FLCV Championship Specialty Show.
After unprecedented flooding on the Friday night with photos of water coming up through the internal drains, Dogs Victoria pushed all shows start times back in the hopes everything could still go ahead.
I honestly entertained the idea of 'just not going' but as I had interstate friends in town I figured I owed them the drive and bundled up Summer and Anarchy and off we ventured.

It sure was worth it.
Anarchy, as the very last entry of the day, was awarded BEST EXHIBIT IN SHOW!

Summer was awarded BEST NEUTER EXHIBIT IN SHOW!

It was an amazing day. Anarchy won a specialty show at only the 2nd one she'd entered (the first she was in Baby puppy class and took 2nd place)
Summer has previously won this amazing award as well, in 2015. 
I couldn't even put into words how much I wanted it, but I went in with very little expectation.
Anarchy was on fire all day and could've happily kept running around in circles. I was almost completely tapped out as the Judge kept us moving multiple laps for each step through her class, bitch winners and ultimately Best in Show.

I happily handed the reins over for Summer to be handled by Robyn as I was too overwhelmed by my special Anarchy girl.
It was so awesome to share that win with so many great friends and extended Caleebra family by my side.

Many thanks to the judge: Mrs Roslyn Seare (of the founding Theldaroy Kennels in QLD) for appreciating my special girl. I know she's pretty exceptional but it's wonderful to have that opinion affirmed by a specialist.

ANARCHY

Ch. Caleebra Summer Sweetheart (AI)

BEST EXHIBIT IN SHOW

SUMMER

Ch. Neut Ch. Lecibsin Sametti RN (Imp UK)

BEST NEUTER EXHIBIT IN SHOW.

Both girls showed their socks off and I couldn't be prouder. What an amazing honour.

Congratulations to Runner Up Best in Show, Zeke - Sup Ch. Taigakoira Tahtien Valo (AI) and Runner Up Neuter in Show, Taavi - Ch. Taigakoira Buoremus Davvir PT
and Robyn Sharp on taking both Reserve Dog and Bitch with Bond - Ch. Janoby James Bond and Willow - Ch. Janoby Im A Rockstar.

We all take home the best dogs

Congratulations to Kylie, showing our very own Link (Caleebra Ice Magic (AI)) to Best Limit in show and Mishy officially retired with a 2nd place in Veterans at 13 years old! Had to grab a photo with Robyn, to commemorate the retirement of this especially gorgeous 'A Team' duo.

October was Dog Lovers Show - We've attended most years and Mischa particularly enjoys the change of date as it coincides with her birthday. It's getting so the stalls are anticipating her visit and one of our favourites GOGO Treats even had a birthday present for her.

The girls had a great time and were perfect ambassadors for the breed. We'll be back to do it again next year.

With the J Litter all settled into their new homes in late February and all the Puppy toys, yard and supplies packed away it was time to consider a return to the show ring.

Anarchy did not disappoint.
She picked up her title in November 2021, mere weeks before we relocated to our new home and welcomed the J Litter.
It's been a pretty busy time for us.

Since returning to the show ring, Anarchy has consistently been awarded by both Australian and International judges and we're over the moon with our special girl.

She even managed a Best Exhibit in Group over 100 entries. I always think she looks amazing, but I wasn't expecting the judge to agree.

She followed it up a couple weeks later with a Best Intermediate in Group

We also went to South Australia, and she was awarded BEST of BREED at the FCI Show and received her second CACIB certificate towards her International Title.

She's my Superstar. Love her Dearly.

Preparing to bring home a puppy!

I see/read/hear this a lot.....

"oh i'll get them out / visit 'x' / once it's safe or once they're old enough."
For me, 'old enough' is NOW.

Contact your local vets and find out the risks in your area. Particularly for Parvo and other contagious diseases. If there have been no recent outbreaks reported in your area then i want you to get your puppy out right away.
This doesn't mean take them  to a crowded dog park where its a free for all. But it does mean you should take them out to less dog populated places and let them see, hear, learn and explore.

