24.4.2009

As the funeral of Anja will probably be huge, for those who wants to paticipate, the family will soon announce whoom to contact, to be presence. It is quite necessary to know the amount of people in advance.
 

23.4.2009

Very very sad news, Anja Puumala did past away on tuesday. She was the owner of kennel Leavenworth with very famous cockers, also
a well known judge. This was a big shock not only for her family but for most of the dogpeople around the world. She was only 60 years old, and seemed to be in a very healthy stage.
The funeral will be held in Vihtis church 9.5 at 12 o`clock, and her family welcome all her friends and dogpeople she has been involved with, they hope this will be the right way to give her the highest possible respect, love, and preciation.
 

31.10.2008

There has passed some time now since our extra BIG spanielassociations clubshow at Hyvinkää, so I have had time to sort things ,and thoughts out in my head and write it down so that it feels reasonable and make some sence.

People in Finland loves lotterie, and all kind of bingos. Unfortunately our biggest clubshows seems to be, one of a kind, every year.
We have 2 every year in june and october, and judges are always brittish breeders. Every year over 100 cockerenthusiasts meet at theese shows, hoping and wishing to get a reasonable critic and placements for their dogs.
I have to mention that theese shows give u most of the points for the competition cocker of the year, and spaniel of the year, so one feels that it is almost a "must" to go there and try to collect some points if that ever will be possible. Every year I feel the same...
Surprized ,confused and empty. (Exept for 3 times in 20 years).

As a result, it seems that I don`t understand anything about the breedstandard neighter about the judgement. Also a fact is that our most winning dogs in the breed , doesn`t usually gain anything from these shows. That is ofcourse annoying as I think I understand at least something about the breed, and it is clear, that we have a lot of good dogs in the breed wich desreve to win.
Most confusing is when winners at these shows,seems to be all of totally different type, and construction. There is small dogs, bigger dogs, short ones , long ones, goodheaded , dogs with no lips, movers, and no movers. That makes me feel it`s more a lotterie than a dogshow, how in the earth can anyone like all types at the same time????

I do understand that everyone has his own taste, but I suppose the breedstandard should anyway give advice and directions to these opinions, and it feels like I should be a fortuneteller, when I know that every year is a repetition. I am also very sorry but I can`t find myself thinking , that these judges have a lot to give, or that they impress me with their knowledge or their experience. So why do we Fins go there, well there is always a possiblitie that u pick up the winning cupoon, or a wish that tomorrow or next century, our breedstandards around the world in English cockerspaniels get somehow closer to each other, or we, breeders as judges co-operate in a way, that makes judging and understanding the breedstandard more even and correct. At last I need to inform that almost every country I have visit have their own type of dogs, or most of their dogs has samekind of faults wich are not that common in some other country.
Still there should be some way to understand what good head, or layback shoulders mean wherever you live or wherever you breed. My optimism give me an oportunity to hope that this day will raise.
 

17.10.2008

As I´ve been travelling across the world, and I have seen and experied so many interesting facts and ways of thinking so I felt, I have to write some of my thoughts down.
During my vacation in Greece, I did experience the fact that we, people, are so so different around the world.
Greeks seems to be very loud , whatever happens, there is a lot of noice and often much screaming going on. U got the feeling sometimes that they argue all the time.
But then when it comes to their animals they love them extremely much, as the matter of fact even too much.
So much that the normal way to treat an animal is far away from their thoughts.
Dogs are mostly been treated like babys, and I have seen even familys where dogs comes before children.
This causes many different kind of problems as, dogs attacking each others,and most scaring also attacking people.
Disciplin and manners seems to be out of question, and for me, as a mother and a breeder, it was very difficult to quietly whitness
this lack of manners. Even if u did try to explain the fact, that a dog needs a master,and that a dog feels safe with an owner to respect and who has authoritie, they did most of the time just smile at me.
As this is a small problem among a much larger problem, I feel this needs a bit speculation.
In Africa kids go to a place called kindergarden from the age of 3 years, they actually sit from 8-10 hours without toys, pauses or activities, and start already to get basic lessons like in school.
Even if it is against the law spanking, and beating the children is a daily fact. Extremely interesting is, that when those children grows , and became adults they as all the people overthere seems to be the most friendly, caring and loving persons.
Also respect for the parents and friends is an absolutely crystal clear thing, and well seen in the normal life there. It could not ever happen that anyone carrie a gun to the school, without mentioning killing half of a class include teacher.
In Finland we have had two big tragedys in less then one year.
Last autumn a boy did kill several schoolmates and himself in a school in Finland, now almost exactly one year later, a repeating of that tragedy happened again.
People overhere suffers of depresssion and as I see it, there is a huge lack of respect seen in the young children today. If there is nothing to respect, or see upt o how can u feel happy or satisfied?
The goverment find several excuses why this could possibly happen, but as always I have my own theories.
As sometime ago they told us at national news that people have more difficulties with their dogs, as ever before, their is seen also a lot of agressivitie, and strange behaviour in dogs, and it seems to cause serious problems for the owners.
Well, I´m not surprized at all.
We have come into some new trend where everything has to go smooth and without violence, well that is a very nice thought but in every case that just don`t work, in every case, and we have proofs of it now.
It is against the law as a teacher to lay his hand on a student in Finland, and I mean LAY HIS HAND.
Also anykind of disciplin seems to be out of fashion. I see almost everyday screaming and shouting kids in the shop, and desperate parents who try to talk kindly to the child, without making any sceen out of it, because if they should once in a lifetime, grab the child walk out with him, and punish him for bad behaviour, probably there should be immediately, cups, and socialworkers waiting for the poor parent.
How in the earth can we expect people to handle a difficult dog, have anyone tried to punish a dog by talking?
Well this new soft mentalitie and lack of disciplin, in my opinion causes just difficulties in so people as dogs.
And I don`t really mean you should spank your child or your dog on daily basis.
But hello!!! There has to be some rules and regulations even the worst child or dog should must obay, and I don`t think we really get rid of this problem by hush hush, and a soft speach...
I truly believe that respect for your parents or your teachers, can`t cause killing of a class.
And when a dog is in hands, so to say, even if u sometimes need to shake it a bit, doesn`t cause anything else then a more stabil and respecting dog, who feels safe and loved, and at that point, loves more and gives more to his owner.