Tails of the Visions Cardigans

Have you seen...

2012-01-24T18:10:00.008-05:00

If you follow my blog, you will know what turmoil I have been through to feed my allergy dog. After we made the decision to now feed Natural Balance, a “little birdie” told me about Mr. Chewy!

We just placed our first order and all I can say is WOW!

SAVE 10% on your first order! Use this code VISI7571 and along with YOU saving 10%, a $10 donation is made by Mr. Chewy to these charities.

FREE SHIPPING with any order $49 + (and if you feed multiple dogs like we do, you know that is not hard to do!)

Competitive prices! I was able to get 28 pounds of Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Bison for less that the local store - which is not that local at 30 minutes away.

Their website was very easy to navigate, simpler and easier than that of a more popular online pet food site I used in the past (and that was only because I had a groupon – and the shipping made any savings obsolete).

I placed my order Friday night, it was shipped on Monday and it is scheduled to arrive tomorrow! This is the ultimate in convenience when the last thing I want to do is to go to the area high-end pet store 30 minutes away. The prices are very competitive and they have...

My only "complaint" would be that they do not have guaranteed analysis for the products but I easily can open another tab in my browser to go to the brand’s website and get the information I need. This will definitely not stop me from using Mr. Chewy again!

You can also follow Mr.Chewy’s escapades on Facebook or on Twitter.

Hush!

2012-01-23T17:01:00.003-05:00

Hush loves her Natural Balance Duck & Potato treat roll.

Extremely disappointed

2012-01-17T15:29:00.001-05:00

It seems that Flint River Ranch is now going to be changing their formulas to include chicken fat to replace grape seed and canola oils. They have already made the change to the lamb formula. They claim that dogs who are allergic to the chicken protein are not sensitive to the chicken fat, but I am not going to gamble with Hush.

Because of this new information, I am no longer going to promote this line of food.

Newest Luther pups have arrived!

2011-12-30T13:28:00.002-05:00

Luther and CH Mantle's Journey to Terabithia presented the Sunspark/Kantasia crew with 8 pups, 4 blue males, 3 blue bitches and 1 black bitch.

No mismarks (again)!

You can see photos of the pups on their blog.

If there is a will...

2011-12-20T23:33:00.002-05:00

There is a way. The sleepy Spaniel *must* sleep in the chair, even though my tote of candy making supplies is in the way.

1-2-3

2011-12-19T16:50:00.005-05:00

First, there was one puppy ready for a nap.

Then there were two.

Which soon became three.

Just Emma

2011-12-17T14:36:00.002-05:00

Happy Holidays!!!

2011-12-12T16:38:00.010-05:00

From all of us,

To all of you...

We wish you a very Happy Holiday
(whichever you may celebrate)
and a Happy New Year!!

Leonard Craig and Holly Goldman-Craig
Visions Cardigan Welsh Corgis
Luther, Sabrina, Snickers, Emma, Hush, Sailor, Sea Sea
and Ben the Springer

Daughters make good pillows

2011-12-06T07:39:00.005-05:00

The trio of Snickers with her daughters is actually wonderful to watch. They adore each other and are nearly inseparable.

Happy 5 month Birthday to the Nautical litter!!

Cardi Claus has arrived!!

2011-12-05T16:51:00.007-05:00

A HUGE THANK YOU to Mama Builder, Nick the Cardi & family for the wonderful box full of Cardi Claus enjoyment!! Everything is so PERFECT!!

Toys for each of our 8 dogs (I will be sending Luther's cow to him in AZ) and treats that everyone, including Hush Puppy with her allergies, can eat! Bath soak (SCORE), COFFEEEEEE and TEA for Leonard & I (YES!) with a GREAT mug and matching ornament...

THANK YOU LIZ & family!!! You were beyond thoughtful!!

Flint River Ranch

2011-12-02T20:25:00.009-05:00

Having a dog that has food allergies, I have done a ton of research to find a food I was comfortable feeding that the dogs really liked. This search led me to become a distributor for Flint River Ranch.

Flint River Ranch foods, aside from being oven baked, are

100% Natural Ingredients
100% Nutritionally Dense
100% Nutritionally Balanced
100% Naturally Preserved
100% Product Guaranteed
100% American Owned and Operated

Their slogan is what I was searching for...
"Feel Good About What You Feed!"
How does your current kibble compare?

He's official!

2011-11-04T21:26:00.002-04:00

Our local embroidery company did this as a sample for me. Next week I should have two warm and cozy sweatshirts featuring our "Cardi-Wanna-Be".

Another baking triumph (according to the pack)

2011-10-31T14:35:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was cold and damp, so to warm up the kitchen I experimented for the dogs. This is the result...

Super Simple Doggy Peanut Butter & Honey Treats

1 package Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 egg

1 serving spoon of creamy peanut butter

1/8-1/4 cup of honey (I just squirted it in the bowl without measuring)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together, roll into small balls and use a fork to flatted on the cookie sheet. Bake for 11-12 minutes to get crispy. Yield 5 dozen quarter sized treats.

I actually tasted one and they are just like peanut butter cookies with a bit of a grainy texture due to the cornmeal. The dogs LOVE them!

Luther in Primm

2011-10-29T21:28:00.003-04:00

Thank you Renay for these photos! I miss my boy but know he is having a great time where it is warm. Here we just finished snow storm #2.

Baking!

2011-10-26T18:55:00.004-04:00

Now that one of my dogs has food allergies, I got together with a friend who
1. loves to bake
2. used to make gourmet dog treats to sell at craft fairs
3. loves to bake
and together we made these yummy (to the dogs) delights pictured above.

