Christmas at Arctic Maple was spent a bit up at Trysil ski resort, doing what a ski resort is made for - Snowboarding, and hanging out in the cottage.  It was a cold experience (-27 C) but definitely a great holiday time.  Christmas day was spent at home in Fetsund with even more family members.  Of course the Jack Russells had a fun time no matter where we were!  Below are a few Christmas pictures.

Regine liked sleeping in Devin's suitcase and running in the snow!

Filip and Madde had fun in the deep snow even though it was more like swimming than being able to run!

Devin and Stine were out for a couple days of snowboarding as well. Great conditions with not a whole lot of people on the slopes. MOST excellent! Here are a couple of pictures of Stine and the lovely Trysil area.

We at Arctic Maple hope you have had a nice Christmas as well, and we look forward to twenty-ten.

Happy New Year!

Norwegian Winner, at Lillestrøm

This weekend everybody else has been very busy, while I was at home relaxing and eating a huge pig ear that I won in agility,

Devin and Hanne showed Madde and Filip. They did well, even if they did not win Best of Show.

Madde: 1st in quality and 4th in her class.

Filip: 1st in quality, 2nd in his class and CK.

Marianne and Stine were in another part of the dog show. Marianne had her first show secretary job after her autorization. The first day it was for a lot of collies, and the 2nd day was for rottweilers. The judge was Leif-Herman Wilberg, he was very nice and made the weekend in to a nice experience. It also helped that the writer was excellent; Stine was doing her first time as a writer! The cooperation mother/daughter worked perfectly and everybody had a nice weekend. The judge was impressed with Stine doing such a good job considering that she is only 15!

Sunday was a more relaxing day, and Devin had time to put the christmas lights in the tree outside our house, while Hanne and I decorated the house with santas and other christmas stuff.

We are now looking forward to a relaxing time and christmas!

Warm regards,
Regine

A team of researchers lead by Dr. Gary Johnson at the University of Missouri has identified the mutated gene which is responsible for the development of Primary Lens Luxation (PLL).  This means that DNA testing is now available for PLL, which occurs in many dogs including the Jack Russell Terrier.
PLL occurs when the fibers holding the lens in place on the eye, stretch or break, resulting in the lens completely falling out or being moved out of position.  This can result in painful glaucoma or eventually a total loss of vision.
Dogs can now be tested if they are negative for the trait, a carrier (seeing the mutation is a recessive characteristic) or affected.
This will be a helpful test for breeders, so they will be able to identify breeding dogs who carry this characteristic and act accordingly.

Today was the first time Hanne and Regine were in full competitive action in agility. The club where she trains had an internal competition, so Hanne and Regine tried out what they have been learning. They competed in the "small category" and came in second place.  Hanne and Regine are progressing extremely well, and they both love the activity.
A very good start in the competitive arena. Of course Regine was happy about the prize which consisted of a bag of treats!

Congratulations, Hanne!  You are doing a great job with Regine.

Here are some rather interesting facts if you are a maple geek!

Acer platanoides is a type of maple tree that is native to Europe and southern Scandinavia and is often referred to as Norway Maple.  They can actually be found growing above the arctic circle all the way up around the Tromsø area.  
The Norway Maple is often confused with the sugar maple (Acer saccharum) which is the symbol of Canada and is used on the Canadian flag.  The sugar maple grows in the north eastern regions of the US as well as the southern areas of Canada.  The sap from the sugar maple is clear and when most of the water is boiled off, you get delicious maple syrup for your morning pancakes!  The sap from the Norway maple is white.

Well, there you are.  Interesting facts about wood!

This weekend we went to a two day dog show at Letohallen (just north of Oslo and Gardermoen).  We were quite happy about the results.

Both days the judges liked the taller Jack Russells and lucky for us, we've got both smaller and taller jrts!

Devin showed Filip both days, Hanne showed Regine both days, Marianne showed Madde Saturday and Stine showed Madde Sunday (Stine was working on Saturday).

Saturday's Results:
Filip: 1st in quality, 1st in his class, CK, 2 Best Male
Regine: 1st in quality, 2nd in her class, CK, 4th Best Female
Madde: 1st in quality, 2nd in her class

Sunday's Results:
Filip: 1st in quality, 1st in his class, CK, 3rd Best Male
Regine: 1st in quality, 1st in her class, CK, 2nd Best Female
Madde: 1st in quality, 1st in her class, CK, 4th Best Female

Below are some pictures from the show. 
The judge is the one in the lepoard outfit...   hmmmm...  did she know it was a dog show?!  :-)

On the 13.10.09 I (Marianne) finally received my confirmation that I am now an authorized show secreatary through NKK!

I have received my certificate card, and even got my first job!

Already at the NKK Norwegain Winner Show in Lillestrøm I will be a Show Secretary!  I am really looking forward to my first 'real job' as a Show Secretary and also know who my writer will be:  Stine!  She is young and fearless, and very few people get to to this at her age!

Earlier in October, Devin and Marianne attended the Norwegian Kennel Club's (NKK) two day breeder's course.  Some of the lecture topics were:

Very interesting topics presented by two humor filled speakers -  Astrid Indrebø and Hilde Bremnes.

Focusing specifically on the Jack Russell in regards to health, it is good to see that the serious problems that plague some other breeds are not present in the JRT, but it is also important to be aware that there are remote cases of cataracts, patella luxation and hip displacement present in the breed.  Examination and testing of breeding animals is extremely important to preserve the general good health of the Jack Russell Terrier.

You can now find the examination certificates for our dogs on their information pages.  There is a link under Patella and Eye Examination which will bring up a copy of the document.

It's great to know if you have a healthy dog!

Here is a little video of Regine and Hanne training agility.  It's still early in their careers, but things are progressing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCpJhTvRExw