A new year already?

Wow, it's the 21st of January already.  It's hard not to feel like I'm spinning my wheels and not getting much done.  Guess that's because we (or should I say "I") added Georgie horse to the farm.  What was I thinking you ask?  I'm asking myself too.  The more time I spend with Georgie the more I love her.  I've never owned a horse like her.  Not just her looks and breed but personality.  It's like she understands when I talk to her.  If she's acting scared I just pull her face down to mine and softly tell her what is about to transpire and she calmly lets me do whatever it is without acting stupid like the boy horses who flat out don't care what I ask of them they do what comes naturally.  The mare actually listens!  I've been told that mares "will take care of you" but I never believed it.  Marcel is kinda scared of Georgie.  Or at least he is scared that she will hurt me, trample me or something.  She is tall, well at least her head is attached to a very upright neck whereas the boys have low set necks so their heads are lower.  I think Sterling would outweigh her as he is a big horse too  While he is dog gentle at home he can be explosive in other situations and he has broken things freaking out and pulling back.  Which is a really bad habit.  It starts with them pulling when tied and getting loose.  Just like a Shiba, once they know they can get loose and bolt color them gone!  Assholes I say.

 

So, I have been limiting my time in the office and spending a lot of time with the dogs and with Georgie.  Marcel's put me on a strict budget so I have to do a lot more work around the farm myself.  I am motivate because I really enjoy doing the work but I have to be realistic.  My fibromyalgia keeps me prisoner.  I used to be so strong and I could work from sun up around the clock once and still deep into the morning before I ended.  Now, I still get a lot done but not like I used to and I end by 7 for sure.  More days than I'd like I'm done by 3.  No dinner on those nights.

 

All I want to do is play cowboy with dog sidekick. Speaking of dogs,  my last two pups go home this Saturday.  Then I can concentrate on my own dogs.  It's so weird without my little buddy Stitch.  I miss her so much.  She was soooo beautiful inside and out.  Just a beam of sunshine and happiness all the time and I miss that.  Now LG is really showing her age and it won't be long before she is gone I'm sure.  LG is the matriarch of Kawako being great grandma to Friday.

 

Off to work for me!

All most the new year......



 

 

Kazimoto (Fuyu x Oso)

I can't believe how quickly this year went for me.  It really is true that the years go faster when you are older.  Wishing all my friends joy and prosperity in the coming years.  I plan on making this the year I purge my all of my unneeded items. 



Rockstar (Bridget x Kuro)

Friday (Fuyu x Shogun)

Darla & Stitchy

Fancy (Mari x Kuro)

I have 3 puppies, the yearling orphaned puppy Darla and a 6 month old to raise this year too not to mention a new horse.  I have one red puppy from Bridget's last litter, a black female from Mari and another red from Fuyu.  One of them has to end up my next show stopper.



I have two too many horses.  I can really only ride one so I have to decided between keeping the mare I rescued from the kill pen and Sterling whom we have had for years but I can't ride him, he's too wide and tall.  I really wish I would have chosen a smaller horse to rescue in the case, which seems to be, I get stuck with it.  The mare Georgie is too tall as well but she isn't as wide and Sterling.  The width is what stretches all those crotch muscles and makes you sore the day after riding.  It also wrecks havoc on my dislocating knee.  I finally figured out that a small narrow horse doesn't make me sore at all!  Neato.  You can read all about Georgie on Cheri's Rescue Horses FB page.

We lost Stitchy my Pomeranian this month.  It was a terrible tragedy for which I feel completely guilty for.  I don't want to talk about it and I haven't even mentioned in on my FB page.  It's just too painful to talk about and I don't want to answer any questions about it.

Other than puppies nothing new going on.  I'm puppied out after 3 litters.  Of course all 3 litters only consisted of a total of 7 pups but I get tired with all the dogs in the house all the time.  Puppies are constantly get into things and you just get tired from watching out for them.  I so look forward to sleeping lately.

Speaking of which, the couch and a bowl of popcorn and/or a pomegranate are calling my name about now.

Crossing my fingers for puppies and other nonexciting things.

It's that time of year again and poor Victor is rife with strife.  All the girls are in season and hopefully we will have plenty or girl puppies so I can keep a show prospect for myself.  This is boring not having anything to show.

