Aoife & the Water Bowl

We have been looking through some old photos & videos and found this one of Aoife when she was a little puppy. Just to make you smile - she was trying to get the reflection of the light out of the water bowl!

Not something a schnauzer would do - we'd be too busy drinking the water. She tries to scrape the patterns off the food bowls too :-)

This is her now - she's not impressed with us finding her baby pictures.

More Crufts info coming soon - and the competition.

The World's Largest Dog Show

As some of my blog followers are not in the UK and haven't heard much about Crufts, I've got Leigh to help me put some facts about it here. It is the largest dog show in the WORLD!! It started many years ago in Victorian times (1891) when a man called Charles Cruft who had managed a Terrier Club Show decided to hold a large show in London for many different breeds. There were 36 breeds shown and 2,437 entries. Over the years it became more and more popular and moved from a small hall in Islington, London to Olympia in 1948, then as it got bigger still to Earls Court in 1979  and then out of London to the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham in 1991.Today there are nearly 28,000 dogs entered from all over the world and over 200 different breeds to see!

This handsome canine (photo courtesy of the Kennel Club Picture Library) is ShCh VBOS The Kentuckian,  the Flat Coated Retriever who won Best in Show at last year's Crufts.

A lot of other changes have taken place since that Victorian show. In 1994 Discover Dogs started where many different breeds could be seen with their owners. Peeps who were thinking of getting that breed could talk to the owners about what they needed to know before they introduced this new member of the family into their lives. Wyatt (the Airedale) and George the Lad (Welsh Terrier) have both been ambassadors for their breeds at events like this.

 In 2004 the Good Citizen Dog class was introduced for show dogs at Crufts. The Good Citizen Dog Scheme is a training scheme for dogs and their owners to encourage peeps to have well behaved dogs and to look after their dogs properly and responsibly. My brother Kaska became the first miniature schnauzer dog to win this class at Crufts in 2004. Here he is receiving his rosette:

By 2009 there were a lot of worries about some dogs being bred so they looked a certain way but were really quite ill because of it and  hereditary ailments were being noticed in some breeds too. That was when vet checks were started on dogs the show judges were concerned about. Breed standards have been changed to try and make sure dogs are not bred for looks that make them ill and this year even more vet checks will take place on dogs that win the top prizes to make sure they really are healthy.

And it's not just about showing dogs- there are obedience events (not many miniature schnauzers or affenpinschers there :-) and agility:

This border collie's enjoying himself on the weave poles - you should hear them bark when they get a go on the fly-ball! There are police dog displays and doggy dancing (they call it heelwork to music) as well and these action events are open to all dogs not just pedigrees. AND for peeps and their canines who like to shop till they drop there are over 400 stands selling all sorts of doggy goodies.

So that's a little bit about Crufts - more to come over the next few weeks - although I might put in some other news too so you don't forget about me and my brother and sisters.

Thanks to the Kennel Club Picture Library for letting us use their photos and if you want to know more about Crufts - or book tickets click on the banner below:

Countdown to Crufts

2012 is going to be an important year in the UK because the Olympics is being held in London this year and all the sporting peeps are counting down to the opening ceremony on 27th July  but we dogs and our peeps are counting down to 8th March when Crufts begins!

As you may know we are all waiting here to find out if I am going to be having puppies this Spring - and I'm taking it easy and resting up just in case :-) so while I'm not having too many adventures Leigh will take over some of my blog to tell you more about Crufts AND we are going to have a special competition to win tickets to go to Crufts this March! So watch this space as the competition details will be announced very soon. And because I know there are bloggy friends all over the world who probably couldn't get to Crufts even if they did win free tickets we'll have another competition a bit later on to win Crufts goodies which everyone can enter :-)

Versatile Blogger Award

Oh we have another award from our friend Haopee at My Dogs Love Me! Thank you so much for that. To accept the award we thank Haopee and we must pass the award to up to 15 other blogs and share 7 facts about ourselves.

I will make a start with 7 facts to share:

1. My peeps, Judith & Leigh,  have had miniature schnauzers for 15 years now since getting their very first in  January 1997. Her name was Maisie and her sister Match was our Kaska's mother! This is Maisie in her later years:

2. We are all fed on a raw food diet. We have a yummy prepared food from Natural Instinct made with raw minced meat & bone with added salmon oil, kelp and vegetables/fruit.

