instagram.com/naturalpawpals

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Miniature Schnauzer

Many people whom I've met, whom had carried me, etc, often mistakenly comment that my Topcoat is "VERY VERY DRY". You see, it is because most of them has never touched a Miniature Schnauzer (MS) whose Topcoat is Handstripped.

Most terriers these days (those that require Handstrippin of the topcoat), eg Cairn Terrier, Scottish Terrier, Sealyham Terrier, Miniature Schnauzer, Airedale Terrier, Welsh Terrier, Lakeland Terrier, West Highland White Terrier etc, etc, are all being clippered/shaved. Clipperin results in very soft topcoat. Shavin also loses the color & shine in the banded hairs, also causin the fur to be curly wirly when grown a lil' longer. Because the topcoat is never plucked off from root to end, all that's left after shavin is the undercoat, which is not waterproof & feels soft to the touch.

Handstrippin a coat on the other hand, results in maintainin the original coat color, eg a Dark Salt & Pepper MS' coat will remain dark, rather than fade to a very light shade of grey if its bein shaved. Coat will also not outgrow into a curly-wirly state. It'll be straight due to its harsh texture. Because it is harsh & waterproof, the color is retained & will look healthy with shine. Groomin for a Stripped MS will also not be as often as compared to a clippered one.

Thus, I've received countless comments that my coat is "very dry". But this is obviously not the case as the correct word to describe it would be 'harsh'. A Miniature Schnauzer should never look toyish with soft coat. Altho' most owners would prefer to have the coat soft as it feels more 'huggable' like a soft-toy. Clipperin a MS would also be more cost-affordable in the long run than sendin to a groomer for strippin.

Handstrippin also does good for the skin. Over 3 yrs, I've yet to encounter a single schnauzer bump on me, which I highly believe is due to my coat bein' stripped on a regular basis. However, it is definitely not Mom's preference to strip me to a total state of baldness via sectional strippin. This is due to the reason that a dog's coat is very vital & of outmost importance to protectin our skin from wealther elements (direct sunrays), insect bites (ticks, ants, mozzies, etc), environmental bacteria on floors etc.

Hence, Mom always makes sure I'm not stripped to a state of baldness, even though she'll end up with a not-so-even length of fur for my topcoat (instead of a Tight-Jacket), as she likes it @ a longer length @ 'bout 7-10cm to protect us again mozzie bites etc as we're all not on any Heartworm preventive pills nor any jabs. To keep it lookin neat, she'll simply roll it, and card it to remove my undercoat.

Many ppl have the misconception that strippin will result in VERY SOFT teddy-bear like fur & yet still maintainin original color & will be Straight. The main purpose of handstrippin a coat is to achieve a hard, wiry outer coat & close undercoat - please refer below for more infomation.

this is latest-me


so far, the only body-part dat is clippered r my ears, which is y they're very grey & soft

close-up

length of my current topcoat. a stripped coat is never curly-wirly when grown

undercoat - dull & brownish in color. cardin 'em out will enhance the natural color (as above)

Miniature Schnauzer Breed Standard





General Appearance
The Miniature Schnauzer is a robust, active dog of terrier type, resembling his larger cousin, the Standard Schnauzer, in general appearance, and of an alert, active disposition. Faults - Type - Toyishness, ranginess or coarseness.

Size, Proportion, Substance
Size - From 12 to 14 inches. He is sturdily built, nearly square in proportion of body length to height with plenty of bone, and without any suggestion of toyishness. Disqualifications - Dogs or bitches under 12 inches or over 14 inches.

Head
Eyes - Small, dark brown and deep-set. They are oval in appearance and keen in expression. Faults - Eyes light and/or large and prominent in appearance. Ears - When cropped, the ears are identical in shape and length, with pointed tips. They are in balance with the head and not exaggerated in length. They are set high on the skull and carried perpendicularly at the inner edges, with as little bell as possible along the outer edges. When uncropped, the ears are small and V-shaped, folding close to the skull.

Head strong and rectangular, its width diminishing slightly from ears to eyes, and again to the tip of the nose. The forehead is unwrinkled. The topskull is flat and fairly long. The foreface is parallel to the topskull, with a slight stop, and it is at least as long as the topskull. The muzzle is strong in proportion to the skull; it ends in a moderately blunt manner, with thick whiskers which accentuate the rectangular shape of the head. Faults - Head coarse and cheeky. The teeth meet in a scissors bite. That is, the upper front teeth overlap the lower front teeth in such a manner that the inner surface of the upper incisors barely touches the outer surface of the lower incisors when the mouth is closed. Faults - Bite - Undershot or overshot jaw. Level bite.

