Morrigan Mastiffs

A walk in the woods.

2012-01-04T09:14:00.003-05:00

May Bug asks, "Are you coming?"

May, Brian and I had a great walk last week. I thought they would lag at some point. NOT! Those two are in shape. I walked two miles and they walked about six!

Brian has to look UNDER everything. Is there anything fun under here?

2011-12-26T06:29:00.002-05:00

May and Brian. The spot on Brian's cheek is a spot on the lense.

2011-12-25T11:48:00.001-05:00

Trojan Wallace

Turn the page

2011-12-15T23:07:00.002-05:00

I decided it was time to update the old blog. I hope folks like the new format.

Hopefully I can talk James in to going to retrieve Brian with me on Saturday. He has had a successfully few weeks. He was bred twice and picked up 5 points toward his Grand Championship including a major. Brian has a ROUGH life. May has missed him though...

Our Beautiful Lexus

2011-12-13T17:20:00.001-05:00

Sometimes when folks die, you wish you had one more opportunity to say goodbye. You just want to make certain that they know how much you care about them. You also get the feeling that they wish the same. That they had one more chance to say they love you. With dogs, they tell you every time they see you how much they love you. With Lexus, it would be impossible not to know it every day.

Lexus' liver failed. We went to see Dr. McCord. She licked my face and for once, I didn't wipe the Dragon Breath Slime away. I let it linger as I held her head and let her go. I have no doubt that she cared for me more than she cared for herself, and I would have done anything for her except extend her pain for a tiny moment of my own comfort.

I have often wondered who would claim the spot beside Morrigan. I should have known it would be Lexus. She has always been a leader.

I placed her in the grave, with May and Trojan as witness. Poor Trojan with his crippled knees stood there solemnly. He has done this before and knew exactly what was going on. May walked up to her mother and poked her with her foot. She didn't understand. Finally the moment arrived. No human words were spoken. I looked and Trojan, he looked at me. I began to cry and I howled. Although he is mostly deaf, as he has before, he instantly joined in. May followed. Then Susie, Lilly, CiCi and Roxie joined the chorus. A queen goes before us.

I do not know what waits for me when I follow Lexus, but I know that when I get there, she will be waiting for me, to show me love with the breath of a Dragon.

Morrigan and Lexus, Mother and Daughter

Mother and Daughter

2011-12-01T20:53:00.001-05:00

Mother and Daughter, Lexus and May, 12/1/2011

Lexus

2011-11-21T22:31:00.001-05:00

Lexus inspecting my work after three days on the skid steer. I think she approved... :)
It all runs through Lexus. Both May and Brian have come through this fantastic bitch. I try real hard not to think that she turns eight in a couple weeks. There are Specials and then there are SPECIALS. Lexus is the latter.

The purple flower/pinwheel is from Sidney's charity work for Alzheimer patients. Hers has the name of her Great Grandfather, John Gray on it.

Goofies

2011-11-04T17:59:00.001-04:00

Brain and May love to get in the truck when I am cutting and loading trees! That is slobber under Mays eye, not blood!

James is pulling all the skin on Trojan's face forward. Pretty wild expression!

Lilly is fat. I solemnly swear this bitch weighs 255 pounds. Just one puppy was not to much to ask! Alas, a vaginal prolapse ended that.

2011-10-21T00:26:00.003-04:00

I missed the best parts! Brian and May crawled under the top of a tree I cut down and were playing tug o war with the 12 foot tree top while they were under there. This is all my stupid phone captured after it took forever to load the camera and then it failed. arrrgh! Stupid phone.

Happy Birthday to CiCi! She turns eight today! Well, since it is 12:30a I guess it was yesterday. Regardless, she got a present. A green round squeaky toy that she carries around with her. She is such a sweet dog. True, she can walk into a corner and stare at it for 15 minutes before she gets bored and tries to figure out how to get out, but she is awfully sweet!

Lexus is still going strong and is the next to turn eight with Oscar in December. Here she was trying to get the goats to give her an excuse to shred them earlier today.

To the goat's credit. They don't run from her. Except one. Doddle is particularly taken with her and tries to get her to play with him. He is playing with fire running from Lex that way!

BTW - May is not pregnant. She refused Brian's advances. Next time we will do it surgically. So we have babies in 6 months. It will be worth it!

2011-08-23T12:05:00.002-04:00

Well, that didn't take long. May is in season! Brian is not eating. I would say we are 70-80 days away from puppies! I am cautiously optimistic. With the exception of May, we haven't had a litter in years!

2011-08-13T20:41:00.007-04:00

Summer in Georgia basically sucks. Its hot. Always.

Brian and May are just begging for attention, so I gave them some. I let them out and they loaded themselves into the back of the truck, off lead and with the tailgate down. They road well. I drove them down the road just a little ways and then turned into where the trailhead is on our property. I got out and they got out. I knew we would suffer the wrath of the chiggers, but onto the trail we went.

These two haven't been on the trail in 6 or 8 months. Its about a mile around it and while they are outside dogs, I am terrified of heat stroke. They were very excited. They ranged 25 yards ahead of me. I tend to measure how tired a dog is by how the lead distance changes. When they are tired, they will walk behind you. I needn't have worried, they both maintained their lead the entire way around.

Once we got back to the truck, they loaded again and home we came. I turned their sprinkler on in the back yard and they bounced around like puppies as they cooled down. I trained the muscadine vines to the wire as they tried to see who could undercut my legs first! We hada great time.

To me, the true test of a dog (or owner) is off lead. That is when you learn if you are controlling your dog or if they are controlling you. During our 20 minute walk, I called Brian back to the trail once. He responded immediately. I called May back from a side trail once and she responded immediately. I was very proud of both of them.

We also got May's hips and elbows back from OFA. Hips are good and elbows are normal. She will get her CHIC certificate very soon! We prove May with Brian on her next heat. BABIES! :)

FInally, some really sad news. We lost Tug. She had to put him down a couple weeks ago. Tug was a great dog. Our sympathies go out to Heather and her family.

I wish that was all I had to report. We also lost a National Champion this week. Nancy Walker lost her "Bonnie Blue". She died of Bloat at a show. She was a great bitch and second only to Ivana in my opinion for best bitch ever.

2011-06-03T16:25:00.008-04:00

Negligent again. A lot has been going on but I have failed miserably in posting it. What can I say, Facebook is just easier than sitting here and writing code in HTML.

The big news is that Brian got his AKC Championship. I need to make him his own page since he is now a titled dog.

AND he got his CHIC certificate:

AND he was collected:

Holy smokes! 3.1 BILLION swimmers! That's awesome!

Catie took Brian and May out and started showing them, focusing on Brian since he is older. She did great and Brian contributed a little. I will post his Champion certificate as soon as it arrives. I got to see him in his last show and he is truly a show dog. He was fantastic and didn't put a foot out of line. Great expression on this boy. He is a great dog.

2011-04-04T14:16:00.005-04:00

I have just received news that our Macey girl has left us. She developed Osteosarcoma, a bone cancer that unfortunately often attacks our breed. I will lead a howling session tonight with her family as we say good bye to one of our own. This is how I will always remember her.

R.I.P. CAN CH CALEDONIA'S BUILT LIKE NO OTHER
Macey

2011-04-04T13:23:00.005-04:00

Well, Brian (and even May) has been to a few shows the last couple weekends. Brian is up to eight points and five Best of Breeds. May has a single point and a Best of Opposite sex. We will keep you posted. Until then:

CiCi actively keeping the goats out of the vineyard. This will be May's job when she gets back!
Yes, CiCi is slightly overweight.

2011-03-25T10:43:00.005-04:00

Congratulations to all the Morrigan Mastiffs out there! Morrigan Mastiffs has been awarded the honor of being an AKC Breeder of Merit! Good stuff for us!

2011-03-02T21:53:00.002-05:00

Morrigan's Silver Seraph - MAY!

You can hear Brian in the background panting and beating on me!

2011-01-25T13:09:00.002-05:00

May is season. Sigh.... It is a hard time for Brian and May because they are always with one another. Big Boy flat ignores the electric fence to get to her. He jumped out the barn, up five feet, six feet off the ground. Hopefully e can live wit Roxy for a couple weeks and not break out. If he does, I gotta put him/her in a crate for the duration. Poor babies.

2010-12-01T13:46:00.004-05:00

I had a great wrestling match with Brian and May today. Brian amazes me every time we wrestle. I have played with a lot of Mastiffs but Brian is almost supernatural. Short of cattle, I have never seen a stronger creature. It is a good thing that he inherited Lexus' divine nature. Brian is a great dog.

Here is another:

Tugga-Wugga doing his thing.

2010-10-07T22:22:00.007-04:00

"The Jennings Dog"

Roman Marble copy of a Greek Bronze statue of a Molossus. I see Oscar and Brian.

2010-09-25T22:17:00.005-04:00

Well, we have had a little drama. The girls have been going into heat in succession. May went first, then Susie and now Roxie. Poor Brian has been shuttled from pen to pen to avoid the current girl in season. The boy hasn't eaten in a month!

Carlos is incredibly devoted to CiCi, and she is incredibly patient with him!

However, there is a problem. Brian started acting funny last night. He wouldn't come up to the porch where he normally sleeps. He kept going to the corner of the adjacent pen. I didn't think much of it until I saw him still there this morning. Susie was in the corner and she didn't look to happy.

No, he isn't dead. Pumpkin kitty is pretty much completely dependent on Trojan now for his daily maintenance.

I had seen Susie the morning before and she seemed fine then but now she was burning up. I ran inside, threw her collar on her and raced to Dr. McCord's. They took her back immediately and discovered that her temp was 105.5! The brain starts cooking at 106! I had her lay down in front of the air vent with her head in my lap and we waited for the lab results. Diagnosis confirmed, pyometra. Mastiffs get it with stunning regularity. So, Sue got a nice drug cocktail to get her fever down and battle the infection. No playing around this time. Sue is 6 years old and it is time for that uterus to come out! She was spayed this afternoon.

