Our first show of the year in Texas is the Nolan River Kennel Club cluster held in the little town of Glen Rose, known for its dinosaur tracks. We have had some nice success here in the past, and it is a show site that we enjoy. There used to be lure coursing trials held in conjunction with the shows, which made for some long days – but those times are now gone. I fondly remember when we had Solo out as a special and he went from winning Best of Breed, over to the field to run prelims, then back to the building for Hound Group where he received a Group 4 and we had to rush to get his picture and then drive him back over to the field. The judge was astonished that the dog had shown in the group just after a gallop in the field instead of a stint on the grooming table, like some of these specials being treated more like Poodles than proper hounds. Of course, it helps that Solo possesses ring-ready coat at all times and only required a brush-out before strutting into the ring!
We had a great start to the year, with Beast winning his 3rd major from the Bred-by Exhibitor class, going Best of Winners on Saturday under judge Dana Cline.
On Sunday our judge was Charles “Chuck” Trotter. Beast again took Winners Dog/Best of Winners for his fourth major and completed his conformation championship!! His sister Me!Me! and housemate Nox fared better under Mr. Trotter than the previous day, taking 4th and 3rd in BBE respectively. Sadly, Boo was still invisible in the specials line-up.
Monday, January 6, 2014
It's Party Time!!
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
UKC Shows (Hutto) and Siren's Big Debut
Well this had to be the most exciting UKC weekend ever for us!
First, let me introduce one of the players. Some of you who attended the 2009 SilkenFest in MO may remember a little extreme white with tan sable spotted bitch that Victor was showing who absolutely refused to come off the cement area where the judge had examined her, and on to the grass so she could be put through her paces in the lovely grassed ring. The judge had finally excused her for her stubbornness. That little minx is named Siren – who inherited some of that classic bitch behavior from her mother Ginger. Siren was shown a bit more successfully – in that she actually at least got around the ring this time – at the 2010 SF. We also had our share of personality clashes with her at home – and for a while she was living up north. Upon her return, we just kept her around the house and didn’t bother trying to get her to “work for a living.” With Jules‘ and Velvet‘s fairly quick championship completions, I was trying to figure out who to bring out next. Siren had become much more affectionate of late, so in a moment of weakness, I entered her in this weekend’s shows, along with Bekka (a Space/Ember daughter) and then Deuce (looking for his last 2 Grand Ch legs) and Pasha.
So Saturday morning, Siren made her UKC debut. I fully expected some sort of Mexican standoff or ring tantrum, and although she was obviously a bit uncomfortable, she went on to take Winners Bitch from the 5 entered, and then on to Best of Winners. Well heck – I thought – we just might survive piloting her to a UKC championship if she keeps this up!
On to show Deuce in the Champion class, where his fine example of what an over-caffeinated Silken could look like (he was very, VERY “up”!) took Reserve, and then Ajax (ISWS Ch. UKC Grand Ch. Gryffyn’s Walkin’ in Memphis) taking the Grand class win over Pasha. Within that line-up imagine my very great surprise to have Siren handed the Best of Breed nod – but then a bit later came my incredulous response at her being awarded a GROUP 1!!!
Finally the call came for the BIS competition to get ready, so off we went to play in the ring. I had absolutely no aspirations other than trying to get through it without incidence, despite Siren’s earlier good behavior – she is a bitch after all – plus we had some local heavy hitters in the ring, including the Doberman, one of the top Australian Shepherds, and the German Shorthaired Pointer. I was completely overwhelmed to be handed the ribbon for BEST IN SHOW!! It felt completely unbelievable!
Siren managed to continue her good behavior, again earning WB/BOW and BOB at the afternoon show (and then a group 2). Deuce won the Champion class.
On Sunday, at the morning show Siren was again WB/BOW and finished her UKC championship. Deuce won the Champion class and finished his Grand Championship and then went on to BOB/Group 3. He was moved up for the afternoon show and went on to win the Grand Champion class.
All in all – an unbelievably successful weekend at the shows! I floated home!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
First Points, Last Points
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 and she was entered in BBE as well. She won the class and I handed her to my friend Laurie for the Winner's class as my next charge was the only Open Bitch entry.
My next charge was none other than Bugg (Avalon Solstrom) - who absolutely loathes the show scene. She is a funny little bitch - always excited to go on a road trip, yippy skippy at the door with a grin on her face - but upon arrival at the show site, you can see her face fall when she's pulled out of the van. Oh...a show...great. The change in demeanor is humorously obvious.
