The Babe Blog

It Matters To ALL Of Us.

2007-04-23T13:54:00.000-06:00

When the Animal Rights Nazis came for the Pit Bulls,
I remained silent;
I did not own a pit bull.

When they outlawed the hobby breeders,
I remained silent;
I was not a hobby breeder.

When they abolished dog shows and performance events,
I did not speak out;
I was not a dog exhibitor.

When they came for me and my pets,
there was no one left to speak out.

D. Newell

PETA, HSUS and many other "animal rights" groups are trying to take away your rights to own pets. It's starts with breed specific legislation (already in place in many areas) and then expands to the people who carefully and ethically breed only the best dogs to the best dogs with health and quality foremost in their intent.

You will be next.

Help support the fight against anti-dog legislation today! Visit this site and sign the petition now!

CH Sunnyside's WhiteStar K'Boom WSX HIC - May 21, 1994 - April 2, 2007

2007-04-02T17:43:00.000-06:00

Boom'r was not my first Samoyed, nor even my second.

But she was the first dog I ever put points on.
The first dog I ever put a major on.
My first champion.
My first Best of Breed Winner, my first Group placer.
She was the mother of the first litter of pups I ever had.
She was the first of my dogs to earn a Herding certificate.
The first to earn Working Samoyed and Working Samoyed Excellent titles.
She was my first sled dog and my first lead dog.
She, along with her half brother Icer, was my first multiple Best Brace in Group winner and a 3 time Best Brace in Show winner.She was my first "calendar girl" - appearing in numerous publications over the years, in fact she was Miss March in this years Avonside Samoyed wall calendar - a picture of her taken in Santa Fe at 5 months of age.

Boom'r taught me more about dogs and dogs shows (and myself) than I ever could have imagined when I first saw her at 6 weeks of age.

She taught me that there is nothing a dog can do that will embarrass me to the point where I actually die.
She taught me the true meaning of the word "counter surfing".
She taught me to put away my shoes and keep my closet door closed.
She taught me that a dog can eat a 10 pound bag of dog food and not get sick.
She taught me a dog can and will eat a hairbrush and it will make them VERY sick.
She taught me what a good lead dog is (she was a natural).
She taught me what a good show dog is (she was a natural).

Late last November Boom'r was diagnosed with very aggressive mammary cancer. The vet removed her mammary chain, the surgery was much more invasive and extensive than originally predicted. Her recovery was slow and painful and I questioned myself daily as to whether I should have put her thru it. But three weeks after surgery, by Christmas time, she was back to her old self, in fact she was happier and more mobile than she had been in years. I gave her three more good months and she gave me three more good months. Seems like it was a good deal. Today it was time to let go.

Run free Boom'r.

Gee, It's Been Awhile.....

2007-03-28T15:37:00.000-06:00

A really quick catch up post...

Sam and Taiya went to the big 4 day Denver shows and Sam came away with a Best of Opposite in Puppy Sweeps and a brand new shiny **5 point major**!! Not bad for 9 months old.

Then Babe, Sam Taiya and I went to Arizona and came home with an Award of Merit for Babe from the Specialty and another 2 points for Sam.

Don't feel too bad for Taiya.... she was acting like an idiot in Denver and in Arizona the first 3 days. Once she got her act together and figured out how to move in straight line, she did very well, placing in her very big class both of the last 2 days in Arizona. Just like her mother, I think Taiya will be really something when she hits her stride.

Baby Ryan has gone to a few matches and classes. In fact she's going to two matches this weekend with her brother Winter. Ryan's first show will be Albuquerque over Mother's Day weekend. Maybe she'll be trained by then??

Max now has two sisters with Rally titles. Blue in Illinois got her RN title last month joining Rio in Iowa who has her RA title as the first two WhiteStar dogs to have AKC performance titles. Max really needs to get his fluffy rear in gear and catch up to his two sisters! Actually I've started training her grandmother Kachina and she'll be the next WhiteStar girl with a Rally title (I hope!)

The snow finally melted and the dogs look like mudballs these days. I'm trying to give at least two - three baths a week to various dogs to keep on top of it but it's a losing battle. Sam Ryan and Taiya all had baths on Sunday and by Monday afternoon were filthy. Oh well. Springtime in the Rockies.

How Much Snow?

2007-01-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

What people who don't live in blizzard country often don't know is that it's not about "how much snow?", it's about "how much wind?"

12 inches of gently falling snow, lying softly on the ground, doesn't make a blizzard. A few inches of snow being driven horizontally across the open plains by 50 mph hours winds... THAT is what makes a blizzard.

And so I offer up these pictures... the first is of my side yard, taken not after any melting has occurred, but right after the storm subsided. The gate behind the snow is 5 feet tall. How much snow do YOU think I have?

Why yes, that IS bare dirt on the right side of the picture...
And here is a picture of my front door.

My kennel runs are made up of 6 foot high panels. When I complained about not being able to use my kennels, a friend asked why I didn't dig them out. And the answer is:

My poor dogs are on house arrest. They are used to having multiple acres to run. Why can't they go out? See the red arrow in the picture below? It's pointing at the TOP of my 5 foot fence....

I have a Ford F-250 4 x 4 Super Duty Truck. It's BIG. There are three ways to get out of my neighborhood. Do I get snowed in during blizzards? You be the judge?

One:

Two:

Three:

A neighbor starts to dig out his garage. This is where he stores his motorhome. The door is 10 feet tall.

Another neighbor doesn't even want to contemplate what digging out is going t take.

Happy New Year Everyone!!

Why Yes, I AM a New Champion.

2006-12-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

CH WhiteStar's Beyond Thunderdome HIC

A Few Quick Brags

2006-12-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

I've been spending all my time on Kelly's blog and with the puppies.....Seven keep you mighty busy..... but I want to drop a few quick brags for anyone who might be reading this occasionally.

This past weekend in Amarillo Max finished his chmpionship! Yay Max!!!!

His son and daughter Sam and Taiya made their ring debut.

Sam was first in his puppy class (out of 2) all 4 days and took two Reserve Winners Dog awards.

Taiya was first in the Bred By Class (out of 4) 2 of the 4 days and 2nd once. She got one Reserve Winner's Bitch Award.

The day after Max finsihed, he won Best of Opposite Sex over the dog who won that award at the National. Maybe I will try to special him a little bit before we start trainig for Agility....

Max's brother Sunny won his first major on Sunday so all in all it was a Very WhiteStar Weekend!

Together Again

2006-10-20T19:06:00.000-06:00

Sam and Tina

She's Baaa-aaack...

2006-10-18T14:18:00.000-06:00

Tina / Taiya is back at WhiteStar.

It's not her fault, and it's certainly not the fault of the wonderful family that had her.

Both the husband and wife had some *serious* medical things come up requiring extended hospital stays and recuperation and they felt that Tina was not getting the attention a five month old puppy needs, so they asked me to take her back.

Sam is thrilled. Babe is thrilled. They have been playing non-stop in the snow for hours.

I'm not sure what will happen next. For now, I'm just enjoying the interaction between the pups and waiting for the next WhiteStar pups to make their appearance!

And We're On Our Way!

2006-09-15T23:32:00.000-06:00

Well, almost on our way.

Icer, Max, Sam, Babe and I leave at 7:30 tomrrow morning for the National. A big dog show and party with friends for all over the country AND I get to pick up Kelly from Ken. I wonder if she'll be glad to see us???

See you all in 11 days!

Braggin' on Rio Again!

2006-09-15T23:20:00.000-06:00

So Max's sister Rio went to another dog show. 3 dog shows actually. And while she was there she earned scores of 89, 96 and 97 and a 2nd and a 4th place in Rally Advanced so now you can call her:

WhiteStar's Blame It On Rio RA

Whoo Hoo way to go Rio and Anna!!!!!

Braggin' on Icer (and Max)

2006-09-11T06:48:00.000-06:00

Ever wonder after a really bad dog show weekend why you keep doing this?

This past Friday at the Denver Regional I had one of those days that is the answer to that question.

DSA does not split it's veteran classes by age. So I was kind of bummed when I saw that my boy Icer's competition was only 7 years old. Icer is 11. But he is in really great shape so we went out there with hope in our hearts.

And Icer came thru, flying around the ring just like when he was two or three. And one unexpected side effect of being neutered last year is that he actually is interested in the bait I have instead of the girls.

But he wasn't done.

Icer took an Award of Merit.

Our first one ever.

Might not seem like much to those of you with multiple Best in Specialties but for me, with my 11 year old "puppy" it's one of the coolest things we've done in a long time :)

And what made me extra proud? He ended up in the BOB ring right behind last years National Specialty winner Dasani. Those of you who have seen her "in the fur" know that Dasani **flys** around the ring, often leaving her competition in the dust. Not Icer - the "old man" was right on her paws ( No I do not mean I was running up on her!!) the whole way around the ring.