She should be home on Monday and ready for a nice convalescence in the bathroom.

2010-09-20T15:38:00.002-04:00

It has been quite a while since I took Trojan Wallace off the property. You would have thought he was a pup when I put that collar on him this morning. He was bouncing! Trojan's big reward was that he got to go all the way to the Vet's office. Yeah!

Trojan has an infection in his right ankle. It isn't bad but he needed some antibiotics. Matt's office called Publix for the prescription. Apparently, Cephalexin is on their 'no cost list'. They bought my business.

Trojan weighed in at 195 pounds today. He looks fantastic and was quite a hit in the Publix parking lot. Not bad for a 'Veteran' dog. Trojan was Championed long ago, but I really believe I could finish him today (get his championship) even though he is a little beyond 'Middle Aged' in Mastiff years. He was good if a little disinterested in meeting folks today. He is a mature adult dog the way only a Mastiff can be. I am proud of him.

2010-09-05T20:19:00.008-04:00

It is just fantastic when the right dog is with the right person.

I believe we have been very fortunate to place a lot of our dogs with a lot of great people.

Such a match was made with Don and Sheri Linscott and their babies, Caesar and Bella.

They have done a wonderful job raising these dogs.

And, they take them everywhere!

So, thank you Don and Sheri for doing such a great job with your Mastiffs!

One more thing, Brain returned to the ring last weekend and won Breed Friday and earned a point. Tough going when there are no class dogs to beat!

2010-06-13T13:23:00.003-04:00

Three of my dogs have gotten FFAATT! Lexus is fat. Lilly is fat. CiCi is FAT. All three have been spayed. Hmmmmm. I wonder if there is a link.

Trojan, Susie and the babies are still skinny. I guess I can't call Brian a baby anymore. He is over two. He is so damned goofy though. All he really wants to do is walk around and show you off. He wants to take you by the arm and show you to the other dogs, to the goats, to the chickens, to the caterpillars. He is a true joy to be around, as long as you have towels handy. He is the biggest dog I have had. Taller and longer than Rex. Similar in weight to Rodie. He looks a lot like a super sized Trojan. Maybe not the same proportion in the chest. He isn't as 'serious' as T-Money though. The Buddy loves the ring, Brian just wants to meet everyone.

All the outside dogs got a bath yesterday. It was so HOT and HUMID. CiCi just laid on her sided and said, 'do it. aaahhhhh'. They all enjoyed the bath. May is getting better on a lead. I had her watch as I bathed each of the older dogs and lead them. I also trimmed everyones nails. When it was May's turn, she was PERFECT. Mastiffs are thinking dogs. She learned by watching. She didn't like me cutting her nails but she let me do it which is better than her momma! Out of the five dogs I only got one quick. Poor Sue. I felt real bad. She isn't limping so it must not have been too bad.

Tons of fur off of CiCi and Roxie. They need the undercoat removed here in the south this time of year. Everyone is doing well so onward.

2010-05-15T22:29:00.003-04:00

Laura and I were out late/early last night so getting outside by nine was no mean feat. However, I wasn't early enough as May beat me to the front yard. The chicks were not to be found. It seems that May dug herself a nice tunnel underneath the barn to escape. The offending tunnel was plugged with a cinder block. The chicks showed up about 10 minutes after May was sequestered.

The plan for this morning was to take Lilly into the Vet and see just how much she weighs. I guessed 215-220. Laura guessed 240! We were both high. She weighed in at 210 exactly. The Doc thinks she is beautiful. I agree. She is fat but not obese. She is just a huge girl.

I did finally exact payment from the rooster that kept attacking me. He has drawn blood on me four times. I had had enough. The shotgun and I were outside. Laura, Trojan, Lexus and Lilly were in the house. Laura was sitting in this chair in the corner. After the shot, the other three were in the corner also. Lexus is the light weight at 186. All three wedged themselves in behind Laura's chair! Trojan has never been afraid before. I don't know what came over them. Herd mentality I guess. Poor babies.

2010-05-10T16:11:00.005-04:00

We have had a Macey sighting! How exciting is that! It looks like Macey is having a bit of a ruff time of it though. Chew toys, a couch to sleep on and two bookend bulldog sleeping buddies. It doesn't get much ruffer than that. Thanks to Diane and Geanne for forwarding these to me!

2010-05-09T21:08:00.003-04:00

May in May. She is such a wiggle butt!

2010-05-07T09:50:00.002-04:00

May got to visit Granny last night. She was pretty good on the lead. She flopped a couple times and she definitely did not like the tractor but she didn't run from it either. She loved the daddy time though and was very attentive. I got soaked with slobbery kisses. I think May is going to turn out to be one of those wonderful dogs that wants to please. She liked the dump to. She wanted to jump out of the truck but just couldn't bring herself to do it. It was a good day for May.

I have also FINALLY convinced Trojan that he can get around without walking through the garden. He knows what I want, he is just being stubborn.

2010-05-02T23:20:00.005-04:00

Every year on May Day, The City of Carrollton has a huge festival imaginatively called 'May Day'. It has been going on for 25 years and this years was the biggest yet. Our unsolicited contribution was Brian. He was spectacular.

Brian was mobbed all day. I probably gave over 100 short speeches on Mastiffs to several hundred people. We made it about 30 whole feet onto the square before we were surrounded and I started answering questions. Two hours later, we had to leave because Brian was getting hot and I was getting hoarse. All day long, young children were petting and pulling on him. He was VERY good. Young and old, once they see 'the biggest dog I ever saw' they all fall in love.

I was going to take May to May Day but I just felt I didn't have enough eyes to watch them both.

Sunday Brian and I went to a match in Conyers. It has been nearly a year since Brian has been in a show ring. I just wanted to make certain he still knew what he was supposed to do! We arrived at 10:30 to register but then had to wait until 1:30 to get into the ring. By the time we made it to the 'Best in Show' round, Brian had been outside in the 90 degree heat for three hours and he was HOT! I almost pulled him from the ring he was so hot but we finished and he showed well. Amazing, give him a bath and take him to the show.

When Brian first entered the ring, the judge said, 'Wow'. She said it five more times with a couple 'greats' thrown in for good measure. What more can I say?

2010-04-27T11:58:00.003-04:00

We took the Lovely Lady Lexus in for a detailing last week. She had a ruptured sebaceous cyst under her tail that needed attention. She got her teeth cleaned, her nails lasered, a tag cut off her left side and a small hygroma cut off her right elbow. She is SO pretty if a little plump. 186 pounds of lovin' is our Lexus girl!

2010-03-09T13:01:00.002-05:00

Yes, it has been months. Yes, I know I am evil.

May Bug continues to grow and is a beautiful bitch. Her ears are a little light but she is a boundless bundle of energy. She looks a lot like Lexus. She is now ten months old. She is in the middle of her first heat. I need to start getting her ready to be shown. She is beautiful!

Poor Brian. These girls like to go into season in succession. First Roxie, then Susuie now May. It has been two months since Roxie started this cycle and Brian has suffered every day of it. He has his grandfather's libido and is perfectly miserable. The biggest problem is that the boy doesn't eat right when they are in season and he has lost a lot of weight. He is SO skinny right now. Still huge though!

Overall, things are rocking along well and we are riding out this economy with everyone else. I will try to get some pictures of May and Brian up!

2009-12-16T09:37:00.005-05:00

All is well in Morriganland. Everyone is healthy and happy. May is growing like a weed and is as tall as CiCi. Her head is coming along. She is at the lumbering puppy stage. She is going to be a big beautiful girl. Apparently, with May, we doubled up on goofiness. She is as silly as the day is long. Not a serious bone in her body! She hates being an outside dog but I am convinced it is the only way to grow a dog that knows how to be a dog and has the body to do so.

May loves CiCi

Uncle Trojan is in the best shape he has been in for a while. He spends to much time in the house to be in show shape but he sure looks good. Brian is huge! He turned two last week and it is time to gets his x-rays. He is the sweetest dog ever and even Laura is starting to warm up to him. She even feeds him!

Trojan liked Dustin the moment they met.

Lilly and Roxi are still maintaining their post in the front. The FedEx man won't get out of the truck. He just blows the horn. Lilly is enormous and she got to go on a trip a couple weeks ago. Sidney took her to wrestling practice. Lilly had a ball and Trojan was SO jealous. Lilly is WAY over 200 pounds. She carries it well too.

Lilly - A great one.

Anyway, not much going on Mastiff-wise. James is wrestling and Sid is managing the High School team. Work is work. I will probably place Brian with a handler soon. It is time to finish him. It WON'T take long.

2009-10-25T19:20:00.004-04:00

And MORE Tug pictures. Damn beautiful dog. The English say that we show our dogs to young. Now that I have seen our dogs age a little. I think that I am tending to agree. Why show a puppy that you really don't have any idea how it will look when it is five years old instead of the five year old? I know the answer is that you want to find breeding stock as young as possible but really all you are looking for is the quickest maturing dog. Tug is beautiful.

Tug and Ty

Save me!

A rare picture of Tug with his eyes open...

2009-10-24T12:39:00.001-04:00

Heather and Tug!

2009-10-23T13:23:00.003-04:00

I love it when I get pictures. They make me smile. Two of these pictures are recent of Macey and the other one is from 2007 with Diane Becker's Randy. Randy looks like a male version of May! I am so proud of Miss Macey. She is so beautimus!

2009-10-05T23:32:00.002-04:00

Yes, I know, it has been a month. The new jobs a hassle, the kids got the flu but, its sure nice typing to you...

May is turning into a wonderful dog. However, she still confounds me by occasionally having an accident in the house. She squats, remembers were she is and tries to pinch it off. She knows instantly what she has done and will look at me like, "I know, I just was excited..." It makes me crazy. She and CiCi are fabulous together. They play for HOURS at a time. I take her out frequently and she does great in a crowd. She isn't quite the ham that Brian is but she is fun and fearless.