Bugg had two 5-point major wins from breeder-judges. They could see past her pouty facade and note what an honest little bitch she was. The all-breed judges or those coming from outside the Borzoi (or sighthound) world could never seem to get past her sullen ring attitude. It had seemed we had been searching for her final two singles for eons. I had promised her that if she put aside her pissy self for the duration of her ringtime and finished, that I would never make her step into a showring again!
So there we are in the line-up for Winners Bitch. The judge (Murrel Purkhiser) kept looking at the promising young Lump. So I would push-push-push Bugg and make eye contact - everything except yell out "pick this bitch!" in desperation. We went trotting around the ring for another go-round and hallelujah if she didn't point to Bugg, awarding those longed-for points and finishing her championship. I am surprised I didn't howl with relief!
While taking our win pictures, she did mention to me how much she liked Lump. Something to file away for future entries as I figure Lump may be a hard one to finish as well - and not because of a lousy ring attitude (which the judge did recognize, she told me). Lump is going to be a BIG, rangy, bitch when she grows up - some judges prefer a more petite, cutesy bitch.
Speaking of win photos - that is the one item marring this show experience for me. I always get photos for the first point(s) and the last - and at this show I had both! The photographer (Garden Studio) declined to send me their photos as I had not yet paid for a photo WHICH THEY HAD NOT EVEN SENT ME! The last time they held photos for prepayment - I received the most AWFUL win pictures ever. I requested a proof of some sort so that I could be sure I was getting a quality photo (which in the past, from them, I usually had). The request (email and a phone message) went unheeded. Then, to top it off, they sent me another bill for the photo - except now they tacked on late charges! I was certainly not going to pay an exorbitant sum for a photo I had not seen and had requested some sort of preview of before payment - before it had reached the status of being late. The lateness was their own damned fault for refusing to answer, or even acknowledge, my previous request. After receiving their latest bill, I again contacted them with my previous request. It again went unanswered. Although they're great at sending out bills still requesting payment, and late charges - for a photo I've never seen despite multiple requests. I am upset that I have no photos to celebrate the beginning of Ozzy's ring career and the end of Bugg's.
Garden Studio Photography - this finger's for you! Try replying to your customers on occasion instead of ignoring them and charging them for what amounts to your incompetence at customer service.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Pumpkin Pumps Us Up!
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, who we had here for several months some years ago. Kaz now lives with our friend Tim in Boyd, TX. In the Regular classes, Ozzy came away with a 4th placement in a very large Bred-By class; Faina won the Bred-By class on the girls' side, with Pumpkin taking second to her. Duri again came away with Best Opp Veteran.
At the Sunday show Ozzy placed 2nd and Ray 4th in another large BBE class. Faina was 3rd in he BBE class - and Pumpkin won the BBE bitch class. Pumpkin then went on to take Winners Bitch and Best Opposite Sex (over 4 bitch specials) for a 4 point major! Our little fireball is finally filling out and maturing - she is certainly enjoying getting to go our and showoff too!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Gabe Does Good
We 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 Bred-By Exhibitor class then went on to win Winners Dog (also taking Best BBE in Specialty). Definitely worth the long, long drive to the west coast (in addition to getting to meet up with several good friends that either live in the area, or also made the drive)! His other major win was when Victor hauled dogs to the first southern regional specialties in GA in 2008 while I attended the Rocky Mountain Borzoi Club specialty in Longmont, CO. Gabe not only won Winners Dog and Best BBE, but went on to win Best in Specialty Show!!
This weekend we actually had Rarities/North American Kennel Club shows over in Azle, about an hour away. Several metroplex-area Silken owners made entries, including Vicki with Sylvi (from our H-band litter) and Enzo (from the L-band litter). At the first show Gabe finished his Rarities championship and sealed his ISWS championship as well.
Sylvi (Gryffyn's Aeyrie Sylvan Song) finished her Rarities championship as well!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
BooFest 2009
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 contemplating a repeat, although she has a finicky heat cycle. I am even more thrilled to hear news of their successes. Both specialties were judged by AKC judges as well - such great PR for the Silkens.
The first specialty show was judged by Diane Young McCormack, who chose Tyler's son Blaze (Talisman of Beaux-Arts) for Best in Specialty Show. Siblings Dresden (Talisman of Merovingian) and Ilsa (Talisman of Art Nouveau) were Winners Dog and an Award of Merit respectively. Kandi's daughter Blondie (WindNSatin Creme Brulee) was Winners Bitch/Best of Winners AND Best of Opposite (over specials) to her cousin. Dresden also took the Best Bred-By Exhibitor award. Mama Cinder was Best Brood Bitch.