The other thrill that day.... Icer's great great grand nephew, 17 month old Max was Best of Opposite in the Puppy Sweepstakes!

Oh yeah! Max also went WD on Saturday for points number 11 and 12...now he's just looking for that last major.....

Too busy!!

2006-08-21T07:13:00.000-06:00

So much to catch up on!!

Kelly came in season so we are trying to do the puppy thing again. I know two litters in one year is unheard of for me but while Kelly is only 4, the dog I want to breed her to is eleven so we need to get this done while the getting is good.

Kelly flew (yes really) out to Oregon this past week where she is staying at Camp Snowater until the National.

Is Kelly enjoying her visit to the Pacific Northwest?

You tell me. Is that a happy dog or what?

Meanwhile back in Colorado....

This past weekend Babe, Max and I had a fairly successful weekend at the big Greeley Kennel Club dog shows.

Babe took Best of Breed on Saturday over competition which included several nationall y ranked specials as well as a mutliple Best in Show Winner. I was also very pleased with how she improved her performance in the Group ring. She didn't place but she showed reasonably well.

Max (aka The Reserve King) took another Reserve. Reserve after Reserve gets frustrating sometimes, but at least I know he is in contention a good part of the time I show him.

Our next shows are the Denver Specialty in three weeks and then... the National!!

Picture courtesy of Ron Manor.
Used with permission.

Tina

2006-08-10T16:10:00.000-06:00

That's her name. For now anyway. I thank everyone who voted and now I'm going to ignore what the majority said anyway. It was interesting to see how the voting went. Lola went out to an early lead, the Tina took over and it looked like a runaway. Then slowly slowly Zara crept up and took the front spot for quite a while, then late this week Lola took over a commanding lead. But she's a Tina. Really. She is.

Good News! My barely 2 year old, $500 fancy camera is not broken. No excuse not to get a picture of Miss Tina Turner with both ears up! Soon! Yes, you've heard that story before....

Name That Puppy

2006-07-30T19:47:00.000-06:00

I am 99% sure that Sam's name is going to be WhiteStar's You Send Me.

The girl? Not so sure.

Oh. My. God.

2006-07-29T20:05:00.000-06:00

Are these not the most Most Gorgeous Puppy Pictures ever????

World class (although he won't admit it) photographer Scott Vail has taken beautiful pictures of my last three litters (as well as my favorite picture of Pumpkin) But I didn't think Sam and Tina would have a chance to sit for him.

Well Scott was at the Denver Samoyed Association picnic today and he can never resist a cute puppy. Here's what happened....

Sam

Tina

Sam and Tina

And with these pictures Babe formally welcomes her baby brother Sam and her baby sister Tina to her blog!

All pictures in todays post copyright Scott Vail.

Introducing....

2006-07-23T18:26:00.000-06:00

WhiteStar's Blame It On Rio RN

Rio is the little Yellow Girl from Raven's litter, that makes her Max's sister.

She and her owner Anna went to a three day show this weekend in Omaha and Rio made her debut in the Rally Obedience ring

And just like that Rio got earned her Rally Novice title with scores of 99, 98 and 96.

How impressive is that????

I am so proud of both Rio and Anna and can't see wait to see what the future holds for them!

Max

2006-06-18T16:58:00.000-06:00

What a goofball he is! A couple days ago he found a chew bone in the yard and he's been carrying it around. He doesn't chew on it (at least not that I've seen) he just carries it around hanging out of his mouth.

Kind of looks like a cigar. Maybe it's a late celebration for the birth of his kids.

By The Way...

Since the puppies were born I've been worse than usual about making updates here. So in the interest of catching up...

Max now has 10 points towards his championship. He took WD at a show In Albuquerque, New Mexico the day his kids were born. Then he took WD/BOW at shows in Cortez, Colorado and Casper, Wyoming. Last weekend he came *very* close to getting his second major, he was Reserve right here at home in Colorado Springs.

Babe is now a Best of Breed Winner! She won that honor at a show in Laramie Wyoming three weeks ago.

And the Red Boy from Raven's litter (Sunny) took his first points today at a show in Las Lunas, New Mexico with his very proud owner Cindy Wilson!

Meanwhile in other puppy news.... I got to see the Purple Boy (Rocco) from Raven's litter a few weeks ago. His owner Jim sent me pictures of Max and Rocco together....

Aren't they both pretty boys???

Morning Sun

2006-05-31T09:17:00.000-06:00

The Aliy-Cam is Back!

2006-05-25T13:20:00.000-06:00

We've put the technical difficulties behind us and as long as the camera doesn't freeze up again we now have 7 x 24 puppy viewing!

Bonnie Update

Yes, Bonnie did indeed have pyo. Her surgery went well and she should be going home today or tomorrow.

A Reason For All Things

2006-05-24T16:36:00.000-06:00

When Pumpkin was sick last month I had no idea that excessive thirst, not eating and general lethargy were some of the top symptoms of pyometra. I always figured most dogs would have a high temperature and a discharge. Pumpkin didn't. What she did have a was a very high white blood count which the vet said made him early 100% sure it was pyo. Normal is about 6000, hers was 31,000.

Here we are over a month later. Pumpkin is doing great - in fact I tell people she hardly missed a beat.

Last week I had a phone call from the owner of Bonnie (Babe's sister). Bonnie has been feeling poorly lately and her owner is going to take her into the vet. We talk about the possibilities and he promises to let me know how's she doing when I return to town on Monday.

Monday comes andhe tells me Bonnie is still not doing well, that he vet thinks it's aminor blockage and that it will pass on it's own with enough supportive treatment.

Wedensay morning and Bobbie is still not doing well, in fact she has spiked a slight fever on and off. Vet still has not decided what is really wrong with her and wants to do "exploratory surgery". Neither Bonnie's owner nor I am liking this.

I call Bonnie's dad Mike and ask for a definitive run down of her symptoms. She's drinking excessively, she is not eating well and seems depressed and lethargic. She was in season 5 weeks ago.

Sound familiar????

I ask Mike if he's discussed the possibility of pyo with the vet and he says he has but the vet felt there was no indication of pyo "yet". I ask him to find out what the results of the bood test done on Bonnie yesterday were, specifically what's the white blood count. And if it's high, specifically what can cuase that in an otherwise healthy dog.

It's 30,000. Deja Vu all over again.

I tell him to go ahead and do the exploratory surgery but to tell the vet he expects them to find pyo and to spay her if that's the case. I get a call back a half hour later and he tells me they have re-evaluated their diagnosis (probabably based on his questions!!) and now think she does have pyo... she is in surgery now and I'm waiting to hear if that is what it is....

If I had not just recently had my experience with Pumpkin, and had a vet who was so positive on his diagnosis based on her symptoms and the blood work, and if I had not urged Mike to be more forceful, how long might they have putzed around with Bonnie???

Send good thoughts to Bonnie....

SpringTime in the Rockies Continues

2006-05-10T10:24:00.000-06:00

It snowed this morning.

Max enjoyed the fine weather.

Remembering Sasha

2006-04-20T18:25:00.000-06:00

6 years ago today Aliy and Raven were barely 4 weeks old. And I was so thankful they and their siblings were here. Without them I don't think I ever could have gotten thru that day. Or the ones that followed. 6 years ago today was the day I lost Sasha, the dog I thought I could not live without.

Sasha was my heart and soul. I never bred her, but every dog that has come into this house since that day, carries a piece of her pedigree.

Aliy and Raven's grandmother Desti was Sasha's niece on one side and Sasha's half sister on the other side. Kelly's double grandmother Cuddles was Sasha's half sister, Ilsa's grandfather was Sasha's half brother, and her great grandmother was Sasha's half sister. Max and Babe both double up on Sasha's family lineage, with her relatives on both sides of their family tree.

And Pumpkin, acquired when I knew Sasha's remaining time was not long, is not only Sasha's relative, but also Sasha's daughter, in spirit if not by blood, and she does well carrying on the legacy of dogs who are too smart to be trusted.

Read more about the amazing Sasha here and here.

Pupdate!

2006-04-14T22:18:00.000-06:00

Pumpkin came home about 5 PM and is obviously very happy to be home but seems quite annoyed at me for putting her thru this :)

The vet said it was a "nasty bad pyo" and I was lucky to catch it as early as I did.

Thanks to everyone that sent good wishes out to my little girl!

Good Thoughts for Pumpkin

2006-04-14T08:22:00.000-06:00

Dirt on my face? WHAT dirt on my face?

Pumpkin goes in today for spaying, the vet diagnosed her yesterday afternoon with a probable case of closed pyometra.

She'd been acting "weird" the last couple weeks. It started with the sudden upswing in the amount of water she was drinking. Until today I had NO idea that was the first sign of pyo.

