Gryffyn's Corner

Koontz on Sharing One's Life With Dogs

2010-10-06T00:58:00.003-05:00

Dogs' lives are short, too short, but you know that going in. You know the pain is coming, you're going to lose a dog, and there's going to be great anguish, so you live fully in the moment with her, never fail to share her joy or delight in her innocence, because you can't support the illusion that a dog can be your lifelong companion. There's such beauty in the hard honesty of that, in

Hard Times - Burni-Man and Ivan-da-Ho

2010-08-28T13:11:00.007-05:00

Victor and I figured that 2010 would be a hard year to get through - since we have several elderly dogs residing here, it is inevitable that there would be times of sorrow and tears. Unfortunately we had two boys that we did not foresee losing anytime soon, which make the tears flow even harder. One of the greatest burdens of a dog-lover is that of having to say goodbye.Ivanhoe was an expert

Could It Be....?

2010-08-17T17:33:00.002-05:00

Recently there was media coverage regarding a grizzly bear attack in Yellowstone National Park. The bear was captured and killed the next day and a posthumous exam performed to help give insight into its behavior. Of note was its extremely poor body condition - it was very thin. The investigative team determined that the bear's vegetarian diet (of approximately two years) combined with a parasite

In the Garden of Remembrance

2010-07-06T02:19:00.002-05:00

I decided to play along and participate in an online photo contest that is being put on by a published of various web design and programming books (SitePoint). They recently released a book on digital photography (geared towards web usage) that I would like to get, and it is offered as a daily prize. So what the heck - may as well try the contest! The first assignment was to photograph either a

Pupdate: Tyler-Myla Pups Nearing 3 Months of Age

2010-06-08T00:12:00.003-05:00

3 of the pups say HI to Bekka and Boo through the fenceGot some snaps of these kids yesterday at just short of their 3 month "birthday" - stacks and candids of them out in the yard.http://www.gryffynsaeyrieborzoi.com/gallery/tyler-myla?page=6They were quite bold about being introduced to the yard - usually we have to carry pups to the back door and these wee beasties followed us out, ready for

Surprised?

2010-04-01T12:30:00.005-05:00

HumaneWatch.org ran this advertisement in the April 1 edition of the USA Today paper. Kudos to them on working to expose the truth behind HSUS and its actions and agenda.

Requiem for the King

2010-03-11T19:52:00.005-06:00

He fought a good fight, but we had to say goodbye.He was my first champion to finish exclusively from the BBE classes, my first Canadian champion, and my first GRC/SGRC, in addition to being the #1 LGRA Borzoi in 2000. He ran a lap in the Legends portion of the LGRA Nationals a little over a year ago - the photos show him still kicking up a dirt trail at over 10 1/2 years of age. He was also a

First Points, Last Points

2010-02-21T21:19:00.005-06:00

The Guadalupe Dog Fanciers' Association show this year marked an end and a beginning for a couple of our hounds. We only attended Saturday's show as we had an LSBC meeting to attend there as well.Ozzy (Gryffyn's Aeyrie Hellraiser) won the Bred-by Exhibitor class and went on to claim his first point by taking Winners Dog. This was Lump's (Ozzy's sister, Gryffyn's Aeyrie Here For You) first show

Gryffyn's Winter Garden

2010-02-15T17:30:00.006-06:00

I don't remember it snowing this much, but for the last few years it seems we get at least one snowfall. This time it's a doozy! The neighborhood has been transformed into a winter wonderland covered in cottony white with crystalline accents - it just does not seem like the Dallas metro concrete jungle. We got double-digit inches of the fluffy white stuff.looking out into the front yardthe front

Pumpkin Pumps Us Up!

2010-02-12T21:56:00.004-06:00

The first show of the year was that hosted by the Nolan River Kennel Club in Glen Rose, TX. This year members of the Lone Star Borzoi Club hosted a BCOA Trophy Supported Entry in conjunction with the Saturday show. In the Sweepstakes classes, Ozzy and Ray placed second and third, respectively. Their mother Duri was entered in the Veteran Sweeps and placed Best Opp to Kalipso's brother Kazimir,

New Look for My Web Services Site (Design by Gryffyn)