The second show was judged by Betty Stites (who I have fond memories of her finishing Doodle's AKC championship). Ms. Stites also chose Blaze for SBIS honors! Ilsa and Dresden both received Awards of Merit and mother Cinder again Best Brood Bitch.
I so wish I could have come and visited and seen it all. Maybe next year!!
Monday, September 14, 2009
LSBC's First Independent Specialty Show
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!
Duri's brother Burni (Am. Can. Mex. Ch. Gryffyn's Aeyrie Caliburn, JC) also did well, winning Best Veteran in Sweepstakes and winning his regular veterans (7-10 years of age) class.
Duri's son Vlad (Gryffyn's Aeyrie Revelation), owned by Rebecca Neal, came away with Best Puppy in Show, Reserve Winners Dog as well as Best Opposite in Puppy Sweepstakes. Rebecca was so sweet to give me the rocking borzoi trophy that he won too - it's absolutely GORGEOUS - you can see it in the picture. He also won a wooden Borzoi pull toy that was Rebecca's favorite. Brothers Ozzy and Ray were 2nd and 3rd in the 6-9 Puppy Dog class and 4th and 3rd in their Sweeps class.
Vlad's sister Nawti (Gryffyn's Aeyrie Ultimate Sin) won the 9-12 Month Puppy Bitch class and went on to take Best Opposite Sex Puppy. Sisters Shayde (Gryffyn's Waiting for Darkness) and Lump (Gryffyn's Aeyrie Here For You) took 3rd and 4th in the class. Lump had won the Sweeps class, with Shayde taking 2nd. Thanks to one of those "puppy moments," living up to her moniker, Nawti was 4th - glad she straightened it all out in time for the regular classes
Duri's daughter from her first litter (sired by Solo), Nox (Gryffyn's Aeyrie Nox, SC) took second in a nice sized Bred-by Exhibitor class. All in all we had a successful, bling-filled day. I only wish that Solo had gotten a piece of it...but there will be another day, another specialty. Fingers crossed!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Oh My, Omaha
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. Accompanying me on my trip were Faina, a gangly and hairless Ozzy, and ol' man Burni (who was absolutely thrilled to get to come play).
Saturday was pretty uneventful with Faina having the best day by going second in her class. On Sunday, Burni was Best Veteran in Sweepstakes, defeating a bitch I admire greatly who had a wonderful racing career and did well in conformation as well. 
Judge: Shirley McFadden, Svora
Faina again took second in the Bred-By Exhibitor Bitch class, but Burni made me smile even more this time though. He was so psyched to be in the ring again, smiling the whole way around and I was having problems keeping up with him as he was really moving out. He just got better and better. It was a fabulous feeling for him to go Best Opposite to the currently ranked (all-breed) #1 Borzoi, especially with such other nice quality males in the ring, including a recent BCOA National Specialty AOM winner and other regularly campaigned, successful dogs. Not bad for an 8 1/2 year old !
Judge: Prudence Hlatky, Soyara
Friday, May 29, 2009
BCOA 2009 and the MBC Specialty
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 the long, downhill walk to it (again...more later). We found a great spot to park the Zoibus which allowed us to set up a double-size ex-pen to potty the dogs on a grassy median right beside it. This enormously cut the amount of time to ex and feed our critters during the stay. Solo and Sassi got to hang in the room while we were there, and the weather pretty much cooperated with the youngsters that stayed cozy in the van.
Due to time constraints and also not having much to run, we skipped the racing and coursing events - we certainly hope to have entries in 2010 for them! This being the case, our first event was the Futurity, where Ozzy took a 4th placement in the 6-9 Puppy Dog class.
The next day in Sweeps, diminutive Sparkk took 2nd in a large 6-9 Puppy Bitch class, which thrilled us to no end, especially since she looked practically microscopic in size next to the other entries. She sure had the attitude and showiness of a BIG dog though! Burni then provided us with much excitement by winning his 8-9 Veteran Sweepstakes class, not showing his age one bit.
Ozzy on the move
We had a touch more excitement in the Regular Classes, beginning with the 6-9 Month Puppy Dogs. The entries present for the class totaled 12 and Ozzy took 3rd place and his brother Vlad (owned by Rebecca Neal) was 4th. Interestingly, 2 other sibs from a friend's litter were 1st/2nd and are somewhat closely related to the OZZlings. In the Bred By Exhibitor Bitch class, Faina and Pumpkin both made the cut, but in the end left without a ribbon, as did Solo and Sassi in the Best of Breed class. Certainly better than being dismissed right off the bat, so we were happy for that!
