Sintra 2007

No sooner had we got back from Finland (see below) than we had to start preparing for the Sintra shows, and the Portuguese Terrier Club show (Monográfica) last Saturday.

It was scorchingly hot, but we had a good weekend, making up two champions - Entertainer da Roseira Brava (Canela) and Snow Winds Churchill (Louie, in the picture). Canela also took best bitch at the Monográfica.

Louie is about to sire his second litter in Portugal, as we are going to mate him to Lisa (Elisa da Roseira Brava), who is just now coming into season.

Trip to Finland

Here are some pictures we took in Finland of Carlos training for agility - Kirsi has him slaloming around her legs as she paces forwards, and then leaping through her arms.

We spent four days in the country, visiting friends and dogs and taking in the Finnish Parson Russell Terrier Club Show, with close to two hundred terriers. It was extremely interesting to see the dogs and their owners, and in particular to see dogs we had bred ourselves and their offspring.

The show is a unique opportunity to see a huge number of parsons of all ages and different lines. There was an especially strong showing of veteran terriers, who held their own in the final line-up. A lot of the dogs taking part are family pets who are not normally shown, and the event gives everyone a chance to get together and see how the dogs are developing. The atmosphere around the rings is very friendly, and we hope to go back another year, and hopefully show dogs of our own.

Our thanks to everyone, especially Anja, for making us so welcome. And to Kirsi, for making the trip specially for us to see Carlos!

Not just a pretty face...

After becoming a show champion last week, Carlos (Duarte da Roseira Brava) did well at a working trial in Finland this weekend, and is now a working champion too. Carlos is an all-round dog, and also competes in races and agility. Our thanks and congratulations to Kirsi for her hard work in bringing out his full potential!

Also this week, Yupie and Ora (in Slovenia) successfully completed their BBH examination in obedience. Both were judged "excellent" in urban situations, and in the field test Ora got 82%, and Yupie 92%. No pictures of the test, but here's one of Yupie out in the country.

Finnish Champion

Our congratulations to Kirsi Kyrolainen and co-owner Anja Karlsson on Carlos' new title of Finnish champion!

Carlos (Duarte da Roseira Brava) won his third CAC (and BOB) at a show this weekend, and we were delighted to hear the news while we were resting after the European Show in Zagreb, where we had been showing his nieces, Patch and Canela.

As well as a show champion, Carlos has also made his mark at working trials and agility. He has a working trial, or "date with a fox" (Kirsi's words), this next weekend, so we wish the two of them every success.

Carlos has sired a number of litters in Finland, and one of his sons is already following in his footsteps with two CACs under his belt. You can see Äijä at http://www.elisanet.fi/kennel.tervaturvan/uutisia.htm.

Thanks to Kirsi for the photo!

Slovenia and Zagreb

Here's a picture of Patch, Canela and Louie unwinding with Juta after the European Show in Zagreb (Croatia) last Saturday. The show was fun (noisy, dirty and no signposts - what do you expect of a dog show?), especially meeting up with the other terrier breeders, and Patch and Canela both came in second in their classes.

We took the chance to spend five days in next-door Slovenia, visiting friends and touring the country - fabulous scenery, good food and Ljubljana, the beautiful and laid-back capital. We were also able to catch up with a number of terriers from our breeding and their offspring.

Our thanks to Jani and Juta, and to Zoran and Kristen for their hospitality. It was also terrific to meet Nina, who owns Farol da Roseira Brava. We hope to be back before 2010, when Slovenia will itself be hosting the European Show.

Easy's puppies in Austria

Easy has just had pups in Austria - two dogs and a bitch. Here is a family photo, and also a photo of one of the pups with Jonas, her owner's son.

Full details at http://www.sparkling-guy.at/pup/lwurf.htm

Thanks to Susanne for the photos!

Finn and Lucy

With Talavera behind us and the trip to Zagreb looming, it was nice to hear from Rick and Ann De Rooy and their dogs, Finn and Lucy. Finn, the youngster, is one of our dogs, the "gentle giant" in Rick's words. He is proving good company for Lucy, who is now fourteen and came to Portugal from the Ratpack kennel in England.

Lucy, of course, rules the roost, despite being just half Finn's size.

Rick writes: "Next month he will start an intensive course at Christie's in Lisbon “How to appreciate the value of Persian carpets” when I hope someone will teach him only to chew bits out of the cheap ones, unlike the full corner of an expensive one he dined on three weeks ago."

I myself once had to hand in a tattered passport at the British embassy and ask for a new one, with the excuse "the dog ate it".

Marta's pups

Marta's pups are now 10 weeks old and discovering the world. We've been having rather unsettled weather, but here's a picture of Golo and Giesta on a sunny day. We're looking forward to showing one or two of them later in the year.

In the meantime, we've been on the road with the dogs, with shows in Elvas and Badajoz, and then in Talavera de la Reina this last weekend.