2009-12-29T12:01:00.002-06:00

It was high time for a redesign for my web design site, especially since while looking for new employment some companies were asking for a link to a portfolio. Talk about lighting a fire! The site is pure CSS layout and is in a textured style which I seem to lean towards. At some point I am going to have to explore more of the Web 2.0 type of design and get some practice at it.In the meantime, I

Gabe Does Good

2009-11-17T11:54:00.003-06:00

Lynn showing Gabe at Silkenfest 2009We are very excited to announce that we have a new homebred ISWS Champion to brag about! ISWS CH Gryffyn's Games Without Frontiers, aka "Gabe."Gabe already had his ISWS qualifying major - two of them, actually. The first he won when we attended the regional BooFest specialty in California a few years ago, judged by Cyndi Dell of Morgandell Borzoi. Gabe won the

BooFest 2009

2009-11-08T19:39:00.003-06:00

I wasn't fortunate to be able to attend BooFest in person this time around, but it looks as though there was still a touch of success for Gryffyn's Aeyrie - thanks to Tyler's progeny from his breeding to Cinder and Blondie, from Kandi's breeding to Dan. I was so excited when Joyce asked to use Tyler for a breeding, and to Duncan's sister too. Kandi's pups are also maturing soooo nicely that I am

The 2009 Running Season Begins With a Bang

2009-09-21T13:16:00.012-05:00

J/T with the day's judge, Tom Golcher, ZoiboyzOn September 19th the running season got back into swing here in Texas and we attended the local RR trial. J/T needed three singles to finish his AKC field championship, so when he won Best of Breed for 2 points, we decided to let him run for Best in Field since there was 3 points available. We thought....what the heck, it would give him what he

Follett's Marvelous Medieval Sagas

2009-09-21T13:16:00.010-05:00

One evening while accompanying Victor on a run to Costco to pick up dog food I wandered, as I usually do, over towards their book area. My eyes caught sight of a lovely book cover - I tend to be attracted to the illuminated style, and the cover completely drew me in. I read the book's description and was completely hooked on the idea that I must take it home and crack the cover immediately. This

A Great Loss - Two Dog Breeder Champions Have Gone

2009-09-18T10:02:00.005-05:00

Serious dog hobbyists/breeders have lost two hard-working champions for the rights to own and breed our dogs. This is such a hard blow in these times where responsible and dedicated breeders are under attack from wealthy "animal rights" (human hate) organizations such as HSUS and PeTA.Walter Bebout was the director of AKC Government Relations, and although he retired last year, he continued to

Sassi's Litter Has Arrived

2009-09-17T08:50:00.006-05:00

This past weekend Sassi gave birth to her pups sired by Anne Midgarden's boy Matrix (Ch. Teine Unstable Force, SC). 5 boys and 1 girl in tricolor and sabled red or gold.Sadly we lost one of the boys - he wasn't thriving and upon closer examination was found to have a cleft palate. That was my first experience with such an anomaly, and hopefully the last. It is so sad to lose one, no matter how

LSBC's First Independent Specialty Show

2009-09-14T12:53:00.003-05:00

The Lone Star Borzoi Club hosted its first independent specialty show on August 22, 2009 and we were fortunate enough to win some of the lovely, handmade trophies! For us, Duri (Ch. Gryffyn's Aeyrie Anduril, JC) was the star of the show, coming away with an Award of Merit and Best Veteran in Show. Her kids also did well!DuriDuri's brother Burni (Am. Can. Mex. Ch. Gryffyn's Aeyrie Caliburn, JC)

Danu Has Left Us

2009-08-31T11:10:00.009-05:00

We had planned on taking her in on Sunday when the clinic opened at 1 for our final goodbyes. She had not done well since a preliminary diagnosis of pancreatic exocrine neoplasia (exocrine tumors - extremely poor prognosis, especially for an 11.5 year old Borzoi). Bloodwork revealed increased pancreatic and kidney values, but a very normal WBC count. The ultrasound to verify was obscenely

BCOA 2010 Site

2009-07-21T17:57:00.010-05:00

Finished the design for BCOA's 2010 National Specialty web site! There is still content wanting for it - but it is ready for it when it comes!The theme is "Run for the Roses" - so I found some nice roses to include in the layout.Site is now live at http://www.borzoiclubofamerica.org/2010/

Oh My, Omaha

2009-07-15T19:49:00.003-05:00

Once again I made the trek to Omaha for their BCOA Trophy Supported Entries, spending twice as much time on the road than if I had chosen to head down to the big Houston cluster that is always too hot, too crowded and too stifling. Although missing Houston means missing seeing my dad and a visit to Mike McCartney's booth to get a fun caricature of one of the crew to commemorate their year.