Then this week she lost interest in food. Second sign.

The past couple days she has just overall not been herself. The weather here has been gorgeous and other than running outside to bark at airplanes (her favorite hobby) she has pretty much stayed inside while all the other dogs were out playing.

In order to rule out possible diabetes, kidney or liver problems, he did a complete blood work up on her. Her white count came back at 31,000, normal is 6000-7000. The vet said other than a massive respiratory infection (which she shows NO signs of) he only ever sees this kind of white count, in conjunction with her other symptoms, with pyo. He says we can x-ray tomorrow if I want to see if her uterus is swollen, but he seems so sure I'm just going to have her spayed.

He says we are probably catching it very early given her overall apparent condition and she should be fine.

But of course I am still worried.

The World's Most Expensive Cardboard Box

2006-04-05T15:52:00.000-06:00

An ordinary cardboard box. A styrofoam insert. Two ice packs. And two pieces of newspaper, folded: $114.25

And lucky me, I have two of them: $228.50

If Kelly is pregnant: priceless

Pumpkin says "MOM! Think of the biscuits you could have bought me!!!"

Springtime in the Rockies

2006-03-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

Kelly, Babe and Max enjoy the wet snow and soft mud that is Springtime in Colorado.

You didn't REALLY think I'd let March get by without a single post didja???

The Royal Couple

2006-02-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Ilsa and Max look pretty comfortable lounging on my new Italian leather sofa don't they?

All the dogs seem to love the new sofa. I'm not sure why. Is leather more comfortable to them then upholstery fabric? Maybe it's the Pendelton Wool blanket I (try to) cover it with?

Whatever the reason, they spend a lot of time on it.

Max had a bath a couple days ago. He and Ilsa are going to a show this weekend, and he was so dirty I was afraid to wait until Wednesday to give him a bath, I figured he needed a pre-wash. I think he looks pretty good and will look even better after a second wash.

Don't Even THINK About Waking Me Up!

2006-02-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

Ilsa naps.

Wordcloud

2006-02-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

Make yours here.

Let's Freak Mom Out

2006-01-31T15:30:00.000-07:00

There is a big picture window in my office that looks out to the front of my house.

It really freaks me out when I'm in my office either at my desk or sitting on the loveseat and the dogs come barelling into the room, jump up into their window seat and either start barking hysterically or just *staring* out the window. And there is NOTHING OUT THERE.

I think the staring freaks me out more than the barking. Icer, Pumpkin and Babe did that this morning as I was working on the post for my other blog. Several times.

I got up and looked out the window. Nothing. They continued to stare. This isn't casual "watching the world go by". This is STARING. Icer was in fact staring at the sky. I check again. Still nothing. No people moving around. No mailman bringing a package. No bunnies in the courtyard. No horses in the distance.

N.O.T.H.I.N.G.

I think they do it on purpose. Doggie comedy. Yeah, I'm laughing.

What?!?!?!

2006-01-26T12:07:00.000-07:00

You woke me up just to take this stupid picture?!?!?!?!

edited to add: Anna asked if this is Babe? Yes! It's a very grumpy Babe-y dog!

Pete and Morrigan Have been Found!

2006-01-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

Yeah!!!

LOST DOGS IN SEATTLE

2006-01-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

If you are in Seattle Area, please take a look at the information below. My friend Cyndy is frantic with worry, these are her kids.

LOST DOGS IN SEATTLE

Pete and Morrigan escaped their yard about 1:30 AM Sunday, January 1st after
someone unknown opened the gate without their owner's knowledge.

Morrigan is a three year old Samoyed female. Pete is a ten year old Malamute.
Both have permanent identification.

Their home is in North Seattle, just south of Northgate and between
I-5 and Roosevelt Way. Owner is desperate for their return.

REWARD!

If found or seen, please call immediately:
Cyndy (206) 300-9069
Ron (360) 402-7476
Kathy (360) 402-4326

Pete

Morrigan

More pictures at: http://www.samoyed.us/

A Big, Big, Big, BIG Weekend!

2005-12-07T11:39:00.000-07:00

Max, Babe, Icer and I headed down to Arizona for Thanksgiving. It was a Very Good Trip.

The Face of a Champion:

CH WhiteStar's Ready For Anything HIC
Yes, Babe is a new champion! She finished the day after the Arizona specialty with her third major. At the specialty itself, she took Reserve Winners.

The Face of a Winner:

WhiteStar's Beyond Thunderdome
And what did young Max do? Why he was Winners Dog at the specialty for his first major!

As always the Arizona club put on a spectacular specialty. The people were friendly, the food was great (We had a Turducken for dinner!) and the trophies were unbelievable.

Here is what Icer won for going Best of Opposite Sex in Veteran Sweeps and for winning his Veteran class:

Here is what Babe won for going Reserve Winners at the Specialty, and Winners Bitch the following day:

And here is what Max won for going Winners Dog:

What did Babe do to clebrate the evening after she finished her champion ship?

She took a nap in a Motel 6 bathtub.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...

Back at home and back to the world of reality. Pumpkin is nursing a broken toe. Two weeks in a splint and on full crate rest. Guess who is NOT a happy dog?

Max at 6.5 Months

2005-11-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

Great Picture of Babe!

2005-11-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

Click here to see a really good picture of Babe taken in the ring at the National by Carl Gernazio of Severnaya Samoyeds.

Every year Carl takes hundreds of pictures and posts them to his web site. If I come across any more of my guys, I'll put up links here.

Found another one! Babe on the grooming table.

We're Back.....

2005-11-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

.... and we had a GREAT time!!!

The show committee did an amazing job, it was all just about perfect! Although if the weather had been a little warmer, I would not have complained :) Thank goodness there was hot water for the dog baths!!!

The hotel was terrific, with HUGE rooms and a super friendly and helpful staff. The exhibition/grooming area was great, no one was cramped for space and many of the grooming spots had really good views of the rings. One of my favorite things was that the action in the ring that the videographer was recording was projected up on the wall so even if you were not in good position to view the down and backs, you could watch them up on the wall. You could even watch the competition while you were in a class showing your dog!

I do have a few little brags.... I took three dogs with me and all three came home with ribbons and trophies!

6 month 2 week old Max (WhiteStar's Beyond Thunderdome) made the cut in both Futurity and Sweeps and in a huge (23 dogs) puppy class took 4th place.

10.5 year old Icer (CH Tundra Winds' 32 Degrez of WhiteStar WSX HIC) who was COMPLETELY naked (possibly the MOST naked dog at the Specialty) took 3rd place in Veteran Sweeps and 2nd place in Veteran Dog. Even better than the placements were the compliments I received on his still effortless movement :)

15 month old Babe (WhiteStar's Ready For Anything HIC) proved she really is ready for anything. She won the 15 and over Futurity class and took Reserve Intersex for her age group. She was 3rd in the Puppy Sweepstakes. And although she brought home no ribbon, her performance in the Bred-By class made me incredibly proud as her breeder. There were 48 in the class, Judge Annie Clark placed her top 10 dogs in order from 1st thru 10th. Babe was 6th.

Now I get to spend the week catching up at home and work.... I'd really rather be back in Owensboro!!

Outta Here

2005-10-21T22:33:00.000-06:00

Bright and early tomorrow morning, Babe, Max, Icer, Faith, Gidget, Kris and I head for Kentucky. 5 dogs, 2 people and all our junk in a Pontiac Montana. Should be an interesting sight.

See ya in 10 days!

Overdue Update

2005-10-17T09:00:00.000-06:00

Yeah yeah I know I've been bad about updating lately but I have been really busy with the shows and work and getting ready for the National. Typical excuses :)

Okay here's the nitty gritty down and dirty FACTS:

At the 4 day Alamogordo show two weekends ago young Max, his first time in the ring, was Winners Dog, Best of Winners and Best of Breed for his first point! He was Reserve Winners Dog the remaining three days.

Meanwhile Babe was Winner's Bitch the final two days of the show.

Then this past weekend, Max kept his streak alive and was Reserve Winners Dog both days while Babe was Winner's Bitch and Best of Winners both days.

On Saturday she also won Best Bred By Exhibitor and then went on to win the Bred-By Working group!!!

And on Sunday she went Best of Opposite Sex over the special. YAY BABE!!!! She now only needs three little points to finish!

This will be a BUSY week.... I have to get so much stuff done before we leave for the National on Saturday.... including getting a new cell phone, washing 4 dogs, delivering Kira to her breeder (she'll be at the Siberian National while I'm at the Sammie National), packing and on and on and on.

I'll try to get current pictures of Marvelous Max and Beautiful Babe up in the next few days. It's not like I have anything else to do, right?

