I am finally going to be returning home to North Carolina later this week. While I am very excited and motivated to get back into my own home, I am also very sad to be leaving all my wonderful friends here in Florida.

It is impossible really to put into words how much I have grown to love the Robison family while I have been here. I have been treated like a member of their family, and they certainly feel like family to me. You can bet I will be back in Florida to visit them often!

I will also miss my doggy friends here, Deb and Blase, Janet, Cathy, and many others. Florida dog people have been very welcoming and friendly to me, and I will always look forward to coming back down here for visits and dog shows.

This is GCH Katie at the recent Miami dog show where she went Best of Breed over several Specials. She is 15 months old here.

Katie and I were Select today at Greater Daytona Dog Fancier’s Association dog show in Deland Florida under Michelle Billings. Mrs. Billings asked me how old she was as she was going over her. When I replied “15 months”, she smiled, and said “I thought so”. She also told me that she was BEAUTIFUL as she was handing me my select ribbon.

Tomorrow is Dr. Smith.

Katie showed in her usual fabulous manner, going around the ring like a freight train. She is doing better about not pulling on the lead on the down and back, and free stacked really nicely.

:D

Wow it has been a super super week. I have a new friend and some new income that is really helping. THANKS Robin!! It feels good to do something constructive and be productive.

Today was a great day. Half day of work, then I came home and bathed and groomed Katie in preparation for the dog shows this weekend in Deland. As usual she loves her time on the grooming table. She has fresh short nails, and is clean as clean can be after her bath and blow out.

Numbers are out for the second Brooksville cluster, and they are BIG BIG BIG. Huge majors every day, and 11 to 14 Specials each day. We can’t wait to get there.

I also conditioned all my leather collars and leashes today with mink oil. I love doing this. I love the smell, and I love how the leather feels afterward. I have quite a bit so it took some time. I use the mink oil that is solid almost like butter, in a little tin like shoe polish. I take some in my hands, rub it back and forth to warm it and distribute it on my hands, and then I rub it into the leather paying special attention to stress points like handles, and where the leather holds buckles, and snaps. Once I have it all coated and rubbed, I hang it up for the oil to go in overnight. I can’t wait to use it after I do this. :D

Also tomorrow Iffie goes for another Progesterone test. She was coming up nicely at 2.4 on Tuesday. Hoping for breeding early next week! After I take her for bloodwork, I am off to Deland to set up my crate and etc for the dog shows this weekend.

Hope everyone is having a great New Year, I sure am!!

See you at the dog shows!

Today Katie’s Grand Championship title is officially recorded at AKC. She finished her CH and her GCH with all majors except for ONE 2 pt win for the GCH. :D

Photos from today.

Tessa

Faith

Obligatory cat. Tiki. :D

Happy New Year! 2011 has been an amazing year in so many ways. There have been so many changes in my personal life. Many ups and downs including the end of my marriage, and leaving North Carolina for a couple different destinations before finally landing in Florida. Some of the downs were quite ugly and upsetting, but they have led me to where I am now, and that is a very good place. It is impossible to place a value on friends who become family, and I am so very thankful for the entire Robison family.

My life in dogs in 2011 has been a whirlwind. I accomplished all the goals I had set for Katie, including finishing her AKC CH title by 12 months with all majors, and finishing her Grand Championship before the end of the year. I never imagined finishing it by going Best Opposite Sex at a HUGE Specialty on the Eukanuba weekend. My ultimate goal was to win Best of Breed Bred By Exhibitor, but I knew how tough the competition would be at this show. Imagine my surprise when I realized when we walked back into the ring for BOB BBX that I was the ONLY DOG who had made the cut in regular BOB competition. Mr. Richardson took only a few minutes to make his decision in a very nice group of Specials.

My goals for 2012 include whelping a successful litter from Iffie, getting Katie into the year end rankings, Group placements with Katie, starting the puppies next fall that I keep from the Full litter, attending the 2012 Eukanuba with Katie, and planning her first litter, which will happen in early 2013. Sometime during the summer I hope to be back in North Carolina.

So many thanks to my wonderful friends who have supported and encouraged me though the rough times in my personal life in 2011. True colors always shine through, and when the chips are down, you really learn who your true friends are.

