Judging in Boston

I enjoyed my judging assignment in Boston. The venue was wonderful and I was glad to have only a short walk from my hotel to the show site. Although the show was inside, the weather was very nice. I enjoyed seeing some nice dogs. I also was grateful that I had no trouble with Boston traffic and driving from Boston to Fitchburg.

I heard from Elizabeth Bowron that Gilmour went BOS on one of the days at the Raleigh-Durham LRC specialty. That was a nice surprise!

Gabby is getting bigger and looks as if she swallowed a watermelon. She is due in another couple of weeks. I'm hoping that all will go well.

What a beautiful day today has been in Charleston! Calm water and blue sky. Wish that the rowing crew wanted to get together but everyone seems to be busy tonight. Hopefully, Wednesday's row will be good.

Exciting Raleigh-Durham results and off to judge

I'm leaving today to fly to Boston to judge at the Framingham KC show. I have a nice entry of 75 to judge. Because of judging there, I missed one of my favorite specialties, the Raleigh-Durham LRC. I heard from Elizabeth Bowron yesterday that Surry's Ummagumma at Fortune got a JAM at the specialty which was great news.

It was beautiful weather yesterday, too nice to be indoors anywhere. I got out at lunch and enjoyed the warm weather and the beach. The dogs are basking in the sun and seem to be enjoying the nice weather as well.

I'll hopefully hear some more information from Elizabeth on the specialty today. Hope that I get in and out of Logan airport without too much hassle.

Excitement rowing

With the big full moon tides this week and a northeast wind, rowing on Monday evening was exciting and strenuous. We had a crew of four and a good friend coxing for the first time in the pilot gig. He was a bit nervous about the whole thing but did admirably well with his female crew who pulled hard on the oars. We left the City Marina and headed into Charleston Harbor. It seemed that we were rowing hard for a long time and not going anywhere because we were rowing against the tide. We moved from the channel into the anchorage area and then practiced some boat maneuvers around the moored vessels. It was great fun and good practice for all of us. We rowed for over an hour without a break, nearly got carried by current into a can marker, got saved by backing water like crazy and had a good laugh over our adventure. We got back to the marina tired but happy. Our coxswain put the boat right in the slip and was pleased with his accomplishment. Tonight we go out again for another nightime row. I love looking at the lights of the city during these rows. The cool weather makes it perfect for a workout.

Photos from Labrador Fun Day

Eugene took some wonderful photos from the Labrador Fun Fest yesterday. The game photos are so cute! Take a look at them on his web blog at http://radinfo.musc.edu/~eugenem/gallery/v/Dogs/CSCLRC/LabFunDay2006. These photos will give you an idea of the great time that the humans and dogs had. Hope that everyone can join us next year!

Stella looks really bored on the grooming table. Everytime that she would be out running around, she would then go back to the van, put her feet up, and look to be picked up and put in the crate. How indelicate and embarrassing to be dressed in men's underwear!

Labrador Fun Day

Today, the Coastal South Carolina Labrador Retriever Club hosted our fall fun fest at James Island County Park. It was a great afternoon to be outside. There were retriever demonstrations, obedience demonstrations, fun games with the dogs, and a raffle for a couple of super packed doggy baskets. It was great fun to watch the young dogs do water retrieves for the first time. Some of them were like egg beaters in the water but then got the hang of it and did well. There was quite a crowd to enjoy the games and some of us even laughed our way through the games! All in all, I think that the public really enjoyed the day and the club members had a great time putting on the event. We look forward to other activities in the future. If you are interested in joining the club, you can download a membership form at www.csclrc.com

Taj Mahal concert

Last night, I went to a concert by blues artist Taj Mahal at the Charleston Music Hall. A group from North Carolina, the Chocolate Drops, opened and played some wonderful blue grass and ragtime music. This group is very talented and the strong voice of the female singer is beautiful.

The place was filled when the Taj Mahal Trio came on. They put out some wonderful blues and the show was great. This blues legend knows how to turn on the crowd. I was hoping to hear Leavin' Trunk, Statesboro Blues, or Take a Giant Step. Although those weren't played, the band did Corrina which is another favorite. The Fishing Song was great as usual. Unfortunately, there were a lot of college students in various states of an alcohol haze on the main floor. I was happy to be on the balcony where I had a great view of the band and didn't have to look at the back of anyone's head (or butt).

It was an inspiring evening but being up until midnight during the work week isn't something that I want to do regularly!

Dealing with elderly dogs

Tilly is currently our oldest Labrador. She is really in great health and doing well. Occasionally, she will get a urinary tract infection that causes some accidents. We dose her with amoxycillin and the infection will clear up.

