As of today, Thurday, January 1st, 2009, I am going to stop caring about what certain people think, what certain people do, and what certain people choose to judge.
I will put my past behind me and only look forward.
I will learn to say "No", and will follow my gut with people I do not like from the very beginning.
I will learn from my mistakes and strive to be a better breeder, JUDGE OF CHARACTER and person in general.
I will achieve some large goals this year and will help people achieve theirs.
I will choose to politely stop speaking to people I don't care to hear from and get in touch with the people I want to hear MORE from.
....mhm, This year, will be my year - I think.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
"Magic Balls"
I'm so excited! Recently, I have stumbled across these things called Satin Balls, or Fat Balls as other breeders call them. I have to call them Magic Balls, however, as they are just that. These little 1 lb balls of protien and carbs put weight on your dog in a matter of DAYS!
*please note that these are not to be overfed to your dog, and should only be a substitute - not a permanent diet! ;)*
My dane bitch, Luna, had a litter of puppies roughly 4 months ago and it took alot out of her. She carried and borned 11 puppies that day. Whatta girl! With the puppies nursing on her already smallish frame, power feeding her kibble was just not cutting it. I stay away from the raw-food diet as I feel it is NOT for novices and should be researched thoroughly and extensively before proceeding. This is something that I do want to do one day. Perhaps, when we buy our acreage and have the room to store all this food!
I had heard about Satin balls from a few breeders but never really gave much interest. Until now. I researched online and asked the few people I knew that used them. Turns out there are multiple recipes and variations. As long as you have the protien with the carbs and a binding agent, you'll be good to go. I make alot and then freeze them in baggies taking them out daily to feed to my girls.
I feed just one 1 lb ball to each girl along with her regualr kibble a day. I find that it adds a nice glisten to their coat and keeps their weight above that almost embarrassing level of skinniness that happens ever so commonly in danes.
With Luna, I was feeding her 3 a day until I say her weight start to pack back on.. now I'm maintaining her.
This is what I put in a batch of mine:
9-10 packs of raw hamburger. Regular. You can use the crap that superstore sells. There is no use getting the "high quality" hamburger that IGA or Safeway or M&M Meats sell. Don't be silly!
A dozen raw eggs WITH shells
half a box of Kellogs Just Right Cereal. Can be anything really.. just alot of whole grains, corns, wheat.. etc etc.
1/2 cup of molasses
4 packets of gellatin
half a large bag of raw oatmeal
Find a big bowl! Seriously. It's messy and gross and you'll need to use your hands.
Mix it up with your hands until it's relatively....even... and then make into balls. Freeze in amounts you want to take out individually. Easy Peasy!
(Sorry for the sideways pictures. I'm uber lazy today)
Cropping
Ah Yes... Cropping. Let us touch on this wonderfully, always controversial subject.
I, personally, have never been a fan of the cropping process, or even the look alone. Actually, that is a lie - I do prefer the cropped look on a doberman over natural ears, but still, I feel it is unnecessary.
I am completely floored as to why ANYONE would want to take a danes naturally beautiful soft floppy ears, cut them in half and stick them on some posts for 6 months. And not only that, but it's not even GUARANTEED that they'll stay up! Alot fall down with age, and some have only one ear fall over making the majestic dane look completely ridiculous.
It is expensive and near impossible to find a vet that actually does a GOOD cropping job. Most vets refuse crops now a days, and most of those who don't do it under the table. Fantastic, Oui?
Many will argue that it is "for the show ring", but don't let this fool you! Danes with natural ears have been winning titles for years now! Yes, they have to be just the right shape, and lay JUST right against their head, but they are NATURAL ears nonetheless.
Great Danes ears used to be cropped for hunting. They were used to hunt wild boar and the tusks of the pigs would get caught in their droopy ears and snag them. This makes sense to stick them up, because in the end, it's a lot less painful, right?
I don't know about ya'll, but I don't know of anyone taking their danes on any boar hunting exertions lately - so there really isn't a whole hell of a lot of point to it, wouldn't you agree?
Don't get me wrong - to each their own. Some people just cannot stand the look of a natural eared dane. It is all preference.
With me being so against cropping, many would ask... "Starr, why do YOU have a cropped dane?"
