The Show must go on

I think I need to start by saying that 2014 did not start very well for my family as I lost my Father, last month to cancer. So apologies to all those that still have unanswered emails, I have about 8 weeks to catch up on and I am slowly wading my way through. My Dad was always very supportive of my Barbet venture, and loved my first two Barbets, Betsy and Bepop  although he could only tell them apart by their different charactors rather than how they looked. Bepop always greeted him with a big grin and then went for his pockets as he always had treats, and Betsy would wait patiently until all the dogs had calmed down and then she would quietly rest her chin on his knee with her tail wagging.
I have so much to share with you all, so watch this space.  

Spoilt dogs

Bless them, they were cold, wet and very tired and too little to leave to drip dry in the utility room.

Hallie and Bobby

I have already mentioned that these two dogs are now the best of friends but they spend the whole time trying to share small bits of paper, if you click on the photo you can just see the glimpse of green paper in Hallies' mouth!

Barbet puppies 6 weeks and 6 days old

 How beautiful are they? and all reserved so all that is left to say is '' good luck in your new homes, behave yourselves and be proud to be a Barbet.

To the left is Annette feeding her 10 Spinone pups and the 5 Barbet pups, it was a calm affair which was almost surreal when I think back to feeding Bepops 12 pups and the chaos!I will post more photos as its great to see the Barbets and Spinone pups together.

Novaforesta Drew at Sunset

Beautiful photo for a beautiful dog.Where have the years gone, his pet name is Remy and he will be 4 years old in March 2012. This boy sums up the barbet charactor, he is kind, gentle, happy and one of his favorite days out is the local shoot.

Decorating and dogs

The thought of no puppies means filling our spare summer with jobs around the house.Three dogs know to curl up somewhere else and keep out the way, Bobby just thinks its fun to be involved.So far, only Bobby has had white strips and a white ear, but there is time for more, as lots of wet paint.
Hunting for a new sofa, having taken ours to the tip to clear the puppy room, the dogs are missing them more than us!

Chien Barbet

Terracotta statue of a Barbet by F. Foucher

France
19th century
Terracotta statue of a Barbet, a rare French breed of dog. The artist is F. Foucher, the piece is signed by hand and has an impressed mark on the back. 19th century, France.

CRUFTS What a result.

Well done Annette, her lovely boy Cenzo won Best overall Boy with strong competition.
Fantastic result and well deserved, Cenzo is the nicest male dog I think I have ever met, stunning in looks with a delightful character and so tolerant, as he has to live with Ooli (Novaforesta Dudley).