Max at Five Months

2005-09-29T18:49:00.000-06:00

Max aka WhiteStar's Beyond Thunderdome makes his first big road trip next weekend when he, Babe and I travel to southern New Mexico for his first show.

He'll by the youngest puppy I've had in the ring, debuting at only 6 months 1 day old. His mother Raven and Aunt Aliy were 6 months 2 days old their first time in the ring... of course their first show was the 2000 SCA National Specialty. Talk about pressure. At least Max gets to practice before going to the National in a few weeks!

Missing....

2005-09-14T15:15:00.000-06:00

I know all the images on my blog page are not showing up.

Aprently my ISP is having some kind of server problem, I can't even get to their home page. All my pictures for the blog are stored on their server :(

At least my internet access is still here and I am getting mail.

Babe Continues to Amaze!!

This past weekend at the Denver Regional Specialty, 14 month old Babe won Best in Puppy Sweepstakes over an entry of 24 VERY nice puppies under breeder judge Jim Shea.

I should stop being surprised at all Babe's nice wins... but I can't help it. To me she is "jsut Babe" but when she gets out in the ring she just sparkles. That is, when she is not being BAD!

Babe CAN Jump!!

Can anyone explain this to me?

As I said earlier, Babe is 14 months old. As of Thursday afternoon she could not jump on my bed. Now that's not as bad as it sounds... my bed is not regular bed height. Instead it is actually slightly higher than say... a grooming table.

Even with it's higher than normal height, all my other dogs (except 13 year old Dakota) are on and off the bed all the time. Most can usually jump up around 7 - 8 months. But not Babe. Even 5 month old Max can use the "bedsteps" and get on the bed, but Babe never figured that out either.

Sunday evening, after returning home from the 3 day show weekend, Babe is jumping on and off the bed as if she never had a problem with it.

What changed? Did winning Best in Sweepstakes at the Denver Specialty elevate her self esteem and make her believe she can do anything? Did she get tired of young Max saying "nannie nannie boo boo" at her from his perch on the bed? Did she suddenly decide she is All Grown Up now???

Seperated at Birth?

2005-09-06T10:28:00.000-06:00

You be the judge:

Babe the Dog

Babe the Pig

I received the little stuffed Babe the Pig in the mail this weekend from Kachina's breeder. The minute I saw it I burst out laughing because I immediately thought of this picture of Babe.

Stuff On My Siberian

Have you seen this website? What a hoot!

Here's my variation:

I was making the bed and Kira WOULD NOT get off, even after I started piling pillows on her. I also put a couple of bags and other stuff on her as well, but those pictures did not come out as well as this one.

None of the sammies would ever allow this.

Hot! Hot! Hot!

2005-08-24T17:34:00.000-06:00

Not the temperature, the fence!!

As I mentioned in several previous posts we hot wired our fence earlier this summer. We were having regular escapes by several of the dogs and poor Pumpkin and Bandit were on house arrest for several weeks because EVERY time they went out they were escaping out of the yard.

Earlier today I had an email from Rio's mom Anna.... apparently Rio is now on house arrest for trying to escape out of her fence. I mentioned the possibility of hot wiring their fence and Anna wanted to know more. So I present to you...

The WhiteStar Sammies Guide to Hot Wiring a Fence!

Setting the scene: In our case we have about 4 acres fenced in with wire field fencing. The corner posts are all wood, there are several wooden gates and the rest of the fence posts are metal T posts. Most of the fence is five feet high but a portion is only 4 foot high.

The problem: In places the wire is loose along the bottom allowing the dogs to push out under it. Our dirt is very soft and easy to dig in, they can dig a hole big enough to fit thru in a matter of minutes. And there is Pumpkin who was jumping the four foot section from a stand still.

The solution: A hot wire! We hot wired all around the bottom of the fence and along the top of the four foot section.

Hot wired fences are cheap, easy to install, very reliable and NOT just for big yards. You can get the components at any feed or ranch supply store. Maybe Home Depot too? You can even use a hot wire to keep them out of certain areas of your yard, like maybe a garden you don't want them digging in.

Here's what you need:

A charger/battery thingy. I really need to look up the name of what this is called.

We mounted ours in the garage but they can also be mounted outside if you build a little shelter for them. This is a heavy duty one, for horses and cattle, with a five mile limit. That means you can run the wire for five miles and it will still work. There are weaker units, even some made specifically for containing pets.

Wire Guides. They make all kinds. Since we had a combination of wood and metal posts, and were doing both top and bottom we had to use a variety of types. You want a wire along the bottom of the fence to be about 6 - 8 inches off the ground and sticking out about 4 - 6 inches from the fence. The top wire can either be just along the top (but not touching the existing fence!) above the fence or out in front of the fence. We ran ours right along the top

On the left, very strong heavy duty screw in guide that we used to anchor the wire at the ends of the fence and at at the corners. These only hold the wire out about 2 inches so are not practical to use for the entire fence. On the right, a light weight guide that nails into a wooden fence post.

On the left, the guides that we used for most of our fence. They just clip over the metal T-posts. On the right, the guides we used at the top of the four foot section. As you can see these hold the wire much closer to the fence.

Ground Rods. Hot fences need to be grounded in order to work. The typical way of grounding the fence is to use 3 six foot long rods spaced six feet apart. You pound them into the ground so that only about 6 - 8 inches sticks up and then string wire between them. This was the hardest part but we were able to get them in using a sledge hammer.

If you look back up at the picture of the charger thing you will see a black knob on one side and a red knob on the other. One side is the connection to the hot wire, the other side the connection to the ground wire.

Here's a picture of the first ground rod... showing the insulated wire coming from the garage and the ground wire going to the second ground rod.

Six feet away is the second ground rod...

And there is a third one 6 feet from the second one. These are on the outside of our fence but they don't have to be. The ground wire is not hot!

Wire. You need both insulated wire and non-insulated wire.

The insulated wire runs from the charger to the fence and from the charger to the ground rods. Here's a picture of what ours looks like...

From there you just string the wire from guide to guide. Couldn't be easier. The whole thing took us about 3 hours to install from start to finish.

The only "tricky" part was at the gate. We decided that we'd leave the gate unprotected. You can purchase fancy gate hardware for hot wired fences but they are VERY expensive. So we hot wired up to the gate, then laid down concrete blocks at the base of the gate to prevent digging. Yes, Pumpkin could jump the gate (it's only 4 feet tall, but it in an area that is "backed up" by another fence so we feel pretty safe in leaving that small area unprotected.

Here is how we hot wired around the gate:

As you can see the hot wire comes in to one of the white "tie off" guides on top and bottom. We then used insulated wire to connect the top to the bottom on both sides. More insulated wire along the bottom (under the concrete blocks).

Here's a detail picture of a top corner. Sorry it is small but I think you can see what is happening.

A few things to remember about hot wired fences.... if the power goes out the fence is down. You can buy battery back ups, in fact you can buy chargers that are batteries and don't need to be plugged in at all. They are very expensive! You can also buy solar chargers. They are very, very expensive!

In order for the fence to work it MUST be grounded. And in order for the dog to receive a jolt the dog also needs to be grounded. This means the dog must be touching both the fence and the ground. So if the dog were to jump up in the air and put it's paws on the fence without it's back feet touching the ground, it will not feel a thing.

You need to know where your underground utility wires are before you go pounding in those ground rods! Common sense here folks!!

Yes, it hurts to get zapped. I don't know this from personal experience but my husband has been zapped several times. (Don't ask.) No, it does not cause permanent damage. Getting hit by a car, THAT causes permanent damage.

The dogs WILL get zapped. It's how they learn. Don't try to prevent it. Some learn quicker than others. As far as I know several of my dogs got zapped only once and that was it. There there was Kelly. The Zappy Monster bit her several times. At least five times that I know of for sure. I'm convinced that at first she had no clue what was happening and she went thru a period of time (about two weeks) where she was afraid to leave the deck. She got over it and is fine now.

An added benefit of our fence is that my dogs no longer charge the fence barking wildly when stray dog are walking by. YES!!!!

Pumpkin fully endorses the hot wired fence...

"It gives me back my freedom and gives my mom peace of mind!"

Brown on Brown

2005-08-17T12:34:00.000-06:00

Max at 4 months, one week old

And in case you think his appearance was a one time thing, here he is two days later...

Babe's Big News!

2005-08-15T22:43:00.000-06:00

I actually considered not going to the dog show this past weekend.

After all Ilsa had not been feeling well earlier in the week and Babe, well Babe is NAKED right now.

But I paid good money for those entries and Ilsa was feeling better, so on a rainy Saturday morning we headed up to Fort Collins.

It rained all morning stopping just in time for us to go into the ring. There were only 4 in Babe's state of hairlessness I figured we had no chance at first, but given that it was a breeder judge and that Babe is an excellent mover I had hopes for maybe second place.

