Herding Cardigans

The past few days have been so fun to watch Cardis do their job. Herd animals!

My remaining four Pygmy goats have started to find NEW gates OUT of their pen and then come and go at will. Little to my knowledge! Most days when I would return from work I'd go and open the ONE gate I know and call them as they all come marching back into the pen, feeling obviously smug that they once again 'pulled one over' their owner.

Well I wanted them to take heed and pay attention. Enter Oliver. Wow were those goats mortified yesterday when they started heading to MY gate! I've never seen them run so fast and wow was the Oliver on them like stink on S*&)! Oliver also got to chase two calves back into the pen via the fenceline feeders and he couldn't believe i was asking him to move such big animals! he'd run towards them and they'd start to run, and he'd slow down and look over his shoulder and I'd say "Yes Oliver! Get 'em!" and he'd barrel after them again for a bit, and turn over his shoulder and make sure it was still 'ok' to chase them! He's so much fun!

Apparently though with all of Oliver's maneuvers and barking and working, the goats must have forgotten how scary it was as when I came home again today...they were out again.

Well ok, maybe ONE Cardigan isn't scary enough.

So today I let out the seasoned pro, Sadie, and just for fun Ell. It was Ell's first time herding anything and I KNEW she wanted to, but I didn't know if she'd be ABLE to. Well they both passed with flying colors and those goats were so shocked as to the tag teaming, they ended up being herded right to ME! Yup! Ell and Sadie worked those goats right up to me and actually the girls kept the goats RIGHT next to me all the way to the barn! Talk about an "easy, breezy, beautiful way to work goats!" I kinda like this herding ability thing ;)

Ell and Sadie did too! They worked when allowed to, held back when asked and didn't push or move too fast. All with zero training and a handler with no experience training or working dogs. WOHOO!

Photos from AI weekend

Hooray for photos!!


Here is Gail Former getting ready to scrub the ewe, while she watches Maureen Koch shear the belly wool. Maureen's brother Johnny is in the background trying to get out of the photo. NO SUCH LUCK BUDDY!

Theresa Gygi was the 'lab tech assistant' and thawed our 'little buddies' for us and made sure everyone went to the right ewe...thanks Theresa!!

Getting a better close up of Maureen and the serious business of shearing


Jeff Gygi (theresa's hubby) watching and waiting for Martin to get done so he can wheel the ewe over to me where he and I worked together stapling and spraying and injecting.



Another shot of Maureen, Gail and Johnny, with LeAnne Reichert (on the far left) and Carol Wagner (in the vest) joining in on the help


A better shot of Marin Daly of Super Sires doing the Laproscopic AI

Maggie!

Forgot to mention with the busy weekend going on that Vermillion's Maggie May is now the proud mother of 11 puppies! Father is Olynmawr's Good as Gold (Dewi). There are 2 brindle boys, 1 brindle girl and 3 red boys and 5 red girls!

Maggie is the bitch that I co-own with Barb Peterson. Maggie was bred to Trudytales About Last Night (Fudge) this spring but she didn't take. She'll be bred next summer sometime to Fudge again hoping for black and white girls!

For more information regarding the puppies from Maggie's current litter you can contact Barb directly at scwt.cwc@gmail.com

I'll keep you updated!

More Testing!

I've been a testing fool the past few months!

I just got my certified results back for NORMAL - Thyroid in both Zoe and Ell! It has already been sent to OFA for their records. I can't find Zoe's CERF copy (it was normal) but have been in touch with the doctor who looked at her and I"m getting a copy sent to me. Both girls will have their CERF's done again next June and also there will be a Cardiac vet there as well to do their Cardiac. Then all that is left is hips/elbows!

Zoe also was tested to see if she carried the fluff gene as her mother does. She was unlucky to get the gene from her mother so she is a fluff carrier. Just have to be diligent who to breed her to. Ell's dad was coated so she is also a fluff carrier. While it doesn't affect their structure at all, its nice to know.

On another note, Sioux Falls dog show brought Ell RWB both days, one was on a 3 pt major, the other just a single point. Oh well. She is still so young, she's got a great future ahead of her!

Shetlands for sale

I have decided that after my micron results came back on the ram lambs that I will be offering WhitePine Lyons, the black/shaela ram, for sale. He has very nice horns, silky soft, very crimpy fleece and single coated UK style to it. He was a single born 4-5-08 and is overall my nicest ram lamb with horns of the year. I was going to keep him and use him for breeding but his father, Jazz is still softer than he is and Lyons cannot help in my fleece improvement program more than his dad Jazz can.