We have a Shiba Open House tomorrow so I have been busy tidying up the barn and dog room today.  Marcel's mom has been here for 2 weeks and I had to take some days to recuperate.  With my fibromyalgia I get tired easily.  When you have FM you do not store energy.  I have had to learn to be kind to myself and rest when I need to.  It is a really hard thing to do when you used to be able to go for days at a time but I think that is what does you in because most of the people I talk to that have FM say they used to be busy, busy, busy.  We use ourselves up.

Good sleep is probably the most important thing when you have FM or MS.  You heal while you sleep.  Water and sleep keep you from getting those horrible leg cramps.  I hate those.  Guess I just have too much on my mind to sleep. Maybe after the open house event is over I will get some real rest and perk up again. 

So here I sit.  Looking for something to do sedentary and blogging is perfect.  I told myself I was going to do more blogging so I am keeping my word to myself and of course to all of my fans.  HA! Right, because I am so interesting.  Well and least my animals are interesting to most people.

Before mom came to visit I had been riding my mustang Handsome in the arena to try and teach him something, anything.  He is hella boring and I don't think he's gonna get any more exciting.  He plow reins like an old mule.  I was hoping to do dressage with him but he just doesn't have the spark nor the will to participate in anything.  However, I'm looking forward to taking him on the trail to see what happens there.  Could be a rodeo, I don't know.

I was going to start working Marcel's horse Sterling and depending on how that goes I might even sell him since Marcel isn't doing anything with him.  My friend Chris is going to help me get him ready.  Plus she has a little black mare that I am going to ride to get back in the swing of things so I'm looking forward to it being a bit cooler this fall.  Hot flashes are a bitch.  Need I say more?  I didn't think so.

Well, I'd better a snack.  I'm starting to fade.

Showing Dogs
Whether you got your Shiba from us or from another breeder we would like to inspire you to show your Shiba.  Our breed needs good natured people out there showing their beautiful Shibas off.  Showing your dog can be a fun family activity and teach children good sportsmanship by example.  There are so many new events to try everyone in the family can pick something fun to train your dog in and then go out there and compete for titles.  That's the thing, you don't have to compete against other people and dogs.  In many events you are in the ring with your dog alone.

Working with a trainer or a training group and/or having a Shiba mentor assist you is a great way to get started.  Having someone there with you to cheer you on always helps with the nerves.  I found studying sport psychology really helped get me over being nervous.  Understanding human nature lets you realize everyone else is just as self conscious as you are.  No one is worrying about what you look or act like because they are too nervous about their own performance and the judge is only looking at your dog anyway and would rarely notice you unless you really blundered....like fell or tripped. 

I have certainly done my share of silly things in the ring.  Like the time the icepack on my aching back slipped into my pants and I held it to my buttocks around the ring so it didn't slipping down a pant leg.  The judge laughed as I rounded the ring, put my hand down the back of my pants and placed the icepack on the ribbon table then quickly stacked my dog for presentation.  Ooops.  He gave us our last major to finish Kuro's championship!  And we beat pro-handlers that day.  Even with that blunder.  Most judges have seen it all, they were once handlers once too.  I was rather proud of myself for not breaking my dogs stride around the ring!  Once with my big Rottweiler Victor I dislocated my knee and it popped back in mid stride.  We got a 3rd but I was thrilled I made it around without falling.  I was sooooo proud of my short little legs that day!

But why on earth go do something that makes you nervous?  Why put yourself in the position of being embarrassed by the family pooch?  Well, there are lots of good reasons.  It's basically a clean and healthy sport.   Your dog gets you off the couch to attend classes, go for walks, runs or out to herd, hunt or jump through hoops!  There is nothing better than seeing your children graduate.  You get the similar feeling of accomplishment when your dog performs well.  Notice I did not say wins, I said performs well. Winning isn't everything. Being in sync with a dog you trained yourself when you are the only ones out there, just doing your thing, well it feels GREAT!

It is important to put the sport into perspective if you want to enjoy it.  Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.  Yes, politics play a part in the conformation ring on some days but other days the best dog wins and.........your dog won't always be the best dog.  Most seasoned owner handlers will say they don't mind being beaten by a better dog but it is annoying when a lesser dogs wins. Even those who have a super dog that does a LOT of winning doesn't win EVERY time and eventually a new dog will come along that is better and beat the first dog.  Dogs win, finish and get out of your dog's way to his championship so don't give up.

