Fun Photo Day

Even though it's spring, we had 5" of snow overnight. It was fun taking Bob out for some jump practice. Calla was happy sleeping on her pilow, and we had fun with our beautiful puppy, who is getting very big!

Barbet Sisters

While Claire was outside stretching her legs, Solene had the perfect opportunity to hop in and meet her little sister. Solene was so excited as she had been hearing the mysterious squeaks and she was finally able to see who was responsible for the noises! Baby Napa was quite surprised to have another dog with her, but Solene quickly settled in to gently wrestle with the baby.

Solene's OFA Prelims

Today I took Solene to my vet for her OFA Preliminary xrays. Although OFA does not give permanent hip scores until after a dog's second birthday, prelim xrays on a dog over one year of age are quite reliable in determining permanent scoring. Solene's xrays looks great to me and my vet. Soon we will have the official result from OFA.

Barbet Girls Solene and Nessa

We are so pleased with the progress of our young Barbet girls. They are maturing into lovely examples of the breed, both having excellent conformation and movement.

Solene

Pupdate

We try to give her many snuggly places to sleep

She's now sitting up for a visit with mom

Big stretch!

Premier Top Ten Invitations!

This was an exciting day at the post office. My mailbox was stuffed full with big envelopes from the UKC. Inside there were certificates for my dog's rankings for 2012 and invitations for them to compete in the Top Ten Competition at Premier in Kalamazoo this coming June. I'm really excited for this year's Premier show with the first UKC Barbet specialty and the chance to show in the Top Ten Competition. It will be the first time that Barbet have ever appeared in the UKC's Top Ten!

Solene

Nessa

Claire

One Week Already!

Already one week has flown by and we are really enjoying our little girl. Claire is very proud of her!

Birthday Bob

It's Bob's 8th Birthday! This has been an exciting year for Bob. We started training in Agility and he has proven to be an excellent student! He is focused, enthusiastic, and so much fun to work with. Proving that an old dog can learn new tricks, Bob has two legs toward his Novice Agility and Novice Jumper title after just two trials. I'm looking forward to us learning more together.  Happy birthday, little guy!

Pseudo Sibling!

A singleton litter presents some concerns, and one of the ways we are helping is with a SnugglePuppy, a warm sibling with a beating heart, that gives our little girl a soft place to curl up or drape over.

Daily Pupdate

Claire's little girl is up to 558g today and is doing well at 48 hours old. Claire is such a super mum.  As an only child, our puppy has a variety of stand-in siblings. This little bunny seems to be telling her a secret!

Good morning!

Our Newest Baby Barbet Puppy

Today was a very special day for us. Claire had her single, sweet puppy and she weighed in at 395 grams, just under a pound! She's a solid black girl with a lot of coat, just like Claire. Mother and daughter are doing great, and we will be posting lots of pictures as this young lady grows!

Baby Girl, just two hours old

Tiny puppy, snuggled in with mom

Bob's Agility Debut -- Wow!!

Bob's First Trial Day Results in Two Blue Ribbons

Wow, what a weekend. At almost 8 years of age, Bob competed in his first Agility trial and won 4 first place ribbons in Novice Agility and Novice Jumpers with perfect 100 scores. Since both Bob and I are totally new to Agility, we did not really expect such a fantastic result, but our months of training with Irene Barrie have really paid off with a solidly prepared dog ready to compete! He now has two legs toward each of his Novice titles with only one more to go. Then we'll be on to Open -- Yikes! Our next trial is in early April. We better get back to training!

Bob Looks Handsome in Blue!

Our Newest Barbet Puppy

Here is Claire's little singleton pup, expected to be delivered next week. So far everything looks good! Claire apparently doesn't believe in litters of puppies and instead likes them in small doses, almost like she is human. She was such a perfect mother for her litter of two; it will be interesting to see how she does with a single baby. One thing is for sure: this is going to be one spoiled little pup!!