Well, leave it to Babe to pick that day to show herself off to a judge who could seriously aprpeciate her.

She won her second major that day!!!

As we got h epicture takent he judge said to me "She may have left her coat at home but she sure brought her wheels!"

WAY TO GO BABE!!!

White On White

2005-08-09T11:14:00.000-06:00

Max at Four Months

Siberian Sleeping

Kira

"Indestuctible Dog Toys"

This one is for Kathy:

That's a Combat Dog Toy, less than 24 hours after it's purchase.

Ever since the "pantyhose incident" which occurred two years ago this week, stuffed or fiber dog toys have been outlawed in my house. But when Kathy blogged about these toys last week I decided I needed to try them. She said her three BIG dogs couldn't destroy them, I figured the little WhiteStar Sammies had met their match.

Wrong again.

In all fairness, 3 of the 4 toys I bought are still surviving. Of course they have not received nearly the attention the little bear did.... I pulled the stuffing out and gave it back to the dogs. In the last half hour it has been passed around from Kira, to Max, to Kelly to Babe.

Am I warped.....

2005-08-04T13:58:00.000-06:00

..... or is this as hysterical as I think it is?

www.doglitter.com/poop

My favorite was Roxy.

Almost 4 Months Old

2005-08-03T22:42:00.000-06:00

In just a few days Raven's puppies will be 4 months old. On the one hand, it's hard to believe it's been that long, on the other hand, it seems like Max has always been part of the family.

It just so happens that I received pictures of all 4 puppies that left in the past few days. Seemed appropriate to post a picture of each one....

Blue, aka Black Girl, on the grooming table in Illinois

Rio, aka Yellow Girl, and big brother Casper at home in Iowa

Rocco, aka Purple Boy, relaxing on his deck in Colorado

Sunny, aka Red Boy, after a "dirt bath" in New Mexico

Max, aka Green Boy, aka "the dirtball" at home in Colorado

What Is Wrong With This Picture?

2005-08-02T15:53:00.000-06:00

I'll give you a hint. It is hot. It is like ninety million degrees in the shade. And Aliy is wearing a fur coat.

It's just not right.

Best Friends

Babe and Kira relaxing indoors on the cool tile floor like any normal dog would.

Social Butterfly

2005-07-26T19:08:00.000-06:00

Want to know what Max did this weekend? With pictures! Click here. And here. And also here.

Well, Isn't That Just Dandy?

2005-07-19T10:57:00.000-06:00

I had a nice long post in which I bitched and moaned about what a yucky HOT weekend it was at the dog show in Eagle.

I also whined about how BAD Babe behaved and how NAKED she looks.

But you are saved form having to read it because for the first time EVER.. Blogger ate my post.

So instead, here's a picture of Max and kira up close and personal...

Living in the Country....

2005-07-14T08:51:00.000-06:00

.... you never know what to expect.

Yesterday I'm sitting in my office working and I hear the sound of goats. Now one of my neighbors does have goats and I can sometimes hear them, but this sound was coming from the opposite direction and was VERY close.

I look out my window and what do I see?

My neighbor is out jogging... with her goats!

They stop for break....

... and then head home.

Yes, the dogs went nuts!

Rio Goes Home...

2005-07-11T08:42:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned in my last entry, Rio went home this past weekend.

Brett, Anna and Casper drove all the way from Des Moines, Iowa on Friday. They met Rio Friday afternoon and then picked her up Saturday morning and headed home.

See pictures over at Ravens blog, right here.

Rio and Max

2005-07-07T15:10:00.000-06:00

Rio

Max

Rio leaves tomorrow. I'm sad she's leaving, but she's going to a great home.

Babe Made Me.

2005-06-26T19:20:00.000-06:00

Babe shamed me into updating the blog.

She pointed out that there has not been a picture of Kira on here since she was a very young puppy. She is now a beautiful young lady of 9 months. See...

Kira LOVES the two youngest WhiteStars, Max and Rio. Here she is playing with Max:

And with Max, Rio and Babe:

And if anyone is wondering if Babe and Kira are still best friends:

There are also some new puppy pictures of Max, Rio and Blue over at Raven's Blog.

See, I TOLD you I could make Mom get this blog back in shape again!! I am BABE, I am READY FOR ANYTHING!!

A Message From Babe

2005-06-24T17:13:00.000-06:00

I've been talking to Raven's kids and we've decided we need to help Mom get this blog back on track. She has virtually ignored it since the puppies were born back in April.

But all that is gonna change!

We had a talk with Mom last night and she promises that TOMORROW she is going to put up some pictures of ME and Kira and the puppies. She'll even tell you what their names are!!

Even though this is MY blog I'm going to share it with the new kids, keep checking back to watch them grow up!

BTW, I think it really STINKS that Mom didn't even wish me and my sisters a Happy Birthday this past week. So Im going to do it for her....

Happy Birthday to ME and Domino and Bonnie and Mia!!

Kelly Wins Twice!

2005-05-31T13:59:00.000-06:00

Yippee!!! Kelly took back to back Best of Breed wins in Laramie Wyoming this weekend. She beat a nice group of Samoyeds including two group winning dogs and a group placing bitch!

Meanwhile.... Babe used the weekend for serious remedial ring manner training. And I learned that if we show after noon, Babe needs to have lunch before she goes in the ring!

Sigh....

2005-05-27T15:31:00.000-06:00

When I called home last weekend my husband told me "Ilsa started to blow her coat."

I came home and found she had indeed exploded. Just like that. She was fine when I left and looked like she had been attacked by a hoard of hungry moths when I got home.

My whole house looks like this right now...*

*Okay, I'm exaggerating... a little :)

Overdue Update

2005-05-25T07:09:00.000-06:00

The Babe Blog has been so neglected since the puppies were born. Just not enough time inthe day to do everything. I have no pictures to share but thought I'd do a brief update anyway.

At the shows last weekend there were no points to be taken in Siberians, Kira was the only class dog. :( But the Durango Kennel Club did hold "Best Puppy" competitions on Friday and Satruday and Kira brought home two Group IIs! :)

Meanwhile Babe was a happy dog in the ring. Too happy. She spent a lot of time ignoring me and looking for food on the floor. But this is actually a Good Thing as at her last several shows she was acting as if something had spooked her before going in the ring. This past weekend there were no signs of anything bothering her.

On the home front, in addition to taking care of the pups the big thing we've been worried about is fence breakouts. Several weeks back I wrote about Pumpkin escaping. Turns out she had not been going under the fence or usin a snowdrift to helpher over, she had simply been hopping over the fence. Once we discovered that and realized there was no way to "fix" a fence that's not broken, we bought a new 10 x 10 foot Priefert kennel and Pumpkin has been kenneled when ouside and not on a leash. I hated that she couldn't run the yard with the other dogs, but better safe than gone.

Unfortunately the new kennel for Pumpkin did not solve the problems. Aliy got out several times by digging holes under the fence. Last weekend she was gone for almost an hour. It appeared she needed to be kenneled as well. Then Bandit the Akita got out. Not good. The last thing anyone wants is a 120 pound unneutered male Akita stalking the neightberhood. He got kenneled too.

What good is having 4 fenced acres if nobody is allowed out in it???

So we have taken the next step. Yesterday we went to the local ranch supply store and bought all the equipment necessary to hot wire the fence. We are going to start with just hot wiring the bottom all the way around and the top along the one side that Pumpkin has been jumping. I hate the idea of the dogs being zapped, but I hate the idea of them being gone and possibly dead even more.

This next weekend Kelly, Kira Babe and I head off to Larmie Wyoming (my least favorie place on earth) for dog shows on Sunday and Monday. Maybe I'll even take soem pictures.

Babe Herds Sheep! Kira Wins!

2005-05-16T16:44:00.000-06:00

Babe, Kelly, Kira and I spent the weekend in one of our favorite places, Albuquerque, New Mexico. This was the first weekend in a group of dog shows that we will be attending over the next 5 weeks.

On Saturday Babe got to try her paw at herding sheep. She had a blast and passed the first leg of the AHBA instinct test so she can now be known as WhiteStar's Ready For Anything HIC.

I thought about letting Kira try it but I honestly have NEVER heard of a Siberian being used to herd sheep so I didn't. There is always next year.

On Sunday Kira did have an exciting day though. She took her first point!!! I can remember when putting a point on a 7 month old puppy rarely happened. It's nice to see judges recognizing that puppies count too!

What's Babe Been Doing?

2005-05-03T23:00:00.000-06:00

Babe-y Sitting!!!

Springtime in the Rockies

2005-04-30T09:24:00.000-06:00

The first year I lived in Colorado, when April rolled around I was in shock. I grew up in Virgina where April means spring flowers, cherry blossoms and dog woods in bloom. Winter is (usually) a distant memory by the end of April.