This took alot of people by surprise. However, I did not crop her, Circus, myself. I must say, that the vet that cropped circus did an outstanding job and it is one the cleanest most wonderful crop jobs I've ever seen. Her previous owner prefers crops, and hey - it is totally her prerogative. If she wants to shell out the money, and then the time and effort for her danes, than it is absolutely up to her! I'm not against people who do it, I'm against the procedure itself.
I received Circus (previously known as Jurnee - I already had a "Journey", so she needed to be renamed. My new favorite album is Circus by Britney Spears so I thought it was fitting ;) ), litter over a month ago. She came to me cropped. I would've preferred her natural, but what's done is done, and there was no way I was not going to take care of the crop. The only thing I hate worse than crop is a BAD crop.. so our journey begins.
Keep in mind that this is my first cropping experience ever. It WILL be my last. This poor girl had trouble from the day she arrived at my house. Her ears and were pussing and bleeding and the moisture that was building up was unbelievable! The stench was over powering. Because of the infection, the cup HAD to come off. We pretty much had to let the ears heal and start from scratch. By the time she finished up her anti biotics, and after daily cleanses and anti bacterial sprays, her almost standing ears were down in a pitiful half-eared droop. Back from square one.
Every 5 days I replace her cup. It is a painful process of ripping the tape off her ears, and her ears off the two sided tape from the cup stuck in the middle of her head. She does not hate it, but does not like it. I have to yank her ears up as hard as I can and stick them to the double sided tape. Then, I have to wrap tape lightly around in 3 different places. The whole process, once I got used to it, only takes me about 3 minutes, but the poor girl scratches and shakes her head for the next 5 days until she gets that 20-30 mins of "air time" as i like to call it where she frolicks and rubs her head into my lap and couch as if to say; "i'm free!".
Then, as I start cutting the strips of tape and priming up her cup. She gives me those eyes and rests her head on my lap awaiting for it again.
I simply cannot wait for this process to be over. It is not for me. I'm sure she will look stunning with her jet black fur, chocolate eyes, wonderful profile and her erect ears. I'm sure she will steal the praises away from my natural eared girls - but I know what is involved, and even of infection is rare, I don't care - I'm never doing it again.
My "mentor" in the dane world crops alot of her danes. They look great, and she has no problems with them. It is what she likes, and it is her choice completely. I'm lucky enough to have her guide me through this, because without her, I'd be a mess taking Circus to the vet every 3 hrs because her ears feel cold, or they smell funny, or she's itching at them. Hopefully I only have 2 or 3 more months of this but until then, I'll do my best to make it the best looking crop possible.
Please don't get me wrong. I'm not about to yell at people who crop, or completely disregard dogs that have cropped ears. It is just simply not for me and, to be honest, I cannot wait until it is banned completely.
Until then, it's a croppy-crop world. Har Har.
I, personally, have never been a fan of the cropping process, or even the look alone. Actually, that is a lie - I do prefer the cropped look on a doberman over natural ears, but still, I feel it is unnecessary.
I am completely floored as to why ANYONE would want to take a danes naturally beautiful soft floppy ears, cut them in half and stick them on some posts for 6 months. And not only that, but it's not even GUARANTEED that they'll stay up! Alot fall down with age, and some have only one ear fall over making the majestic dane look completely ridiculous.
It is expensive and near impossible to find a vet that actually does a GOOD cropping job. Most vets refuse crops now a days, and most of those who don't do it under the table. Fantastic, Oui?
Many will argue that it is "for the show ring", but don't let this fool you! Danes with natural ears have been winning titles for years now! Yes, they have to be just the right shape, and lay JUST right against their head, but they are NATURAL ears nonetheless.
Great Danes ears used to be cropped for hunting. They were used to hunt wild boar and the tusks of the pigs would get caught in their droopy ears and snag them. This makes sense to stick them up, because in the end, it's a lot less painful, right?
I don't know about ya'll, but I don't know of anyone taking their danes on any boar hunting exertions lately - so there really isn't a whole hell of a lot of point to it, wouldn't you agree?
Don't get me wrong - to each their own. Some people just cannot stand the look of a natural eared dane. It is all preference.
With me being so against cropping, many would ask... "Starr, why do YOU have a cropped dane?"
This took alot of people by surprise. However, I did not crop her, Circus, myself. I must say, that the vet that cropped circus did an outstanding job and it is one the cleanest most wonderful crop jobs I've ever seen. Her previous owner prefers crops, and hey - it is totally her prerogative. If she wants to shell out the money, and then the time and effort for her danes, than it is absolutely up to her! I'm not against people who do it, I'm against the procedure itself.
