Summing up...

Another year has come to its end. I hate endings, beginnings are much more fun.

2015 has been a very hard year for me.

The necessity for veterinary care and the expenses involved has been more than many previous years combined.   Lilo, my 12 year old Canaan girl, and the star of many of the photos I have put up in the past, decided to take on a viper that invaded her territory, not considering that she might not be quite as fast as she was in her younger days.  She was bitten on the tongue, and was for a number of days on the edge between life and death, her tongue and head swollen up terribly, unable to breathe except through a trach tube, and totally miserable.  But being a Canaan, she had no intention of giving up, came through it all, and now is in great shape, looking and acting like a five year old (though hopefully she will not meet any more snakes).  The costs of the intensive care were enough to feed all the dogs for half of the year…The vet clinic told me she was the most severe case they ever had that recovered – I am thankful for their efforts.  They also now know a lot more about the determination of a Canaan dog.

The next serious problem did not end so well. Lovely Janey, our Canaan girl from Jordan, who was loved and admired by so many, and had been such a great ambassador for the breed, was poisoned.  She was living with a friend of mine on his kibbutz, helping to guard his sheep, and was very happy, as during the day she had a lot of attention from all the kibbutz children, and at night she was doing a job she loved.  She had just whelped a litter of seven puppies, and then a few days later collapsed, and all efforts to save her were in vain.  There is a special place in hell for those who can commit an atrocity like this.  Her puppies have grown up well, with me as their mother, but nothing can take the place of Janey.  The little ones look so much like her, with her lovely eyes and expression, and sweet nature…

Emma, my little podengo bed warmer, had to have a caesarian to deliver her enormous puppy. Emma and puppy, thankfully, are fine.  Emma has now returned to warm my bed and in a few days the little wild child will go to his new home.

Chance, who last year lost her entire litter to fading puppy syndrome, went through many tests and long term treatments to try and find and cure the reason.  From her litter born in July, we were able to save three puppies.  One little girl is staying here and Chance will now be retired from breeding. Kismet, her daughter, now five months old, is showing a lot of Chance’s temperament characteristics.

And together with various other tests, treatments, and preventatives for others, 2015 has been a very profitable year for the vets.

Aside from that, we are still in court with our fight to be able to keep our home, and not be evicted.  Four years of fighting and lawyers’ fees, and still no answer….living in limbo leaves a lot to be desired…

But 2015 was certainly not all bad!

We held a very successful International Canaan Dog Conference, with many participants from abroad, and during our trip through the desert, had the amazing luck to find a litter of wild born Canaan puppies.  Little Dardar came home with us and is growing up into a lovely young dog. She lives with my granddaughter and is a constant challenge!

And it was really encouraging to see how well the Canaan is developing in other countries, the growing interest in the breed, and the lovely core of serious people devoted to these very special dogs!

I had a very successful and enjoyable week in Italy (other than it being very cold!), giving several lectures and seminars, wrapped in many layers of clothers, but very well fed.   I had a super trip to Norway to judge and then to see the European Dog Show, beautiful dogs.  And a lovely trip to the US to participate in the celebration of 50 years of the Canaan Dogs in the US. Great fun meeting many people that I have only known through Facebook and seeing many dogs that I knew only through photos. I was really happy to see the good general quality of the dogs, and the lovely temperaments as well, also the interest of the Canaan people not only in showing and breeding, but in all sorts of sports and performance competitions.  Super!  This trip also gave me the opportunity to visit my brothers and families, with children and grandchildren that I have never met before. It was a fantastic two weeks!

Three of my young collies finished their championships in style, Tawny (IsrJCh. IsrCh. Talking Point of Netiv HaAyit) with wins including a BISS2 and BISS3, his sister Topaz (IsrJCh. IsrCh. Topaz of Netiv HaAyit) gained a BISS over an entry of 40, and the smoothie, Robin (Isr.JCh. Isr.Ch. Legacy of Netiv HaAyit) also has gained two CACIBs.  Janey,(Isr.JCh.IsrCh. Bat Yarden me Dibaan Jeyni), before the tragedy that befell her, became BOB and Desert Winner at the Canaan Conference Specialty show.  Oreo, our funny black and white boy, (IsrJCh. IsrCh. Or ve Tzel me Shaar Hagai) was BOB at the Canaan Dog Specialty in France.  And little Annabella the podengo (Isr.JCh.Annabella me Shaar Hagai) became a junior champion.  There have also been various successes of Shaar Hagai dogs and their descendents abroad, both in conformation and performance.

Several of the dogs have been working this year in various therapy projects, perhaps the thing that makes me the happiest.  Dogs proving their worth to us and their ability to make our lives better – what can be better than that?

And there were puppies this year – a lot!  More than I was really expecting or planning for, but they are lovely!  Still a lot of growing to do, but I think that there will be some that will bring us a lot of joy in the coming year, in the shows rings and in other things as well.

And there is a great deal of joy in welcoming the new owners of puppies into my doggy family, and welcoming back those who have had puppies from me before and have come back for another new family member.

Most of my body is still working reasonably well, considering the mileage put in…

And of course, the pleasures of family…!

So, like every year, there was the difficult and painful, but there was also the bright and inspiring, and with hopes for a larger proportion of the latter, we begin 2016. Beginnings are fun!

 

We are ready to go!