Best Puppy In Show!

Lacey had an exciting December, earning herself a 4 pt major, winning the Puppy Sporting Group which consisted of 17 Best of Breed Sporting dog puppies, and then on to a VERY exciting Best Puppy In Show! In Cleveland, she won her 6-9 month Puppy class every day with the exception of the last day, where she was 4th out of 5 - see how fickle judging can be??

The first day of Cleveland, Rookie won the Bred By Exhibitor class of 3, then went on to Reserve Winners Dog (Runner-up). He was also "Best Bred-By Exhibitor", and won a Group II in the Bred By Sporting Group of 14, a very nice honor!

It was a long trip (12 hours), but we had tons of fun, and got some very nice compliments on our "kids". Little Rosie made her debut, and pulled off 2nd out of 5 at the Specialty, even beating our "seasoned pro", Lacey!

Christmas cards are finally done, and will be in the mail today, albeit a bit late for us!

14 years ago today...

I embarked on a wonderful journey. My first litter was born on November 22, 1995, and I've never looked back. Little did I know that those 5 little lives would be just the start of something so amazing and rewarding.

Not that breeding dogs doesn't have it's pratfalls. It's a very expensive "hobby", one that you never go into lightly, and certainly not to make money. When done correctly, it is a labor of love, not of profit. Creating lives should always be taken seriously, whether you are talking about children or animals. Finding wonderful homes for those that don't remain here to "carry on" for Ashbrook is a time-consuming reality. You have to be tough enough to say no to that eager family who you feel really doesn't have the time for a puppy, or who's kids aren't really ready for the responsibility. Contrary to popular belief, the sale does not end with the the pick up of the puppy and the cashing of the check. You have to always be on hand to offer advice or a shoulder to cry on for the lifetime of that puppy, or should the unthinkable happen, be willing to take that puppy back at any point of it's lifetime, should the owner not be able to keep it.

Responsible breeders put their hearts and souls, as well as a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears into raising a litter properly. There is nothing like sitting next to the box after you've helped mom deliver a healthy litter of newborns, and staring in amazement at the miracle of life, as well as maternal instinct.

However, often times there are problems, and all doesn't go so well. The majority of mothers seem to like to wait until the wee hours of the morning to deliver. We stay up with them round the clock when whelping is imminent. When we feel something isn't going as it should, a call is made to the veterinarian, and often we pack up and head out. I am very fortunate that my vet has their own 24 hour Emergency care; there is no calling an Emergency Clinic at 2 in the morning for us!

All breeders have experienced loss, and it never gets any easier. Holding that newborn that never took a breath, or the one that you spent days tube feeding only to have it lose it's fight, or to have Mom lay on one is devastating. It all comes with the territory, unfortunately.

However, the good definitely outweighs the bad. There is nothing like the smiles on the new families' faces when they come to pick up their new puppy. That phone call or e-mail (with pictures!) telling me how much they love their new "addition", and how well it's going. Even better is when a family comes back for a second, third or even a fourth (one PA family), because their Ashbrook puppy is so wonderful! Wow, what a feeling! Many of my puppy buyers have become good friends as well.

I never thought 14 years would go by so fast, or that I would be this "deep" in the dog world. I've been blessed by a wonderful dog family, and have incredible friends that I never would have met had it not been for this wonderful breed. I've had many wins in the show ring, and while those are great, there is still nothing like sitting next to a whelping box with a new litter of young lives.

HAPPY 14th BIRTHDAY to my first litter of Ashbrook puppies - may you have many more!

Sophie, Ryan, Lexi, Phoebe & Liza, all still alive and well. Sophie still rules the roost here, and shows no signs of slowing down, even after we almost lost her earlier this year.

Ryan went on to win many titles for his owners - Working Dog Excellent, Junior & Senior Hunter, Utility Dog (highest level of Obedience), and Agility titles. Lexi, Phoebe & Liza are all beloved pets, and I thank their owners from the bottom of my heart.

And my adored & treasured Tally, mom of this litter; you taught me so much, but nothing like the unconditional love of a dog. Rest well, my dear; I miss you so much.

Time to go...

