My apologies!

To anyone who left a comment anytime in the last 6 months or so, I have to say I'm really sorry. The comment notification was going to an old email address, and I wasn't getting them. Also, I was busier than usual and have been ignoring the blog! So, I didn't notice there were any comments at all! It's not like this blog is very interesting to read, after all, so no visits or comments is pretty much to be expected.

If you did leave a comment and I did not respond, I am so sorry. I will try to do better in the future!

Here's the leash I made!

The whole leash
Originally uploaded by olmikeydog

This is a Christmas present for a friend that does therapy work with her Golden Retriever, Joy. I have been taking leather working classes, and use a series of bleed knots, with a skipped bleed every third, to make the leash. The handle is a also three bleed knots, so there are no true knots or stitching anywhere.

Bleed knots on leash
Originally uploaded by olmikeydog

Here's a closeup of the bleed knots. It's just one strap, doubled over, and threaded through itself.

Leash handle
Originally uploaded by olmikeydog

Here's a closeup of the handle and the beaded dangly I made. I wanted Joy to have a custom leash! I don't think the dangly is too long or heavy, so even if it smacks Vicky in the hand, it won't hurt!

Sunday photo session!

Jewel and I are on the day bed in the office supervising mom while she works. This is where I sleep at night. I get hot otherwise. Can you tell that mom loaths neutral color schemes? Why, then, does she have a beige dog? 'Cause Labs don't come in lime. hahahahahah!

How to find a great dog breeder

I've had several people recently ask me how to identify who is a great dog breeder, who isn't maybe so great, and what exactly is a "puppy mill", so I thought I would sum up my thoughts in a blog post.

First, my qualifications, so you know I'm not just writing about something I know nothing about!

• Showed my second Yellow Labrador, Holly, to 5 AKC Championship points.


• Learned the art of ring showmanship by traveling and working with an old time handler.


• Studied pedigrees and watched ringside to pick dog to breed my Holly to.


• Bred Holly twice, Guide Dogs for the Blind bought two puppies from litter two.


• Have been competing in obedience, Rally, and agility with various dogs for about 20 years.


• I'm a Veterinarian, and studied anatomy, genetics, animal husbandry, blah, blah


• I've read and have a library of about 200 dog books, many of them on the art of breeding dogs.

Okay, so how do I tell if the person I'm thinking of buying a puppy from is a great breeder, or not so great?

A great and caring dog breeder:

1. Does not accept "reservations", "holds", or any kind of contract to sell you a a puppy without meeting you. (+8 pts)


2. Does not accept payment over the Internet (+8 pts)


3. May or may not have a website. Many wonderful dog breeders do not. They are too busy caring for their dogs. ( -0- pts)


4. Is actually LOSING money at breeding dogs. Show entry is usually $28 these days. There is a show in most areas every weekend day. Say 100 weekend days a year * 28 = $2,800 in entry fees alone per dog. Most of us show multiple dogs. Then there is gas. A big huge car to get there. A house with a big yard. Toys. Food. Training expenses. Get the picture? It is a labor of love! ( + 10 pts)


5. Does not bother to advertise "Champion lines". Think about this: do you exactly resemble your paternal grandfather? If your grandpa was a champion, but you look nothing like him, does that make you a champion? I don't think so. If BOTH dam and sire are Champions, that means something. Otherwise, it's just marketing smoke. (+3 pts)


6. Will ask you in your first conversation, "Why do you want a [insert breed] puppy?". They will ask you about your experience with dogs. They will ask for references. They will require you to visit them. At least once. (+5 pts)


7. They have a waiting list for puppies. Which means you may have to wait. You may be waiting for a few years if you want a "tri color male with white face". Be reasonable in your expectations, puppies are not re-stocked at night like at WalMart. (+3 pts)


8. They will ask you what you know about the breed. So, read up and do your homework. Yes, bulldogs are cute, but what were they originally bred for, and how does that influence behavior? Terriers were bred to "go to ground", so expect holes in the yard. Retrievers fetch, and they will fetch your Manolos. Collies herd, and they will run rings around your kids, all day. Got it? (+1 pt)


9. If you haven't done your homework, the breeder will proceed to give you a long lecture about the breed, including a summary of great examples of the past. (+2 pts)