Neck, Topline, Body
Neck - strong and well arched, blending into the shoulders, and with the skin fitting tightly at the throat. Body short and deep, with the brisket extending at least to the elbows. Ribs are well sprung and deep, extending well back to a short loin. The underbody does not present a tucked up appearance at the flank. The backline is straight; it declines slightly from the withers to the base of the tail. The withers form the highest point of the body. The overall length from chest to buttocks appears to equal the height at the withers. Faults - Chest too broad or shallow in brisket. Hollow or roach back.

Tail set high and carried erect. It is docked only long enough to be clearly visible over the backline of the body when the dog is in proper length of coat. Fault - Tail set too low.

Forequarters
Forelegs are straight and parallel when viewed from all sides. They have strong pasterns and good bone. They are separated by a fairly deep brisket which precludes a pinched front. The elbows are close, and the ribs spread gradually from the first rib so as to allow space for the elbows to move close to the body. Fault - Loose elbows.

The sloping shoulders are muscled, yet flat and clean. They are well laid back, so that from the side the tips of the shoulder blades are in a nearly vertical line above the elbow. The tips of the blades are placed closely together. They slope forward and downward at an angulation which permits the maximum forward extension of the forelegs without binding or effort. Both the shoulder blades and upper arms are long, permitting depth of chest at the brisket.

Feet short and round (cat feet) with thick, black pads. The toes are arched and compact.

Hindquarters
The hindquarters have strong-muscled, slanting thighs. They are well bent at the stifles. There is sufficient angulation so that, in stance, the hocks extend beyond the tail. The hindquarters never appear overbuilt or higher than the shoulders. The rear pasterns are short and, in stance, perpendicular to the ground and, when viewed from the rear, are parallel to each other. Faults - Sickle hocks, cow hocks, open hocks or bowed hindquarters.

Coat
Double, with hard, wiry, outer coat and close undercoat. The head, neck, ears, chest, tail, and body coat must be plucked. When in show condition, the body coat should be of sufficient length to determine texture. Close covering on neck, ears and skull. Furnishings are fairly thick but not silky. Faults - Coat too soft or too smooth and slick in appearance.

Color
The recognized colors are salt and pepper, black and silver and solid black. All colors have uniform skin pigmentation, i.e. no white or pink skin patches shall appear anywhere on the dog.

Salt and Pepper - The typical salt and pepper color of the topcoat results from the combination of black and white banded hairs and solid black and white unbanded hairs, with the banded hairs predominating. Acceptable are all shades of salt and pepper, from light to dark mixtures with tan shadings permissible in the banded or unbanded hair of the topcoat. In salt and pepper dogs, the salt and pepper mixture fades out to light gray or silver white in the eyebrows, whiskers, cheeks, under throat, inside ears, across chest, under tail, leg furnishings, and inside hind legs. It may or may not also fade out on the underbody. However, if so, the lighter underbody hair is not to rise higher on the sides of the body than the front elbows.

Black and Silver - The black and silver generally follows the same pattern as the salt and pepper. The entire salt and pepper section must be black. The black color in the topcoat of the black and silver is a true rich color with black undercoat. The stripped portion is free from any fading or brown tinge and the underbody should be dark.

Black - Black is the only solid color allowed. Ideally, the black color in the topcoat is a true rich glossy solid color with the undercoat being less intense, a soft matting shade of black. This is natural and should not be penalized in any way. The stripped portion is free from any fading or brown tinge. The scissored and clippered areas have lighter shades of black. A small white spot on the chest is permitted, as is an occasional single white hair elsewhere on the body.

Disqualifications - Color solid white or white striping, patching, or spotting on the colored areas of the dog, except for the small white spot permitted on the chest of the black.

The body coat color in salt and pepper and black and silver dogs fades out to light gray or silver white under the throat and across the chest. Between them there exists a natural body coat color. Any irregular or connecting blaze or white mark in this section is considered a white patch on the body, which is also a disqualification.

Gait
The trot is the gait at which movement is judged. When approaching, the forelegs, with elbows close to the body, move straight forward, neither too close nor too far apart. Going away, the hind legs are straight and travel in the same planes as the forelegs.

Note - It is generally accepted that when a full trot is achieved, the rear legs continue to move in the same planes as the forelegs, but a very slight inward inclination will occur. It begins at the point of the shoulder in front and at the hip joint in the rear. Viewed from the front or rear, the legs are straight from these points to the pads. The degree of inward inclination is almost imperceptible in a Miniature Schnauzer that has correct movement. It does not justify moving close, toeing in, crossing, or moving out at the elbows.

Viewed from the side, the forelegs have good reach, while the hind legs have strong drive, with good pickup of hocks. The feet turn neither inward nor outward.

Faults - Single tracking, sidegaiting, paddling in front, or hackney action. Weak rear action.