Tilly is really a one of a kind girl. She was my first Best in Specialty show winner and has been an outstanding producer. She is funny, possessive of her toys, rules the roost, and in general is our "heart" dog. She hasn't slowed down much at all and I look forward to spending several more years with her in our lives. There is that bit of sadness though to see the ones that you hold so dear get old. Anna, Tilly's daughter, is nearly grey. Stella, another Tilly, daughter is getting on to be nearly 7 years old. Hard to believe that these were the babies that we birthed and cared for.

I've found that one of the hardest things about dog ownership is having them age and become infirm. The loss of a beloved animal friend is so difficult that there are times that I think I can't bear to lose another.

Judging at Middleburg KC

I got back from the Middleburg KC show late last night. It was a very nice show (as usual) and the weather was wonderful. The fall colors were beautiful and that whole area is very historic and has gorgeous homes. Fortunately, the rain had stopped for my assignment, although the wind was roaring. I had some very nice Labradors to judge and was pleased with my decision. On Sunday, my WB choice couldn't be denied for Best of Breed. She was really lovely with great breed type.

I have finally ended my travel odessey, at least for a couple of weeks. I am thankful to be home for a while, have an opportunity to play with the dogs, and not have to sleep in hotels. The dogs were very glad to see me, although they have been spending nights with Charlie, curled up next to him.

This Saturday is our Labrador Club's Fun Fest at James Island County Park. I'm hoping for good weather and a good turn out.

Recovery just in time to leave again

Today could hardly be called a recovery from the nearly 2 weeks of meetings that I've been to. It was back to work to catch up on things at the office and meet with my staff to go over what has been going on with my projects. I enjoyed seeing everyone but had a lot of things to go over and a lot of email to go through.

I got home around 7 PM last night and did have some time with the dogs. They were very glad to see me and enjoyed pouncing around me and looking for cookies. The cool weather felt good but wasn't nearly as cold as NC where the wind was blowing about 30 kts. Not a good day to be on the water!

Tomorrow I head off again as I'm going to Middleburg, VA to judge Labradors there. The Bare Bones Potomac specialty is tomorrow and the Middleburg shows are the days after the specialty. I'm looking forward to going but here that the forecast isn't good with rain expected. I've got my rain gear packed and warm clothes. I'm looking forward to seeing some nice Labradors. The show grounds at Oatlands Plantation are just beautiful. I can remember showing there myself but never thought that I'd be judging at Middleburg! I may not be posting for a few days as much will depend on the amount of time that I have available.

Some photos from Georgetown boat show

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I uploaded some photos of the Georgetown Wooden Boat Show at www.flickr.com. If you search for people and input BlondeonBlonde, you should see all my photos there. I've included a few here.

I'm at a meeting in North Carolina so Charlie is surviving at home with the dogs. He said that they are loving the cold weather and are jumping about and having a wonderful time.

It is very cold and windy at Atlantic Beach, NC. The wind is biting but I'm loving the cold too.

Yesterday at the Boat Show

I got home from Ohio around 9 PM on Friday evening. The next morning I left at 8 AM to head to Georgetown for the wooden boat show. The pilot gig was being trailored there as the rowing group would be taking people out for public rows. It was a blast! There were all kinds of wooden boats exhibited. There were sail boats, kayaks, canoes, rowing skiffs, and surf boards. There was a boat building contest that was awesome. I'll upload some photos of that. The boats have to be built with time recorded and then the boats have to be rowed in a race. The design is the Georgetown bateau. It was awesome to see the teams of boat builders working so hard on their boats. I entered the knot tying contest and did well to get all my knots done. I even impressed some of the old timers. For the public rows that we did, the kids were so much fun. The young children would sit next to one of us and we would show them where to place their hands and what to do. We were rowing and they were supposed to help and follow along. I would tell them, "okay, I'll push forward for the catch and you help me pull back". Well, each of them would always be pulling back when I was trying to push forward! It was hysterical as one little boy would be pulled out of his seat as I was pushing forward. He was pulling hard against me. A good workout for sure since these little boys are strong! Anyway, it was great fun and a wonderful day. I highly recommend going to a wooden boat show if you get the chance.
Today I'm heading to NC for a meeting in Atlantic Beach. I've been out with the dogs to spend the morning and play with them. I am pretty sure that Gabby is pregnant so puppies will be due at the last of November. Yikes--more babies!