Solo in BOB
Sassi in BOB
The day after the conclusion of the BCOA National was the Midwest Borzoi Club regional specialty show. I was pretty much beat from the days previous and my ankles were having an uproar, but we labored on! In the Sweepstakes classes, Ozzy was 3rd in 6-9 Month Puppy Dog and Burni was Best of Opposite Sex in Veteran Sweeps. In the regular classes, Ozzy took 2nd and little (microscopic) Sparkk WON her 6-9 Month Puppy Bitch class! Burni went on to win his Veterans class as well.
Lynn showing Sparkk
Burni
We had a wonderful time, a touch of success, and good times catching up with people we don't get to see often. Looking forward to next year in Kentucky!!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Three's a Charm (SilkenFest 2009)
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) - he has forgotten he is a dog as he is the only one and doesn't see much in the way of dogs (except the occasional "ankle biter") out his way. But he is a stunning adolescent male with coat so shiny it's almost blinding. Deb and her daughter also brought Mukki (Bruce/Luna; silken) along for a visit - he grew into such a lovely boy with luscious coat and a grin for everyone. Also got to see Voodoo (now with the Peffers) and her mother Jett (VooDoo's mother, with Ahryn); Kandi's 2 daughters (Blondie and Oreo) from her leased breeding; Tim and Vicki Frey had Sylvi (Bruce/Luna) and Enzo (Isaak/Serena) along to show and their sibling Ajax was also there with Lynn Wall; and Tripp with Pam all the way from CT (and boy was that WORTH it!) - I did not have near enough time to visit with everyone as much as I wanted to - not even Pat Shaw who was so kind as to put us and our crew up at her home for the weekend!
On Saturday we took care of some health testing on several dogs and then began visiting with folks. Victor was at the SLASH LGRA meet with Nox since we decided to take advantage of it being at the same location. It paid off as she won the meet and earned 2 GRC/NRC points! We also had the huge shrimp boil (and pig out) - tables lined up with brown paper and the menfolk dumping fresh from the pot corn, potatoes, shrimp and sausage among the various trays of fresh fruit available for desert and strategically placed bottles of cocktail sauce and squeezy butter. We opened up the sangria that Nan had brought and shared amongst several folks in our vicinity.
Sunday was the day of the showing festivities and started off with Puppy Sweepstakes. Shadow won his class (9-12) with brother Enzo taking third. Goth and Pryss both won their classes and Fanci and Darkun both took 4th in their classes. Kandi's daughter Blondie also won her class. Pryss then went on to win Best in Sweepstakes and Goth took Best Opposite in Sweeps!!
The Regular classes had some nice surprises for us as well. In the 9-12 month puppy dog class, the three brothers, Shadow, Ajax and Enzo took 2nd through 4th places respectively. Gabe won the Bred-By Exhibitor dog class and Tripp won the Open dog class, with his almost 9 year old great-grandpa Ivanhoe taking 2nd to him. Tripp then went on to take Winners Dog and Gabe got Reserve. Fanci was 4th in the 9-12 puppy bitch class and Blondie was 3rd (I was so thrilled to see how she and her sister Oreo have turned out, although poor Oreo managed to cut her pad and was slightly off - but they are stunning youngsters). Pryss won the 12-18 Month class and Maverick's daughter Storm (bred by Lori at Elessar) was 3rd. A naughty Missi was 3rd in the Novice class and still got compliments despite her bratty behavior. Radar shown by a friend for her new owner, Mary) was 2nd in the class and I overheard the judge comment that she was a beautiful bitch, but a lunatic (I 100% agree
By the time Best of Breed came around, I thought I was going to fall over from all the dogs we had shown. Tyler was on "autopilot" though - and I just let out his lead and held on to the very end as he zipped around the ring like a Brittany and pretty much showed himself while I huffed and puffed behind him. I am still on cloud nine - as Tyler earned his third national specialty win! He has now won the two highest entries of Silkenfest (2009 and 2007) in addition to the 2006 show. This also finished his ISWS Grand Champion title!
A nice finish for this year's Silkenfest was Ivanhoe winning the inaugural Stud Dog class, represented by Tyler, Kandi and VooDoo. He sure gave the youngsters a run for it in the classes as well. He just needs a qualifying specialty win to complete his ISWS title - but we figure it will be hard as he lost some teeth when he broke his lower jaw a few years ago.