My favorite recipe to make was the ones that are little balls and here is the recipe:

Bacon Bites
1/2 pound of bacon (we used an 8 oz package of real bacon bits)
3.5 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup corn meal
1 1/3 cups warm water
1/4 cup beef broth
3/4 cup olive oil (we used canola oil)

Preheat oven to 350.
Cook bacon until crispy, cool, crumble, reserve the grease bacon was cooked in. (We skipped this step.)
Combine flour, corn meal and crumbled bacon.
Combine water and broth, slowly pour into dry ingredients.
Add oil and mix until it forms a loose dough.
Make balls, drizzle with bacon grease (we skipped this) and bake until firm to the touch, 35-45 minutes.

This recipe produced over 200 treats that bake nice and crunchy. I think I am going to get a melon baller to make them more uniform next time.

Do any of you have an easy recipe to share? I just do not get excited over recipes that have more than 6 ingredients, since unlike my dear friend, I hate to bake.

A good weekend!

2011-10-17T09:45:00.003-04:00

Luther had his first show weekend in over a year, and in the opposite corner of the country with people he barely knows... In Primm, NV, Saturday he was Best of Breed over 3 other specials for his first major and on Sunday he was Select Dog for his second major for his first 8 points towards his Grand Championship.

Miss Hush was Best Opp in Sweepstakes on Saturday at the Maryland Specialty.

Spot, now known as Isabella, lives 8 miles away with a wonderful family and her new mum, a 12 year old girl, who has always wanted a Cardigan Welsh Corgi. As she left, I said that dreams do come true. Yes they do.

Overall it was a very nice weekend!

Spot!

2011-10-09T12:58:00.003-04:00

Spot is back from her vacation by Boston and is now looking for a home to call her own! More info on our website!

MACH Olivia, Luther's Vacation and a pup-date!!

2011-10-03T15:12:00.007-04:00

Lots of stuff going on and I have finally found the time to blog all about it!!

Yesterday morning I got a joyous phone call from Barb Miller to say that Olivia got her MACH!!!
Thank you Barb for "dreaming BIG" with our "Little Dream"!!And for some more news...
On Saturday, Luther flew to Phoenix, AZ. There he is visiting Renay & Jon Crooker and Karen and Shannon Wilson of Sunspark & Kantasia for the winter! What a lucky dog - his humans left behind here in New York wish we could be snow birds too!

Traveling with Luther was Bart, the boy puppy from Snickers x Dallas. He is officially known as Visions Royal Fortune and will be residing in AZ. For now he is the last pup to leave. I may be looking for a show home for Miss Spot once she is back from her Boston vacation with Katrin, assisted by Julie.

The girls we have kept are...Visions Red Sky At Night, aka "Sailor"

andVisions Sapphire Seas, aka "Sea-Sea".

Cardi on a Cruise Ship?!

2011-10-03T14:30:00.023-04:00

Our vacation the first week of September was a much needed break! The virtual Hush came along so I would have a virtual Cardigan companion for the trip.

We left gray, hazy and wet New York behind...

New York Harbor and The Statue of Liberty.Going under the Verrazano Bridge.
The bridge we just squeezed under.

Hush made new friends...
Florida was very sunny and HOT!
The space shuttle replica.
And Luther would have loved all the "fire hydrants"...
The moon was just rising over the flag at the Kennedy Space Center, photo taken as we were leaving.
The ocean in the Bahamas was so blue!
And there we visited the zoo.
And fell in love with the flamingos!
It was over too soon and we were headed back home.Farewell to the Norwegian Jewel. We will be back on another NCL ship next spring!

More photos can be seen in our photobucket album.

Where did September go?

2011-10-03T09:29:00.002-04:00

We're still here though I felt we have almost washed away with all the rain, between Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee and the never-ending rain all month. I am praying that the rain will soon head to those who really need it and that we dry out a bit. The mud is insane - thank goodness for wood shavings which helps keep the mud outside. A dear, dear friend of mine slipped and broke her ankle in all this muck! So scary!!

I hope to catch up here as lots of good stuff has happened as well... little by little...

8wk photos

2011-09-01T11:15:00.001-04:00

Bart:

Blue 1:

Blue 2:

Blue 3:

Necklace:

Sailor:

Arrow:

DQ:

Hook:

Bracelet:

Spot:

Puppy photos!

2011-08-29T14:42:00.004-04:00

My mum came over this afternoon to steal power (my parents still don't have power 24+hrs post Irene, I got power back around 10m last night, other than that the storm was pretty benign around my house) and while she was waiting for her laptop to charge she helped me get some photos of the pups:

These puppies are EXPERT shoe lace untiers. 5 seconds flat and shoe laces are undone! LOL

"Puppy, Puppy, Puppy!!"

2011-08-26T15:07:00.003-04:00

Since the puppies started going on their twice daily walkabouts in the big yard last Friday, I have been working on teaching them to follow me and come when I call, "Puppy, puppy, puppy!" As the days have gone one this week, every day I'd get more puppies on the 1st call and have to go round up less and less stragglers. Yesterday afternoon, this morning and this afternoon we have had major success as ALL the puppies came running and followed me through the yard, up the ramp and onto the deck on the FIRST call of, "Puppy, puppy, puppy!" Such smart babies!

And I hear there is grumbling at the lack of puppy photos since they relocated to Camp. I am a terrible photographer and never seem to have a camera anywhere remotely near by at any opportune time, but I will work on it and get you folks some puppy cuteness hopefully. Sorry for the slacking! There should be photos for sure on Wednesday though as Julie is coming over specifically for that purpose! So should I forget to deliver between now and then, just hold out for Wed evening (well maybe Thursday morning if I run out of steam on Wed night) :-)

We Have Ears!

2011-08-21T18:01:00.003-04:00

Puppies had LOADS of visitors this weekend, good socialization opportunities! And this morning we had EARS on one of the blue girls and they stayed up all day!

