I thought of you yesterday! See, I'm working on Simon's "table" so now I give him treats on the counter at work and have him stand for strangers to pet him and touch him and look at his teeth. Well... Simon's smart. Simon's smarter than Shep. See Simon realize that the command "Table" means liverbits.

See Simon leap four feet blasted into the air and fling himself to the table, cracking me in the nose with his noggin. For a bit I thought he'd actually broken it - that bugger has a hard head! And of course, I wasn't about to let him fall on the floor and get hurt, so I still had to catch and deposit dog on table before I could yelp and catch my nose. One of my customers actually heard the "crack!"

... wow. Who knew a Cardigan was a cruise missile. Now, I'm incredibly careful saying table and keep my head well out of the way to catch him. Eep. ;)

And it's Monday -- yay, a day off, partially!

Whiskers - I was told to leave the whiskers on unless you're trying to refine a heavy muzzle. The thinners to the lump of coat I'm not so sure of - if it accents a good part of his chest, leave it be, if not, thin a little. I remember with the Shepherds, we used to do a lot more um... hahha, thinning in proper places - everyone with the Cardis has told me to leave it be unless it's something distracting. The waves - I was told by my handler that each coat is very different, and that the waves are a pain, hahah - I was told to thin it a little out if need be, but I sure as heck don't want to touch it simply because I have no idea if they're going to fluff it a little on Simon's topline, or flatten it a bit on Caleb's. I used to thin my Shepherd's topline a little to accentuate her croup and shoulder - how lovely it was - she had a back like a table when she moved out. I really need to just go and watch a good groomer groom these guys hands on for a week or two... it seems the only way you really, really learn.

Oh man, I love Orientals, I really do. They have such lovely personalities - sweet as pie. The Korats are sort of um... like the Cardis of the cat world. If they love you, they love you. If they hate you, forget it, you're not getting within ten feet of them.

So, how'd the speciality go? Come on points--- *crossing finges you did well!* The boys are heading out in a few weeks to go to one of the All-Breeds up here - but I can't go, argh. I've got to go to Vegas for Super Zoo so I've got to get everything done that weekend, yipes. Well, at least they'll have fun.

We were the same way! When we decided it was time to get a Cardi we knew we wanted a blue merle male and we knew his name would be Finnigan. We wanted specific coloring and One blue eye but we never thought we'd actually get exactly what we wanted. When Finn was born we loved his coloring and when he opened his eyes to reveal one blue eye it was a dream come true. Although he's still a bit of a brat (as puppies can be) he has a great personality and he really is our perfect match.

I love Harry Potter! I've seen him in the ring as well and think he's gorgeous! Our ideal blue was Demi (CH Cornerstone Visions Denim N Lace ROMb) of Cornerstone Cardigans in Florida. Finn is about as close to her as we could have gotten.

Demi:

Ha ha, yes they are both handsome boys. Where did you get Jaunty?

That's no fun that your Blackberry limits what you can do. :(

Jaunty is adorable! HIs expressions remind me so much of my Finnigan's. :)

Gah, it's taken me so long to respond - I'm usually never on here for enough time to write decent responses except Monday. Sigh, yay work. :D Don't feel guilty at all leaving the bigger guys for those reasons; I did it because I wanted a dog that I could work with and owner handle myself. (Shepherds, better have a professional handler on them or might as well toss your money down the drain most times.) It's funny though how we're drawn to the breeds with big ears, isn't it? ;) I swear, I have some sort of weird ear thing - I have Korats, too. :D

A lot of folks like the German lines better - I've had German, American, Canadian, and Czech. Honestly, I think I loved my American-Line dog the most in the fact that she was the total package. I mean, if I could say, this is what a good Shepherd should be -- she was it. Brains, beauty and brawn to back it up, and good sense, without the really awful quirks that the breed sometimes gets, sigh.

I think that's why I also went to Cardis. Lot less quirks that you have to constantly be aware of. :D Keep me posted on how you guys are doing out there - he's a gorgeous boy! If you're in Seattle ever, let me know! Me and the boys always are willing to meet over coffee. ;)

What a beautiful little man you have! Wow....

Hey! I got that love-hate w/ AK that only Alaskans can understand. Love the snow, hate driving, love the solitude, hate the bad food.. etc. Also, no one in the lower 48 seems to define 'solitude' and 'silence' in the same way that we do. Haha.

Ahhh! You have an Iziban as well! I adore that breed, absolutely wonderful dogs.

Your Cardi is handsome, though. Love him!