Sunday, January 29, 2012

Naming...and Cocktail Glasses!

One of my friends/training partners, Gen Dever, gave me this darling little set of cocktail glasses today after an awesome winter field session with our training group.  She had purchased them several years ago, and they have crescent moons etched on them.  She said these "really should belong to you."  What a nice sentiment, and they will be a great addition to our glassware collection!

These are so cool!
Anyway--the cocktail glasses got me thinking of our 2001 Yahtaris "Moon" litter, and all the other moon named dogs I didn't note earlier when talking about how we chose Apolo's name.  I'd like to mention them here.

CH U-CD Yahtaris My Janus Sky Dancer CD RN WC FFX-OP CGC
Jay was my best friend and soulmate--I named him after the sixth moon of Saturn, Janus.  Interestingly enough, scientists pronounce the name JAY-nus, while in Roman religion/mythology, it is pronounced JAN-us.  *shoulder shrug*  Those of us in science strive to be different, what can I say?  The Romans believed Janus to be the god of doorways, transitions, and new beginnings--the god who is depicted as two faces, one looking forward, and one looking back.  Do dogs take on the qualities of the name given to them?  I have always believed that yes, they do.  I couldn't have chosen a better name for my Jay.

Jay and I above Duncan Lake in the BWCA, fall 2008

Yahtaris Moon Over Clarenjoy JH WC
Maisy has been a joy for me to know and watch for over 10 years.  She lives with Joyce Kruger, one of my greatest friends, and the breeder of my foundation bitch, Eva.  She is Apolo's breeder, too!

Maisy is on the left!  She stayed with us a few times...you can tell Jay (on the right!) wanted to snuggle.  :)

Yahtaris Mollie Moonsong
Mollie was a sweet girl who lived with the Lockert family in Bowman, ND.  She spent her days raising and cuddling children at Leigh's daycare, and her weekends with her family.  Often swimming!  She was a lucky girl and has been desperately missed.  The Lockerts will also be taking a litter sister to our Apolo.

Mollie "supervising" TV time at daycare.

Yahtaris MoonShadow CGC
Shadow belonged to Leasa Gowett in Florida (weird to think that she lived where there are alligators?!)  When Shadow passed away in 2009, Leasa wrote a beautiful tribute to her on the FCRlist, and included the lyrics from the Cat Stevens song, Moon Shadow.

I'm being followed by a moon shadow
moon shadow-moon shadow
leaping and hopping on a moon shadow
moon shadow-moon shadow

A young Shadow (right) watching the sunrise with her FCR companion, Caly

Yahtaris Hunter's Moon
Potter was named for the full moon of November, the month in which he was born.  He earned the call name Potter after Harry Potter, because his family said that as a puppy he was a bit reluctant until he figured something out...and then he would really take to it!

Baby Potter's first Christmas

Yahtaris Dark Side of the Moon
Doug chose Vader's name "because of his color -- hopefully not his future personality."  Where do I start with Vader?  First, I would give Derek Broden, who was pretty young at the time, the award for the best call name not only in the breed, but the whole galaxy.  Jon would love to name one of our dogs Vader, but I fear he may not live up to the original.  Vader was one of my favorite dogs, he was not only beautiful, but a good mix of birdy and stable in temperament.  As a puppy, he knew when to work, and when to relax.  He was just cool that way.  I loved his personality, his expressions, and the fact that he lived the dream life of a FCR out hunting with his family, and eventually his niece from my second litter.  He was a dog I was always proud to say I had bred.

Duck hunting with his boy, Derek.  Because every boy needs a dog, for real.

Yahtaris Ion My Moon Man
Doc was my dad's dog, and occasional author of the Sedivy Christmas letter.  He also sent me a $1 bill in a birthday card every year, and he must have had some fantastic in with the USPS (trust me, I don't,) because his card always seemed to arrive every year EXACTLY on my birthday!  When Doc was born, his front foot had been crushed (presumably during the birth process,) so he needed some extra care as a puppy.  We made him a small splint out of Popsicle sticks, which he quickly figured out would work well to shove other puppies out of the way at the "milk bar."  When he was older, he moved to a plastic splint, and he used THAT to push other puppies away from the food, too!  Doc never had much feeling in that foot, which didn't slow him down.  He could swim and hunt with the best of the best.  Doc was a very special dog to my dad, and he has been greatly missed by our family.

