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.

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. :-)