The puppies got to their destinations in Ireland safely today.

Steve showed us the work he has been doing with Teasel on sendaway, retrieves and heelwork. She is a very stylish worker and very fast!

Cello and I practised our heelwork, recalls and retrieves and then Steve was helping me with Sit and down stays. Cello is really enjoying his training and was very good on Tuesday night.

Speedy is worn out as he has spent most of the day playing with Teasel in the garden.

Sunday was the BCCof GB Ch show with Agility at Newark. Zippy, Eva, Zippo and Speedy met up for a photo shoot, which entailed mad handlers running up and down making strange noises--I don't know what they were doing :)). The pups all enjoyed their day out and, as usual, took it all in their stride. Jo ran Ronnie and Keisha and they worked really well with just a pole down.

Monday Karin came to collect Yukon who is joining Indi and Amy. Hopefully Yukon will go to some shows too---that litter are due out just in time for the Back to Back Champ shows so hopefully there will be a few puppies out this year.

I have a horrible cold so haven't been great company but Gerry and Steve have been cheering me up. They have brought the beautiful Teazel with them and she has been entertaining Speedy as he has lots of energy to use up.

Two Tervueren puppies make the big trip to Ireland tomorrow morning, one to the South to live with Udalls' brother Lincoln, and one to the North to live with Margaret and her family.

The club open show is at the weekend so lots of grooming to do in the next few days.

This is Termite who has come all the way from America to join us here at Bonvivant. She is a sweet natured bitch bred in Belgium at the Schranshoeve kennel and is by Brizos' brother. Termite has spent four years on a Ranch and has never been shown so whether she will take to it we can but see. Hopefully she will be useful in my breeding programme but, due to the paperwork still not arriving and her coming in season straight away, we will have to wait to breed from her on her next season. She seems very happy to be with all the Belgians and Brizo has taken her under her wing. Thankyou Lou Anne for sending her over to me.

A busy day Sunday as I am meeting Jo, Tony, Karen and Richard with Zippy, Eva and Zippo (formerly Hippo) up at Newark and Speedy is coming for the ride. Hopefully I will get some pictures of the four puppies together.

Gerry and Steve are arriving and staying for the week ! Really looking forward to it and hopefully we shall get some training done. I just hope the fine weather continues as it has been yet another glorious day, almost like Spring!

The weather today has been lovely and has meant that I could catch up on some serious grooming. The yard is now fur lined and I think I have more hair on my head than when I started! The puppies have had a busy day with the Tervueren puppies having a day in one of the paddocks. I dread to think how much grass and mud they may have consumed-but that is puppies for you.

This is Max, who went to live with Marie and her husband in Diss today. I hope they have a good nights sleep--although I should think he is very tired after his busy day and adventures.
Marie tells me that he discovered there were other dogs just like him in the mirror and the oven door!
This morning we had a visit from Samantha and her husband with two Hawksflight dogs.The nice thing about dogs is that you meet some really lovely people who love Belgians, and don't care whether they get mugged and covered in dog hair either !!!
The fresh air has got to all the dogs today and they are settled down for the night, Rodes and Speedy are asleep on the settee by the log fire and Brizo, Celine, Psyche and Termite are loyally up this end of the room by me--well they are curled up on the chairs asleep.
I shall update you tomorrow on Termite--when I can get a decent photo of her !!!!!

Here at last are some more puppy photos. I can't believe it has been a week since I last posted on here but it has been more hectic than usual (if that is possible), what with a family funeral and lots of visitors, dogs and people.

Femme unfortunately did not have any puppies this time, which was gutting, as Martin had taken her to Belgium in January. It is always a gamble and, having had quite a few failures in the past with matings abroad, seemed to be just our luck yet again. Saying that I have had some wonderful litters from foreign matings it is just how your luck runs I'm afraid.

