Marshfield Kennel Online Web Log

Bee Inspection

Todd Chrisman — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:05:46 GMT

OK, after a few days, you want to make sure your bees are happy and healthy. First you check to make sure the queen is out of her cage. This picture was taken with her still in it.

And this one was taken long after I'd confirmed her release, but I built the cage bar so the cage could remain in place. Clearly she made it out OK. Notice the bottom "hole" no longer contains the candy plug.

After a few days, you want to make sure you are queenright. That means you have a laying queen, not one who's defective, or been dethroned. You look for eggs, larvae, or capped brood. I can only see the capped brood, but in the Close up of honey comb you can see quite a bit more.

Note the expensive bee suit and the smoker. Where is my smoker? I think it will make a nice flower pot. I'd better get you a better picture, though.

OK! We have capped brood and pollen and all kinds of nice things going on here. I close up the hive and check on the feeders in the back of the hive. This is one of those fancy expensive Italian feeders for Italian bees. Notice my fine and carefully laid out pattern. You need exactly however many holes you think is right before there are too many.

The feeders are full of sugar water. I make it by putting five pounds of sugar in a one gallon jug, then filling the jug with hot tap water. Two scraps of wood complete the feeder. You just need enough space for the bees to get under it. They drink right out of the holes, often don't notice that they've been lifted out of the hive and turned right-side-up.

While I have the back open, time to take some more pictures. This is hive #2. They are careful builders, but slow.

This is hive three. They build wax like mad, but they never finish a bar. Note the gap down the side.

Close up of honey comb

Todd Chrisman — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:27:30 GMT

Here is a close up of honeycomb from my hive. Look closely and you will see bees, capped brood, larvae, pollen stores and nectar or syrup stores.

Bee Packages installed April 12th

Todd Chrisman — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:35:53 GMT

I picked up three packages of bees, containing three pounds of bees each, about 10,000 to 12,000 bees. It also has a feed can and a little cage with a queen bee in it. They came on a truck loaded with bee packages from Georgia.

The first thing I did was cut the packages apart. Then I took off the wooden cover. There is the butt of the feed can staring at you. You lift that out and the queen is attached to a little strip of metal that you bring out with the feeder. I unplugged the cork stopper to expose the candy plug, and attached the cage to my handy queen cage bar with a screw.

I placed this in the hive, then shook the bees in too. Like pouring bee soup.

Once I shook them all in, it was time to close up, but not before snapping a picture of all the bees. The fourth bar down (right) from the hole has the queen cage attached. You can see the "E" from where it's marked.

After that, I tried to take a sip of my beer, but the veil gets in the way. Had to do two more before I got another sip of courage. The whole thing went well and my bees are happy and healthy and making more bees. The reinforcements should start emerging now. I've only been stung once, and I almost never wear any type of protection. Have even tended the hives in shorts.

Thumbs down on Promeris

Amanda — Sun, 04 May 2008 16:30:39 GMT

The office I work for has opted to stock Promeris instead of Advantix for the coming year. Literature and presentation by the company representative of course look good, supposedly safer. Minor detail, in our opinion it doesn't work for sh*t. The smell is awful from the eucalyptus. Two days after applying our dogs looked like they had had Crisco applied to them. All of this I could have lived with. But, Todd and I applied it on Tuesday night and have not bathed the dogs. Tonight, while Iris was sitting on my lap, we found six attached, living, blood engorged tick upon her. My little girl who is supposed to make her debut in the show ring in two weeks is covered in welts. Most of the ticks were located close to the sight of product application.

So, while I know not everyone is a fan of using flea/tick products, I thought I'd share our negative experience with the product. We'll be going back to Advantix.

Agility and Iris

Amanda — Fri, 02 May 2008 19:48:45 GMT

Iris is proving a joy to have around. Not the smartest dog, but showing a high degree of trainability. She's been to basic obediance, but has yet to partake in an agility class due to scheduling challenges. Todd has been slowly building the different components of an agility course for Poppy. Iris saw Poppy having fun and said "I want to do that too!" So, Todd and I have begun introducing her to some of the various obstacles. Things are going well so far. We've been using the clicker as part of the training routine. Just a few minutes a few days a week and Iris seems thrilled with her new skills and the chance to work more.