10. They are currently participing in AKC breed competition. This shows they care about their breed, and are participating in the AKC dog community. You may not want a "show quality" puppy, but if you are going to get a bred dog instead of a rescued one, get one from someone who cares about the breed. Who cares about NOT passing on genetic problems. Who cares about the structure of the dog. Who cares about where their puppies go and what kind of life they will have. (+5 pts)


11. Is a member of their local or national breed club. (+3 pts)


12. Has fewer than 2 breeds. Having more than, say 5 breeds on the premises is a hallmark of a puppy mill. Rescued dogs don't count here. (+ 2pts)


13. Don't have more than 3 or 4 litters of puppies a year. (+2 pts)


14. When you arrive for your required visit, the house smells clean. Naturally, the puppies are indoors at night. (mine were in my bedroom). The puppies have toys to carry, stuff to climb on, cold/warm things to experience, radios for noise. The more a puppy experiences as a nursing baby, the steadier the dog he will become. (+5 pts)


15. The breeder wants you to visit multiple times, and asks you to bring children and your friends. (see above, puppy experiences) (+1 pt)


16. The breeder participates in "performance" events. For instance, if they have a Border Collie, they may do agility, obedience. Terrier breeders might do earthdog competition. Whippet breeders might do lure coursing. And of course, all Labrador breeders do obedience, agility, hunting tests, lure coursing, flyball.... :) (+1 pt for every type of dog activity they do that is not a beauty contest)


17. People know them. If you go to a dog show (find one in your area here http://www.infodog.com/showinfo/state.htm ), and mention your prospective breeder's name to someone else with that breed, if they are in the same area the name should be recognized. In other words, puppy mill and backyard breeders don't participate in the community. They don't care about the breed, they are not learning about structure, behavior, and genetics, and they are most certainly passing on their mistakes. To YOU. (+3 pts)


18. You get the puppy on a contract that requires you to spay/neuter. If in the US, the AKC registration is "limited", meaning if you do breed your puppy, you can't register the resulting litter.


19. The breeder will take your puppy back anytime, no questions asked. They'll even come get the dog. For LIFE.

That's about all I can think of for now! I'll add more as my dog club friends comment or I think of things. WOOF!

Oh PS: My pet peeve: the breeder never says the pup is "papered". They would say "registered". Papered is something you do to walls, not puppies. If they use that term, RUN AWAY.

Bye for now....
Splash's mom

Funny Craigslist post

Please help!!!! After two long years of being on a waiting list for an agility dog, we have been notified by the breeder that, at long last, our number has come up and ... WE ARE HAVING A PUPPY!!!

We must get rid of our children IMMEDIATELY because we just know how time consuming our new little puppy is going to be and it just wouldn't be fair to the children. Since our little puppy will be arriving on Monday we MUST place the children into rescue this weekend!

They are described as:

One male - His name is Tommy, Caucasian (English/Irish mix), light blonde hair, blue eyes. Four years old. Excellent disposition. He doesn't bite. Temperament tested. Does have problems with peeing directly in the toilet. Has had chicken Pox and is current on all shots. Tonsils have already been removed. Tommy eats everything, is very clean, house trained & gets along well with others. Does not run with scissors and with a little training he should be able to read soon.

One female - Her name is Lexie, Caucasian (English/Irish mix), strawberry blonde hair, green eyes quite freckled. Two years old. Can be surly at times. Non-biter, thumb sucker. Has been temperament tested but needs a little attitude adjusting occasionally. She is current on all shots, tonsils out, and is very healthy & can be affectionate. Gets along well with other little girls & little boys but does not like to share her toys and therefore would do best in a one child household. She is a very quick learner and is currently working on her house training-shouldn't take long at all.

We really do LOVE our children so much and want to do what's right for them; that is why we contacted a rescue group. But we simply can no longer keep them. Also, we are afraid that they may hurt our new puppy.

I hope you understand that ours is a UNIQUE situation and we have a real emergency here!!! They MUST be placed into your rescue by Sunday night at the latest or we will be forced to drop them off at the orphanage or along some dark, country road. Our priority now has to be our new puppy.

-- Author Unknown