New addition to the Crowsnest Pack

Sorry I have neglected my blog for so long.  Laska's pups are all in their new homes now - go to my website http://www.timbalandshilohs.com/ to see more of them.
We now have another Shiloh in our family Timbalands Epic Raya Sunshine - Raya for short.  She comes from Epic Shilohs in Ontario & is out of two really beautiful dogs Nero & Story. I've been looking for two long years for my next Shiloh & this little girl is everything I had hoped for. Sometime down the line I hope to get her together with Timba for what should be some awsome pups but for now we are just enjoying this little bundle of fun. Very intelligent & mischievous, she's a joy to have around. Timba is her pal & Laska is her surrogate mum - they both let her take liberties with them. Jazz & Moose are not so patient & she has learned to keep a safe distance when annoying them lol.

Puppies!

Well our girl is definately expecting. If not I need to get her on a diet big time! The earliest pups are due is St Patricks day 17th March so watch this space. Nick has made her a a nice whelping box but she prefers the sofa . Timba has claimed the box.

Timba & Alaska breeding

Alaska came in season (for the fourth time!) a little earlier than expected so I had some quick decisions to make. If I wait until her next season  it would mean puppies ready to go around October time & that's not a good time up here in Canada. Cold winters do not encourage good socialisation, lol.
So we are going for it (well Timba & Alaska are vbg) & pups should be born around the 17th March if the mating is successful.

These should be just beautiful pups with brains & beauty.  To follow news of this litter check out my new website http://www.timbalandshilohs.com/ .
By the way Laska's Penn hip score came through this month with excellent results. Right hip 0.25 Left hip 0.36.

Merry Christmas everybody

Timba

Photo courtesy of Kerri Gallagher http://www.trynatyphoto.com/

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween - from two little devils.

The damage

Next day we could see huge great paw prints everywhere - he had pulled down the log pile, knocked over the plant tubs but the only real damage was to our metal patio table. The big fat galoof had sat on it & bent it.

An unwelcome visitor

The dogs woke me up at 3 am barking at something outside - nothing unusual about that. Animals pass by our place all the time so I'm used to it. It wasnt until I heard some strange noises that I got up to see what was going on. There on our front deck was a bear standing on his hind legs (all 7+ foot of him!). It has been below freezing with snow on the ground for a few weeks now so they should be safely hibernating but obviously this bear had not read about that. I withdrew to the bedroom taking the dogs with me in case they got him angry but then I heard noises like he was trying to get in. "Oh no you dont!" I thought & out I came, picked up 2 metal dog bowls & bashed them together as loud as I could. Mr Bear shot off over the side of the deck (10 foot drop) & headed off into the dark.  10 minutes later he's at the back of the house sitting on the hot tub!  I got the airhorn out that we keep for just such occasions, opened the window behind him & blasted him. That did the trick - this time he took off running & didnt look back.

I have to give credit to my dogs. Timba & Moose were right by my side ready to go into action (Jazz & 'Laska right behind me, lol) &  they certainly gave me a lot more courage than I would have had if I'd been alone.

When Nick got home all he was bothered about was that he missed the action & that I hadnt taken any photos! He sat up the next night armed with bear spray & a camera but our new friend hasnt returned. Dont think he wants to tackle me & the Pack again.....  

Exploring Lille ghost town

Alaska & Timba deerwatching

The Pack

My mate Jolanda was visiting from Tasmania in August & took this great photo of my dogs. Click on the image for a better view.

Timba learns to swim

Timba has always been a bit of a wuss about getting out of his depth in the water but this year he got so impatient waiting for Jazz to bring the sticks back for him that he finally took the plunge. It's not pretty - he trys to 'climb' the water rather than swim but he is really enjoying it now.

Alaska's OFA rating

Just got Alaska's preliminary OFA hip rating and it's all GOOD!!

When she's a little older & before I make any decisions about breeding I'll get a Penn Hip report.
Although it would have been acceptable to have that done now I prefer to wait until they are closer to being fully mature (the older they are the more reliable the results).

