"Pixel" practising obedience by his own -- 4 months old photo E Fors

Otherwise the dogs are doing well. Everyone has been healthy and sound. We go for walks everyday in the forest and around where we live, even if it is very dark in morning. I usually get up at 06 and the plan is to begin the walks no later than 07 15. After walking it is time for work and after work I often go to the stable to look after the horses. The stable is 25 km from here and it takes around half an hour to drive there. I have not been to any shows since the Club Show in August in Medevi. After "Dino" got his champion title I lost all motivation. Also showing takes a lot of time and effort and after taking care of my own 7 dogs at home, my horses and managing my work I have almost no spare time left. So showing gets a very low priority. I have however entried "Thea" both days at the Kennel Club show in Göteborg in January. It can still feel some excitment of showing a new young dog.

In September I also got a new horse, Ias Recriwt. He is called "Merlin" and is a welsh ponny of cob type (sect C). Born 2008 he is just a young horse. I have thought for some time that it I would like to have two horses and there he was little "Merlin"! His breeder is Christina Blomquist in Leksand, a breeder of welsh cob, or rather welsh ponies of cob type, under the prefix Ias. I bought Arthur from Christina so I knew her from before. I simply could not resist this beautiful little horse with such striking quality. My plan is that I shall teach myself to train him following he principles of the Academic Art of riding according to Bent Branderup, Denmark. So this is a kind of double teaching project! He will also serve as companion to Arnold and Arthur. More infromation on "Merlin" on the My Horsed page.

This is a picture from the day when we went to meet "Merlin" who was on training in Ullared which is just about 80 km from where we live. On the way home I called Christina who was  curious about what I thought of him. I heared myself saying to her "I'll buy him!". I never really hesitated. This was simply my little horse.... Sometimes you just have to follow your heart.

19 July. Time for some updates. The puppies have moved to their homes and are doing well. Teodora lives with us. Hopefully I will be able to get some new photos of her. She is developing nicely and is full of energy and curious and hunts after everything that moves, rattles or can be "killed" and shaken... Funny puppy! She is really wild.

I have been to some shows in June and July: 6 KC shows in Sweden (Vallentuna, Österbybruk, Borås, Vänersborg and Tvååkerx2) with Dino and Mona. Dino has got 2 CACs and is now swedish Champion, in addition 2 R-CAC, and 2 VG, and Mona has got 1 CAC, 1 R-CAC, 2 Exc (1 Ck), and 2 VG.

Dino Vallentuna -- photo: M-L Eloranta	Dino Tvååker --  photo: J Sedbring

We now plan two Swedish Club Shows during the summer and maybe a trip to Denmark in the autumn but nothing more. I had totally forgotten about Dino's rabies inoculation which means that he had to take a new shot and a new blood sample after four months. So he will not be ready to travel anywhere abroad before October.... A silly thing to miss that.

We have had a visit from Finland and Ollie has mated a liver bitch JK3, BH Karhunkaatajan Be A Nice Girl "Gaia", who is a titled utility dog, competing against utility dogs in rescue. The puppies will be expected towards the end of July at kennel Dotstorm.

Olli still going strong, one week from 8 years of age at the photo!	Olli tohgether with JK3, BH Karhunkaatajan Be A Nice Girl "Gaia"

I have also joined Facebook. Surrendered if you may say so..... But I have found Facebook very convenient way to communicate and keep updated. Very easy to share photos for example, much less complicated than Frontpage. The plan is that I will be able make more continuous updates on Facebook and use the home page more for information about kennel Ridotto. I have tried to make a link connection to Facebook but that made Frontpage go crazy.... so I will see if I can solve that.

Arhur is doing fine and I have come into contact with a academic riding instructor namely Monika Muller who have moved just outside Göteborg. I do think we are making progress under Monika's guidance!

Arthur and Arnold outside their newly built outdoor stable at Eskilsby Gård where they live.	Arthur and Arnold on their first day in their summer enclosure at Eskilsby enjoying lots and lots of lovely grass!

22 April. Here are some photos of the three T2-puppies taken today on this unusually warm and sunny God Friday. The puppies really enjoy spending time outside playing in the fresh green grass. They will be named Tiziano, Timandra and Theodora. I plan to keep one of the girls and my favourite at presemt is Theodora, the one with a more spotted face. I have updated the Puppies page with photos of the puppies standing properly on a table. Something they managed extremely well although the table was a bit shaky. Otherwise things seems to be going back to normal. I have entered Dino and Mona to some shows towards then of May and in early June. I am very pleased with Dino's development. I think he has matured a lot and I look forward to showing him.

17 April. Maya's litter has been a rather trying affair as I have reported under "Puppies". Only three puppies remain, after the three deaf ones were put to sleep. The small bitch became only 10 days. I then took it to the vet since she did neither grow nor develop. I had only succeeded to keep the puppy alive.... and that is no solution in the long run.... The three remaining ones, one dog and two bitches, are doing fine and I say to myself that I am lucky since I had lost all hope to have something out out of Olli and Maya and now I have three nice, correct and healthy puppies! I have not decided yet which one I will keep. This is the T2 litter and I have to start decide on names and send in the registrations. I will take some photos in a week or two,

Another sad thing was that I had to take "Kajsa" (R Iacobina) to the vet to put her to sleep. She became 11 years and 2 and 1/2 months. During the last year she got visible tumours here and  there over the body but she did not seem to have pain or anything. But on last friday morning she was very different, she did not want to go out, eat her food or even small bisquit treats. She stood very rigidly, shaking and sat in her bed with a strained face. Showing she was in pain. Kajsa was a very happy dalmatian, always in a good mode, the kindest and funniest dog you can think of. She loved people and playing and was a very good obedience dog in her days, as long she thought that she was in command .... doing things for fun and for treats. She was a bit unpredictable, but could do very well when she was in the right mood. She had two litters the O-littera nd the Q-litter. The Q-litter was a disaster since Kajsa and all thedogs got kennel cough a couple of weeks before she gave birth. She had nince puppies, four were dead at birth. I have not ever seen such tiny and thin puppies. It was really awful. The other five which were alve were also very week, tiny and so thin you could count every bone. I feed them for five days and hardly slet furing this period and they died one after the other. Only two survived, the largest ones, and they developed in anormal fashion. Due to the infection the puppies were propaly starved in the womb. So dog breeding can be quite trying at times....