1st Daily Puppy Walk-About Adventure

2011-08-19T06:53:00.004-04:00

This morning after breakfast, but before their early morning nap, the puppies had their 1st walk-about adventure in the big yard. Yesterday afternoon they had their 1st taste of going up and down the porch ramp to the patio-stone dog yard. On that adventure some were more daring than others, but all in the end made it down the ramp and had a good time. Sailor and one of the blue girls said, "Oh wee! Digging holes is AWESOME!!!! We LOVE dirt!!!" LOL It was very cute and they were very, very dirty!

Today they all raced down the ramp into the dog yard. When I opened the gate to the big yard, 2 of the blue girls leaped onto the grass. Where ever they end up, their owners are going to have FUN with them! :-) All but 3 of the other puppies also tumbled out into the yard, Bart, DQ and Sailor had a bit of a hard time problem solving how to get out the gate as I walked to the back of the big yard. Sailor eventually figured it out on her own, DQ and Bart, needed my help.

The pack of puppies, 3 big dogs and I walked 3 laps around the big yard getting the pups some much needed exercise. Hopefully with these daily walk-abouts they will start to develop some muscle tone in their chubby little bodies, LOL. They all still had enough energy after the walk-about to follow me running back up the ramp and into their pen on the porch. Now most are happily sacked out sleeping, except for that go-go-go blue girl who never stops ;-)

Flat Coat Envy

2011-08-16T11:32:00.004-04:00

Today the puppies met the big dogs- Niche, Tom and Monty (well he's a short dog but thinks he's a BIG dog! haha). The puppies pretty much ignored Monty and Tom but they were INFATUATED with "Uncle Niche." he was like the pied piper of puppies. Anywhere he went the group followed it was very cute. And my sister stopped by yesterday morning for some puppy cuddles.

The puppies have also begun to learn their 1st training lesson- screaming doesn't earn you food. This morning I got up at 5, and the puppies started barking wanting their breakfast. They were ignored, so they played amongst themselves, fell back to sleep, etc. When I moved around the house again around 6:30 they started to bark for food again, which was also ignored. I went about my morning routine feeding my dogs and myself essentially ignoring the puppies. At 7:15 they all sacked out sleeping again, caring not one iota what I was doing, so that's when I fed them. Food comes when you are quiet not when you are being demanding!

New Labeling

2011-08-15T14:50:00.003-04:00

Ok because it takes way too long for me to figure out which puppy is which by their markings, and by the time I figure out which one it is I'm looking at I've forgotten what behavior made me look in the 1st place, I labeled them with string collars as such for easier reference and quick ID:

Bart the boy has no collar

Blue #1 has no collar either
Blue #2 is royal blue
Blue #3 is gold

Hook is blue & red
Arrow is yellow
Spot is red
Necklace is brown
Bracelet is light blue
Sailor is green
DQ is navy blue

The Puppies have gone to Camp!

2011-08-15T06:10:00.003-04:00

Katrin here writing about the puppies' newest life adventure: For the next 4 weeks they'll be spending their time at Camp doing all sorts of fun stuff!

Yesterday Holly, Leonard and Snickers drove the babies all the way from New York to Massachusetts, about a 3hr car ride, where they screamed half the drive (but I say they learned an important lesson that all their new owners should love- the screaming doesn't end the car ride, being quiet does), for their delivery at Camp.

Upon arrival the puppies got to explore their new digs on the deck and eat lunch. There were new toys to play with, new surfaces to walk on, a tunnel to run through, a mirror to look in, a mini-dog walk to walk on and all manner of fun things to do. I'll be changing up the items in the puppy pen about once a week so that they have new things to explore and be exposed to.

Around 1pm, Julie and John arrived to begin the afternoon's puppy party! Teri, Bill and Brees joined us later after a long drive from Maine! We all hung around, played with puppies and ate dinner until near 6pm, and had a great time. It was wonderful to see everyone and the puppies loved it as well.

After everyone had gone home, I brought the puppies inside to the indoor pen by my large picture window, fed them dinner and put them to bed. They were happy, tired and content to spend the night sleeping.

This morning we all got up at 5, and I put the puppies on the deck to quickly clean the pen, but as it started raining, I brought them back inside, dried them off, fed them breakfast and played with them for a bit. The wore themselves out eating and playing for a good hour and are now happily snoozing again. Sleeping puppy piles are incredibly adorable! :-)

Today the puppies' have a big day planned- a visit with Dr Cheryl the chiropractor, my father is stopping by to visit and do some house repairs, and my aunt and 2 young cousins will probably stop by to visit the pups as well.

I will update the Visions' blog on the puppy adventures throughout the next 4wks and you can check out my own blog for some of their goings on as well.

Week 5 in photos

2011-08-13T13:10:00.015-04:00

Isn't it amazing how they grow week to week?

Bartholomew, the boy -

#1 -

#2 -

#3 -

DQ -

Hook -

Necklace -

Sailor -

Arrow -

Bracelet -

Spot -

2011-08-06T15:01:00.015-04:00

The reason for the puppy cam not being on today is they made their first excursion outside!

My long-time dog friend, Mari, came over and she stacked the puppies for their photo shoot. Yes, I need a new camera... As you can see, some have been more cooperative than others. This was their very first time on the stacking box. We will be practicing this week!

The boy - Mari called him Captain Bly!

Blue #1 -

Blue #2 -

Blue #3 -

DQ -
Hook -

Necklace -

Sailor -

Arrow -

Bracelet -

Spot -

New Cat Toy

2011-08-05T14:13:00.002-04:00

Let sleeping dogs lie...

2011-07-30T13:27:00.002-04:00

3 weeks old!

2011-07-27T17:31:00.029-04:00

The boy, B&W with tan points -
The blue girls...

#1 -
#2 -
#3
B&W with tan points...

DQ -
Hook -
Necklace -
Sailor - a personal favorite
B&W with brindle points...

Arrow -
Bracelet -
Spot -

Yes, I love lime green :-)

We now have peepers!

2011-07-19T09:14:00.003-04:00

Eyes started to open yesterday! This is my first Cardigan litter where eyes opened before the 2 week mark. I didn't get a photo of the open eyes, you will just have to enjoy this group shot instead.

Ta Da! Finally!! Individual Photos!

2011-07-14T13:15:00.019-04:00

Big Boy

Tan pointed black girls...

Sailor

Arrow

D. Q. (Dairy Queen maybe?)

Hook

Now the brindle pointed black girls...

Bracelet

Spot

Necklace

And the blue girls...

#1 the lightest

#2 the medium spotted blue

#3 the blue with the most black

Being Silly

2011-07-14T11:37:00.004-04:00

I was given a gift bag full of Snickers Minis! Leonard & I are benefiting from Snickers' motherhood!

A care package

2011-07-12T18:37:00.003-04:00

A care package arrived today from Julie & Katrin!
To myself, Snickers and the Sugar Babies!
There are some yummy snacks for Snickers, toys for the "sugar babies" and bath stuff and Sugar Baby candy for me!!

Thank you so much for this lovely surprise!!

First Photos

2011-07-07T22:46:00.009-04:00

First off, I want to thank all of you who have sent your good wishes and that have prayed for us. It has been a roller coaster 48 hours.

We almost lost Snickers sue to excessive blood loss yesterday. I took her back to the vet today for a check up as I was very worried about her still. We all were having flashbacks, esp. for the staff at my vet clinic.

Snickers needs tons of R & R as these pups took so much out of her. I went and bought the highest calorie dog food I could find (Abady, 800 kcal per cup - retailer was an hour away) and I am feeding her lots of yummy ice cream and yogurt with it.

This is the Special Sundae for Snickers. Abady food topped with 2 scoops of vanilla bean ice cream and dehydrated liver "cherry on top".

Now, on to the puppy photos!

The first born pup in the warming box accompanied by Pearl the Kitty.

The 3 blue girls. All have brindle points.

The 5 tan pointed tris. The lone boy is the furthest left.

The 3 brindle pointed tri girls.

There are no mismarks, and very few solid white collars.

A friend who raises Pembroke Welsh Corgis had a litter due today and the dam was only carrying 2-3 pups. They have offered to take some of our puppies to nurse and I think I am going to take her up on the offer, to give Snickers a break.

WOW!

2011-07-06T18:42:00.002-04:00

We have (drum roll please) - 10 girls (7 bw/tri, 3 blue merle) and 1 boy (tan point tri), via c-section.

More info later- we're exhausted!

Ready for blastoff! Temp drop!

2011-07-05T08:05:00.003-04:00

Snickers' temperature was 98.4 at 5:30 this morning. We should have pups in the near future!

Heavily pregnant, the last few days...

2011-07-03T09:14:00.005-04:00

Sometimes a little extra spoiling helps make eating easier when you are this far along... She will only eat when hand fed and we don't care! She deserves to be pampered!

Snickers is nice enough to share with the ancient cat, Twister. He begs worse than any dog we have.

My warming box, topped by Vera Bradley, has volunteers to keep it extra warm... The cats are addicted to sleeping on my Vera bags... they have good taste!

Adopt A Black Cat Day!

2011-06-30T08:00:00.004-04:00

It seems that gorgeous black cats are the most overlooked and the hardest to find homes for on the adoption front. Dr. Khuly over at Fully Vetted has declared today to be Adopt A Black Cat Day!

The cat pictured is our own China, and she picked us! We have had her for over 9 years now and she is a wonderful kitty! So today, if you are looking for a cat, please go adopt black cat!

Bark In The Park!

2011-06-28T07:17:00.005-04:00

Sabrina and I had a great time at the Valley Cats annual "Bark In The Park". We met up with Lulu and Tucker, as well as some of Ben's friends!

We thought it was quite ironic that the Valley Cats were playing against the Tigers, while the ball park was full of canines.

Specialty Proof!

2011-06-27T11:20:00.004-04:00

Hush going WB/Best BBE at the Del Val Specialty. We are proud of our girl!

Take your dog to work day and "The Xray"

2011-06-24T17:15:00.005-04:00

This morning Snickers joined me at the office for "Take Your Dog to Work Day". She was a great ambassador and took plenty of naps.

Then we went straight to the vet clinic. We are at Day 50 from the first breeding. My vet prefers to x ray as close to whelping as possible, but we did the best we could this early...

You can click the photo to make it full size. We count at least 6 with a possible 7th, but there could be more hiding.

Two weeks to go!

2011-06-23T16:40:00.006-04:00

It is hard to show the basketball belly...

From either angle...

But Ben is very photogenic!! He kept getting in my way of photographing Snickers.

Sabrina is thinking: "So what is the big deal?"
Snickers would like to know if I will stop the photo shoot so she can continue her nap.

But Ben said "Don't stop! I love having my picture taken!"

Snickers will be xrayed tomorrow.

Del Val Specialty

2011-06-19T16:23:00.005-04:00

What a gorgeous day today has been! The sun was out, a beautiful breeze was blowing...

Last night I drove down from New York, stayed with our good friend, Genie, and was off today for the Del Val Specialty. This was only the 2nd time I have been able to go to this lovely show in PA. BTW... how many of you have heard of Ludwig's Corner, PA? Weather.com could not even find it!

But, it seems that Pastor Jim from Trinity Lutheran Church was a past pastor at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Ludwig's Corner! And it was only 1 mile from the show site. Since we were early, we did a quick detour and took this photo of St. Matthew's.

