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! 

Charmed…by Kathy

Positively Charmed by Fleetfire Timbers Lhasa Apsos!

Do you have an old charm bracelet stashed away in a jewelry box?  I don’t wear mine any longer because the charms are so heavy and somehow my wrist grew larger (smile!)  But I love the delicate golden figures, gifts from my mom and aunt.  Each charm celebrates a special moment from my childhood through teen years.  They are especially dear to my heart as “the sisters” have passed on.

I do wear necklaces!  So for a lot of fun under $20, I crafted the above charm necklace.  Hobby Lobby, JoAnn Fabrics and Michaels run frequent sales on their jewelry making materials…even found a tiny prayer wheel that spins!  How about making one for yourself and share it on the blog?

Have fun!
Kathy

Vickie shared…

Read Dog Breeds in the 19th Century.

Dawa and Karma

From Rod:

Hi Debby,

I wanted to let you know the little girl went in for her surgery this week.  Dr. O’Brien thought now was the time, she came home Wednesday night with some pain but after the first dose of medication she soon relaxed and went to sleep.  Today she is up and about like nothing happen but we are keeping her from getting to active for the next several days.

We took the boy in for his summer hair cut and when Olga went to pick him up she barely could recognize him.  Needless to say we were not too pleased with the way the groom cut him and I must say he was very unhappy about it as well.  We could not get him to go outside and he was having accidents in the house so we had to revert back to the puppy training methods again.  His hair is starting to grow back now some and I jokingly call him our Chia Pup.  I would suspect he will be back to his full coat by October.  Here is a picture of both after his cut and the second is of the girl on graduation day from puppy training.  Take care!

 Rod & Olga

 

Susan wonders…@ dog stairs

Now that Raji has recovered, I need to find a better way for her to get
up onto the bed than leaping from the side.
The bed is high off the ground  — 32″ or so.
Rinchen jumps onto the cedar chest at the bottom of the bed and up from
there.
Sammy and Pony jump onto a shorter hamper and then to the cedar chest
and up from there.
Raji persists in wanting to come all the way up at the side.

So….I’m thinking about getting some of those plastic or memory foam
sets of steps.
Would you/could you inquire as to whether any of the readers of your
blog have any suggestions for brands, etc.

Thanks from all of us.
Susan, Raji, Rinchen, Sammy and Pony

Interesting books from Dogwise

Most of you receiving this weekly update are successful at training dogs – at least your own, right? Training someone else to train his or her dog – or how to deal with their dog’s behavioral problems – is a significantly more challenging endeavor, however. Fortunately the human side of the equation is being increasingly recognized as something the professional dog trainer must get a handle on to be successful. Our book of the week was one of the first to address this issue by one of the real pioneers in the field, William “Bill” Campbell. Bill’s Dog Behavior Problems – The Counselor’s Guide takes a long look at things from both sides – in particular the dog owner’s perspective and the dog trainer/behaviorist’s expectations. It really does take three to tango on this subject – you, the owner, and – of course – the dog. Special 20% savings this week, get it now for only $15.96. Of course since Campbell’s book was originally published in 1999, there have been a number of books written and DVDs produced on this subject. Some of the more popular and important ones we carry are: It’s Not the Dogs, It’s the People! by Nicole Wilde (available as a book and an audio CD) The Family in Dog Behavior Consulting by Lynn Hoover Teaching People, Teaching Dogs by Dani Weinberg Getting Compliance and Working with Difficult Clients (seminar DVD) by Nicole Wilde Coaching People to Train Their Dogs by Terry Ryan (available as a book and a seminar DVD) Click here for Dogwise.com

Kipu…

 

June 16, 2009 – One Year Old!  Kipu sends Birthday Greetings to siblings Akasa, Karma and Skyob!  Kipu hopes his sister and brothers are doing as well as he is. 

He loves going on his walks…in fact…if I even mention the word ‘walk’ he runs over to the front door and has an excited look of expectation on his face.  (And he has many wonderful expressions…you know exactly what he’s thinking.)  On his walks he loves everyone he meets so I’ve broadened the number of people I know.  He’ll wag his tail and continue to look over his shoulder till he can’t see them anymore.

He has turned into a bird dog, too.  That means he doesn’t like any birds in his yard.  That makes things a little difficult for me as I have several bird feeders.  He’ll be laying by the patio door looking out, a rabbit shows up and Kipu’s up growling and barking.  If he happens to be outside when the bunny appears, the bunny has to run for his life!  Talk about fast!  Kipu can catch the ball I throw before it goes downstairs.  Granted, it’s just his squeaky, stuffed soccer ball, but still it amazes me!

I love when he talks to me.  I can’t interrupt what he’s saying, but it’s a really cool sound he makes.  The closest thing I can think of to compare it to is a cooing dove.

And he’s definitely a helper with my gardening.  I’ve had to fence my veggie garden to try to keep him out after he walked down my row of poblano peppers and tipped them all over and then tried to go through the climbing pea fence I had made with twine.

