NACA

I travelled to Sherwood Park for the NACA Dog Show June 2-5 2023. It's great as my sister Debra lives there so I can stay with her. Tarn did really well. On a whim I decided to enter him in the CGN test. To my surprise he passed!! Yay Tarn! He also took Best of Breed at all 4 shows. At 2 of the shows his litterbrother Loki was also entered. On the first day the Judge Mary White pulled him out in Group which was a thrill! The Sporting Group is very competitive in Alberta with alot of top dogs as well as professional handlers in the ring. On the 3rd day Tarn won a 2nd in Group!!! This was under judge Jean Desile, so awesome! He got 89 Top Dog Points putting him in 3rd place for Flatcoats in Canada. He also got 5 more Grand Champion Points , plus the 1 he got for beating Loki the day before, put him up to 18 points. 2 more and he will have his Grand Championship. I'm looking forward to Tarns future in Conformation.

Finally an Update !!

Holy moly where has the time gone!! My last post was over a year ago! So much has happened but I can't remember it all so here are some highlights! Last April 2022, while training Tarn, he passed out for just a few seconds. I thought it was a seizure at first but he came out of it so fast I knew it wasn't. I made an appointment with my vet and there she discovered he had a heart arrythmia. I didn't fool around so down to Calgary I went for an echocardiogram. Things got crazy. His heart was barely pumping and was very enlarged. He was first diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy. I was told to prepare myself and that it was very possible he could just drop dead on me. I couldn't believe that my 8 month old puppy was given a death sentence. To make it worse it was just 5 months since I had lost Lync. What the hell did I ever do wrong for the Universe to pick on me! He was put on a ton of medication and very very limited exercise. I switched him from his raw diet to kibble. There is some proof that raw diets aren't the best for the heart. I didnt care if it was true or not, I was going to do whatever I could. Fast forward to more echocardiograms and holter monitors and also a visit to a Canine Specialist Cardiologist. It is now 1 month past a year since the fainting spell. Tarn was found to not have Cardiomyopathy but a condition called Focal Atrial Tachycardia which he was most likely born with. It is not a hereditary condition , just luck of the draw. His entire litter was tested and none of them have it thank goodness. At his last check up in March his heart is almost back to normal. He runs and plays and shows no signs of any heart trouble. The cardiologist says he may eventually grow out of it completely! He is still on kibble and heart medication for now. In the past year Tarn has finished his Canadian Show Championship, going Best of breed over 5 Champions from the puppy class for his first points! This past January he won Best of Breed and got his first Group Placement, a 3rd! He is doing Obedience, Nosework and we just started Field Training. He is a bit behind where my other dogs have been at this age due to 5 months of him pretty much doing nothing. Last week he took his Designated Odour Test and passed all 3 hides with scents of Wintergreen, Pine and Thyme. This earned him his D.O.T. title! Tarn is such a special part of our family and I'm just so glad I took the chance and opened my heart up to him.

Tarn

A couple of days after loosing Lync I drove out to his breeders house for a walk. It was comforting to be there with her. Lync loved going out there to train, play and visit. It was a happy place for us both. While walking Liz mentioned to me that Avey, who has MuddyFlats Kennel, had a male puppy that she and Liz co bred. They had held on to this puppy with hopes of finding him a home in Alberta with someone who would show him as well as doing other Performance Events with him. Liz and Avey wanted to know if I might consider giving him a home. I went home and talked to Brad about it. We decided to make the drive to Camrose and go see him. It was difficult. I cried as he licked my face. I missed Lync so much. We decided to bring him home and give it a week. I needed to make sure I could open my Heart to him so soon after loosing Lync. I also wanted to make sure he was a good fit in our home and that Ash would accept him. It only took a day for me to decide, I wanted him. I let Avey and Liz know. To my surprise Avey offered him to me free of charge. They would like to co own him with me and one day allow him to be used for breeding if they chose to do so. I was so thrilled! Of course I said yes! Tarn has helped to heal my heart. He has been the best puppy. He is smart and energetic and I absolutely adore him !I still miss Lync so much but my Heart doesn't hurt as much. I believe everything happens for a reason. I believe that Tarn was there because I needed him. The Universe had chosen this path for me and I am very blessed .

Lync

So it's now been 5 months since I had to put Lync to sleep. I'm just now able to write about it. Lync was entered in our local dog show November 19-21 2021. He had a fantastic weekend. He won Best of Breed at all 4 shows. He won a Group 3rd one day and he would of had a Group Placement on the last day but he was showing signs in the Group Ring of not feeling well. He also won Best Male Veteran 2 days and Best Veteran in Breed and Group on the last day. I had to pull him from the Veteran Group Competion. There was a wonderful entry of Flatcoats at this show, 17 to be exact with 7 Specials which made his wins all the more wonderful! On Sunday when I put him up on the grooming table before Group Judging I noticed something was wrong. He wasn't wagging his tail, licking my face or trying to pull my mask off. When I brought him to ringside he perked up so we all thought he was hot as the building was quite warm. I gave him to his handler and sat down to watch. As soon as he started to move I looked to my friends and said "something is wrong with him " To make a long story short I ended up bringing him to the Emergency Vet Care straight from the show. A day later we were in Calgary seeing a Specialist. Covid meant I had to wait in the van while he was examined. Within 15 minutes the Vet called. I couldnt believe what I was hearing. Lync's belly and chest were filled with fluid. He had a tumor on his heart, it was hemangiosarcoma. Lync was just 8 years old. I knew the risk of this happening when I decided to get a Flatcoat. Cancer is in every single line of Flatcoats. Some live to old age but a huge majority never even see double digits. I made the choice right then to end his suffering. I went in the clinic and sat on the floor with him. He was so sick he wasnt even engaging with me. He just wanted to lay down. His handler Pat who lives in Calgary came down to say goodbye as well. Pat, the Vet and I sat on the floor. While Pat and I patted him and told him what a great dog he had been and that we loved him, the Vet ended his suffering. I was devasted. Lync was my Heart. My constant shadow. He only had eyes for me. He loved me so much, and I him. I was comforted by remembering our summer we had just spent together. I had quit my job in June and Lync and I hit the road together. We travelled to compete in Dog Shows, Field Events, Sprinters and Barnhunt. We visited my sister in Sherwood Park for a week. We had the best time together . My Heart still hurts. There is an emptiness there now. How I loved that boy.

Lync

So so much has happened. At the moment all I can write is that I had to put Lync to sleep on Tuesday November 23 2021. I am heartbroken. He was only 8 years old. I will write more when I'm able.