3. In 2007 Judith & Leigh decided to get an affenpinscher to join their family. That was Alfie Crybbe.

4. The affenpinscher is a German breed like the schnauzer and it is believed that  many years ago the affenpinscher was crossed with the Standard Schnauzer to make the Miniature Schnauzer. Affenpinschers can have prick ears like Alfie Crybbe or drop ears like Aoife. The name means monkey terrier and the affenpinschers have little monkey faces :-)

5. Caoimhe is my real younger sister. My mother & father had another litter of pups just over a year after I was born and Caoimhe was one of those pups.

6. We all live in Yorkshire which is the largest county in England and is divided into 4 separate areas: East, West, South and North Yorkshire. We live in North Yorkshire about half way between the cities of York and Leeds. There are lots of green places for dogs and peeps to visit with the Moors, the Dales and lots of historic houses and gardens - this is Fountains Abbey where dogs are welcome :-)

7. As well as 4 dogs, we have 3 hens and 2 cats in our family. The cats are sisters and are called Satin & Lace. The hens are named after dancers and are called Isadora Duncan, Ninette de Valois and Darcey Bussell. They are a bit wet in this picture as it was pouring with rain - they like to shelter under the large spruce tree in the garden.

I would like to pass this award on to 2 blogs to start with - which are:

 Nora Bella -a sweet little pepper & salt schnauzer who lives with her black mini schnauzer brother Theo. Both are gorgeous little schnauzers - check them out!

and Zeus FM - another mini schnauzer with attitude - he is a bit of a wild child but lovely with it!

Photo Scavenger Hunt - January

Here are our pictures for January - and we do appear in nearly all of them - not bad!

2 schnauzers ( Caoimhe & Me)

BLUR of wings on crested grebe at Fairburn Ings



Two's COMPANY - Me and Caoimhe sharing a pillow

Alfie Crybbe considering the new ENTRANCE to the garden (a gate to stop us running down to the newly planted borders)

Caoimhe likes the shower better than the bath in OUR BATHROOM (peeps & dogs have to share here.)

Snowdrops IN SEASON (this winter they seem to be the only flowers that are)

Bales of hay stretching off  IN THE DISTANCE in the field behind our house.

Caoimhe getting more INFORMATION about miniature schnauzers (or is she just eating the book?)

A MESS of toys and schnauzers on the dog mat

My meeting with this ODD lady who was sitting on a grass verge in Cawood village

Aoife as a puppy enjoying a snooze on the SOFT toy schnauzer.

Oh dear - that was me when I was a puppy getting a WARNING from Alfie Crybbe :-(

Well I hope you liked those pictures - at least there were quite a few with us on. And just to say that we are having real trouble at the moment with Blogger comments - some of the Blogs we follow and enjoy we are not able to leave any comments as it all just freezes up on the computer when we try so I will keep trying but Wyatt and Daisy, Bella & Roxy and some others - I am enjoying your posts but can't comment - sorry!

Frosty Days & My Schnauzer Date

Suddenly all the warm weather disappeared and our garden looks as if it's been crystallised! The plants are all frosted and the pond has ice patterns:

and Mr Frog is trying to put a brave face on it but that is a very cold spot to sun yourself!

But enough about the weather - I wanted to tell you about my schnauzer date with Luke. Well sadly no bling or dinner for 2 - oh Wyatt I think you may be more of a romantic than Luke :-) ...but we did get on very well together. I wanted to wear my fine red fluffy boa for the date:

But Leigh & Judith thought there was no need for dressing up - I was pretty enough without :-(
We travelled in the car to visit Luke in his country home -  he was so pleased to see me and he snuffled my ears and I thought he looked quite a fine boy. So after my peeps talked with his peeps we arranged to come back again in a few days and since then I have seen him 2 more times and we got on better and better. Luke originally came from the US where he became a champion and then he travelled to South Africa and now to the UK - he has really seen the world! If you would like to see pictures of him he has his photo on this web-page:
www.nujaxshowdogs.co.uk/luke.html

Anyway my peeps are now hoping that we might have puppies together but we'll just have to wait and see. The good thing is that because they won't know for several weeks - at least 5 in fact I am going to be treated like a princess as they want me to be happy and not stressed about anything. So I reckon that could mean plenty of treats and the best beds ...and if it doesn't work out Judith has said she will take me to Crufts 'cos I qualified to go in the end last year so there's always something to look forward to.

Couldn't resist one more pic in my red fluffy scarf :-)

Pawsome Blogger Award

Thank you to Haopee at www.mydogslove.me/  for this lovely award!