He’s also my protector.  When a dog on TV barks, he stands up on alert and begins growling.  Or a doorbell on TV rings, he’s immediately standing and barking, glancing over his shoulder to check to see if I’m heeding his warning.

I woke in the wee small hours this morning to someone stroking my hair.  I discovered he gave a couple of licks to my hair while he decided to share my pillow.  His little butt was under the covers, too, so not sure how he managed all that.

I honestly couldn’t imagine what I’d do without him….

Sandy

Rita goes home

 I am tickled pink about this arrangement! Twenty years ago, when I purchased Mountain Pet Grooming, both Jo Ann and her mother Dorothy were clients. Jo Ann had a Shih Tzu named Butch. Dorothy had an Apso named Smokey. The years came. The years went. Smokey died. Butch died. Dorothy got another Lhasa Apso, Angel, from a local breeder. The years came. The years went. Dorothy died. Of course Angel went to live with Jo Ann. The years came. The years went. Jo Ann’s husband died. Her grandson was born. She moved down-the-hill. Still, every two weeks I groomed Angel. Several months ago Angel died. It felt like a permanent fixture, a fixture that had been there for over 20 years, was gone. Jo Ann has a great outlook on life. She’s beautiful inside and out. I missed seeing her!

Was I ever delighted when she asked to meet Rita!

Samantha, on the other hand, wasn’t… 

She came and borrowed Rita one evening for a photo session. I’m looking forward to seeing those photos!

Photo lessons

Two years ago Nate invited me to take Digital Photography ‘along side’ him at UCD. The first time we went out on a photo shoot, he informed me I needed to get to know my camera. He was right, of course. I didn’t immerse myself in learning my camera, but I have plodded along ever since. My manual is tattered. I’m now fairly comfortable with depth of field and composition.

Last fall, finally deciding to give podcasts a try, I searched  ‘photography’ in iTunes. After listening to a few, Camera Dojo soon became my favorite. Kerry Garrison and David Esquire are entertaining and informative. They banter and educate. The strange thing is they’re wedding photographers. Kerry used to be a product photographer. David used to shoot extreme sports. About a month ago, after hearing repeated invitations for listeners to follow them on Twitter or friend them on Facebook, I did. And I’m really glad I did.

The color, the vibrancy, in David’s photos amazed me. So, student that I am, I sent him a message asking if he was getting those brilliant images ‘in camera’. He actually responded! And even made me feel good about asking a naive question! How cool is that?! Even better, I had almost half-a-clue when he briefly explained his photography style technique.

So, I played..

 

Braggin’ about Mary’s Roman!

Mary, you must be very proud!

From Mary:

Julie, just had to share this from my trainer at Cloud Nine.  Dawn is
owner/trainer who has quite an ackomplishment list in conformation,
obedience, agility with all her dogs.   Since I can’t take credit for the
genetics, thought I should pass it on to you.   I will probably have her run
him at a future AKC event for agility.  It is fun to see how well he runs
with an experienced handler.

Mary

—–Original Message—–

From: Dawn

Hi Mary:

I just have to tell you how awesome I think Roman is. We all know dogs are a
product of their genetics and their environment. Clearly you started with a
great dog but you’ve also turned him into quite an amazing fellow. He really
is a highlight of any class you attend with him (and you’re pretty fun
yourself), and I’m so grateful you chose my training school for his
educational needs because I can’t imagine not having had the pleasure of
knowing him (and you!)!

If you ever need a guest handler at an AKC agility trial for Roman, please
put me at the top of the list. I would be so honored to run the little guy!

Dawn

Rumor goes to her Forever Home

Rumor is no longer Center Stage. At least not Center Stage here at FFT!

Maybe Judy can fill us in on the latest. Here’s what she wrote about a week ago:

Hi Julie,   

 We spent 7 1/2 our on the road yesterday and at all 3 stops she took care of  business.  We brought her into the backyard and then let our dogs out. They were so glad to ssee us, especially Odie, that the intro went very well. The evening was fine. We live in a tri-level and she watched eveyone from the top of the stairs. She went  out when the two went out and came back in with no problem.  She certainly is a loving dog. She loves to be picked up. She and Izzy seem to be doing fine.  They sit next to each other on the stairs. 
Odie has always been more interested in what we do, so he and Orange Kitty just walk by Rumor. She has yet to bark.  We had roofers all day today and there wasn’t a sound from her.  She didn’t eat her dinner last night, but she was hungry this morning!
The dogs are in and out alot during the day, so there haven’t been any accidents.  Tonight we walk with our neighbors who have a standard poodle, so we will see how that goes.
Izzy (the Princess) only goes for walks if she feels like it.
 I feel we are doing very well. She and Izzy are my shadows.  She has her stitches out Wednesday.
 Thanks again for trusting us with such a sweet little dog.  We will keep in touch.
  
Judy and John