Kuro took FOREVER to finish.  He is a black and tan dog and they tend to be overlooked.  If he had been the same dog in a red coat he would have finished much earlier.  But he did finally finish.  Bridget took her time to finish as well.  She has a different look to her face then the other females being shown in my area and she could be considered long backed by some judges who don't think females should be longer than males, which they should but all things being equal as shorter backed looks flashier.  My point is I had a lot of fun at the shows I attended.  I like to drive, I like the time away from home with just 2 dogs, I like going to dinner with my "doggie" friends who like to talk dog just as much as I do. 

In the performance events things are based on your team performance.  You get a pass or qualify score or you fail in a part of the test and that disqualifies your total score from earning points toward a title in the event.  If you DQ you know you have to go back and practice that part of the test more.  Dogs have off days too.  Be happy with the parts they did well show another day.  Bring a nice lunch and watch another event or cheer on a classmate. 

The reason we got our dogs in the first place was to enjoy them, spend time with them, participate in activities with them.  If you can keep dog shows in perspective, enjoying the day out, the people and your dog you will have fun and be successful no matter what a judge has to say about it.

Sheep, dogs & horses, oh my.

THIS IS AN OLD POST I FOUND UNPUBLISHED

Guess I need to ad cat and rats to that.  Wow, it's totally quiet here without the puppies.  It's kinda nice. They say everything happens for a reason.  It's time to deal with horses.  It started slowly, 2 years ago both Stetson and Sterling's feet started showing signs of laminitis, commonly called founder.  An obvious ring around the hoof. Like when you smash our fingernail in the door.  Both horses had been to two trainers last summer and I supposed it was from rich alfalfa and grain they both gave the horses.  I would be very mindful of their diets for the next year.  Sterling's feet showed complete recovery as the ring grew out and was trimmed off without incident but Stetson's feet continued to get worse and worse and worse until this sad state he is in today.  He's lost 100 pounds and his hind end sways from side to side to find relief for his feet and his thigh muscles tremble from the pain. I am beside myself with the fear of having to put him to sleep.  I have only a few days to find a solution for Stetson before Marcel makes me call the vet out to euthanize my horse.  He just can't stand to see him suffer like this.  I am told that horses can come back from laminitis but I have never known one.  Things have changed a lot but I just remember when I was a child they would cut the front of hoof clear off and you could see inside the foot.  The horses suffered terribly and rarely ever recovered.  We still don't know what causes laminitis accept that fat horses and ponies all most always get it.  It can happen to any horse who gets a stomach ache, stress, rich feed, different illnesses come out in the foot for unknown reasons.

 

We added 3 female rats to our long list of pets.  They have a giant cage.  They smell and I'm going crazy looking for a better solution to keep their bedding from getting outside the cage and onto the carpet.  We've had rats before but only one at a time.  Three is a little overwhelming.  I think they bond better when there is only as they seek out your attention and company.

 

I swore I'd never have small cage animals again.  At one time I had several cages of rabbits, mice of different types and a couple of hedge hogs.  Now that was overwhelming.  I like rats a lot.  They are so smart. We are really enjoying feeding them bits of food.  I'm sure I'll end up making little agility obstacles for them and teaching them tricks.  Marcel laughs because they love me and come running to whatever corner of the cage is closest to me.

 

I'm anxiously waiting for our first ewe to lamb.  I didn't pick up our ram until late last fall and so we'll have later lambs than normal which is OK as it's warmer.  A woman in my swim class said she found several of her goat kids curled up and frozen in dark slumber next their mothers because they were born too early while it was still freezing during the night.  Yikes.  I'll take waiting till later any time. 

 

All that was left of a ram.

I'm down to three ewes again. I lost a couple last year.  Don't know why but we did have a large pack of coyotes eat a ram last year.  I couldn't even find the head with the giant horns.  I don't know how they got the horns through the fence.  Now none of my animals will go out on the other side the creek to graze any more.  The lush shaded grass gets as tall as I am but nope, scary things lurk.  Sterling eats his hay, one bite at a time, looking over his shoulder between each bite.  A few years before we had a mountain lion kill two ewes, my favorite ewe and her daughter the following year.  That lasted for three years until a local rancher shot the lion.  Many farms lost sheep and goats to that big cat.

 

I never thought I would be the kind of person to want to shoot wild animals or any kind of animal but when you have a farm full of animals you want to protect them.  Marcel shot the mink that was eating my poultry but of course we couldn't shoot the bald eagles for killing my goose and considering taking my barnyard full of Pomeranians.  All I could do is give my remaining poultry away and place all of my Pomeranians in safer city homes.

