Peaceful Christmas

What a year this has been !

What a Year this has been ! Just amazing ! Jonni has had success both in the show ring and in the agility field. He has gotten great wins and placings at shows, such as the two great BOBs in Kuopio with great critiques, and the icing on the cake was the second male placing in Hund2006 among the top Swedish males !! And the greatest achievement is of course his FIN AgCH title !!! What a dog he is !!! I cannot describe what he means to me !!!
Also this year has been a break-through year for my little Bella. She has started her show career (not that she was supposed to be a star in the ring) and has gotten some nice critique and she got a respectful GOOD as a quality judging at Hund2006 so I am pleased what what we have gotten. She is a good specimen of the breed and has shown her abilities to me this year. I have plans to show her a bit next year, just to see if we could make a Champion out of her. Also she will be starting her agility career and hopefully she will have some results under her belly by the end of the summer when it is time to think about other things.
I am blessed with two nice dogs and wish to thank both of their breeders for these lovely friends that I have !!!
I wish You all a Very Merry Christmas !!!

Independence Day

Happy Independence Day !

Finland 6.12. 1917 ->

Now it is official !

That is: Jonni's FIN AgCH title has been confirmed by our Kennel Club !!!

Birthday girl poses

Here is a modified picture of my birthday girl Bella. She had her 3rd bithday on the 24th !!! Congrats to my little lady !! By the way, doesn't she look nice ?

First snow !!

The first snow has fallen ! When there is snow everything looks less dark ! Sadly the weather is so warm that this snow will melt away quite soon. :-(

Jonni's agility video

I added a new link to the right column. There is a link to Jonni's agility video from yesterday's competition in Kajaani. Jonni and Niina placed third in one of their 3 classes. They got a clear round which was the 5th clear round qualifier for next year's Finnish Agility Championships ! Jonni and Niina have gotten 3 out of those 5 !

FIN AgCH !!!

	Jonni is a new FIN AgCH !!! He and Niina Leinonen WON two classes today in Joensuu !! Both of the wins came with a clean marginal to the next and also they were clear rounds ! The first victory was THE ONE needed fro Jonni to finnish his new title: FIN AgCH. Hooray !!!!!!
	I want to that Niina for the great leading of Jonni in these few competitions. Their co-operation has been short but strong ! 4 classes and 3 wins and one second place and 3 clear rounds ! What more could you ask ??? So now I can call my little big man Jonni as FIN AgCH & INT NORD FIN S N EST CH NordicW-01 Fennican Jonathan Jovial !!!

Bella's agility debut !

Bella started her agility career yesterday on the 1st of October by competing in an unofficial competition here in Joensuu. Our result was disqualified but we got a valuable experience fot the future. It is a whole new ball game when we are in a competitive situation instead of the normal training one ! Now that we have done it once the next time will be a whole lot easier. And for the both of us this experience was a pleasant one. And that is what counts !

Still to come...

We ARE - even though I had decided that the shows were over for this year - still going to a show this year. I entered both dogs to the Swedish Winner -show, Hund2006. It is held on the 9th of December in Stockholm and we are staying in Sweden for 2 nigths. The hotel is booked and the trip by boat reserved.

I have no hopes what comes to the results. It is just fun to be able to go abroad and see other Valls. I have been to Finnish Winner -shows and this show will be as big as or bigger than those what comes to the number of entered Valls. I would like to compete in agility, too, since they have a competition for Class III dogs. But so far I have not found any place where I could enter the competitions...! But, it is still a long time before the show, but at least I'll have something to look forward to at the end of the year !

We are the winners !!!

Jonni and Niina Leinonen started their agility career in Varkaus on the 23rd of September with a smashing clear round victory !! They won a class of 20 dogs with the second fastest time ! The course was such a difficult one that even though there were many experienced dogs entered only 4 of them managed to go through the course without any faults ! This was Jonni's second clear round win and he needs "only" ONE MORE to became a Finnish Agility Champion !!
Jonni and Niina were the fastest to go through the jumping class but they dropped a pole on the first jump ! Only 3 dogs out of 19 got a result from the course so even though they got that 5 penalties it was a great run !!! Next time the pair will compete here in Joensuu.

