New Arrival – Talisman Gryffyn’s Dulcimer, “Dulci” (Silken Windhound)

Meet our newest Silken Windhound!

 

This past Saturday we had a “special delivery” via American Airlines from Walnut Creek, CA courtesy of Joyce Chin (Talisman Hounds). A cute little gold brindle spotted girlie-pup named Dulcimer (or “Dulci”). She is a daughter of our Pryss (Gryffyn’s Aeyrie Centerfold) who was Best Puppy in Sweepstakes at the 2009 SilkenFest (the Silken Windhound national specialty show). Pryss had been leased for a breeding a couple years ago in the PNW area and had come to be at Joyce’s as we worked to get her back to Texas. After she had been at Joyce’s for a bit, I got an email asking if I would be interested in letting her become a California girl. It took a bit of persuading, but we eventually agreed on doing a co-breeding with a puppy to come to us. We really liked what Pryss had given us in her first litter (the Q-pups, including Deuce and Velvet) and had wanted to do another breeding with her.

Dulci is the culmination of that agreement – and we are thrilled with her.

She has settled in well to life at the Aeyrie and has lived up to Joyce’s description of her on the Talisman Hounds web site:

“Dulcimer is the first to do everything in her litter. First to open her eyes, first to wag her tail, first to make it out of the whelping pool, first to figure out stairs, first to lead the litter into adventure. Interested, active, fearless, sassy, and proud, she’s a tiny force to be reckoned with!”

Yes she is!! But being a tiny force takes a lot of energy and then time to refuel. She really excels at refueling too – she is an expert-level napper!

Dulci naps as Pasha and Victor look on

After her long day of travel filled with an overload of sights, sounds and smells then meeting and playing with her new family, we had one pooped pup. So then we got to rest for a bit ourselves!

G’nite everyone!

Pasha is 2013′s Top Silken Windhound

Happy dance happy dance! It’s official – Pasha (ISWS CH UKC Grand CH Gryffyn’s Aeyrie Stop and Stare) is 2013′s #1 Silken Windhound in the UKC (United Kennel Club)!! I believe he is also within the Top Ten All-Breeds!! So proud of our beautiful, deserving boy!

One of Pasha’s BOB wins at the 2013 Gateway shows

It took some traveling for this accomplishment – in addition to the “local” shows in Texas, we had traveled to Kalamazoo, Michigan (UKC Premiere and SilkenFest), Grey Summit, Missouri, and Longmont, Colorado. Along the way had good company to visit, as well as getting to see some nice dogs from around the country. He also was awarded Best of Breed at the 2013 Top Ten Invitational competition at the UKC Premiere shows in June of this year.
Pasha was also breeder/owner handled all the way!

See Pasha’s page on the Gryffyn’s Aeyrie Silken Windhounds site.

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!

Pasha is Grand

Pasha showing off in the yard

Today I opted to spend the morning taking Pasha, Shadow and Jules to the morning UKC show in Denton instead of to the LGRA racing "around the corner" in McKinney - Victor took care of that duty.

Pasha had been taking time off for an extended period following a ligament injury sustained in June. At first believed to be a possibly career-ending cruciate injury, after further testing and consultation with a vet not so eager to start cutting on him, it was discovered to involve the medial collateral ligament in his left hind leg, and not so much the cruciate. But it still required plenty of rest to heal, which we did along with performing prolotherapy treatments to his leg.

This would be Pasha's second weekend to come out since he was cleared to be able to return to "ring duty" the previous month. I had opted to enter him at this particular show and miss out on some racing because earlier in the year, the assigned judge had done well for him - so I had to try for that last required Grand Championship leg!

HE GOT IT!!

Jules gave him a run for his money, but Pasha did win his last Grand leg! Now I can concentrate on deciding on which silken windhound to bring out next year to compete for rankings in the UKC.

Sadness...

Today we had it in spades - all because of one little soul.

We have been fighting the battle for the last year when the original diagnosis was made after Trouble was exhibiting a slight limp in her left front. We thought she had badly bruised or perhaps cracked her shoulder. Our vet didn't like the x-ray where there was some shadowing, so they suggested a specialist. After the fiasco we had been through with the orthopedist previously recommended with Arthur, we opted to find another and received a recommendation from a friend.

After new x-rays, he diagnosed the possibility of osteosarcoma in her left scapula - a biopsy confirmed it. He suggested trying a scapulectomy and that she would be able to once again utilize her front leg after the muscles and connective tissue adjusted and strengthened. Unfortunately not long after she had healed from  the surgery, I noticed that the top of the forearm, where it met with the scapula, was slightly enlarged. A lump also appeared where the top of the scapula once was - and it was very painful. Another appointment and another surgery scheduled - the rest of the limb was removed, as was the offending lump.