Canela (Entertainer da Roseira Brava) has continued on good form, winning best bitch at all these shows, and BOB in Elvas. And in Talavera, which is one of the biggest of the year in Spain, the reserve best bitch was her sister, Patch (Expat da Roseira Brava). So Canela got the all-important CAC-QC, which is the "obligatory ticket" for the Spanish championship.

We're now enjoying a short break, before heading to Zagreb in early June. We'll be taking the chance to visit our friends and dogs in Slovenia. Jani and Juta run a nice website with a good range of Parsons in their country - http://www.slo-prt.com/prt_breed_info.htm.

News

It's been a while since my last post, as this is a hectic time of year. But there is plenty to report on our dogs.

First, we have had good news from abroad. In the US, Folia has taken her first steps into the show ring, winning best Parson puppy in a fun match, and then taking third place in the group. I'm posting photos of Mary showing her on the table, and taking her around the ring. We're delighted to see her settling in so well!

In Finland, Carlos (Duarte da Roseira Brava) is now on two CACs. Over the Easter weekend he won a Reserve CAC, as the ticket went to his son, Riiwiön Tittelin-Tuure, who also took BOB.

Meanwhile, here at home, Marta's pups are thriving and and starting to play around the kitchen - new photos of them on the litter page on our site. Their father, Snow Winds Churchill, took BOB two days running in Moita ten days ago, and was placed second in the group on the first day and third in the group the next.

Marta's pups

Marta gave birth last night to six healthy pups - three dogs and three bitches. They are nicely marked, and all six are thriving.

Photos taken this morning, when the pups were just eight hours old.

The litter was sired by Louie (Snow Winds Churchill) - pedigree on the puppy page in our site.

Folia flies to the US

Folia is now nearly four months (she was a bit younger in the picture, top) and has gone to live in the US with her new owner, Mary Strom, of the Snow Wind affix. She flew out from Lisbon on Tuesday afternoon, and we were happy to hear last night that she had arrived safely in Oregon.

Folia is a daughter of Lisa (Elisa da Roseira Brava), making her a granddaughter of a Snow Winds bitch (Snow Winds Anastasia) and a great granddaughter of Hoelio Just Jenny at Glenholm. Folia's father is Morgan for Roseira Brava, who was bred by Anne Milne (of Glenholm) and lives as the family pet of some friends of ours close to home (bottom picture).

So we wish Folia and Mary the best of luck and every success!

PS: Folia's granddad, Limão, is making a steady recovery after his adventure with a kebab stick (see earlier post). His has his stitches out, and is almost back to normal.

Boris and Eidi

António Alves and his wife Amélia first contacted us a couple of years ago, looking for a pet terrier. After seeing several litters, they settled on Boris (photo, top), who is a litter brother of Marta, and so one of Flash's sons.



To keep Boris company, they decided last year they would like to have a bitch, so they took Eidi (second photo), who was one of the three sisters in Duna's first litter - the other two were Patch and Canela, who are still with us (see the site).


In the pictures, Boris is at the National Stadium, where they often walk, and Eidi is on holiday at Praia da Amoreira, on the Algarve's Atlantic coast, near Aljezur. The two dogs also often accompany Amélia to her shop - and were even featured in a magazine photo shoot last year.




António: obrigado pelas fotos!

The other Canela

Here's a picture of Canela (da Roseira Brava), who belongs to our friend Teresa Ogando. Teresa contacted us a few years ago, looking for a dog who could fit into her life, and get on with her cats. Canela was already six months old at the time, but with her quiet temperament she seemed ideal.

Happily we were right, and Canela has established a very special relationship with her owner. These are some pictures that Teresa sent me recently.

I'd be pleased to hear from other people with dogs we have bred. Please send me a photo, and a small text (in Portuguese or English), if you like, and I'll post them here in the blog. (Messages to clive@roseirabrava.com)

Incredible!

Over the last week or so we got some worrying emails from Slovenia telling us that Limão was unwell, although it was unclear to anyone exactly what the problem was. Various vets were consulted, and several possibilities considered.

Then a couple of days ago, his owner, Nina, was alarmed to find a lump. She took him straight back to the vet, and it was decided to operate. To everyone's amazement, what they found was not a growth, but a wooden kebab stick almost 12 cm long, which had been sitting in Limão's stomach for an incredible two weeks (see picture). Even more extraordinary is the fact that none of his internal organs appear to have been damaged.

Now it has been taken out, Limão is back home convalescing and Nina's main problem is to keep him still, and not running about.

So, thank you Nina for the photos, and for looking after Limão! We are all hoping he will soon be fully recovered...

Shows - Odense and Vila Franca de Xira

It's been a busy ten days or so, culminating for us in the show at Vila Franca de Xira at the weekend. But in the meantime we were delighted to hear news from Denmark where one of our pups was showed for the first time the weekend before last.

"Flash da Roseira Brava" was named after his father, known here as Flash, officially Fellshied Tell Me More. Young Flash has gone to live with Britta Norlund in Denmark, and at his first show, in Odense, he won best puppy in the breed. Here's a picture of him, kindly sent by Britta.

