je suis fatigué

Those who check in with the website from time to time will probably have spotted that for some time I've been planning a liaison between Keksi and a mysterious French gent. Well the time finally came and Keksi and I set off on our aventure française together.

The object of my affection was this adorable boy, Lapinlumon Kuuraturkki, known as Elias:
















As it happened, Keksi's affection was rather more inclined toward the cream sable puppy BjØrn. He, bless him, had no idea what her intentions were and would attempt to play then flip onto his back. Eventually Keksi came around to the idea that Elias wasn't so bad.

I was expecting the visit to take a few days because I knew we were, in fact, a tad early in Keksi's cycle. You might wonder why go through the effort and expense of progesterone testing and pre-mate testing at the vet if I then ignore their advice that she's not yet ready and go ahead anyway. However, I was using a third method of ovulation prediction as well. Between that one and the results of the other two tests, I was pretty sure I knew what was going to happen when. What I couldn't predict was what days the French workers would be striking.

When I got the email from Brittany Ferries telling me that my ferry to Caen had to be rerouted to St Malo due to industrial action I didn't have my normal reaction. Normally I would take that as a sign that Keksi was not ready, as suggested by the tests, and that I was being given the opportunity to save some money and wait until after the strike to travel. Instead, I decided to take it as a sign that my travelling to and/or from France might be tricky and so I should just get there and worry about everything else once I was safely ensconced within driving distance of the Kennel Des Royaumes du Grand Nord. So that's what I did.

In the end I think things were a day or so later even than I was expecting, but with a bit of rearrangement of travel plans and similar jiggery-pokery, we got what we went for and now we wait to see whether this sweet couple will produce any puppies for us.














Photo: Stéphanie Dubois

Elias wasn't overly keen the whole time, either - he knew when she was ready and when she wasn't.















While we were waiting there was plenty of time for socialising, trips to visit the ponies and to the beach.
















Photo: Stéphanie Dubois

I can't thank Stéphanie and her family enough for their generous hospitality - not to mention the amazing pink peaches that I carried home with me from Madame Dubois's garden. I hope Elias didn't mind sharing - never have I seen a dog enjoy fruit so much! He would hear a peach fall from the tree and off he would go to retrieve it and quickly devour it. He had an additional stash of them piled in a little den under a shrub. There were moments when we wondered whether he was more interested in the fruit than in his girlfriend. But luckily he had sufficient attention for both.

And so now we wait.

almost 6 months old

Two days ago marked the Tuisku puppies' 6-month birthday - happy half-birthday, puppies!

This weekend will be the very first show for the boys Usko and Kallio. Minna has been excused as there is a human birthday party at which her presence is required. But I'll be taking Keskiyo & Neka and picking up Taito on the way for the looong drive to Darlington to see the puppies in their debut. I've heard that they both have a bit of a naughty streak but I don't believe it for a second and I'm quite confident that they'll behave like little angels and show like pros. Yes I am. I am.

The latest photo updates have been trickling in and some lucky pups have been having their very first visits to some amazing beaches over the summer.



Taika & Minna
















"Race you to the birds, mum!"

















Sandy knackered puppy














Here's another sandy puppy - Jonna










Jonna & Ellie with what looks like the entire northwest coast of England to themselves










Kallio having his first of many, many subsequent forays into the water












Having fun with his friends














Causing trouble with his housemate (again)

















And, finally, here is Kesa getting a different kind of wet. She doesn't need the beach - she's quite happy "helping" with watering the garden.






In the meantime, Usko is being very grownup and dry

another week ...

... another show

The dog shows come fast & furious at this time of year. Last year I didn't go to many at all and with puppies in the house in the spring, I missed all those scheduled then too, including Crufts. Next year I'll be at Crufts to support all the Infindigo team, but my own dogs won't be there because their breeder Toni will be judging. So I'll just get to relax, socialise & watch it all from the sidelines for a change. It's usually such a hectic day that I miss most of what's going on. But for now I'm packing the shows in.

Last weekend Keskiyö was Best of Breed at Newton Abbot & South Devon Canine Society under judge Dave Weller who gave him Best Opposite Sex at Bath a few weeks earlier. Then this past weekend we had the 2nd annual madness that is the breed show and champ show in one day in Warwickshire.

I remembered from last year how very tiring the day was with 2 shows, all the running back & forth, the long drive to the Midlands from Devon. This year I thought I'd get clever & book accommodation somewhere convenient the nights before & after the show so we could have a nice relaxing weekend of it and enjoy the whole thing. After all, a breed show for our rare breed is a special event. Lots of Lappies, some we don't see any other time of year, an expert judge all the way from Finland. Wonderful, right?

Well, relaxing it wasn't. You know when people say 'everything that could go wrong did go wrong'? Yeah, that. It started a few days before the show when I found out that Emma M's entry for Taito in the breed show hadn't made it. After that it was one thing after another: non-existent postcodes leading to satnav disasters (three times - three! - in one trip), dead phone lines, difficult-to-find hotels, missed classes, country walks curtailed by rain, terrible traffic, planned pub lunches derailed.