Lexus is finally showing her age. Almost overnight she has started going gray. She still acts like a puppy and loves to fence fight with little sister Susie. She is still athletic, she just looks older. Lexus turns six in December.

Trojan is fabulous. He is just as dark as ever and has really fulfilled the promise I always felt he had. He is keeping my feet warm as I type this. He does wake up grumpy and that is a problem since he has become a little hard of hearing. Since it has finally gotten to a reasonable temperature, I took him for a walk today. I was walking the electric fence that keeps the goats in to make sure that it was clear since it has been raining for a while and wet weeds love to fall on it and short it out. Trojan wandered off ahead. I followed him for a change. He stayed close to the garden so I started off on one of the trails. I walked ahead and he walked in the woods off to my left. I stopped and watched him again. He had come to a large dead Oak that the forestry bulldozer had pushed over for me when they cut the fire break. Trojan jumped up onto the Oak and walked it to what is left of the root ball and stood there with his front feet on the root ball and his rear on the tree itself. I swear he looked like Simba in The Lion King. It was gorgeous. I didn't even have my ever present camera phone!

2009-09-05T14:35:00.003-04:00

CiCi doing what CiCi does best. She Pyoed again on this last heat. I was watching for it, caught it early, spent a small fortune on a kick ass antibiotic and she was fine a couple days later. She never got a high fever and generally did very well. The solution off course is to spay here. CiCi will be six in October.

Where did May go? Last night I mentioned that she LOVES her laundry pile. This is were I found her a few minutes ago. Girl does love her laundry.

2009-09-05T00:55:00.001-04:00

May at four months old. She is pretty relaxed. I gotta admit, I took that picture for a reason. Someone told me the other day that they could never crate their dog. Balderdash. Most dogs crate themselves if you give them the opportunity. Lexus sleeps in the closet. Trojan between my side of the bed and the wall. Susie does the same on the other side. May prefers the laundry room BUT when the door is closed and she can't get on top of her precious laundry pile, her crate is just fine. My point is this, dogs prefer to curl up. Crates are substitutes for dens and if you make it a safe haven, they will always enjoy 'their place'. To get May in her crate, all you have to do is pat the top of it and say 'in'. You never have to repeat yourself. That is NOT a punishment. It is security and comfort.

2009-08-30T22:36:00.004-04:00

Someone was asking me the other day how Trojan and Brian get along together. So far, it hasn't been a problem. Even when the girls are in season, Brian is EXTREMELY respectful to Trojan. I really think this is because of what I call 'The Mature Dog' syndrome. Some dogs grow up and exude confidence. Morrigan did. Trojan does. I don't think I am going to have any issues from these two...

Also, look how athletic these two are! This went on for about fifteen minutes! A have six minutes of video from this frolic! Right after I turned off the camera, they went tearing around the dining room table with Trojan chasing Brian. When they got back around to the coach, Brian simply jumped it! This dog is SO strong and SO confident. He is awesome!

Oh, one more thing, yes, big, strong James DOES laugh like a little girl! :)

2009-08-25T00:17:00.007-04:00

My shoulder just popped back in! YES! It has been bugging me for a week. Here are a few moments in time. Happy moments that I am glad are preserved.

May is growing like a weed! She is stunning. When we did her breeding we hoped that we would get something special but with only one pup, even my classic optimism was slightly concerned. I shouldn't have worried. I'm thinking Priceville... AND Brian is becoming what we all hoped he would. He is growing up as a dog and that always makes me happy. Again, I am thinking Priceville.

Heh heh. If y'all are nice I will post the puppy version... You owe it to yourself to click on this picture and look at him in high resolution.

Possible the only picture I will ever share of my wife in bed... circa 2005, French Lick, IN. Trojan is slowly evicting her... backing her off the bed.

My buddy, Rex. Been thinking about him allot lately. I am trying to find Apollo's daddy, Joe Miller.

2009-08-11T09:57:00.000-04:00

Trojan and his nephew Apollo (Susie and Rex)

2009-08-10T01:02:00.000-04:00

Sid and May.

2009-08-06T02:44:00.002-04:00

I hate writing on my blog page without pictures.

Here are a couple of pictures to prove to my wife that I actually did go to Baltimore! The first is the battleship USS Constellation. She sits in the Baltimore Harbor. Right now she is having her hull reconditioned on her starboard side (that's left for you landlubbers!). The second picture is for my Dad. Its the Sewage Pumping House that is dockside in the Baltimore Harbor. This building is gorgeous and is also undergoing renovations.

These next two pictures are of the devine Miss May or as Sidney has taken to calling her in her best Southern Drawl - Miss Mayonnaise .

2009-08-01T18:15:00.003-04:00

Its been a couple weeks and it is time for an update! Firstus, a few quick facts: May is growing like a weed. She will be 3 months old tomorrow. She weighed 41 pounds this morning. She tortures her mother relentlessly. Megan Fox is 23 years old. She is growing very uniformly. (Most puppies I have raised have grown tall then wide then tall again. May isn't growing like that. She has stayed in roughly the same dimensions for the last month. A month in which she has gained 20 pounds...)

May has started wearing a collar! She likes it. We have also started crating her. She likes that too. She is a pretty sweet girl. I will post some birthday pictures tomorrow!

On the less serious side, the plant where I have worked for the last fifteen years is being closed. 300,000 sq feet burned eight months ago, we set up a temporary facility about 30 miles away. The temp facility is being closed and normal operations are being consolidated into a plant in Jackson, TN. I have accepted an expanded position and role in Aiken, SC. I am not relocating from Veal but, I will have to have a residence in Aiken. I will commute there weekly and back home for the weekends. I also would anticipate more business travel.

2009-07-14T13:24:00.008-04:00

Summer in Winter.

Wow. So beautiful it makes me eyes water! I wish I had laid hands on this girl. Dr. Bill Newman told me personally that he thought she was the best Mastiff Bitch ever. This was a few years ago at the supported entry in Priceville, AL. I sure hope I told Dianne then but, if I didn't, I have told her now. :)

Susie sang the blues EARLY!

2009-07-09T15:45:00.003-04:00

Some folks think that jet setting around the globe is cool. Me, I think settling down and turning a piece of this planet into your own personal piece of heaven is cool. I have a dream to return my property to a nearly 'Pre-Columbian' state. This is a pretty much impossible task when you consider that I own such a small piece of the world. I have even given my views on this topic a name. I call it 'Reasonable Conservatism'.

Every now and then, something happens that gives you hope that the rest of the world may agree with this less than ideal but still practical movement toward a cleaner environment. Seeing 'The Bear' bolstered me tremendously. Additionally, I have seen two flocks of turkeys in a year. I know there are places all over the South that are inundated with Turkeys but Southwest Carroll County has not been one of those places.

2009-07-07T22:01:00.000-04:00

An evening with CiCi, Lexus and May...

2009-07-07T16:45:00.001-04:00

RoxiToo

2009-07-07T16:21:00.002-04:00

Just so y'all know, Chocolate loves PaPa Jim best!

2009-07-07T14:57:00.003-04:00

Sid and 'The Pumpkin Kitty'
She thought he would make a good lion.

2009-07-07T13:55:00.001-04:00

A picture of Macey while she was at Susie's old house.

2009-07-04T19:37:00.006-04:00

I apologize for the quality but sometimes all you have handy is your phone. Soon the phone quality video will be better! Lexus loves her baby!

Here is a great little example of how the two girls that tried to kill each other four months ago get along!

The baby goat runs around in circles like an idiot. He is a lot of fun!

So, I know what you are thinking, what WAS that bear doing? I took some pictures of the berries. I was looking for tracks but I couldn't find any.

2009-06-30T22:52:00.004-04:00

This post was supposed to be a post about bracken fern and sumac bushes BUT I saw a bear today! It was so cool! I was in the Choccolocco Wildlife Management Area as I am for most weekday lunches. I was on my way back to work on one of the lesser used roads. I came around a hill and curve and there it was cresting the bank on the north side of the road. I thought for about a quarter second and then hit the brakes. I was at the top of the bank in probably about ten seconds but it was gone. I was SO excited. It wasn't very big compared to my dogs. Probably smaller than Susie (about 150 pounds). As soon as I topped the bank I saw why the bear was there. I was in a huge field of overripe huckleberries. It was very neat.

Bracken Fern turning brown

As for the bracken fern, while I was walking amongst my very small patch here on my property, I noticed that some of it had started 'dying' and turning brown. I haven't had any rain here in three weeks so I thought my precious small patch of native fern was in trouble. Today when I went to the forest it was with the intent to check out the bracken in the WMA to see if mine was normal or not. Good news! The ferns in the WMA and my ferns are behaving identically so I think the ferns have a short green period. I think they stay green from February to July . This is probably to facilitate fire. They provide fuel to remove the fern's competition while the fern sleeps through the dry months 3 to 12 inches below ground. I love nature.

Sumac and Bracken Fern

Something I do have in abundance is sumac. The floor of the WMA forest is covered in sumac, huckleberries and bracken fern. I have all three on the property but I have a real 'infestation' of black berries. Tens of thousands of them. I don't really know what I am going to do. They came back stronger than ever after the first fire... We will see. I saw a bear! :)

2009-06-29T11:35:00.005-04:00

I am ashamed of myself.

I walked out of the house for the third assault of the day on the sweet gums invading my forest. In this heat, 95+, I can only last about an hour before dehydration and exhaustion force me back into the air conditioning. The new saw is an incredible piece of machinery but at 15 pounds full of fluids, it is quite heavy. Throw in that I cut most trees into heavy eight foot lengths and it gets difficult for a fat old man.