In Colorado, April means snow. And then more snow. Most non-Coloradans don't know that April is our snowiest month. It has snowed EVERY DAY THIS WEEK. But it's not our usual "dry" snow. And the ground is no longer frozen.

As ususal the dogs get to go out every morning. Here was the result after an hour of playtime yesterday morning...what Springtime in the Rockies means to me....

Kelly

Aliy

Ilsa

Babe

The other dogs all looked just as bad, but really, how many dirty dog pictures does anyone need to look at.

And what about Mama Raven, aka The Dog Who Never Gets Dirty?

This Day In (My) History

2005-04-20T11:27:00.000-06:00

15 years ago today, my German Shepherd Ripken was born. Ripken has been gone now for almost 3 years.

6 years ago today I bought my first Palm Pilot. And Columbine happened.

5 years ago today my dearest darling Sasha, love of my life, died.

2 weeks ago today Raven's puppies, Sasha's great grandnieces and nephews, were born.

Picture This

2005-04-13T16:51:00.000-06:00

I have been VERY lax about getting photos up here lately. I promise to do better in the future. But that is not what this entry is about. This is about using your imagination...

Picture if you will... me at 7:30 AM this morning. Dressed in navy blue clogs, red, white and green socks, electric lime green velour pajama top with turquoise, hot pink, purple and electric lime green Eeyore pajama pants, topped off with a jean jacket embroidered with bright blue paw prints... running aorund my neighbors yard trying to catch Pumpkin... who had escaped over the fence by using a 4 foot snow drift as a launching pad for her leap to freedom.

Never a dull moment.

Babe has Cousins....

2005-04-06T20:55:00.000-06:00

.... 5 of them!!

Meet the puppies:

Yellow Girl, Green Boy, Purple Boy, Red Boy, Black Girl

Visit That's So Raven for all the details and to keep up with the first 9 weeks of Babe's cousins.

The Excavators

2005-04-04T08:45:00.000-06:00

Friday was a False Alarm. Still no puppies.

On one of the Samoyed e-mail lists I'm on, we were recently discussing the holes our dogs will dig. My dogs dig holes year round. But when a girl is getting ready to have puppies they will create especially impressive ones. Caves really, not just holes. I wrote about Aliy's hole last year shortly before she had puppies. And I talked about Raven's hole just last week on her blog.

But the digging is not just confined to holes. In early Spring they also dig trenches. It is my theory that they are either following the scent or sound of the ground squirrel tunnels. These trenches can be very impressive excavations. And yes occasionally they do catch a critter. Dont' ask me how I know.

Here is what my ground looks like in a non-excavated area:

Just dead Prairie Grass and dirt this time of year.

Here is an active excavation site:

This is about 15-20 feet across and 30 feet long.

And here we have one of the more impressive trenches:

It's about 30 feet long and right below the bottom of the picture branches off into an inverted Y intersection with the two legs each about 20 feet long.

Imagine 4 acres of this.

Surprise!

2005-04-01T13:43:00.000-07:00

Well even though I was convinced that Raven would have her puppies early next week, it appears she may have other plans. As of 1 PM MT her temperature has dropped to 97.5.

When her mother's temp went this low, I had 6 puppies within 8 hours. When her sister's temp went this low, I had 4 puppies 24 hours later.

Although I hadn't planned to put it up until Sunday, I did some scrambling and the Raven-Cam is live. My guess is that you may experience some delays as lots of people may be hitting it at once when they know it's up. Just keep trying :)

To keep up to date on what's happening, vist That's So Raven.

Babe The Winner-Dog

2005-03-31T08:25:00.000-07:00

I got Babe's win picture from Arizona the other day. Not the greatest picture, but not the worst I've seen by far.

Want to see a picture of Ravens' babies....pre-birth? Here you go! Visit Raven's blog for more information!

When Is A Dog Not A Dog?

2005-03-28T16:18:00.000-07:00

How stupid is this?

All The News!

2005-03-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

Oh My do we ever have news!!!

First the Arizona news.

Babe isn't round anymore, she's pointed!! Yes indeed, my little baby Babe picked up a 4 point major under breeder-judge Rudy Munoz on Monday. I'll write more about the show tomorrow....

And now the Really Big News.

Raven is pregnant. First baby pictures right here.

Keep up with all the latest Raven news at That's So Raven!

Silly Ilsa

2005-03-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

Why look, here's Ilsa! What is she doing?

She's standing in the bathtub?

Why is she standing in the bathtub?

Because it's bedtime!!

Raven is a Pin-Up Girl!

Raven is the March picture on the Browntrout Samoyed calendar. That's her, third picture on the top row.

I wonder if Riggs is jealous?

And We're Off!!

And now... Babe, Ilsa and I are off to Arizona for the big 5 day Scottsdale dog show. The weather is supposed to be beautiful this year.. FINALLY!

Babe's First Trophy

2005-02-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

Babe had a big weekend!

It started out on Friday. Her first time ever in an AKC show ring was for Puppy Sweepstakes at the Denver Samoyed Association Specialty. Babe was up to the challenge. She won her class, then went on to win Best of Opposite Sex to Best in Puppy Sweepstakes. For her efforts she got a lovely lavender rosette and a very nice votive candle holder. See...

Later in the day she won the Bred-By-Exhibitor class, just as she did the following three days. Then to finish the weekend off with a bang, yesterday she won Reserve Winners Bitch to the major. Not too shabby for a little Samoyed Grrrrl who just turned 8 months old yesterday!

As nice as Babe's weekend was, it was not just an All-Babe show. On Sunday Kelly managed to pull of a huge Best of Opposite Sex win which included beating 2 Best in Show dogs and the bitch who was number 1 Samoyed bitch in the country last year. That particular dogs was the top Samoyed (either sex) in the country when the weekend started, and my Kelly beat her!

She Comes By it Honestly

Remember this picture of Kelly from last year?

Apparently the love of dirt is heriditary. Here is a picture of her father, CH Polar Mist Harbor Master taken shortly after he relocated to his new home in the red dirt Jemez Mountains of New Mexico.

Skipper is now living with the owner of Babe's grandfather, great grandfather and great grandmother, my very good friend Mary. I think he's made himself right at home.

The End of "Match Season"

2005-02-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Babe and Kira went to the last match of the season. Again I was very pleased with their performances.

Babe had two other very nice girls in her class, both of whom she beat. When it came time for Best of Breed, Babe again showed great but was beaten by her Aunt Faith. We can't complain when we are beaten by a really nice dog. Faith is one of those one-in-a-lifetime dogs who was Born to Win. She went on to take her 3rd match Group One and then Best in Match beating about 200 dogs.

Meanwhile Kira also won her class in Siberians and then went on to beat an older Siberian to take Best of Breed. She is quite a character in the ring and will do really well once I get around to getting her trained!

Next week Babe makes her ring debut as a Real Show Dog. It should be fun!!

New Blog for Raven!!!

It's still way to early to know if Raven is pregnant but I have set up a blog for her already. You can find it at itssoraven.blogspot.com.

Not much other than a few pictures until we know she is pregnant, then it will get busy!

Meanwhile Raven is thinking about this whole motherhood thing...

...and trying to decide if she likes the idea!

Raven and Riggs continued....

2005-02-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

We got a third breeding between Raven and Riggs yesterday!

I am thrilled, especially considering at one point we thought it simply was not going to happen at all.

Riggs was very glad to see Raven again, she was slightly less enthusiastic about him. I'm guessing she is on her way out of season and that was the last breeding we will get. Some people say that once a girl has been bred and it has "taken", she will immediately refuse future breedings. Let's hope that was the reason for Raven's reluctance.

Here is Raven pondering impending motherhood...

A Frosty Day on the Plains....

.... leads to frosty dogs! Can you see the tiny ice particles sticking to Ilsa's coat and whiskers. She may be one of the most photogenic dogs I've ever known.

Raven and Riggs

2005-02-05T22:53:00.000-07:00

It was pointed out to me that I've been lax in getting a Raven update out here... well part of the reason is that there really was little to report...until Thursday that is.

Last Monday Raven visited the vet again and he said from the exam he did she was as "ready to breed" as any girl he'd ever seen. Since neither Raven nor Riggs seemed to agree with him, an aritifical insemination was done.

Raven came home fromthe T-Snow Star B,B and B on Wednesday, but Riggs seemed to be missing her so we paid a visit Thursday afternoon and lo and behold they appeared to be madly in love and we got a natural breeding.

Yesterday (Friday) was a busy day for both me and Riggs' owner so we decided to skip a day and see what happened this morning. Another breeding!!!

Tomorrow Babe and I are going to a puppy match in Boulder and Raven will do a ride along. After the match we will stop to visit Riggs again. A third breeding may be too much to hope for, but we'll give it a try. In fact, if we get a breeding tomorrow we will try again on Tuesday as well.