Going home day. It's always such a mixed bag. Folks are always asking how I can bear to part with the puppies. Usually I've been talking to the new owners for months prior to "take home day", with several visits. I feel like a match-maker of sorts, and it feels so good to know that the puppies I brought into this world - and hugged, kissed, loved and snuggled, will be very important members of their new families.

I love getting e-mails, letters (yes, occasionally the old fashioned kind!) and pictures of my little guys as they grow, and hearing the wonderful stories from the families that love them. Being a breeder isn't easy, but those moments make it all worth it. I'd like to thank all the owners of my puppies - you are all part of the Ashbrook Family, and I can't thank you enough for the fabulous homes you give my "kids"!

Pictured above are Maxwell, now Frankie, and his new family the Grovers of Scarborough Maine, including big brother Teddy, and in the other picture are brothers Starbuck (now Oliver) and Folger (now Milo). Folger (the liver roan pup) is living in Portsmouth, NH with two other ECs and Gail & Steve Goldberg, and Starbuck is hanging out there for the next month as well. Then, in December, he heads off to his new home in Anchorage, Alaska (!) to live with Gail's sister Beth.

Am I sad to see them go? Of course. BUT, knowing how happy they are making others, makes me smile...

Rainbow Bridge has a new addition...

I have asked Renee Cook to write something special about Buster, who went to the Bridge last week. He was very much adored, as all dogs should be, and we were very sad to hear of their loss. Buster was from an "oops" litter, but he sure wasn't an oops to his family. His dad was Taz (Ashbrook Devil's Advocate), my tri color Cimmeron x Kitty son, and mom was the infamous Sophie (Ashbrook Sweet Dreams), who still rules the roost here at almost 14 years old. Rest well, dear Buster.

Buster came into our home and hearts in the summer of 2001. He joined our family of three. It was Tim, me and Kenai (our 50/50 McKenzie River Husky/Wolf mix). Kenai was Tim’s dog that came with him from Alaska. He was attached at the hip to Tim and clearly knew that Tim was the alpha male. Beyond that, however, he clearly lacked socialization skills with other dogs. Large dogs, especially. His wild side made it impossible for him to “make nice”.  I had experience with English Cockers having owned one years before. I knew of their wonderful temperament with other dogs and children (I had three younger ones at the time). Enter Buster! Ah, what a lover he was….he quickly won over Kenai and they became the best of friends, alas brothers. Kenai became like a pup again playing whenever Buster beckoned. He always let Buster think he won. So cute to watch they were! Several years went by and unfortunately we lost Kenai suddenly. It was a great loss to us, especially Tim. What we didn’t expect, I guess was how greatly it affected Buster. Seems he took it the hardest. He became deeply depressed and lethargic. We called Tracey and asked about a “little brother or sister”. Brady entered the picture. Interestingly Brady was not the most sociable of puppies from the start. Not to worry, big brother Buster took over and quickly made him welcome. His depression lifted and he was back to being our loving boy!

Sadly this past January we noticed that Buster was losing weight and seemed to have lost that spring in his step. We took him to our local vet in rural Hibbing, Minnesota where we were living at the time. He ran some basic blood work which showed an elevated Calcium. This could mean “a lot of things” the vet said. (I am a physician, so I knew that ultimately it could mean cancer in a dog his age, but I hoped against hope this wouldn’t be the cause). Unfortunately in June we found out it was anal cancer when we took Buster for definitive testing at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. They told us our options of which surgery was one. This would not be curative and perhaps only give us six more months with our beloved guy. He might not even survive the procedure. We opted for comfort care measures and were told with his type of cancer he should not be feeling much pain. They said perhaps a few weeks, maybe a month. We also chose to give him daily steroids to stimulate his appetite. Amazingly he lived another 3.5 months. His appetite increased. He looked better. We were thrilled that he made the trip back to our home in Springfield, Illinois. There were days when he had that familiar spring back in his step. He enjoyed sitting in his camp chair outside. Most of all he loved being at his daddy’s side.

When we brought Buster home, I thought he would be a Mama’s dog. Boy was I wrong!  Buster was and always will be Tim’s heart dog! I loved him dearly but when Tim was away and Buster was with me, it was Tim he was always looking for. At the end the day before he died, Tim was out hunting. Buster looked at me and told me he was getting close to the end. His eyes told me to call Tim home. I did. He spent the rest of that day in his daddy’s arms. The next day we said goodbye to him. Tim held him as he crossed over the rainbow bridge. Until we see you again, our beloved Buster……we love you and will miss you.