Doc at Pickerel Lake, home of my parents.

Yahtaris Walking on Regolith
Regolith is the soil on Earth's moon.  I never knew that, but Clara's young family did, and I have loved her registered name.  Clara has filled an incredible role for her family.  When Tom and Mary Deneka talked with me on the phone, I knew they were going to be a great home.  They were high school sweethearts, and they had Clara a few years before their two girls.   When Tom passed away suddenly in 2011, at the age of 36, he left behind two beautiful daughters, and the love of his life, Mary.  Clara has been a huge comfort to the Deneka girls.  And, each year, I receive a "Clara Calendar" as a Christmas gift!  It arrived a few days ago, so I will be treated to 12 more months of beautiful pictures of the Denekas.  Not a day goes by that I am not grateful for the strength and love Clara gives her family, she has been a blessing to us all.  xoxo

Clara boating on Keuka Lake, NY

CH Yahtaris Melody of My Neona
When I hold Nikka in my arms, I feel all the emotions of my (almost) 16 years in Flat-Coats.  She is Eva's daughter.  She is Jay's sister.  She is Mac's mom.  She is Apolo's grandmother.  Nikka is the thread that connects all of Yahtaris.  She is my mom's dog, and Nikka was named in part for Melody Daniels, who owned her father.  Neona is the Greek name meaning new moon--I always think of Nikka on the darkest of nights, when the stars blaze due to the moon's rebirth.  She is an amazing dog, and I can't wait to head to the lake this weekend to see her!

Nikka at nine years of age, stretching her legs and retrieving with the boys.

So, now you have the history of all our moon named dogs...likely way more than you ever wanted to know!  Thanks for reading all the way to the end.  Cheers!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

114 Days With Mac

I debated whether or not I wanted to put this entry on my personal blog or this one--for those of you who also read Zemja Sojourn, there will be some overlap; if you only read this blog, you will be missing part of the story.  I suppose it is inevitable that the two blogs will meld together, as no part of my life is separate from my dogs.

In May of 2011, I lost my forever dog, Jay.  Someday I may be ready to write about him...or maybe not.  I haven't decided yet, and I don't have to decide today.  When it comes to writing, I seem to circle around Jay without fully revealing my incompleteness without him, preferring to keep all my memories in shadow.  Which is what happens when a girl's sun burns out.  The shadows loom.

Many times I have watched friends run away from emotional hurt.  I have seen them change jobs, move across the country, jump into an unhealthy (or worse--an additional) romantic relationship, or start spending a whole lot more time at the liquor store.  We all want to cope.  We all want to feel whole.  We all want to flee.  Admit it--even you!  Your eyes are skimming over these words, and you know it is true.  Grow wings, fly away.  Except, of course, for the bothersome fact that this "run away" plan is usually a huge flop.

I don't know what I wanted to do the day we let Jay go.  All I know is what I decided to do.  I decided to run, but not to run away.  To run towards something productive: towards building a more meaningful partnership with the other dog in my life--Mac.

So, Mac and I started training.  We trained plenty before, but this was a chance for me to just train HIM.  No sharing the spotlight, no back seat to the Jess and Jay hiking trips, no more sleeping in the closet because "someone" wouldn't leave him any space in the bed.  Mac was training for field, obedience, and tracking--going to class 2-3 nights/week, and wearing Jon's arm out (throwing bumpers) the rest of the time.  I wasn't sure if we were doing everything right, all I knew was that doing something--anything--was better than coming home and sitting in the driveway in tears, unable to face that Jay wouldn't be there to greet me at the door.

