Unbelievable Weekend - Albuquerque NW Dog Shows

Michelle and Folsom, along with her friend and helper, Denise, traveled to Albuquerque for the regional Akita Specialty and the all breed shows Saturday and Sunday. Michelle and Folsom took Best in Sweeps under respected breeder judge, Dave Osborn. They went on to show in the Akita Specialty show and Folsom won Winners Dog, Best of Winners and Best in Show Specialty at 7 months, 10 days old! We believe this is the youngest Akita in the breed history to ever win a BISS and are trying to confirm same. Folsom was WD and Best of Winners the next two days to finish his championship undefeated. This is an amazing feat for a puppy and an owner handler. To say that Greg and I are proud of them is way understating our feelings. We will be adding pics as soon as they come in. Way to go Michelle and Folsom!!!

I am including a pic here taken in Grove, OK showing Folsom and Michelle moving out in the breed ring.

Just a Note to Say Hi and Remember Mom's Day!

Mother's are people who love you from the minute you are born until they pass away; you can always count on your mom to be there for you. Mother's get their reward when you have children; grandchildren are one of life's greatest treasures. I hope everyone will take time to appreciate their mom on this Sunday which has been set aside as Mother's Day. Just let your mom know you love and appreciate her; it will keep her happy for months to come. Love to all moms out there and to my family and friends. May God Bless You All!

Sadie Playing

If anyone is not convinced this little girl is special, I don't know how to tell you...so maybe I can show you! She is such a wonderful companion, so much fun, and so easy to live with! A couple pics were taken after dark and she was trying to tell me it was past bedtime, the other two just after dawn yesterday morning. More info on the Akitas tomorrow or the next day.

Miniature Australian Shepherds

My puppy, Sadie, is a Miniature Australian Shepherd. Mini Aussies should conform to the breed standard set for Australian Shepherd except for size. Sadie should mature at 14 to 16 inches tall and approximately 20 to 25 lbs.

Bred by my close friend, Greg Thomas, from working stock, Sadie exhibits great intelligence, loyalty, trainability and common sense. She is the perfect companion for anyone who wants a smaller dog who learns quickly, would make an excellent dog for obedience or agility competition, and who will give their owners their entire devotion in return for same.

Greg is a full time cattle rancher who lives in southeastern Oklahoma. He also raises a few running horses, and some of the best Akitas I have ever known in my 25 years of showing Akitas. His Aussies are bred to work livestock and I truly believe that is why his minis are so easy to live with. Greg is a graduate of OSU, and has generations of animal husbandry in his background. Greg has a strong commitment to health and conformation in his dogs and livestock. He is active in showing cattle and Akitas, working with young people who are involved in showing, and is from a family of ranchers.

The breed standard for Australian Shepherds is easily available for those who are unfamiliar with the breed. The miniature Aussies should conform to this standard in every way except for their smaller size. If you are interested in learning more about this wonderful breed, please take time to read the AKC standard for Australian Shepherds. You may search for Australian Shepherd Breed Standard and learn what you should look for in this wonderful breed. I tried to copy and paste it in this blog, but was prevented from doing so.


If you have any questions about the mini Aussie, please leave me a comment as I will be delighted to answer you to the best of my ability.

May 1st

How in the world is it already May, 2010? Everything is so green and so beautiful outside. My honeysuckle is LOADED with huge blooms and the hummingbirds prefer it to the syrup I make for them. However, I was surprised to see the red bellied and downey woodpeckers drinking from the hummingbird feeders!

A couple people have asked me how I came up with the name OPR Shichi. I have been OPR Akitas for over 25 years. When we moved to the hills and creeks southeast of Jay we had a high ridge covered with pine trees, so we called our place Piney Ridge. When I got Akitas, I started out with Piney Ridge on their registered names, however, it used too much room to come up with a good name for the dog, so shortened it to Of Piney Ridge, or O'PR and eventually just OPR. Greg's kennel name is unique. Since Akitas are Japanese dogs, he used the number 7, which is Shichi in Japanese. He had a total of seven dogs, was born on the 7th day of the month and his ranch brand is 7T.

I am sharing a few pics taken before I had dental surgery of the beautiful spring flowers in our area.