All posts by sarah.sweetman@outlook.com

beagle, cavalier king charles, ckcs, puppy

Why should you delay spaying and neutering?

Here at Kazuri, we recommend delaying spaying and neutering till 18 months (or till your dog’s growth plates are closed which can be determined through an x-ray).  

Allowing your dog to grow to full maturity, will allow him or her to be healthier socially, mentally and physically.    Studies have concluded that neutering before puberty increases a dog’s risk of:

  • Behavioral issues such as noise phobias, fearful behavior, and aggression
  • Cardiac tumors
  • Bone cancers
  • Prostate cancer
  • Abnormal bone growth and development
  • ACL ruptures
  • Hip dysplasia
  • Urinary incontinence
  • Hypothyroidism

There are many studies that show this.   You can visit Reproductive Specialist Dr Marty Greer’s website https://www.smallanimalclinic.com/ and she has a whole section dedicated to articles about spaying and neutering so you can research yourself.  There is evidence that talks about dogs living longer when spaying/neutering is delayed and things like that. 

Dr Judy Morgan talks about it in this video here:

If you feel like you cant keep your male from wandering or your girl from getting pregnant, then please know that we will support you in getting them spayed / neutered early – as I certainly an not an advocate for unwanted pregnancies and adding to the pet population without meaning to. 

You do have another option though if you need to spay or neuter earlier than desired.  Vets can do vasectomies on males or ovary sparing spays on females meaning they can still get the hormones they need, but there is no risk of unwanted puppies.  Please consider this if you cant wait till 18 months to get your dog spayed/neutered. 

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To Sir With Love

Sir is a sweet and loveable boy – the son of one the most famous beagles of all time “BIS BISS Kahootz Chase Manhatten” aka Ben. I had been wanting to do a breeding to Ben for a long time and since he passed away many years ago, I had to convince the owners of the rare semen left for him, to let me use it 🙂 I feel so lucky.

Sir is our keeper boy. I have shown him a couple of times, and while he is a pretty boy, he needs to grow up a little bit. He is a typical young man – easily distracted by the world and everything around him. So, I want him to grow up a little bit and then try again in 2021.

Today I took some photos of him playing in the yard – he was exploring down by the lake and of course went a little too close and fell in – haha! He looked mortified. And then proceeded to find a toy to run around with.

beagle, puppy

San Mateo and Oakland Dog Shows

Rosie (Kazuri’s Everything’s Coming Up Roses) and Nick (Kazuri’s All I Want For Christmas) had their debut at the San Mateo and Oakland dog shows this weekend. Due to Covid, all the dog shows around California have been cancelled this year and so we were grateful that these ones went ahead with so much planning and social distancing.

My co-breeders and co-owners Mike and Karen Kurtzner took Rosie and Nick into the ring. We never know how a first weekend will go, especially when they are over a year, but Nick and Rosie took it all in stride and acted like they were old pros.

Rosie showed in 13s, taking Best of Breed Thursday, Friday and Saturday and then Reserve Winners Bitch on the Sunday.

Nick showed in 15s and went Best Dog and Best of Winners each day and then Best of Breed Saturday and Sunday – Saturday was over specials.

While there weren’t big points to be won, I am thrilled at the start these two have made.

A huge thank you to judges Mrs Barabara Dempsey Alderman, Ms Denney C. Mounce, Ms Peggy L Lloyd and Mrs Debbie Campbell-Freeman for recognizing our dogs.

Rosie is Madison x Walter (CH Foxtails Dreaming of the Race TKN x BISS GCH Meadowcrest Just Call Me Sir) and Nick is Vixen x Payton (CH Hailstorms Feeling a little Foxy at Kazuri TKN x CH Malarky In Good Company).

beagle, puppy, woodinville

Echo wins another major at Ridgefield

Echo surprised us by winning another major on Saturday, at the Ridgefield dog shows this weekend. She won under judge Ms Mary Lynne Elliott and then was reserve to the major on the Sunday under judge Mr Dianne Kroll.