I received Circus (previously known as Jurnee - I already had a "Journey", so she needed to be renamed. My new favorite album is Circus by Britney Spears so I thought it was fitting ;) ), litter over a month ago. She came to me cropped. I would've preferred her natural, but what's done is done, and there was no way I was not going to take care of the crop. The only thing I hate worse than crop is a BAD crop.. so our journey begins.
Keep in mind that this is my first cropping experience ever. It WILL be my last. This poor girl had trouble from the day she arrived at my house. Her ears and were pussing and bleeding and the moisture that was building up was unbelievable! The stench was over powering. Because of the infection, the cup HAD to come off. We pretty much had to let the ears heal and start from scratch. By the time she finished up her anti biotics, and after daily cleanses and anti bacterial sprays, her almost standing ears were down in a pitiful half-eared droop. Back from square one.
Every 5 days I replace her cup. It is a painful process of ripping the tape off her ears, and her ears off the two sided tape from the cup stuck in the middle of her head. She does not hate it, but does not like it. I have to yank her ears up as hard as I can and stick them to the double sided tape. Then, I have to wrap tape lightly around in 3 different places. The whole process, once I got used to it, only takes me about 3 minutes, but the poor girl scratches and shakes her head for the next 5 days until she gets that 20-30 mins of "air time" as i like to call it where she frolicks and rubs her head into my lap and couch as if to say; "i'm free!".
Then, as I start cutting the strips of tape and priming up her cup. She gives me those eyes and rests her head on my lap awaiting for it again.
I simply cannot wait for this process to be over. It is not for me. I'm sure she will look stunning with her jet black fur, chocolate eyes, wonderful profile and her erect ears. I'm sure she will steal the praises away from my natural eared girls - but I know what is involved, and even of infection is rare, I don't care - I'm never doing it again.
My "mentor" in the dane world crops alot of her danes. They look great, and she has no problems with them. It is what she likes, and it is her choice completely. I'm lucky enough to have her guide me through this, because without her, I'd be a mess taking Circus to the vet every 3 hrs because her ears feel cold, or they smell funny, or she's itching at them. Hopefully I only have 2 or 3 more months of this but until then, I'll do my best to make it the best looking crop possible.
Please don't get me wrong. I'm not about to yell at people who crop, or completely disregard dogs that have cropped ears. It is just simply not for me and, to be honest, I cannot wait until it is banned completely.
Until then, it's a croppy-crop world. Har Har.
Who ARE you Shiba Inu, breeder?
There is a wonderfully cute live-cam thingy going on with a breeder who breeds outstanding quality Shiba Inu pups. It has a live feed to their puppy pen 24 hrs a day. Not sure If ya'll have been following this - but it's reached a staggering record breaking amount of hits or something like that.
ANYWHO - She keeps a very tidy pen and the puppies are happy, healthy and she is no doubt a great breeder - however, in her information she goes and puts down breeders who advertise on the internet. Saying, these are never LEGIT breeders. Um, are you kidding me? The internet is a completely legit tool that everyone, worldwide, uses to advertise.
YES, there is fraud, and YES there are puppy mills that "hide" behind their smoking mirrors of websites, and emails and only ship so far away that it is nearly impossible for people to come see their homes conditions. But, going as far to say that ALL BREEDERS that advertise on the net are not legit is a tad bit excessive. Don't 'cha think?
Regardless, this breeder has created some great pups and has given people bored in their office cubicles something to do to pass the day. Cudos.
..... Just had to get it off my chest.
ANYWHO - She keeps a very tidy pen and the puppies are happy, healthy and she is no doubt a great breeder - however, in her information she goes and puts down breeders who advertise on the internet. Saying, these are never LEGIT breeders. Um, are you kidding me? The internet is a completely legit tool that everyone, worldwide, uses to advertise.
YES, there is fraud, and YES there are puppy mills that "hide" behind their smoking mirrors of websites, and emails and only ship so far away that it is nearly impossible for people to come see their homes conditions. But, going as far to say that ALL BREEDERS that advertise on the net are not legit is a tad bit excessive. Don't 'cha think?
Regardless, this breeder has created some great pups and has given people bored in their office cubicles something to do to pass the day. Cudos.
..... Just had to get it off my chest.
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