A couple days post-surgery, the stitches began to split and then it opened up completely. There just wasn't enough good skin to keep it closed - so it was cleaning and wrapping with wet/dry bandages. Trouble took to the routine easily - as soon as we put a towel on the bed, she would jump up and stand on it while we worked on her. She would wag her tail the entire time - and then she would get a treat of some special food.  She healed much quicker than I expected and we thought we could relax for a while. That was in July.

About a month after she healed...the lump reappeared. It was not as aggressive nor was it very painful. We could touch it without her making a sound where previously she would fuss and cry. So we kept an eye on her and she went about her normal business as if nothing had changed and being on three legs didn't hinder her in the slightest. She could always make us smile, but it was touched with sadness, because we knew that the cancer was not going to let her stay as long as we wanted (as if it's ever long enough).

Her remaining front leg began to thicken ever so slightly - hardly noticeable at first. Then the growth appeared on her muzzle - it was spreading. Then her back legs began to thicken as well and we knew it was getting closer and closer. Except for Trouble's outlook - she still was happy go lucky, constantly wagging her  tail - and keeping Victor to the schedule of giving her her special food just before bedtime. She was downright insistent on it. And the lump where her scapula used to be continued to grow.

It became obvious that no matter how much she ate, it was no longer feeding her body - it was feeding the cancer - and she began to lose weight. The last week she dropped down to nothing. We had always used the measure of marking the time of a "decision" to be when a dog quit eating or lost the shine in its eyes where you could see they could try no longer. I looked at her and just knew there was no way that the rimadyl or tramadol was helping her any longer - yet she kept on, her behavior never changing, and still eating regularly.

I went ahead and called the clinic for a Saturday appointment so Victor could be there too. This was a different clinic than we usually use for the dogs, although they come out for the horses. The clinic was  crowded so we left her sleeping in the van for a bit while the clinic cleared out of its appointments. When it was calmer we brought her in and they put us in a room immediately.

What happened will be with me forever as an example of what a pure soul little Trouble (who was anything BUT trouble in her lifetime) truly was. Her front leg was so hardened that we thought being able to administer the shot would not be possible, so they were going to try a vein in her neck. The vet was so gentle with her and talked to her, and they began to give her the injection, but it ended up that the vein collapsed in the process. We watched her but it was obvious that she had not received near enough. She lifted her head and was looking up at the vet, and wagged her tail while he held her head in both hands and stroked her face. The assistant meanwhile had gotten some more of the solution and they quickly found an outside vein in her rear leg. And she was gone. Loving and friendly to the very end. And fearless.

We are heartbroken - she fought so long and never complained. It was almost like she did not want us to worry more.

In her remembrance, here is a link to a poem I found years ago:

http://gryffynsaeyrieborzoi.com/library/living.htm

Rest in peace, free of pain, in our hearts forever.

Rarities BIS Gryffyn's Aeyrie Gypsy Road

3/16/2005 - 2/12/2011

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!!

Silken Pups Galore!

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 luck, Chuck was in TX and we met that weekend for Kandi to head to KY with him.

I was dismayed to hear that neither Kandi nor Bruce showed much interest in each other. She had had a super-short cycle when at Mary's for her breeding with Dan when she was leased - so we figured we had missed the window. Francie kept them penned together during her stay and when we picked her up at Silkenfest, we did bring home Bruce for another try. She wasn't even swollen!

Trouble had come into season the Friday we were in MO for the show. We started noodling over that idea, and since it looked hopeless with Kandi, we opted for a breeding with Bruce and Trouble after a phone call to Chris.

Kandi didn't even really look preggers until the weekend prior to delivery, other than she had seemed to have a bit of extra hair. But her tuck-up disappeared
suddenly while we were in Texarkana for shows!

On the morning of June 19 she delivered 4 pups with no issues (she'd had primary inertia her first litter and a c-section) during delivery. She's being a wonderful mother and very attentive to her brood. Two boys and two girls - all extreme white, one little boy just has a speck of color on his right ear - the one with the most color is a wee female clone of papa Bruce.

Trouble's litter (her first) arrived on July 5 - 3 boys and 2 girls, all spotted gold brindles, although 1 girl has heavy striping which makes her look silvery, and 1 boy has hardly any and almost looks like a clear gold.