People have the best of intentions and will kindly advise you that your puppy is too young to be out. Nod and smile. They have good intentions but I truly believe the pro's outweigh the con's. The puppies will receive their first vaccination at 6 weeks. They'll be 2 weeks in by the time they come home to you at 8 weeks old. They're either still covered by mums antibodies or hopefully that vaccination. The next one is usually for between 10-12 weeks. You don't want to keep your puppy home for a month. On the advice of the Aust. Vet. Assoc, (AVA) their last vaccination should be at 16 weeks. 4 months old!
You certainly don't want them staying housebound for 2 whole months! 8-12 weeks is a critical time for a puppy to be experiencing all the things you want them to take for 'normal'. 12-16 weeks the window is closing to really imprint all the things you need them to experience before a puppy fear phase could kick in and new experiences can actually scare them. General concensus is that by 16 weeks that window has closed. Don't take just my word for it. Here's one little handy link i could find straight off a google search which considers both arguments https://www.thelabradorsite.com/when-can-i-take-my-puppy-out/

I took my 8 week old puppy to Bunnings. I put her in a trolley with a bed, puppy pad on top and frozen water bottle. She met people, was loved and adored and fell asleep in the trolley to the sounds of everyday life.
I took her to a cafe where i held her on my lap, let her explore the garden and sit on the pavers. She shared my friends grilled cheese sandwich and even met a guy dressed up in a Mario Bros suit (seriously i couldn't have been more lucky. How often do you get to see people dressed up in those massive costumes?). Winter was held by a giant weird thing and patted by a pair of giant hands. It never occurred to her that it wasn't completely normal. She met my friends Aussie Shepherds, both a geriatric and a young one and learnt how to greet both.
We took her down the beach at 9 weeks and she ran along the beach off lead following the older dogs and exploring. She ran into the water, dug in the sand, climbed the wooden steps and slept like the dead afterwards.
We also took her to a carnival where there were crowds of people, other dogs and carnival rides. Lots of noise and sound. And she handled it like a complete pro.

I took her to visit my friendly chiropractor, who also treated dogs, so they were welcome in his rooms. She wasn't being treated, but she was patted and adored and even held by other clients while i was getting treatment. There was no way i was passing up that opportunity.

She also went to night dog shows and Agility comps and walked around and met dogs and people. Even before she was old enough to enter. And they can enter shows at 3 months old. Dog shows are amazing for teaching a dog how to behave, settle in a crate, and be around other dogs. It's awesome for teaching a puppy to work under distraction, which becomes a right beast to teach them when they're a little older, and you'll be thankful you put in the time to take them out when adolescence kicks in and they become willful teenagers, who don't need to listen to you.

All of these things she did well before her course of vaccinations were complete. I monitored her to make sure she wasn't overtaxed (which could potentially make her more susceptible to illness) and i kept her away from dog poo and anything that looked a bit too suss. (settled water, goopy mud and high traffic dog parks). But she's the best socialised dog i have now and i don't for a second regret the decisions i made.

Each of you have to make a choice, and i won't harp on about it too much if you choose a different route, but I really feel you're making your future more difficult than it needs to be if you don't commit to early socialisation. I urge you to get in touch with your local vets and find out the risks in your area. And to also do some independent research on the benefits of early experiences for your puppy. I'm sure once you do you'll agree that its in the best interests of you and your puppy to get them out early and often.

It's been a dramatic year of lows for us here in Victoria, but finally we see an end to the gloom of COVID-19 lockdown in sight and we're hoping to celebrate doubly hard.

In September, I was more than a little worried this wouldn't go ahead. But the stars aligned and with a lot of luck, frozen semen collected almost a year ago finally made it to Australia. On the very same day Winter came into season.

I took it as a good sign and the next day the semen was sitting at Monash Vet waiting for Winter.

There were a few anxious weeks to confirm we were expecting little Hiro and Winter babies in December.
They arrived with a minimum of fuss on 12th December 2020: 4 Boys and 4 Girls, all Black and Tan.

We need to thank Hiro's owner and breeder for all their help making this happen, Opvet and Monash vet for their professional support, the Finnish Lappalaiskoirat Ry Breeding Committee and my partner Glen for indulging my passion.