She now just needs 2 single points to finish her CH title. 🙂 I think we will give Miss Echo the rest of the year off and work on that in the new year.

cavalier king charles, ckcs

Cavalier of Puget Sound Specialty Shows

Because of COVID, we have all been starved of going to going to shows. The State-wide restrictions have made it almost impossible all year to get together.

The Cavalier of Puget Sound (COPS) show, which are usually held mid year, were postponed till this weekend in the hopes that the numbers would be smaller. They were able to join with the shows at Richfield WA and have back to back specialty shows the day before the All breed shows that were happening on the weekend.

So, Phoenix and Summer and I, met Susan and Alisha from Lockestar cavaliers, who brought along Sirius, James and Christopher, and we had a day full of fun with our fellow cavalier fanciers. There were rules of course – stay 6ft apart and wear a mask at all times, but we all complied – anything to be able to do what we love 🙂

Our brilliant judges were Mrs Patricia Hastings and Mr Gary Stiles.

The second COPS show was dedicated to the late Nancy Rice Waggoner who passed away earlier this year. She was incredibly dedicated to the sport of cavaliers – what I mean by that is what she didn’t just see them as “pretty” lap dogs, but saw them as capable working dogs also, and many of her dogs worked on other titles as well – they got therapy titles so she could give back to others and agility titles so they could show they could move and keep their brains active. She tried to breed to the standard winning many accolades over the years – Best of Breeds, Group Placements, Best in Shows – her hard work showed in her placements. And she was a really lovely person. I always remember her smile greeting everyone at every show I went to. I was glad this show was dedicated to her memory.

Here are some of the many wonderful memories from the show – obviously not everything is here – thank you to Becky Smith’s husband Steve for taking photos ringside.

  • Our show chairs Becky Smith and Kathi Ogle
  • The table dedicated to Nancy and her achievements
  • Alisha (breeder/owner/handler) and Christopher (Lockestar Hundred Acre Wood)
  • Christopher won Winner’s Dog and a major!
  • James (Kaszuri East Of Eden) and Susan (owner/handler) – he won his class this show
  • Kathi (owner handler) on the move with Donny (BISS GCH Covington Hopjack at Kendallkastle)
  • Summer (Kazuri’s Sweet Summertime Kisses) on the move with me (breeder/owner/handler)
  • Ember (Lokazuri Star’s Ember Waves Of Flame For Elleme) doing her down and back with owner / handler Megan.
  • Emma and Averley (Beckwith Believe You Me) who won winners Bitch and Best of Winners for a major!
  • Susan (owner handler) and Sirius (GCH CH Lockestar ‘Cause I’M Up To No Good RATM CGCA CGCU TKN) on the move
  • Carla (owner handler) and Denny (GCH Covington Designed By Time)
  • Donna and Hogan (who won BISS in the first specialty show) (GCH Brookhaven’s Here Comes Hogan)
  • Julia and Simon (CH Orchard Hill Say it’s True)
  • Becky (breeder/owner/handler) and Violette (CH Beckwith Violette)
  • Kathi and Donny won Best In Show (Specialty) from the Veteran class – sometimes Covid rules go out the window temporarily to celebrate such a wonderful victory!

beagle, puppy, woodinville

Echo Wins two Majors at Boise ID

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Echo (Kazuri’s Feeling The Siren’s Call) has had a wonderful weekend in Boise, at the Idaho Capital City Kennel Club.

She went reserve to the major on the Friday under judge Mr Dean A Laney.

On the Saturday she went Best of Winners and Best of Opposite over a Special and won her first major – a 4point major under Mr Gary L Anderson!

She made us proud the next day by garnering her second major under judge Mrs Anne Katona when she went Winners Bitch again on the Sunday.

Echo is the daughter of Peyton (CH Malarky In Good Company) X Vixen (CH Hailstorms Feeling A Little Foxy At Kazuri TKN).

She currently has 10/15 of her CH points with limited showing. I couldn’t be prouder.

beagle, puppy, woodinville

Echo wins her first CH points

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We usually start showing our puppies when they are 6 months so they can get some ring experience. We don’t have high hopes for the young ones to win, but we don’t want them to be afraid of being in the ring – in fact we want them to think it is a game and kind of fun to show.