My old boy

This is my old boy, Stana. He is a standardbred-russian trotter cross and is born 29.6. 1983. Since the weather is so warm he is still kept out in the paddock where he can eat grass as much as he wants ! I don't ride him anymore. He retired 6 years ago since he suffered an tendon injury. He is a happy camper and he LOVES to eat ! He is perfectly happy even though he is not actually DOING anything. He is put out to pasture / paddock in the morning and taken in for the night. I have owned him 20 years (I bought him in 1986) and have promised to keep him 'till the end. I love horses and Stana was THE horse for me. He is the love of my life in the horse world.

Agility result

Yesterday (Sunday the 19th) we competed in agility in Iisalmi. Jonni got our first clear round for this competition season by running the course 8.36 seconds UNDER the ideal time ! We were placed as 4th among 14 top dogs. We were the last ones to get a clear round ! Next weekend we are competing in Varkaus and after that....? I have two choices: Joensuu and Mikkeli. I will just have to think which one would be better for us.

Pictures of Jonni and Bella as a pup...

Above are pictures of Jonni and Bella as a puppy. They sure look CUTE !! Jonni has the same expression on his face that he still has: a calm look on his face. Bella is also easily identified for her tail ! I could spot that tail anywhere !

News from US and Sweden !

(picture (c) Oili Helenius)

Jonni's dam INT CH Fennican Yvonne Ystävä, born March 1996 (!), was BOB and BOB-Veteran in SKV's Special in Mälarö, Sweden on the 2nd of September. The judge was Maija Mäkinen from Finland and there were about 35 dogs entered. "Vonne" has recently moved to live in Sweden. Jonni congratulates his Mum for a great show result !!!

And next: great news from the States: Jonni's half-brother Finn (F. Yahoo Finnboy, owner Marion Erp) got great results from agility and can soon boast to be THE FIRST EVER Vall in AKC history to have a RE -title !!!!! WAY TO GO Finn and Marion !!!!!!

Puppy news and Amos BIS-4 veteran !!!

Lejondalens Amos-Pärson was BIS-4 veteran in Öland dog show on the 2nd of September. The judge was a Finnish Leni Nousiainen. Congrats to Amos for yet another great result in the veteran ring !!!

Heds Umbra De Lux and Tridents Ozzie got a litter together and now the pups are THIS big ! All have found themselves a good home. This was Umbra's second litter to kennel prefix Rätt O Slätt. Umbra has got two litters to kennel Heds. Bella was Umbra's first pup and litter. :-)

Vuokatti Dog Fest 12.8. Group show

The last show for this season is over. We were at a Group show in Sotkamo, Vuokatti Dog Fest. The judge was Anders Cederström from Sweden. He is a nice elderly gentleman and he like both of my dogs. Bella got VERY GOOD in Open Class, and could have gotten an EXCELLENT if her body would have been a bit stronger. Jonni, despite the warm weather of the day and the hard week before (Kuopio shows last weekend and the hot weather after that) , showed himself well in the ring and took the BOB rosette and the trophy. He was a bit tired so I did not stay for the Group competitions. Jonni will have a week off and the we have our own dog club's agility championships. And after THAT Jonni is going to have a nice holliday !!

Hot weather takes it's toll....

The dogs have been lazy because of the warm, warm weather that doesn't seem to cool down. I cannot remember a time when we had this warm a summer for this long ! I cannot even remeber when irained the last time this summer !!! And THAT is rare !!! So, my doggies sleep in my bed since that is the softest place. And that leaves wondering where to squeeze myself because, even though Valls ARE small dogs, they seem to need a lot of space....! But as long as they are happy ? Maybe I should get yet ANOTHER bed for me/us ?

Itching, itching....

