Early Autumn

I love the fall and spring. Temperatures are finally cooling down, it's overcast and pleasant and great to work outside again. Today the Sedums, Colchicums, garlic chives and anemones (in that order top to bottom) were flowering! Absolutely lovely.

Click once or twice on photos to enlarge them.

Fall classes have started at SDTC. This 'term' I have a Puppy class, a Fundamentals of Obedience class and a Rally class. I really enjoy helping people train their canine companions. I am also lucky to be an AKC CGC evaluator and really enjoy helping folks earn their CGC award. Kata is enrolled in her Advanced Agility class and loves it. We are both in (slightly) better shape. It's time to at least think about entering more trials. Jerry, one of the instructors at SDTC, nags me about showing. I love training; showing? Not so much.

Svörtin

Svörtin is a very nice three year old female who lives in Europe.

She has had one litter with Ferjukots Sorrow. (See photo to the left.) Because both parents are black, tan and white, all the puppies are too.

she has A hips as do both of her parents and three of her four grandparents. Her current owner is looking to place her in a new home and she would be a welcome addition to our North American gene pool. (The photos in the previous blog entry are also of Svörtin.)

Clicking once or twice on the photos or pedigree will enlarge them.

If you might be interested in owning or co-owning Svörtin, send me an email.

Positions

Taefa's Puppies at three+ Weeks

Taefa's boyfriend somehow managed to climb over the kennel fence where she lives and impregnate her. Her owner didn't know she was pregnant until about 2.5 - 3 weeks before the pups arrived. We know for sure that the father was not an Icelandic. We think he could have been a black lab, a border collie, or a black poodle. They should be excellent performance dogs and can be registered in the AKC and shown in all companion events. Because they are from an "Oops Litter", which can happen to any breeder, they of course cannot be shown in conformation. They must be neutered.

They are playful, active intelligent pups and are already on the way to being fully socialized. Taefa is the lone Icelandic in a kennel full of Goldens - none of which is the sire.

CLICK ON PHOTOS ONCE OR TWICE TO ENLARGE THEM.

Rosa rugosa

Oy, such a week I've had.

The garbage disposal finally died after a long and helpful life and had to be replaced.

The hot water heater exploded like a fountain gloriously cascading water like a geyser from the top out onto the furnace destroying the circuit board that allowed it to work and filling up the basement with water about five inches deep which destroyed old carpets, cardboard boxes and their contents, etc. The water heater and the circuit board both had to be replaced and many valuable 'things' had to be hauled up and put out to the curb.

Marisa and Diedrich included me in the celebration of their marriage vows. The vows were exchanged in the Butterfly House at the world famous Detroit Zoo and the evening finished with a sumptuous reception, dinner and dance at the elegant and prestigious old Detroit Athletic Club where the ambiance is marvelous and the art is superb in downtown Detroit.

Then the decades old microwave oven died after long and useful service as well so that was replaced along with the electric stove which had stopped working as an oven but still worked OK as counter-top burners. Both were replaced by a great crew working out of Home Depot. (I couldn't believe that the team leader was a very nice man named Terry Haliburton, no relation he assured me to the infamous Haliburtons.)

Bear, Bersi av Isheim, did well on his first AKC experience after arriving here in the US from his native Norway (and Sweden) and now has been awarded his CGC (Canine Good Citizen) award.

Also this week my dentist, James Hoste, informed me after my routine check-up that I have a suspicious spot on my tongue that needs the help of a surgeon. When it rains, it pours.

Today about one short week later and much poorer, cash-wise, but richer in personal experiences and necessary appliances, I am ready to start a glorious autumn - my favorite time of the year.

I'm more than half-way through a wonderful book called Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Dr.Mortenson is committed to bringing schools to the far from ordinary people of Central Asia. The book is helping me to put things into a reasonable and fair perspective.

All of which brings me to roses - the subject of the above photos. Point de roses sans epines. To fully appreciate roses you have to 'understand' the thorns. Rugosa roses have a wonderful, heady, old-fashioned fragrance and are lovely to look at but their stems are replete with thorns. Such is life. Seems to me an equitable and fair trade off, eh?

After the muggy heat of Michigan summers comes its fantastic falls. Likewise after the seemingly endless ice and snow-filled gloomy gray winters come Michigan springs.

Disa and Drifa

Drifa (top photo) and Disa are lovely female puppies in Finland. Both are still available and would make excellent agility dogs. Their price is reasonable.

Positions

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Icelandic Sheepdogs sometimes seem to be double jointed. Most of them regularly assume one or more of the above positions which often look uncomfortable. We have "named" some of these positions. Win a free vacation in downtown Hamtramck, Michigan by matching the number of the photo with the letter of the position (just kidding). Letters may be used more than once. (Correct answers following - no peaking!)


A. Fish
B. Frog (simple)
C. Frog Extended
D. Grasshopper
E. Opposum
F. Sleeping Beauty
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1. A. the Fish
2. C. the Frog Extended
3. C. the Frog Extended
4. C. the Frog Extended
5. F. Sleeping Beauty
6. D. the Grasshopper
7. E. the Opposum