Steve

Now we also want to run several competitions on line as part of our Celebration of Responsible Pet Ownership Month. One of the categories is photography. For things like - the ugliest dog, the dog that looks most like its owner etc.You know stuff every body can have a bit of fun with. So can we brainstorm a bit for the online catgeories we can put up and remember Pacers isnt just for dogs its for all domestic pets. Julie

O.K. We have our categories set for our big event in March next year which includes photography.Flyers and categories can be downloaded here http://www.mdbapacers.org.au/index.php?opt...6&Itemid=60 But we also want to run several competitions on line as part of our Celebration of Responsible Pet Ownership Month. One of the categories is photography. For things like - the ugliest dog, the dog that looks most like its owner etc.You know stuff every body can have a bit of fun with. So can we brainstorm a bit for the online catgeories we can put up and remember Pacers isnt just for dogs its for all domestic pets. Julie

http://www.mdbapacers.org.au/index.php?opt...6&Itemid=60 You can down load the flyers and categories here

Ive spoken with the Jika and all is well .Just tell them you are with us. Julie

All the accommodation is booked already because its booked in our name and all accommodation is discounted too and includes a free breaky. You have to tell them you're with us and if they dont give you a room then give me a yell and Ill sort them out. We have the whole place for the week end. All accommodation and both function rooms.

Excellent ! What about postage?

Yes please dont leave it to the last minute - things get pretty crazy near the shut off date. Its much easier if I can work through with a little less pressure.

How does this work ? How do we place orders to be sure you guys get the benefit?

Good heavens, if a breeder can do it all right and still make money over an extended period of time then all power to them. Since when is it a case of remain poverty stricken = an ethical breeder? People cross breed because they can, there is a demand and just as anyone choosing to breed purebred dogs has the right in this country to do so because a minority of people - us - prefer purebred dogs thats not going to stop them. Purebred breeders breed less than 10% of puppies bred in this country each year and it doesnt matter what side of the fence you sit on you can make an argument to justify what you do. What you breed or why you breed it or even if you make truck loads of money isnt counted. What is counted is the things a person is prepared not to compromise on to ensure that every puppy has the chance of the best life with the best family. I breed Maremmas and most of my dogs work - without them my stud Dorper sheep some of which are worth tens of thousands of dollars would be plagued by foxes and crows.My lambs would be lucky to survive their first week of life. Put simply I cant live without them. During lambing season I get calls from farmers who offer me thousands of dollars for my dogs some of which wouldbe happy to only take them for a few months and then return them.the difference for me is that the year before I got the Maremmas we lost 200 lambs since the Maremmas Ive lost none. How much is a working Maremma worth ? If I have one which a farmer is prepared to pay $5000 for which takes it away from where its working for me should I say no and put a lesser price on it so I remain ethical? A working Kelpie - papered or not that is good at what it does easily replaces 2 men when it comes to handling mobs of sheep. $6000 is cheap.

I can get a photography judge and an artist who specialises in animals. (she is actually doing a massive piece for the lost dogs home atm. I can get them to develop the categories also. http://www.garyradler.com/ (photographer/psychologist) http://www.brushstrokesoflife.com/ (artist/ personal development) please let me know asap so I can let them know, also, I can help on the friday and possibly sunday. Im only 20 minutes from the venue Thanks anyway Chewy . The categories are all set now - Ill say when they are up on line. Might be able to use a hand from these people though over the next few months.

Just waiting on the webmaster to put it up on the Pacers website . Ill give a yell with the links when its done.