Spay Neuter Information

When your puppy nears the 6 month age, many vets routinely schedule spay and neuter surgeries. Is it necessary? Is it even healthy? Conventional wisdom is really shifting to support research that sterilization is not in the best interest of your dog. Please check out some of these online articles.

Clouseau Comes To Play

Solene, Nessa, and Clouseau

Clouseau

Solene and Clouseau

While Claire was at the lake with David, her half brother Clouseau came to play with Nessa and Solene. The three of them had a wonderful time together, and it was so much fun watching them!

Bob practices for his agility debut

What a crazy week of weather we're having! Saturday it was 14 degrees with fluffy snow, and Tuesday it reaches 60 degrees! The warmer weather is right up my ally, and I spent much of the day outside with the dogs. Bob and I had a good agility practice session, then Isabel came out to help me take a few pictures of Bob. It was wonderful to see them having so much fun together!

Snow Pups

Yesterday some of the dogs and I went out for a hike in the freezing cold. The snow was absolutely perfect; light, dry, fluffy, and easily navigated. I took tons of pictures of them and these are a few of my favorites.



Bobby



Nessa hits the brakes



Solene on a trail



Nessa loves the snow



Ava takes a rest



Ness looks just like her mom, Alba, in the picture



Silly Nessa



Beautiful Ava

A Beautiful Barbet Puppy

Lotus  -  Nuphar's Deep In A Dream

This beautiful Barbet puppy is Lotus, the litter sister to our Nessa. She was bred by and is owned by Anne Plomp, who lives in The Netherlands. Lotus is an incredibly balanced and beautiful brown and white Barbet. Anne and I tend to agree on how the Barbet should be kept, conditioned and presented, and her excellent photography skills demonstrate the true beauty of the breed.

Claire is Expecting!

 

Today Claire went to the vet for her pregnancy ultrasound. Although it looks like another very small litter, we were able to confirm pregnancy. Claire's pups are due at the end of February, and we're very excited! Puppies from this litter are all spoken for.

 

 

Time Capsule Day

Bo-Bett HTF Skylarkin

Today I was cleaning out a crowded drawer, and I came upon a familiar cardboard envelope that dog show photographers always used in the days prior to on-site digital images. Seeing that it had never been opened, I was curious and excited at what it might be. I opened it to discover a picture of Skylar as a baby puppy winning Best of Winners from the 6-9 Month class under Ralph Lemcke at his very first show in June of 2006.  What a fun surprise! Skylar is the most devoted of all my dogs. He is a sweet and gentle soul.

Competition Time!!!

High Flyer Turbo of Belsam

7 months after we started training in Agility, I have entered Bob in our first AKC Agility Trial, which will be held next month. Yikes!! I'm excited, nervous, and anxious to see how we do together in a new setting with different equipment with the added pressure of competition. Bob will be 8 years old in March, and he has really enjoyed learning something completely new, and so have I. Without our outstanding instructor, Irene Barrie, we would be lost, but it's almost time for us to hit the ring and see what happens. Wish us luck!

Bob is our son Sam's little dog, and working and learning together has helped both of us with the adjustment of having Sam away at college. 

Happy First Birthday to our Barbet puppies, Solene and Hanna!

Solene and Hanna

Solene

Hanna

One year ago today, these beautiful little girls were born. Happy birthday, Solene and Hanna! Before their first birthday they have both become Champions, and Solene has won a Best In Show. I'm so proud of these puppies!

Champion Claire

I received this lovely certificate in the mail this weekend for Claire's International Championship that she won last year, just three months after her puppies were born. Claire is always such a joy in the show ring where her happy and confident personality shines through! I will always be grateful to Florence Erwin for letting me have Claire. She gave me the best possible start in the Barbet world. Claire is the first Barbet to win a UKC Championship, first to win a UKC Best In Show, she is a triple titled Canadian/United/International Champion, she is recognized by the AKC's CHIC program (one of only two American bitches to do so), and she is the only Barbet in North America to have given birth via imported European frozen semen. Most importantly, Claire is a complete and total pleasure to live with. She is super smart, brave, fuzzy and snuggly. I couldn't ask for more.