Welcome to Fleetfire Timbers – FFT – Lhasa Apsos!

Welcome to our cyberplace for Apso Aficionados, a community built around a common love of the lion dog from Tibet. We talk about Lhasa Apsos - and a lot of other things. We laugh together. We cry together. So, grab a cup of coffee or tea,  perhaps a glass of wine. Kick back, explore, meet us, the dogs and the people that have become a part of our lives. 

Scroll down to enjoy the blog. Intended to provide information for owners of our dog and puppies, within Apsos! Apsos! you’ll find resources for training, grooming, exhibiting, nutrition and veterinary care. Covering anatomy, genetics, coat color, renal dysplasia, reproduction and the breed’s standard, Breeding Apsos is designed for serious students of the breed.  Enter the Gallery to explore the Halls. Lineage History and Champions delve into our strain of Lhasa Apsos. The Library is the centralized location for the myriad of information and resources contained in the website. Whether you’re the owner of a Lhasa Apso, educating yourself about the breed, considering the purchase of an Apso or simply surfing the web, welcome! 

Majors all the way ’round

FFT Space Cowboy (some people call him Maurice) won his first major yesterday.

FFT Well Said (Ella) did one better, winning Best of Breed under breeder/judge Bobbie Wood, for her second major.

Nate coached the Colorado School of Mines swim team to a 1st place win at the Thanksgiving Invite in St. Louis. Five of his swimmers qualified for NCAA’s!.

While all this competition was going on, I went to a movie and continued photo lessons with Michael.

Shapes occurring naturally…

Angle of attack…

 

Sunday morning services..

With do apologies to those who attend their church of choice… Sunday morning services. A familiar saying between Rick and his long-time friends.

Last Sunday, awaking to snow, snow, embracing snow, I took  photos of my Sunday morning ritual. Hot coffee in a favorite cup (purchased at the Guggenheim Museum the year Rick and I met Tim and Julie in New York City for C’est La Vie’s debut at the Westminster Dog Show). Vegetables ready to chop for Dog Soup, added to kibble and raw meat.

In the pot…

The furnace is set to come on early in the morning, but there’s nothing roasty, toasty like the warm heat produced by the wood stove. Sometimes I sit in front of it, sipping coffee, watching it catch.

Still life of Smelly Things from Mitch…

From one cozy wood fire to the next, last Sunday Rick and I spent the day on top of a mountain with a 360 degree view. Melissa and I soaked in the hot tub while the guys watched football. After the game we ate steaks and salad and asparagus. I love having nearby friends! Ten minutes and we’re home again, home again lickety split.

It has been a year of transition. It has been a year of letting go. And grabbing on. It is not the Same As It Ever Was. Things – old and new – to be embraced. Or embrace me. The snow. Kelly. Producing and editing. Old friends. Photography. New friends. The dogs. Carpe Diem! 

 

Flawed Dogs

Last night I woke up in the wee hours and finished this book. This morning I had to clean the dried tears from my glasses. Tears of laughter. Tears of joy. And a few tears of… ?? regret ??

From the inside book jacket of Flawed Dogs, The Novel, The Shocking Raid on Westminster:

Keep it quiet, but the world’s most famous dog show is about to be attacked. Who are the daring but atrociously bred commandos led by a suspiciously beautiful dachshund?

Not at all what they seem, that’s for certain.

You may not know it by looking at him – what with his scars and soup ladle for a leg – but Sam was once a stunning dachshund with a girl who loved him and a destiny to dog show glory. That is until Cassius, an ambitious and jealous poodle, sent his life into a wild descent of calamity and sorrow.

Now Sam wants revenge. And what better way to get it than to sabotage Cassius’s chances at winning best in show at Westminster? Sam recruits a ragtrag team of dogs whose flaws are perfect for mischief making, among them gargantuan Tusk, pint-sized Wee Will, and Pooft, whose gastric eruptions flare to the fiery disadvantage of anyone unfortunate enough to be on his wrong side. Westminster has never seen a show like this.

In this heartfelt novel, both tragic and hilarious, from the mind of Pulitzer Prize-winning comic strip creator Berkely Breathed, young readers will be rooting for the underdog. Literally.

Stevie..takes the money and runs

On this snowy Sunday morning in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains I’d like to share about Stevie. Named after Steve Miller, Stevie is a female. She, along with her two brothers, are named after Steve Miller Band songs. Joker is FFT The Joker. Maurice is FFT Space Cowboy (’cause he speaks with the pompitous of love). Actually the boys’ names come from the same song. And Stevie is FFT Take The Money and Run.

A beautiful puppy…

Stevie was awarded Best In Sweepstakes at both the LACCC Specialty in September and the TCLAC Specialty in August…

Shown very selectively, she was awarded her first major at the LACCC Specialty in September by breeder/judge Barbara Schwartz and her second major National Specialty week under Dr. Penta. At the ALAC National Specialty she was RWB, posing like a supermodel…

 

Happy Birthday Ali…

Sent by Vickie in June

… hard to believe she’ll be 12 in November.  She’s been such a joy all these years.  Oh, what we would have missed out on had we insisted on a female puppy (well, besides the infamous potting soil incident lol).

 

Happy 80th Alma!

In honor of Alma’s birthday! Her 80th birthday!

