2008- This has been such a wet year with many severe storms. With gas prices hitting the outrageous levels, we have not done a lot of distance showing this year.
Hannah had a litter of puppies on February 21st resulting in a singleton female. We are looking forward to watching Imagine Against All Odds (Grace) grow. She definitely has a show dog attitude so far.
Tommy and I attended a few obedience trials this spring and we happily completed his Novice obedience (CD) title in four shows. He is now CH Imagine's Sensation CD RN. We will be continuing his training in Rally as he enjoys getting to play in obedience.
I have started Hannah (CH Imagine Sherwood B Funny) in obedience. She is showing great potential so far in early training.
The KCA National was great fun again this year. It was held in Burlingame, CA. The weather was perfect and Harry Potter showed very well. He placed in his BBX at the regional and Maturity class at the National. We received many nice complements on Harry as well.
An additional thrill for us was to hear MACH2 Imagine Great Expectations CD RAE AXP AJP XF receive his KCA Hall of Fame award in Agility. Pip is owned/shown/loved by Beth Godwin in Colorado.
We truly enjoy hearing of all the thrills of our Imagine bred Keeshonds and their owners, whether they be as a wonderful companion or terrific show dog in any venue.
We will be continuing to show Harry Potter to complete his championship and then he will get to play in obedience as well.
2007- 2007 was an up and down year. Hannah had a litter on January 7th. We had some devastation and lost most of the litter. However, did have three lovely puppies (2 girls and 1 boy). They are doing terrific and are in wonderful homes.
Vern and I are taking Harry Potter and Tommy to obedience classes. We hope to be able to compete at obedience and rally trials with them eventually. This is a whole new experience for Vern, but I think he is enjoying it. He and Harry Potter are going to be a nice team.
Vern and I packed the car the end of May and headed to the Keeshond National Specialty events in Lawrence, Kansas. We took with us Jessie (CH Imagine Just So), Harry Potter (Imagine Harry Potter) and Tommy (CH Imagine's Sensation). Jessie and Harry were both Futurity nominated this year. Futurity is a "breeders" class at the National. Both showed very well. Jessie even won her large class. Tommy and I made our debut in Rally. We had a great time. Tommy earned two legs toward his Rally Novice title and got a fourth place as well. Harry and Jessie's sister, Imagine The Places You'll Go (Sophie) and owner Marilyn Cornelius earned their Rally Novice title at the National as well. It was a great week of Keeshond showing and visiting and fun.
New Title at Imagine! Tommy and I competed at the Hawkeye Kennel Club Rally Trial in Iowa city on June 22nd. Tommy enjoys getting to go places with me and has a great time at dog shows. Tommy earned his RN (Rally Novice) title with a Second Place win on that day! He is now CH Imagine's Sensation RN. I am very proud of how well Tommy is learning. We will continue to work toward the upper levels of Rally as well as getting ready for Novice Obedience competing. The performance events are a lot of fun and a great way to spend time your dog.
Another excitement for us was getting to watch Diana Pesek and Tucker (CH Imagine Sherwood B Something) earn his UAG1 UKC Agility title. This was Diana's first tryin in agility competition and I am certain it will not be her last.
Also, in 2007 I was approved as a new provisional AKC judge for Keeshonden. I enjoyed completing my provisional requirements judging in Iowa, Illinois, Wiscconsin, California, and Massachusetts. I am now an AKC approved judge of Keeshonden and looking forward to adding additional breeds to my judging.
2006 - I did get Tommy out to a couple shows in the first quarter of 2006, however. He has made it clear that he does not enjoy conformation showing so the decision has been made to retire him. The results of his OFA Elbow x-ray and rating were also a disappointment with him being diagnosed with grade 1 DJD (degenerative joint disease) in his right elbow. He will be able to lead a normal life with this, but may just develope arthritis in this elbow as he ages. This was a heartbreak for all of us. He will remain here as a loving companion at Imagine unless the right companion home should come along.