Isn't it just gorgeous in the morning glow?

Hush happened to be in season, but Debbie Moore was still willing to show her. It was a great call as she was Winners Bitch and Best Bred By! Thank you judge Steve Gladstone!! Here is all her loot...

Debbie was a real trooper as she then took Luther in for me, and he was a wild man since "his girl" was in season. Genie had Sabrina's brother (and Luther's half-brother), Tiller. Both boys were awarded Awards of Merit! Hush's half-sister was Best of Opposite.

I must say that this was a great show weekend! Congratulations to all the winners! There were some lovely dogs present.

And, thank you Penni for the "good luck" pendant as it certainly worked today!

The "cow" collection

2011-06-17T14:46:00.008-04:00

I think I really want to start to collect cows.

Luther was my first. We have always lovingly called him our "bull".

Remember this great pin/pendent that Emily made of him?

As of Wednesday, we acquired an "ox". Meet Ben! His owner was unable to keep him and I got a frantic call from his pet sitter asking if I knew of someone who could foster him. We said "Sure, we can do short term foster." When I met him, I knew he was the big dog I was looking for!!

Ben is a 5 year old (shares the same birthday as Skunk & Lulu) oversized English Springer Spaniel. We adore his goof-ball personality!

Puppies due July 6?!

2011-06-08T17:05:00.003-04:00

July 6th would be 9 weeks from estimated ovulation. Today is 5 weeks from the first breeding and we have a distinct bulge. I am very excited at the opportunity to have Dallas puppies!

The inhabitants of the fish tank...

2011-06-07T19:04:00.011-04:00

It has been a bit since I posted on my fish tank. The guppy didn't last 2 days and a month later my favorite fish, the dalmatian mollie, died of ick. I was very upset. Reading comments from my first blog post on this topic, I was unable to find nice swordtails at any of the local (15 mile radius) stores.

Now we have 5 store bought platies and one homebred! Well mum came pregnant and one of the fry survived. (L-R) top row: male sunburst micky mouse, female red mickey mouse, my two sunburst females in different shades. Below the suburst is a female white mickey mouse platy. Under her, a little to the left in the plant, you will see a light speck which is the surviving fry of the lighter sunburst, on the far right.

In this photo you can see the youngster on the left diagonally under the filter intake (probably 6 weeks old now) and two of my three pink glo-fish. Unseen in the photo, the fry does have twin tail fin bars, so maybe it was sired by a twinbar platy. I can't wait to watch her grow. EDITED: I did verify that the fry is female.

Photographic proof that we do have a frog in the 30 gallon tank. His name is now Waldo as I can never find him, and have gone for over a week at a time not knowing if he was still a resident. He was at the top of the tank this evening and I was able to snap this not so good photo (which makes him look larger than he is.

A tale of a turtle

2011-06-01T21:24:00.009-04:00

Look what was in our unused "segregation run" of the dog yard! The dogs made the discovery as it was trying to get in where they play. What I really want to know is how it got there. Emma was hoping this was a new toy just for her.

After I rescued it from the dog yard, I took t he opportunity to take some photos prior to releasing it in the woods.

This is a young painted turtle, which was not much bigger than my cell phone.

Happy Barkday - a day late

2011-06-01T14:57:00.002-04:00

Happy Barkday to the Sabrina x Carbon kids, who are now 3! Time just flies right by!!

Emma is very happy since she think Hush was brought home just for her.

Magnet got a new home for an early barkday present. He now lives with Luther's sister, Destiny, and loves sleeping in bed with his humans. Since the showring was not his happy place, he is now neutered and will try out herding and agility next year.

Let sleeping dogs lie...

2011-05-21T18:51:00.009-04:00

Luther, in his favorite sleeping position...

And Emma is thrilled to have Hush as her new best friend! The girls are inseparable!

They even decided to chew their nylabones together in Luther's crate.

Needless to say, Hush is fitting in wonderfully!

Oh! Remember this beautiful necklace I was given by Penni?

You should have seen Hush chase the yellow butterfly in the dog yard yesterday. And the beautiful, but stupid, bug landed directly in front of her. Yup, it was eaten... but the expression on Hush's face when she caught it was priceless! Alas, no camera available at the time...

Our new addition!

2011-05-08T21:17:00.011-04:00

As I type this, laying at my feet is our newest addition... "Hush" aka Heritage Hill Say No Moore. I can't thank Debbie Moore enough for entrusting me with this brindle beauty!

The bitter part is that I brought her home from attending the funeral long-time Cardi breeder/do-it-all Beth Magnus of Hedgerow Cardigans. Taken much too young, she fought a valiant fight with cancer. Eleven years ago Beth was one of the very first Cardi people I had met and her happy self gave me a positive outlook to getting involved with this breed.

Dachshund Club of Greater Syracuse BPIS

2011-05-01T17:55:00.002-04:00

I had a great day today judging sweeps for the DCGS! Unfortunately we forgot the camera so Leonard had to take a photo with my cell phone. A lovely mini longhair male from the 6-9 class was my BPIS.

Lots of good stuff happening!

2011-04-21T22:25:00.005-04:00

So much has happened this week, but I have been so busy, I have not had the time to share.

Yes, a new puppy is in our future, a gorgeous TM daughter. I am thrilled to have another brown dog grace our home. More details to come once she arrives in a couple weeks.

And, I did get another PT job, as another Parish Secretary! This "extra job" is for our area's Lutheran church and is 5 hours a week, unless an event warrants otherwise. Perfect for a few extra $$ and I can do most of the computer work at home, only going to the office to make copies, etc!! It is truly a blessing to be chosen for this position. I start the first week of May. I never thought I would have a career in this field, but I truly believe it is my calling to be able to serve G-d in this capacity, as well as His people. With being the secretary now for two separate congregations, from now on I can only attend the Nationals if it is after Easter, and luckily Easter is early next year... we will see you all in Ohio!

