Thursday, December 18, 2008

Happy Holidays!

This is now the busy time of year for all of us. The furkids will be getting probably more than enough toys and food in the next week and visiting family which they love even more. And no, I won't make poor Dasher suffer with the antlers on all week!!! But notice how ADORABLE Isabelle looks in her photos. Belle always takes HORRIBLE photos. I was very happy with these ones. I thought someone stole my maltese and replaced her with a different one. She always looks so pissed off but I must have caught her on a really good day and maybe she was laughing at Dasher having to suffer with the antlers! The photo of them posed with Dasher jumping up, it finally took him to Dora's little shoot to realize the dog in the hot seat is the one who gets the cookies. Needless to say, suddenly he wanted his photo taken!





Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Calendar Time!

If you don't have a calendar yet or just want an adorable Havanese one, Dash and Dora are in this one so I might be VERY BIASED! It is a beautiful calendar created by Melissa Miller and is all Havanese. Dash is a very proud man and because he is so cute, he was included twice! He is with Dora in a Halloween photo dressed as giraffes and he is in a photo taken by Sally when we were at a San Francisco playdate where he looks so happy and adorable. The best part is I know a lot of the Havanese in this calendar and my kids have been able to play with them. They are adorable dogs but they are real dogs :) If you want to order the calendar, http://www.havaneseforum.com/cartplog.php

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Isabelle's point of view

Isabelle can be a snob, there I have said it! She holds on to those royalty dog roots now and then. Including playing in the backyard! Dash and Dora are over double her size and sometimes when S's are involved, they bull doze her. So Belle will run out and look from the deck to see if it is really worth getting off and getting her princess toys wet and risk Dasher running her over. Also if we are outside and don't let her in this is what she does. To keep her loving chasing the animal life. Once in awhile I try to hold Dora and Dasher back (not an easy feat by any means) and let Belle be first to run. She blasts out the door screaming!

Daddy's boy in the making!

Dasher has been really bonded to me. He would love his Dad when Mom was busy or wasn't around but he would also use his dad to get to me! One day we were in the kitchen and I was cooking. Dash jumped and pawed Jim. He picked Dasher up and was saying that's right you love your Daddy. Dash was reaching over to get to me! But lately, Dasher has decided Dad can be fun even if Mom is around. He also doesn't toss and turn around in bed. You can also see your mommmy better if you are on Daddy's lap! When he is loving Jim I just try to ignore him but once in awhile maybe remind him who he loves the most. After all, I want to keep my Mommy's boy!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

family cont!





Giving Thanks for Family

This year we stayed home and invited Jim's family down for the Turkey Day. We had a nice meal but more important we were able to be with family. Isabelle has always been nuts for her grandparents and her aunt. We were always told Dora was when we weren't around. But this year Dora decided to give thanks and a lot of love. I was so proud of her being a social butterfly. Aunt Missy also brought cousin TJ. Well it was so weird to see the dogs do well with Autumn but TJ is not a dog and an alien. They like to gang up and chase him and be mean too. Poor TJ was restricted to the leftover autumn rawhide. But he tried to redeem himself by slowly stealing all the toys. He couldn't believe the dogs would leave bones and toys in another room and tried to take everything home with him- clepto!





Mommy's Boy?


Dash is very much his mom's little man. He adores me and I adore him back almost as much. He does get a little upset when Mom is doing htings where he can't be with her. But he is willing to compromise and find another place to sit!

Monday, December 08, 2008

Some Autumn Action Clips

Here are some clips from the 2 weeks she was with us. You can see how Dash and her really developed into BFF's.





Autumn

We recently had a visitor at the Brown house. Jim went out early one Sunday morning and a puppy found him. She was cold and pretty scared and we decided to foster her. She was very happy but needed some TLC (gross worms!) and we ended up finding an amazing forever home for her. She turned out to be an Australian Cattle Dog who almost never left our house. We just knew in our hearts that she needed the proper home and Isabelle went out of her way to make sure it wasn’t ours! Dasher loved her and played with her non stop. I think he decided he was a cattle dog too cause boy did he run circles around this little girl to let her know who was boss. Unfortunately, she didn’t understand show coat so he spent most of his time playing with her with a tshirt on to try and keep her from eating his hair. I tried to keep the bitey face to a minimum but Dash wouldn’t trade his time wrestling with her for anything! We both were upset the day she left but when her forever family arrived and brought her new ACD sister, we were able to watch them play and knew she was going to have a great family.


Belle's Bday Cake!



Well not really what she ate for Bday Dinner but the cake her daddy had to buy cause it reminded him of his baby girl.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Icing on the cake!

I love when I get the AKC certificates in the mail for each dog- it makes all those entry fees worth the little gold certificate! Here is Dasher's first that just arrived! I just think it is so pretty and glad I remembered to use his full name, whatever you write down on CGC is what they print so if you use a nickname that is what you get! I have kept Belle and Dora's and wish I could display each one but DH wouldn't let it fly but I do love to have them :)

dashercertsize

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Isabelle's 6th Birthday

We took Belle up to the Cesar's head park and the Blue Ridge Mountains for her birthday party. Belle decided none of our family pets could go- only people (after all, she isn't a dog!). The morning was pretty chilly so we took her coat and a bag. She has a bit of pink residue from Halloween left but as you can see by her crazy leaf face, she got dirty enough to remove most of it. She is normally pretty clean but decided to stick her entire body into a giant hole! We did let Belle offleash where it wasn't busy and she had a blast. The second hike we went on was a lot more busy and Belle doesn't think there are strangers, just new people would like to love her given the chance so she had to be on leash. She really loves to be out hiking though. She eventually let me carry her in the bag and she didn't get sick (normally this is our sign Belle should be done running!) The next day, she barely moved and we were a bit nervous about her. Happy 6th Birthday Sweet Baby Belle!!!

Killer Bee!

Dashie struts his stuff at the Halloween Parade and then goes to his favorite place- the big hunting land. Belle and Dora have groomed Dashie from a young pup into a wild hunting machine. This is the only time he could care less about mommy and MUST FIND SQUIRRELS! Clemson has more than enough squirrels though! Unfortunately they are friendly and think a dog in a bee costume is harmless!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Monday, November 03, 2008

Isabelle is 6 tomorrow!

Since she will be campaigning across the country for Obama, we went out to celebrate today. In true Belle fashion, we left the dogs home and only the humans (including the one with great hair) went out. We went hiking and out for bbq and smoked hot dogs. Since Belle is so cute, they gave her 3! We decided a half a hot dog was more than enough celebration. Belle has not moved since we got home.... I am sure she will be sore tomorrow! As you can see, she has a little pink left over on her but I knew she would need a full grooming after her hike, how dirty and crazy she would get, I had no clue! She sure hasn't slowed down for a six year old- my crazy little white monster.





Early morning photography

Dasher is an EARLY morning kind of dog. He wakes up loving life and the world. And sometimes this happens when we are still sleeping! So tagging along to do morning photography with Daddy at his FAVORITE squirrel hunting destination is fun... at least one of us is awake!

Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!

Okay, Belle whispered in my ear she wanted to be a pink bunny. We couldnt find the right costume so we improvised! She is so cute pink and don't worry it comes out quite quickly!

Here Kitty Kitty Kitty!

Okay, we got a new toy- not sure if it is for the dogs or for me though! Dash is so cute with it but Dora is the hunter. Dasher's approach completely changes whether Dora is in the picture. In case you are wondering, it is a mouse with a remote control cheese!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Flash Back:Baby Boy Dash!

Here are some pics of Dasher as a mere baby pup! Look at that nice stack naturally! He really has amazing structure and stacks just standing there. Even when he is just sitting in the kitchen watching Daddy make a sandwich or watching for birds off the deck. Dash comes from an amazing breeder Kathy Patrick of Bellatak Havanese His structure I think is going to be even more awesome in the agility ring! We just have to do some more training and wait for him to grow up!


Friday, October 24, 2008

Won't you be my neighbor???

We have new furry neighbors and look how well happy they are... can we say little dog syndrome! The kids love to go out there and check for them! Can you see Belle back there being the ring leader Dora is wagging her tail like crazy but she is sounding vicious for her! Dash just wants to play with that puppy so bad!

What's all the Buzz?

Okay who doesn't love dogs in costumes??? Well, DH doesnt think a bee costume is masculine enough for Dasher but I think he looks mighty cute! He has never really worn clothes so I was very happy with him in it. He seemed not to mind it. Dora on the other hand hates the hates. She doesn't really like wearing clothes but hates hats! So we are trying on a bunch of costumes to see what they will be! Belle on the other hand loves all clothing. She associates them with going bye bye or going for a walk. Unfortunately she doesn't like little children running at her and taking her food so not sure how much candy Belle will pass out!



