tag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:/blogs/just-stuff?p=4Just Stuff!2017-12-07T09:49:24-05:00Calisun Standard Poodlesfalsetag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/49666242017-12-07T09:48:56-05:002017-12-07T09:48:56-05:00Don't know if this is good news or bad!<p>Hershey's/Mars just announced it has purchased the entire Vet Corporation of America (VCA clinics) and their chain of clinics for over 9 BILLION dollars. Hershey has had a line of prescription diets for a while and has been looking for an bigger entrance to that market in veterinary practices. Historically, as VCA purchased clinics for their chain, veterinary costs more than doubled at those clinics. I am decidedly NOT a VCA fan - veterinary costs were already escalating, and VCA made it a whole new, astronomical ball game. In my opinion, that means they are more about profits than they are about the health of our animals. I know there are exceptions, and there are good vets there, but they have zero control over costs, and you and I pay the price for it.</p>
<p>Hershey has a good public reputation, and maybe they will take the time to compare costs at other veterinary facilities and "get real". At the price they paid for VCA though, I'm not holding my breath! </p>Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/46142782017-03-02T19:56:44-05:002017-12-07T09:49:24-05:00Saying goodbye to Lilli ........I am very sad to say that I lost my Lilli in late January to cancer. She had surgery two years ago to remove an ugly mass from her chest wall, and there was a good chance it would return, which it did with a vengeance. When we found that out, I knew her time would be short, as it had already spread to her lungs, and I only had her for another three weeks. I always said that unless there was something that could be done that would guarantee a good chance for a cure, I would never do extraordinary care to keep a dog alive for me. It had to be for the dog. There was nothing to be done for Lilli, and I did not want her to suffer. The very same day I let her go, Raine gave me two precious babies to bring home. Made losing Lilli a tiny bit easier. <br><br>Lilli was one of my foundation girls, along with Casey and Sunny. You know they won't live forever, but losing one is never easy. Lilli would have been 12 in May of this year, so she graced me with her love and life for a good long time. I will miss my "little" poodle girl terribly!Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/41131262016-03-30T17:38:58-04:002017-03-02T19:57:12-05:00Whisper is knocking it out of the park!My white puppy girl, Whisper - Calisun Best Kept Secret - born last July, just started her show career about 4 weeks ago. At her very first show (4 days, six shows, two poodle specialties), she went Reserve Winner four shows out of six! All shows were 5 pt majors! I was shocked and thrilled. That's VERY good for a show debut! I expected nothing. Then two weeks off, and at her next show, just last weekend (four days, four shows), she went Best of Winners three days, Winners Bitch one day, and earned a total of 7 pts in one weekend, including one of her Majors! Here's your first lesson in showing, in case you are not familiar with how it works. How many points you get depends on how many dogs are entered. To finish a championship, a dog has to have a total of 15 points. Of those points, the dog must earn two Major Wins - those are wins that are 3, 4 or 5 points. And those two majors must be under different judges. So Whisper did me proud, and is now almost halfway to being finished after just two show weekends!!! I am so proud I could just pop!!!<br><br>Here's my girl the day she won her major! She is still such a baby! And the other picture is of my beautiful hairball before her first show trim! Her mama is Summer, and she already has a page on my site. Take a look! <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/130767/86c2db3d27a29e23aee8e057d947443afd8b2833/medium/first-major-3-pts.jpg?0" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/130767/004b1afbbe230130d254eaac7b35612c42582793/medium/20160115-092418.jpg?0" class="size_m justify_center border_" />Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/39167592015-11-06T10:45:21-05:002015-11-06T10:45:21-05:00Xylitol - Toxic and often fatal to your dogs, and in soooooo many things!Xylitol is a sweeter and is in so many food products! It IS toxic to most animals, but especially to dogs, and can be fatal very quickly. It's important to know what products you might have in your home that contain it so that you can be careful to keep it from your dogs. It's in chewing gum, candies, peanut butter, jams, etc. So read labels!!! If it's listed in the ingredients do NOT offer it to your dogs!!!!! Here is a link to a pretty thorough list of products containing xylitol - great site, great resource!<br><br>http://www.preventivevet.com/xylitol-products-toxic-for-dogsCalisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/38451372015-09-07T10:38:47-04:002015-09-07T10:38:47-04:00A great site for information, tips, and fun stuff! Enjoy!I haven't posted to my blog in a long time - had a very busy summer. Lizzie and Jordan parented nine beautiful babies, born June 6, and then Summer had two beautiful white girls the hard way - via c-section on July 2. Those two cuties has a very rough start, but are now beautiful healthy girls. One will stay here, and the other leaves in another week or so! I've become attached to both, so giving one up is going to be hard!!! <br><br>Anyway, now that I've had a little bit of time, I found a site I wanted to share. It's actually a blog called Puppy Leaks (www.puppyleaks.com), and it's just full of very useful information, tips, and just plain fun stuff. Here's a sample of the most popular articles (and I think if you click on just one of them, it will take you right to the blog site!). One of my favorites is the one on simple treats you can make yourself for your dogs! It's worth a bookmark! Enjoy!