Finally - Calgary Zoo

I just love going to the Zoo and here in Tasmania we really don't have much in the way of zoos with exotic animals. So it goes without saying that I simply HAD to visit the Calgary Zoo and it was well worth the effort. It is a beautiful zoo crisscrossing across the river and the display areas were outstanding. So, camera in hand, Kerri and I spent the last day visiting the zoo!

More Images from Alberta

The flat lands in Alberta have very good oil reserves so from time to time you will see and oil pump as seen here on the right. Whilst in Alberta, friends of mine took me to a fabulous place

called Waterton which was not far from the US border. Here I saw my first wild bear!

Unfortunately he was too far away to get any good shots of him but I had to at least

demonstrate that I actually SAW a wild bear!!

I also saw a moose cow idly chewing away at the water weeds in a pond. And I also saw a herd of Bison! The bulls are awesome looking creatures and quite scary. People have a healthy respect for them. At Waterton the deer were very tame and walked freely around the township.

Alberta - Canada

In Calgary I caught up with a girlfriend who is a keen photographer, like me! She was instrumental in taking me to photogenic areas such as the Rockies, the Zoo and of course the many pet shops in and around Calgary. She, like Laura of Solace Kennels, fully understood my need to collect dog toys :-)

Most of these images were taken in and around Banff

And on to Seattle - WA

I went to visit Solace Kennels. Solace have state-of-the-art facilities carefully designed to enable efficient and safe management of whelping bitches, developing puppies and growing dogs. My favourite subject was Asia - she is very photogenic! You can find her in the 3rd and 5th photos.

At the top of the page is the majestic Zeke - one of Solace's stud dogs. The second image is of a young smooth bitch - a lovely mover too.

Whilst there, Laura very kindly ferried me around to various pet shops so that I could stock up on dog toys not normally found in Australia. In fact, I stocked up on that many I had to pack them separately given the excess weight of my suitcase! I think it was well worth it though!!

The line-up of Shilohs in front of the Willards building.

Winners and Grinners!! The Breed Founder with Zak and his lovely dog Leo. Below with Jessica Strauss and the breed founder's daughter.

More Homecoming Images

At the top (and second from the top) of the page is Ursa a very beautiful moving bitch. She is regarded as a smooth Shiloh. Then there is Asher who is a young plush Shiloh and to the right is the lovely Ander, also a plush coated Shiloh.

Homecoming - Buffalo NY

Sorry, it has taken so long to get this together but I had over 1500 photos to process and it was so hard to hit the delete button!! Anyway, I have come up with some nice photos of the trip. So here's the story of my journey.

I arrived in Buffalo (New York State) very late on Thursday night and unfortunately missed out on the genetics seminar being held at Willards which was where

Homecoming was being held. For those that don't know, Homecoming is the annual get-together of ISSR registered Shilohs. It goes for about four days and includes meetings, seminars and of course the shows, one being the ISSR National Shiloh Show. This is a great opportunity to see Shilohs of all ages and it also gives one a snapshot of how the breed is progressing.

So the next three days were a blur of Shilohs and Shiloh people. It was wonderful to meet those people I had been chatting with on the forums and it was also a fabulous opportunity for me to see a variety of different Shilohs. I shared a hotel with Jessica Strauss (Strausshaus Shilohs in WA) her sister and two lovely Shiloh puppies who were to be subjects for a Litter Evaluation exercise. See the photos to the right. Also with our group was Kylie, the only other Australian but she had come from the UK where she was working and studying. I had not 'met' any of these people and it was an exciting and fun time!!

This morning I was up bright and  early to let Tonrar and Zanthe out of the crates. They were pleased to be let out and with a burst of energy did some zoomies around the house. I was a little concerned that they might get side tracked and disappear down the drive but they didn't - they were very good at checking back in. After a good run they went into the pens until I joined them later in the morning to do some cleaning and tidying up of the Shed - actually MY shed!! A girl has to have a shed, kennel or stable as much as a bloke needs a shed!!

We did a walk to the beach today. Very exciting but due to management issues I was unable to be the photographer!! I could see two very expensive Shilohs disappearing up the Seven Mile Beach after a bird or some-one's fluffy!! So the photos I am posting were done at home with fully fenced fields! I did my best to get the girls tired. I did my best give them a wonderful day full of new experiences and I think I succeeded. My arms are now about two inches longer and I am tired too - but extremely happy!!

Wednesday 20th of May was a big day!! The Shiloh girls were finally released from quarantine and arrived in Tasmania. I was so excited that I could barely sleep the previous two nighs and work was a blur. But things certainly crystalised at 2 pm when Tonrar and Zanthe landed at Hobart Airport. I walked into the freight department to collect them and there they were, quietly lying in their crates, just waiting. As soon as I called their names Tonrar started barking and both girls were very excited to have company. We did a quick walk to so they could do their business and then it was up into the ute to go home. They had travelled very well but were extremely pleased to get out and have a run. Initially I was a bit concerned about letting them loose but after releasing them individually I decided there was no risk of them taking off.

After a short settling in period I popped their leads on and took them for a long walk. They certainly appreciated that. It was twilight by then and there were lots of interesting smells and the air was crisp, ready for a frosty night.  Poor Shady stayed home on this occasion because I had enough on my hands with the girls without worrying about a little dog. After being introduced to the house, I installed them in their crates for the night. I hope they had sweet dreams and are happy with their new home!!

Spotswood Quarantine Centre Melbourne Victoria

Well, Friday the 24th April didn't come quickly enough for me!

