Thank God For Good Owners - they Fly the Colors

In the days of the Crusades, Knights rode off into battle with flags and banners emblazoned with the colors of their King and Country. When I close my eyes and think of it, I see no more noble sight.

My best puppy buyers are like that. Whether they are walking one of my youngsters through an outdoor festival or letting their handler trot one of my beauties on the down and back of a festive outdoor show, I'm thankful for those who love their dogs of my breeding, well enough to show them off for the world to see.

As a breeder I understand just how important good homes are for my babies and to my program. As I struggle with the "You can't keep them all" realization, I am forever grateful to those who wish to have one of my darlings. Without them, I could not do what I love. As Bugs Bunny would say, "Ain't in the truth, ain't it the truth.."

Is that all there is?

Dogs have the power to heal hearts. If Love is sacred than Dogs are sacred too.

I believe that Dogs are a gift to us from our maker.


Can my little (American) Cocker Spaniel x English Cocker Spaniel cross puppies have a destiny more important than the complex yet facile world of dog shows?

Yes.

My babies - the puppies I call the "Good Saints Litter" will heal broken hearts in four corners of the globe.

Winning is _not all there is. Dogs were created to walk with Man for the sake of company on his long journey through the dark and frightening abyss of the great unknown.

Yes my babies have a purpose. So does every dog.

What Do You Think About Dog Breeders?

Many years ago - maybe it was just twenty - the expression "Dog Breeder" had a lofty ring to it. Maybe I was destined to be a dog breeder. Maybe I was "gone to the dogs" before I ever really knew what hit me - just like you..

But the people I looked up to as a kid were serious dog people. They bred dogs for show or for field work. They loved their dogs. Every waking hour was devoted to their dogs. Not much has changed...

Except the public's perception.

There have been puppy mills as long as there have been purebred dogs. They are a blight on our dog loving society but the average dog buyer doesn't seem to care where they get their dog so long as they get one.

How can we embrace the public, teach them about puppy mills and yet make them understand that like all people, dog breeders aren't all bad?

Why not use this post to sound off about puppy buyers, the media and the general public?

How can we keep our world filled with gorgeous, beloved purebred dogs without breeders? How can we keep the world filled with dogs at all if not for those who endeavor to create them?

What can we do to make the average pet owner understand that purebred dogs and the people who love them are at the very core of the solution to unwanted pets - rather than the problem?

If we are to save our sport of purebred dogs, we had better start coming up with a message the media loves. What can we do? How can we position our message?

Let me know your thoughts.

Can They Take Away the Flowers?

Filling water buckets for each pasture, I am lost in thought for our country and how removed from nature most folks have become. Watering the horses was once a simple, daily routine shared by almost everyone. Look around at older homes - while you still can. Do you see old, tall garages behind some of those houses? Most likely they were originally used to house the family horse. Today, restrictive laws regulate the number of animals we can have period. "Horses?", "What?" is what most legislators would say. Indeed, we are living in very different times than those of our forefathers.

Is progress always a good thing? When President Obama speaks of Americans needing to "tighten our belts" and driving more responsible vehicles, is he speaking for you and me? Is he speaking for the animal people? Does anyone in Congress know that a smart car can't pull a horse trailer (or haul dog crates) and that an entire way of life is dependent on inexpensive gasoline? Do they care? I'm guessing the answer is "No. We do not."

Walking back to the pump for another fill of water, I see a stand of poppies growing from an old manure pile. They are ruby red and brilliant. The beauty my eyes seek has nothing to do with hip and trendy. I do not wish to shop at Bloomingdales nor do I care what shoes are currently vogue and, although I have nothing against tennis, basketball or other sports featuring a ball, my idea of recreational fun has nothing to do with asphalt. All I want is the life that I have been blessed with. "Will it last?," I ask myself. With a certain sadness, I hear the answer - "probably not."

I think of World War II and all of the people like me, the ones who fought and struggled to preserve their animals and the animal way of life in spite of the fact that there was no money and food shortages often caused them to act in desperation. That we still have Welsh Ponies and Doberman Pinschers (and many other breeds of animals) is testimony to the success of those hallowed breeders of our past. But current times are different - we are so "advanced" as a civilization now. We have virtual worlds to occupy our time. In places like "Half Life" we can raise dogs and flowers without worry for responsible puppy buyers, cruelty to animals, skyrocketing food and gas prices... and political correctness. In a virtual world we can ride horses and hire someone else to muck their stalls. We can buy a designer dog and have someone else train it but will the experiences be the same? How could they be? A virtual world is just that - "Virtually real" ...almost real...

......not real at all.

Walking to the fence, I stoop down to smell the sweet, spicy scent of a little pink flower. Standing back up I notice my gelding Wings has come to the fence for a visit. Crawling over the fence, I reach my arms out for the warm embrace of his muscular neck that pushes against me. He hangs his head over my shoulder and I push my face into his mane inhaling the heavenly scent of horses. The experience is intoxicating. In our modern, real world it is rare for someone to have this experience.

In a virtual world, it is impossible.

Will the future have dogs and horses? Will there be flowers? Real ones that you can touch and smell? If our governing bodies make laws against how much land we can own, how many dogs we can have, how much gas we can use.. and if they dictate whether or not we can use our animals to create new ones - will our human experience be forever truncated?

Can they really take away our flowers?