And, Lord willing, we will have a litter this summer. Details on our puppy page.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Passover and Happy Easter!!

Shades of red and brown...

2011-04-19T16:48:00.004-04:00

... will definitely break up the black and blue of our house.

A man and his dog...

2011-04-17T10:04:00.002-04:00

Emma absolutely adores her "daddy"! The feeling is mutual.

cold and damp

2011-04-16T16:36:00.004-04:00

It is April 16th and we have a fire going to try and rid the dampness. It is cold and bitter out, my body does not like this weather. I so want to break out my spring wardrobe. This past Monday was near 80 (!) and I did get to wear a short sleeve blouse for one day so far this spring. Hoping moderately warm and sunny weather will return soon.

If Moses had internet...

2011-04-06T17:02:00.000-04:00

More Luther pups!

2011-04-03T14:54:00.003-04:00

I am a late blogger on this important subject and I apologize. Photo of the litter just hours old, there were 5 males, 2 females, the only blues are two males. Unfortunately one of the b&w boys was lost.

These beauties, all perfectly marked within our standard, will be a week old tomorrow. The proud dam is Nancy Lindberg's Indy.

The first fish...

2011-04-01T17:58:00.006-04:00

We started stocking the new tropical tank. On Sunday we brought home a Dalmatian Lyretail Molly and an African Dwarf Frog. The Molly was very lonely being a singleton, so yesterday we brought her home 2 new tank mates... a Blonde Delta Guppy and a Sunburst Mickey Mouse Platy.

Pysanky Eggs

2011-03-29T11:46:00.008-04:00

Pysanky eggs are beautiful works of art, with spiritual meaning behind the designs. At the church where I work, we have been getting together the last couple Saturday mornings to decorate our own pysanky eggs.

These are my first two eggs. My hand is not as steady as some, but I am amazed that I am able to do this. If I did not have my carpal tunnel surgery, partaking in this past time would not have been possible.

What should I put in it?

2011-03-24T21:32:00.007-04:00

Our last, and ironically my first, goldfish finally made his journey to the rainbow bridge on Saturday after gracing our tank for 7 years. Not wanting the hassle and work associated with goldfish, we are changing the tank over to tropical freshwater fish.

Yesterday we drained the tank and rinsed all the plants and gravel.

Today I bought a heater, extra plants and I wanted a new background. I previously used aluminum foil as a background. It makes an inexpensive mirror. This time I wanted something different, but I wasn't willing to spend my plant budget on a commercial background. Rita gave me the idea to shop at the dollar store, and on his way home Leonard brought home the beautiful blue table cloth for just $1!!

This is the result, now filled with 30 gallons of water and waiting to get up to temperature...

That is the Titanic. That was the largest expense we had in the tank and it was a "must have" when I saw it on the pet store shelf 5 years ago.

Now I have to pick what pretty tropical fish I will get! I was thinking guppies or mollies, as long as they are bright colored. Maybe even another frog!

New Champion Star!

2011-03-19T17:24:00.001-04:00

Star finished today at York, PA! She is Demi's 5th Champion, the 3rd from our Dream litter.

Spring!

2011-03-15T13:12:00.003-04:00

From outside my office window. What a beautiful sight!

Two more...

2011-03-14T07:30:00.003-04:00

...points for Star! One single to go...

Updates -Olivia, Emma, Snickers

2011-03-11T18:14:00.005-05:00

I need to find time to update my website...

GO TEAM OLIVIA! Olivia got her CD today!! Barb thinks she got extra points for being cute as she much prefers agility to obedience.

Unfortunately, Emma is not pregnant. I am disappointed. Our plan is now to breed Snickers to Dallas when she comes in season. She is due to come in at the end of the month. Snickers lives up to her name of Sweet Treat - she is so sweet her bones must be made of sugar. Combined with Dallas' phenomenal temperament, I am very excited at this pairing.

New Photos

2011-03-07T17:43:00.010-05:00

Luther & Lacey's son, Chief, going WD/BOW at his first show, just one week past his 6 month birthday. Officially known as Visions Mischief Maker at Shady Ridge, he is owned/handled/co-bred by Pat Sawtelle.

Star, Visions Dreams Come True, winning her first major. Yes this was back from November, but I was just given the photo. Yes, she is stark naked in this photo. No, the handler did not get a photo of her 2nd major won at Philadelphia.

Sabrina and Luther just taken with my cell phone this afternoon, looking very content on our bed. Luther and his littermates turned 5 on Saturday. I could not find it in me to celebrate his birthday as it is still very bittersweet for me, even though 5 years have past. I may just have to have a combo birthday party in April for both him and Sabrina.

We're back!

2011-03-02T07:02:00.003-05:00

I haven't been able to play in agility for nearly 11 months. Thanks to Susan Miller, who has Tucker (Pem) and Lulu (Charm's daughter), as she put the bug in my ear about agility class last night.

Sabrina did AWESOME - remembered everything since the last time she played, which was 3 years ago. Speaking with my instructors, we do believe some trials are in her future this summer. We will play in both AKC and TDAA!

My first girl to have morning sickness...

2011-02-21T14:20:00.003-05:00

Poor Emma! She is the first in my many years of dog breeding to have morning sickness. Four weeks down, 5 more to go! I am very excited about this litter!!

Chief update

2011-02-18T19:48:00.007-05:00

Luther x Lacey pupdate! Chief, Visions Mischief Maker at Shady Ridge, owned and co-bred by Pat Sawtelle, was WD/BOW for his first 2 points! What a great show debut!!