Buster (May 19, 2001 – October 19, 2009)

Written by Renee Cook
October 26, 2009
(1st Birthday Party - Buster is on the far left, and group baby picture, 2nd from the right)

Java puppies at 8 weeks

My, how they've grown! After all the hemming and hawing over the theme, I've decided to use the "Coffee" theme again, since there are SO many great coffee names out there, and this is Java's last litter. The liver boy is "Folger" (what a GREAT face, huh??), the liver/white girl is "Kona" (and she is FULL of beans!!), the blue roan boy is "Starbuck", the b/w boy is "Maxwell", and the liver roan girl is "Rachel". I know, I know, that's NOT a coffee name, but her registered name is Ashbrook Central Perk, for the coffee house on "Friends". Soooo, since Rachel was the "Friend" that worked there, it fits.

Rachel and Kona will be staying here for now, and Starbuck will be going to live in Alaska! Maxwell is going to live in Maine, with Rookie's brother Teddy. Folger "may" be staying locally, the jury is still out on that one , while a husband decides if he can live with THREE English Cockers. I say, what's one more??

Debut of the "Queen" puppies

Well, Lacey & her sister Dina had a cool couple of weekends. One week ago, Dina (tri) became the 2nd youngest EC to earn a Rally Novice title at 6 months and 11 days old; she qualified all three days, winning 2nd place in a class of 20 with a perfect score of 100+ (there were 3 100's in the class; the placements are determined by speed in the event of a tie)! VERY cool for such a baby. We co-own her with her fabulous trainer, Laura Davidson. She's taught her all kinds of neat tricks, and she was doing a 25 foot retrieve in the water at 4 months old. We expect lots of great things from this team of over-achievers!

They both made their conformation debut in Springfield, MA this weekend, and Lacey (blue roan) won the puppy class and went Winners Bitch for her very first point! Yippee! Dina was a bad girl and gave her mom a hard time when gaiting. We're sure they'll be winning the points soon, too! We're off to the Mason/Dixon Specialty in VA this Friday...hopefully with more news to report!

Adam's a Dad...AGAIN!

Adam would like to welcome his newest kids, born yesterday (Columbus Day) in California. Proud mom is Libby, Ch. Indigo's Pride & Predjudice. She had 2 blue roan boys, 1 blue roan girl, 1 orange boy, 1 orange girl. We can't wait to see them grow! Congrats, Liz & Libby!

our cute little faces...

5 1/2 weeks old

Hi All,

sorry for the delay; everyone's been after me for more puppy pictures of Java's babies. We've had friends from Colorado visiting, so we've spent more time playing with puppies than the computer, as it should be!
Five weeks is when puppies seem to turn into "puppies". They wrestle with each other, run, jump and start to be a lot of fun (AND, a lot of WORK!).
They are just too cute, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do...

Two years ago today...

I lost my very best friend. Some of you knew Tally, some of you didn't. She was my "Heart Dog"; a term reserved for a very few select dogs. If you are lucky, you will have one at some point in your life. If you don't know what a Heart Dog is, you haven't had one yet. It doesn't mean you love your current dog(s) any less - I love all my dogs to pieces, and will be devastated at the loss of any of them (yes, even you, Sophie! ;-)), however, the term refers to the equivilent of a human soul mate. Tally and I had a relationship that was rare - I swear she really was a person in a fur coat. She went everywhere with me, and I know sometimes she knew what I was thinking before I did.

I clearly remember the day (the minute, actually) that this extraordinary bond began. I'd been told about the death of a friend (not unexpected) earlier that day. I was perplexed by the fact that I didn't cry when I heard the news; not like me at all. Tally and I left for obedience class that night, and when I pulled into the parking lot of the training center, I turned off the car, sat there for a minute, and it finally hit me. Tally looked at me very worriedly, and came over and climbed in my lap. She was squinting at me the way ECs do sometimes, and she started to lap my tears. I started to really sob, and held onto her tightly, the whole time with her kissing my face. From then on, it was over. I don't know why, but we were only each other's "people" after that.

I've always been torn between worrying that I'd never feel that way about another dog again, and worrying that I would.