Landing coming off the oxer--not quite clear but it is her fluff hitting the jump

Starting up the teeter

Practicing a wait as she approaches the pivot point

Shifting back in a down/crouch position at the pivot point

Making certain to hit her contact zone on the downside

Working on our weave poles

Pregnacy confirmation

Amanda — Fri, 02 May 2008 18:11:09 GMT

We have confirmed Dove's third and final pregnancy today via abdominal palpation. We are expecting another litter of bold, bright pups with the natural ability and style exhibited by both of their parents. Dove's first two litters were Natural Ability Breeder Award winners and Berkely has produced an additional nine Natural Ability Breeder Award litters. Puppies are anticipated to be hot-ticked liver beauties. If you'd be interested in one of these puppies please fill out the puppy application and we'll be sure to get back to you.

GSP Foster Homes Needed

Todd Chrisman — Thu, 01 May 2008 09:37:28 GMT

April 30th, 2008

Dear GSP Rescue New England Volunteers and Past Adopters,

We are in desperate need of temporary foster homes!

Foster Home Shortage

We usually run our organization with an average number of 5-7 foster homes at any given time. Due to varied circumstances in different familes, we are down to only TWO regular foster homes. We have a growing list of approved adopters but are unable to place needy GSP's because our foster program is severely lacking. There are several dogs waiting, some in shelters, to enter our foster care program at any given time.

Charlie says..."Can you help dogs like me?"

If you can provide a safe place for a needy GSP to stay in the next month or two, whether it be for a few weeks or more, please contact us! Chances are, any fosters taken in now will be short term since our waiting list is growing longer and longer!

Sincerely,

Michele Spooner
GSP Rescue New England

GSPRescueNE.org

Puppies Expected June 7, 2008

Todd Chrisman — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:51:30 GMT

Marshfield Kennel is delighted to announce the mating of Broch von der Merrymeeting "Berkley" to our Dove vom Bergsteiger. Pups should be the big, bold & beautiful type I like so much.

They share prey drive, water love, desire to work, intense pointing, and so many other qualities desirable in a hunting companion. Berk's high level of cooperation has been passed down to his offspring and we're looking forward to improving our stock with this mating.

We're currently seeking hunting homes for the expected offspring. Please get in touch with me at 207-636-1240 or tchrisman@marshfieldkennel.com.

I'd like to thank Patti, Blane and Jason Carter for making this breeding possible. We had anticipated a couple of weeks before standing heat based on veterinary testing. Nature isn't always so predictable and when I hadn't fully prepared, the Carters came to the rescue.

Fort Dodge Products New and Old

Todd Chrisman — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:56:54 GMT

I've been a big fan of Fort Dodge products for a while. I find their vaccines to be competitively priced and I've used ProHeart for years, until the falling dollar made it no longer affordable to import from abroad...

We currently use Iverheart Plus for worming.

They have a new flea and tick medication that we will be using called ProMeris. The clinical trials have proven it to be very safe. The tick killer in this formula is the same active ingredient as in the expensive tick collars we use in the sumer in addition to Advantix. Advantix is a good product, I just like this one a little better. The flea formula is brand new as far as I can tell. So far the only thing I don't like is no stickers for the calender. I like the stickers. You will only find ProMeris at your veterinarian.

OK, back to ProHeart. I've use the tablets for heartworm prevention (actually you don't prevent heartworms with pills, you kill them before they attach) in the past because I believe the active ingredient is safer than a lot of other wormers. Moxidectin is a very safe wormer and is used for just about every animal except dogs right now. It's even safe for Collies!

I also bought it because it was cheap and easy to get from Australia. Now products like Iverheart Plus are cheaper and easier to get. If you have multiple dogs, you have probably tried everything to save money from the unsafe to the ineffective. (I won't mention them because someone will try.) Best to stick to inexpensive alternatives where they are available.

Iverheart is a "branded" generic of the tried and true ingredients in Heartgard. It's about 2/3 the cost and chemically identical. If your veterinarian doesn't carry it, get a scrip (when you're at the office not a week later) and get it from KV Vet. But I digress.

