Winter has arrived !!

Winter has arrived !! We have over -10 Centigrades and the sun is shining ! The snow has covered the ground with a clean white blanket ! The nature shows it's best now !! It is beautiful outside !!! And the dogs are enjoying the snow !

Updates

Lots has happened since the last update. During the summer the dogs have been herding tested (Jonni with VERY GOOD HERDING INSTINCT and Bella SHOWED NO HERDING INSTICT (This time!)), Jonni has participated in The Finnish Agility Championships and World Championships qualifiers, we have been in some dog shows (Jonni was BOB in his last Finnish show until his Veteran age) and have been training agility and also competed a bit.
We have big plans for next year: World Winner show is held in Stockholm and the judge is someone who likes Jonni very, very much, AND Jonni will be a Veteran then, so we shall participate in that. Also we have one trip to abroad planned for this year. Hopefully all goes well and we will achieve our goals for that trip. But more info about that later.
We were planning a litter for this fall but now it looks like we are not having puppies. :-( But good thing is that MAYBE - if all goes well - there will be a marker test for the eye illness J175 ready by the time Bella is in heat the next time, so then I will know for great certainty which is the eye status of my dogs and also the pups could then be tested before the sale. So, fingers crossed !

This picture is taken on October.

Pictures above and below: (C) Oili Helenius

FINNISH CHAMPIONSHIPS 16-17.6.

Jonni pictured here in Sunday's competition. This time we had no success.

Miss B

"Miss B" aka Bella has been the one of my dogs that has gotten the most of my attention lately. We had agility trainings in 2 days in a row (Su, Mo) and my friend took some picture of my Lady. Here are 2 of them and more you can find in Bella's own pages !

Happy Easter !!!

This is my Finnish "Happy Easter" card. But I thougth I could put this in here too since the picture of my dogs is just marvellous !!!

THIS was the weather on Tuesday and it snowed even on yerterday (Wednesday). We still have snow on the ground so our Easter will be white. But Happy Easter to All of You !!!

Warmer !!!!

The weather is getting warmer, it is close to zero degrees and the snow is very heavy and wet. Yesterday it snowed more snow and today the dogs had fun playing in the snow. I let them run loose in the forest because there were so much snow the dogs could not run off from me. I took some pictures of my lovely doggies.

Jonni is going to an agility training with Niina today. Former World Champion in agility Juha Orenius is training here during this weekend and Niina is attending his lessons with Jonni. IF my camera is working I will try to video something. But now I gotta go ! It is time to leave ! The training starts soon and I will have to take the dog there.

Tuusniemi Group show 24.2.

I was ill (sinusitis, for the 2nd time THIS YEAR !!!) so I could not go to the Tuusniemi dog show. So, Bella couldn't go either. BUT, Niina was going there with her own dog, border collie male Luka, just about 9 months old, so I asked if SHE would take Jonni with her also. She said yes and - like they say - the rest is history. Jonni did what he always does, which is: was himself = Mr Macho and he charmed the judge and was Best Male and finally BOS. Nice start for this show season !!

Above are today's prizes. I just LOVE rosettes and trophies.... <3

Missy goes to work !!

Miss B aka Bella is going to WORK tomorrow !!! She is attending her first REAL training session ! Our agility club's coach is coming from Imatra and I am taking a lesson with Bella !!!! It will be her first ever training session !!!!
I am excited and nervous of how she will cope in the new situation and how she is going to work with me. But tomorrow I'll be a lot wiser !
Tomorrow will determine also our time table for this spring: when and if we are starting our competitions together. But, like I said, tomorrow I'll be a lot wiser.

News and Happy Valentine's !

Last Saturday (the 10th) Jonni competed in his first agility competitions this year. His season started in the best possible way !! He got 2 clear rounds, placed as 2nd and 3rd and has now gotten all the qualifiers for this year's Finnish Agility Championships !!! Hooray !!! That's my boy !!!

Also, I wish You all a Happy Valentine's Day !!!

Sunny weather --- but COLD !!

We have enjoyed sunny weather these past few days. It has been beautiful but COLD !!! On Sunday I took the dogs out to the race track and let them run free a bit. The Sunday was nice, only -10 degrees. But since then it has been rather cold. Between -14 and -21 degrees Celsius. Brrrr !

I have entered both dogs into a dog show. It is held in Tuusniemi, not far from us, at the end part of this month. Jonni's first agility competition is on the 10th of this month. Also, this Saturday our agility club is having an unofficial competition and I am planning to enter both dogs. Niina could take Jonni while I could go with Bella. But it all depends on the weather. If is is colder than -15 the competitions are cancelled. But, we'll see. Only 2 days untill Saturday...

Some news for the beginning of the New Year...

The new year has started on a good note. I have a new job and now (the 22nd of Jan.) the winter has finally come ! We got snow few days ago and now the cold front has reached our part of the world. We had -22 degrees Celsius this morning so quite freezing, don't you think ?

This is how our house looked like just few days ago. Looks like something from a fairytale, doesn't it ?

Jonni and Bella play a catch-me-if-you-can -game when I let them run loose on the near-by forest. Bella is the one who is running and Jonni does the catching !

Both Jonni and Bella visited a vet and they were eye examinated. Both had clear eyes. Also Bella's Mum Umbra (living in Sweden) was examinated and she, too, had clear eyes. Bella Grandmum Cajsa was BOB-veteran in an INT dog show in Göteborg, Sweden. So things have started out quite nicely, thank you ! Jonni has been entered into this year's first agility competition so soon our holliday season will be "officially" over. Hopefully this year will be as good as the past year was.