When I stepped out into that heat, there she was. Possibly the sweetest girl no ones knows about. Smiling at me with a foot of tongue hanging from her mouth. 95 degrees and Roxi is bouncing just because I walked out the door. What a great bitch! So I'm ashamed that I never mention my other doggies. I talk about Lexus, Trojan, Brian and May but the other four, Roxi, CiCi, Lilly and Susie are very special too. Any fancier would be proud to have any of them.

CiCi, Roxi and Susie have each been bred once. Lilly, quite possibly the best of her litter, has never been bred. It is strange how life and circumstance has 'limited' the use of each of these girls. They are all certainly worthy. But while I am ashamed that I do not give them the publicity that they deserve, rest assured that each gets tons of lovin'. Susie and CiCi are inside dogs. Roxi and Lilly are rearing Brian in fantastic fashion. Of all of them though I regret the most that I never bred Lilly. She is a fantastic creature.

When I came in Sunday evening looking for somewhere to crash so that I didn't die of heat stroke, I found my preferred spot, directly under the ceiling fan, occupied! It worked out and here is a picture of one of my 'photographically neglected' girls, CiCi. She has put a little weight back on lately and is probably around 165-170. It is a good weight for her so I will have to be careful not to let her balloon back up.

This is why you have to be very careful around my house right now. You never know where May is going to run out of energy and just crash!

2009-06-26T11:25:00.001-04:00

Immodest

Ridiculous

AWESOME!

2009-06-23T10:23:00.002-04:00

Occassionally, when I check my phone's picture gallery, I find little Easter Egg's that I presume Sidney leaves for me. Pictures that I know I didn't take and places I know I never was. Trust my, it is odd to find a picture of a Bearded Dragon on your phone.

THese are just some pictures I downloaded this morning:

It really was a big tree!

Georgia Memorial at Gettyburg

Dr. Matt McCord's Bearded Dragon "Shrek" at the Bowdon Animal Clinic

May about 5 weeks old.

2009-06-22T09:42:00.001-04:00

My chainsaw is pretty much in constant use. So much so that I wore this last one out in only three years. There is always a tree in need of felling on the property. The trail/firebreak alone could keep me busy for months.

When we bought our farm, we decided to have the pine cut off of it. I gave the logging company explicit instructions, "Stay away from this large oak." Of course, they took that as a challenge, cut off its largest limbs and then cut the roots away on one side for a roadbed. Bastards. They killed the tree but, it didn't die instantly. It struggled for a few more years before it died completely as if to absolve the timber company of liability. Stupid tree.

Regardless, the tree had really started shedding some big limbs. Every week I was picking up limbs bigger than 4 inches in diameter and I really wanted it on the ground. Saturday was the day we decided to do it.

On Saturday morning, (While Mirra was finishing her championship! Had to throw that in there for the required Mastiff content.) James went over to his Grandfather's to spread bark and pressure wash the house. They came home about 11:00 and we got to work. It was so bloody hot! We started with Donald's 18" Husqvarna. We knew the saw wasn't big enough but we thought we might be able to remove enough material for the tree to fall. Donald and I worked together and we cut the facing notch almost perfectly. James knocked the notch out with a sledge and we were in business.

At some point I have to point out that tree was not a perfect circle. It was a lumpy 44 inches across on its shortest side and we were lucky in that the short side faced exactly where we wanted the tree to fall. We notched the tree so that the fall was aimed between a small oak and a hickory. The problem was that where we wanted it to fall was about 25-30 degrees off from the natural fall angle. That problem would have to be resolved and did cause 'issues' later.

So I started the back cut and the tree moved forward and scared the crap out of me. It didn't move much but when you are cutting a tree and the back cut starts to open, you notice it. Something about wanting to live keeps you vigilant. From here on, we mostly only had one person at a time working on the tree. Losing one of us would be tragic. All three of us getting hurt or killed would have been, well, more tragic. Anyway, after I made the back cut I went ahead and ringed the tree. At this point I had cut all the way around the tree as deep as that saw would cut. Nothing happened.

We had an old two man cross cut saw that Donald had borrowed from his friend Mark. James and I had previously started using that old saw on this tree with dismal results. I was not looking forward to fighting 'the misery whip' until that tree was on the ground. Donald and I each grabbed an end and started. Woe is me, then thank GOD the handle broke. Darn it! :) Another solution was in order. I had two wedges. I put the first one in the back side of the tree and started to drive it over, and it went! Just not very far and not very fast.

Did I mention that it was hot? Well, I was good for about six whole swings with that twelve pound sledge before I was done and had to rest. At least I could hit the target! Poor James had plenty of stamina but his aim was horrible! After about ten minutes, we had that 2.5 inch wedge completely in and the tree was leaning badly. We started on the second wedge (which was actually an old maul head). The damn thing kept bouncing out so Donald was dispatche dback home to see if he could find his wedges. James and I decided a break was in order while Donald was driving and since Laura had arrived with lunch, a strategy session was called over fried chicken.

Donald didn't find his wedges but he got something better, a bigger saw! He borrowed a bigger saw so after a wholesome lunch we attacked the tree with vigor. The saw was working great and I was really removing a lot of wood and then I messed up and the tree sat down on the tip. DAMN IT! Now we had the big saw trapped and while we were closer to getting the tree down on the north side, the south side hadn't been touched. At this point I admit I was getting pissed. I drove the maul head in to protect the big saw and to turn the tree back toward the direction I wanted it to fall. I picked up the small saw and started notching the south side of the tree.

I really didn't want to do this because I now had notches on two sides of the tree. James knocked the second notch out with the sledge and I put the smaller saw in as deep as I could go INTO the second notch and started cutting fresh wood. I was really NOT enjoying myself now. A ton of tree had been cut and, it was leaning at about thirty degrees! I really should have taken pictures because it was ridiculous. This huge tree had leaned over so far that the six inch cut I originally made was now closed. It was so bad that I guy who cuts trees for Georgia Power drove up, said he had never seen that before, said he had no advise to offer, and just watched.

When the notched closed on the face side it opened up the back cut. I put the 18" saw in the now open saw and probed for any piece of tree I could reach. I found some. I cut another half an inch out and it finally started to fall. The tree bounced and rebounded just enough to set the trunk back up on the stomp. At that point I didn't care. It was on the ground.

If you look you can see how much wood was holding this tree up. That little spike on the stump is about two inches thick and seven inches long. How it held that tree for so long is beyond me. Now I have to figure out how to get it off the stump... The next day, Laura bought me a new saw for Father's Day. Anyone think she is trying to kill me?

2009-06-20T16:42:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to Sandra, Jennifer and Catie. Mirra finished her championship today in Orlando to become CH Kiokee's Mirra Image of Morrigan! This is a huge deal for everyone involved. Today she went WB, BOW and BOS. That is awesome for an awesome girl! Jennifer has more 'coverage' on her blog Os and Choc.

The question has been asked about who has the MOST puppy Divaness, May or Chocolate. A battle of the blog has developed. :) What a great question to be able to ask! They are both exceptional. Chocolate was NOT the pretty girl in her litter, until she was about eight/nine weeks old. Chocolate was something of an ugly duckling... Of course, May has always been the pretty girl in her litter so advantage, May. Morrigan was always smarter than us so even though Chocolate was a swan, Morrigan always knew she was a swan and she was 'The Diva' to Morrigan from the very beginning. Of Course, May has always been Lexus' favorite too so we will call 'Momma's Choice' a draw. Then of course to be a Diva, you must be photogenic. May has made some good pictures but I am no photographer. Chocolate had a picture taken of her that could EASILY be the cover of any puppy calendar. The professional photographer was no advantage. Advantage Chocolate.

So there you have it. At the moment (seven to nine weeks old), it is a draw. We gotta give May some time to come to the final conclusion...

2009-06-19T14:12:00.002-04:00

Now I know why I left my website down for so long. It has been a lot of work getting the darn thing back into shape! I think I finally have it beaten into the correct form now. The blog is still powered by blogspot but it is being hosted on the same site as the webpages. I am still having an issue getting Google to find the site correctly but I will get that squared away. I think it has to do with me changing the nameservers that point browser to the correct IP address. If that is the case, the problem will correct itself as the other dns servers around the globe synchronize.

2009-06-18T22:21:00.004-04:00

We are getting May ready for a life in the spotlight.

May is spectacular. She is still just a baby but she really is nice. She is also smart. She is certain she is a princess. Notice she prefers pillows... Dare I say she is a little diva-ish? Oh, Jennifer is going to get me for that!

2009-06-18T14:24:00.004-04:00

Her Divaness, Chocolate

94 today, 96 tomorrow. When I get home this evening, I will be spraying down the beasties to cool them off. James sprayed them down at noon and I will probably leave a little early to wet them down in the heat of the day. Big girls like Silly Lilly really have a hard time when the temp gets above 90 and stays there. I wish I had a nice big pond for them to get in but then I remember that I have had to rescue Trojan from drowning himself at least three times so I hesitate. Brian and Roxi love the hose and love to get sprayed. I will have to catch Lilly though. She hates getting wet even when it is in her best interest.

2009-06-15T23:20:00.007-04:00

I love this picture of Amara.

Miss May Bug has reached the stage where her puppy fur is falling out. She is terrorizing all of her older family members. Have no doubt that NO ankle is safe when May is feeling feisty!

2009-06-09T00:26:00.002-04:00

So far I have updated Morrigan, Ford, Chocolate and Macey's webpages. I am trying to catch up but we have more than a few titled dogs and they all deserve attention!

2009-06-07T23:53:00.002-04:00

Miss May Bug had a huge weekend! We weighed her in early Saturday morning and she is right at 8 pounds. Then Jennifer came and she entertained May for hours! I pointed out May's perfect bite and Jennifer said, 'Jim, she is only five weeks old.' I pointed out her dead level top line and Jennifer said, 'Jim, she is only five weeks old.' I pointed out her length of body and Jennifer said, 'Jim, she is only five weeks old.' I pointed out her flat head and square muzzle and before Jennifer said, 'Jim, she is only five weeks old' I said it. :) We had a good visit.

