Maverick's First Show

I don't know if you will remember my little boy Maverick when he looked like this 5 months ago - well he has grown up to be a very fine young dog and on Sunday his new peeps took him to Driffield Championship Show at Wetherby - his very first time in a show ring. And this is how he looks now:

Checking out what was going on in the outdoor ring.

Judith & Leigh went along too to support Maverick and his family and cheer him on. It was quite a scary time for everyone as they all wanted so much for him to do well after all the hard work his peeps had put in over the past few months taking him to ring craft classes and getting him used to being examined by a judge and how to walk for the assessment. Of course he is still a baby really - only 6 months old and it was such a big, noisy show with so much going on but he walked round smartly and stood still when he needed to:

and.....he came FIRST in the Minor Puppy Class!!

And here he is back home in this lovely photograph (taken by his peeps) posing with his 1st place card and 2 rosettes. The green one shows that he has qualified to compete at Crufts next year - we are so proud of him and thanks to all the hard work by his peeps and the groomer Steve who got him looking his best on the day :-) I think there were some tears from the peeps but Maverick was just happy he had done well and is looking forward to more fun in the show ring to come!

Puppy Awareness Week

It's that time of year again when the UK Kennel Club holds Puppy Awareness Week to try and let peeps know more about where to buy their puppies and not to support the terrible puppy farms and puppy mills where dogs are not cared for and puppies are raised in terrible conditions. And to warn about getting puppies from peeps who don't understand how to raise puppies well and don't carry out any health tests that are needed. The Kennel Club here in the UK has a video and lots of useful information for anyone wanting to know more. Just click here.

Anyway a nice surprise for us was that DogsClub tv who helped set up the PuppyCam for when I had my last litter of pups decided to use a photo of my little Mabel yesterday on their Facebook page to promote Puppy Awareness Week :-) Do you remember when she looked like this?

Such a sweet puppy!

This is the advice from the Kennel Club for peeps looking for a puppy:

• Always go to a reliable and reputable Kennel Club Assured Breeder.
• Ask to see the puppy's mother.
• See the puppy in its breeding environment and ask to look at the kennelling conditions if they were not raised within the breeder's house. If you suspect the conditions are not right, then do not buy the puppy.
• Ask to see the relevant health test certificates for the puppy's parents
• Be prepared to be put on a waiting list - a healthy puppy is well-worth waiting for.
• Ask if you can return the puppy if things don't work out. Responsible and reputable breeders will always say yes.
• Be suspicious of a breeder selling several different breeds, unless you are sure of their credentials.
• Consider alternatives to buying a puppy like getting a rescue dog or pup. 
• Report your concerns to the relevant authority if you suspect the breeder is a puppy farmer

Don't

• Buy a puppy from a pet shop.
• Pick your puppy up from a 'neutral location' such as a car park or motorway service station.
• Buy a puppy because you feel like you're rescuing it. You'll only be making space available for another poorly pup to fill and condemning further puppies to a miserable life

Tell the relevant authorities

Local Councils, animal health officers and the police have the power to enforce the law. If you suspect somebody is a puppy farmer report them to the RSPCA, the police, or your Local Authority.

If somebody who you also suspect of being a puppy farmer, is registering their dogs with the Kennel Club, then ensure that you tell the Kennel Club about your suspicions. The Kennel Club would never knowingly register puppies from a puppy farmer and will tell the relevant authorities to try and ensure that the person is brought to book.

Opt for a puppy from a Kennel Club Assured Breeder or rescue centre

The Kennel Club strongly advises puppy buyers to go to a member of the Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme, the UK's only scheme for breeders that sets strict rules for and checks the quality of its members. The Kennel Club has independent United Kingdom Accreditation Services (UKAS) accreditation to certify breeders under the rules of this scheme. Those looking for a rescue dog can use the Kennel Club Rescue Dog Directory to find a Breed Rescue or another rescue home. 

All good advice and here are some more puppy photos for you to enjoy :-)

A tunnel load of pups

Gracie

Mabel & Creggan

Maverick exploring the garden with his brother and sisters

And little Otto from my first litter :-)

Gracie & Maverick

This is me and Gracie the day before she left to go back to her peeps. You may think I am looking a bit grumpy and..well I suppose I have been a bit not myself this past week...with pups going then coming back and me not knowing if they are going to stay. But I do love Gracie really and I think she knows it. I just don't want Trilby to feel left out :-) Here we are all sleeping in the big bed - me pretending I don't know Trilby and Gracie have joined me:

Gracie is smiling because she has heard that her peeps are back from France and are coming to take her home! And they came on Sunday with lovely gifts for my peeps and a fun toy for us... and Gracie was so happy to see them she nearly did a somersault trying to hug and lick them all in one go :-)

One last photo of her with her pink toy she won at Cawood Fair.

But then who should arrive to visit but my boy Maverick!! Luckily only for an hour or two so my peeps could see how he had grown. Trilby was so pleased to have her little brother to play tug with :-)

And do a bit of furtling in the garden:

And then Maverick wanted to check out the hens:

It's hard to believe he was a tiny little pup less than 6 months ago.

In a few weeks he will be going to his first show - we wish him all the best of luck and hope he does well!