Silken Pups Galore!

2009-07-15T19:46:00.002-05:00

It didn't turn how we originally planned, but we will certainly make the best of our overabundance of puppies (soon to be poopies) here at the moment. We were so certain that Kandi had not been bred. She came into season Friday a week prior to Silkenfest. We had planned to pick up Bruce (her intended) at Silkenfest and bring him home for the tryst - but Kandi thought otherwise. Due to some good

Local Humane - Common Misconceptions About HSUS

2009-07-15T19:05:00.004-05:00

There are common misconceptions about your local humane society and its relation with the Humane Society of the United States - and this website helps to alleviate the confusion.Disclaimer from the site: "The point of this site is not to pass judgment on the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), or any humane society for that matter. Rather, the intent behind this site is to clarify a few

Meet Mongo

2009-05-29T11:37:00.005-05:00

I know I know...it's not a Borzoi, nor is it a Silken. Mongo is a six month old Manchester Terrier that comes to us from a friend we met while attending a Thanksgiving celebration at Jill's home (Jill handles our Borzoi specials and occasional class entry). AJ offered Mongo to me and I took him up on it (after Victor's ok) since I love his mama Dawn.I couldn't tell you a thing about his lines

BCOA 2009 and the MBC Specialty

2009-05-29T11:34:00.006-05:00

It's six days past....and I am still not completely recovered (although that may be due to other factors from this week...more later). After missing the California event, I was chomping at the bit to be at Nationals again, and it was great to see folks that I pretty much only see at Nationals. The hotel and grounds were FABULOUS and the large ring next to the river set a charming stage despite

7 Things You Didn't Know About the Humane Society

2009-05-14T14:01:00.004-05:00

Yup - the truth is getting out there. The following link is from a blog on the CattleGrower.com web site.http://www.cattlegrower.com/CheyenneOutlaw/blog/176/

Three's a Charm (SilkenFest 2009)

2009-05-01T11:23:00.009-05:00

We had an unbelievable Silken Windhound Nationals experience this year - I am completely floored! In addition to our show ring experiences, we got to meet up with several folks who have dogs from us (both Silken and Borzoi) and see how our pups have grown - and some were being shown as well. Nice to see our dogs in the ring with someone else handling them!Nan brought out Andres (Solo/Duri; borzoi

HSUS' "Whiney Wayne" Spreads More Manure

2009-04-06T17:03:00.007-05:00

An interesting article was posted to one of the pet law lists I am on, and I got pretty disgusted at Wayne Pacelle spreading more crap defending the false conception of HSUS (whose true goal is eliminating animal breeding and ownership entirely).The HSUS said Kunzleman's comments are an unfair representation of the work done by the HSUS. The organization uses its money to contribute to animal

Our Catalog Ad for SilkenFest

2009-04-01T18:05:00.003-05:00

Pretty happy with today's work, considering I feel like I am suffering from a creative block - likely from the sinus block I am experiencing, as it seems I caught the creepin' crud during the flight back from D.C.Click on the picture to enlarge it.

Lola and Beta

2009-03-19T09:16:00.011-05:00

Lola (Duncan/Josi) left for CT on the 12th to become a part of the McCormick clan along with Beta (Isaak/Serena). I've gotten lots of Beta updates from Martha, so it was easy to send Lola up there after she had inquired about her - and I thought she and Beta would be great together. Lola was her brother Sunni's favorite chew toy - but she wasn't cut out for it, being a very submissive girl.

Well That Was Quick!

2009-03-03T19:16:00.005-06:00

Well...it seems like we had barely gotten started...and now he's FINISHED!!J/T won Best of Winners both days for two 4-point majors at the Wichita Falls shows this past weekend and completed his AKC conformation championship! His first points (and major) were earned the 2nd day of the Nolan River shows the first weekend of January; then WD both days at Fort Bend (BOW on Sunday) and WD both days

Some Knuckle Dragging Humor

2009-02-26T21:02:00.002-06:00

On one of the chat lists I am on, there were comments made about the recent passing of a federal law prohibiting the interstate commerce of primates. Why oh why, when our economy is in the crapper, are our federal legislators making monkeys of themselves? Why should they care about this type of issue at this time?!Another person on that list expressed the sentiment that I will expand upon here...