I attended the KCA National in May in Vancouver, Washington. It was hosted by the Mt. Hood Keeshond Club this year. I did not take any dogs with me this time. While it was difficult to be there and not have a dog to show, I did get a lot of conversation time in with many distant friends and had a great time watching the dogs there. It was great fun watching and helping with the KCA Agility and Obedience trials.
This year has brought some other additions to our lives and a distraction from the dogs. Our son, Aaron and his wife, Jen, had a baby girl (Ava Grace) July 6, 2005. She celebrated her first birthday this year and what a fun party that was. Also, January 2, 2006 our son Jory and wife, Amber, had a baby girl (Marissa Lee). Sister, Ashley, was very happy to have a new baby sister. We are enjoying being grandparents to these new Schaldecker additions. Also terrific that they all live close by so we can be an active part of their lives as well. The dogs will come and go, but there is no replacement for family.
I started showing Jessie, (Imagine Just So), that last half of 2006. She has done very well accumulating 11 points toward her AKC Championship (15 point required). In the fall I also got Harry Potter, (Imagine Harry Potter), into the conformation ring. He earned his first points as a major win at the Heart of America Keeshond Club specialties in November in Kansas City.
Also, in 2006, I received approval from AKC for my provisional AKC judges license. I am looking forward to this new avenue in my dog life as well.
2005 - I was able to get Hannah to only a few shows this spring, keeping her in the top ten rankings for Keeshond bitches (KCA stats). Our show year got cut short though with Vern's unexpected gall bladder surgery (full incision rather than laproscopic) which curtailed our trip to the KCA National this year and then just as I was getting back out to the shows late this summer, I fell at a dog show and broke my wrist. That pretty much took care of the rest of my show year and any chances for Hannah to remain in the top ten for Keeshond bitches.
Hannah has been bred this fall to CH Laser's Tuxedo Junction. We are hoping for wonderful babies Thanksgiving week.
Tucker has gone to live with Diana and Larry Pesek of Cedar Rapids and their Collie, Minnie, and their cat. Tucker is fitting right in to the Pesek household and will be starting agility training soon. Diana has been doing very well continuing his obedience training that I had begun earlier this year.
Tommy turned 2 years old this November so we will be getting his hips, elbows, and patellas OFA x-rayed and certified. I hope to get him back into the ring after the first of the year.
December 2004 - Hannah, aka CH Imagine Sherwood B Funny, was Best of Breed at the Granite
City Kennel Club show in St. Cloud, MN over a male specials.
This helped to maintain Hannah's Top Ten Keeshond Bitches status with KCA.
November was a very good month for Imagine Keeshonden. Tommy, aka CH
Imagine's Sensation, completed his AKC Championship by winning Winners Dog,
Best of Winners and Best of Breed over a top-ranked special at the Omaha
Kennel Club show. What a thrilling way to finish.
Also, Faith, (or The Always Lovely Miss Faith), aka Can CH Imagine Nothing's Impossible VCD2, MX, AXJ completed her MX title in Agility. Faith is owned,loved, and shown by Chris Pawlenty of Minnesota.
And, Pip, aka Imagine's Great Expectations MX, NAP, MXJ, NJP, completed the requirements for his MXJ title in Agility. Pip is owned, loved, and shown by
Beth Godwin of Colorado.
Still recovering from my broken wrist in 2005, I did not get to a lot of shows in early 2006. More time was spent with the two puppies we kept from Hannah's litter by Tux. Harry Potter and Jessie are a real joy and nice addition to the Imagine pack.
2005 Has gotten away from us without much showing. Hannah, aka CH Imagine Sherwood B Funny competed at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship Show in Tampa, Florida in January. It was a fun trip and she showed well. Her brother, Tucker (CH Imagine Sherwood B Something) also qualified for this prestigous show, but we decided to only take one of them.