Proheart6 was an injectable form of Moxidectin that provided protection for six months. It was really a terrific product because most of the dogs who get heartworm and are actually seeing a veterinarian are the result of folks forgetting to give the medication. You can't forget this, it lasts six months. People forgetting or refusing to do what their vet told them is the weak link in veterinary medicine.

It got a bad rap on the internet and yanked off the market in 2004. A few dogs died. That's horrible, but there's a tiny chance of death any time your dog (or you) gets stuck with a needle. In the internet age, this thing took on a life of it's own. Soon every dog who died and had ProHeart6 was claiming a direct link, and those hundreds of people seemed like they were in the vast majority because they were the ones on the web with sites and in on forums.

The best database on the product came from the Banfield hospitals (Petsmart's veterinarian). I've looked at the data and can tell you that I don't think there is statistical basis for the claim of increased risk. The risk of liver problems in their sample was 0.297% for ProHeart6, 0.272% for another wormer and 0.274% for a third wormer. Folks, this is likely within the margin of error of the study. The death rate was actually lower for ProHeart6 when given alone than the oral medications given alone or vaccines given without heartworm meds. Click here for the JVMA take on the Banfield data.

And, the real risk is heartworm. Which was never considered in the study. (Maybe it is reflected in the lower death rates.) This is like saying you have an increased risk of drowning in your car if you wear your seatbelt, so we are recalling seat belts.

I feel bad for the folks who might have lost their dogs to problems associated with this drug, but it needs to be on the market. I think folks should have the option of choosing. Do you have a 0.297% chance of forgetting your heartworm meds? I suggest ProHeart6 is a better product for you and worth the risk.

The good news is I hear the voluntary recall is just about over and the FDA is about to give the OK for the drug to be back on the market. When it is, we will use it.

Honey Cow

Todd Chrisman — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:13:59 GMT

I'm working on three bee hives right now waiting for the bees to arrive. I'm turning 150 years of proven history and techniques on their head and joining an increasing but tiny band of radical bee keepers using top-bar hives. Most folks either love them or hate them. I figure they aren't as good as their ardent supporters say, nor are they as worthless as their detractors claim.

Most beekeepers are interested in maximizing honey production, but my priorities are different. First, I think it's important to explain why I'm keeping bees. The bees in the US are sick. As a population, diseases, parasites and unknown disorders are wiping them out. Seems like an odd time to be getting in, but I want to make sure I do my part to help. I want to make a little honey, for myself and friends and to enter into the Fryeburg Fair. I'd like to sell a little honey and beeswax products, more for satisfaction of contributing to the agricultural economy than wild profits. Amanda as well wants to have something from our land (and chickens will be hard, and a goat, not for me).

My criteria in hive type is that it had to be cheap, and even an idiot like me could build it. That was my starting point when my brother, Corey, pointed me in the direction of the Kenyan Top Bar Hive.

Other benefits of this system include minimal tools and equipment required, you get a little honey at a time over the whole season, rather than a bunch at the end (little chores instead of a massive project), less interruption of the bees, and (reportedly) more natural resistance to disease and mites than traditional equipment. It's also less lifting as you pick up one bar full of comb at a time instead of a whole box of it, and easier on your back as each bar is at the same height, which can be whatever you want to make it.

You get less honey, but more wax as you have to harvest the honey by destroying the wax, instead of re-using it. Some speculate that the reuse of old wax is part of the problem. We plan to use the beeswax to make candles, soap, lotions and balms, saddle soap and leather conditioner. I'm planning to use no chemicals inside the hive to control diseases, but to allow natural cell size, and hopefully vibrant bee population to deal with the problems. I hope some folks will pay a premium for natural, local, raw honey and handmade beeswax products.

Brutus, Fetch!

Todd Chrisman — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 11:32:41 GMT

Force Fetch, or "the trained retrieve" if you want to be politically correct about it, is a training method that turns bringing stuff back into a "chore" for the dog. Not that it makes it unenjoyable, on the contrary, a properly trained dog is excited to do the work. Colt, for instance, is the best fetch-trained dog I own (thanks to John Murphy) and the crazier and more difficult the retrieve, the more he likes it.