Jennifer was gracious enough to bring Chocolate and Amara. Amara is fantastic and I do truly love her bubbly personality and spitrt but when Chocolate comes for a visit, man it makes my month. She is such a gorgeous bitch. If she enjoyed being a show dog the sky really would be the limit for her.

Jennifer took some pictures, hopefully the will be posted soon!

2009-06-05T16:52:00.006-04:00

This is a video from Christmas 2004 with a very outgoing, muddy and un-Diva like Chocolate stirring things up! Silly Lilly, Laney Painy, Sweet Sue, ChocoDiva and Trojan Wallace having fun as five siblings can.

Susie is missing from this one...

2009-06-05T01:47:00.003-04:00

Well, it is getting late and I think I am getting close. This new format gives me greater freedom to add pages for the individual dogs.

2009-06-04T16:56:00.002-04:00

this is a test DONT WORRY JENNIFER, THE FRAME IS TEMPORARY! im just trying to wrap my head around a technology I haven't used before!

2009-06-04T15:44:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I forget just how truly beautiful Trojan is. Thank you, Sidney.

2009-06-04T11:35:00.003-04:00

Bear with me folks. I am finally working on a real website and things might go a little wonky for a couple days. Hopefully I can get all the links working again for all the dogs and maybe I can even add a few! The blog is going to be embedded in the permanent site. You'll see.

Only http://www.morriganmastiffs.com will be affected.

http://morriganmastiffs.blogspot.com will always work but the formatting may seem strange. It just depends on how you are getting here...

2009-06-02T15:50:00.003-04:00

I forgot about this. This was recorded a couple weekends ago when young May was three weeks old. Sidney should be on Idol!

Our creek last fall...

2009-06-01T21:25:00.008-04:00

So there I was, minding my own business, feeding Roxi and Lilly when I heard him coming. Thump, Thump, Thump. As I turned to my right he was on top of me. His head went completely into the dog food bag and he pulled it out of my left hand. After that, food went everywhere! I just closed my eyes, grabbed a rake, and started grooming Lilly and Roxi. Brian just amused himself shredding the bag and watching the food erupt every few seconds. I love that dog. I let him get away with to much but he is so much fun.

May got an extended trip outside this evening and she actually peed in the grass! Big step there! Then off course, everything went sideways. Susie came over to see May and promptly deposited a nice shoe string right between her eyes. Laura Ann was not amused and made me get it off but I took a couple camera phone pictures first. Miss May Bug has just turned four weeks old.

I need to take some pictures of the chickens and of young Berry (the baby goat). Poor Barry has a date with a rubber band next weekend. If you don't know what that means, look up the word wether... Poor little guy.

2009-05-30T22:35:00.003-04:00

One of the great things about puppies is that you get to make up celebration days, like today! May is four weeks old today! Actually, it is a big deal and a day that anyone who raises puppies looks forward to. At four weeks, puppies are eating solid food and drinking froma bowl. They desperately try not to step in their own poo and you can normally convince them to pee in the same place. In other words, they are starting to become dogs!

Behaviorally, she is a riot. She loves the big dogs. She loves barking at them and lunging at them. She rears up on her back legs and tries real hard to get to their ears. Trojan finds her terribly entertaining and just watches her for hours with his tail wagging. Lexus doesn't like Susie getting close but we haven't had any issues.

On an avian front, we have seven new chickens. I built their coop today and they seem pretty happy. They were raised to sleep in an igloo dog house. I just happen to have an igloo dog house of the exact same dimensions and they are safely stuffed inside. I like them quite a bit. They coo a lot more than the meat chickens I had last year. They are also tiny little critter compared to Mrs. Clux and her buddies. I just have to keep them away from CiCi!

2009-05-26T11:21:00.001-04:00

Trojan, HRHBrian and I took a pretty good walk yesterday evening. It was storming pretty good but I didn't figure any of us would melt. Thunder and lightning are always cool. Trojan Wallace got a little tired towards the end. HRHBrian pushes him pretty hard and they run a lot. HRHBrian will give Trojan one of his patented shoulder blocks and the race will be on. Trojan was once an fast dog but HRHBrian is just too damn quick. It reminds me of James and me. Until recently I was faster in a straight line but I couldn't turn like he could. Now it is all moot since he can taunt me by staying just out of reach. Trojan, I feel your pain.

May during her three week birthday celebration!

May is growing like a weed. She is very impressive so far and seems like an intelligent pup. She has been playing games and howls like Susie did. She has us well manipulated. She likes to be held and sleeps the best when she is flat on her back beside you. I guess that is a puppy's right.

When she wakes up she runs straight to the sound and starts barking. I need to get video of it.

2009-05-22T12:25:00.004-04:00

Since we have gotten back, HRHBrian has pretty much been in lock down. I haven't had the opportunity to get him out for our customary walks/runs. He hears me pull up and starts howling/whining. Yesterday evening, we got to go on a walk and he was a terror!

HRHBrian sprinted for half an hour! We started in the grass. Tall grass that must be run through at 30 mph to get the necessary whipping action so that when he snaps at it he cuts it off cleanly. Next he disappeared down a fire break but he was found bouncing just out of site. He took a right, I took a left. Between us is a curved fire break that looks all the world like a berm on a motorcycle track. He was leaned over about 60 degrees as he floated through the curve.

(I must point out that I DO worry about him when he does this but he is so strong that I hate to TRY to hold him back!)

He raced off 100 yards and crashed into the woods. He did not slow down. Small trees either move or are simply sheared off at the roots.... It has rained here for days and the first creek was FULL. HRHBrian hit the creek at full speed and became the HMS Brian for a few moments. It looked like a car driving through a puddle. Doggie actually had a bow wake! At this point he had been running full speed for 10 minutes. He crashed back out of the undergrowth and back onto the trail. I had walked about half a mile. He had to be approaching two! We walked to the top of the hill and this time I followed him as he turned left onto a ridge.

He disappeared in front of me and I lost him pretty quick except that I could hear him crashing off to my right. The top of the ridge is about 100' higher in elevation than a second creek which is 200' to my right. It is an extremely steep slope. (I know because I went down it backwards on a four wheeler once and almost died but that is another story...) Big crash, then silence. I yelled, 'Brian!'. Crashing and splashing resumed! He came barreling up that steep hill, gave me a shoulder block/fly-by at 30 mph and soaked my right leg. His tongue hanging was about two feet out of his face, and went right down the other side of the hill to the third creek he had visited in the last ten minutes! I walked down the ridge until it sloped down to where the two creeks meet and he joined me there.

Soaked from head to toe with eyes ablaze, he was finally pooped. We walked together about half a mile back to the house and I put him back into the barn enclosure. His toe nails may not be immaculate and he may have an occasional tick bite but HRHBrian is a happy dog.

2009-05-21T12:18:00.005-04:00

Camera phone pictures are never the best but when you see something unusual, they are nice to have handy. I didn't even bother carrying my phone for most of the week but when your soon to be 64 year old father decides he is going to scale a tree, you gotta go get the camera...

Once he got up there, he started torturing Brian. All Brian had to do was look up but he kept going around the tree.

It didn't last to long because Brian got bored and went back to the creek where he was trying to eat the waterfall.

We got pretty bored with the NCIS marathon and went on a hike on some of the local trails. This was Brian's absolutely favorite part of the weekend. He regularly walks with me on the trails at home and we were both comfortable with him walking about fifty feet in front of us. We saw this HUGE Muscadine vine growing alongside the trail on a Hemlock tree. The tree was better than three feet in diameter to give you a sense of scale.

2009-05-20T21:13:00.005-04:00

I am not a photogenic person. I can't smile on cue. However, last Saturday night as I was returning to our table, I smiled. That is genuine happiness folks! :)

2009-05-20T09:40:00.005-04:00

Bottle fed babies aren't as big as mastiff fed babies. Right. May weighed in at a healthy 4.4 pounds last night, then we fed her! She is walking and her eyes are opening up right on time.

Laura has spoiled her horribly. She wants to be held and doesn't like to be alone. Its all Laura's fault. I keep telling her to put the baby down but she is doting so what is a guy to do?

Tammie has posted a ton of pictures over on her blog The Stephenson Pack. The baby girl is Corinne and she is Tammie's granddaughter. Anyone want to take a bet that Corinne grows up to love animals?

2009-05-18T11:36:00.005-04:00

What a mad dash this weekend has been.

I left work at 5:00 Thursday and met my family (8 of us) for dinner. Then, we walked across the street for Sidney's play, Beauty and the Beast. This is Sid's first semester in performing arts and considering the number of students in the program, she was fortunate to get a speaking role, THE RUG! For weeks I have pretended to not know that she was playing The Rug and a townsperson and I have made many references to her being a teacup. She and her mother roll their respective eyes and correct me again and again. She was a very good rug and she was the only person on stage that tumbled. I can't imagine trying to do back handsprings in a sack but somehow she pulled it off.

After we left the play, I went and picked up little May/Royce (thank you for keeping her late Tammie!) and went home and took care of the doggies and got Brian ready to travel. My dad acquiesced to go with me at dinner. I packed my bags, packed Brian's crate. At 1:00AM Brian was bathed and we finished trimming his toe nails. I took a shower got in bed at 1:30AM and got right back out at 3:30AM. Dad and I loaded up a sleepy Brian and we were off.

Brian had a blanket but he just couldn't seem to get comfortable. He basically stood in the back of the wagon forever. We pulled over into a Burger King in Blue Ridge, Dad got a biscuit and I walked Brian. Brian did his business and away we went, following the GPS. We shouldn't have. The GPS unit took us down a dirt road that kept getting worse and worse. We hit a big bump and slowed to a crawl. Time was becoming an issue. Eventually we had to stop because the road was actually gated by the National Forest Sevice! I was livid and asked the GPS unit for the exact same location. It came up with a different answer, and it was 30 miles away, behind us. It was 8:30, the show started at 9:00 we were 30 miles away on roads that are called 'The Tail of the Dragon' because of how many sharp turns are on them. We were doomed.