Beta Hams It Up

2009-02-23T12:09:00.008-06:00

Little Beta (Isaak/Serena), who lives with Martha in CT, was invited to a photo shoot for a dog products catalog. Martha sent some emails about the experience and has allowed me to post them here. I am so proud that he was such a good little ambassador for Silkens and for Gryffyn's Aeyrie. I get "Beta Stories" and photos regularly, so I get to experience vicariously his antics.Below is a picture

Some Recent Successes

2009-02-17T11:00:00.006-06:00

The past couple show weekends have been good to us. At the Fort Bend Shows in mid-January J/T was Winners Dog both days (with a Best of Winners on Sunday) and Solo was BOB both days. The joy was dampened a bit by the overworked Astro van's fuel pump dying about a mile from the show site on Sunday. Since my would-be rescuer (my dad) was with me...I was feeling pretty darned stuck! Thanks to a

Hallelujah!

2009-02-16T17:30:00.007-06:00

Thank goodness I at least have somewhere to start after over 6 years of dealing with the chronic fatigue, which in the last year began to include chronic pain. Not to mention an increasing frequency and intensity of migraine headaches.I went in to the doctor's office Monday a week ago and talked with a new fellow at the clinic. This guy had also helped me when I fell in the yard and twisted my

Website Redesign - ISWS

2009-02-03T16:23:00.007-06:00

Years ago I had done the ISWS (International Silken Windhound Society) web site - and now I have re-done it! A CSS table-less layout with some updated graphics and a more aesthetic appeal. The organization has grown during the past few years adding various programs so we needed to update the navigation a bit and I also added an area for "quick links" at the bottom to expedite finding various

Gimme a Break...But Not That Kind!! (Arthur)

2009-01-30T21:14:00.003-06:00

Arthur is due to turn 11 years old this coming March. He is pictured to the left at the 2008 LGRA/NOTRA National Race Meet after participating in the Legends program. On Tuesday, Arthur managed to break his left rear leg just below the knee. We have no idea how he managed this feat - whether he ran into something, or slipped on the slick ground (he and half-brother Burni do not go out slowly),

Kalipso - Hard Knocks

2009-01-27T22:59:00.005-06:00

Kal, in his prime on the fieldA couple Sundays ago, while running and rough-housing in the backyard, Kalipso (BIF DC Rising Star Kalipso, FCh SC) apparently got run into the fence. I say "apparently" since it was not witnessed - but there were 2 scrapes in the middle of his face thatcould have been caused from him hitting the woven wire horse fencing, and he was found lying about 10 feet from the

The "OZZlings" - 10 weeks

2009-01-27T10:53:00.006-06:00

10 week stacked pictures are posted on the litter's page athttp://www.gryffynsaeyrie.com/litter_achillesduri.htmlThere are also some candids taken this past Saturday of the little heathens running about and chasing a lure toy. I do mean heathens! I gave them a nice new stuffy Saturday morning, and within 15 minutes (if not less) it was completely destroyed. Fluffy bits everywhere! Annihilation!

A Most Excellent Quote

2009-01-14T15:52:00.003-06:00

Perhaps you have heard of the recent EPA debacle, likely spurred from some sort of anti-animal-usage fanatic...a tax on the methane generated by livestock - blaming it for global warming, with some scientists claiming it's worse than the carbon dioxide generated from autos and factories. The "cow tax"...aka "fart tax."Some estimates place a cost of $175 per animal for a "methane permit." The

Nice Start for the Year

2009-01-05T11:00:00.008-06:00

We had a nice start to the year this weekend - guess the black-eyed peas consumed during our New Year's dinner helped!We took four dogs to the CERF clinic at the Nolan River KC shows this past Saturday - two Borzoi (Solo and Bugg) and two Silkens (Gabe and his sister Siren) and after a two hour wait (UGH) they all passed with flying colors.As to the showing...Faina and Nox didn't embarrass us (

WWJD - A Bit of Humor

2008-12-31T21:51:00.003-06:00

On one of the various Yahoo groups I am on, someone provided a link to a podcast of a sermon from their church (part of it dealt with not succumbing to the animal rights agenda but also treating animals ethically and with kindness). The sermon was titled "What Would Jesus Drive". Another list member responded with the following which gave me the biggest smile I have had in a while:I am thinking