I am honoured to accept it and to nominate 8 other furry friend blogs that I enjoy following. There are so many wonderful dogblogs it's hard to pick just a few but here are some of my favourites:

1. Rubie the schnauzer girl in Australia who always makes me smile.

http://www.rubieadventures.blogspot.com/

2.Wyatt and his sister Stanzie 2 Airedales enjoying life in Oregon - gardening tips included.

http://www.wyattgardens.blogspot.com/

3. Dante and Daisy-Boo (Labradoodles) and their giant 'brother' Sampson the great Dane - fun and games in Cumbria UK

http://www.smilewithyourtail.blogspot.com/

4. Tessa the cute Maltese pup living in Oregon with her disabled Mom - she loves her stuffies and has some great outfits for special occasions.
http://www.tessathemaltese.blogspot.com/

5. Tooki and her miniature schnauzer Coco and her 'brother' Wawa - always informative and interesting blog with great photos of the dogs, people & customs in Sabah, Malaysia

http://www.tooki-mimopakl.blogspot.com/

6. Daisy and Bella 2 scotties in Australia with their 'sister' Roxy - another blog to make you smile!

http://www.scotsmad.blogspot.com/

7. Matilda the wirehaired dachshund who enjoys life in Japan and blogs about her days out and local customs.

http://www.iammatilda.blogspot.com/

8. Muffin - a very cute little ShihTzu who lives in Singapore - she is very sweet  :-)

http://www.muffinlim.blogspot.com/

Check them out if you do not follow them already!

And more details of my schnauzer date to follow....

More Bitey Face games

I heard from Caoimhe that she has told my secret - so you all know now that I may be going to have pups this year. This week I am going to see a fine mini schnauzer boy and I'll let you know how we get on but I've been told that if I do start with pups I have to rest more and no running and jumping and play fights. So I thought I'd better get some bitey face games in now just in case!

We had a good roll around and then Aoife checked me over to see if I'm still OK for meeting Luke:

Yes ears are fine.. so it's all go for the meeting and paws crossed we like each other. I'll keep you posted:

The Mystery Revealed

Hello everyone - Caoimhe here again. Well you may remember that Magic whispered to me in her last post about that strange message on the chocolate Santa. The chocolate Santa is no more as Leigh has eaten him! And she said human chocolate is very bad for dogs so we got none of it :-( ....but I do know what the message meant and I'm going to let you in on the secret while Magic is out of the way.

If you could read the Santa's message OK it said DARKSPRITE and that is the name which the Kennel Club have said Leigh & Judith can use as their 'breeder's signature' or 'affix'. They are going to breed miniature schnauzer puppies now and again so they can have their own to show and good healthy puppies for other peeps to have as pets. Here in the UK if you are a good breeder you will register the puppies with the Kennel Club and they ask you to choose an 'affix' which will be part of your dog's Kennel name. You have to offer 6 choices and Leigh & Judith got their 5th choice just before Christmas. Me and Magic are 'Silversocks' girls at the moment because that was our breeder's affix.

Oh just checking that Magic isn't on her way back - 'cos there's more to tell! Magic was too shy to say but she's the one who may be the mother of the first litter of pups. Judith & Leigh have found a smart stud dog for her to meet and hope he may be the one for her :-) Oops I think I hear her coming in and I wouldn't want her to know I've told everyone her secret. She may not mind and perhaps she will tell you more another day - otherwise I'll have to just sneak on the computer and let you know myself!
 And just so Magic doesn't catch on what I've been telling you, here's a picture of another bird that visited our garden over Christmas:

It's a greater spotted woodpecker and it really loved the peanuts! Will keep you posted on other news...!

Review of 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL BLOG FRIENDS

I have so enjoyed reading other reviews of last year I thought I would post some of my memorable moments so here goes:

January - the snow had gone but it was still cold so me and Lace  looked out the best spot in the sun. 

February - I came second in the puppy class at Northern Schnauzer Club Show.

March - our new conservatory was built.

April - a little affenpinscher came to live with us - my sister Aoife.

May - Leigh's nephew came to visit and we got on very well together.

June - the family all went to Bramham Horse Trials and had a little picnic together.

July - Another sister arrived! My own little sister Caoimhe.

August - my brother Kaska celebrated his 11th birthday

September - I went to York with my sister Caoimhe and we had a boat trip along the river.

October - Caoimhe decides she would like to be a wine-taster when she grows up!

November - the saddest month - my brother Kaska passed over the Rainbow Bridge,

December - Christmas and New Year celebrations and lots of candlelights!

And just to finish a few more pictures from Christmas. The first one is Molly who lives with Leigh's brother in Northumberland sporting her Christmas present from Leigh. One of the bandanas made by Dex & Lou's Mum!

And here is a chocolate Santa with a mysterious message - more will be revealed soon!

You will have to wait to hear the news but I've whispered it to Caoimhe cos she couldn't wait!