<br> <ul class="wpp-list"> <li><a class="wpp-post-title" href="http://www.puppyleaks.com/easy-ways-to-keep-your-dog-busy-indoors/" target="_self" title="33 Simple Ways to Keep Your Dog Busy Indoors">33 Simple Ways to Keep Your Dog Busy Indoors</a></li> <li><a class="wpp-post-title" href="http://www.puppyleaks.com/quick-ways-relieve-dog-boredom/" target="_self" title="26 Quick & Simple Ways To Relieve Dog Boredom">26 Quick & Simple Ways To Relieve Dog Boredom</a></li> <li><a class="wpp-post-title" href="http://www.puppyleaks.com/simple-dog-treat-recipes/" target="_self" title="21 Simple Dog Treat Recipes: 5 Ingredients or Less">21 Simple Dog Treat Recipes: 5 Ingredients or Less</a></li> <li><a class="wpp-post-title" href="http://www.puppyleaks.com/dog-fleas-signs-symptoms-treatment/" target="_self" title="The Ultimate Guide to Getting Rid Of Fleas for Good">The Ultimate Guide to Getting Rid Of Fleas for Good</a></li> <li><a class="wpp-post-title" href="http://www.puppyleaks.com/dog-proof-your-furniture/" target="_self" title="7 Simple Ways to Dog Proof Your Furniture">7 Simple Ways to Dog Proof Your Furniture</a></li> <li><a class="wpp-post-title" href="http://www.puppyleaks.com/healthy-foods-you-can-stuff-in-a-kong/" target="_self" title="39 Healthy Treats You Can Stuff in a Kong">39 Healthy Treats You Can Stuff in a Kong</a></li> <li><a class="wpp-post-title" href="http://www.puppyleaks.com/walking-your-reactive-dog/" target="_self" title="9 Tips For Walking Your Reactive Dog">9 Tips For Walking Your Reactive Dog</a></li> <li><a class="wpp-post-title" href="http://www.puppyleaks.com/dogs-get-premature-muzzle-greying/" target="_self" title="Why Do Dogs Go Grey Early?">Why Do Dogs Go Grey Early?</a></li>
</ul>Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/34395552014-12-26T16:49:05-05:002014-12-26T16:49:05-05:00Hope everyone had a grand, safe Christmas!!!I found out on Wednesday before Christmas that Summer is not baking puppies in her oven! I decided I'd wait until after Christmas to let everyone know so I didn't put a dent in the holiday festivities of those on the waiting list for a summer puppy! We will try a repeat breeding at Summer's next season cycle which should be late April or early May, hopefully resulting in a beautiful litter of white summer puppies in 2015! I haven't yet decided what this will do to my plans to breed one of my other girls in the spring, but I may do both - just have to decide how much of a glutton for punishment I am! Ha! Having puppies is an incredible amount of work, and I'm just not sure if I want to have two litters so close together! Whew! I'm exhausted just thinking about it! Ha!<br><br>Stay tuned and stay in touch! BevCalisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/31975802014-09-22T07:20:00-04:002017-01-15T19:33:06-05:00And this is a good example of why I am a breeder!Meet Pasha, a gorgeous hunk of a boy from my 2013 litter from my girl Sunny, and Carter (Gr CH Kaylens Moments of Glory, owned by Kay Palade-Peiser), brother to my own girl, Raine. Pasha is owned by Leslie Moyer, and was not sold as a show dog (but could have!). His groomer saw early on what a handsome boy he was and asked if she could exchange grooming for being able to use Pasha as her "model" in competitive grooming events. Pasha grew into a big, totally drop dead gorgeous boy, and I am so proud of him, I just can't stand it! Just look at this kid! WOW! Bev<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/130767/062a5f3cc4226c322866a926ee795461b049be6f/medium/pasha.jpg?1411384324" class="size_m justify_center border_" />Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/31738002014-09-05T18:09:51-04:002017-03-02T19:57:45-05:00Pups start going to new homes September 8!!!First one leaves Monday, Mr. Blue collar boy goes home with his new Mom, Jennie. He will be Calisun Sure Shot Remington, call name Remy! <br><br>Watch here for pics of puppies and their new families as they leave!<br><br> Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/31737982014-09-05T18:07:53-04:002017-01-15T19:33:06-05:00Several bits of good news.....Chloe was operated on in June to remove four mammary cysts, small but came up fast. They were malignant, which was horrifying news, but the vet felt like she got them all, just wasn't able to leave that margin of healthy tissue they like to see. Anyway, I took her in to be spayed yesterday, since the hormones from being in heat likely contributed to the rapid growth of these tumors. New chest xray showed NO masses or other suspicious spots, and she came through the spay REALLY fast and is doing fine! Sure am hoping that she will live to be a sweet old lady!<br><br>Second, Summer had her hip xrays done and also her SA skin punches. Both have been sent in to OFFA for evaluation and posting. Keeping our fingers crossed that the SA is clear/normal, no reason it shouldn't be. And the hip xrays look great!!! Depending on what kind of day the radiologist is having, sure would be nice to get an excellent, but I'll be happy with a good. I have rarely seen xrays as good as this!!! Bev<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/130767/e887f2029fe0f5fd90ae0553910689cf23193556/medium/hip-xrays-sept-2014.jpg?1409954833" class="size_m justify_center border_" />Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/31631812014-08-29T17:09:10-04:002014-08-29T17:09:10-04:00Water dogs!I put a kiddie pool on the back deck today, with about 2 inches of water, and plopped the puppies in to get their feet wet and see if any of them got the hang of it. They all stood there for a few seconds, some took a sip of water, and then they all hopped out. I went up on the porch to see what would happen and a couple of them got back in over the next hour or so. So we might have a few pups who will be water babies!!! Wahoo! A side bonus to the way my house is set up - you go down about six or seven steps to a deck in the back, which I can completely close off for the dogs to have a safe, clean place when it's been raining buckets and the back yard is a mud pie. Anyway, so I discovered that they ALL can climb UP the stairs! Not so good at going down, you have to nudge them with a toe, and they start the trip down, sometimes not quite in control! LOL! But nobody bats an eye about trying again. This is NOT a bashful, skittish litter! They seem to love each new adventure!!!Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/31580972014-08-27T07:42:01-04:002014-08-29T17:03:33-04:00puppy temperament evaluationsJust did the temperament evaluations yesterday, which I generally find fascinating. This is the best tool I use as part of my determination of which puppy goes to which family, and while I am usually not surprised, sometimes there are surprises there! Like yesterday. I had pretty much figured out which puppies would go to whom, and now I need to revisit that! The one I thought would be the best fit for a family with kids (even though they're older) is not a bad choice, but there are better. And the one I thought would be a good fit for the "senior" in my bunch really isn't as well, so I'll be really studying the evaluation notes today to make selections. Not much time now!!!! They will soon be going to their new families, and then I get to hear the "complaints" about how exhausted they are, that raising a puppy is hard work! LOL! Tell me about it!Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/31529842014-08-24T15:11:31-04:002014-08-24T15:11:31-04:00Whew!My computer died! CPU was completely fried, so I have spent the last few days deciding on a new computer, trying to avoid Windows 8.1 and failing that, and now getting used to a new computer with a new operating system that I despise. Good news is that I was able to save all of my old files, and have learned a valuable lesson - backups will be scheduled regularly to an external pocket drive!!! Actually considering backing up to a cloud account, but don't know enough about that to do it yet. Requires research!!! <br><br>At least I still have all my photos and all my poodle files and documents! Wahoo!! I am back in business!<br> Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/30795602014-07-16T08:54:43-04:002014-08-06T16:13:03-04:00Something you might want to check out .....Check out VetStreet - www.vetstreet.com. It's main purpose is to provide a communication and marketing vehicle for vets to stay in contact with their clients, and provide useful and often humorous information to them about their canine and feline companions, information that will answer questions, offer ideas about solutions to specific behavioral or health problems, that will help them be better, more well informed, pet owners.<br><br>My vet offers this to her clients - benefits include the monthly newsletter, being able to look up my dogs vet records online, make appointments, etc. I love it! I learn something new every time! If your vet doesn't offer it, you might show it to him/her, too. <br><br>Anyway, you can "subscribe" to the site if you like and get your own newsletter minus the vet connection - chock full of good stuff to know, and lots of smiles! OR, just put it in your bookmarks to reference in the future. Guarantee you will learn something you didn't know, and an educated pet owner is a good pet owner!!!<br><br>BevCalisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/30740122014-07-13T22:02:33-04:002014-07-13T22:02:33-04:00A GREAT dog toy!If you are handy at all, or have a friend/relative who is, then make one of these. I will have two for my gang (being made by a friend with the tools and knowhow to do it!), with different size bottles and different shapes. This is a GREAT idea!!!<br><br>http://blog.petflow.com/bells-<wbr></wbr>loves-her-new-dog-toy/#<wbr></wbr>pH202WMpCLlsYPWX.01<br><br>I love it! And I think most dogs would, too!<br>BevCalisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/30560782014-07-03T16:15:14-04:002017-01-15T19:33:06-05:00Tired of waiting?SO AM I! AND, SO IS LIZZIE! Jordan, on the other hand could care less! LOL!<br><br>We're on the homestretch! As of tomorrow (Friday, July 4th), I will be on official "puppy watch", and will be pretty much housebound from then until the pups are at least a week old, baby monitors buzzing, and lots of running up and down stairs. For a little petite girl, Lizzie is enormous and is now going upstairs like a walrus! Ha! Down is okay, but up is a chore. And she is eating like a little Miss Piggy! Lots of small meals - not much room in there now!<br><br>The whelping box is set up, supplies are laid in. Got lots of coffee and snacks for the long night I anticipate for whelping. I have help coming to pitch in - my sister in law, who's an old hand at this now, and my Mom who is just in charge of drinks and sandwiches! Wants nothing to do with "birthin' babies"! And, hopefully the timing will work out for my Furman pre-vet student, Cook English, to be here. He has two doctor appointments in his home town he hasn't been able to reschedule and if Lizzie decides to conflict with her timing, he won't make it, and will be very disappointed. So will I! As a vet, he won't often get to see a "normal" whelping, just emergencies. So seeing one that goes smoothly is a great learning experience. He also plans to be on hand for the tail docking and dew claw removal. Hands on, no just observing!