Needless to say - we floated home!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Nice Start for the Year
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 (hoorah!), and traded placements in the Bred-by class between the two days (they were the only two bitches entered in that particular class), and J/T (Sassi's son) was reserve to the major the first day and on Sunday won Winners Dog for his first points, and then got the crossover major (WD on the first day finished his championship, so the dog major broke on Sunday as he had moved up to Specials) by going Best of Winners. So we are quite pleased with our weekend (even though Solo had taken the weekend off)!!
Monday, November 10, 2008
I Did It Myself!
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 we won Best of Breed (the judge was Ron Spritzer who had bred Borzoi years ago. I opted to take a picture so that I had actual photographic proof that I could get my own special out of the breed.
So I was REALLY a wreck when it came to showing in the Group. At least I had the same judge, who had said I had done a fine job of handling when we were taking that picture and I had joked about my abilities (or the lack of them). The group was packed with some heavy-hitter handlers too - so I wasn't feeling overly optimistic about my chances at ALL! At least I was standing next to a friend with her Irish Wolfhound who had originally not wanted to bother with the groups - hers had been the only entry there. I had told her...if I can show mine, you can show yours!
OMG - Solo got a Group 2!! Can't wait for the picture of that one - I did it all by myself
Nox was reserve both days, defeating older bitches too. She was a bit fazed by the first day's "enthusiastic" exam and backed off a bit on Sunday, but settled in once Sunday's judge saw she was a bit apprehensive and went over her very gently and slowly, saving checking her mouth for last.
To top it off, Victor took what we thought were completely hopeless boys to the lure coursing that weekend...and came back with 3 newly minted Junior Coursers. There's hope!! They had such short attention spans in various practice sessions previously - he said they all did nicely! J/T, Buster and Wulfie are now AKC JCs. J/T also ran in the trial on Sunday and did well, although he's still trying to figure out where all his legs are.
All in all, quite a nice weekend!
Monday, July 28, 2008
WooHoo for Ember
Ember was a hard one for me to let go, with her charming grin and (over)enthusiastic nature. But there are no regrets for having sent her to our friend Alison of Tangaloor Silkens way up in Washington. This weekend Ember made us all very proud by snagging two 5-point majors at the Rarities shows up in Portland, OR to complete the requirements for both her Rarities and ISWS Championships! I had the pleasure of watching her take WB at the BooFest specialty in October of last year and was so happy to see her thriving in Alison's care. She is the 4th ISWS champion of our breeding in limited showing (Tyler, Ginger, Brewer and now Ember - and we have a 5th in all fours' mother Josi from Kristull). Hugs and hoots from afar - way to go guys!!
Monday, July 7, 2008
We're On a Shugah High!
This past weekend was the Lone Star Classic series of dog shows in Dallas, Texas - and it was also Shugah and Nox's ring debuts. On Friday, we ended up with the entire bitch entry (of 3) as the other one entered was absent - so we were at least guaranteed a point on one of our girls! Shugah came away as Winners Bitch for her first point at her first show! Nox took Reserve over half-sis Faina. Deckard was Reserve Winners Dog in a major entry.
Saturday brought more excitement despite the fact that I was a bit peeved with myself as I had mixed up the judges. I had thought Saturday's judge was on Sunday and vice versa, and so had not entered my black dogs on Sunday, having never seen the judge I thought was assigned that day put up a heavily colored dark Borzoi before. So here I was with my two black dogs showing to the judge I thought I was avoiding. My goodness - how I did enjoy in being proved wrong! Deckard won the Bred By Exhibitor class and went on to win Winners Dog for a 3-point major! You could have knocked me over with a feather! Shugah won the Bred By bitch class, over a lovely mature bitch, and then was awarded Winners Bitch! To top it off, she took Best of Winners so she also got a major towards her championship!
On Sunday Shugah's little winning streak came to an end in Winners Bitch, and she came away the Reserve winner. We're so proud of how well the girls did on their ring debuts - no little puppy tantrums, and they didn't mind the echoes nor the crowds of strange people and dogs. The fact that Shugah got some points to boot was icing on the cake! Solo won Best of Breed on Sunday against some nice competition, and then made the cut in the Hound Group in even more spectacular company, including the most gorgeous Scottish Deerhound that just floated around the ring and was exquisite standing.