Award Category:Best Dog Related Publication of the Year Nomination Reason:THE LITHUANIAN GOAT CATCHING RETRIEVER I have noticed during discussions, when breeders mention The Breed Standard some non breeders have no idea what they are talking about. And why should they? People who haven't been coming to DOL very long can't understand why there is a standard, or why it should be the "blueprint" for the dogs. Doesn't make much sense. Each standard was developed at the time a number of dogs became a type, and the originators wanted them to be a breed. And if there was a blueprint, others who followed could breed to that blueprint, because that was the key to the dogs being able to do the job they were originally designed for. I thought if I told you a story about the evolution of an imaginary breed, and the standard that was written for the breed, it might be easier to understand what a standard is, and why it is important. So, sit down, take a seat, hang on…… Once upon a time long long ago, there was a small rural community in ? oh, Lithuania. The soil was sparse, rainfall was poor, crops did not thrive, and because the farmers were poor, they could not afford to buy any animals, and there was no Maccas, so they were often hungry!! However, in the region was a native goat. It was noticed that once this goat was caught, it was domesticated quite quickly, it didn't eat much, and it could be milked 365 days of the year, each goat giving about 10 litres daily. The goats, although plentiful, were exceedingly difficult to catch. They could run like the clappers, they could jump 2 metres from a standstill, and they could swim like fish. Additionally, they could bite your finger off, and kick the eye out of a needle. In a spirit of co-operation, the farmers got together, and held goat catching days. Unfortunately, because of the attributes of the goats, the haul was very small for the effort, and usually a couple of farmers were gored, kicked or bitten - or all three. Because the goats could swim, if they were herded towards the shores of the large lake, they tended to keep running, and to swim once they were out of their depth. The waters were icy, and many men caught pneumonia in their quest for the goats, in addition to being gored, kicked or bitten!. One day, Vlad brought along his hound. The goats were worried about the hound, which could run as fast as they could, and in the confusion, a couple were caught. However, the hound was greyhound size, and although he could run as fast as they could, they could run underneath him (little suckers were only 30 cm high after all). Next time Vlad's hound went on the hunt, and Igor took his dog too. His dog was smaller than Vlad's, so when the goats did a 360, they ran into the dog, which promptly bit them, and by the end of the day, he was grimly hanging onto them while they snapped and kicked at him. So more goats were caught. Obviously, something smaller than Vlads dog was needed. medium sized dog Next time, Ivan took his dog, which was also medium size, and could run very fast, so he easily caught them.. However once a goat kicked him, he legged it for home as fast as he could go, howling. Then they knew they needed a bold, courageous dog with a fair turn of speed well laid back shoulder, back of medium length, good hindquarter angulation with strong gaskins (because this exactly how Ivan's and Igor’s dogs were) This went on for quite a while - and the farmers had a pack of medium sized dogs which were courageous and fast, and the goat catching was becoming more successful. However, the goats continued to jump in the lake. None of the dogs would go into the lake, and if the farmers threw them in, they swam for shore as fast as they could, and spent the rest of the day sitting around shivering, or legged it for home. Then Dmitri brought his dog - which could swim like the clappers and had a very short curly coat. This dog took to the water like a duck, frightening the goats back to shore where they could more easily be caught. They noticed that the dogs with a short curly coat like Dmitri's were all willing to enter the water, and further, when they exited the water, they shook themselves and were dry. They deduced that the dogs with the short curly coats were willing to enter the lake because their coats kept them dry, and stopped them freezing to death. short curly coat with water repelling properties Of course, they mated the dogs together (as you would) and came up with a medium sized, built for some speed dog which loved the water and had a short curly water repelling coat. If you were lucky enough to get one of these dogs from Mikhail's litter, you thought you were the ducks guts, and in truth, your dog had caught a couple more goats than your neighbours, so you were very proud of your dog!! One of the bitches from Mikhail's litter was not only prepared to swim after the goats, she could swim like the clappers, and she damn well caught one. Unfortunately, it bit her, so she let it go. There's your first breed fault!! Everyone wanted to know why this was the only dog which had ever caught a goat in the water. They noticed that she had webbed feet. Of the litter of 8, 2 had webbed feet, although neither parent did. There was some talk in the town of the mother having mated with a duck, and witchcraft, but in the end, they decided the webbed feet were too good to let go. feet shall be broad, with arched toes and a web of skin between the toes But the lack of boldness continued to be a problem. They noticed that Dick The Drongo's dog which they always laughed at, because he couldn't even get close enough to the goats, was a demon if he ever got his teeth on one. He would push it to the ground and hold it - without biting it. So they actually caught more goats, because the curly coated ones would drive them back to shore, where Dick the Drongo's dog would be waiting with gaping jaws. The farmers all examined the