Next comes the hardest part... waiting to find out if she is pregnant!!

Raven Update

2005-01-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

This isn't really an update. It's a non-update.

Raven has been off at the T-Snow Star Bed, Breakfast and Brothel since last Wednesday and although she and Riggs seem to really like each other, there have been no breedings yet.

My guess is that we are seeing no action because Raven knows that as soon as she gets bred she has to come home.

Why would she want to come home?

Over at the T-Snow Star B,B & B, she has her own apartment. She has a caretaker who is sleeping in the room with her. She is even allowed to sleep ON her caretaker.

see...

Wake up Lindsey. I need petting Lindsey.

Thank you Lindsey. Now how about a walk?

Really, she has it made. Does she care if she is driving me crazy playing the waiting game?

Of course not.

Surprise!

2005-01-24T22:42:00.000-07:00

Guess who came in season a few weeks earlier than expected?

Raven.

After breeding only 3 litters in 14 years of sammie ownership, I'm now going to (hopefully) breed two litters in less than one year. Raven will be five in March so it's now or never for her.

I expected Raven to come in at the very end of January or early February, but last Friday I thought I saw a little blood. Sure enough she is in season. I figured maybe we'd be doing a breeding next weekend, but according to Icer, Bandit and the cytology we did earlier today, it looks like she will be breedable sooner than that.

We paid a visit to her boyfriend Riggs (CH T-Snow Star's Tak'n It Beyond) this evening just so they could get accquainted and we actually came close to a breeding but Raven chickened out at the last minute. She is just not quite ready YET. The two of them were very sweet together and really seemed to like each other a lot. Lots o ear kissing and play bowing and dancing around.

I'll take Raven back up to see Riggs on Wednesday where she will most likely spend a few days. (Mike, this means I will NOT be in class on Wednesday!!) Hopefully we will get a few breedings and we'll have puppies in late March!! Yes, Raven will have her own blog just like Aliy did and we'll resurrect the puppy cam too.

Kira Likes Yogurt

2005-01-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

Isn't it funny how cute puppies can turn the most mundane household trash into props for cute photo-ops?

I gave Kira my empty yogurt container last night. I think she enjoyed it. :)

I'm So Proud of My Baby Girls!

2005-01-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

First a quick Kelly update: I took her with me when I had my regular weekly chiropractic appointment on Friday. The doctor said her neck was a "real mess". So I am going to assume it was a pinched nerve. She goes back to the chiropracter again on Wednesday.

And now, why am I proud of my Baby Girls?

We went to class last Tuesday night and it was pretty embarrasing. Babe, who is supposed to be half trained already, and has been to literally a dozen dog shows, acted as if she had never seen another dog (pr person) outside of her family. She wanted to greet everyone. "Greeting" involves a lot of noise (howling AND barking)and a lot of hopping around.

Then when it came time to have the "judge" (the instructor) look at her teeth she went berserk. She alternated between trying to climb over his head to throwing herself on her back and rolling around.

When it was Kira's turn she was not much better. Of course she had an excuse, it was her first time at a class.

She actually didn't mind the looking-at-the-teeth part, but when it came time for us to gait around the ring she thought she was supposed to run around my legs at the same time as the two of us moved around the ring!

So I decide to go to this puppy match yesterday even though I knew I'd be humiliated. Humiliation is part of showing dogs :)

I thought Kira would let everyone hear the Siberian Scream all day long. After about 5 minutes (once she was sure everyone knew she had arrived), miracle of miracles, she was quiet the rest of the day!!

First Babe went in and not only did she allow the judge to look at her teeth with only a little extra effort on his part, but she won her class! By the time we got to Best of Breed (which her Aunt Faith won) she was actually acting like a show dog.

Then it was Kira's turn. She too won her class beating her litter sister Mara. She has a long way to go, but for her first outing she did great.

Mike, if you are reading this, Babe, Kira and I WILL be at class EVERY Tuesday (7:30) at Friendship Academy Dog Training and EVERY Wednesday (also 7:30) at Pikes Peak Obedience Club, unless the weather is bad!

Are Babe and Kira still best friends? You be the judge.

$208 and Three Hours in the Emergency Room

2005-01-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

If it had not been Kelly (3 abdominal surgeries in 5 days when she was 8 months old after eating a pair of pantyhose) I might not have been so quick to rush her to the vet last night.

At about 6 PM I heard someone yelp in apparent pain. Based on where it came from it had to be either Kelly or Babe. But when I looked both were lying in the corner quietly.

At 6:45 it was feeding time. When Kelly headed into her crate she began SCREAMING in obvious extreme pain. No caught foot, no obvious injury and it stopped after about a minute. She seemed subdued but anxious for her food so I gave it to her.

She ate it, but instead of 15 seconds, it took her about a minute to wolf it down. Then she would not lie down. All my dogs stay kenneled after they eat for at least half an hour. Kelly just stood in her kennel. After about 10 minutes I let her out so I could observe her.

She walked to the center of the room, put her head down and just stood there, not moving. Obvious discomfort. Of course I checked her stomach. No indication of bloat at all. It was soft and not distended at all.

Suddenly she starts screaming again. We are talking as if she were being MURDERED. Then goes back to just standing there. Would not lie down. After the third screaming instance (which is EXACTLY what she did when her intestines perforated) I rush her off to the ER.

As soon as we got there the vet tech palpates her abdomen thoroughly, checking for signs of bloat or torsion. Nothing. we have no further screaming instances. She still won't lie down. At one point she fell asleep in the waiting room standing up and fell over. At that point they take her back to the treatment area and put her in a cage so they can watch her closer until the vet can examine her. They say she never lies down at all over the next half hour.

We finally get into an exam room. The vet tech and the vet both examine her thoroughly. Palpate her every which way they can. Manipulate all her legs, her neck, even her tail. Nothing. Temp is normal. They advise me to take her home and watch her. I ask to have her x-rayed which they do. It takes about 30 minutes to get ready for the x-rays, she still never lies or sits down.

We take two views and the x-rays show nothing other than a very full tummy and lots of "matter" (not necessarily foreign) that is waiting to come out. A small pocket of gas in the colon but nothing unusual at all. But by this time she has finally laid down and gone to sleep in the corner.

The only other thing they can suggest is blood work but they think I should wait until morning.

I bring her home and she seems fine. Sleeps all night, drinks well. No vomiting. Mo screaming episodes at all. Very excited for her breakfast and wolfs it all down in 15 seconds. This morning first thing out she has a nice sized poop with absolutely no foreign matter in it.

Other than when Kelly's intestines perforated a year and half ago, I have NEVER seen a dog have repeated bouts of INTENSE blood curdling screaming unless they were injured. But when her intestines perforated that was accompanied by projectile vomiting, high fever, dehydration etc.

I think she had gas. Or maybe a pinched nerve in her neck.

Koshare!

2005-01-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

In the comments of my last post Deb asked about Koshare. Koshare is now 7 and doing great, although she is retired from the show ring. Deb wanted to see a more recent picture so here you go:

This one is my favorite picture of Koshare and earned her the nickname Princess of the Pillows.

Did you see CSI:NY last night? It depicted a murder at a dog show. Read my comments about it.

Morning Routine

2005-01-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

Every morning the dogs and I go thru the same routine.

We get up and feed them about 6 AM. I stay up and let Kira, Babe and Kelly outside to play.

At 7:30 everyone else gets to go outside. Each morning about 7:40 Raven asks to come in. As soon as I let her in she races to the bedroom and jumps on the bed where it is her "job" to get my husband up out of bed.

She is very good at her job. Within 5 minutes she ususally has him up. She nuzzles him, she lays on him. She pokes her little nose in his face. She nibbles on his ears.

Every once in while (especially on Saturdays) he ignores her, or at least tries to. This upsets her. Can't you tell by the look on her face?

That is Pumpkin off to the left side.

Equal Time

2005-01-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

The other dogs are feeling left out.

They think that Babe and Kira are hogging the spotlight and getting all the pictures on the blog. With an occasional guest appearace from Kelly, Ilsa or Aliy.

So I decided I needed to give some of the others a chance on camera.

Here is Pumpkin patiently waiting for soemthing to drop on the floor during the prepartion of my lunch.

Below are Pumpkin, Raven, Babe and ALiy NOT so patiently waiting!

The "Twins"

2005-01-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

Do they try to be this cute on purpose?

I have never had two puppies be as close as these two seem to be. They sleep together, play together, copy each others actions and these pictures are not the first time that they actually seem to be mimicing each others body postures.

The Value of a Thick Coat

2005-01-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

Although both Sammies and Siberians are Nordic dogs, and both can withstand the cold, I have noticed soemthing different about Kira....