Site Updates at Gryffyn's Aeyrie

2008-12-30T09:32:00.002-06:00

Been spending part of the holiday taking pictures, editing pictures and getting them uploaded to the Gryffyn's Aeyrie site. There have been several other updates as well not posted to the blog - so check it all out through the updates page at http://gryffynsaeyrie.com/updates.htm

Happy Ho-Ho 2008

2008-12-24T22:36:00.001-06:00

[ click to enlarge! ]

Gettin' Edu-ma-cated

2008-12-10T12:43:00.006-06:00

I was once told that I had a "curious mind". I am not sure if the person meant I tend to be inquisitive, or that they could not grasp how my brain functioned. I am always trying to learn one thing or another, and can tend to take on projects more for the learning experience(s) than any display of altruism. I like to try new things, although I can be impatient if I am not picking up on things

Picture Updates

2008-12-02T16:21:00.006-06:00

Over the past couple months I have added BUNCHES of pictures to the Gryffyn's Aeyrie web site - show pix and various candids and puppy pictures. The latest photos were some stacks of J/T taken while we were attending the ASFA regional invitational on Thanksgiving weekend (including the lovely face shot to the left). Photos from the LSBC specialty show, puppy updates, even the 2007 Silkenfest

Be Afraid....Very Afraid

2008-11-25T13:30:00.008-06:00

The following email is a great example of the biggest problem regarding legislating the breeding/care of dogs - its enforcement by overzealous animal control officers, who may be card-carrying PeTA and/or HSUS fans (or fanatics).***********************************************************Dear Friends and fellow dog fanciers,I have sent the complaint below to the following individuals. I consider

Watch Your Language!

2008-11-24T17:06:00.004-06:00

This is an excellent "rambling" from Charlotte McGowan on the importance of language when referring to animals and protecting our rights to own dogs and other animals. Have you been taken in by an animal rights-derived phrase???http://blog.handandpaw.com/2008/11/animal-rights-language/

Indie Pix of Duri's Mob

2008-11-24T12:49:00.002-06:00

We took individual pictures of Duri's pups and they now have their own page on the Gryffyn's Aeyrie web site at http://www.gryffynsaeyrie.com/litter_achillesduri.html

The Pups Have Arrived

2008-11-16T17:17:00.003-06:00

Sometime between 11pm Thursday and 1am Friday, Duri began delivering her puppies! In total, there were 13 (5 boys and 8 girls), although 1 little girl (#10) was stillborn. All in various shades of red or gold, some brindle, some not. After pup #11, she was taken to the vet as we thought she was finished and wanted to be sure - x-ray revealed the final 2 and a shot of oxytocin brought them into

Look Out! She's Gonna Blow!

2008-11-12T17:45:00.005-06:00

3 days before her due date - she looks like she is about to explode!

I Did It Myself!

2008-11-10T08:53:00.001-06:00

This past weekend Jill went to Mexico for her son Phillip's christening. David wasn't headed to the Houston shows either and we had 2 Borzoi breed judges - a rare occurrence! Even rarer - there was also a third on the panel who had not originally been assigned to judge Borzoi, but was when Saturday's judge couldn't make it.I went ahead and entered Solo and showed him myself. Well....on Saturday

2008 Race Nationals (LGRA/NOTRA)

2008-11-06T11:14:00.006-06:00

Our local club, GIT (Gazehounds in Texas) hosted the 2008 OB LGRA/NOTRA nationals (straight- and oval-racing) this past weekend at WindyGlen in Boswell, OK. Victor had gone up Friday mid-day, and I went up after getting home from work and ex'ing and feeding the rest of our crew, and giving Arthur a bath so he could look all fancy for his appearance in the Legends event. Nothing like driving

Duri's Packin'!

2008-11-05T13:24:00.002-06:00

We pulled an x-ray on Duri to count skulls/spines on the pups contributing to the massive expansion of her belly. The vet did two films - 1 showing 10-11 pups, the second showing 11-12. WOW!We will be getting her whelping area set up this week - she's due around the 15th, but with that many on the way, she might decide to pop early. Although her last brood was delivered right on time.Fingers

LSBC's First Specialty Show

2008-10-27T12:20:00.009-05:00