File - North Central Briarders

FRENCH CONNECTION SPRING 2014
Hello Fellow North Central Briarders,
Not surprising that, over the past few weeks, the number one topic of
discussion here in the Midwest has been “Will we ever see Spring?” I feel
we all suffered enough through the past winter that we deserve a Great
Spring and an even BETTER SUMMER. If your dogs are like mine they are
tired of it also. Let’s all reward ourselves for getting through the miserable
Winter of 2013/14 by spending lots of outside time with our fur kids in the
months to come. We are planning to kick off the fun season with a NCB
Fun Faire on May 17 in Neenah, WI. I hope to see many of you there.
May 17 is also the date of our Annual Meeting. At this meeting Peggi
(Weymouth) Novak will be installed as President of the NCB. I have been
honored to serve in that capacity for the last four years. I would like to
thank everyone that served the club in so many ways during my tenure
as President. Those people made my job quite easy and very fulfilling.
I want to especially recognize Vice President, Jackie Mourning for her
tremendous efforts. She is taking a break from Officer / Board duties in
the upcoming term.
Lastly, please consider volunteering your time and talents to the North
Central Briarders. I continue to believe that we are a unique group of
Briard Lovers and it is through member efforts that we flourish.
I hope to see many of you out with your Briards in the coming months !!
Terry Aaron
President, North Central Briarders
Briardale's View of Hilo Bay, MX MXJ MJB
OF
10/20/04 -- 3/26/14
Hilo was an excellent first agility dog for me. He
taught me as much as I taught him. Thanks for the
memories, Big Guy!
Sue
TREASURER'S REPORT 12/01/13 through 03/30/14
Balance as of 12/01/13
$8,199.52
12/01/13 through 03/30/14
Receipts:
Holiday ads
Dues
Interest
TOTAL RECEIPTS through 03/30/14
$
$
85.00
905.00
8.82
998.82
Disbursements:
Bank fee
Postage stamps
$
20.00
92.00
TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS through 03/30/14 $ 112.00
Balance as of 03/30/14
$9,086.34
Hi!
Just a reminder that your NCB dues are due now at the reduced rate of
$15 individual and $20 family in celebration for the great turn out we had
in October at the NCB Regionals/Sweeps in Colorado.
Please send your check, payable to "NCB" to me at:
Deanna Vick, Treasurer
8721 N. Pomona Avenue
Kansas City, MO 64153-1761
WHAT WE NEED:
For Brian Bahde & Reed Ibrahim:
If we were going to consider allowing a "professional" groomer to groom
one of our dogs, what specific questions about techniques or qualifications
would we ask about. We had a bad experience with a groomer that said
she "did" briards and that was certainly not the case. Good thing, hair
grows back.
For Rayna Forman:
What I would love...some kind of ball/toy that he wouldn't chew up. He
destroys them all.
Memories of Jane Beahan
By
Sue Erickson
In 1977 I sold a puppy and gained a great friend. I had bred my first
litter of Briards and got a call from someone who sounded like every
breeders' ideal puppy buyer. Jane was married, with adult children and
two teenagers still at home. They had owned large dogs all their life, but
this would be her first venture into showing a dog. Best of all, they had
recently moved to the country, a mere 15 miles from where I lived. She
had researched Briards, met a few, and invited me to come to check her
out. When I arrived at her country place I was met in the breezeway by
a very large goat with an impressive set of horns. I decided that anyone
who kept a goat in the screen porch obviously loved animals, and would
surely be someone interesting to know. I was never disappointed by Jane.
Even after I moved away we stayed in close contact, went to shows
together or met at shows, including travel across the country to many
National Specialties. In many ways we were contemporaries, showing
our first dogs, then our first home bred champions, planning breedings,
naming whole litters of puppies (many of which were just great ideas,
never actual breedings due to one circumstance or another) struggling to
earn obedience titles on the dogs we did have. Through it all we were
industrious members of North Central Briarders. Jane served many terms
as an officer, committee member, and also French Connection editor. Due
to the era, some of this was difficult work --endless letters (no email then),
lots of phone calls (on our frugal budgets--no unlimited long distance
calling plans then) and typing the newsletter (correction fluid always
handy), then laying it out, cut and paste... Jane believed passionately in
keeping the club going, and always took on as much work as her health
allowed.