dog, and discovered that he seemed to have a lot of skin on both sides of his face, and his jaw structure was slightly different. great jaw strength, wide bottom jaw combined with "soft" mouth Now, they were too poor to keep TWO dogs - one to chase, and one to hold - so they thought they would see if they could combine the two. So they mated him to the faster and leaner of the web footed, curly coated dogs, and kept the curly coated pups which could hold a goat down and keep it down until the farmers arrived with ropes. And bred them together. They had pretty well cornered the goat market, but then they discovered that some dogs had problems with their ears after being in the lake. The ones that had the problems were the ones with erect, pricked ears. The dogs which didn't have problems had their ears folded down. They probably couldn't hear quite as well as the ones with erect ears, who could hear the goats when they were 20k away. The ones with the folded ears could hear them at 10k, which was close enough. a fold in the ear, just covering the ear canal Things were going pretty well, but there was one problem. Most of the medium sized, web footed, curly coated dogs had to live outside, because they were pretty sharp in temperament, and the farmers had to watch they didn't take chunks out of the kids. It was pretty hard outside in winter, and some dogs died of the cold. So they picked the dogs with the nicest natures and mated them together. gentle, trustworthy with children, devoted to the family, never treacherous After a couple of hundred years, the farmers of that area had a good sort of a goat catching dog, good with the kids, healthy, and damn good at what he did. The farmers used to have competitions to see which dog could catch the most goats in a day -- and of course, they all wanted the services of any dog which was better than the rest. They now had a fair bit of milk, and enough meat, so life wasn't as desperate. They thought they needed a hobby. Of course, on goat catching expeditions, there was a lot of joking and joshing and comparison of the looks of the dogs.. So they decided to have a contest to see whose dog was the nicest looking. They asked the mayor of the neighbouring village to decide, and knowing nothing about dogs, he immediately agreed. And then he stumped them by asking - "What should these dogs look like? How will I pick the best looking one if I do not know how they are to look?" So, the farmers scratched their heads for a while, and talked amongst themselves, and then wrote on a piece of paper, and gave it to the mayor medium sized dog bold, courageous dog well laid back shoulder back of medium length good hindquarter angulation strong gaskins short curly coat with water repelling properties feet shall be broad, but catlike with arched toes, with a web of skin between the toes great jaw strength, wide bottom jaw combined with "soft" mouth a fold in the ear, just covering the ear canal gentle trustworthy with children devoted to the family never treacherous The farmers had a great day - a lot of lies were told, a lot of potato wine was drunk, a few were sick, and they decided it was the very best day they had ever had. They decided to have another day like it. And they decided to begin a club for such festivities - and they would call it The Lithuanian Goat Catching Retriever Club. And over time, more items were added to their breed standard - they noticed that the dogs with the round eyes were better at spotting the goats bold, round eye They also found that the white curly coats were very hard to clean (specially before Plush Puppy was invented), and the brown and black dogs could catch goats just as well as the white ones, so black or brown colour preferred. White shall not be a disqualifying colour And so it went. About 50 years after that, all the dogs looked pretty much the same, and behaved pretty much the same. When they bred them, the pups looked like the parents. Over time they had developed a full breed standard, they registered the breed with the FCI, and people who wanted to breed the dogs knew exactly what they had to aim for. Remember too, that the originators of the dogs had the actual dogs in front of them - so you need to know what the breed looks like to make any sense of the standard. Even though you have read the standard here, you don't know what the dogs look like, do you? So, you need to match the dog with the standard. Edited to add - It is well known that I keep, breed and show these dogs. I love the shows, and particularly the drinking of potato wine which follows. Non believers say "but there are no goats, why keep to the standard?" I don't care about keeping them for the purposes they were bred for - and it is important to breed to the standard, because if we did not breed to the standard, we would, over time, lose the uniqueness of the Lithuanian Goat Catching Retriever. There is not another dog in the world like him. I love them for their bold, courageous temperament -they are steadfast and true, they are kind to little kids, I know they would never bite them. I love the way they look, with their glossy curly coats, which never need grooming or clipping. I love their round eyes, and their cute little folded down ears. I love the way they love to swim, and come out nearly dry. And most of all, I just adore their personalities. For me, they have many other attributes, so forget the damn goats. However, as a breeder, I know where the original breeders were coming from, I know how hard they worked to produce "their" breed, which they have handed on to the following generations, and to me. I cannot breach their trust, and I believe in the integrity of this breed, through the ages. No matter that he never sees a goat, what he does not see, he does not miss. And he would rather be lying by my feet in front of the fire in winter than swimming around some freezing lake after some smelly goat!!