There were animal rights activists picketing outside the show as well. We were lucky and didn't meet up with any of them, although some folks had their cars keyed. Classy, huh? More proof that the wackos aren't so much about loving animals as they are about hating people. Security was obviously present and the show hosting clubs made sure that the folks inside were taken care of and left alone by the raging wackos that are unable to see the truth about how involved the dog fancy is with their dogs.
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.
--Roger Caras.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Little Rock, AR Shows
We had a super nice surprise at the shows this past weekend! Not only did Solo take the breed win both days, he received a Group One!! Jill thought it would count for over 100 ranking-points. I guess we'll see! The judge was Jerry Watson, who happened to award Solo's finishing win at the Cen-Tex KC shows a couple years ago. Solo will leave with Jill for the OKC shows in a few days. I hear they've got some nice prizes available, so hope the UberGoober brings back a little bling
Thursday, June 12, 2008
The Road to (and From) Silkenfest
This year, the ISWS rented a dude ranch for our national specialty show (aka 'Silkenfest') - located in Granby, Colorado. Now...I'm all about trips to CO - always looking for an excuse. And this time was no exception!
Also no exception was the obstacles that kept getting tossed in our way! First off was the cost of staying for 2 people - $100 per day per person, including food. Well...that would have been super for one person, but not the two of us, considering we don't really splurge when going to shows (sleeping in the van on the way, eating gas station "food" or various junk). Since I would be footing the entire bill, including gas, there was just no way. I still haven't finished paying for the gas to Westminster (much less the hotel)! We also would not be guaranteed a room since we wouldn't be there for the entire time (4-5 days) - which just wouldn't wash since I need a ground floor room thanks to my lousy back and knees.
So I found a cabin to stay at about 20 miles away, which also had a little fenced yard which would be super-convenient for getting the dogs ex'ed. Vickie, who has Sylvi from us also planned to go, along with her husband. We were thrilled at the prospect of seeing one of our guys at the show that we didn't own!
Then...we couldn't get a petsitter. So Victor had to stay at the house while I went on the excursion. NOW it would be cheaper to stay at the ranch - and I was informed that there was a ground room available. However....it was too late to cancel the cabin without great pains to my wallet (what's left of it). Sooooooo....on we go. Then I got an email from Vickie - something had come up at her husband's job, and they couldn't go. But then, she asked if she could ride along with me - that sounds good to me! All a bit last minute - but that tends to be how we roll anyway!
We started out after work on Wednesday evening and reached Amarillo at 3 in the morning after painstakingly driving the Zoibus at the posted speed limit (a VERY hard thing for me to do - but I wanted to see if it would help the mileage. It did...a little bit.) We bunked down for about 5 hours at a local motel and then left Amarillo, after a vital Starbuck's visit, around 9:30. I had opted for the flatland trip to CO - down Highway 287 all the way to Limon, as opposed to the Raton Pass route. A bit less scenic (well...at least as the pass is concerned...87 is pretty darned boring too, and the last time had too many construction areas with 40 mph limits and well as "Safety Zones", whatever the heck those are) but it would allow us to bypass CO Springs and/or Denver during rush hours.
We hit some threatening clouds near Springfield, although we didn't get much in the way of heavy rain. Just after the windmill farm we saw one heck of a lightshow. When we gassed up in Lamar, we learned that a tornado had gone over Springfield, which explained all the siren-blaring emergency vehicles we had seen in the middle of seeming nowhere.
Our next trip highlight was coming to Berthoud Pass - we watched the temperature drop as we climbed ever upward! We came to just below the treeline. The Zoibus handled it all pretty well too - which was a great relief, although I am not a fan of driving near ledges with big drop-offs. Little did I know...
It had been a long day, and hardly anyone had participated in potty-time that morning, so we opted to check-in to the cabin I had reserved and let the dogs take care of business in the little yard and then I would take Vickie on up to KMR (King Mountain Ranch) where all the festivities were. The drive from Grand Lake down to Granby then out to the ranch was a pretty easy stretch...until....we got to the "driveway" of the ranch. In all the posts about the location, this particular "road" (I use the term loosely at this point) was not mentioned! It was a 4 1/2 mile twisty dirt "road" that had recently had a barrage of rain (and before that, snow) and was apparently consisting of a good bit of clay. For the highest and longest-size Sprinter van...it was a Slip-n-Slide. For a road weary traveler with a fear of heights at the end of a long trek...it was terrifying. We felt the Zoibus lose traction on several occasions after we had to zip through the big mud wallow just after turning off the pavement - heard later that some folks got stuck in the pit there.