That is why I am offering him for sale.

He is out of Wintertime Jazz and Bono Creek Lavender Brown. He is 62% UK, F2 Jericho, F3 Drum Ram, F4 Drum Jings, F4 Jamie, F5 Gordon. He is registered with NASSA and can be found online. Lyons was the ram lamb I showed at WS&WF. Please email for price, photos and any more information you might need.

I still have WhitePine Rico, the F2 Orion F4 Lightning, F5 Holly, F5 Jamie, bersugget small scurred ram lamb available, also registered with NASSA. He is as soft as Lyons, but I am still waiting back on his micron report.

WhitePine Romeo is the tiny scurred black ram lamb out of FirthofFifth Barish and FirthofFifth Rahu. Romeo is an F2 Timothy, F4 Dillon, F5/F7 Greyling, F5 Lightning.

After much consideration, I am offering up several ewes that I had planned on breeding. If they do not sell, I will keep them and breed them.

Minwawe Sterling, a black krunet and 100% domestic lines. She was bred to Jazz this year and gave me an incredible spotted katmoget ewe lamb with perfect conformation, although she herself isn't perfect. NASSA registered.

WhitePine Denver, a black smirslet ewe lamb. She was born later and is not big enough to breed this year. She is also NASSA registered. Out of FirthofFifth Barish and Minwawe Dixie Cup.

I think that's it, although there could be more if you inquired :)

AI weekend

Well I"m back from a long weekend at our AI 'camp' at Paul and Carol Wagner's farm near Manitowoc, WI (near Lake Michigan). We did close to 100 ewes in eight hours and everyone's sheep were done within the time frame for the AI to be most fertile.

Unfortuantely we were unable to AI Bono Creek Lavender Brown as she had a lot of damaged tissues around her uterus and Martin could not get through the tissues to get to the tubes to insert the semen. She will have to be bred via ground breeding.

River Oaks Eliza had the sponge come out a day early and Martin said that we shouldn't run the chance of wasting the semen as she didn't seem 'receptive' to do the AI.

So I had 10 ewes AI'ed out of 12, and there were a few changes....since the straw from Lavender was already thawing, I had to last minute swtich FirfthofFifth Booto from Jamie to Orion.

So there were six ewes bred to Heights Orion:
FirthofFifth Booto - fawn katmoget F1 Timothy (all moorit based lambs expected)
FirthofFifth Evidence of Autumn - a mioget ewe (all moorit based lambs expected)
FirthofFifth Rooibos - fawn - (all lambs will be moorit based lambs)
RYL Rachildas - white ewe (all lambs will be white or Ag grey but carry moorit)
Underhill Peep - musket - (all lambs will be moorit based)
Justalitl Black Lambo - black - (all lambs will be black based but carry moorit)

The following four rams only had one ewe bred to each:
Campaign Timothy x Justalit'l Shasta Ag grey flecket smirslet ewe (all lambs will be black or Ag grey)

Willowcroft Jamie x RiverOaks Lucy - all lambs will be black based (possibly moorit if Lucy carries it)

Shirehill Minder x Underhill Ulla - all lambs will be moorit based and either katmoget or Ag musket

Greenholme Holly x Justalit'l Chloe - all lambs will be katmoget, either black or moorit and possibly polled.


I still have 10 straws left for a future LAI, with all of the above rams but also including one straw of Heatheram Lightning and just for pure curiousity, one Drum Jings straw. I know! TWO WHITE RAMS but I may or may not use them, only time will tell if the proper ewe presents herself to be bred to either of them.

Photos of the LAI helpers and sheep will be posted probably tomorrow when I have more time and some REST! Overall it was a great learning day and was great to see all my friends and to make new ones!

Micron reports in

My three own lambs that I sent to Yocom-McColl were a vast improvement on their mothers, when bred to Jazz. Although not as soft as Jazz, they are definitely softer than their mothers (who are both 5 years old).

Lyons, my sheala ram lamb was AFD 23.6, SD 6.7 and CV of 28.4, with fibers over 30 microns only 14.2. His mother was much higher so am happy with the improvement overall.

Centennial and Castle Rock were twin sisters of out Jazz and Justalit'l Chloe. great improvements on their mother, Centennial came in at AFD 25.1 5.7 and 22.7 with 16.4 % over 30 micron. Her twin Castle Rock was 25.7, 7.1 and 27.6 with 21.5 % over 30 micron.