Bella has had some itchiness because I put a tick collar on her. She sometimes scratches her neck and then gets this icth-attack (as I call it) where she spins around, rolls over and/or walks by the wall scratching her back to the wall paper (which WAS white but has a brownish strip on it, at the heigth of Bella'c back...). She hates the collar but it helps ! So I cannot take it off ! Sorry ! :-(

Amos 11 years !!

Bella's great granddad Amos (Lejondalens Amos-Pärson) has his 11th birthday today, the 9th of August! Congratulations to Amos and his owner/breeder Annethe Andersson !!!

Superman !

Jonni in Sawo Show 5.8. 2006

Handled by Iida Villman

Thank You Iida for excellent handling !!

Puppy news from Sweden !!!

Umbra with her newborn puppies !
2 males still looking for loving homes !
If interested contact kennel Rätt & Slätt !
(Link found in my pages) !

During the night between the 31st of July and the 1st of August Bella's dam Umbra gave birth to 7 new Vallhund puppies ! The proud dad is Rätt O Slätt Ozzie (owned by kennel Viking) and this is his first litter. There were 5 males (1 bob, 4 with tail) and 2 females (both with a bob) in the litter. This was Umbra's 4th litter and her 2nd to the kennel Rätt & Slätt prefix. Bella has got now 7 new half-siblings !!!
Bella congratulates both parents and especially her Mum Umbra for the birth of these new babies !

Coming up...

. . . in the next few weeks : we are going to be rather busy ! Next weekend (on the 4th and 5th of August) and the Saturday after that (the 12th) we are attending dog shows. The first two are in Kuopio and the 3rd is in Sotkamo. On the 19th Jonni competes in agility since our dog club is having it's local championchips competition then. And on the 26th of August we are going to yet another dog show, this time in Ristiina. So not much rest for weekends, eh ? And MAYBE, just maybe we ARE going to take a trip to abroad later in the year . . . . but to where, that remains to be seen. ;-)

Nigths are getting darker...

Nights are getting darker ! That means the autumn is not too far off ! The days get shorter quite quickly. It seems that only yesterday the nigth was a bright as the day, but now you can see the first stars !! It is sad that our short summer is about to be over, but still, I quite like the winter too.

How many ?

Bella's dam Umbra is expecting a litter which is due in August. Last time she produced a litter of 8 (!) pups and it looks like she is having a big litter this time, too ! Or what do YOU think about by looking at this picture ? She is HUGE !!! The proud dad-to-be is Rätt O Slätt Ozzie from kennel Viking.

Pictures from Maaninka

Jonni and his prizes !!!

The hero himself after the competition.

We had 3 Valls with us. Erja had her Eevi and I had Jonni and Bella.
Erja took care of the dogs: gave them water and took them to walks while I had other duties, like getting to know the course and things like that. We had a loads of fun !!!

Somewhere over the rainbow...

This is what I whitnessed this evening. There were actually TWO rainbows, one above the other, but I couldn't capture it into the same picture. This picture doesn't do justice to the colours of the sky. They were breath taking !

Two placings in agility !

Today I was competing in agility in Maaninka. The weather was quite nice, sunny but not too hot. Jonni did two nice courses and we did not get any faults. We DID however get a little overtime. Only the winner in both MINI classes went under the ideal time. But the best thing was that I got two placings: we were 2nd in the first class and 3rd on the second.
I was happy that we did get any penalties on the course. I have not practised contacts since....since the last time I was competing in Maaninka ? A long time ago anyway ! And still Jonni went very well !!! We just lacked the speed but that is no wonder since it has been so hot in here lately that we haven't been able to excersice a lot in these past few weeks ! So all and all a very nice day !!! I got two trophys which I will have to fit somewhere. I am lacking the space where to put them !!! Jonni has gathered so many prizes that I will need a bigger room to get them all in !!!

More show news...

First news from Finland. In Salo 8.7. (judge Tapio Eerola) BOB and BOB-vet was Jonni's dam Fennican Yvonne Ystävä, "Vonne" !!! The next day (9.7.) in a show that was held in Karjaa (judge was Seamus Oates from Ireland) Fennican Yvonne Ystävä was BB-4. BOB in Karjaa was Fennican Ron Ronaldo ("Rolle") who got his last CAC and became a new FIN CH. Ron Ronaldo is Jonni's half-brother. They both have the same dam. Congratulations to both Vonne and Rolle for the great performances during the weekend !!!

During the same weekend (on the 8th of July) a national dog show was held in Tvååker, Sweden. 32 Valls were shown there. The judge was K. Nilsson from Sweden. BD-3 and BOB-VET was Lejondalens Amos-Pärson, who at the end of the day ended up as being a BIS-VET !!! So great news from there as well !!

Both Jonni's and Bella's relatives had a great show weekend !!!

May I present...

....Bella's half-sister (they have the same Dam) Rätt O Slätt Quirina. She lives in Switzerland ! Thanks Virginie for this lovely picture !!!

Show news from Switzerland and from Sweden

National dog show in Bulle (Switzerland) was held on the 2nd of July. The judge was M. Barenne from France. 8 Valls were entered.
In the Intermediate class females competed Bella's half-sister Rätt O Slätts QUIRINA (Lejondalens Dexter x Heds Umbra de Lux), owner : Mme Schenk de Stoutz. Her result was: 1ère exc. CAC Jeune & Meilleur jeune (1st exc. CAC young & BOB young). So Bella's relatives are doing great !

In Sweden there was a national dog show in Borås on the 1st of July. There were 28 Valls in the show and the judge was Louise Gäfvert-Asplund from Sweden. In Borås Bella's great grandfather Lejondalens Amos-Pärson (owner Lejondalens kennel) was BD-5 and BOB-veteran at the age of 11 years !!!
In the same show Bella's "cousin" (or more: the dam of Freja is Kaja, whose sire is Lejondalens Boris (Bella's dad) and dam Heds Cajsa De Lux (Bella's grandmother) ) Heds Freja De Lux ( owner Maud Hedberg ) was BOB-pup and finally BIS-2-pup !!! A fine achievement !!!

Hot hot hot !

It is HOT in here ! We have +25 degrees Celsius in the shade ! I am melting and the dogs are just plain LAZY (no wonder, since Jonni still has his winter coat on ! He has just recently started shedding ! And it is JULY now !! What has he been thinking ?)
Well, maybe I should be glad that it is not -25 ?

Anyway, we are forced to ease our training a lot so now we are just having a summer break from all the competitions and such. I am HOPING the weather will cool down a bit soon.
Have a nice summer and if you have a holliday now.... ENJOY it !!!! WE ARE !!!!

Agility picture

This picture is from Agility Championchips and is taken by Teemu Keränen. This shows Jonni's good jumping technique. He jumps like an excellent jumping horse. He hardly ever knocks a pole. He is made for agility !!!!

Agility video ?

IF I succeeded in loading the video in the Picture Gallery 2 there should be a video clip taken by Milla Saari at the Finnish Agility Championchips. It contains the jumping course where Jonni and I were disqualified. Hope you can view it ? Special thanks to Milla for a) taking the video and b) sending it to me !
Outi

New pictures...

There are some new pictures in the Picture Gallery 3. I have a new folder: "Juhannus ~Midsommaren 2006" where there are few pictures of my dogs relaxing. It has been warm in the past week and the dogs are just resting and trying to find the coollest place in the house.
Juhannus in a festivity that is celebrated in the Nordic coutries in the mid of the summer. The festivities in Finland contains going to a sauna, burning a big bonfire (if the weather permits), grilling food outside and just having fun with family and friends. The festivities are held at the Eve of the Midsummer Day (just like we celebrate Christmas at the Christmas Eve unlike the people in the UK, US and other Commonwealth coutries). Our summer is special because the sun doesn't set during the mid of the summer. It is light all nigth, so sleeping can be a bit difficult.
I hope you all a very happy weekend ! WE are here celebrating the Midsummer's Eve !!!