<br><br>Lizzie's xray showed eight puppies, all about the same size, so now it's a wait and see what the split is between boys and girls. For those of you getting puppies, I won't let you know the big event has occurred until the pups have been around for a day or two and I'm sure they are all going to thrive and make it. You just never know. But then I'll let you know! Will try to call each of you with the good news, but if I send an email, don't be disappointed!<br><br>Here's Lizzie's xray - see if you can see all eight!!! - Bev<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/130767/a6e47b427c67f77b4aac3d372145fe93b145fd58/large/lizzie-crosby-pregnancy-xray-7-1-14-higher-contrast.jpg?1404245466" class="size_l justify_center border_medium" alt="" /><br> Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/30320502014-06-22T09:22:58-04:002014-07-04T21:19:23-04:00Lizzie is getting very close!I begin to think she may present me with puppies a bit earlier than I originally thought. Since both parents are mine, I didn't do progesterone testing this time (bad on me!), so I don't know EXACTLY when she ovulated - it's the only way to have a true target date for delivery. But she's very clingy, restless at night, and showing other (kinda icky) signs that whelping may not be all that far away. I have to take one of my other girls in for minor (hopefully) surgery tomorrow and I might just take her with me to see what my vet thinks, just for the heck of it. For a little girl, she's pretty big, indicating a big litter or big puppies, or both! I just want an easy delivery and fat, healthy, thriving puppies!!!<br><br>Watch soon for an xray - my repro vet now has digital xrays, so she can email the xray to me and you all will be able to see! We'll have a guessing contest on "How many do YOU count?" Ha! BevCalisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/30168712014-06-15T11:00:34-04:002014-06-17T18:16:29-04:00HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!To those of you who are fathers, to those of you who are sons or daughters, to those of you whose fathers are still with you, and to those of you whose fathers are gone - - - take a few minutes today to remember your father, appreciate what you learned from him for what he did right, and for what he didn't do right or did absolutely wrong. Every experience you had with your father had an effect on the person you are today, good or bad.<br><br>My own father died 32 years ago at just age 62, far too young, erasing all those retirement plans he had with my Mom. My brother, too, died early of cancer at just 56, so the main male influences in my life were gone in a flash! Appreciate in the moment is the lesson I learned from their early departures. Can't say I always did it, but I do try. I miss them both dearly, every day, and I still to this day often have conversations (albeit one-sided!) with my Dad, and I swear sometimes I hear this voice saying "Tsk, Tsk! You can do better!" And, I'm ready to catch all kinds of grief from my Dad about what I could have done and didn't, when/if we get to meet again one day. Some things never change! LOL!<br><br>So, celebrate the day! I truly miss my Dad and wish he were still here with me.<br><br>BevCalisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/29985042014-06-06T15:26:30-04:002014-06-06T15:26:30-04:00Just call me terminally curious!I had to make a quick run to my reproductive (and regular) vet today in Flat Rock NC, Dr. BJ Parsons, to have Josh collected for shipping. He will be a daddy in St. Louis, Missouri this time! Anyway, BJ has all this fancy new equipment she just loves to use, so I took Lizzie with me to see if I could interest her in doing a quick and easy ultrasound to cement the pregnancy confirmation in stone! I enjoy seeing this stuff as much as she does! As always, she told me that ultrasounds are generally just used to confirm, not to try and get a count on the number of puppies, so whatever we saw, there are probably more. Keeping that in mind, she saw (and so did I!) seven! SEVEN! Yikes, my little petite Lizzie is really going for a bakers dozen! LOL! Not! Means there could be 7-9 puppies. I hope no more, so they will be at good birth weight, and nice and healthy! We reviewed Lizzie's hip xrays and BJ says she sees no structural reasons Lizzie should have any trouble whelping, so here's hoping for a picture perfect delivery!!! Seven! OMG! More? Double OMG! BevCalisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/29844172014-05-31T13:44:17-04:002014-05-31T13:44:17-04:00It's official!I really thought she was, but today I verified that Lizzie is indeed baking little furballs in her tummy! I don't personally have the touch for palpating, but have friends who do, so I had one do a quick check when I was getting my dogs eye exams this morning. Palpation is not done for a count, just to verify that there are indeed puppies in there, and Gloria stopped feeling around at 5! Means there are probably more, but at least we know she is going to present us with puppies! <br><br>Okay, now back to twiddling our thumbs while we wait for the big event!<br><br>WAHOO!<br>BevCalisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/29731882014-05-27T08:58:02-04:002014-05-29T08:08:24-04:00Older Puppy AvailableUPDATE! She has a home! Within ten minutes of sending out an email to my mailing list, and posting this original message here, I was contacted by two interested parties, and this sweet girl will be going home with her new poodle mom this Thursday! I think it sounds like a match made in heaven, and a much better situation for her where she will be loved, get lots of attention, and be a treasured family pet! Networking absolutely works!!! Ha! Thanks, everyone! Bev<br><br><br><br><br><br>At the risk of getting deluged with inquiries - please just send an email, don't call! - I am aware of an older puppy that needs a new home - cream female, 7 1/2 months old, all puppy shots, AKC registerable (owner did not send in the original registrations, so that makes this a lot easier), and I believe she has already been spayed. Puppy is in Beaufort NC area and is available immediately.