Mac passing his WC in Virginia, MN -- 8/13/11
And then, I started writing checks.  Because you know how performance dogs love to spend money.  :)  I entered him in Junior Hunter stakes a little too early, before he was ready.  Which was fine, we learned from it and moved on.  On August 13, Mac passed his Working Certificate (WC,) and on December 4th, he earned the last leg of his Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) title, which was the last goal I had for him this year.  In the span of those 114 days, Mac achieved six performance titles to become CH U-CD Yahtaris I Believe In Miracles CDX RE JH WC CGC.  And he did all that with style, placements, and a UKC High In Trial.  His tail didn't stop wagging once.

I don't know when it happened, or where we were when it happened, but at some point, I wasn't running anymore.  I became fully vested, I started helping him instead of just being the chauffeur/Visa swiper/leash holder.  Mac was engaged in every training session, every competition, every stake.  Sometimes I wasn't-- but on those days, he did it without me.  And like all partnerships forged from time, effort, and sacrifice, we became a team.

Mac with his ribbons from the 2010 FCRSC in Calgary.

We have more competition goals, big goals that will really challenge us both.  But we have now entered a fairly long stretch where we will be training again and not out competing as much.  So, today we started on a new journey that isn't towards any title, ribbon, or award.

This morning, Mac passed his Therapy Dog International evaluation, meaning that after some quick paperwork, he will be able to officially make therapy visits and participate in our county's Children Reading to Dogs program.  Mac excels in many areas, none more so than making people smile, laugh, or feel better.  His charm and happiness are infectious, and I am so looking forward to sharing him with anyone who needs his light. 

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Bea ='s Mommy!

The Clarenjoy Ice litter was born on January 14, 2012!  Here are a few photos from the pups' first day.  Bea did great, she is such a loving mom!  :)






Sunday, January 8, 2012

Beneath the Ice Moon

We have a strong history of moon names for our dogs.  Our foundation, CH Clarenjoy's Eva My Blue Moon CD CGC, was born in June of 1996, the month of a blue moon, for which she was named.  From puppyhood on, I would sit outside with her at night to look at the moon and stars, and those moments remain my most treasured memories of her.  In Eva's honor, I blended the word yahto (blue) and the name Amaris (child of the moon) to create my kennel name--Yahtaris.

The full moon each month carries a variety of cultural names, and January's is no exception: Old Moon, Wolf Moon, Moon After Yule, Winter Moon, Holiday Moon, Cold Moon, Cooking Moon.  A personal favorite of mine is the Dakota-Sioux name: Moon of the Terrible!  (This conjures up images of Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are for me for some reason, which makes me laugh.

This week our next puppy is due in Chicago, and we are going back to our roots with another puppy from Joyce Krueger at Clarenjoy.  Since the litter theme is "Ice," how wonderful that, in the Neo-Pagan tradition, the January full moon--which is rising as I type--is the Full Ice Moon.

So, we have settled on the call name Apolo (after the short-track Olympic speed skater, Apolo Anton Ohno.)  And the registered name...

Clarenjoy Yahtaris Ice Moon Rising

Tonight's Ice Moon!  Moon photography isn't my forte, but it works!
 We can't wait to welcome this new life into our home!  :)

Monday, January 2, 2012

Welcome to 2012...and the new Yahtaris blog!

My intent for this blog is for it to be a tool for sharing updates, photos, funny stories, and competition results from Yahtaris.  Last year, the Yahtaris website underwent a major rebuild, but I have just never been satisfied with my ability to keep it updated.  And while Yahtaris also has a Facebook profile, I have never been satisfied with that, either.  Maybe I am just experiencing social media burnout.  :)

So, I have been inspired by the FCR breeders of Blazingstar and Eagletarn, as they also use a blog format for updates, and we are going to try it here, too!

I will start by sharing our wishes for a wonderful 2012, and also a Christmas Day photo of our dogs!

Katie May, CH Nikka, and CH U-CD Mac CDX RE JH WC CGC
...wishing you a joyous New Year!