Till I see you at the Bridge, Tally...

Rosie's Reunion

Yesterday we had a few visitors stop by. Rosie's breeder, Lynn, came down from Plymouth, MA with Dustin, the puppy she kept from the litter. Also joining us was Lizzie with owners Heather & Holly from Keene, NH and Motley with owner Suzanne from Concord, MA. The littermates had a great time playing together in the backyard (too much of a blur to get photos!), and then settled down for a quick photo together. They are 15 weeks old, and are from Adam's latest litter. Top step, left to right - Rosie & Liz, bottom step Motley & Dustin. Thanks for coming, guys!

Adam's Newest Champion

This is Rosie (Ch. Shambrio's Wine & Roses), Adam's 48th Champion. She is the 3rd from her litter to finish, with one more close as well. She lives in California with her owner Vicky Krost, is co-owned by Jan Fleming, was shown to her Championship by her friend Susan Haller, and was bred by Sherrie Morgan. Congrats, Ladies, she's beautiful!

Happy Birthday to the "Devil" litter!

Happy Birthday to my Devil Litter - can't believe you guys are 9 already! This litter was out of Ch. Headwinds Kittyhawk ECM sired by Ch. Stardust Cimmeron ECM. Dickens, Taz, Dexter, Roswell & Casey (left to right) - hope you all had a FANTASTIC day filled with ice cream, long walks and lots of love!!

3+ weeks - how cute are WE??

Wow, they are finally starting to look like puppies! After a really slow start, Java's babies are starting to toddle around, get personalities, and be extremely cute! I'm thinking now of going with a "Dirty Dancing" theme, as a tribute to my favorite movie, and favorite Hollywood crush, a gentle man who left us far too early. Any ideas are welcome. One will definitely be Ashbrook The Time of My Life, THE song in the movie, and the title of Patrick's new book. Another will be Ashbrook She's Like the Wind, the song he sang on the soundtrack. Any others come to mind?

Rookie and Kat pups - 3 weeks old

Java's pups are much smaller than these, but they're catching up!

New Champion at Ashbrook!

Well, Dunkin (Ch. Ashbrook Dark Roast) finished in grand style today on Cape Cod - he was Winners Dog, Best of Winners and Best of Breed over a Special! We are very proud of our first home bred liver roan boy, who is just as sweet as he can be. He is the first Champion for both his parents, Joel & Java. This picture is one of my favorites of him.

Home From Michigan...

Just got in from a looooong trip to Michigan, for an English Cocker Specialty show. Rookie (Ashbrook Put Me In Coach) won his Sweepstakes class of 9 on Sat and was 3rd place on Sunday. Dunkin (Ashbrook Dark Roast) was 3rd in Sweeps on Sat, and 2nd on Sunday, going Reserve Best In Sweeps as well! He was 4th and 2nd in the Bred-By-Exhibitor class also.

Our 5 month old blue roan girl Lacey (Ashbrook Queen Anne's Lace - pictured) was too young for the "real" show, but she got to "play" dog show at the puppy match - there were about 20 puppies from 2 to 12 months old entered, and she won Best Puppy In Match! Our 3 month old orange girl Rosie (Mayflower Vintage Rose) won her baby class of 7. It was too cute watching everyone trying to get their babies to walk on leashes for the first time!

We had a great time; the weather was wonderful, and we came home to puppies that GREW while we were gone! Laura took great care of them, and even the tiny b/w boy is up to 9 oz (he was 4.6 at birth, and 5.9 when we left on Thursday). Back to work tomorrow...

FINALLY gaining weight!!

The puppies are finally starting to show some weight gain - thank God, as they are 1 week old today! The black/white boy is the tiniest, and not gaining much, but has a round belly most of the time now - he's up to 5.8 from 4.6 at birth. Not much of a change, but at least it's headed in the right direction! The big liver/white girl is up to a whopping 13.1 oz from 7.2! The others are definitely gaining as well, though not as much.

Pup-Date

It's day 5, and we still have all 5 puppies. It's been a loooong week with very little sleep, but it will be worth it if the little guys all make it! The liver and white girl has really taken off, and is gaining by the minute. The liver roan boy (Teddy) is starting to pull ahead as well. The liver roan girl is doing better, and the blue and b/w boys are holding their own. Keep the good thoughts coming!