What else? Oh yes, vomiting and diarrhea. No, not me. Have you seen how fluffy Keskiyö is? Well he ate something he shouldn't the night before the show and when I went to rouse the canines from the car at 6am I had an hour or so work cleaning up the mess in the crate. And the fur. Oh, oh, oh, poor dog! Wait a minute - poor dog? Poor me! Just lucky he prefers to sleep in his crate, I guess.

Anyway, if I do say so myself, I did a great job with limited equipment (water bottle, wet wipes, many towels, one small squirt of Impulse just in case). Toni very kindly agreed to show him for me and didn't he look gorgeous!






































Many thanks to Gareth Thyer for so generously sharing the wonderful photos he took on the day!

I think the judge quite liked Keskiyö, having got him to move & move again. In the end, though, he was only 3rd in his class. Well, the boy is, er, sensitive about having brushes & combs near his nether regions at the best of times. And believe me when I tell you that his nether regions were subject to never-before-experienced levels of attention that morning for the frantic hour before he went into the ring. In the end he was walking as if he was a tad too aware of his bottom and apparently the judge noticed. Oh well! Luckily it's all about the fun, not the winning.

Inko romped to 1st place in her class, being the only entrant (ahem). But she looked very sweet in spite of having just had the first enormous moult of her life. She was the prettiest little bald Lappy in attendance - fact.




















Rauhan? Missed his class for complicated, frustratingly unnecessary reasons. However, Katy did win the junior handling with him for a 2nd year - congratulations Katy!

And so on to the afternoon show where Rauhan won his class (also looking a tiny bit on the un-coated side) and Keskiyö missed his class due to there being not enough wet wipes in all of Warwickshire to deal with a 2nd small attack of the squits. Luckily Toni spotted the body language and got him out of the ring just in time. Phew and phew again. Inko was 3rd in her class and Taito 4th in his.

Was it difficult? Stressful? Oh yes. Was it worth it? Fun? Yup and yup. Roll on next year, at which time I will personally be checking everyone's entry and rationing out the food morsel by morsel the night before.

Keskiyö & family

At the Welsh Kennel Club show yesterday in the rain, one of Keskiyö's sisters and his mother were also there so I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to get a family portrait, especially as the 2 siblings are so very alike. Quick photo of 3 well trained dogs - piece of cake, right? Um, nope.

Here is a selection of attempts with Keskiyö and sis Curly flanking their mum Toive who is still rocking the show ring and showing the youngsters how it's done at the age of 10. You can see that show dogs are unaccustomed to being requested to face away from their handlers! They're not so good at that.



"What you doin' up there?"









"Look there, no there!"









Keskiyö taking a bit too much interest in his sister.











While she's all about the food.











Smile, everyone!

teething & other life-changing events

Well, perhaps life-changing is a bit dramatic.

But the Tuisku puppies will be 5 months old in a couple of days, well into the chore of growing those adult teeth. It can be a trying time, the teething period, for puppy & owner alike. There's all that chewing, for starters. The puppies need lots - I'll say it again - lots of things to chew on. Different textures, different sizes, different tastes. New and exciting different things each day. Or at least new since, oh, 4 or 5 days ago. And hopefully none of those delectable chewables include the table legs. Or the tv remote control. Or your favorite shoes. Or the corner of the fire hearth, book case, or any other handy nose-height corner. Or, in Neka's case, the camera lens cap.

In addition to all the chewing, there's likely to be a bit of grumpiness. Yes, ok, the humans are allowed to be grumpy from time to time too. Especially if someone has just chewed the corner off their brand new and expensive leather handbag. But actually, I was talking about the puppies. They're in pain, it's frustrating, and so a bit of irritability is to be expected. Not to mention floppy ears, upset stomachs and a very short attention span.

But if you're lucky you find 1 or 2 of their little baby teeth on the floor (or in your arm, in the case of some puppies, right Keskiyo?). And then when your little puppy has grown into a big galloot you can look at these tiny teeth to ooh and ahh and try to remember just how tiny they used to be. When Usko visited a couple of weeks ago he left a canine tooth behind.

These are Maija's.












The major life-changing event for these puppies at the moment, though, would be the onset of puberty. Ah, hormones! And what goes with all those hormones? Apart from the obvious. Obviously. Well, more mood swings, a bit of independence and teenager-ness. Pushing to see what they can get away with, that sort of stuff.

But for now let's concentrate on the cute photos, shall we?

First, the "twins" Kallio & Kesa. Can you tell who's who?



































Ok, make that triplets. Here is Jaana with big sis Ellie in the new car bought especially for them. (Yes, you have to make a big commitment to become a 2-or-more-Lapphund family. The car is usually the first change.)














And, finally, here is Usko camouflaged in the wheat.
