It took longer for me to travel up their "driveway" than it did for me to drive the almost 20 miles from my cabin. Nothing like a white-knuckle ride. Vickie had spotted a bald eagle flying low over the lake - I would have loved to have seen it, but was too busy trying to keep from plummeting into the lake itself in a poor impression of flight. As she checked into the ranch, I spent my time having a pure panic attack at the prospect of navigating the way down. I've got to hand some BIG credit to one of their wranglers/employees (Dave?) who graciously drove me back down to the civilized road and dealt with the crazy and nervously chatty flatlander.
The next day I allowed myself plenty of time to make the trip and have some time to settle before the show began. A bit unsuccessful as I had to get the manager/owner of the cabin to come pull out my van as it would not reverse (I had parked close enough to the cabin to not allow me to go forward) up a small incline. I later learned that diesel + high altitude + a touch of cool does not make for much in the way of power. I also learned that despite knowing more of what to expect on the ranch "driveway", I was still terrified, and this time managed to get the Zoibus sideways as it slid, which I thankfully managed to steer out of, despite the nose being pointed towards the ledge. At that very moment - I lost any notion of happy thoughts.
I did soak up as much of the cooler weather as I could though! The rings were outside and on occasion it was a bit too nippy - but knowing what awaited me back home (heat indexes upwards of 100 degrees), I enjoyed the occasional shiver.
Saturday after the show concluded, we opted to head back to the cabin and vegetate and prepare for the trip home the next morning. I allowed all the dogs to come hang out in the little yard, with the back door half open so that they could come and go. Most opted for a nap in the streaming sunlight on the deck, although luxury lover Tyler felt his place was beside me on the futon as I semi-consciously watched the little tv and attempted to once again find my happy (fail!). We munched on the food I had brought with me for the trip (chicken salad with grapes, marinated tomatoes, and wasabi slaw, and a few other items), failing to find a pizza delivery option after a mouth-watering commercial. The folks next to us were intrigued by the dogs and we had a nice visit - sounds like they may be interested in getting a Silken someday! Such irresistible little dogs!
Morning came too soon, and we got everyone pottied, loaded and packed and did some tidy-up (inside and out) before dropping the key off at the office. I had opted for the interstate route home in the hopes of knocking off an hour or two...if we didn't doze off from boredome
Another year's specialty trip come to an end.
Here are some related links:
My online gallery for the trip - LOTS of pictures of the scenery. Vickie learned the art of "drive-by photography" while I navigated Berthoud pass, as well as witnessing my snapping of pictures at 70 mph
Mountain Lakes Lodge - the place where I stayed. I want to go back, it was so beautiful and comfy!
King Mountain Ranch - the beautiful dude ranch where Silkenfest was held. The staff were wonderful and the scenery breathtaking
Friday, May 9, 2008
If It Weren't For Bad Luck...
...I'd have absolutely friggin' NONE at all.
Last night I fell in the yard while bringing in Faina (Solo/Monkee "bozo" pup) to prep for the local show this weekend. I fell pretty darned hard, and landed a bit twisted on one knee. Got back in and went about the rest of my day/night.
Well....this morning I couldn't even lift my leg to roll over without feeling like something sharp was being stuck in my knee. Managed to get an appointment to see the doctor at lunchtime - and the verdict isn't very promising.
I refused an MRI scan today - the wallet began crying, so I let it have its way for now. The doc thinks I have either badly sprained/irritated the medial collateral ligament in my knee...or torn or displaced it. For now we are treating as a sprain with an anti-inflammatory (Celebrex), a steroid (that tastes nasty - I had that when my back originally failed 7 years ago) and pain killers (hooray for Vicodin).
The offending part is trussed up in a brace and currently elevated with an ice pack on top of it. If it isn't better in 4-5 days, then I have to ignore the wails of my budget and go in for the MRI so we can get further diagnoses.
Soooooooooooooo....my ability to show at Silkenfest may be sorely compromised :( Victor can't attend as we can't get a petsitter!
Who wants to show some Silkens?
I
am
miserable
:(
To console myself, while at the CVS pharmacy picking up my 'scrips...I was looking for some comfort food. So I hit the candy aisle. I found, quite possibly, the most bizarre junk snack idea ever. It looked like a cheeseburger - but it was made entirely of marshmallow. It is "Peeps" taken to a new level of bizarro. It was a pretty good rendition of a burger too - even had little "sesame seed" imposters on it. I bought it. I bought the "fries" too - which came with some sort of strawberry goo disguised as ketchup. I kid you not - this actually exists! I took pictures of them!
