Happy Easter Everyone!

Spring bursts today, For Christ is risen and all the earth's at play.

 

Hey! That's not nice!!!

"HONK, HONK"!!
(Really, they are sweet puppies - just naughty at times!!)

 

Early Spring Joy!

Puppy life lessons

Spring is approaching - a time of renewal and self reflection.  The Brighthope puppies remind us all of some important life lessons:



Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success

Stop searching for happiness, it's right beside you

 

An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day. ~Henry David Thoreau

Puppies invade Picardy Park

 

Last Sunday, Kim and I were in need of a serious puppy fix, so we headed on a road trip to Brighthope Kennels.  We knew that there was a litter of 7 week old puppies that would love some snuggling and attention.  Luckily, it was a beautiful sunny day and perfect for a first trip out into the snow of Picardy Park. 

Eight little Blues - 5 males and 3 females spent an hour investigating the 'white stuff'.  I took SO MANY pictures and need to narrow them down - the best will be posted here over the next couple of days.  We had a great time - and by the looks of things, so did the pups!
 

Which forever family will this puppy be going to?

A young adventurer

 

Always playing

Follow the leader - Blue Picardy style!

 HOLD THE DATE!!!

To those who have a Blue and to those who would love to add one of these remarkable dogs to their lives, mark those calendars!  The Annual Blue Picardy Picnic hosted by Vicki and Dave Duncan at Brighthope Kennels will be held on Saturday, June 1.  More details soon!

Coullah's Hare Raising Adventure!

We've had some thawing last week and the bunnies have been venturing out from underneath the big fir trees.  We came home one sunny, windy afternoon and at some point shortly thereafter, unbenownst to us, the breezeway door blew open and Coullah thought she'd take a look outside.....

Off she went, full speed.  Off the bunny went, full speed.  Around the trees, around the side of the house, behind the house, over the creek through the field.... She was so excited!!  It was a dream come true...

I called her.  I called her again.  I called her again - I couldn't seen her.  But then I spotted her - a  Blue blur on the horizon..... headed straight for me.  She reached me going at full tilt.  Boy was she happy - Probably not as happy as the bunny though.  The furry cottontail made its way back home under the trees.  Coullah rushed inside and collapsed in the den - happy and satisfied - what a Blue!!!!

Next post:  Puppies invade Picardy Park!!!


 

Westminster Kennel Club: Red, White... where's the BLUE?

Kypros and I look forward to watching the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and 2013 was no exception.   We`ve promised ourselves that one year, we`ll wrap it into one of our trips to NYC and see all those doggie superstars in person.  Next year, Westminster will be adding three new breeds to the February 2014 line-up:  Rat Terriers (Terrier Group); Chinooks (Working Group) and the Portuguese Podengo Pequeno (Hound Group).

These are all great dogs, but why not the Blue Picardy Spaniel?

We know the breed is represented in the US and without proper breeding lines and with less than a handful of breeders (2 or 3 tops) in North America, us BPS families are in danger of losing our Blues. The BPS is a registered breed in Canada and in Europe... why not in the States?  I've done a bit of research and found the following on the AKC website:

How do you add new breeds of dogs to the list of AKC-recognized breeds?

The AKC Board of Directors has the authority to add a breed to the list of AKC-registerable breeds if, in its opinion, sufficient evidence is presented to justify such action.

There are a number of factors the Board considers in making this decision, including documentation that the breed in question has been breeding true for many generations, with accurate record keeping; evidence that there is sufficient interest in the breed throughout the United States; and a national club in place that meets AKC requirements to act as the parent club for the breed.

There are a number of reasons why some breeds might not be registerable with the AKC. They could include such things as lack of sufficient interest in the breed in the U.S., registry records that fail to meet AKC requirements, the absence of a national club that meets AKC requirements or no desire on the part of enough dog owners to become affiliated with the AKC.

Many of the "rare breeds" are being recorded in our Foundation Stock Service (FSS). This service is provided by the AKC to help new breeds develop and establish breeding records. It does not mean the breed is AKC recognized. It does mean there must be some parent club that is organizing and working on having the breed recognized by the AKC.

Information about the AKC's FSS program may be obtained by e-mailing fss@akc.org.

For more information on a breed that AKC does not recognize, you may want to contact the American Rare Breed Association.

American Rare Breed Association
Website: www.arba.org
E-mail: Info@arba.org
Phone: 301-868-5718

So, this might not give all the answers, but its a great place to start. Look into starting a Club, talk to your breeder... it's up to you - our friends south of the border, show your Red, White and BLUE!!!!!  Let's get our beautiful, intelligent and soulful dogs out there - let's show the world that our spaniels are worthy of the ring!!

 

Happy Birthday to Me!!

There's nothing like tooting your own Birthday horn... unless you have a dignified and noble beast who wants to toot it for you......  Thank you Suede!!  By the way, Coullah is quite certain that Dax isn't a loser...

 

There is a sun afterall!!

 

I thought the sun had completely disappeared.  We have had snowy-grey skies for days now.  Our poor indoor plants have been droopy and miserable, not a ray of sunshine to be had!  But that all changed today!!  Yay!!  The sun has been out and the plants are basking in its warmth through the window.   The girls have been spending quality time outside today - especially Zoë.  She loves lying on the snow in the sun... casually grapping a lump of snow now and then...



Coullah, likes to relax too - but chooses to do her relaxing inside..... and wait for warm summer days......