I had already turned around and I was careening down the 'pig trail' (Dad always refers to it as 'The Pig Trail' now). We hit the pavement and I was off. Here is a hint, when a road that is known for being curvy puts up signs that read 10 MPH, they mean it. Racing is exactly what we were doing. We were desperate now. The problem was that I was bouncing Brian off the sides of the car and his anxiety was spiked at 110%. We actually had to pull off the road so that I could extract him from above the barricade because his big goofy butt had pushed it over. He had advanced from just drolling on the top of Dad's head to trying to actively slow me down!

Somehow, we pulled into the resort at the correct entrance and parked alongside the road. Smoke was coming from under the hood. Great. Nothing I could do then so I very calmly said, 'Dad, I'm taking Brian to find the handler. Park the car please.' The National Anthem was playing, I needed to find Nancy Walker who had graciously arranged a handler for us. I spoke to several helpful people and eventually found Nancy. 6-8 veteran bitches was complete and they were moving to the 8+ Veterans. Nancy introduced me to Anna. She was fabulous. I think she sensed that I was having a bad day. She took Brian and I walked away to compose myself.

To say that Anna did a good job is an understatement. Brian was SERIOUSLY stressed. She calmed him down and gave him treats and they became fast friends. We still had a little time and I watched as she and her friend worked with him. It was very impressive. I have worked with Brian but he has never had a lady 'show' him. I should not have worried. They were spectacular. In the end Brian got third. He just ran out of energy towards the end. He placed behind his brother Thunder handled by Collette and an excellent dog handled by Pam who went on to win Winners Dog. What was extra special was that Catie's Jimbo, my namesake and a Trojan/Sara Lee son, was right there too. He made the cut in a class of 18 outstanding mastiffs and finished fifth or sixth! I was pretty proud to see all three boys out there all lined up together!

Remember the car? It was leaking transmission fluid pretty badly. That big bump was worse than I expected...

We hung around and watched Winners, I spoke to Diane and a few others that I know and then we went up the hill to Catie's cabin. I hadn't eaten and I was seriously hungry. After we got Brian in his crate, Dad and I were going to get something to eat and then I realized I didn't have my wallet. I looked in every bag I had. Dad searched the car. It was gone.

Back down the hill and everyone was gone. I started telling everyone I met that I had lost my wallet and where to find me if they saw or heard of it. When we had exhausted our alternatives we went to eat. The nice lady at the register called all the local stores and told THEM to watch out for my wallet and name. North Carolinians are wonderful southerners. Dad and I each had a Rueben and then back up to the cabin. As we were sitting there afterward I was going over the thousand things that had happened in the last couple hours, I remembered putting something in the back bedroom of the cabin. Hope returned! When we got back I went straight to it and found my wallet. How embarassing.

We tried to nap but Catie had the air set on -237 degrees for the good of the dogs and since it was her cabin and she had gone home to swap boy dogs for girl dogs we just didn't have the energy or anyone with whom to argue. I slept for about half an hour and then walked Brian and another of Trojan's get, the aptly named, Winnie the Pooh. Winnie is a wonderful girl that bubbles loves and happiness. As far as I can tell, the only fault she has is that she doesn't like to go to the bathroom while on lead and she doesn't mind going in her crate. Which nessecitates a bath. Four times. Catie is a saint because I might have killed her.

I went to bed at 10:00 and woke up at 8:00. I still felt tired. Dad and Catie had been up since 5:00! I gotta hand it to the old dude, he handles sleep deprivation better than me! I went down and held Winnie and Gracie for Catie and spoke to a few folks. Winnie and Grace didn't place but they both showed well. I got an AKC DNA kit for Brian so while Catie bathed Winnie and her crate, again, dad and I went up to swab Brian. I wasn't sure exactly what they wanted back so I brought the swab, all the envelopes and the dog back down the hill.

I went back to the table were the DNA kits were and there was a different person there. We were second in line behind a VERY attractive young lady in a SHORT skirt who happened to be slightly bent over filling out paperwork. Brian. Oh Brian. Being and intelligent dog and never one to let an opportunity simple slide by, he stuck his snout between her legs and lifted her off the ground! I was mortified. The lady sitting behind the table burst out laughing, called the young lady by name and said, "did you get a little goosed?" To her never ending credit, the young lady said, "Yes I did, and I liked it!" You could have knocked me over with a feather. Apparently Brian liked it too because now he was busy whacking everyone sitting in the back row in the back of the head with his tail. I must have made quite a scene, mortified apologies to the young lady and to the folks being whacked by a well rested Brian. When he isn't tired he is a handful!

We got the kit turned in and went to find Catie. We took our menagerie to their crates and set off to eat. After we ate, we went back to the room and watched about four hours of NCIS. Of course, while my older more aged and more exhausted cabin mates would have just as soon left them in their crates, I kept letting Brian and Gracie out to wallow in the floor with me. NCIS is a great show but I was missing wrestling by now!

Soon enough the appointed hour arrived and I was off to the Ball Room for the Awards Banquet. Anxiety levels reached new highs. I wasn't nervous, just anxious and emotional. I had been developing cold sores around my mouth since Thursday evening when I raced across Alabama to get to that first dinner and now they were driving me crazy. They didn't help. I went in and was greeted by my savior, Diane Becker.

Diane has a wonderful family very much the way we have our family around Morrigan. I sat at Diane's table and watched as she and her family arranged things just so. I do enjoy people of strength and character and the folks around Diane all have tons of it. They had commandeered four tables and they were not about to relinquish them. When the call came to eat, Diane said 'come on!' I wasn't quick enough. By the time I had tucked in my chair, the line was 100 deep and we were sitting less than 50 feet from its head! Confidence is as confidence does. Diane would have none of it. She walked back over, grabbed me by the hand and took me to the front. If the folks behind us didn't like it, they didn't say a word. Like I said. Confident. I really enjoyed the time I spent with Diane and the conversation at the table. I got the sense that I was in the company of people that truly understood that it was about the dogs and everything else was just icing. Then the awards began.

The Hall of Fame inductees are first and Morrigan was the second girl called. Diane Collins massacred her name but I was expecting that and frankly, few wouldn't have. Gaelic is not exactly native to this country. It didn't detract from the moment. As I walked up to get the certificate I felt all the emotions of the previous days well up inside me. Not yet I told myself. I took the certificate and went back to our table. As I sat there, Diane leaned over and said, "I don't have one of those." I almost broke again but, not yet... I sat through a few more awards and fidgeted. It was over. Morrigan's place in history was secure. Diane soon leaned over and gave me permission, "you know, the rest is just like this with an auction at the end." I left soon after. It was raining hard and I left out the side door that got me closer to the car without exposing me to the rain. I stood there in the breezeway, alone but never alone. The sun had set but it was still twilight. You could still see the mountains and the fog. Everything was green and full of life. Beautiful. I said thank you to everyone.

When I got back up the hill, I was ready to go. I showed Catie the certificate but we loaded quickly and Dad and I were soon gone. We left at 9:30. We stopped at the first lighted location and checked the transmission fluid. It was fine and off we went. We stopped a few more times and got home at 1:15AM. I was in bed about 45 minutes later. I awoke at 11:00 the next morning and tended to the dogs. May was huge! She can crawl out of her laundry basket now and will soon graduate to the bath tub! Then I turned my focus to James' graduation party. Laura had left early to go cook at her mother's. Laura came home, jump started a sleepy James. He and Lesia had been playing video games when Dad and I got home.

I piddled around until James FINALLY left for work about 1:30 and I got started on my contribution to the party. I put together a 10 minute 'movie' with some of the 10,000 pictures I have of our lives in this laptop. I added 4 minutes of wrestling highlights to the end. Many of the people at the party have never seen James wrestle and that was going to change! Bully pulpit and all.

Dad, May and I arrived at 4:30. We were supposed to be there at 2:00. It took me a little longer to find pictures of all the people that I wanted in the movie. It did turn out well. In the rush to get out the door, I had forgotten to get May's bottle and I had to bribe Sidney's wonderful friend, Adrienne to go and retrieve it for us. The party went very well and there is nothing quite like Donald Walker pork. If you get the choice between bacon wrapped filet's and Donald's BBQ pork, go with the pork. The party was great and we got home about 9:30. I gave May a quick bath and we were in bed by 11:00. Finally, I can go back to work so I can rest.

2009-05-13T23:08:00.008-04:00

I gotta say I am REALLY proud of Lexus. This baby is awesome and she did really well. We bred Lexus to Pounder within a month or two of the same age we bred Morrigan to Pounder. What Morrigan failed to deliver, her daughter has completed. Lexus is looking good and she loves this baby. She does NOT like it when Trojan or especially Susie get close to the baby. Lexus and her litter will surpass Morrigan on September 1st.

Speaking of May, Morrigan's Amazing just hasn't stuck well. We have moved on and the current front runner in the name department is Morrigan's Silver Seraph. Ford, Lexus, Rolls? Yep, the Silver Seraph is a Rolls Royce model PLUS it includes Pounder's Kennel name so it makes sense on several levels. A seraph is a type of angel. She is certainly that.

Tammie took some pictures of May....Check out her blog.

2009-05-10T18:16:00.001-04:00

One more with her buddy the bottle.

2009-05-10T13:47:00.004-04:00

Here is our May Bug sleeping on my fat belly. To give you a sense of scale, the blue square is almost exactly 4" across.

2009-05-04T08:59:00.005-04:00

We have decided on a name. Saturday was such a good day. While we were having a perfect cesarean performed, James was at a wrestling tournament by himself. As each match went by he would text us on his wins and we would text him on Lexus' and baby's progress. James came in second this year at State but on Saturday he avenged that loss and pinned the kid that beat him in the finals. It was a good day.