And then I ate the "burger". After I took my pain meds.
Look for pictures of the funky junk snacks soon - I just couldn't help myself!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Good Day at Faith City
It didn't start off that great - next time I make entries for one of the puppies, I will bring them in for the next 2 weeks after making entry! Apparently Pumpkin got to play the part of "bunny" in a rousing game of chase and bruised her left shoulder. She was just off enough that I opted not to show her. A shame since she was doing really well on learning the finer points of being a show prospect. She did accompany us to the show (in Wichita Falls, TX) and I brought her in before and after showing so she could take in the atmosphere. She did very well and met some new friends!
Bugg was in fine form, albeit sullen at being asked to work. She humored me through the class, winning Open Bitch. She did show well and even did a nice stack at the end of her down-and-back and kept it up, coming away not only with Winners Bitch, but taking Best Opposite over 4 bitch specials for a 5-point major under breeder/judge Jan Leikam (Adrienne Borzoi)! This was her second 5-pointer, so we are quite pleased, needless to say! This puts her at 12 points and both majors - I will be entering her in the Fort Worth shows tomorrow, I guess.
As to who she took Best Opp to - Solo! So a very VERY nice outing for us - even though the group judge had failed to find him the day before in breed competition. There was a reason I hadn't entered class dogs the day before!
Friday, February 22, 2008
Gettin' It Out of My System
A dog can show you more honest affection with a flick of his tail than a man can gather through a lifetime of handshakes.
~ Gene Hill
I've always told folks that there is a reason that my degree is in Animal Science...I just don't understand people at all. There are times when I beat my tired head against the wall because of some of the folks I have to deal with during my all-too-intensive participation in the dog fancy. How fun is it for anyone to have people ask one for their assistance and guidance based on experience and then poo-poo, ignore, and/or fuss about the advice given with the best of intentions. It's about as fun as a yearly visit to the physician; or having teeth pulled; surgery? It's such a wonderful thing to be treated flippantly by the instant experts one tends to run into constantly, be it at work or in one's hobby. You can almost see and/or understand how postal workers go postal. Yes...I've had it up to the gills and have felt the need to somehow vent publicly.
I am so lucky that I do have dog people that are a source of joy for me, be it folks that I have learned from, or people who have joined our extended family by bringing one of our pups into their lives, or folks that I've met along the way. Thank goodness for them to make up for the other, less pleasant experiences along the way.
No animal I know of can consistently be more of a friend and companion than a dog.
~ Stanley Leinwoll
So the heedless ingrates can just get stuffed
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Off Again - Denver and RMBC
It seems that no sooner than I get back from NYC, than I leave for Denver! Poor Solo had even less turnaround time - as he and Victor arrived home Wednesday night, and we left Thursday night. Aren't hobbies supposed to be a method of relaxation?? With me and Solo was Burni, Bugg and Lars.
I was still pretty whupped from the NYC trip, and was only able to make it to the rest stop outside Quanah about 4 hours away from home. Of course, I didn't have the Zoibus, so finding a spot to curl up in the Astro-van was an interesting enterprise, to say the least. I ended up squashing myself between the crates and the side door and pulling a couple fleece blankets over myself (in addition to wearing my jacket) in order to keep warm. I managed to - although it wasn't what I would call either restful or comfortable. It wasn't warm either - it was 30 degrees outside and the wind chill was in the teens, not to mention the van being rocked back and forth all night. I managed 4 and a half hours of fitful napping before hitting the road again at 4:30 am.
I had told Jill that I didn't think I needed to be there in time to show on Friday, as I didn't think the judge would care for Solo. I did get there on time - and she didn't care for him
It was great to see folks at ringside on Saturday for the specialty! I love coming up to visit here and see everyone and their dogs. Had some interesting experiences in Sweeps and muddled on through the regular classes with Lars and Burni. I didn't get to show Bugg in Open Bitch as she had managed to lacerate her side and it looked uglier (and bigger) once I got to Colorado. Solo showed well and was very happy and animated (almost too much so) even after a travel-heavy week. He made the cut and went on to win an Award of Merit at the Specialty.
The drive home seemed to take forever. I ended up stopping in Memphis, TX and this time actually got a hotel room as my back had been cussing me since Thursday evening's slumber in the van. Although the hard bed in the Travelodge did not do much to make my back feel better! At least it was warm!
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