Jet boats and other things

Today was a very full day with a field trip beginning at 8 AM. First, we took the Jet Express from downtown Sandusky (no, I didn't get to see Carol Heidl, although I thought about her). That was a cool ride across to Put-in-Bay. We then took the Water Taxi to Gibraltar Island, toured the Stone Lab and the Castle. After going back to Put-in-Bay, we toured the National Wildlife Refuge and ended up at the Inland Seas Maritime Museum which was one of the best maritime museums I've been to. There were so many things on display, including beautiful fresnel lenses, awesome ships tools, engines, clocks, bridge instruments, etc. There was even a knot display which was great because there were six pins that allowed you to tie various knots. Good practice for me! After touring the museum there was a fish fry and an archaeological talk on several ship wrecks on Lake Erie. It was a long but interesting day.

In Ohio

I got in last night to Huron, Ohio and had meetings today. I'm attending the annual meeting of the National Estuarine Research Reserves and the host site this year is Old Woman Creek NERR. It's the smallest reserve in the national system of 26 sites. South Carolina has two reserves, ACE Basin NERR and North Inlet/Winyah Bay, with ACE being the 3rd largest in the country.

Tomorrow we have a trip to Old Woman Creek and get to see the Reserve and have meetings there. Unfortunately, it is scheduled to rain tomorrow and we will be out on the boat for most of the day.

I've talked to Charlie and he and the dogs are doing fine. The weather here was a chilly 39 F this AM but it has warmed into the upper 50's today.

I hope to get photos from the field trip tomorrow. The Lodge where I'm staying is spacious and has a lot of dead animals on the walls. There are nice fireplaces though but most have dead animals above them. Not my thing but if you don't look up, it's okay. More later.....

Every dog needs a couch

I received a wonderful photo of Eugene from David Smith. In the email, David explained that Eugene was his best buddy and went everywhere with him. The photo shows Eugene resting on the couch looking at TV.

We've always maintained that Labradors long for the home life, being with their owners, and lounging about. Yes, they have active minds and need stimulation of all kinds. But they also just enjoy being part of the household.

We have placed a number of our retired dogs over the years. Some were former show dogs and some just didn't work out for showing or breeding. They are the ones that I think are lucky, because they get to go to great homes, have attention lavished on them, and live out their lives in bliss.

I'm happy for Eugene and for all the dogs who have a nice couch.

Cats and Dogs

I'm often asked how well cats get along with our dogs. Because our dogs are raised around cats, they have definitely learned to respect cats. The three cats that we currently have are all rescue cats that have either been found by us or made their way to our place. Abraham came to us in a very beat up condition. He had been in a bad fight with another male cat and was evidently bitten badly on the neck and clawed on the legs and face. Although at first he wouldn't let us touch him, eventually he came to us to get fed and we were able to pet him. He remained a bit of a tom cat even after he was neutered. He once turned around and clawed Charlie's face! Eventually though he calmed down and is now the sweetest cat who will let us do anything to him.

I found Rachael on Maybank Highway when she was just a tiny kitten. I was heading to an appointment and saw this little creature creeping across the highway. It was so tiny that I thought it was a flying squirrel. I stopped my car, got out in the rain, and went to the little creature. I then saw that it was a tiny kitten. Her eyes were infected with pus, her anal area was infested with maggots, and she was near starvation. I dropped her at the vet's office and told her that if she lived, we would adopt her. Well, she lived and is now a hefty tabby who sleeps with us. Rachael is a true gem and has the best disposition.

Rebecca is another adopted kitty who is very skittish. She basically still has a lot of feral instincts and isn't as friendly as the others. She seems fearful but will allow us to pet her. She doesn't like to be picked up. However, I try to hold her as much as possible. She is a calico with an applehead. I love her but know that it will take a very long time for her to become comfortable with touching.

Abraham is the only cat who goes in and out of the house. He often torments the puppies by sitting and watching them play. When a puppy comes over, he will then swat at them if they become too rough. Generally, we have to put Abraham in the house in order to not have him cause too many distractions with the puppies and other dogs. They seem to love him!

Long week

Is it really only Wednesday? It seems as if this week has gone by so slowly. Maybe it's all the activity each day and night, either with the dogs or with rowing. Tonight I got some good photos on the Ashley River while out in the pilot gig. It was a nice night, not too warm but not breezy as our past rows have been. Our group is excited about the Georgetown Wooden Boat show and taking the gig there for public rows.

I heard from the Middleburg Kennel Club this evening and will be going there to judge on October 28. I also have been asked to judge the Harrisburg, PA show next August. It seems that things are filling up with a lot more time traveling which isn't something that I really like. However, as long as I don't have to drive to these places, it should be okay. I just want to get in, judge and get back home without a lot of delays.

