Thursday, September 17, 2020

A Seemingly Long Covid-affected Summer



I started off the last issue with..."We are living in troubling times," and not much has changed. Unfortunately. But we are resilient as humans...adjust, adapt, strive to do the best we can to make it through all the trials and tribulations we face each new day. 
 






Some happenings certainly made

my days rewarding. Having a litter of pups filled my life with experiences and helped with the more solitary life many of us have been been living. Many conversations filled hours as I

needed to follow the AKC protocol for placing pups. That meant that no one saw their new pups until the day they came to take them home. And everyone was wonderful and compliant. The weather on pick-up days fortunately was good...so all the transactions 
were conducted outside as recommended by the AKC guidelines. Each pup was placed in the playpen so that it could be picked up. The one thing I learned...the pups weren't accustomed to seeing anyone with masks on. Lesson learned. See how everyone picked up their new bundles of puppy love.



 







My gardens --flower and veggie-- were well attended to this year. In fact, I dug up and replanted a whole section of the "color border" and next year it won't look so sparse.


I found a way to keep the bunnies from eating my lettuce early in the season. See me on the left...well my old shorts and tee waving enough in the breeze. But there is always a varmint! I fought relentlessly with the chipmunks as they wanted to take a bite of every red tomato...and I am afraid to say, they won. 




They didn't get every one, but the usual bumper tomato crop I share with friends and family never happened. I had enough for an occasional tomato and mozzarella plate.














And a new pup came to live here. I've wanted to do this breeding for a couple years. Susan Meluzin's Winnie was bred to my Henry, CH Kiara Here I Am Zin-Pa, and the resulting litter had five girls in it. 



Eventually little Miss Monroe made me aware that she was the one! 


We all met in the McLoughlin's front yard (social distance visiting with masks on) and Miss Monroe, Kiara Zin-Pa's Surprise Surprise, came home with me. She has filled my 
end-of-summer days with her antics and is learning how to be a show dog. Well...we'll see...



Unfortunately...there have been no shows to go to! The couple that I planned to enter were cancelled at the last minute. Here's hoping that the Albany/Troy shows (show and go format) happen. 




And I have had the best summer receiving notes, letters, emails, photos, and videos of many in the TT family. Keeping and sharing them now...it's always so much fun pulling it all together. Enjoying how much these furry wonders are celebrated...it's heart-warming. And it has been a pleasure to be the recipient of so much. I can only thank everyone for sharing.







I love these videos. Doesn't matter the age...a baby or an older TT, they all are entertaining. Here are two...Ferris and Daisy responding in kind to the love being showered on them. Thank you Donna and Jean for sharing.










Here is a traditional Memorial Day picture. Father Cooper and daughter Doris. Semi-clean…fun woods walk just prior to photo shoot. Jane





Such a nice cool day for a walk! But that face! 


Elaine









Dennis,


Zayde says hi. Within the last few months Zayde has become a cuddler. Thank you again for letting her into our lives. 

She is well and hope you are too. 

Gerald





Hi Dennis, 


Time sure flies -- Nimbus is a little over four years old now, and doing great. He’s super smart and almost unbelievably sweet; if he’s representative of the breed, we are never going to want anything but TTs! He loves to travel with us, and is perfect in a car, even on really long road trips. It’s looking like there will be much less travel this year with the pandemic, and he’s adapted well to only being walked late at night when the sidewalks are mostly empty, and the rest of the outdoor time being in our little backyard. Nimbus’s best friend Lucy, a Wheaten Terrier six months older than he is, has been staying with us for the past couple months while her owner is sheltering in Israel. She’s very sweet but not half as intelligent as Nimbus, and we can see how he takes care of her in lots of little ways. They’ll roughhouse and pretend fight, and the next thing you know we’ll find ourselves stunned, by how Nimbus will perform little acts of kindness towards his friend.


Seeing how much he loves having a companion around like that (even when we’re here almost always, even without a pandemic) we might end up wanting another TT  from you.


I’m attaching a few pics, of Nimbus, and Nimbus and Lucy together. 

And maybe we’re like you right now, happy to tend to our little garden in the slowly warming weather, all in the company of extraordinarily sweet four-legged friends. 

Steve and Alicia…and Nimbus





Hi Dennis! 


Hope you are doing well! It has been a while since I sent you an update on Doc, but I wanted to let you know that he is doing great! I have attached a few recent photos of him and he is as adorable as ever. He was dressed up with nowhere to go on St. Patrick’s Day and Easter, but at least he was a good sport about it. We also had him model a face mask. That one he wasn’t overly thrilled with! 


Since he had his sixth birthday last month, we’ve been talking about the best time to add another puppy to our family. Our thoughts are that we’d love to get him a puppy friend next spring. I know that’s a while off, but we do like to plan ahead. We’re hoping you’ll be planning a litter then. We love Doc soooo much, we wouldn’t want to get a new pup from anyone else! Any thoughts? 