Cello has been to his obedience classes and is doing really well, he is such a clever dog handicapped by yours truly, yet he still excels himself. He has been doing more retrieve and scent work with Distance Control thrown in for good measure.His tail never stops wagging the whole 2.5hrs class and he gets really impatient to get his turn at an exercise. It was a bonus last night as one member, David, had come 1st & 2nd in the YKC Advanced at Crufts and had brought chocolate cake. Cellos' eyes lit up as he does love a bit of cake now and again.

The puppies have had a good time out in the sunshine today, the Tervueren are very with you all the time, whereas the Malinois puppies would have been quite happy to have been left to their own devices for the rest of the afternoon, but, as we didn't need the field landscaping, we brought them back down to their kennel.

If there is anything that can take your mind off the down side of life it has to be puppies. At last a dry sunny day when the Tervueren pups could go up the field for the first time. Karin had come to choose her Malinois puppy and so a few of us went out to play. The pups thought it was great and watched as Lisa drove by in her van and an aeroplane zoomed overhead. Then they had a ball on a rope and bounced around having a great time. The Malinois puppies enjoyed mauling the visitors, they are 6weeks now--that has gone quickly, and they were trying to remove my jumper and trouser bottoms--little monsters!

Bonvivant Arc en Ciel 1CC 3RCC
22/02/97---10/03/09

As many of you know I was hoping for some miracle to happen and that Ciels' swollen leg was just a temporary blip, it wasn't to be. After recovering so well from major surgery at Christmas cancer reared its' head. Her illness was on my mind all through the Crufts weekend and today I had to make the final decision.
Ciel was a dog in a million, daughter of Cachet in my first Malinois litter and there was never any doubt that I would keep her. She was not the easiest of dogs, having a wicked sense of humour, which made showing her as a youngster an unpredictable nightmare; when you thought she would behave she didn't and vice versa. After a couple of years out of the showring she decided that showing was the only thing for her and did me proud even up to last year. Ciel had a RCC under Mme Heraly when we were all four varieties in the ring, and then went on to win numerous BOBs, and 2 further RCCs in 2006 and 2007, aged 9 and 10, crowning it all at the age of 11 with a CC at Richmond last year. Forever young, Ciel had BVeteran In Shows and showed and looked like a two year old.
I mated her three times, once to Ianys du Mas des Lavande in France (where this picture was taken) and twice in this country but, sadly, she never had puppies. Her sister became a Champion and producer in Australia and had a few litters.
Ciel was always feisty with the other bitches in the kennel but never dared to answer her mother back. She was devoted to me and even on her last morning came for a big fuss and watched me to the last.
I held her in my hands when she was born and in my arms as she died, and she will live forever in my heart. She was the brightest Rainbow in my sky and lies with her mother here at home.

CRUFTS 2009 !!!!!!!!

Malinois

Congratulations to Helen and Sam Bull with Vienna (Bonvivant Nonpareil at Stonedragon) on gaining her first CC and BOB at Crufts. Congratulations to Lisa and Chris Wright with Chase (Bonvivant Noblesse Oblige) on gaining his 3rd and crowning CC .

Congratulations to Jo Hyslop with Ronnie(Bonvivant Kronik) on his RDCC. Sister to Vienna and Chase , Chatter, had the RBCC keeping it all in the family!!

Lots of places for the Bonvivant dogs with Sam 1st in PGD& 2nd in GCits,Chino 2nd LD (sadly went lame having cut his paw),Cliche 2nd in OD,Lexi a 1st in PGbitch with Kiah 2nd,Dana 3rd and Tia 5th; Rusty 2nd in LimitB &2ndGCits,Calla 5th LB,and Deepha VHC in OB.

Laekenois:- Congratulations to Wendy Clay with Bristle (Bonvivant Velocity) on his RBD and BP. Brizo was 2nd in OB. Solli was 3rd in OD behind his brother Bristle.

Congratulations to Owners and Breeders:- Hoi Sil of the Border River BD & BOB

Lyra var Letsager BB

Gabrielle D'Eroudur avec Belsharose RBB

In Tervueren Basil had a third in PD and Bruine a VHC in PGDog.

In Groenendael I was very proud of Brittanys' Scarlett who showed herself off beautifully to a 2nd in PB.