And at Vila Franca, we had a good day. Canela, still in junior class, took BOB for the first time. So after taking best bitch on the second day in Porto, she's making a good start to the year.

Marta in whelp

Marta (Dafne da Roseira Brava) is now definitely in whelp to Louie (Snow Winds Churchill). This will be Marta's first litter and Louie's first litter in Europe. The puppies are due in early March.

Although Marta is a bitch of our own breeding, she is also a relative newcomer to our set of terriers. We sold her as a puppy, but late last year we were contacted by her owner, whose personal circumstances had changed, leaving him unable to keep her on. We were delighted to have her back, and look forward to her puppies, and to showing her later in the year.

Marta was born at our old house (just up the road), in the dry and hot September of 2004. Her mother, Carolina da Roseira Brava (better known as "Whitiezinha"), had also come back to us for her litter, although in her case it was just a temporary move, while the puppies were born and reared. She then returned home to her permanent pet owner.

Marta has been settling in well, and the photo shows her with Louie on the day the other newcomer arrived from the US. (More photos of both on our website.)

Dirty pups

Dirty and wet, but who cares?

Ready for towelling down before bed.

Lisa's pups

As predicted, the mist and rain are back today, but here are some photos from yesterday's training session.

Foxy (left) and Folia (below) are both settling into their lead work.

Pedigree (and puppy pictures) in the litter section of our site.

Patch & Canela

After several days of rain, mist and muddy dogs, the clouds lifted to give us a glorious sunny day. So we had the puppies out in the garden, and this afternoon I took Patch and Canela out for a walk down to the cliffs.

More rain/wind/thunder is forecast for the next few days, but in the meantime, here's a picture of the dogs scrambling down part of the path.

Limão e Gelo (or, Ice and Lemon...)

Anothing important thing that has happened this winter is that Limão has gone to a new and permanent home in Slovenia. Despite the ice and cold, we are pleased to hear he is doing well.

He is now living with Nina Werdonig, and her other PRT, and is co-owned by Jani Korosec. As well as finding a new home, Limão will continue in shows and has started in agility.

Limão is a special dog for us. We have three of his daughters here (Canela, Patch and Lisa), and currently a litter of his grandpups (see our litter page). He went with us to the UK in 2005, and also spent some time in the US in 2006.

So we're delighted that Limão is in such good hands, and we wish him and Nina every success for the future.

More pictures and information at http://www.slo-prt.com/limao.htm.

All clear!

This week we completed a task we set ourselves last year - to test all our dogs for patella luxation and for eye problems. All our dogs have tested clear on both counts.

We are doing the tests at the Lisbon Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. The director of the clinic is a specialist veterinary orthopaedist and tests the dogs for patella problems. The eye tests are carried out by the clinic's resident ophthalmologist, who carries out a detailed and complete examination.

We are not able in Portugal to have eye tests carried out by a member of the European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists, for the simple reason that the nearest member is in Barcelona, more than 1000 km away. The membership requirements for the college are extremely strict, and require experience with equipment which does not exist in this country. However, we are assured that the equipment in question is not relevant to identifying the conditions which are normally tested for in dogs.

So we are now committed to annual eye tests for all our breeding stock, which will help us in our resolve to breed sound and healthy terriers.

In the picture, Abby (Aurgwen Abracadabra) just short of her seventh birthday. Abby has progeny in several countries and was top PRT in Portugal in 2006.

Don't cry for Louie

Louie (Snow Winds Churchill) has joined us here at Roseira Brava, kindly leased to us by his breeder, Mary Strom.

He made a good start at the Porto shows, winning the CAC on the first day, whilst on the second day he made it onto the podium in the junior handling - all credit to the young girl who took him in.

Louie is a seasoned show and stud dog, and having him here will add extra interest to our plans in 2007. He is also a nice dog to have around, happily playing with the others, and also with the pups.

Two litters, one mother

Here's a photo that shows a happy ending to a sad story.

A few weeks ago we lost one of our bitches due to complications after whelping, leaving us with three orphaned puppies. Luckily, Lucy had had pups just two and a half weeks earlier, and was able to adopt them. She had already heard them crying in the other room, and when I brought them in she got to work immediately, cleaning and nursing.

So Lucy (Snow Winds Turn Me Loose) has been rearing a total of seven - four dog pups of her own, and three smaller ones. A tough job, but with a bit of help she has saved the day.

A special word of thanks also to our helpers - Catarina, João and Dona Isabel - who held the fort while we went up to Porto for the first show of the year.

Getting started...

Hello everyone!

Here's our new dog blog, where we plan to keep you up to date with life at Roseira Brava.

Please bear with me for a couple of days, as I get to grips with the templates and software, and we'll soon post our news and photos of the dogs and puppies. We're also looking forward to your comments and views.

Just to start the ball rolling... here's a picture of our Patch (Expat da Roseira Brava). Her sister was BOS in Porto at the weekend, but I'll fill you in on that later.