I've got to write my critiques for the Denver specialty. I made comments on the first and second placements and have to write those up. It's just been a crazy week and things will continue to be that way as I prepare to leave for 2 weeks of meetings. I leave on Sunday for Ohio where the annual meeting of the National Estuarine Research Reserves is being held. On Oct. 22, I head up to North Carolina for a meeting there. I'll do a couple of talks at both meetings so have been getting those together as well. Consequently, there hasn't been much time to play with the dogs. Hopefully, this weekend....

What to guarantee?

I received an email from a puppy owner the other day. In it, the person stated that the puppy had developed a skin allergy and was on antibiotics and antihistamines. The puppy also has a Persistent Pupillary Membrane which was disclosed to the buyer since the puppy was given an eye exam before leaving by an ACVO. Unfortunately, the individual blames me for the issues with the puppy.

We do not offer a long-term guarantee in our contract, largely because it isn't possible to determine what problems may develop over time. Nor is it possible to determine what is inherited and what may have occurred because of environmental problems. We do guarantee that the parents have clearances for hips, elbows, and eyes. We also have the puppies checked by a vet the week prior to being placed in their new homes. When dealing with living beings, there can be health issues and these are discussed with regard to the Labrador at the time the puppy is picked up. I explain to potential buyers that genetic disorders can not be eliminated from any breeding program.

Just as with people, there are things that can occur but they usually aren't so debilitating that the animal can't live a life as a companion. After all, we are not dealing with machines. We have imported dogs that haven't worked out. It just happens and isn't anyone's fault. There are phenotypic clearances that can be done and the genetic test for PRA but largely it is still a crap shoot as to what recessives may crop up.

PPM's can occur in Labradors although the mode of inheritance is unknown. Every puppy has pupillary membranes and most go away. For some reason, some will persist and can occlude part of the lens. There is a good article on PPM's at http://www.labbies.com/eye.htm

As far as allergies go, I am baffled as none of the other puppies have an allergy. I have two litter sisters who are in the kennel but who are fine. The Lowcountry is tough on Labradors who can develop staph infections from having damp coats from either swimming or the high humidity. Because our dogs are misted daily, it would seem that allergies would develop or at least staph would occur. We haven't had that except when there has been a flea outbreak. Luckily, with Frontline Plus, we are able to keep the dogs free of fleas.

I'm sorry that the puppy owner is unhappy. I certainly want all the dogs that we breed to be healthy. Unfortunately, there are things that are beyond my control.

Working Saturday

It was another day of painting and staining on the new wing. I worked on the library walls and Charlie was working in the hallway. We are getting close to finishing the painting and then can have the floor guys come in to finish the floors.

The correct answer for the knot posted yesterday came from Trixie and is a bowline. One of my favorite knots is shown at the left. Which one is this?

I practiced on the knots for the contest today and also did some line throwing. There are actually contests for line throwing, mainly noted for the Tugboat Festival in New York. Lines are thrown from the boat to a bollard. The key is to throw the line straight out as if shoving it away from the body, rather than throwing like a lasso.

The dogs were loving the crisp weather this morning. They spent a few hours outside and I actaully had to wear a flannel shirt tonight. It is a welcome change to have the cool weather. The moon is also beautiful tonight. The harvest moon is occurring now. It actually occurs when the moon rises near sunset and sits low on the horizon. This appears to make the moon appear larger than it actually is. That is called moon illusion. At any rate, it is truly beautiful.

Knot tying contest

I' ve been practicing nautical knots since I bought a book about knot tying a couple of months ago. There is a fellow at work who is a wizard with knots and who judges a lot of the contests. He is a member of the International Guild of Knot Tyers. He has gone over quite a few interesting knots with me and showed me several neat tricks. Anyway, there is a contest with the Georgetown Wooden Boat Show and there will be six knots to tie during a timed event. The knots aren't hard but I'm wondering whether I should enter the contest. I'm not much on being center stage so will likely choke under pressure! Anyway, here is one of the knots to tie. Can you guess it?

Clara is in season

Yesterday was the first day of Clara's season. Since I bred Gabby a couple of weeks ago, my dilemma is now whether to breed Clara. I almost feel that I have so much on my plate that it will be very difficult to even think about another litter. I'm having a debate with myself about this one as Clara is four years old and never been bred. I would really like to have a puppy from her but am wondering whether now is the right time. I'll need to go with my feelings on the day for this one as I'm just not sure what to do.

Last night's row on the pilot gig was beautiful. The sunset was wonderful and with the nearly full moon rising we rowed back from near the Battery to the City Marina. The pilot gig will be at the Georgetown Wooden Boat Show on October 21 where we will be giving pubic rows. That is also the day of the Open House at the Marine Resources Center. That event is open to the public and free of charge. There will be lots of exhibits that should appeal to both adults and children.