This made Fugly's blog

2011-02-03T14:23:00.002-05:00

Return to sender? Not this puppy!

Slowly...

2011-01-31T09:49:00.004-05:00

My surgery went well and I am healing slowly. I went right back to work the Monday after, and I am doing things very slowly there. My surgery was much more invasive then when Leonard had it done so this may be a long road.

Of course, when it rains, it pours... Emma had a split season and was ready to be bred 2 days after my surgery. A HUGE thank you to KathyTanguay & Genie Bishop - without their help we would not have been able to get this breeding done. Fingers are crossed that Emma x Dallas pups will be born the end of March. It is amazing what we do to get these things done. The theme for this litter will be high-end department stores.

Murphy's Law that everything has to happen at the same time. Luther was away last week on "vacation", courting another very pretty blue girl. Here's hoping that spring will include lots of puppy breath!!

The Countdown

2011-01-07T07:42:00.002-05:00

Two weeks from today I have my carpal tunnel surgery. I am so very excited about it!! Typing has become so very tedious that I barely even answer email at this point. I read everything, blogs included, just find it hard to respond.

I am so looking forward to the relief when this is all over!

Merry Christmas everyone!

2010-12-24T13:12:00.000-05:00

Over the river (pond), and through the woods...

2010-12-13T16:42:00.002-05:00

...is how far away a Cardi can see a vehicle along the road with the hazards blinking. Snickers is still alarm barking... She has effectively scared away the unwanted vehicle, but she is not so sure about that!

We live next to a pond, and that is where said car was parked. And if you have been to my house, you will know that the road is truly through the woods and the over the pond. This is quite a distance away.

Cardis are wonderful watch dogs!

Cardi Claus pictures!

2010-12-09T16:21:00.009-05:00

Luther & Emma thinks the box smells good!

Smokey, our "imaginary kitty" (you will never see him when you come to visit), agrees.

So does our shorthaired kitty, Pearl. Snickers, Magnet & Emma look on.

The high princess, Sabrina, was not leaving her throne or her nylabone, to check out a box.

Look at all the wonderful goodies!! Dog treats, toys, yummy corn & black bean salsa & green chili dip mix, a beautiful candle ...

and a BEAUTIFUL necklace! It looks like Chase with a beautiful yellow flower!!

Luther claimed a toy.

And Emma got one too, but not the one Luther got.

Thanks again Penni, Chase, Inca, Holmes and pups!!

Cardi Claus arrived!

2010-12-09T10:21:00.001-05:00

I will post photos later, but I wanted to give a great big THANKS to Penni and the Baddogs in NM for our wonderful box of goodies!!!

The date is set...

2010-12-08T07:19:00.002-05:00

For my carpal tunnel surgery. It has been a long time coming, and I am looking forward to the relief I will have. I might even be able to blog more often, since right now typing can be tedious. My surgeon is wonderful, and he told me that if we do this on a Friday, I can technically be back to work Monday. That is a good thing since I am the only one in the office.

Let the count down begin... 7 weeks and 2 days (unless they get a Friday cancellation).

Hello from snowy Tennessee.

2010-12-05T20:21:00.004-05:00

Treasure, formerly known as Etta, is enjoying the snow in Tennessee. Carolyn, her other "human mum", is not as thrilled with the snow.

Her BFF is Kelly, the sheltie.

Treasure is perfectly named, Visions Mistaken Identity, as she reminds me of her father SO MUCH at this age!

Cardi Claus is on his way...

2010-11-30T11:12:00.002-05:00

But where is he headed?

My only clue is... WESTWARD HO!

Emma's favorite place

2010-11-29T20:57:00.001-05:00

Whenever Emma is loose, she can be found here...

Star's second major!

2010-11-27T19:21:00.002-05:00

Today, in the tradition of her dam (Demi) and her brothers (Luther & Honor-Bug), Star was WB for a 4 point major today at the supported show at the Turkey Cluster in West Springfield, MA! Our sleeping beauty is on a roll now with 12 points.

Star's first major!

2010-11-20T17:10:00.001-05:00

Star is on a slow, but steady path, to her championship. Today she was WB for a 3 point major at Philadelphia!

Totally Tragic - Target euthanized by mistake

2010-11-16T15:56:00.001-05:00

You can see the story and a video of Target coming to the US at this link.

Catching Up: snow, empty house, and if you can spare a prayer...

2010-11-08T13:56:00.009-05:00

After a summer and fall full of mud, we finally have SNOW!

The view of my Red Ele from my office window this morning. It is still snowing. I ended up canceling an important test for my back this afternoon as I was worried about the other drivers on the road. The radio was full of traffic accidents, everywhere.

*Bittersweet* My house is empty. Who would ever say that when they have 5 dogs? I was up to 13 (including pups), but the reduced number will greatly facilitate my healing with my back.

Gandalf, previously Ben, was the last pup to leave for his new home. On October 30th he traveled in style! His new mum, Teres, and her friend, Charles, the owner/pilot, came via airplane to take him home. Thank you Charles for sharing your photos with me.

Charles and Teres, leaving PA. Please note that the seemingly empty puppy carrier held tasty treats from PA for both humans and dogs. Thanks again Teres!

Teres meeting Gandalf for the first time.

Prior to departing the dinky, tiny Rensselaer County "Airport", if you wish to call it that, as even the on NY State Trooper who was blocking the road for a Halloween parade didn't even know that this "airport" existed! Luther posing with Charles.

Teres & Gandalf safely home in PA.

Troy is also in a new home. I swore I would never place him again BUT he picked his new home. He now lives with my friends who I call my family. They lost their 4 year old Samoyed to a heart attack a month ago and were lost without a dog. Both are retired and they wanted something smaller, but with a big dog attitude. Troy & I stopped by to visit during one of our trips to the vet for a bandage change while his paw was healing and he was happy to be with them. I hope he brings them many more years of joy.