<br><br>Basically this is a case where a buyer just made a well-intentioned mistake and has realized that a standard poodle is not the best dog for her and her family. She breeds cats, and that is where her real love lies. I give her credit for making a difficult decision. From an independent person and neighbor of the owner, I know she has had a good home, it's just not the right home. She's a very sweet, eager to please puppy and will make a lovely pet.<br><br>You may send me an email and I'm happy to share the info I have and give you contact information.<br><br>Bev<br> Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/29619912014-05-21T15:13:05-04:002014-05-21T15:13:05-04:00Ordering dog food onlineIf you'd like to avoid schlepping those heavy bags of dog food, or just save yourself a trip, you can order dog food online with great success from a variety of sites -<br><br>I've used most of these with great success. The best advice I can give you is to check the prices each time to see if anyone has it on sale; otherwise, you're going to find that their pricing is generally pretty competitive, and check to see what the policy is on "free shipping", which can make a big difference. My favorites -<br><br>Pet Food Direct - www.petfooddirect.com<br>Chewy's - www.chewy.com<br>and, believe it or not,<br>Amazon! www.amazon.com - most of the dogfood sites have Amazon stores, and if you're an Amazon Prime member, you get free 2-day shipping from almost all of them<br><br>I've ordered my dry kibble and canned food, treats, etc., and also the dehydrated and freeze-dried foods I use online for years. I use autoship for most of it,, so I never run out all of a sudden and have to make an emergency run to a big box store. PetFoodDirect gives you an extra 15% off for auto ship purchases, but you do miss sales sometimes. Chewy's doesn't give you any additional discount, but they will give you sale prices. Each one is a little different! I just like not having to make that trip to the feed store and schlepping a 35 lb bag of kibble all over town! It's nice to have it delivered right to my door. Think about it. BevCalisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/29589582014-05-20T11:50:26-04:002021-12-25T13:59:35-05:00READ THE LABELS!This is not new information, but many pet owners just assume that anything that's sold in our pet food stores is safe to feed our pets - IT ISN'T!!!!! Read the labels, and if it says "Made In China", put it back, don't buy it, don't feed it to your pets, and mention it to the store manager where you find it.<br><br>Here's an article with more information! - - - - <a contents="http://ecowatch.com/2014/05/19/dogs-sick-pet-treats-china/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://ecowatch.com/2014/05/19/dogs-sick-pet-treats-china/" target="_blank">http://ecowatch.com/2014/05/<wbr></wbr>19/dogs-sick-pet-treats-china/</a><br><br>I know someone whose dog nearly died from feeding chicken jerky treats made in China. I'm guilty, I used to feed them occasionally years ago, and as soon as the first reports began coming in of sick or dying dogs, I stopped. I read labels now, thoroughly. China does not have the same quality control standards we have here (though our system is also far from perfect!).Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/29176312014-05-03T09:36:12-04:002014-05-03T09:36:12-04:00my mailing listFirst of all, thank you everyone, to those of you who have signed up on my mailing list for "puppy news". I hopefully will have some news to post regarding my next breeding very soon. Watch your email for information, and if you want to talk puppies, drop me a private message via email, or call. I always enjoy talking poodle!<br><br>BevCalisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/28918932014-04-23T11:07:23-04:002014-04-23T11:07:23-04:00Poodle Club of America National ShowThe PCA Nationals are going on this week, in Salisbury MD! The field trials (hunting, retrieving, etc.) started over the weekend, followed by obedience, rally, agility trials, and conformation showing starts today, after the Parade of Champions and New Title Holders. And it will all be over Friday, and we will have a new Top Poodle for 2014!<br><br>Diane Brennan has two Calisun girls, and both were entered in Agility or Rally events. Fallon, the older girl, did quite well in Agility, but didn't place. Aven, who is just a baby still and got a late start to her severe reaction to her rabies vaccination, got her very first Rally leg! Nothing like the stress of your first competition at the largest poodle show in the world!!!!! LOL! Congrats to Diane on the success of all her work and dedication - thousands of hours!!!<br><br>And, while I don't personally have any dogs showing in conformation this year, I think Josh has at least three of his offspring showing, so I'll be cheering them on! <br><br>If you've never been to a poodle specialty (and this is the ultimate poodle specialty), it's really quite awesome to see all of these gorgeous poodles lining the ring in all of their perfectly groomed grandeur!!!!! It's hard to imagine the work it took to get there, and the work it takes to get them ready for the ring for this particular show! Kudos to all of them!