 

This is the reality of owning animals.  Lots of poop, making hard decisions and anticipating new life.  I couldn't imagine my life any different. 

 

Well, I'd better get out to the barn to make a dry place for my crippled friend Stetson to lay down and I'll check those ewes while I'm out there too.  One ewe is bagged up and will deliver any day.

                           

Time goes way too fast

To all the youths out there:  It's totally true that time goes faster as you get older so ENJOY every moment of your healthy youth.  Life really is short.

My other advice is to take care of your teeth, your feet, your knees and your skin.  USE SUN SCREEN.  Especially if you're a whitey. Wear a hat, eyes can get sun burned too.  Eat organics whenever you can and don't use toxic chemicals in your body or in the home. Don't eat or drink anything that says DIET on the label and ladies, no birth control pills! They are the worst!  Don't use certain recreational drugs, prescribed pharmaceuticals AND over the counter remedies. NSAIDS are soooo bad for your kidneys............I can attest to that personally.  It's now common knowledge that these things cause seriously effects your health and as you age it all becomes apparent.  PLEASE care for you body and share the information with everyone you love and don't love.

It sucks to be in your 40's and start having all kinds of health issues you could have avoided.

Enough about physical health now I want to talk about happiness.  Humans can't thrive without love and friendship.  Nurture healthy relationships and leave any in the dust that don't make you feel good about yourself.  It's hard to know what that means when you are a child playing with other children but it is something we learn the hard way in short time if we have been raised with any sense of confidence and integrity.

Everyone has to learn to say NO.  Leave toxic relationships with any partner.  It isn't worth your time.  Remember life is short.  It isn't your responsibility to save anyone.  I'm not saying you can't help others but don't become co-dependent. Point them in the direction of professional help and let them make the decision to float or sink.  Most people have to hit bottom before they will help themselves.  I'm not saying bail on a marriage because it's tough but toxic isn't healthy for you.

Ladies, get a good education and be able to support yourself and any children YOU decide to have.  We have come too far to be angry with partners that don't support us and our children.  Be the provider and get over it.

Gentlemen, be just that.  Respect your partner.  Be your word.  Don't make promises you can't keep. Communicate openly and honestly even if it is a simple yes or no answer.  Be generous with your heart it doesn't cost you anything.

Lovers come and go throughout life but good friends are always there when your lover leaves.  Don't forget about them!  Keep in good communication.  Don't neglect them, they deserve your respect too.

Cultivate and nurture friendships with people that inspire you. Brilliant people come in all kinds. Both young and old people of all faiths and cultures can contribute to our educations as humans.  Them more we learn other people's prospective the more loving and generous we can become to the world. Take opportunities to meet new people.  Talk to strangers.  Pay it forward. 

TRAVEL as much as you can.  Even if it's just a car drive a few towns away.  Take a new way home from work.  Try new things you haven't done before.  Start a bucket list.  It gets harder to do some of those things as you get older so do them when you can and before you can't!

Happiness starts with feeling good about yourself.  Then and only then will you attract the kind of people in your life that share your level of integrity.  Only then will you attract a willing partner in life.

Happiness can be found in the strangest places.  In quiet days with blue skies, singing along with the radio playing your favorite while you pick dog poop up off the lawn.  Been there, done that.

Enough said.  I have to start my happy day with feeding hungry critters.  Have a good one.

Shiba health moving in positive directions

Wish I could go to Japan but the more I think about the imports the more I am happy with our Shibas here in the US.  We have the most stringent health checks in the world US and have some very good 4 and 5 generations from imports that are moving in positive directions.  There are imports that pass health tests but they still have poor grades of health behind them that need to be overcome and there are things like cream, long coat and other recessives that need to be weeded out.  Thankfully DNA can now let us track some of these genes and it helps us breed any good specimens that are carries to non carries and we can slowly eliminate that from our programs.  Of course there are all the other minor faults that show breeders deal with that we have to keep an eye on too so the whole thing gets complicated but conscientious breeders willing do the job and pet buyers can take advantage of it at no extra cost to themselves but not everybody is patient enough to do that and that is what keeps the puppy mill and other Shiba producers in the money.  These people have so little investing in their poor quality dogs that everything is 90% is pure profit for them.