O.K. Here we go! www.mdbaawards.net.au Nominations are now open. Flyers and categories are ready to be downloaded and distributed - everywhere you can get them out. There are a couple of new categories this year too. The Venue is booked - The Jika International in Melbourne. The date for the presentation evening is set - 19th of March 2011. Please nominate your breeders, puppy buyers,and everyone you have dealings with you would like to say thank you to. You dont need to be an MDBA member to participate. Julie

About a week before the house fire which took Jed's dogs and has seen her in hospital ever since - now on the mend- I had the honour of speaking with Jed to read her the nomination we received for her in the Best Canine Publication of the Year Category for her piece titled . The Lithuanian Goat Herding Dog. For those of you who have read this you will know its a great story which perfectly illustrates how purebred dogs and their breed standards have developed. She agreed to accept this nomination on the condition that I only referred to her as Jed and not her real name. So congratulations Jed - Hope to see you in Melbourne for the presentation evening. Julie

O.K. Here we go! www.mdbaawards.net.au Nominations are now open. Flyers and categories are ready to be downloaded and distributed - everywhere you can get them out. there are a couple of new categories this year too. The Venue is booked - The Jika International in Melbourne. The date for the presentation evening is set - 19th of March 2011. Lets do it !

O.K. Thanks for the help guys Ive polished it all off - all finalised and the flyers will be ready to go out today. If anyone is able to attend the event 18th - 20th of March Im desperately calling for some help. 18th is Friday and I will need help to set it all up ready for the public on the 19th and 20th. Remember we also have the MDBA Dog owners Choice Awards on the evening of the 19th so the work load for us is huge. Obviously as well - the whole thing will only be a success if people get behind it and participate via donation of craft items as well. Julie

www.mdbapacers.org.au - shop

I have run a photography exhibit before and hanging takes forever and a day. Any thoughts as to how the pieces will go up? Some of the photography will be done online - how much you look like your dog, the dirtiest dog, cutest dog etc that every pet owner can have a go at. Nothing can be hung from walls etc in the Hoddle room which we have booked - so SHOULD I stipulate every photo for the exhibit is framed? Do I need to split this into novice and pro- if so what makes a novice ? What sub categories should I look at for art ?

FELTING- Should I have a separate category for this or would it go under sewing or needle point - or something else.

Basically I need help with the sub categories. Example - quilting Does that include patchwork or does that go in the sewing category ? Should I split it into things like applique, hand or machine sewn etc ? In all categories Do I need to split them into novice and pro and if so how do you determine a novice? In all categories should I have a junior Sub category ? Do I keep the theme of all articles Pets or do I have two - one for a pet theme and one for those with no pet theme in each sub category? That kind of thing.

We are setting up the craft show which will be on next march and Im flying a bit blind as far as the finer points are concerned. I need someone who knows about each craft to work with me on the categories and sub categories so we have it all covered. knitting, crochet,wool craft, sewing, needle point, quilting, leather work,woodwork,art , photography and anything thats craft thats not covered . Any takers? Id also appreciate some input regarding poetry, story writing, scrapbooking and probably a heap more I cant think of at the moment just to be sure we havent missed anything we need to have sorted with each one before I go too public.

Thanks Mita - the owners have tried several options but all either want to keep the bird or charge to board it and the family are broke. Surrendering the bird for re homing isnt an option. The good news is they may have somewhere to live and will know next Tuesday so we hold everything for now and hope they are in luck and they dont need us. However, it has its own cage and isnt used to dogs.

Thank you. Ill go back to the lady today to find out the finer details. Its a sad situation as they have to move out through no fault of their own.So far they cant find any where else to live as Dad had an accident and is unemployed,Mum is a student and almost finished her course and is looking for work too. Land lords are knocking them back and any place they can find to stay wont allow them to have the bird. They have 3 teenagers. All are obviously very attached to the bird. I know its horrible to be homeless when you have young kids but I think having teenagers and no where to live would surely come with just so much stress and its own set of problems. I feel for them.

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