Because of COVID-19, Miss Echo (Kazuri’s Feeling the Sirens Call), didn’t get to attend her first show until after she turned one. She attended the shows at Enumclaw and won Winners Bitch and Best of Opposite for her first point on the first day under judge Richard Lewis. She went reserve the other days.

This weekend, at Snake River Kennel Club in Filer Idaho, she won winners bitch and best of Opposite over a special on Saturday under judge Mr David Bolus and winners bitch on Sunday under judge Mrs Pamela B Peat.

We thank you these judges for recognizing our tiny pistol, and to the wonderful Tammie Wilcox for showing her when I couldn’t travel due to work commitments. We are on the board with our first 3 points. 🙂

beagle, cavalier king charles, ckcs, puppy

The dangers of Over-vaccinating your dogs.

Today I’m writing about a topic that makes me want to reach for a blood pressure pill: the annual (over) vaccination of dogs.

Annual vaccination is unnecessary and dangerous for your dog. Despite what we know about the risks, it seems to be what most vets recommend to all dogs.

Experts like leading veterinary immunology researcher Ronald D Schultz PhD proved decades ago that most dogs will be protected for many years – and probably for life by one round of core vaccines as puppies – as long as they are completed about 16 weeks old.

Only Rabies is actually legally required. Parvo is highly recommended as it can be lethal if not treated quickly and effectively.

Dr Schultz reports:

“The patient receives no benefit and may be placed at serious risk when an unnecessary vaccine is given. Few or no scientific studies have demonstrated a need for cats or dogs to be revaccinated.”

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) have announced publicly that annual vaccination is unnecessary and can be harmful.

But unfortunately, often these studies do nothing to stop vets from vaccinating more often than necessary. Dog owners need to advocate for their dogs and be the ones to say “no” or ask for a TITRE TEST.

A titer test is a simple blood test where they look at the immunity level of your dog’s blood against the virus. If your dog has low immunity, the vaccine is recommended. If they have high immunity then it is not.

Over vaccination has be attributed to auto-immune disorders, allergies, epileptic seizures and neurological issues and cancer.

Please, please advocate for your dog.

beagle, cavalier king charles

Figuring out what CDDY/IVDD – CHONDRODYSTROPHY AND INTERVERTEBRAL DISC DISEASE, TYPE I IVDD Mean on your Embark Test

This is a genetic test that is (in my opinion) a little deceptive. Almost every beagle I have come across, that has been tested, has been positive for this. Some say as many as 99% of the breed will be positive – but I dont see 99% of beagles having back issues and ruptured disks.

There is even evidence that shows that it may be common across most breeds, even though most will be asymptomatic.

The reason it is highlighted is that it is an indicator of a gene that they found commonly in dogs with short legs and long bodies – bassets, corgis, dauschunds and the like. These dogs are said to have an “increased risk of a health condition affecting the discs that act as cushions between vertebrae. Affected dogs can have a disc event where it ruptures or herniates towards the spinal cord and it can cause neurological issues.”

The problem I find with the results of this test are two fold.

  1. The test does not take into account any environmental factors such as the weight of your dog, how active or fit your dog is, or how often they jump off higher surfaces like couches or beds. An overweight dog is going to be much more likely to have back issues than one that is kept at a healthy weight for his or her body.
  2. The test does not give any indication of how much increased risk. Is your dog at 0.001% increased risk of having a rupture? Or 4% increased risk? Or 33% increased risk? or 79% increased risk? There is no information about what the increased risk actually is. There is no actual guidelines or information here. Just scary words with nothing to quantify it.

Ruth Darlene Stewart from Aladar Beagles wrote an article about this also – she is a repected AKC judge and long time beagle breeder.

It seems that maybe this gene doesn’t activate or affect beagles in the same way that it does other breeds. Maybe it is because we are actually not a long bodied, short legged breed. I dont know. However, I want you to rest at ease and not panic about it if you see it on your genetic testing result.

Below is a copy of the amended letter from Embark to families about IVDD to try and better explain and put everyone’s minds at ease. Please feel free to read it.