Yes, she has a thing for blankets. Now I don't know if it's because she gets cold (she is still a baby!) becuase she has less hair than the sammies, or if she just LIKES being under blankets. I do know NONE of my sammies would ever do this...

Yes, that is a Barbie pillow. It was one of Kira and Babe's Christmas presents. I got it at Goodwill for only $1. It's in perfect shape and I just knew my little furry girls would love it. They also got Nylabones and rubber squeak toys.

Feeding Time.

Kelly gets more excited over feeding time than any dog I've ever had. She literally froths at the mouth....

New Friends

2004-12-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

Not only does Babe like Kira....

So does Aliy....

Finishings and Beginnings

2004-12-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

Guess who is the latest WhiteStar champion?

New CH Polar Mist You've Got Mail HIC
Why it's Kelly!

Finished with 4 majors, 4 Best of Winners and 2 Best of Breeds, Kelly is the seventh champion here at WhiteStar. She finished in Amarillo, Texas, with a major, just like my first champion Boom'r did back in 1996. She joins Ch Boom'r, Ch Icer, Ch Pumpkin, Ch Aliy, Ch Raven and Ch Ilsa.

Kelly is also the 200th champion bred by Lynette Blue of Polar Mist Samoyeds.

Guess what? Babe has a new friend...

WhiteStar's Ready for Anything and her new friend Takhari's Beyond the Stars.

What Has Babe Been Up To?

2004-11-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

Babe went to another match! And came home with this:

Her first rosette! And another Group 3!

After working so hard Babe needs her beauty sleep...

Domino!!

These pics are of Babe's sister Donimo, but Babe does the same silly stuff.

Domino's pictures courtesy of Carl and Dottie Johns.

Babe is a winner!

2004-11-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

But I already knew that.

Yesterday Babe went to her first ever puppy match. The competition was stiff. First up in the 6-9 puppy dog class was Dodge. Dodge is actually Babe's uncle even though he is two months younger than she is.

Next up in the 6-9 puppy bitch class was Dodge's sister Faith and Babe. Babe managed to squeeze by Faith for a first place finish.

The final puppy in competition was Kaelin in the 6-9 month bitch class.

Once the initial class judging was over the class winners, Dodge, Babe and Kaelin, went back in for Best of Breed. Babe won!!! She got a foot long rawhide stick which she shared outside the ring with a new friend, a 10 month old Akita.

Back in the ring again for group competition. Babe had to go head to head with her new Akita firend, an Alaskan Malamute, a Bernese Mountain Dog, a Portugese Water Dog, a Rottweiler and Siberian. Other than the Rottweiler, who was the same age as Babe, the other dogs were all much older, closer to a year.

Again Babe showed like she had been doing it all her life and ended up taking third behind the very nice Rottie and the very nice Akita. The Rottie went on to take Best in Match yesterday, an honor she very much deserved.

Yeah Babe!!!

Samoyed Breeder Referral

2004-11-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

Are you a member of the Samoyed Club of America? Samoyed Association of Canada? Other foreign Samoyed club?

Do you want to be listed on the newest Samoyed Breeder Referral Listing site on the web?

Maybe you don't breed but you'd like to provide information to the public on what the Samoyed breed is all about?

If you answered yes, then SamBEAR (Samoyed Breeders - Ethical and Responsible) is the place for you.

Drop me an email with the following information if you'd like to be added to SamBEAR:

name
kennel name
location
phone number (if you want it published)
email address
Web site URL
Club affiliation (SCA, SAC, etc)

If you want your web site listed, it is required that you put a link back to the SamBEAR site from somewhere on your site.

Could Babe BE Any More Relaxed?

2004-11-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

Every time I see her laying like this I just want to imagine she's lying on a beach towel next to the ocean.

Domino says....

2004-11-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

I am NOT spoiled!!!!!!

(Today's picture courtesy of Carl and Dottie Johns)

Frog Legs

2004-10-28T08:33:00.000-06:00

Winter is Coming.

2004-10-25T11:36:00.000-06:00

It's a foggy, cold, grey day on the plains...

And Babe is bored...

Poor Babe.

Little does she know that some day soon she'll be introduced to SNOW!! I always love watching a puppies first experience with snow. Hopefully Babe's first snowstorm is still a little ways off.

4 Months Old

2004-10-21T17:44:00.000-06:00

Look at Aliy....

She just can't believe her daughter is 4 months old already!

Another REALLY GOOD Weekend at the Dog Show

2004-10-19T13:19:00.000-06:00

You know what this is don't you?

It's George Washington's profile on Mount Rushmore. Quite a different view then what one normally sees. I had planned to have the usual picture to post as well, but BOTH batteries I had with me died after taking this one picture.

In case you don't know, Mount Rushmore is in South Dakota... which is where the girls and I went, not specifically to see Mount Rushmore, but to attend another dog show. This time it was three days long and we made the most of it. Kelly took Winners Bitch, Best of Winners and Best of Breed (over 4 specials!) the first day for a 4 point major. The following day she again took Winners Bitch, this time for a 3 point major. That gave her 3 majors and 14 points... she only needed one more point to be a champion. Unfortunately on Sunday the best she could do was Reserve. But HEY I'm not complaining!!! You don't come home very often with two majors in one weekend. I've done it only 4 times before in the 10+ years I've been showing. And Best of Breed over specials from the classes? I've only done that 4 times and 3 of them have been in the last 2 months, 2 with Kelly. The girls are on a roll these days.

Kelly's next show may be Thanksgiving weekend in Pueblo... she is due to blow coat so we'll see how she's looking when entries close.

What about Babe?

Yes Babe was with us! She had two exciting events happen to her this weekend. First off, she has outgrown the puppy sized crate I've been hauling around to the shows for her to sleep in at the hotel at night. So for the first time ever Babe got to sleep loose in the hotel room just like the big girls do. She was a VERY good girl, we had no accidents at all. I did get up each night at about 4 AM to take her out "just in case".

The second exciting thing for her was that she was kidnapped! My friend Mary Jo took her for a walk Saturday afternoon and returned without her. Mary Jo said she'd been kidnapped and I'd have to find her to get her back. It wasn't hard to locate her. She was in the motorhome of Sumo, her 120 pound Bernese Mountain Dog buddy. Babe spent a coupel hours entertaing Sumo and his "parents" before I retrieved her. She's quite a hit with everyone at the shows because of her charming personality and fearless attitude. This girl should be fun in the showring next year!

We LOVE Rain!!!!

2004-10-13T09:42:00.000-06:00

Kelly and Babe. The two musketeers. Thru thick and thin, rain or SNOW (yes it snowed this morning) nothing can keep them from having fun. Little do they know that they are both getting a bath this afternoon in readiness for our departure tomorrow for a show in South Dakota. And then I get the task of trying to keep them clean until we leave.

The Beautiful Ilsa

She's my dog but I still have to say.. .she takes my breath away she is so beautiful. Pictures taken by my friend Kris Schopfer in the breed ring at the National.

In case you are wondering... Ilsa is almost as dirty as Kelly and Babe this morning. She just wouldn't cooperate and pose for a picture.

16 weeks

2004-10-12T13:52:00.000-06:00

When you see Babe by herself....

... she still looks like a little puppy.

But when you see her next to her mother (who is a BIG girl), you realize how fast she is growing up....

Aliy did get her bath last weekend and I tried to get before and after pictures. To me, I can see a world of difference in how her coat looks. MUCH fluffier after the bath. But in the pictures she still looks just as naked. I still have hopes of entering her in the Amarillo shows in Texas at the beginning of December. You know what they say... Hope springs eternal :)

Domino!

2004-10-08T16:27:00.000-06:00

Isn't there a Van Morrison song titled Domino?? Yes, there is. Why is that of interest here on Babe's blog? Because Babe and Domino's grandmother is named CH Polar Mist Brown Eyed Girl. Also a Van Morrison song.

Here's Domino these days...

Mom Dottie thinks Domino has big ears. HAH!!! Has she looked at Babe's recently????

Domino relaxes with big brother Sky.

The Show Scene

What happened at the show this past weekend?? It could have been worse. We could have come home with nothing since there were no points available to either dogs or bitches via the "usual means*". But instead Kelly took Best of Breed the first day so she did pick up one single point. Ilsa was Best of Opposite Sex the other three days although I think she should have had Best of Breed one of the days at least. But I'm not the judge.

NOT on the Road Again!

The WhiteStar sammies and I are actually staying home this weekend. Mama Aliy gets a long awaited bath tomorrow. Maybe Grammy Kachina too! I'm curious to see if Aliy looks more like a sammie and less like a coyote after her bath. It's amazing what a little fluff and buff can do. I should take before and after pictures.

*usual means = Taking points by going Winners Bitch - but there have to be other bitches entered to do that, and there were none last weekend.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2004-10-05T13:22:00.000-06:00