<br><br>BevCalisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/28849742014-04-20T16:27:26-04:002014-04-23T10:59:59-04:00Easter SundayWe had a great Easter - drove up to the Pretty Place Chapel at the YMCA Camp at Caesar's Head Mountain, which sits right ON the continental divide and the state line between SC and NC. We were literally on top of the mountain just shy of 3000 feet. And let me tell you, it was COLD! 47 degrees and windy. That's the first time I've done that one, and a tradition has been born! But next year, I will have on different clothes, and I will have gloves and ear muffs! I have very short hair, and my ears were frozen. Ha! But it was lovely - a beautifully done Easter cantata, then a very short sermon while the sun came up, then a delightful breakfast - scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, grits, biscuits with country cream gravy, coffee, hot chocolate, juices, fresh fruit, yogurt. Just doesn't get much better or more beautiful! Had a fellow poodle friend from here go with, and she drove. Do you know how seldom I get to be the passenger? Then a picnic at my friends' farm, the Browns, who have two poodles (one is my Casey) and a shiloh shepherd. The North Saluda River runs through their 700 acre tree farm. Just a perfect day. Now I get to take a long nap! Only 3 hours of sleep - had to get up at 3AM to take care of all the dogs and myself and be at my friend's house at 4:45AM. But hey, it's only once a year and it was breathtaking!<br><br>Hope you all had a wonderful, beautiful Easter, but you'd have to go some to be as awesome as mine was! LOL!Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/28829782014-04-19T09:17:01-04:002022-05-29T15:11:44-04:00Diane and Aven learning Agility!Lest you think getting an agility winner is mostly fun, you can see and appreciate from this video how much work goes into it - by the owner and by the dog! Diane does it right!!! Her other girl, Fallon (sister to my Chloe) is a "performance" star with more than 20 titles, and Aven is just beginning. Aven got a late start due to neurological issues set off by a severe allergic reaction to the rabies vaccination. Very scary, and Diane gets 200% credit and a dozen gold stars for not giving up on her and working so hard to bring her back to "normal" for Aven - - who is as Diane describes her "a pistol"! <br><br>Here's the message I got from Diane yesterday with a link to her video album on You Tube. Check some of her other videos out. Diane is a true pro!!!<br><br>email:<br><font face="Arial" size="2">Hi Bev,</font>
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<div><font face="Arial" size="2">Here is a link to Aven at agility today. Did a training run with Fallon for PCA and then did a fun run with Aven where I just basically played with her on the course. I am starting to work her contacts on the A-frame and Dog Walk, but you can see she has no hesitation about working her contact obstacles despite only having been introduced to them a couple weeks ago due to being so setback due to the vaccine issues. You can see she also has no issues with the closed chute even though she has only been through one once or twice before. She is a pistol!!</font></div>
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<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RKArmYzgy4&list=UUdpy0M-3qIo05UvwVUmaj7A" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?<wbr></wbr>v=7RKArmYzgy4&list=UUdpy0M-<wbr></wbr>3qIo05UvwVUmaj7A</a></font></div>
<div class="yj6qo ajU"><div aria-label="Show trimmed content" class="ajR" data-tooltip="Show trimmed content" id=":lh" role="button" tabindex="0"><img src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></div></div>Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/28751042014-04-16T11:35:30-04:002014-04-16T11:37:18-04:00One of my puppies, in training for AgilityThis is Aven, Calisun A Storm Blue In! Her owner, Diane, also has Fallon, another one of my pups, who has umpteen titles (like more than twenty!!!) in obedience and agility.<br><br><a contents="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFpLs4ewJLs&amp;list=UUdpy0M-3qIo05UvwVUmaj7A" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFpLs4ewJLs&list=UUdpy0M-3qIo05UvwVUmaj7A" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFpLs4ewJLs&list=UUdpy0M-3qIo05UvwVUmaj7A</a><br><br>If you check out the other video links that come up when you watch, you may see some videos of Diane's other girl, Fallon, strutting her stuff. Fallon is one of mine as well, sister to my Chloe, daughter of my Casey.<br><br>Aven, sister to my own Raine (not on the website yet), has gotten a late start in her training but is doing just GREAT!!! Diane is one of the best dog owners I know, and if it weren't for her, Aven might not be with us! Aven unfortunately had a severe adverse reaction to the rabies vaccination (a good example of being aware of the possibility and for not over vaccinating ever), her first rabies vaccination so no way to know she was allergic. The reaction caused her to become OCD - totally focused on some invisible thing she would search for in the grass, in the house, etc., light and shadow chasing, etc. Kudos to Diane for not giving up on her and working hard with various homeopathic treatments, etc., to "bring her back". She still has a way to go, but she is a living furry miracle dog! I've alerted the other puppy owners in this litter to be extra cautious with their dogs on vaccinations, and to let the vet know about Aven's problems, so they can be careful with the other dogs in the litter.