw broken. This is the reason my puppies are always marked with finger nail polish, never yarn, ric-rack or a collar. At home, my dog's do not wear collars. For shows & class they do, then when they get into the car, collar comes off.

I suppose a buckle collar that was closely fitted, so there is no room for the other dog's jaw would be a solution. They were lucky neither dogs was seriously hurt.

The Pack

Taking photos of obedience trained adult Icelandic Sheepdogs is so much easier than taking photos of puppies!

Bear has learned "Stay" and we are so proud of him. He might have known the command in his native tongues of Norwegian and Swedish but now he also knows "Stay" in English so we could now do a semi-posed photo.

Bear is our official polyglot!

He also is reluctant to jump on the furniture - which normally is strictly forbidden - - when I'm home. That's why he's on the floor!

As I drive out the driveway, there are usually a few dogs on the couch watching me leave. When I'm home, they are NEVER allowed on the furniture.

(Click on photos to enlarge them.)

Bear

The temperatures were in the 90s today with high humidity but Bear obliged, sort of, by letting me take some photos.


Bear's double-dews are "on the ground" which makes wonderful sense, evolution-wise, to me for dogs that go running through wet, soaked land like a marsh or a moor. They are also better adapted for climbing the volcanic and icy countryside in the mother country. From Siggi av Vartun through Skreppengs Gryssli to Bear (Bersi av Isheim) the fifth toe on the ground as a true toe sometimes skips a generation but it always comes back. Over the years, judges have said that Siggi and Gryssli had only one dewclaw before being politely told to actually count the toes.

A judge looking for dew claws on the side of the leg could possibly miss the fifth toe on the ground and sometimes they might need to have it pointed out to them as an actual extra digit.

Check out these shots.
(Click to enlarge.)

(The first two photos are Bear's claws, followed by Sherwood Forests Gunnar, aka Edgar, and Alaskastadirs Korpur. Count their toes carefully.)

Bersi and I tried to stay in the shade to take his photos but it was still hot.





I learned today that Bear's, in my opinion, wonderful korkur tail came from Siggi av Vartun through Somi av Isheim and then through Skreppengs Gryssli, and Sigga av Isheim, his dam.





The second tail-photo shows the corkscrew tip in white fur peeking through the tail-feathers. (Again, please click on photo once or twice to enlarge.)