Anyway - I'm so happy about this. I have two Shilohs with excellent hips. Further evidence that the ISSR programme is continuing to produce sound healthy Shilohs.

Harvey the RV

We are going on a road trip to California in August & this will be our home for 18 days - all 4 dogs are coming with us so it's gonna be cosy.

The chastity fence

The new run came in handy keeping Timba & 'Laska apart when she came in season. We switched them about so they had equal free time but Timba's mind was on one thing only!

The new dog run

Our old dog run was too far from the house so Nick has built this new one attached to the garage so they can go in & out of the house when they like. Timba has checked out all the possible escape routes but so far we have managed to out-smart him.

No room for me

If you look closely Nick is under this pile of dogs. This is a typical Sunday morning - I get up to make the coffee & by the time I get back my place has been taken. Thankfully they choose NOT to sleep on the bed during the night. Timba chooses the basement where it's cool, 'Laska sleeps in her kennel, Moose gets under the bed & Jazz, who likes her creature comforts, sleeps on the sofa. In my next life I'm coming back as one of MY dogs!

Timba 3 years old

Timba was 3 on 29th April. Doesnt seem 2 minutes since he was small enough to fit in that bowl.

He truly is everything I had hoped for & more - a true ambassador to the breed.

He's 109lb now & has probably reached his full height of 28" .

One of the biggest lap dogs I've met.

Look at my girl now

Alaska's growing up fast - she's 10 months old now & such a sweetheart. She had her first season in January & it was a challenge keeping her & Timba apart but we got through it.

I have been confined to the house since February with a blown knee so she has not had the socialisation she should have had. I dont think this will hold her back any but I'm going to get her out in the world soon to make up for lost time.

She has an amazing ability to figure things out for herself. She likes to collect all the metal feeding bowls after supper. To make it easier to pick them up she puts the 2 smaller collie bowls inside the 2 big Shiloh bowls & carries them all together to her corner to lick them clean.

She can not only open a sliding door, she will close it behind her to cover her tracks, lol.

She's also just had her first 'blow-out' - She lost all her undercoat in 3 days & I could have stuffed 10 cushions with the stuff! That's another great thing about the Shilohs though - the plush coats shed twice a year & there is a ton of hair lost but the rest of the time there's not a lot of dog hair to complain about.

Next step on the road to getting her & Timba together is to get her hips checked out & to do the temperament testing so she can get full ISSR registration.

To see Alaska & Timba growing up go to www.photoshow.com/members/jyeomans/all

Arriving home

This is what we arrived home to - the snow was so far up the back door we couldnt open it - luckily our lovely neighbours had cleared our steep driveway before we got home or we would have had to stay in town.
First job was to gather up the dogs - my neighbours had looked after the collies & my parrots. The Shilohs had stayed in town with a friend (Jodi) who breeds & trains German shepherds. First we picked up the Shilohs and what a welcome we got - both jumping all over us & Timba doing his best Chewbacca impression for a solid 10 minutes. Couldnt believe how much Alaska had grown in just 3 weeks and the stay has obviously done her confidence the world of good. I knew Timba would be fine but I was so worried about leaving Alaska it was wonderful to see how well she had done.
Timba had his usual upset tum from eating snow & rubbed all the fur off his nose trying to get outside to relieve himself so he looks very funky at the moment. It's healing well though.
I received an email from Jodi saying what a joy it had been to have them - constantly making them laugh & so well behaved (of course!). Think I may have made a convert to the Shiloh camp.

Next we went next door to retrieve the collies.
Moose was all over us, soooo pleased to see us but Jazz, as always, refused to speak to me & we had to make her get in the car to go home. She has always done this - likes to make me feel bad about leaving her.
Timba & Moose have never been apart before & I was surprised they were not pleased to see each other. There was a lot of posturing and dominance behaviour from both of them & it was a couple of days before they settled back to normal.
The snow is so deep right now the dogs would be able to step over the 5 foot fence around the dog run so I guess they wont be left in there for a while. It's good to be home!