This past year has been one of many changes for us, both personally and in the collie world. Early in 2006 , Artie had surgery to try to regain some hearing. Fortunately, it was successful and Artie now has better hearing. It was a long slow process that is still ongoing . Many years ago, this type of procedure would not have been available. For that we are so thankful. We have decided to donate puppies to the Hearing Ear Program of the Lions Foundation , so that others who may not be eligible for the cochlear implant surgery, will still have the opportunity to have " canine ears " to help them with everyday life. It is just our way of giving back to the hearing impaired world. So far we have three puppies in the program and we look forward to their graduation this year.
We also brought a new line of collies into our breeding program, when we welcomed Sydney into our home. Sydney comes to us from Rainshade Collies, which is owned by Dr. Sharon Vanderlip. We have communicated with Dr. Vanderlip for over two years to find the perfect complement to our breeding program. Sadly that meant having to say goodbye to some of our first collies. That was a very hard decision. We are striving to bring normal eyed collies into our breeding program and our first collies were not normal eyed. They have gone to loving homes and we get a chance to visit with them often . The new families keep in touch with us, on a regular basis. Some of these dogs have branched out into therapy work and obedience classes.
We are continuing to work on an ROM and are more than halfway there. We are looking forward to having some of our families compete in obedience and herding this summer, as well as conformation and that should finish up the first of our Register of Merit awards. Not every family wants to compete in trials and shows and we fully understand that. Many of our puppies have become wonderful family pets and they mean everything to their family.
We have finished four more champions this year, thanks to our handlers, Jennifer and Rebecca McAuley. We regard them as friends first and handlers second. They do an absolutely fantastic job and the dogs love them. It is wonderful to have champions but it makes it so much better when the dogs go with the handlers willingly and come home happy and in great shape. We will continue to show in 2007.
With all of the advancements in canine medicine, we are looking to branch out into shipping frozen sperm from our males to breed distant females. We also plan on using frozen sperm to artificially inseminate some of our collies. There are so many tests available and procedures being developed, that the possibilities are endless.
We would like to welcome all of our new collie families and say a big thank you to all of our repeat collie families. Many of you have two or more of our collies . It is especially rewarding when we see one of our collies go to a family with an existing pet or two . We plan on doing something special for our collie families, as I am sure we have mentioned to many of you. If you are new to Codybear Collies, then I guess it will just have to remain a surprise until the time comes!
Last but not least , we would like to the following people: Gary Levine , who is our web designer and the owner of Doc PC. Gary keeps our website up and running and corrects any faux pas that I make. His web statistics give us a better understanding of who is looking at our site , when and where. Thanks Gary , for keeping us both on track and on the internet.
Thanks to our wonderful vets at the Owen Sound Veterinary Clinic. Dr. Marie McKibbin and Dr. Karen Dupont have been our two primary vets along with Dr. Wayne Murray and Dr. Nancy Brown. The staff at the OSVC is absolutely fantastic and one of the most knowledgable and friendliest groups of people that you will ever meet.
Thank you to Dr. Rick Quinn, our canine opthamologist. He certifies our puppies' eyes for us. He is always willing to answer any questions about new technology coming out and to find out for us, if he doesn't know the immediate answer.
Our website and Doggie Diary in particular would not be the big hit that it is, without you , the readers. Many of you come here faithfully several times a day . Some of you stumble in by accident and decide that you like what you see and so you stay . For those that have been here only a time or two , please come back , we do tend to grow on you. Who knows , you just may find out something that you never knew , or better yet, a friendship may develop, as it has with so many of our readers. Good Bye for now and we look forward to seeing you, when you get a chance to come in and visit.