Goodbye, 2011. It has been a great and an awful year, but I think the good has outweighed the bad. COME ON, 2012! I am looking forward to seeing what you have in store!

IABCA BBX BPIS 2XRBPIS JA CH UCH GCH AOM BOSS Redyre Extra Spicy going Best in Sweepstakes on the Eukanuba weekend at the ARC Region VIII Specialty show under Breeder judge Lori Fiandra.

Iffie’s progesterone is moving up. Results this week were:

Monday 0.6 Wednesday 0.7 Friday 1.2

Our next chance for a test is Tuesday, December 27 because of the holidays. Wishing now I had gone in this morning for another pull. I expect we will be breeding Wednesday or Thursday next week. :D

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

December 11, 2011. Best of Breed under Ralph “Sonny” Ambrosio over 5 Specials in a major entry.

Best in Sweepstakes on the Eukanuba weekend under Diana Lane, breeder judge.

Best of Opposite Sex at Gulf Stream Rottweiler Club’s Designated Specialty show under breeder judge Jay Beyda, entry of 71, on the Eukanuba weekend.

This is Penny (2XMBBIS RMBBIS UCH 3XHIT UCD CH Eternal Moon Finders Keepers, CD RN TT TDI CGC, Producer of multiple CH offspring) at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship Dog Show helping with the Meet The Breeds experience for the public. She pulled the cart and gave rides, and handed out candy with her basket all day on Saturday.

Penny is dam of GCH Redyre Choice V Eternal Moon, CGC, CH Redyre Weapon of Choice, HIC, UCH Redyre Choice Mahalo Bro’, and GCH AOM BOSS CH Redyre Extra Spicy.

Many thanks to Jim Garvie, JAG Photography, for these photos.

Iffie’s progesterone level was 0.6 yesterday, so she is early in her season yet. We go for another test tomorrow, and then probably again Friday to track her levels, and determine the optimum day for breeding.

Stay tuned for updates!

Iffie has been in season for 10 days. She appears to be FULL blown, and the first progesterone test was yesterday. I will be traveling back to the vet for another test today, but will also be FULLY prepared to go on to Caloosa Ranch if necessary, for breeding tomorrow.

For those of you who are FULL of anticipation of puppies from this litter, stay tuned to the blog, I will update as soon as I can on the progesterone results of today.

What an INCREDIBLE week. We started it off by winning Best in Sweepstakes under Diana Lane on Wednesday. Thursday we were second in our Sweeps class under Nikki Ehart. We then went on to win Best of Opposite Sex Specialty under Jay Beyda, and finish her GCH title with a 5 point major. Friday it was Best in Sweeps again under Lori Fiandra, and we made it to the very end of Best of Breed under Bob Busby.

Saturday was spent with Penny at the Meet the Breeds booth. Penny pulled the cart and gave rides to kids, carried her basket around and handed out candy, and did tricks over and over for people.

Sunday was the really big day. Best of Breed was on at 8am. It was so exciting to be in that huge ring on the carpet with so many fine representatives of my breed. It was a huge honor to make the first cut. The real icing on the cake of the entire weekend for me was to be named Best of Breed Bred By Exhibitor. Ever since I first decided that I wanted to breed Rottweilers in the early 90s I have strived for success as a breeder. It has not come easy. I started over twice when it was clear that what I had planned was not working. In fact I had nearly decided in 2003 that I was going to quit.

And then, through an insistent persistent series of serendipitous events, Penny (2XMBBIS RMMBIS UCH 3XHIT UCD CH Eternal Moon Finders Keepers, CD RN TT TDI CGC) literally fell into my lap. My ETERNAL thanks to Linda Draper for giving me the chance to own such a wonderful bitch. Penny has excelled at everything I ever asked her to do. It looks like she is going to end up with 5 or 6 CH progeny, which is an outstanding record for any bitch, in particular out of only 15 puppies.

Katie’s potential was obvious at a very young age. She is clearly living up to it in big style!

Sincere thanks to Katie’s co-owner, and the owner of her sire, CH Cammcastle’s Valentino V QR for his encouragement and support.

2012, here we come!

Some of you may remember her as “Marcia”. This is Redyre Nice ‘N’ Naughty winning her first point recently in Oklahoma. I’m so proud of this beautiful bitch, and her loving owners the Townsleys.

Cali will be out in 2012 to complete her AKC CH title.