What I mean about making it a chore is you make the dog understand it isn't optional. Take a dog with a lot of retrieving instinct (like your typical Lab or Golden) and he will bring you a tennis ball 1,000 times out of 1,000 on his own, just for fun. But I don't shoot tennis balls, and I want to know my dog will run down, find and bring back a wounded bird, even if it's a half mile out of my sight.

Force fetch is the basis of so many aspects of dog training that you have to "install" it early. In addition to the retrieving and duck searches, FF establishes and control over the dog in ways that other training do not. It's important, I think, as a cornerstone of obedience. So we run exercises that involve praise when they do it right, and discomfort for doing it wrong. It reminds me so much of multiplication flash cards (that were so hard for me). Once I learned the task, I was very proud of my new found skill.

Because we use both positive and negative rewards, and we actually start from the negative, this training is very difficult and intimidating for new handlers. I have started a couple of times and then passed it off to pros. The real key to the whole thing (after learning how) is being consistent and letting the dog win by doing it right. Not allowing him to screw up so badly that you become a frustrated mess.

Brutus has been easy so far. Four days and he's taking steps, picking up off the ground, and bringing back. I have heard of dogs that were done with FF in two weeks, but never expected to own one. I have no doubt Brutus, in the right hands, could finish FF in 14 days.

We are working just 5 to 15 minutes a day. My goal each time is to take the next tiny bite out of the process. It's tempting to do more, but it's important to not put too much pressure on. We start doing each of the previous steps once, repeating yesterday's lesson, then working towards the new goal. If he does it right a few times, we have the big finish and something I've learned from agility training, a cookie.

Brutus is so excited to do his fetch training, even though he knows he'll get his ear pinched, he can hardly stand it. If I move a training dummy or paint roller (learned that trick from Smart Fetch) he goes nuts trying to get me to start training.

Dove coming in.

Todd Chrisman — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:24:59 GMT

We took a swab and looked at it under the microscope. We expect the breeding to happen around March 25th. This is the longest Dove has ever gone between cycles, but is well within normal.

Top Bar Nuc

Todd Chrisman — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:25:27 GMT

Just built a top bar nuc. Note the top bars still need to be ripped to width and finished.

All the tools:

More on Chiropractic

Amanda — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 14:53:10 GMT

The following is being submitted for publication in The Versatile Hunting Dog, but we thought some of you might enjoy a preview

veterinary spinal manipulation for hunting dogs

By Amanda Rizner, DVM

Most people have at least a slight familiarity with chiropractic care for humans. Many, however, may not be aware that similar care is available for their hunting dogs. So who provides chiropractic care for animals, also known as veterinary spinal manipulation? Practitioners of animal chiropractic are either veterinarians (DVM/VMD) or chiropractors (DC) who have under gone additional post-graduate training in the techniques and theories of animal chiropractic care.

There are currently three schools in North America for this, the Healing Oasis Wellness Center in Wisconsin, the Healing Oasis Wellness Center in Ontario, the Parker College of Chiropractic in Texas. A fourth, the BackBone - Academy for Veterinary Chiropractic and Healing Arts is in Germany. Training involves a combination of classroom and hands on training which takes about 200 hours to complete. Graduates of these programs have the option of taking a certificate test and becoming members of the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA)

So what is actually being treated? Through their exam, practitioners aim to identify and then treat subluxations. In straight veterinarian terms a subluxation is a bone moved significantly out of place, something actually visible on an x-ray. In chiropractic terms a subluxation is any misalignment of one or more joints of the spine or its immediate weight bearing surface which results in a change in nerve function. It can also be thought of as any area with an abnormal range of motion. The classic signs of a subluxation are heat, tenderness, and hypomobility (reduced range of motion). Consequences of subluxation included weakness, pain, and can ultimately lead to paralysis.

Which dogs can benefit from chiropractic care? Healthy, normal dogs can benefit from chiropractic as tool for reaching peak performance. Older animals with accumulated wear and tear can see improvements in their aches and pains allowing for a longer more productive day in the hunt field. A dog which experiences an injury can benefit as well from chiropractic care. It can speed return to normal function. I've seen arthritis in x-rays of our own hunting dogs as young as five years old who show no visitable signs of pain.