Though Jane was only about 10 years older than me, she was in some
ways a role model for me. She had married young and raised five children,
and was obviously enjoying her role as a grandmother, while I was just
beginning my parenting years. Her calmness, good humor, good sense,
and interest in many things was assuring to me that there was life after
parenthood. Jane's long handwritten letters covering a variety of topics
(but mostly dog) were a lifeline to me at times when I was overwhelmed
with too much work.
Jane was a good student of the breed, bred carefully and produced some
excellent Briards, which were not only winners in their own right, but
important in pedigrees. Always interested in the working ability of her
dogs, she did herding in the early days, bought some sheep (just for her
dogs), and held a herding instinct test at her farm in tandem with an NCB
Fun Fair. When the Briard Club of America needed a volunteer to liaison
with the AKC to write its herding test & trial program, Jane was tapped for
the job, and again put in many hours of work.
Though she was often a quiet person Jane had great intelligence and a sly
sense of humor. When her husband wanted a very large boat, something
like a 40 foot cabin cruiser to run on the Mississippi river, Jane was not in
favor of that. She gave in, on the condition that she got to name it. The
boat was promptly christened "Blood Vessel" and Jane had to study and
test (which she did successfully of course) for a riverboat pilot's license so
they could legally take it on the Mississippi.
In their younger years Jane and her husband Chuck did a lot of family trips
in their converted to a camper school bus. My son, who was four years
old at the time, still fondly remembers a trip to the Madison WI dog show
we made with the Beahans in that bus. As Jane became more involved
in dog showing Chuck took an interest and often came along as "dog
holder" and attended NCB gatherings. In later years they traveled together
in a motorhome, first campaigning their Briard special "Trump" and later
wintering and touring the southwestern US. Eventually they bought a
winter home in New Mexico, but continued to summer and maintain
beautiful gardens at their Minnesota home.
Jane had many friends in the world of dogs and in her other endeavors.
Her deep kindness and complete lack of pettiness made her a joy to know.
I know that many of us miss her in many ways.
WHAT WE CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT
From Julie Reconnu:
For grooming – Resco #80 Coarse comb. This metal comb is terrific for
stripping out undercoat and finding mats hidden deep in the coat. And it
is tough enough to stand up to briard coat. My first Resco is 25 years old
and has lost only one tooth.
From Peggy Bosse:
As far as products go, I still use Cowboy Magic. I’ve also recently tried
a product called The Stuff, and it works. It’s a nice coat conditioner and
tangle remover. A good pin brush is essential. Chris Christensen makes a
nice one. Vellus does too. (Note from Editor: be very careful not to spill the
stuff on a hard surface floor, you will have a very slippery spot which is not easy to
remove….don’t ask)
From Brian Bahde and Reed Ibrahiim:
We could never live without Mane and Tail for both Beaux and Beijo. The
shampoo and conditioner is a life saver!!!
Thanks and Happy Spring!
Brian, Reed, Beaux and Beijo
From Terry & Candy Aaron:
The best dog products we have ever purchased are:
GROOMING:
Chris Christensen Tableworks Dryer Holder. This item secures hose and
handheld hair dryers freeing up hands and saving sore necks
LaPooch brush.
SUPPLEMENT:
Liquid Health Naturals
K9 Level 5000 Glucosamine
A Super Concentrated Hip and joint formula. This was a godsend for my
Agility Aussie that blew out both her knees.
WALKING:
Gentle Leader - Easy Walk harness. If you have a dog that must pull when
you walk try this product that turns them right back toward you.
From Toni Ward:
OMG! SOFT SIDED CRATES!!!!!
From Rayna Forman:
Moses' pillow that he lays on in the family room...from LL Bean.
What I would love...some kind of ball/toy that he wouldn't chew up. He
destroys them all.