<br><br>Anyway, enjoy the video of Aven training! Diane does it right, and does it good!!!!!!! You rock, Diane! and so does Aven!!! Hugs, BevCalisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/28750752014-04-16T11:25:32-04:002014-04-19T09:12:38-04:00WAHOO!!!Well, wahoo-ish! Got Lizzie's OFA Hips Certificate yesterday, and she got a GOOD rating. I would loved to have gotten an excellent, but noooo! Drat! In 2013, only 4% of the ratings (all breeds, all submissions) were excellents. Happy with a good though, as that means Lizzie is good to go to have those beautiful puppies I've got planned - clear/normal on SA, clear by parentage on vWD and NEwS, and a good on hips. Eye exam for certification on May 31 (my own vet has checked her and sees no problems), and will run a light thyroid test before breeding. <br><br>Now, Mother Nature just needs to give Lizzie a kickstart and let her come into season so we can get this show on the road! BevCalisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/28667142014-04-13T09:38:19-04:002014-04-13T09:38:19-04:00Update on Lizzie and breedingLizzie has not come into season yet, and is officially overdue. Grrrrr! Mother Nature unfortunately is always in control of the timing on these things, but what this means to you is that even if she came into season tomorrow, she wouldn't be "ready" for breeding for a couple of weeks. So that means, she won't get bred until early May at the earliest, meaning early July puppies entering the world. Just wanted to keep you posted! Waiting for a puppy is a lesson in patience and gritting your teeth!!! I promise it will be worth the wait! BevCalisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/28536012014-04-08T11:34:01-04:002017-01-15T19:33:06-05:00A star is born!This is Nova (American and Canadian champion), sister to my own boy, Jordan, out of my Sunny and London. Her owners got her to show and train in agility, something they are very active in. Nova hasn't been all that keen on agility, and they decided to give her a shot at herding, not expecting much. Who knew! She's a natural, and she LOVES it! This was her very first real class, I'm pretty sure!!!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/130767/6f4acb7c57375c9ca9180398a36bfb254e95be8b/medium/nova-herding-2.jpg?1396971061" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><br><br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/130767/e2406d6e7f970a803c995bed4b6e22724e1a8473/medium/nova-herding-3.jpg?1396971061" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/130767/f1e5399993b00593ce3011c7021222b90500f854/medium/nova-herding-1.jpg?1396971067" class="size_m justify_left border_" />Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/28485682014-04-06T11:53:00-04:002021-02-10T03:47:04-05:00Just got this picture!This picture was just sent to me by Dina Clark, who happily is owned by Nick (one of Sunny's boys from a few years ago). Nick and his parents live in the NY/NY area, so they got lots of snow this year, and this spot is apparently Nick's favorite way to enjoy snow - - - inside where it's nice and warm, with his favorite stuffie (also known as "dead cat"!). Ha! I think this is the perfect poodle spot!!!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/130767/1354ccf4d1627fd8a8c5f0660ceab589e295e9f1/medium/nick-sunny-boy.jpg?1396799555" class="size_m justify_center border_" />Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/28440442014-04-04T07:56:35-04:002014-04-08T23:54:20-04:00Interesting night!I have a visiting old friend. My Casey spent the night last night. My very dearest friends, the Browns, live on a 700 acre working tree farm. They were to have gotten a puppy from Miss Casey's last litter, but sadly the breeding didn't take. Trying again would have put her age past my own personal "cutoff" for breeding my girls - six years old, no more than 3 litters in a lifetime. They were soooo disappointed as they had absolutely fallen in love with Casey. So when I made the decision to spay her, I asked them if they would be interested in taking a retired Casey, and they jumped at the chance. Giving her to them was one of the hardest things I'd ever done, but one of the best things I ever did for her!!! She adores being a farm dog! And I get to see her often, and I still groom her.<br><br>Back to last night. Today is grooming day for Casey. I did the Brown's older girl, Anna, yesterday and took her home to them, stayed for dinner (YUM!) and brought Casey back home with me. She and Jack, Lilli, Sunny and Chloe (her daughter) had a lovely reunion. They remember her instantly and peace reigns. BUT, the other kids in the gang who don't really "know" her don't and it's bedlam unless she's going to be here several days. So I slept on the couch with the "old gang" surrounding me, and the noisy "kids" slept downstairs on my bed!!! LOL! But we all got sleep. Ahhhhh, what we do for our dogs!<br><br>BTW, the reason I have nine standards is that Casey is the only one I've ever managed to "retire" elsewhere. It was so hard for me to do that I haven't done it since! I'll just be the crazy lady down the street with all the poodles!!!Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/28317482014-03-31T10:39:01-04:002014-04-04T07:44:57-04:00Good news!The vet always gets the feedback from OFFA on testing before we do, and she called me this morning to tell me that Lizzie's SA (sebaceous adenitis) test came back "clear, normal"!!! YAY! Now just waiting for hips, and keeping my fingers crossed that we might get one of those elusive "excellent" ratings. Not holding my breath though since they give out so few, but I sure would like to see that!!! Will do her thyroid testing when she comes into season - I just do a local thyroid test, not one for OFFA, as I test all my girls before any breeding they have. Thyroid needs to be normal to high normal to sustain a pregnancy. Lizzie is clear by parentage on NEwS (neonatal encephalopathy w/seizures) and vWD (vonWillebrand's), and her eye exam will be done at the May 31 eye clinic here. And then she's done!!! Yay! Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/27904362014-03-21T19:43:36-04:002017-01-15T19:33:06-05:00Lizzie's hips and SA tests todayTook Lizzie in for her hips and SA tests today in preparation for breeding. She's clear by parentage on vWD and NE, eye clinic is May 31, so all I needed to do right now were hips and SA. I'll do thyroid just before breeding, as I do with all of my girls.<br><br>Anyway, my wonderful vet (she is a repro specialist, a theriologist) says that of the dogs of mine that she's done, this one has the best chance of getting an "excellent" hip rating! I sure hope so! I've only had goods so far - that elusive excellent has eluded me! They give out less than 5% excellents on all submissions! Anyway, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. SA should be fine as well. Anyway, take a look!!! Bev<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/130767/6c3997ebbb6cca3edda6299e97371318028eb569/medium/lizzie-crosby-hips.jpg?1395445357" class="size_m justify_center border_" />Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/27524772014-03-15T14:44:47-04:002014-03-27T18:46:42-04:00Could it be .......... Spring?!?All across the country, this seems to have been the winter that just won't give up the ghost, but I think we may have passed over the hump. Trees are full of buds, the Bradford Pear trees are blooming, tulips and daffodils are off and running! Wahoo! I'm ready! <br><br>Got my dog tub replumbed to a "sunshine drain" - it drains outside now, not into my septic tank and drain field - so no matter what I will be able to bathe my dogs, something that hasn't happened for almost four weeks! YIKES! The pipes are "curing" today, and I will begin my bathing marathon tomorrow. Much needed! It will be days before I get everyone bathed and freshly groomed. I ordered special Dirty Dog Shampoo just for the occasion! My ice white girl, Summer, looks like an apricot, and a dirty one at that! Ick!<br><br>Taking Lizzie in next week to have her hips and SA testing done. She's clear by parentage on NE and also vWD, eyes were great last year, and the next clinic is the end of May. I do a local thyroid before breeding. So she should be ready for breeding whenever! I am trying to decide whether to go ahead with Chloe's last litter first, and then spay her, or do Lizzie this time and Chloe next, then Summer will be spring 2015. Have to see if I think I have that much energy! LOL!<br><br>Hope everyone is welcoming Spring - it's been a long time coming!!!!! BevCalisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/26426302014-02-25T10:45:25-05:002014-02-25T10:45:25-05:00Yuk!For unpleasant plumbing reasons, I can't even bathe my dogs right now, so I have a few that look more like labradoodles than poodles at the moment! Not a good time for those people who want to visit me and meet the poodles! LOL! Hope to have it all resolved this week so I can get back to work, and I will have a lot of work ahead of me - bathing and grooming! Not only is grooming a poodle's life, it's also my life! Ha!Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/25759622014-02-13T15:07:08-05:002014-02-18T00:15:06-05:00Sunshine! (video here)Our winter storm is on it's way out! After one last hurrah this morning, dusting us with an additional half inch of snow, the sun has come out, the temperature should reach 40 today, and the melt has officially begun! The trees here are already clear, which is a very good thing for keeping the power on!, and the backyard where the poodles have been romping is now officially a slushy, muddy mess!!! Ick! The weather for the next week is supposed to be moderate for this time of year, and dry, dry, dry! YAY! The snow was beautiful, but I'll be happy to be able to get out of the house now, as the roads clear. I don't "do" ice! There are steep hills on either end of my street, so when we get snow or ice, I am housebound! I am craving a good hamburger, or maybe even KFC! LOL!<br><br> <div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Click <a contents="HERE " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://vimeo.com/86644421" target="_blank">HERE </a>for a video of the poodles enjoying the snow!</strong><br> </div>
<div>We don't get much snow here, and it's not that deep, so when they started to dogpile onto Summer, my white girl, about 2 inches from red clay mud, I fussed at them! Ha! When we get snow/ice, we lose power frequently, so there would be no bathing and drying dogs with the chance I couldn't get the soap out or get a soaking wet dog dry! Yikes! </div><br> Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/25518152014-02-10T08:50:41-05:002014-02-10T08:50:41-05:00Winter Weather WarningHere in Upstate in South Carolina, we don't often get snow, and this is a "major weather event" on the way - estimates vary on various weather services from 2" to 8" of "wintry mix" - meaning snow and ice. How much snow we get versus ice depends on where it all hits. The further south the front meanders, means more snow than ice here, more ice south! But the world comes to a halt here in this kind of weather. The dogs will have a blast if it's mostly snow. Not so much if it's icy! Wish us luck, and pray the power stays on - more ice, power outages are likely!!!!! Yikes!Calisun Standard Poodlestag:calisunpoodles.com,2005:Post/25518142014-02-10T08:47:50-05:002014-02-14T13:30:35-05:00SiriusFrom his very first breeding a year or so ago, Jordan's son, Sirius, won WD and BofW at the Poodle Specialty in Indianapolis this past weekend for a HUGE five point major!!! I can't wait to see his win photo, and will post it here when they get it. Sirius is owned by Gloria Ogdahl-Williams and Kelsey Wolf, of Tintlet Standard Poodles in NC, and they are really excited, as they should be!!!!! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!! BevCalisun Standard Poodles