Chiropractic care can also deal with the compensatory changes which occur secondary to the primary injury, like when you tweak your right knee and a week later your left hip becomes sore. While there are many lamenesses which will benefit from traditional treatment with NSAID's such as Rimadyl, there are also many, often non-specific lamenesses which will benefit from chiropractic care. Chiropractic manipulation may reduce or eliminate the need for drugs to maintain your dog's comfort.

What to expect when you take your dog for chiropractic care? Some chiropractors will see animals at a veterinarian's office; some will see animals at their regular human practice. Veterinarians will see patients at their regular office. Some practitioners will make housecalls. The doctor will often, but not always, perform a regular physical exam and neurological exam prior to performing the chiropractic exam. Some practitioners will work nose to tail; others tail to nose. And while the primary focus is the spine, ribs, and all limbs will be evaluated as well. The doctor will check the various parts of the body looking for areas with decreased range of motion.

For the most part the diagnosed problems are subtle. Subluxations are then corrected with a quick, but gentle thrust also known as a high velocity, low amplitude adjustment. Again, this is likely to appear quite subtle to the owner, almost as if nothing is being done. The mechanism of the adjustment (correction of subluxation) cause reactions in the muscles that aids in restoring normal skeletal alignment. Most dogs will give a vigorous full body shake upon completion of treatment.

Frequency of treatment will depend upon the individual patient and performance demands upon the patient. As a point of reference, most of our dogs I treat monthly, but the senior citizen and the agility corgi are on a biweekly schedule. If we witness any accidents or injuries, the dog is treated sooner. A typical schedule for a fairly healthy hunting dog might include visits every four to six weeks during the “off season” and as many visits as reasonably possible during hard hunting.

We've noticed signs of improvement in our own dogs from mild, like letting us sleep an extra hour in the morning to extreme, such as jumping much higher than previously possible.

How do I find a veterinary chiropractor? Word of mouth from others in your NAVHDA chapter is a great starting point. You can also ask the local agility groups if they know of someone as many agility competitors receive regular chiropractic care. You can check out the schools mentioned for a list of graduates. The AVCA website also provides a list of members.

Chiropractic treatment is a safe, effective treatment for improving your dog's comfort. NAVHDA dogs are among the luckiest in the world. They've been bred, fed and trained for peak performance. Reducing the mild stiffness and soreness in your younger hunting dog will likely improve stamina and desire to work, which we all hope translates to more game in the bag. Taming the moderate to severe pain your older or injured dog could extend his productive hunting by several seasons. You can help get the most out of your hunting buddy with chiropractic care and make him happier and more comfortable around the house too.

HOWC Canada http://www.veterinarychiropractic.ca/

HOWC Wisconsin http://thehealingoasis.com/index.html

Parker College http://www.parkercc.edu/Index.aspx?id=1135&displayid=1137

BackBone - Academy for Veterinary Chiropractic and Healing Arts www.backbone-academy.com/home.html

AVCA http://www.animalchiropractic.org/

Dr. Rizner will complete her veterinary chiropractic training at the Healing Oasis Wellness Center in Ontario in April 2008. She is a small animal and equine veterinarian practicing in Old Orchard Beach and Arundel, Maine. She resides in Shapleigh with her husband, Todd Chrisman, where they breed and train German Shorthaired Pointers for hunting, and Pembroke Welsh Corgis for agility and obedience. You can find out more about Amanda and Todd at www.marshfieldkennel.com

Chiropractic Mumbo Jumbo

Todd Chrisman — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 14:53:09 GMT

Amanda has been traveling to Hamilton, Ontario for veterinary chiropractic courses. It's five sessions, five days each (like 12 hours a day) and a pile of written and practical homework. I'm really proud of her. I mean it's been rough with the travel and everything, but she's really dedicated to it and is doing well. She is one session and one test away from being a Certified Veterinary Chiropractor.

I didn't much believe in this snake oil therapy, but the placebo effect is strong. You wiggle and pop a dog and the owner reports he's so much better. If Amanda wants to rub animals and people want to pay for it, who am I to complain? It certainly does less harm than some of this herbal junk that's being used these days.

Let's talk a little about Poppy. She's a Corgi and when I met Amanda, she couldn't jump on the bed (which is very high). Corgis aren't exactly built for the high jump. After she ran with the shorthairs every weekend for a month or so, she could bound onto the bed with no trouble. She'd developed buns of steel.