Bonvivant Kallisto (aka Rusty) won the ABC Jumping on Friday and I was lucky enough just to walk in to see the presentation on Crufts TV on my computer !!! Well Done David !

It was nice to see foreign friends again at Crufts, it is just such a shame that we don't get much time to talk---no sooner are we there we are under starters orders. Thanks to those people who kindly plied me with coffee as I didn't get chance to stop all day. It has to be one of the hardest shows to exhibit at and the most tiring for both dogs and people.

Some bad news today--Ciel has a swollen leg and, after having such a successful recovery from her operation, it seems she may not be with us much longer. Her leg did swell after the op but this was a common reaction due to the site of the op. It passed after a few days. She has been so active since and very sound that I was even considering which shows she could come to this year. I took her for a walk round this morning in the hope that the movement might reduce the swelling. Fingers crossed that this is just a blip.

This picture is from one of my favourite artists, Khaosdog, and I have added her site to my links. This one is called Calling the Lost Souls.I have also added another of my favourites, Delrio,Angela and Bobby in Richmond, Virginia. Bobby is a photographer and it is always good to see what he has been up--and they have Malinois ! Just a couple of links to cheer me up.

This is Solo who has found himself homeless due to no fault of his own. His owner has been taken ill and, although his GSD companion has found a home, Solo needs one urgently. Solo is a mismarked Groenendael as you can see from his tan markings(probably the result of inter-variety mating) and I have seen this before. He is around 10 yrs old and was originally a BSDA Rescue dog and, sadly, now is one again. He doesn't like small dogs, so we guess cats are not a good idea either. He needs someone of his own who will take him for a potter about and then he can snooze his last few years away in front of the fire. Since he has been at the kennels he is certainly more lively and doesn't seem as stiff, but I don't think he had had much exercise of late due to his owners ill-health. I went to see him yesterday and he jumped up smiling for a big fuss. If you know anyone who might be suitable for him please contact BSDA Rescue (it is on the BSDA site or on Belsharose website), failing that contact me and I will give you more details of how to adopt this lovely old chap.

Another busy week--Christine sent me a photo of Asta with her new puppies, they had us all worried as she went almost a week over her due date but all was well. 2 dogs and 5 bitches and Asta is in her element.Here is Solli out on his walk looking very handsome--he will be at Crufts Saturday and Sunday as he is doing the Discover Dogs stand and then showing along with his brother Bristle and his sister Vogue. Unfortunately the classification was dreadful and the pups could only be entered in Open classes as they were too young for the Special Yearling class due to them being under 12months old at the show. Never mind, hopefully it will be better next year and we will have another crop of Laekenois out then (fingers crossed). Femme has come to stay for her impending litter, but isn't showing much yet with two weeks to go. She soon settled into our routine and is very well behaved. Saturday was Cellos' training day at Audreys' and he loved it, he is such a good dog and didn't put a paw wrong. His main handicap is his handler but at 7yrs old this was the career change he needed. We usually have 2.5 hr lessons and by lunchtime he was ready for a nap, batteries recharged he did really well in the afternoon until it got to about 4pm when he began to look a bit worried that we weren't going to go home. He had a couple of cups of coffee and a cup of tea (well dregs really from my cup) which gave him a buzz. He did heelwork, recalls,retrieve, scent and his first attempt at Distance Control. He soon got the gist of that and I think he charmed most of the ladies there. They all seemed surprised how friendly he was even when he was doing his MaliClacks for the treats! He was quite full of cheese and chicken and slept all the way home. Sunday was another day for Speedy to go to Newark and there was a shooting show on so lots of noise which echoed round the showground--it didn't seem to bother him at all. He was more interested in raiding the trade stand for some puppy food again!!! He had travelled in the top bunk of the LandRover this time and was very good and quiet. He has had his first experience of a kennel today and is currently crashed out upside down indoors as it must have been all the fresh air which wore him out. Hopefully I shall have some exciting news of a new arrival to Bonvivant in a couple of days :))