The Year in Review

Wow, is 2010 really coming to an end already? Where has the past decade gone? It's been an interesting year around here, to say the least. We had very little snow to ring in the new year, but the wind storm in February made up for it, and then some! With 30 trees down on the fence, it looked a bit like a war zone out there.

It took some doing, but the new back yard & fence is complete, and is being enjoyed immensely by the dogs.

March was wonderful, as Rookie finished his Championship with 4 Majors, and Java won a HUGE Sporting Group her very first time out as a Veteran! I can't let March go by without acknowledging the birthday of my "Heart Dog", Tally. She would have been 17 on March 29th of this year.

April brought about my very first Agility Trial; this was SO nerve-wracking, but I'm so glad I did it! Rookie earned 3 out of a possible 4 Qualifing scores that first weekend, and I couldn't have been more proud. The next weekend was our first Rally Trial ever - two out of two possible Qualifying scores, a 93 and a perfect 100!

On April 13, Dixie gave us 6 beautiful babies - 3 girls, 3 boys! This was a repeat breeding of my wonderful Rookie.

In May, we made the looooooong drive out to Wisconsin to the English Cocker Spaniel Club of America's National Specialty. Next year it's in Colorado - I think we'll FLY to that one! Rookie did really well again, earning another Agility Qualifing score, finishing his Rally Novice title, and earning the first leg towards his Novice Obedience title (CD - Companion Dog).

The BIG news for June was our very first Agility titles!! Rookie earned his Novice Standard and Novice Jumpers with Weaves title both on June 14th at the Corgi Specialty trial. I still can't believe we did it!

One week later, we welcomed an imported puppy from Denmark - "CC" is a very sweet (but very naughty!) blue roan girl. She *had* a long tail when she arrived, but we had it docked soon after. We swear she still barks with an accent!

In what felt like THE hottest July ever, Stevie & Rookie gave us EIGHT gorgeous babies - 5 girls, 3 boys; 7 orange and whites and 1 lone tri color. With so many oranges to keep track of, We had to use colored ribbon to tell them apart. Good thing she loves being a momma - this group kept her hopping!

We had to cancel the much awaited Reunion for this year, as the new grass in the backyard just wasn't strong enough to hold up to 80+ dogs! Next year should be a great one, so don't miss it!
July also saw Lacey finishing her Championship, earning that second Major just in time; she promptly blew all her puppy coat the following week, and hasn't gotten it back yet.

August was just spent watching puppies grow, playing with puppies, feeding puppies and cleaning up after...you guessed it - PUPPIES! :-) Oh, and Rookie earned his first Rally Advanced leg with a score of 97 and 2nd Place!

In September, we took a break from Dog Show trips, and went to Colorado for a long weekend to visit friends for Raoul's 50th birthday. Went to Estes Park, took in a Rockies baseball game, ate too much and hung with good friends. We had a blast, and can't wait to go back for the Nat'l next May.

October saw Stevie's litter start to go to their new homes; always a mixed blessing. We decided to keep Stella, the only tri color in the litter. The rest went to fantastic homes where they are dearly loved.

Also in October, we headed down to "Horse Country" - Leesburg, Virginia for the Middleburg Kennel Club dog shows. CC won her sweeps & regular classes, and went Best Puppy on Saturday!

In November, the big news was Rookie's first born son, RJ, finished his Championship at 15 months old. He is co-bred and co-owned with Maxine Raymond of Kittery, Maine, and was handled by Tracey.

Java also completed the requirements for her Grand Championship, a new AKC title, and our first. She ended the year as #1 EC Bitch, #5 EC, in All Breed Competition, with two Group I's, 2 Group III's and 1 Group IV. Our Danish girl, CC, won a 4 point Major from the 6-9 puppy class!
November's events also included a milestone birthday - Ashbrook's very first litter turned 15 years old on November 22! Our own Sophie, Ashbrook Sweet Dreams, is doing very well!

December has been quiet so far; Rookie earned his 2nd Rally Advanced leg with a score of 98 and 1st Place! We're hoping the rest of the year is uneventful; time for a break.

Here's hoping you and yours have a wonderful holiday, and stay safe. See you at the shows in January!

New England Sporting Dog Show

Well, a few weeks ago, we had one of those "weekends to remember". Every March, there is a Specialty Show in Fitchburg, MA that is only open to the AKC Sporting breeds (Setters, Retrievers, Spaniels, etc).
We had an outstanding day on Sunday...Best In Sweepstakes (puppies ages 6-18 months) was our light blue roan girl, Lacey (Ashbrook Queen Anne's Lace). Winners Dog & Best of Winners for a 5 point Major was "Rookie" (Ashbrook Put Me In Coach), my tri boy. This win finished his Championship with all Majors - FOUR of them! Lacey was Reserve Winners (runner-up) to the 5 point Major. Java (Ch. Kabree Ragtime Espresso), our cute little liver and white girl made her debut in the Veteran Class - can't believe she's 7 already! - and WON Best of Breed with an entry of 30 ECs...we went into the Sporting Group, expecting nothing, but she went on to WIN the Group, with a total of 667 Sporting Dogs entered in the whole show...holy cow!!
Java will be shown sparingly as a Veteran - she LOVES to strut her stuff in the show ring!

Mother Nature's Fury

It was a dark and stormy night...

Well, I know I haven't been keeping this blog up-to-date - shame on me; I promise I'll get better! It's been a weird winter/spring; we had kind of a disaster when the February wind storm took place. Feb 26, 2010 was a very scary night. It was my niece's birthday, and lucky her, she'd just flown out of Boston for 10 days in Disney early in the evening... sure wish I could have gone with her! They warned us that we'd have heavy winds and rain that night, but nothing could have prepared us for what was to come.