Enjoy the nice weather this weekend! 

Jill, Jackie, and Doc














And there were lots of birthday celebrations reported. All the ages were represented! So wonderful to know how these furry Kiara's are loved.



Happy first birthday to our Nora!! Thank you, Travis and Dennis, for such an amazing pup! 


Lyn









My KDEE is eight today. You can see the love we have for each other.


Debbie










Dennis,


Today is a very special day…we honor Sir Cooper Brock-Everett. He is 11. We will have our major celebration, doing all the things he enjoys, when it is cooler. 

His accolades are lengthy. Champion show dog, father and grandfather of many, Therapy Dog Excellent, Rally Advanced Excellent, and CGC. And the dog that changed our lives. The dog that is allowed on all the furniture. All vacations are planned around what he likes to do. If he wants to be outside, we are outside in all kinds of weather. His barking is accepted with a laugh. 



Thank you, breeder, Dennis Gunsher, and owners, Travis and Miles. 

Jane

Oldest of the lot are littermates from my last Asland breeding. A very Happy B'Day to Mr. Baudelaire (loving living in Vermont!) and sis Sugar (with the McLoughlins and her beautiful family-sis's).



Dennis, 


Today is Baudelaire’s 13th birthday. 

Paul







We’re celebrating my sweet Sugar’s 13th birthday!!! Can’t believe all these years have passed. Hoping for many more. 


Mike and Marie





(That is Sugar laying down on the left, daughter Cookie in the middle, and cousin Bea on the right.)




Happy fifth birthday to our Luna! Thank you, Dennis and Jane, for such a lovely pup! 


Lyn










Maya is turning one today, we love her so much! As my kids say, “highest quality puppy”! She truly is the center of attention in our house in these days of staying mostly inside. Thank you, Dennis.


Alejandra











Hi Dennis, 


I hope you’re doing well. We are doing OK here. We took Maya on her first vacation to Cape Cod and it was a lot of fun to have her there. 

She is finally having her surgery. We waited until after her first season which happened in February. Going to the vet tomorrow for pre-op, and surgery is next week.


I wanted to ask you about food. We had her on you Eucanuba small breed (puppy), and then added a bit of Purina Pro Plan. We are getting to the end of the puppy food bags and need to buy new ones. I guess I need to move her to an adult food. What do you give your dogs? 


By the way, my son Lucas is really interested in another puppy (he’s the one in the red shorts), he even has a name, Nina. You might get a call from him one of these days, do not take him seriously… In all honesty, we are so in love with Maya, but if it were not so much work and I was not thinking of starting a new job, I would consider it. She is the best family member, we love her so much! Thank you! 

Alejandra




Seeing them to their golden years...means saying goodbye. Thank you for sharing these passing-over-the-rainbow-bridge eulogies. It's a whole life of stories and memories. I am grateful you have given them loving homes...and see them to a peaceful end. 



Hi Dennis, 


It’s been quite a while since I’ve been in touch, although I follow you on Facebook and so see both your wonderful Tibetan pictures and your equally appreciated anti-Trump posts. What a strange world we are in now between Trump and Covid.

 I was lucky enough to be on the receiving end of 14 years of unconditional love from Cooper, my beloved Tibetan I got from you in 2006. She was born on April 3 that year. I said goodbye to her at the end of June after a year of fighting very hard through lymphoma. She was, in my humble opinion, just a perfect dog. And so, I am eternally grateful to you for bringing her into this world. I thought you might enjoy this photo of Cooper from a few years ago in her favorite spot in my garden. It’s perfect. My heart is broken now, but I may very well want to get another Tibetan – not yet, but I can see that my life may not be complete without another Cooper; and I can’t imagine having anything other than a Tibetan. I’m interested in whether you are continuing to breed, and whether this virus has made you change your life. I’d love to hear what you’re thinking, I just can’t imagine getting a dog from anyone other than you. 

Hope your summer is going well. 

All the best, 

Christine





Goodbye to Jackson  (Jackie girl) the queen of our pack. You are a tough girl right up to the very last minute. We love you and will miss you. Have fun with Coopy and Oscar! 


Susan


 









Bringing a wee one into someone else's life is always special to me. Especially when they have already lived with and loved  another Kiara pup. So happy that Christine (who lived with and loved Cooper) was ready to share herself with a new being. She has come to visit her new girl...possibly named "Ditto". It is another match made in heaven.


 







Puppies are full of wonder. Hours filled with training, trips outside, finding play dates, visits to the vet, supplying them with all the toys and treasures they need, and a myriad of so many tasks. Just to get that endearing look from them. But then...they give us a lifetime of adoration and their companionship.

So ending with more adorable puppy photos.

















































More later...