Now, IF YOU CAN SPARE A PRAYER...

My 22 year old cousin, Rob, needs all the prayers he can get. He was in neuro ICU for over 2 weeks and had 4 brain surgeries during that time. He does have a mass and it IS treatable with chemo & radiation. He did go home yesterday, THANK YOU G-D!, but it will be a long road. If you can keep him and his family in your prayers, we GREATLY appreciate it.

Hugs to all of you!!

Luther has a goat...

2010-10-31T17:04:00.002-04:00

and he loves it very much.

An almost empty house...

2010-10-21T07:53:00.005-04:00

Lacey, Chief & Etta left for the south on Tuesday. All are doing wonderful and are adored! My house is near empty, I am sad, but at least we still have Ben/Gandalf to keep us hopping for the next week...

You can see Brees updates on the Woof & Chat blog.

Three left...

2010-10-17T09:55:00.004-04:00

Anabelle (was Ann - aka Visions Impossi-Belle To Miss) and Brees (was Thomas - aka Visions What The Game's Been Missing) left for their new homes this weekend. Anabelle adores her new children and is local. Brees made the journey to Maine yesterday and has two new "big brothers", Gimli & Liam.

My dear friend, Carolyn, Beo's breeder, is visiting this weekend from Tennessee. She comes up north once a year and her timing was perfect. She fell in love with Etta (aka Visions Mistaken Identity) and Etta will become a southern belle. We will co-own her and she will debut in the show ring in NC/TN. Her call name is up in the air. Carolyn will also be delivering Chief (aka Visions Mischief Maker at Shady Ridge) and Lacey to Pat in NC.

Gandalf (was Ben - aka Visions Mississippi Mud Pie) will be here another 2 weeks before he heads to Philadelphia.

The house is feeling empty...

ADCH Olivia!

2010-10-11T09:38:00.002-04:00

On Saturday, Olivia completed her USDAA Agility Dog Championship!

From Barb Miller's email...

"I debated going to this trial, just two days before we leave for USDAA Nationals but we were so close to finishing and she has been running so well.

Just to add spice to the run, I got lost on the way to the trial, showed up just as they were building the course - then missed the walk-thru while I was walking all of my other dogs! Hey, no pressure...

Olivia ran a perfect Masters Standard course, then topped off the weekend with by running perfectly in every other class! We didn't qualify in Pairs only because my (ahem, AKC World Team member) partner had a off course.

Thanks, Holly, Olivia IS a Dream! :-)"

I wish Team Olivia much success at the USDAA Nationals!!

WOW!

2010-10-10T10:48:00.006-04:00

A B-I-G THANK YOU to Katrin for this wonderful gift! She is such a talented artist!

"Beo", Fall 2010 by Katrin Andberg

Inspired by this award winning photo of my beloved Beowulfe, U-CH Visions Beowulfe von Carousel TC January 1996 - January 2002. This photo was taken at Devil's Den in Gettysburg.

The artist with her masterpiece.

8wk Puppy Shots

2010-10-09T17:31:00.003-04:00

Katrin the Visions Reporter here. Today Miss Julie and I traveled all the way from MA to come and visit with PUPPIES!!! We got lots of video and took some stacked shots of the babies. They are age 8wks 2 days today.

The girls we only got side shots of as it was getting to dark to get decent front shots.

Ann- sticking her tongue out like the cute puppy she is :-)

Etta-

Brees- (formerly known as Thomas, going home with Terri)

Ben-

Chief-

Yay!! I'm an AKC Breeder of Merit!!

2010-10-07T17:32:00.004-04:00

The program launched on Monday, and I applied right away. Today I got the email that said...

Congratulations and welcome to the American Kennel Club’s Breeder of Merit program!

new phone number

2010-10-03T20:47:00.002-04:00

Effective immediately, we changed our home phone service to magic jack. My phone number has been updated on the membership roster with the CWCCA and is on my website if you need to call me. My cell phone has not changed.

How Troy celebrates his Barkday

2010-09-28T20:44:00.005-04:00

Troy turned 6 today. He got to spend an overnight yesterday at the vet's as his present. He had a very badly lacerated paw. We have no idea how it happened, never saw a speck of blood. And he never limped! What a stoic boy he is.

He shared peanut butter covered toast with Dad as a present.

It was very yummy! And how nice for the clinic to match the vet wrap to his collar.

Sporting his outdoor look. Who knew that poop bags could be dual purpose? Of course this had to happen the only week all month when it is WET outside.

Happy 6th Barkday Troy! I hope next year is much less adventurous.

Puppy & Star Updates

2010-09-23T18:55:00.004-04:00

The pups went into the vet for their 6 week check up! You can see how stressed they were by the ordeal (just joking). Everyone is in optimum health, they were just tired from the 45 minute drive there. Boys have all their "parts". Life is good.

I am going to say it again... I - L O V E - slow maturing dogs! Star is looking better and better each time out!

5 weeks in photos

2010-09-19T20:20:00.007-04:00

Chief

Thomas

Ben

Etta

Ann

A new addition to bloggerland...

2010-09-18T16:48:00.001-04:00

Rita Hellegers of Cornerstone fame has just joined the world of blogging!! Add her to your list and follow along!

http://cornerstonecwc.blogspot.com/

Happy 10th Birthday Tristan!

2010-09-16T06:47:00.004-04:00

Even though he has not lived with us for a year now, this dog has a very special place in my heart, and in the hearts of his new family.

Wasn't he just an adorable, elf-looking puppy?

Happy Birthday to my brown boy! I know he is being doted on like a king today.