About 10:20 we lost power. Up until that point, we'd been watching tv, and could hear the wind and rain, but it didn't sound that bad, as the tv was on. Once we lost power, we decided we might as well put the dogs out one last time and go to bed. I opened the basement door to let them out into the yard, and almost had the door ripped out of my hand! SO, we told them to pee REALLY FAST, and got everyone back inside. We crated everyone up, and went upstairs. Within a few minutes, the first pine tree fell, and landed IN THE PEN where we just were with the dogs not 15 mins earlier! It hit the pen, the deck and the sliding glass doors. Petrified, we grabbed the cushions off the couch and headed to the basement ourselves. There we (didn't) slept, on the floor, listening for the next 3 hours to pines cracking, falling and landing. I've literally never been so scared in my life. The dogs? They slept thru it all! Oh, to be a dog!

The next morning, we were in total shock when we looked out into what was once our fenced in back yard. About thirty 120+' pines were all lying flat on the ground, taking out almost every inch of our 6' chain link fence! It looked like a war zone. We heard later in the day that the winds reached between 70-90 mph during that three hour time span - I believe it! I still think we had a mini tornado or hurricane come thru.

We are now in the process of having all the trees removed (big job!), and the remaining eight standing pines dropped. Most of the hardwoods survived, so we'll still have some shade back there, but it will look mighty different come Reunion time (JULY 11, 2010!)! We're trying to look at this as a good thing; we've wanted to have those pines taken down for quite some time (pine pitch is a b*tch on show coats!) but we couldn't afford it. Now, they are down, will be gone soon, and I can hopefully set up some agility equipment back there now!

The insurance company wasn't as helpful as we'd hoped (big surprise there!), but our friend Marsha Wallace (ECSCA Rescue Chairperson Extraordinaire) had taken up a collection unbeknownst to us, and we *should* be okay. Dog people are wonderful!!!

Hope all of you with Ashbrook dogs can make the Reunion this year for the "unveiling" of the "new" yard!

On to bigger things...

One of the hardest things I have to do as a breeder sometimes is place an adult dog. Everyone always asks me how I can part with the puppies...that's the easy part! It's saying good-bye to a dog we've raised, that has become a part of our family that is sooooo hard. Then WHY do it, you ask. Well, it's one of the most selfless things a breeder can do for his/her dogs. Every dog deserves to be the center of attention, the apple of someone's eye. When you are an active breeder, it's necessary to maintain a certain number of dogs, obviously. While we try to give everyone individual attention, you can only spread yourself so thin.

As a breeder, I *try* to keep primarily girls, as I can always breed out to someone else's male. The boys have a way of worming their way into my heart as babies, however, and I really do try to keep the best one in the litter to show. So, when I keep a boy, quite often it's with the intent to show him to his Championship, and then find him a wonderful pet home where he can be that center of attention. Where he can go for a walk *every* day, instead of once a week, as I have to rotate dogs. Go for that daily car ride, trip to the beach, run in the woods, out to the Dog Park, and sleep on the bed.

That time has come for my little brown boy. Dunkin, AKA Ch. Ashbrook Dark Roast, has found a family of his own to love. When I met the Neill family of four, I knew it was a perfect match. A young family with two boys ages 8 & 11, Dunkin would be their first dog. They'd done their research well, and all agreed on the English Cocker as their first and only choice (but of course!). They took him to their Cape Cod, MA home last Saturday, the first day of February Vacation, so they'd have lots of time to spend getting to know him. As you can see by the pictures they've already sent, he looks very happy indeed.

They have agreed to keep him intact on a co-ownership, so that I may possibly use him at stud in the future, and Amy wants to learn to groom him herself, so I'll still get to see him occasionally, as he comes home to "visit" a girl or two, and for some grooming lessons. Hopefully getting off the Cape in the summer to attend the Reunion will also be in the cards.

We'll miss you lots, my "Dunkin Munchkin", but you have a much more important roll to fill now than that of "show dog"; one of a beloved pet...enjoy your new family, and live your life to it's fullest.

Happy January!

Wow, not only is it a new year, but the first month is already 2/3 of the way over - where does the time go??

We started the year off in the usual way; going to Philadelphia for the American Spaniel Club Specialty show. We had a judge change, due to the unfortunate illness of one of our favorite judges. Suzanne, our thoughts and prayers are with you for your recovery. Sweeps was pretty uneventful for us, but my tri boy "Rookie" won the Bred-By-Exhibitor class, which was very exciting. We had a great weekend visiting with friends, and going to dinner Sat night at Maggianos. If you've never been - GO! They have family-style, and the food is outstanding (esp the fried cheese and the tiramisu!). It's now an annual must-do on this trip; probably a good thing that the closest one to us is in Boston!

This past weekend was very exciting; we're soooo proud of our good friend Laura for finishing "Angel" (Ch. Ashbrook Angel In The Outfield), the second from our "Red Sox" litter to become a Champion, and Rookie won back-to-back Majors, bringing his point total to 10, with 3 Majors! Five more single points and he's a Champion as well. These wins meant a lot, as many of you know how extra special this boy is to me. One of the Majors, as well as Angel's win, was under the very highly respected Judge Michelle Billings, which is always an honor.

We now have two whole months off without dog shows, as we've decided to skip the Greenville Specialty this year, for the first time in many, many years. While South Carolina in February is usually a nice break from the nasty NH weather, it's just too expensive this year, with a trip to WI in May looming. In the meantime, Rookie and I are working hard getting ready for Novice Obedience, Rally & Agility at the ECSCA National Specialty - I haven't done Performance Competition in at least 12 years, and never Rally or Agility - yikes! :-)

So, with no shows on the horizon, and no puppies until at least May, it's going to be a looooong winter. Better go cozy up with some dogs and a good book!

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...