Sad phone call...

I received a call this morning from a very distraught owner; the type of call we all dread. Tammy & Dan bought "Gus" from me six years ago; he wasn't an Ashbrook bred dog, but he *was* sired by Adam, and I was "growing him up" to show. When he didn't get big enough for the ring, I placed him in a pet home, where he has been dearly loved ever since.

Last night, Gus pushed a not-quite-latched door open, ran out, and got hit by a car. Dan noticed he was missing almost immediately and ran out to look for him, but he unfortunately got there just in time to see it happen. Gus died in his arms almost immediately. Since bringing Gus into their family, they've had two children. Their 5 year old son (pictured) just adored him, and vice-versa. This is a very sad reminder to us ALL to make sure doors & gates are closed tightly behind us; these little guys are very quick, and a split second is all it takes.

Our hearts go out to the Gallo family for their terrible loss. May they find comfort knowing he's at the Rainbow bridge, where he will be waiting for them.

Java's puppies...

are finally here! The first one was born at 1:55 pm yesterday, the last at 3:20. We have 1 liver/white girl, 1 liver roan girl, 1 liver roan boy, 1 blue roan boy and 1 black/white boy. Unfortunately, we had a VERY tiny (3.3 oz!) liver roan boy that had a cleft palate and didn't make it. The other pups are doing well, but are also quite small (4.5 oz to 7.2 oz), so they'll need good thoughts sent their way. Normally, my puppies are between 8 and 12 oz.

We're thinking of naming two of the boys Teddy (for Sen. Kennedy, who died the day they were born) and Danny (for the Hurricane possibly headed this way this weekend!)...any other "in the news" names are welcome!

Java pups coming soon...

Stay tuned, folks - it looks like Java's babies will be arriving sometime today or tonight!

Rookie's First Litter has arrived!

Just finished whelping a litter that I co-bred with Maxine Raymond. Mom is "Kat", Ch. Tamray Dillon's Miss Kitty, and proud new dad is Ashbrook Put Me in Coach - "Rookie". This is his first litter, and her last. One blue boy (the white one with no spots, just like dad!) and three blue girls. We *think* the last girl born *might* be blue and tan; there are glimmers on both cheeks at this point. Otherwise, all blue roan. VERY healthy, and wanted to eat immediately - must be English Cockers!! We delivered the puppies here, and now Maxine is on her way home to Kittery, Maine with them; she gets to do all the work from here on out, and I get to sleep at night! Well, at least until Java's pups arrive later this week...

Cookie gets her second Major!

Graecroft Sweet Success


We had a great day at the dog show yesterday. I'm showing one of Domino's daughters, a beautiful blue roan girl named Cookie, bred and owned by Jane Doty. She picked up her 2nd major, so she only needs 3 singles to finish! This picture was taken at this year's National Specialty in Ohio. She's SO much fun to show!

X-ray Results!

Well, the x-rays were kind of murky; my vet is using his new digital x-ray machine, and I don't like it! It comes up very small on a laptop, and isn't very clear or dark - phooey! Sooooo, we *think* there are 5, but not positive.

We'll announce it here when they arrive! We're very excited to see what she has; hoping for some liver like Mom! Java is Dunkin's mom, for those who don't know...

Dunkin, Best of Breed Winner!

Dunkin went Best of Breed over 2 Specials from the Bred-By Exhibitor Class at last Sunday's show under Judge Edd Bivin. He needs just 2 singles to finish now! He's really growing up, and is now the sire of 3 beautiful girls in WA State; 1 solid liver and 2 solid blacks!

Ashbrook Dark Roast, AKA "Dunkin"

Introducing..."Rosie"!

We'd like to introduce the newest member of our clan, Mayflower Vintage Rose! Rosie is an Adam daughter out of a Hob daughter. She is 9 weeks old, and is just adorable! Thank you to Lynn Quintal and Heleyne Mederios for letting her come to NH.

Hello, World!

This is my very first attempt at "blogging", so please bear with me! I thought it would be fun to create a spot to quickly post Ashbrook "news and happenings" in a place that folks could add comments if they'd like.

We're expecting babies in a week; Java is due on Aug 27! We have an appt on Friday for an x-ray to see how many of the little buggers to expect - I can't wait!