Temperament
The typical Miniature Schnauzer is alert and spirited, yet obedient to command. He is friendly, intelligent and willing to please. He should never be overaggressive or timid.

Disqualifications
Dogs or bitches under 12 inches or over 14 inches.Color solid white or white striping, patching, or spotting on the colored areas of the dog, except for the small white spot permitted on the chest of the black.The body coat color in salt and pepper and black and silver dogs fades out to light gray or silver white under the throat and across the chest. Between them there exists a natural body coat color. Any irregular or connecting blaze or white mark in this section is considered a white patch on the body, which is also a disqualification.

Approved January 15,
1991 Effective February 27, 1991

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

we hate M***H ME***

Once again, WE HATE M***H ME***!!!!!!! or rather.... MOM HATES M***H ME***!!!!

Ok, so we went along to collect the photos on 25/5/08 (sun). We reached later of cuz, as Mom was waitin for a friend.

The 4R album was not too bad. In fact, we're quite satisfied with it. It was fair. BUT, the $10 per image soft copy Mom paid for... was also in EXTREMELY LORES. 500 by 750pixels 100dpi. So Mom & friends tot no point payin SO MUCH for such low quality pix which can't even be blown up to 5R wit PERFECT sharpness & clarity.

Mom's friend asked why she couldn't give higher pixels or higher dpi (either one). She mentioned that its to PROTECT their copyrights. So he went on by sayin ok, so 300dpi to you is commercial, why not give us 200 to 250dpi? Guess wat??? She continued by sayin... "oh....no, we can't do that, cuz then it'll be the same as 300dpi already." So, its clear that she failed Math cuz 200 is definitely NOT = to 300.

Then she went on by sayin it wouldn't be fair to other cust if she allowed me to hav 200dpi. NO cust has EVER complained bout the quality of her Softs. So I was thinkin in my mind... what's so "not fair" when NO cust has ever complained? Obviously, cust hav complained b4 & she didn't comply to their demands for higher res softs, which is exactly why it'll be UNFAIR if she gave it to me but not them! GEDDIT? Do u get wat im sayin?

Thus, Mom decided to change it. Choose some nice pix outta the remainin Softs which she ordered previously, to super 8Rs photos. That way, even if its more ex, but @ least we can get sharpness & clarity rather than pay for such lousy softs & can't even print out nicely.

So in the end, we chose 4 pix to be blown into super 8Rs. 2 of the them are already in the album as 4R. So, M***H gave Mom an option, to choose another 2 different images to 'replace' the 2 already in the album. Rather, its an 'add on' as they won't be removed from the album anyways. Then, the other 2 super 8Rs which are not in the album, will be printed into 4Rs too to add onto the album. So dat means another 4 addition of 4Rs to the album, plus 4 8Rs.

M***H then agreed to deliver to our place as it's troublesome for us to keep travellin to n fro. They mentioned that it'll be on Wed night (today). As the printin shop is closed on Mon, she'll finish editin the further touch-ups for the 8Rs by Mon nite, then send to the printin shop on Tues, & geddit by Wed, lastly, deliver to me on Wed nite.

Then she called Mom earlier today. Sayin that it has to be DELAYED. So Mom was soooo sick of hearin that its gonna be delayed AGAIN, if u haven't already read my previous post right below this post. We all already had a feelin we ain't gonna get our pix by tonight.

So she went on to explain that its becuz she JUST FINISHED EDITIN the stuffs TODAY. She rang her usual printer, & they said they're gonna print it with their other batches of work, thus it'll only be ready TWO WEEKS LATER.

So Mom said "HUH! so long?!" So M***H agreed dat its a lil' long. Hence, she said she will source for another printin company. So we'll juz have to give her a few more days til the weekend (31st & 1st June). Becuz its another printin company, she'll need to discuss bout the 'colors' with them.

Oh btw, Mom has already paid the FULL amt on Sun, hopin that by doin so, she'll ups her work faster... & deliver the goods ON TIME. But sadly.... they've FAILED AGAIN & AGAIN!

Then, she told Mom dat she has undercharged us by $18. Sigh.... such perfect service huh. Havin delayed our goods 3-4 times already... she can't forgo the $18???????? Mom said that she shld in fact GIVE us the album's soft copies FOC!!! AS COMPENSATION!!!! From all those delays!!!

In the 1st place, if she ain't confident of deliverin the goods by that certain day, why keep sayin that she's confident that it will be?! So from TODAY til 2wks later, she ain't gonna produce any works for clients????? Seriously, we DO NOT believe her USUAL printin company will take that long to print only FOUR Super 8Rs pix. Why can't she pay them more for express service?????????? When we already paid her SO MUCH?!??!?!