Backyard Agility

Well Dash is still loving agility. We will probably take formal classes in the spring but it is a hike from me to get to those classes! He is still young so we have 4 inch jumps 1/4th of the way open on the weaves. He can do them closed but we don't want that back and forth motion yet with his body. We are also adding in contacts now. I really need to teach him a 20/20. We started with a board in the house but I just got out the mini a frame today. Dash was scared of it until Belle used it for a hunting post (she needs me to repaint it camouflage!) Then he had to be up there cause Belle was! Needless to say, Dash loves agility! His mom just needs to drop a few pounds so she can keep up with him!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Obsessive new toy!

Yes, it is real fur!

Do not pick up dogs on this road...

Apparently, I ignored the sign when we picked up Belle Belle!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Charleston!

Unfortunately, it rained the ENTIRE time we were there but we got out for a tiny bit and the dogs were able to get some energy out!



Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Lil Man is now BIG MAN!!!

Last night, I took Dash to take the CGC test. I honestly thought he wouldn't pass. He is a mommy's boy and when we tried the leave your dog with a friendly stranger at home with DH, I could hear him HOWL within in a minute. This happened the night before! Well maybe Dash knows he can get away with more with Daddy!!! Cause he passed with flying colors! He is now Bellatak's Dash of Holiday Cheer CGC!!!

Cousin TJ!

From our trip this summer, the furkids were able to go meet their cousin. Belle had no doubt about who was the favorite grandchild and who was the boss (fur and human!) She set the stage and was pretty mean to TJ off the get go. Dora and Dasher were just convinced he wasn't a dog! When Belle would growl, they would chase him. They really are a pack that likes to rule! Poor TJ! However, at the end they started to warm up a bit. TJ is a whippet for those who are wondering and you can really see what they were bred for when he is running in the field away from my kids.

P.S. If you notice in the clip with throwing his toy, he wouldn't get it when Dash went after it but notice Belle has to be held!

Sunday, October 05, 2008

In sickness and in health!

Dogs have an amazing ability to make you feel better but Dora really has this down. I think in a twisted way, she likes when her daddy is sick and stays in bed all weekend. She gets in plenty of snuggle time, undercover monster, gets some of his food. She just hung out with him all weekend being Nurse Dora and taking care of him. She did manage to sneak out for meals but probably when he was napping!

Friday, October 03, 2008

Dasher's first major!

This weekend, Dash and I hit the east coast for showing! The first day he went Reserve Winners Dog. The second day, he got his game face on and went Winners dog and Best of Winners for his first Major! He was so excited as you can see from the picture about 5 feet ahead of me in the ring. He really has that great show attitude when you consider how nervous I was! I haven't included the sweaty arm pit threads! So silly I am just walking in a circle with my amazing puppy and I get that nervous! Needless to say, I was very proud of Mr. Dasher the Man and myself!!! I look forward to more shows. We have learned a lot together especially since we are both new to conformation and have a lot to learn but we are having a blast!





Sunday, September 21, 2008

Why I don't post Belle agiltiy clips

Since I am already getting harassed on the Isabelle agility clips- Here is Miss Belle Friday night!!! How many clips till Belle runs a full course.... you don't want to hold your breath....

Free Maltese, bad home only!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Agility and Backyard Fun

We spent Friday night playing with the kids in the backyard. I even got DH to run some agility! I am trying to talk him into playing in the ring together. If we wait till spring, we could be in the same class.... if he can handle the competition ;)

Jim runs Dora- She actually runs better for him!



Jim runs Dashie- Notice who gets involved and is a bit jealous!

Dash is absolutely amazing. He just really gets it and LOVES it!

Brown FurFamily Photo

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

The new alpha!

Since we added Dasher, Dora has really changed her role in the pack. She has stepped up and she is a lot more assertive. She still has her calm and easy going demeanor that I love and puts up with a lot but if the furkids get out of hand, she reminds them she is the biggest and will quickly put them in her place. Belle and Dash play off each other's hyper energy and sometimes get out of control. We recently took them to the botanical gardens for a walk. Dora really was acting weird and not herself. She was on the dual leash with Belle and we were nervous she was sick or something. Jim said we needed to switch and put Dash on the dual with Belle and I carried her for a bit to go back. She kept acting like she wanted down. I put her down and she took off running and returned to her old self. I think she just got sick of Belle and Dasher and their crazy antics and I can't blame her. I would never want to go for a walk being strapped between them. Here is a pic I snapped after the leash swap.


Curiosity !


Okay I know he can't drink out of there regularly but we just added the bird bath and Dash was obsessed with it. He would run around the yard and run and get a drink. He really thought we put it there for him!