During the surgery we were talking about names and Cinco De Mayo, May Day and the May theme kept coming up. We said we wold wait and see what stuck. We were talking about it again late last night and James said, 'Well, she is amazing.' I said, "That's it." Continuing the tradition of intentionally misspelled words her registered name will be 'Morrigan's Amayzing' and we will call her 'May'.

She is doing great. Lexus never really started producing milk. May got colostrum but milk production never really happened. Lexus has already started drying up and we are bottle feeding. That was the plan all along we just really wanted the colostrum for the antibodies. I don't want to risk this baby on a teat that may be infected because of low flow rates.

Regardless, all is well and Tammie has her for the first time this morning. I'm excited.

2009-05-02T16:01:00.008-04:00

She did it. Her uterus is a minefield, she has had a hole in her chest since a week before we inseminated her and she broke her right wrist, but she is still Lexus and that means she is and always will be special.

She let us gas her down. No Valium, no injections, just me asking her to lie still. A big dog like Lexus doesn't have to let you do anything. She trusted me and I sure am glad she did. The doctor was super careful and when he cut out that baby and her face hit the air she took a big gulp and started yelping before she was even clear of the uterus. 1.9 pounds. Not 9 ounces but .9 pounds. She was feeding before Lexus was even awake.

She is gorgeous to. She is going to do her parents proud. So who is she? Well, she belongs to this guy, CH Silver's Pounds Sterling:

Then there is this young lady, CH Caledonia's Pursuit of Perfection.

Without further ado:

          +-- Ch. Silver's Double Trouble, fawn
          |
   +-- Champion Silver's Pounds Sterling, Fawn
   |      |
   |      +-- Messiah ELS Doormans Daughter
   |
 +-- Morrigan's 
   |
   |      +-- Champion Caledonia's Built to Last, Brindle
   |      |
   +-- Champion Caledonia Pursuit of Perfection, Fawn
          |
          +-- Champion Clas Myrrdin's Morrigan, Fawn

2009-04-26T14:50:00.011-04:00

Some times you just have to stand up and cheer for camera phones. This is one of those times. It is also a good time to thank God you are not a Box Turtle. Dude looked happy though. He was in the ZONE! Brian thought they should be disturbed. I guess he was jealous. Trojan convinced him that when I tell him to do something, it isn't a request... One thing to remember, when you are looking at a Box Turtle, the big ones with red eyes are the boys!

Poor Brian, he gets disciplined by his elders allot. He is just so goofy. Most creatures could probably figure out that while a sleeping 160 pound pregnant Mastiff is awful tempting, you just can't step on her head. If you do, she is liable to jump up and bite you on the ass three times. To his credit, he takes his beatings like a man and just bows his head and takes it. He knows he screwed up, and accepts his punishment.

I burned about 4 acres yesterday. I did find one of our turtle's relatives lightly roasted. The poor dear didn't make it. I felt bad for her but by finding the other two today, I guess the cosmos are telling me not to beat myself up to much.

James proves that you can take the wrestler out of the wrestling room but he will still find someone to pick up! James had his Senior Prom last night. His date is definitely prettier than he deserves! James will graduate soon and wrestle for Darton College next year.

2009-04-24T09:22:00.008-04:00

It looks like we are not alone on the problems with Nutro:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/nutro.html

I must admit, I am pretty upset. I thought it was just our dogs that was having the problem, but apparently not. Here is a copy of the letter Nutro sent me:

From: Nutro Products
To: JAMESGILBERTBENNETT@YAHOO.COM
Sent: Thursday, April 23, 2009 5:28:14 PM
Subject: False Claims Against Nutro

To view this email as a web page, go here.

NUTRO® FDA Investigation Claims by ConsumerAffairs.com

Statement
April 23, 2009

On April 20, ConsumerAffairs.com posted a story claiming that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has an ongoing investigation into NUTRO® pet food. This is not true. We have confirmed with the FDA's division responsible for regulating pet food, the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), that there is no current or ongoing investigation of Nutro Products, Inc.

We want to assure you and all those who feed NUTRO® products to their pets that our products are safe and conform to the standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S Department of Agriculture and the Association of American Feed Control Officials. All NUTRO® products undergo rigorous quality assurance testing beginning with raw ingredients and ending with testing finished products. This includes testing to confirm that no melamine, mold toxins, or pathogenic bacteria are detected in any NUTRO® pet foods.

While consumer concerns about NUTRO® product quality are rare, we take every complaint seriously. When we learn of an issue, we work with consumers to obtain information and request that samples of any product in question be submitted for testing at an independent facility. An in-depth review is performed to determine if an issue does exist. Consumers with questions or concerns about NUTRO® products are encouraged to contact our Consumer Services Department at 1-800-833-5330.

Nutro Products, Inc. remains committed to the quality, safety and performance of all our pet food brands. As we have for over 80 years, we strive to deliver the finest natural products to our customers and their pets.

This email was sent to: JAMESGILBERTBENNETT@YAHOO.COM

This email was sent by: Avala Marketing Group
1078 Headquarters Park Drive Fenton, MO 63026 USA

And here is my response:

I used Nutro exclusively for years and recommended it to all my new owners. I even had links to your webpage on my websites so that new owners would know what I recommended for them to feed, but in the recent past, you must have changed the formulas because my dogs suddenly started developing problems. Not just the dogs in my kennel but dozens of unhappy mastiff owners started calling me telling me they had skin and diarrhea problems. We left Nutro en masse because the quality of the product OBVIOUSLY dropped. We have moved on. BUT, whether Nutro admits it or not, something absolutely did happen and it hurt my dogs. So, whether you are being investigated or not doesn't matter. As far as I am concerned, your brand and any brand made by Mars is not going to be ingested by my animals.

Sincerely.

Jim Bennett
Veal, GA, USA I may have exaggerated on the 'dozens' part but I was trying to make a point and several of us have talked and it was a real problem.

2009-04-20T14:17:00.004-04:00

4-18-2009 Susie and Gabriel

I realize the quality sucks but the content is just so compelling!

Trojan has seemed to become more and more surly over the last several months. Waking up aggressive. Not doing what he is told. What gives? Well, yesterday he was looking for me in the woods. I was about 100 feet away from him and yelling at him but it was obvious he couldn't hear me. Mystery solved. He isn't intentionally disobeying, he just can't tell what we want. He isn't completely deaf just really hard of hearing. Maybe his ears need cleaning...

2009-04-14T22:53:00.009-04:00

Best of Breed and Major at 15 months over three specials.
JUDGE: Mr Joe Lobb HANDLER: Mr Norlee Reece

This is the best show picture of a mastiff that I have ever seen. Seriously. I love this picture. Look at him. Look at Norlee's pants! The conditions were abysmal. We were standing in two inches of water UNDER the tent. The wind was blowing twenty miles an hour. Filthy, wet and completely comfortable. This is a working dog. This is what we breed. This is a dog you can count on to be stable whatever the circumstance. I can't wait for him to grow up!

2009-04-06T16:17:00.003-04:00

We took Lexus to the vet today for a check up. Her wrist has been tender but it is okay. We got a refill on Cephalexin for her chest and they saw at least one baby on the ultrasound. She is pregnant. Live baby live!

2009-03-29T00:26:00.003-04:00

Brian did very well in group but didn't get a placement. He has hit it off with Norlee very well. They started off a little shaky but by group they did well together. Sunday should be fun.

I can't wait to get the picture of Norlee and Brian back. It looked spectacular! Brian was FILTHY from the mud and I wouldn't let them clean it off. It was how he looked when he won and I wanted that recorded! He was GORGEOUS!

One last note, with only six dogs entered and the weather so bad I was hoping that at least one other dog would be there so that a point could at least be contested. It turns out that EVERYONE showed up except for one dog that only needed a major so it makes sense that he wasn't there. Regardless, we think that including the Specials, Brian's win today showed be a major. Nice to get one out of the way!

2009-03-28T13:03:00.003-04:00

We had a host of doggies in Newnan today. Brian was in 12-18. Jimbo was in Bred-by. Rainy was in 12-18 and Miss Amara Jane was also in Bred-By. Brian and Rainy won their classes. Jimbo didn't like the rain very much and Amara liked it a little too much! Pretty much all the dogs pulled their respective handlers around in the mud! Norlee Reece did a Herculean job with Brian. They started of looking ridiculous but finished very strong. To sum up this quick post, Brian won breed over three specials and Rainy finished Reserve Winner's bitch to Catie's Gracie. Gracie finished her championship today. Congratulations Catie! Amara just had a ball!

Group starts in about an hour and we are trying to calm The Puddy down!

2009-03-25T10:42:00.003-04:00

Our next show is this weekend in Newnan. You don't want to be there. Between now and Saturday night we are supposed to receive three to four inches of rain! Newnan is an outdoor show and the shows does not stop for rain.

Fortunately, The Puddy is no daisy. He actually likes the rain so he should do fine, if he will show his teeth... By Sunday, the ground will be destroyed and we should be slipping all over the place. The fair grounds are super flat and just HOLD water. I am going to sit on the sidelines and watch the fun. Jennifer will debut the debutante, Miss Amara Jane. Sandra is bringing the appropriately named Rainy. I should even get a photo op of me with my namesake, Catie's 'Jimbo'. With a name like that he has to be a stud!

I think I am going to wear full slickers. I figure Amara is going to knock me over and lick me anyway...

2009-03-20T20:38:00.002-04:00

Well, James and Sidney got the rest of CiCi's tooth out of Lexus' head this afternoon. I can't imagine breaking a tooth like that OR having someone break a tooth off in my head.

2009-03-16T10:31:00.005-04:00

Sometimes weird things just happen.

The vet will tell you to remove stitches at ten days. I usually wait a couple a days longer but I always examine the wound, test for strength and decide by what I see. I removed Lexus' insemination stitches on Saturday.