We – Alma and I – have never met face-to-face. Wouldn’t that be fun! I admire Alma’s spirit. A business she started years ago, she continues to sell Mary Kay products. She still has some of her original customers. Alma, I’m not sure why you originally contacted me. Or how you found me. The website, probably. Roadie went to live with Alma in December several years ago…the same month Seth went to live with Caroline. Caroline’s former son-in-law was able to fly Seth, in cabin, to Florida. Weather, December wasn’t a problem. Roadie, on the other hand, was flying air cargo to Alma. She arranged a ride to airport with a neighbor and let me know which day and what hours were convenient for her neighbor. Okay. Remember, this was December. Airlines have weather restrictions on flying live animals, which are reviewed daily. I thought we’d be lucky to get Roadie out of Denver before February, given the restrictions. But, I went along with Alma’s plans. And guess what?! United lifted the ‘fly live animals’ restriction for FOUR hours on the very day, the very hours, that worked for Alma’s neighbor.

When I sent Roadie, he was wearing a relatively short coat. He wasn’t in long, show coat. Alma takes him to the groomer monthly and his coat is, once again, long. She’s promised to take recent photos. I’m looking forward to seeing them.

I love that Alma updates me via the blog. My father-in-law turned 81 in April. He uses his computer for card games. That’s it. Alma communicates using the FFT blog. Wouldn’t it be fun to meet Alma! Age is a state of mind. I’ve always said that. Sometimes, especially while driving, I remind myself…don’t drive like an old person, don’t drive like an old person. I also realized, years ago, that as time marches on, as the years go by, I’m still me. I’m the same person I was growing up. I’m the same person I was as a young adult. I’ll be the same person when I’m 80.

Today, Alma, celebrate 80 years of life!

Happy Birthday Alma!

 

Blood clots and Stroke

I know this isn’t about dogs. Or dog people. But it’s an important message…one I’ve covered before on the blog. Winston’s owner Ann…if only people realized she had a stroke instead of being ‘clumsy’ while hiking. I want to cover this again, in her honor. Thanks Alma for sending.

Blood Clots And Stroke

They Now Have a Fourth Indicator, 

The Tongue

STROKE: Remember the 1st Three Letters… S-T-R  

 

STROKE IDENTIFICATION: 

 

During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall – she assured everyone 

that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. 

 

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food.  While she appeared 

a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. 

 

Jane’s husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to 

the hospital, (at 6:00 pm Jane passed away.)  She had suffered a stroke at 

the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with  us today. Some don’t die. They end up in a  helpless, hopeless condition instead. 

It only takes a minute to read this 

 

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke…totally.  He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough. 

 

RECOGNIZING A STROKE 

 

Thank God for the sense to remember the ‘3′ steps, S-T-R  

 

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The  stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage  when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. 

 

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three 

simple questions: 

 

S - *Ask the individual to SMILE. 

T- *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK

A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) 

(i.e. It is sunny out  today)

R- *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS. 

 

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency

number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. 

 

New Sign of a Stroke — Stick out Your Tongue 

 

NOTE:  Another ’sign’ of a stroke is this: Ask the person to ’stick’ out

his/her tongue, If the tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other,  

that is also an indication of a stroke. 

 

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people;

you can bet that at least one life will be saved..  

 

Katy Swims with Dolphins

Hi Debby,

Ken and I just got back from a short vacation to Cancun! First time we’ve had a real vacation in over ten years, and first time for me to go anywhere I needed a passport! 

The highlight of our trip is shown on the little video link attached. Ken has edited out the other six people in our group from the professional video of the event that we bought from the organization, Dolphin Discovery.  This was on Isla Mujeres, off the coast of Cancun.

It was an amazing experience and one I’ll never forget.  I used to slalom ski “back in the day”, but never like this!

This vacation was made possible for us by a dedicated, professional pet sitter and three well-behaved Apsos, thanks to Ana Melara.

Be sure and turn on the sound:  http://www.zeketheapso.us/cancun%20video.html

–
Katy

PS LOVE your beautiful photos! You are getting to be a very accomplished photographer.

Ginny’s Snowy Chloe

Wednesday night (a week ago Wednesday) I put the dogs out to potty and look what I found 5 minutes later. I had pulled the wicker furniture toward the house to protect it from the storm, Chloe jumped onto the chair, then to the table and was perusing the yard from what she apparently thought was a better position……………perhaps searching for squirrels ??????? She’s so Himalayan, loves to be out in, play in and lay in the snow.

Ginny

Mary’s Moka

Hi Debby, thought I’d send a couple pics of the puppy I have from Melissa’s/Josie’s liter…….you probably know but she’s Shot in the Dark, AKA Moka.    A moka is an Italian coffee pot used on a stove, makes shots of expresso.  “all is moka,” means all is good.   I searched hard for an appropriate name.   Too much for me.

 

She is a happy girl and has learned the rule of Lhasa seniority very well.   It is amazing to watch how the very old can teach the very young.   She bows to Taz when he crosses her path as he doesn’t tolerate young hyperactive movement.  She’s all over Roman; he is just starting to chase, play with her.  Taz will occasionally give her an arthritic chase; she’s learned not to run into his face!!   She does a fast reverse run.  It’s funny to watch the 2 males, the relationship reminds me of a general and his soldier…………Roman often looks to Taz for direction on how to interact with her……….he doesn’t give the correction, Taz does.  I have learned how strong their bond to each other is.  She hasn’t quite figured out the role of a cat but has learned not to torment too close.  I have 2 ragdolls, about 20 lbs.  who will turn and correct her and a 6 lb. domestic short hair who will give her a verbal tongue lashing for bad behavior.  She doesn’t quite get cat lingo but knows a hiss is a warning and it’s time to change direction.

 

Moka’s a lot of fun and adds some smiles to the day.

 

Mary