Not exactly the same bed, but very similar.

Poppy stopped jumping on the bed when we moved into this old house. We figured the floor is wood, not carpet, and the room is much smaller so she couldn't get a running start.

Yesterday Poppy leaped into bed with us -- twice. I said "Well! SOMEBODY must be feeling good." Amanda reminded me that she'd had a chiropractic adjustment the evening before. This wasn't some placebo, I'd totally put out of my mind the image of Amanda prodding and squeezing Poppy the evening before. This morning Poppy was up and down at will.

Colt sleeps through the night now, without anti-inflammatory drugs.

Call me crazy, but I think this stuff actually works.

Rice Cubes

Todd Chrisman — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:18:57 GMT

Rice is one of the easy foods to feed dogs for everything from stomach upset to weight maintenance. It's a "whole" food, it's natural, it tastes good to dogs, and it's mild.

I cook rice like nobody's business. I'm "good" at cooking rice.

I HATE feeding it. Why? It takes about a half hour to cook rice. Leftover rice sticks (making it hard to measure out) up and if you leave it out, it rots. Up until now, I haven't found a good way to prepare a lot of rice, then store it in a way that's easy to feed. It doesn't take any extra effort to cook one cup or ten cups of rice.

I had about an hour in the truck to think about feeding rice (we are actually trying to put some weight on some of the dogs). Here's what I came up with:

First you cook the rice:

One part rice, two parts water, some oil on the top.
Bring to a boil.
OK, for this, you want to make it sticky, so bring it to a high boil for a couple of minutes. Sticky rice seems a little easier for handling in the next step. (If you don't want sticky rice do not allow it to ever come to a violent boil.)
Cover and reduce the heat to low for 20-25 minutes.

Now you have sticky cooked rice.

Get out your muffin pans (Rice Cube trays, which is really the stroke of genius in this scheme). If you started with two cups of rice, you will make about 18 muffin cups of rice, which works out to about half-cup servings. The new silicone pans work great, but any one will do.
Spray them with some non-stick spray.
Fill the muffins with rice.
Add water to each cup and let cool to room temperature.
Freeze your Rice Cubes over night.

Now you have to decide how fast you will use your rice.

If your rice will be used quickly and you don't need the freezer space, you can leave it in the tray.
If your rice will be used quickly and you need to make room in the freezer, put the rice cubes in a bag and put them back. You will have to break apart your rice cubes.
If your rice will last a while (more than a week), wrap each cube in plastic wrap then you can bag them. The plastic wrap will keep them from permanently freezing solid.

Feeding rice cubes. You can either feed them frozen, thawed, or warmed.

My dogs eat ice all the time, they really like it, so I add a frozen rice cube to their dinner.
You can also take one out of the freezer and it will thaw to room temperature in a few hours.
You may also microwave the rice cube either to "thaw" or even serve a warm meal, some dogs who won't eat rice at room temperature find a hot meal more appealing.

Sebasticook dot Com

Todd Chrisman — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:23:36 GMT

Still nothing.

Poppy Teeter

Todd Chrisman — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 14:30:21 GMT

Poppy's first time trying this challenging contact obsitcal. She trusts Amanda so it goes well.
http://blog.marshfieldkennel.com/2008/02/09/poppy-teeter.aspx

Dressage Saddle for Sale

Todd Chrisman — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 13:57:50 GMT

We are selling Amanda's beautiful Black Country Eden dressage saddle on eBay. I'm using this blog entry to host some photos. Click here to see the auction.

Serial number appears to be 1004PI it's stamped into the leather more faintly that the other stampings.

Nicky in 2006

Nicky in 2007 Note the added muscle (why we're selling the saddle). He's even bigger today thanks to some serious hill work.

Snow dogs

Amanda — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:00:19 GMT

As you may have heard, it has been a very cold and snow winter here in Maine. Under duress, Todd does allow me to put coats on the dogs in order to get them to stay outside for more than a few minutes. Here are some photos from a recent play session with the dogs.

Just how much snow do we have? This is after a few warm days and melting. It was at least a foor higher. The corgis use this pile for a giant snow slide.

Madame Poppy struts hers stuff

Poppy with her ever present shadow, Iris