I gave her a bath prior to stitch removal and generally cleaned her up. The hole in her chest is all but closed and she should be off the antibiotics in a couple days. All of this is pretty routine. What wasn't routine was the abscess I found on the right side of her upper jaw. It was weird. I had noticed it before but it was small and with the larger injuries, I didn't give it a whole lot of thought. Okay, here is where it gets weird...

The abscess was a tooth! Not Lexus' tooth which is a valid first thought since she has actually stretched and pinned her 'upper lip' with her left canine before but someone else's tooth! The missing piece of CiCi's tooth was in Lexus' head! Damn that had to hurt! I told you it was weird. :)

2009-03-11T22:39:00.004-04:00

Brian has gotten substantial. CiCi is close to 170 pounds...

I love my goats. Not like my dogs though. If you notice, little Twiggy has injured her left horn and it is twisted a little.

Have you ever met Roxi? Is your face wet? Then you haven't met Roxi...

2009-03-11T14:31:00.001-04:00

OKAY, that didn't take long. NO TROJAN IS NOT PEEING IN THE PICTURE BELOW!

MY boy knows that he is supposed to raise his leg! :) He is just sitting in the clover lusting after one of his sisters. LOL!

2009-03-11T14:12:00.006-04:00

Trojan in Clover

The 'MASTIFF DRIVE' sign was in front of Susie's old house 'forever'. I asked her for it when I learned that she was moving away from her kennel. She graciously complied and now it can sit in front of my house 'forever'.

Lovely Lady Lexus Lounges Luxuriously

Lexus has come a long way from when I found her trying to go into shock and covered in blood a couple weeks ago! Now she is fat, happy and hopefully, pregnant! For those of you keeping score at home, she is due somewhere around may 2nd.

2009-03-09T09:15:00.005-04:00

The dog below is Silver's Pounds Sterling AKA 'Pounder'. Pounder is the Winner's Dog from the 2004 Mastiff Club of America and Canadian Specialty. Pounder is a true giant.

Three years ago, Diane Becker shipped two vials of semen for Morrigan's last litter. Morrigan did not conceive and we thought that was the end of it. Last year I got a bill from my vet for two years of semen storage! They had only used one of the two vials on Morrigan and there was still a vial of Pounder semen in Atlanta! No one knew it was there until the vet did an inventory and I got billed!

When we had decided to breed Morrigan to Pounder we had debated whether Lexus might not be a better bitch for him. Fate delivered a second try for a Pounder litter SO last Tuesday, Lexus was surgically inseminated with the last vial of the Pounder semen.

Lexus was already on antibiotics and she still is. She still has a big hole in her chest from her battle with CiCi but it is healing quickly. (CiCi is fine and is back outside with Brian.) Lexus is eating everything in sight and I choose to look upon that as a good thing. The last two times Lexus has borne a litter she has had tremendous weight loss. We are not going to let that happen this time! After her first litter she lost down to 104 pounds! After her second she got down to 110 and I will tell you that seeing Lexus that skinny will break your heart! Her litters had nine and twelve pups so hopes are high.

Regardless, the surgery went well. There were some cysts on the left horn of her uterus but the right horn was perfect. Cesareans do have the consequence of cyst formation so it was not unexpected.

So wish us well. Chocolate will probably have another litter but pups from this generation will soon become rare.

Pups from Lexus' first litter and Laura's first litter... (I'll pay for that.)

2009-03-01T11:00:00.004-05:00

Ok, there may be a reason to know who this doggie is.... :)

For ten bonus points, who knows who the handler is?

Another hint? Here is a huge one...

One more..? Okay, 35" at the shoulder...

2009-03-01T10:32:00.002-05:00

They call them 'bitches' for a reason...

When a girl comes into to season, it is rarely pretty. It can be good, but it is never fun. When TWO girls come into season on the same day, it can be disastrous.

Lexus and CiCi have been together constantly for about nine months. They genuinely love one another. Lexus has cleaned and cared for CiCi after both of her bouts with piometra. Both had gone through a cycle together and we had not had any problems. CiCi went first and then Lexus followed a couple months later. They were setting me up! This time they synced and both started on the same day and then promptly tried to kill one another. Lexus has a two inch gash in the middle of her chest and her wrists have been chewed. CiCi has a couple dozen shallow puncture wounds around her head and neck and a broken canine tooth. When I found her, her head was the size of a basketball. I think CiCi was on her back and got scared and started fighting for real while Lexus was still just trying to establish dominance. Lexus won the battle but I don't think she won the war. Five days later, CiCi is fine while Lex still has a huge hole in her chest!

This is the lesson folks, if your girl isn't spayed, she will absolutely try to establish dominance when she comes into season. It is the way dogs are programmed by nature. Only the dominant bitch gets the privilege to breed and they will test to see if they are that bitch. If you aren't going to breed her, spay her and do both of you a favor.

2009-02-05T11:05:00.014-05:00

Last week I got a phone call that I have dreaded. On the morning of 1/28/2009 we lost our first Morrigan baby. Shelley Smith lost her beloved Lane. Even after more than a week I am having a hard time writing this because it makes it very real that our dogs are middle aged in Mastiff years.

When Lane was born I knew I was going to keep a male puppy from this litter but I was afraid to choose. I had a really hard time choosing between Lane and Trojan and I kept Lane at the house until he was nine months old. I had resigned myself to the fact that I was going to keep both when I got a call from a lady that was looking for a male mastiff. Our conversation continued and I was reasonably convinced that this person would do very well as an owner for one of my dogs BUT at the time I still wasn't convinced that I wanted to part with Lane. Then I found out that she literally lived across the pasture from me! I did choose Trojan over Lane mostly because Trojan was James' dog while Lane was considered mine. I figured if I ever needed Lane he was pretty accessible!

So Shelly got Lane and they were perfect for one another. Lane may have been the most socialized of all our Mastiffs. Shelley took him EVERYWHERE. Lane probably met more school children than most teachers! Shelley eventually opened a petting zoo with a friend of hers and Lane was the star attraction right up to the end.

Lane, Trojan and Lilly

One day about a year ago, Lane and his friend, a female Rottweiler managed to escape. They made their up to a main road where the girl was unfortunately hit and killed. The female dog was lying in the center of the westbound lane. I got a call at work (everyone knows about my dogs around here) that there was a mastiff in the road. Needless to say, I was on my way. I got there to find Lane standing in the road facing oncoming traffic. The accident had occurred at the end of an 'S' curve and people were seeing him late and really having to work to avoid him. When I arrived there was a 'crowd' of three. One of the men asked me if he was my dog. I said I bred him. He said to be careful because he wasn't letting anyone near the Rottweiler. I walked over to Lane, Kneeled down and said, "Lane, I am so sorry." The dog sighed, walked over to me and buried his head in my chest. If a dog can cry, Lane was blubbering. I loaded him up into my car and put the girl on the trunk. The same man walked over and said, "you know, he has been here since before 8:00." It was 11:30. Lane was a Mastiff.

Rest in Peace, Morrigan's Cuchulain, Mastiff, Loyal Friend
08/09/2004 - 01/28/2009

2009-02-02T13:03:00.008-05:00

Congratulations to me and you, and you and me...

Well, Grammy Lorraine is happy. Lexus did as she was supposed to do and finished her Championship Saturday with her fourth Major. Thank you Grammy.

Lexus is the sixth Morrigan/Ford baby to achieve her championship. Lexus started her journey as the FIRST M/F baby to go into the show ring. I went to pick her up from Susie when she was eleven months old so that I could get her ready for the Atlanta Dog show a couple months later. Morrigan kicked her butt that day and that trend continued for a while. First Morrigan beat Lexus, then Chocolate and then Lilly! By the time her family got out of her way, Lexus had had two litters of puppies and had taken reserve in SEVEN majors including three FIVE pointers. In that time she only lost on two occasions to a bitch that was NOT part of her family and one of those times was about four weeks after her second litter. She was not in good shape then and I shouldn't have taken her, that loss is on me. The only time she won during that span was a two pointer in South Carolina.

BUT, Lexus has held up famously. Her muzzle was once jet black and is now frosted with gray and her ears have lightened considerably but her movement is still tremendous and her attitude is still bubbly. Lexus has only gotten better with age. After she got her first major, the rout was on. She lost one more time in Atlanta were she picked up another reserve (appropriately it was a major) and that was that. In the last two years I have really only shown her at the Atlanta and Newnan shows.

So, everyone who has a Lexus baby or sibling, congratulations. THe family has proven itself once again.

I must admit that when Lexus was picked this Saturday, it was all I could do to keep from blubbering. She will be the last class dog from her breeding and therefore, an era ended on Saturday. All told, six AKC Champions and a Canadian Champion (for added flavor). It was and still is bittersweet.

All hail CH Caledonia Pursuit of Perfection. She really is just that.

One more little detail. Lexus' win qualified Ford for the Mastiff Hall of Fame.


AKC Champion offspring of CH Caledonia's Built To Last WP97650107:

 1 CH MORRIGAN'S TUG O WAR     WS07013902 - Tug
 2 CH MORRIGAN'S CU MAC SHIMIDH     WS07013903 - Oscar
 3 CH CALEDONIA PURSUIT OF PERFECTION   WS07013904 - Lexus
 4 CH MORRIGAN'S HECTOR    WS09874603 - Trojan
 5 CH MORRIGAN'S CELTIC QUEEN OF KIOKEE  WS09874607 - Boudi
 6 CH MORRIGAN'S GODIVA      WS09874611 - Chocolate

 7 CH MAGNUM'S ONE TON SPEEDWAGON  WS04262902
 8 CH CALEDONIA'S VENI VIDI VICI  WR07184503
 9 CH CALEDONIA'S NO BOUNDARIES   WR07184504
10 CH DANDYLION BRISHANES THE ROCK  WS07993205

Congratulations to me and you, and you and me...