From Deanna Vick:
the “Dirty Dog Doormat” made by Dog Gone Smart and found at http://
www.petflow.com/
From Margit Smith:
What I can't live without is my good old brush, I am on my 5th Briard and
on my 2nd Brush. I love how it untangles mats and takes the undercoat
out. I tried several other brushes that where recommended, including the
sooo much praised Les Pooches, but I keep taking out my old, simple,
cheap rake. Just love it!
I do have the Wahl Electric Comb if somebody is looking for one, haven't
used it in years.
From Liz Kenitz:
we we pads...great for the "oh my god they threw up (pooped)...
where....use it to scoop up, blot etc...never leave home without them
les pooch brush.....my go to brush
sham wow....makes drying your buddy so much easier...wet sham wow,
wring as dry as you can, lay it on your wet dog...squeeze don't rub..gets
an amazing amount of water out
From Lana Sheer:
This indestructible sheep is Iggy Pup's favorite toy
https://www.vipproducts.com/retail/files/index.php/categories/view/301/
barn-yards/product:604
Iggy is co-owned by the Sheppard, Terri Hunt and Lana.
From Peggi Weymouth Novak:
Hmm, what dog-related items make my life easier or that are items I can
not do without. Now that’s a loaded question!
Clearly if I were to respond with respect to my life with dogs before
Briards, it would have been a very short list which included the basics –
dog bowls, collars and leashes. However, over the past 14 years of being
owned by Briards, I would probably have a difficult time finding the time or
space to list it all.
Vehicles:
I thought a Trailblazer was the perfect vehicle and it served
me quite well to get across the country from coast to coast over an 8 year
time span. But the Briard family grew and their accessories expanded.
Finally it seemed the best vehicle was to step up to a Tahoe. Now as the
trips are lasting longer and the canine accessories continue to multiply, our
pending solution is to give into the “soccer mom” world with the addition of
a Town & Country van later this summer. Nothing in the SUV world truly
offers the space and convenience.
Bathing:
At one point I located a groomer who allowed me to pay
for a year’s grooming in advance at a substantial savings which was an
offer I could not refuse. When that opportunity was no longer available, I
began my search for bathing/ grooming equipment. We installed a Master
Equipment stainless steel tub with an awesome flexi hose and a multi
function locking nozzle. This solved the back strain of bathtub bathing
however the brush out time was impossible. A powerful fan and an x-pen
provided some relief to the drying time, however the AirForce Quick Draw
forced air dryer has brought the overall bath, brush and dry time from 4
hours to a very manageable 45 minutes.
Brushes/Combs/Etc.
My current favorites include Chris
Christensen’s Mark VII slicker brush, a rotating coarse pin comb, a Vellus
heavy coat comb, a rake and a long pin brush. I have a lot of scissors
purchased at dog shows and generally prefer the curved blunt end. I have
been shown how to trim nails more than a dozen times and have a Resco
nail trimmer however, I prefer to stop by the vet for trims when needed.
Floor cleaning:
This is the area of our newest success! Our new
vacuum, Dyson DC 65 Animal Complete arrived this past Saturday!! We
had previously eliminated all wall-to-wall carpeting in our house preferring
hard surfaces. We now have a mix of hardwood (found under the carpet),
laminate and ceramic tile. If I were to do it again, it would all be tile.
To soften the surroundings, we have large area rugs throughout the
house. Removing hair from the area rugs had become a major hands
and knees job that my husband found to be most easily tackled by raking
the rugs with a Les Poochs brush. Argh – not exactly the perfect use for
that investment. Anyway, no more hands and knees and the brush is
back to the grooming box. The Dyson is to die for! Suction like nobody’s
business.
From the Editor
There are a lot of exciting changes coming to the FC. This is your
publication, the response to the “can’t live without it was great” now lets
see your answers to Rayna’s questions….send them to
Terry Aaron President [email protected] 630-896-0778
Jackie Mourning VP [email protected] phone: 320 354-5333
Merry Jeanne Millner Secretary [email protected] 336.259.6488
Deanna Vick, Treasurer [email protected] (816) 460-5836 (work)
(816) 587-6118 (home)
Peggi Weymouth Director [email protected]
Liz Kenitz Director [email protected] Phone 515-360-2459
Jan West Director [email protected]
507-388-7361