If I could just find some time I'd take a drive up Bath way to acquire some photos of Minna. Well, any excuse for a puppy visit...

happy birthday...

...to Neka's second litter of puppies, the Devon Nine, who are 2 years old today. Can it be? Even little Maija is now a fully-fledged grown up Lappy.

Oh, and did I say that when the older dog is 2 years it's the ideal time for a new puppy... heh, just kidding! Well, I'm not kidding about the timing, actually. Two years is the ideal age to bring in a new puppy because that's the magic number when one's Lapphund finally starts to grow up and be a bit sensible. If you're lucky. I was, however, just kidding about getting another puppy. I wouldn't. I couldn't! Could I? No! Most emphatically not. My 6-year-old Neka? Not sensible, not a bit. Little Maija out-sensible-s her mum in every way.

Here's how the Monta puppies looked at about 5 weeks. As you can imagine, it was notoriously difficult to get a photo of all of them at once. There is a cute one at the bottom of this page, though.


A few of the Devon Nine.
L-R: Maija, Tarkka, um, Sulo? - no, Rauhan, Jaana, er, Inko?
It's difficult!








L-R: Inko, Tarkka, Jaska, Maija, Rauhan squished on the bottom (& I think Tarmo might be down there too.)












And here they are with their mum at 1 day old.














Dad Keskiyö saying hi to Sulo (Kaija) & looking a tad unsure about the whole puppy thing.

welcome...

... to the new-look blog!

Blogger have a snazzy new template designer and while I changed the look of the other blog ages ago, I only just got around to having a play around with this one. I like it, I think.

Of course, I'm supposed to be working. Needless to say.

visit

Liz & Ian dropped by with Usko for a visit yesterday as they were passing. There was much joyful greeting between puppy, auntie & granny. So sweet to see Neka and Usko remembering each other. I'm not quite so sure about whether or not Maija specifically remembered him as she tends to treat all newcomers with the same degree of elation.

They had a wonderful time playing and it was typically difficult to get any photos - I got mainly blurry noses too close to the camera, random bottoms/tails and, of course, the classic empty floorspace shot. However, the girls did eventually tire him out.

















Settling down for a chew on a bone generously relinquished by granny Neka.

pupdate

The puppies are 17 weeks old today. Is that all? Doesn't sound like much, does it? Around 4 or 5 months of age Lappies tend to go through a gangly stage. They have a growth spurt... of ears, muzzle and legs, anyway, and the coat can't keep up. They tend to be, um, cute-challenged. Not these puppies, they're cute all the way. (Um, mostly. So far.)

Note the fuzzy tufts of lighter fur behind the ears - a classic feature of the wolf sable puppy as the coat colour changes.

No new pics of Usko, but he's coming to visit in a couple of days, so stay tuned.

Jaana has been on holiday in Cumbria.




"Where'd they go?"













A perfect seat for two... Lapphunds.










Minna has also been on holiday - camping with the relatives! I've been assured she was a complete angel the whole time. No, really!







Snoozing with auntie Kaija in the foreground.







Kesä illustrating the play-bow. And looking very much like Kallio.







Kallio looking quite grown up... well, sorta.








He hasn't yet learned you can't out-stare a cat.






And, finally, in honour of Jay's recent birthday, Inko sent this greeting:

i heart glasgow

No, I'm not being facetious, actually. It's a wonderful city - beautiful architecture, including a generous smattering of Macintosh - lots of green spaces & wide, tree-lined streets - a cool, relaxed vibe - plenty of welcoming cafes, comfortable pubs, great service and very, very good food that always seems quite affordable. Yet in terms of ingenuity of menu and quality of preparation, it's far and away beyond the standard pub grub served up all across England.

Edinburgh is billed as the prettier sister, but where she's all dolled up to impress the tourists, Glasgow is the one who is gorgeous just in jeans and a tshirt.

Dare I say I've also never met a Glaswegian I didn't like. You may think I haven't met many, considering I live more than 700 km away. However, I have met more Glaswegians than, say, Americans. Probably.

And then there's the wonderful weather. What? Ok, so perhaps that bit is an accolade too far. I've been to Scotland quite a few times now and, believe it or not, there has been only one occasion when the weather was unremittingly wet and horrid. Every other time I was blessed with at least some sunshine. True fact. The photos don't lie.



Bee-yoo-ti-ful apartment buildings with amazing stained glass in every window.



















Front of one of the many impressive buildings of Glasgow University. Wow!











Is this really just an empty, disused water pumping station? Really?






In addition to all these great reasons for visiting Glasgow, there is one more utterly compelling reason: Wendy & Scott live there with Karhu. And that is where I spent a few days this week.




Waiting for someone to throw the tennis ball.









On the snow mountain in the park (yes it's July - don't ask).









At the beach in Elie near St Andrews (of golf fame) on the east coast.








Sleeping off his walk on his custom-made window seat.