SIGH SIGH SIGH............................ every1, The 3 Furry Bitches seriously regret goin to them. It was suppose to be a nice birthday pressie for MY 3rd birthday on Mar 28th! Now I'm only gonna b gettin my pressie like..... 3mths after my birthday!!! OHHHHHH!!!!!!! WHAT IS DIS?!?!!!?!?!!?!

No words can express our disappointment by their service. We shall see if they'll keep to their promise & deliver to us by this weekend (31st & 1st June).

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Major Disappointment

Sigh. Major Major Huge Sigh.

Remember my 3rd Birthday Photoshoot @ M***H ME***? Oh goodness, remember I told you guys the shots will be posted up 3 weeks later frm the shootin day? Sigh its sucha major disappointment.

Mom is pretty furious that the appt date got delayed not once, but TWICE. 1st they mentioned 3weeks later (from 28th Mar), which will be 18th Apr. So, Mom sms-ed M***H ME*** on 14th Apr as she had plans to bring us down to Earth Cafe as its situated quite near Munch. Then, they told Mom they'd need another 1.5weeks more as she ordered ALOTA photos (FYI, its juz 24 pix!). So, alright, it'd mean 28th Apr rite?

BUT, guess wat??? They sms-ed Mom AGAIN on 19th Apr sayin they'd need 10-14 days MORE... like SERIOUSLY?!?!?!??! How long do they need to edit 24 photos??

So Mom asked WHY izzit delayed AGAIN? Munch gave another excuse, sayin that her partner, is in Reservist for 2wks & thus, she'll be tendin the shop alone. OMG, for goodness sake, IF he has Reservist, shouldn't he receive the letter wayyyyy before March??? If so, WHY would she in the 1st place assure Mom that the photos will be done 3weeks later frm the shootin day???

So Mom was very furious of cuz. We were all so excited initially. As time went by WAITIN n WAITIN.... we were sick & tired of waitin.

Thus, WE decided to give them a dateline now instead! By 3rd May. Should they FAIL to deliver by 3rd May, we'd collect it in June. Sadly, they failed yet again.

BTW, did Mom mention they were ALWAYS late for appts??? On my birthday 28th March, they came 30mins later than us! Appt time was 1430. M***H dropped Mom a msg on her cell @ 1415 sayin they'd be a lil' late & that we could take our own time. @ 1415 which cust will still be @ home?? Any normal person would be already 3/4 on their way reachin there or ALREADY there! We were there @ 2pm as we had to run some errands. In the end, they reached @ 1455. We practically SAT there for 55mins WAITIN for them like they're the customers!!!

Nvm forget bout that, we thought it was a 1 off thing.

On 30th Mar, Mom's friend went wit her dog & birds for a photoshoot too. Of cuz we came along too! Guess what??? M***H was late for 20mins again!!!!!!

1 more late appt was when Mom's friend returned a 2nd time to re-select the pix again. They were late for 1/2hr again causin Mom's friend to be LATE for sch! Wat 'wondrous service'! I shall leave it to you to believe us anot for this... it was VERY poor cust service on their part!

Ok.... we haven't collected the pix yet.... as Mom is still rather furious thinkin bac... Why is she furious you might ask? hmm... lets take a look @ 1 of the pix of Mom's friend's furkid n featherkids.........



Looks normal n nice you might think? BTW, she paid EXTRA S$10 for Digital Imagin (D.I.) as all 3 subjects were taken individually & combined later into a pix. EXTRA S$10 means.... it should be done nicely rite?? HAH! THINK AGAIN!

Ladies & Gentlemen, plz tilt ur head right down to an angle bout 90 degrees to ur left, u can even try layin ur head down on ur computer table... & this is wat u get.... TADA...................

Special D.I. (click to enlarge)


Firstly, the 2 birds aren't placed @ where the dog is lookin at. The above pix is simply usin Photoshop (Contrast & Brightness). The perspective is already all wrong. The rest, I believe the pix above would do the talkin already. How slidshod their work is.... yet, still chargin EXTRAS...

We've more to talk abt regardin the rest of the pix, like the LORES n pixels, 100dpi, 500pixels, 200kb file size (MSN display pix size!), & how they insisted this size can be printed into 5R photo with PERFECT sharpness, size & clarity! for S$10 PER IMAGE.

I think I'll stop here for now, I can see Mom's face is a lil' pissed again. She's VERY disappointed as this was supposed to be my 3rd birthday pressie.... & yet, we ended up payin so much, juz for an album of 4R pix, & 100dpi, 500pixels of soft copy images of S$10 each.

If u haven't noticed my previous photoshoot @ another photographer's, we paid VERY lil' for copyright pictures. M***H insisted that their copyright (hi res) pix would be $160 PER IMAGE, market rate. If so, I dunno why Mom paid 1/8 of that price last time for my pix.. hmmm....

Sigh.......