I also microned the 4 ram lambs that I got this summer. Burma, the natural colored ram lamb came in at 26.9 AFD, 7.4 SD and 27.9 with 17.9% over 30 micron.

The polled moorit gulmoget ram Barkley microned at 25.6 AFD, 4.8 SD, 18.8 CV and 13.3 %> 30 micron!! Quite nice Juliann, but unfortunately I lost him.

The two UnderTheSon boys although very correct structure (including nice big horns) microned higher than I hoped, but lower than expected.

Arapaho microned at 26.7 AFD with 6.3 SD and 23.6 CV with 25.9 %>30 microns.
Mohican the fawn katmoget was 26.6 AFD, 8 SD, 30.2 CV with 27 fibers %>30 microns.

None of the above ram lambs are softer than my two yearling rams, Barish and Jazz. I was hoping to use all the Shetland boys on my girls this fall, but will now probably only use Jazz and Barish again as they are finer fleeced.

The boys above, while their conformation is stunning, will not help create finer fleeces with the ewes I was planning on putting them to, however would be vast improvements over most of the other flocks that I've seen around the country.

I will maybe hold the ram lambs over until spring and retest as yearlings. There may be a select few ewes that I feel are soft enough to put under the rams, hoping that the ewes fleece traits come out the stronger type, but that's yet to be determined.

Back to the drawing board........

Oh Eliza!

We trudged out to the barn this morning in the wee hours of the night, in the rain and in the fog and in the dark......to pull sponges on ewes. I've been diligently watching the girls and they've all stayed in.....This morning I'm going through the girls, pulling sponges, giving hormones and we come to ELIZA and there is no string.....so I reach in a little bit thinking it must have gotten sucked up in there and nothing. Then dad finds one right in front of the feeder and exclaims...."well this can't be it". Yup it was. All the other girls had their sponges in. So it had to of happened in the last 18 hours because I fed them before going to dog class last night and everyone's sponges were in. I"m taking her with anyway and Martin is going to check her out, but it doesn't look good. What a bummer!

She'll probably get put with Jazz then this fall when I put the breeding groups together in a month or so. She'll have to wait her turn for the NEXT AI, and hopefully by then we'll have new rams imported to use! I guess she didn't want to be AI"ed this year. D'oh!

Mac Attack

Mac was only supposed to be here for socialing for a couple weeks. I mentally prepared for that idea and didn't want to get attached. Mac has an amazing personality. Very outgoing, loving, inquisitive and loves to be scracthed, played with, talked to or to investigate anything electronic..he loves watching the printer and the paper coming out...he just can't seem to grasp it ;)

Mac was a show potential puppy and I took him to Puppy Kindergarten and Conformation classes. I told Barb that since I was still trying to show Sadie, that I could show Mac also since I was already going to the shows.

Mac now has 7 minor points.


Mac is shown fresh from outside and its been raining so no grooming has occurred. He also WAS stacked but since I live alone it has to be 'as good as it can'.
Mac has a very pretty outline and level topline, nice angles in the rear and nice bone. He has a very straight shoulder, which is why he walks wide when coming and which makes him look like he has a short neck. Fronts are a bear to get right in Cardigans because of the dwarfism so no front is really perfect (that i've seen anyway).

From the front Mac looks pretty good. This photo makes him look really leggy but I think he has the right amount of leg.

He is now co-owned by Barb and myself and will be looking for his forever home if its not here. He'd be wonderful I think as a therapy dog and needs something to do like obedience or agility. He loves to please.

I'm not afraid to show photos of both fronts and sides of my dogs and welcome any suggestions or comments. Its a great way to learn about the breed and to see what is out there. You don't see many photos of Cardigans' fronts and its a shame.

The Big 'O'

Oliver came to me all the way from Finland. He and his brother McCoy made the journey over here and after a heart failure (from me) as they didn't arrive on the flight they were supposed to, our friend Cindy, found them on another flight and picked them up in Chicago. She kept them for a week or so and then they headed off to McCoy's mom's place for about a month until I could go down to pick him up. We hadn't decided yet who was going to get which one, but I always like Oliver better. I think it was because of his head. While his planes aren't level I was drawn to those big eyes, and huge ears and the overall look of him. I'm glad that he was the one that was coming to me.

From the minute I first saw him (he ran into the kennel when I came to the xpen to great him) he had a soft temperament. No one will ever know if he was like that in Finland, if it was the trip over, or his stay at the other houses before he came to me. Since he can't talk I guess I'll never know but I spent a small fortune on trying to get him well socialized, having him take week long trips to other people's homes and places of employment, taking him to the bank, the feed store, everywhere I went. He has the exact opposite personality from Sadie too. Oliver doesn't like new people, but he loves the ones' he knows. Even if he hasn't seen them in a long time. He is my lap dog, and is always trying to get onto my lap, and at night he shares my pillow and lays watching me. He's such a great dog that way. He also loves to play ball and is the fastest and smartest dog when it comes to finding the ball. I can't even spell it anymore as he knows what it means!

Oliver due to his shy temperament wasn't working as a show dog. His front really never turned out and after his brother was found to have HD at such a young age, we xrayed Oliver and he also had mild HD. He was neutered. He also had no contract and no guarantee so I was out the small fortune. The money wasn't the biggest deal, but there were high hopes for him considering his prestigious pedigree.

Now Oliver is another performance dog, but he excels at obedience and rally. He has received his RN in three days, three qualifying scores. He was the first title on a dog (getting his RN before Sadie's NAJ).

Oliver worries a lot. We've tested his Thyroid, its normal. I've increased his food and changed it a few times and I cannot get him to gain weight. His heaviest he was 34 pounds and I think he was a pudge then, so I think 32 or so would be ideal. He is currently 28 and I can't for the life of me get him to gain weight. He doesn't have worms and eats like a pig. He's very active and runs constantly in the backyard. He is my watch dog and alerts me to when there are new cars coming down the road.



Look at that pretty head and neck. A gorgeous red brindle color.



I think his back is roached because of his hips and having to compensate for the lack of socket. I'm having his hips redone for OFA just to see if there is any difference and if they have gotten worse.



His chest just never 'came in' and he appears wide because of it. His front right foot turns out a lot (I've seen quite a few Cardi's that if they have one that turns out more, its usually their right one..any idea why?) and his nails get wore down more so on that foot because of it.

He is my fastest dog. He runs like the wind and I can't believe he has HD (no clinical signs) the way he runs.

He's my buddy and an amazing sheep herder. If I ever have sheep out he takes to them like a duck to water and moves them beautifully.

Both he and Sadie are going to the national next year to do their herding instinct tests (which i know they'll pass) and Oliver will do rally or obedience there, and Sadie will do agility.

Up next. Mac!

Sadie Girl

Sadie was originally a show puppy. After her accident she and I proved that we 'rise from the ashes' so to speak, and win again. We did, back to back days in Shakopee. After those shows Sadie got a 'mental' issue where she would walk and act normal around or outside of the ring. You walked through the picked fence to the ring and she'd start limping. It really was a sympathy ploy I think. NO matter how much running and jumping and streching we did outside of the ring or prior to the ring, she would fake it. She was excused twice from the ring for being 'lame'. She sure was LAME trying to fake it!

Since then we have gone on to AGILITY! Yes you read it right. She sure isn't sympathy limping now, but I KNOW she really loves to run and jump in agility. Its her calling and I think ultimately what she enjoys the most. We even got our first agility title! NAJ! We typically had been jumping 8" and her third leg was moved up to 12" as she was a bit hefty then and the lady who measured her said she had a 1/4" of backfat on her withers (she was a 1/4" over 11") Sadie also has her CGC.

When I am at home brushing or blowing coat, grooming or doing nails, I do ALL my dogs so as not to have any 'favorites' or to leave anyone out. After I had groomed Ell and Zoe and did their nails it was the Princess' turn. She really glared at me so the photos I got were of her looking AWAY from the camera mostly as she didn't want to be on the table. *sigh* Silly girl.


I have always had a special place in my heart for my first dog. She's my heart dog and nothing will ever change that. IF she were still in conformation events I would have to say that her biggest fault would be her high rear. And yes, it was like that before her accident. Just check her show wins on my website and you'll see that. She also lacks some rear angulation in my opinion. But I love her overall type.


Showing off her nice neck (and ignoring me)


Sadie's best thing is her front. Its quite nice I think. Its the nicest in my house, although she is the oldest also (almost FOUR years old!) so she's had more time to grow into it. Sadie is also moderate in size. Her ideal weight (which she is at again!) is 28 pounds. There are many bitches that are getting too big in my opinion and I don't think they are able to do their 'job' anymore of herding cattle.

If you can't critique your own dogs, you'll never learn. Up next is Oliver!