18 March. Ollie's and Maya's puppies were born early Monday morning on March 14. The birth was by Caesarian since Maya had no labour. The opreation went very well. There were nine puppies but one, the first one to be born was already dead, so when I came home on half past six in the morning after absolutely no sleep at all, I had with me 8 screaming puppies and a very disoriented and groggy mother. I must admit that I was rather near panic about how this was going to end. Maya was scared to death of the puppies, that were crawling in all directions screaming. I spent the entire day in the whelping box doing my best to get Maya to relax so that she gradually could get used to her puppies. At the same time I had to start to feed them every 2-3rd hour since she had very little milk. I did not dare to leave her just for a few minutes since she was not herself due to being sedated. Luckily Bengt was at home so I could get some help with looking after Maya. Gradually she adjusted to her new condition and towards the afternoon she was relaxed in the whelping box together with her puppies. I was so tired in the evening, totally exhausted.

One puppy, a male with a patch, did not survive until the following day. He had been screaming a lot and also started to bleed intensely from the navel. I spent almost the entire Thuesday in the whelping box and I have fed the puppies since the start and also fed Maya with the puppy milk. On Wednesday it was clear that Maya had milk - what a relief - but I continued to feed the smallest ones. One female is enormous and I have not feed her at all since Wednesday. Looks like a white beaver or something.... being three times the size of the tiniest puppy. Today, Friday morning the seven are doing quite well. One female is still rather tiny but is gaining weight and I continue to feed her specially. Maya is an excellent mother and cares for the puppies in the very best way.

This was my 24th litter (it will be the T2-Ridotto litter) and first Caesarian. When I sat there at night at the Blå Stjärnan animal hosptal, where I usually go when there is an emergency, I was so tired and weary and thought that I must be crazy to keep on with dog breeding. Where you sometimes has so little control and so many things can go very wrong. When I write this I am in a better mood. Hopefully everything will work out all right and I am very glad to have this litter out of Maya and Olli. By the way should anyone be curious, there are now two boys and five girls. All black spotted. There was one patch and that was the one that did not survive the first night.  

21 February. Time for some update. Will this long and cold winter never end.....?! Yesterday we had - 15 C, it was - 18 at the stable. This morning it was a little warmer, - 13. But the days have been really sunny and the sun warms a lot so hopefully we will have spring this year, as every year. We are expecting puppies out "Olli" and "Maya". She has grown quite big and there is no question whatsoever about her being pregnant. I do look forward to this litter. It was my first thought when I saw Maya for the first time, how well they fitted together. I have never used Olli myself for breeding since he his too closely related to my other bitches. Olli has many lovely children and I would be so happy if I could have one myself.

Ollis daughter in Holland "Rosa" or Namara’s Colorado Blue Columbine gained her last CACIB to be an International Champion (CIB) on a show 13 february, she was also BOB en BIG2. Congratulations!

Andiamo has mated a nice daughter of "Olli" and hopefully there will be puppies out of this combination in mid April at kennel Alot Spots. Olli has also got puppies at kennel Ace of Spades out of Ace of Spades Just Like Heaven. Four boys and three girls. So this will be an exciting spring with lots of new little puppies to follow.

Otherwise there is not so much to report. My horse Arthur is doing fine, he has grown an enormous coat of hair although he has a coat on. He has a number of coats for different types of weather conditions. I hardly dare to count them anylonger... He lives outside with his friend (?) haflinger Arnold. They live outside and have an outdoor stable so that they go inside when they feel like it and the weather is poor and stay  outside as they choose. A good life for a horse not to be locked into a stable for many hours a day. Arnold and Arthur go well do together and seem to accept each others company, but they never play. They are a bit like older and younger brother.... They also have the company of a miniature horse, a Falabella stallion called Eskil, about the size of a larger dog, a German Shepherd or Berner Sennen.  When I take Arthur out, Arnold and Eskil eagerly wait for him and call for him to come back and join their little group. I will try to take some pictures of this little horse "family". The problem with photographing has been the cold and the batteries running out.

10 January. Some results from the My Dog Kennel Club international show x 2 in Göteborg. On Saturday 8, judge being Ann Carlström, Sweden, Andiamo was second in Intermediate with Hp (prize of honour),  Ridotto Simona was second in Open with Exc (CK). BOB was Ch Jilloc's Sugardaddy and BOS Spotnik's Excellent Exemplar. On Sunday 9, judge being Åke Cronander, Sweden, Andiamo was placed no 1 in Intermediate with Exc (Ck), and no 2 Best Male with CAC and R-CACIB. Ridotto Simona mas no 2 in Open with Exc (CK) and no 3 in Best Female. BOB was Solbo's Linnette from Intermediate and Ch Jilloc's Sugardaddy BOS. Congratulations! Sorry that I do not have complete results. But as usual I did not buy a catalogue...