I flew in to Melbourne on Thursday evening and had a sleepless night wondering how the girls were and what supplies they would need. So on Friday morning, after a sleepless night and lots of nervous chatter with my friend Deb, we visited the nearest Pet Supply Store and spent a lot of money :-) I bought new canvas beds for the girls, Kongs with refills, dried lamb necks and a few tug toys. We were well equipped with wet weather gear and of course a camera!

Spotswood Quarantine Centre is a very relaxed affair when you get inside. We were required to sign a book in two places, were then given leads, told of the facilities available and  sent on our way to find kennel 68. With more excitement than I could bare we trotted off. Kennel 68 was soon found and Tonrar met us at the gate barking loudly and impressively. I don't even remember if Zanthe barked because Tonrar put on such a performance! However, it wasn't in the least scary since her tail was going the whole time!! As soon as we stepped inside the kennels she was very welcoming and curious. Both girls were happy to have company, especially as we had lots of treats for them!!

Once we unloaded all the doggy groceries in their night kennel we took the two girls into the larger, grassed exercise pens where we could acquaint ourselves with them properly. The pens had shelters with chairs so that once could get out of the weather and for that Deb and I were very pleased! It was raining and muddy but that didn't dampen our spirits at all!! Once the girls were loose, Deb and I marvelled at their beauty and size (which was suddenly enhanced when a man with a fully grown GSD walked past!!). Our girls dwarfed that dog!!

Zanthe appeared to be the more aloof of the two and although she was friendly she wasn't particularly forward with her friendship. Tonrar, on the other hand, was quite different and was very pleased to do stuff for Deb whilst the treats were coming! She was friendlier but after the introductions were over, the girls settled down to do some real exercise!! I am so pleased that they were respectful of our space because there were one or two occasions when I thought we could have been 'leveled with the ground' LOL. But they were careful and mostly gave us a wide birth during their zoomies!

During our visit in the outdoor exercise area, we were approached by a gentleman who was taking care of the girls during their stay. His name was Tony and he was very interested in their breed and wanted to learn more about them. He also had some questions for me in relation to their feeding habits and wanted advice as to how I wanted them fed. He also said he would ensure that they got some extra time in the grassed pens because they were such energetic young dogs - Thank you Tony!!

When our time came to a close we took the girls into the grooming room and gave them a bit of a tidy up given that they were filthy and had brand new beds to go back to! They were a little nervous in the grooming area and were very reliant on each other for support - fair enough really given that they didn't know us at all. After their towelling and brush we reluctantly took them back to Kennel 68. We gave them their Kongs and I took some final photos on my cell phone before leaving. Deb has agreed to return next Thursday to check on them and get them out for a run. A week later and I will be back for one more visit before they come home.

Of course during all this time Vanessa must have been holding her breath with nervous impatience wondering what I would think of them. I sent her a couple of smses with images from my cell phone and as soon as was practical I rang her and we had a great catch up. It was wonderful to talk about their behaviours and temperaments having seen them in the flesh again. So much has changed in the six months since I last saw them but I was so thrilled with them. They are gorgeous girls and I can't wait to get them home and really get to know them. Zanthe took my breath away - she is simply stunning and Tonrar is personality plus!! Her eyes say it all!! Once her ears settle in place properly, she too will be stunning!

So, as you can see from the attached images, the day provided less than ideal photographic conditions but of course that wasn't all that important given that this was an exercise in meeting and greeting and the stunning photos will come later ;-) Enjoy and I look forward to updating this blogg in a fortnight!!

The Departure

Well, it is now Saturday the 18th of April and two days ago Canadian time, Tonrar and Zanthe left Calgary for their long journey to Australia. It was an emotional time for Vanessa and knowing that, made it a an emotional time for me! I know that she invested an awful lot in the girls as far as time spent with them and their general health and welfare. And I am lucky that she did indeed leave them at the airport and not scoot home with them!! So a big THANK YOU to Vanessa for being so brave and enabling these girls to come to Australia!!

I used Boomerang Pet Carriers in Calgary (can you believe it? Boomerang?) as my agent of choice and so far the whole export process has been almost seamless. They were very professional and guided Vanessa every step of the way. One of the big tests was when Tonrar and Zanthe arrived in Vancouver for the night and had their paperwork scrutinised prior to departing for New Zealand. All was in good order and the girls are now on their way to Auckland, New Zealand where they will be allowed out of their crates and have a pleasant night at a quarantine facility. This extra leg of the journey was more expensive but would make life much more pleasant for the girls given the shorter flights.

On Monday the 20th April Australia's first two Shilohs will be arriving at Spotswood Quarantine Centre in Melbourne, Victoria. That will be their home for the next four weeks. It seems like a terribly long time but it will go extremely fast!! I will be flying into Melbourne on Friday the 24th to spend four glorious hours with my new 'family'. I will be there for the whole weekend but sadly lack of staff make it impossible to have access to the girls on Saturday and Sunday. Later the following week I have friends popping in to see the girls and ensure that they have time out on the grass!

Then, 10 days later I will be going back to Melbourne, this time I have Thurday and Friday to spend time with them. I have a wonderful friend in Melbourne called Deb and she is very much looking forward to sharing these weekends with me. We will make sure we take lots of photos and share them with every-one following this blogg.

For the above images I would like to thank Heidi Morris for taking the time to visit with Vanessa and take the last photos before the girls left Canada. I would also like to thank Kendra for helping her mum wash these huge pups prior to their departure. Good onya Kendra!!

And so, we await the next chapter of the introduction of Shilohs to Australia!!

Photography - Tasmania