Some pics from Agility Championchips 2006

	Here are some pictures taken by Katja Ojansivu. This shows the way Jonni executes the weavepoles. He has a good way of negotiating this obstacle. Jonni USED to hate this obstacle, because it prevented him from running fast, but with the help of a ball (or any other toy) I got more speed into him ! Now he is quite good at this.

The "birthday girl"

Miss B, Bella, Bee,..., there are lots of nicknames for our little girly from Sweden! But today, the 21st of June, was the day when my Mum and I went to Sweden and to Ulricehamn (in southern Sweden) to fetch my little girl home. I have been more than pleased with her. She has become a part of my family and she is very much loved by us all. Today we are celebrating the end of Bella's first year with us. And let there be many, many more !!!!

Summer is here ?

It is June now.......! And it SHOULD be warm, sunny,....! Rigth ? Well, NO !!! We have had something like +10 degrees Celsius, sometimes even lower temperatures. It has been shining at times but the wind is COLD !!!! So we are waiting for the summer to arrive !
One GOOD thing about this cold weather is: agility training and competing is much nicer, both for me and the for the dog. And on next Sunday (the 18th) we have the Finnish Agility Championchips !!!! To which we are going !!!!!!
Greetings and Happy and WARM Summer to you all !
Happy and Proud "Mum" of Jonni, the supadog, and Miss B, Bella Bellissima !!!

Bella's first show "success" !

On Sunday 28.5. Bella and I were in Suvi-Karelia dog show in Liperi/Joensuu. The judge was a dane Gert Christensen and he liked my little lady so much that Bella got her best result so far: Open Class VERY GOOD ! She was placed as second in Open Competition Class. The winner of Open Class bitches was Cimillan Electric Lady who got CAC and became a new FIN CH and finished as BB-1 and BOS ! I was thrilled at my baby's success !!! We are on the way up now !!! Pictures will follow later !!!
HUGE SMILE !!!!!!!

News from abroad

USA : Jonni's half-brother Finn (F. Yahoo Finnboy) has got a new agility title. Novice Jumpers (NJC) was replaced with Open Jumpers !

CONGRATS TO MARION AND FINN !!!! Way to go !!!!

First of May is just around the corner.....

	First of May is approaching! The snow is almost gone now! Dogs had a field day smelling all the great fresh scents that were coming from the soft ground! And the first spring flowers are in bloom....

Difference in characters....

Here trots my two Valls. Bella is showing her "fast-fast-fast" -temperament
and Jonni is being his calm "cannot-be-bothered-about-anything" self.

Happy Birthday my dearest Jonni !!!

My Lovely Boy Jonni has his 6th
Birthday on April the 22nd !!!!

Happy Birthday my Lovely !!

Wishes Outi & Bella

A new picture gallery...

I added a new picture gallery (number 3) which contains pictures of the first Vall meeting in Joensuu, held on Monday the 17th. This gallery is under the name "Kuvagalleria 3 : Gööttitapaaminen 17.4. 2006". You don't need words to understand the pictures... ;-)

WE DID IT !!!!!

We FINALLY did it !!!
We have now all 7 clear round results needed in order for us to enter Finnish Agility Championships this year !!

I am happy but tired. I have been sick and am not yet feeling a 100% well so I have to rest a bit after yesterday's competition. Now we can start preparing for the main event !!!!

Here is a picture of last year's competition in Kuopio where we got our 6th clear round results fro the 2005 Championships. Last year we did not make it to the Championships but THIS YEAR we did !!!
I am gratefull that I have such a wonderfull dog in Jonni !!!! He is the BEST !!!!

Happy Easter !!!!

New picture gallery....

I have created a new picture gallery. Link on the right....

A lovely April day....

Here are some pictures of my dogs, taken on this lovely, lovely sunny April day........!
This was the day when the sun was shining and it felt like spring for the first time !!!

You can see by the looks on their faces that the dogs were thoroughly enjoying the warmth!

Jonni had to be the tough guy since he heard the neighbour's dogs barking! He, after all, has a girl to defend !!!