Pictures of Kandi's pups at 4 weeks:
http://www.gryffynsaeyrie.com/silken-m.html (the litter's page)
and more photos in the online album at
http://www.gryffynsaeyrie.com/gallery/kandi-bruce

Trouble's pups at 2 weeks with freshly opened eyes:
http://www.gryffynsaeyrie.com/silken-n.html
and their online gallery at
http://gryffynsaeyrie.com/gallery/trouble-bruce

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 - she has always been a hard one to work with!!). In the Bred By bitch class Luna was 2nd and Kandi 3rd. Our most amazing class performance was Trouble winning the largest class there - Open Bitch (11 entries). I don't think anyone recognized her since she was behaving so well! Siren, on the other hand, declined to participate and Victor couldn't even get her out from under the tent - she sat her hiney down and outright refused. Sylvi and VooDoo were also there but unfortunately didn't get placements. In the end, Trouble won Reserve Winners Bitch!

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!

Our Catalog Ad for SilkenFest

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

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. Hearing about Beta and his play style with the Bernese Mountain Dogs he shares the home with, and seeing a little video of it, I hoped his sunny outlook would help bring out Lola's personality.

Martha sent along a little video that shows that Beta and Lola are quite the cute couple and my hopes are coming to fruition - Beta is a great playmate, and Lola is interacting great with him.

Beta also had a little photo and modeling session for the In the Company of Dogs catalog and is currently featured in the image rotation on their web site's front page!


Lola also attended some shows the weekend after her arrival and did very well walking amongst the crowd and receiving attention from folks she didn't know. I look forward to more stories and pictures of her and Beta's adventures!

Beta Hams It Up

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 of Beta modeling one of Martha's biothane collar creations. Check out her website to see more of them!

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He was so well-behaved and such a hit they ended up asking us to stay for the whole day and using him for three products instead of one. He got to spend the day lying on a luxurious dog bed in the main house, rather than crated like the ‘heathen’ dogs and he even joined us all for lunch. Once he realized what was expected of him was to just lay there (on a fluffy throw, or in front of an ornate dog gate), and get praised for looking at us when we told him to, he was totally into it. He was still posing when the cameras were put away, and we had to remove him from the overstuffed antique couch, where I guess he thought he was staying for the night—which by the way, would have been fine with the owner of the estate!

They got some really nice pictures—cute shots with ears up, as well as very elegant shots with the “Sighthound” gaze. They are going to send me a CD with all the pictures and I’ll post them to the photos section when I get it.

There was an AKC breed judge there who totally fell in love with him and was watching for us to arrive. When she found out a Silken Windhound was coming to the photo shoot, she looked up the breed standards and history and she was duly impressed with Beta.

We had to make a stop at a Borzoi breeder vet on the way to the shoot this am. He has wanted to see Beta since he arrived here in September. When we got there he was in surgery, but ungloved and ungowned to come out and stack Beta and go over him. He was duly impressed, as well.

It was a great day for the little Silken Windhound boy.

The last shot they did on the antique couch was of him lying on a big fur throw the color of a fox/rabbit. Long haired, very realistic. When I brought him into the room and he saw it, his ears went straight up and I thought, "Ut-oh, he's going to kill the product--the very expensive product," but when he felt how comfortable it was to lay on, he just stretched out and lounged.

He had to be carried back and forth through the house all day because of the high polish on the floors, and 'placed' into position so as not to disturb the set-up. Hope he doesn't expect that treatment at home!

I got a call from the photographer's assistant last night thanking me and telling me how much they liked him and what a cooperative model he was. Can't tell him, though, seems like the experience has already gone to his head--I caught him posing on the bed signing autographs for the Berners this am!! LOL!

From Hell to Heaven (or close to it!)

I managed to survive "Hell Week"! Hoorah! And all the work resulted in some nice wins in both Silken Windhounds and Borzoi - so much the better!

At the inaugural Southern Silken Specialties in Georgia, Gabe was Reserve Winners Dog and Best Bred-By Exhibitor on Saturday and his uncle Tyler was Best Opposite Sex. Luna was Reserve Winners Bitch. At the Saturday specialty (the ISWS qualifier), Gabe was Winners Dog and then went on to win Best in Specialty Show!! He was also once again Best Bred-By. Luna was again Reserve Winners Bitch. For his trouble, Gabe got a lovely biothane sighthound collar - even more exciting, it looks like the collar's designer/creator will be getting one of our puppies!

Victor and Gabe on their big day

On Monday at the Rocky Mountain Borzoi Club specialty show, Nox went on to win Best in Sweepstakes and her brother Sasha (who lives in CO with Sylvia Sieverding) was Best Opposite in Sweeps! This was our second year in a row to win BISweeps - last fall it was Lars who took the honors. Faina won the Bred-By Exhibitor class and went on to Reserve Winners Bitch. Sasha won the 9-12 Puppy Dog class and then went Reserve Winners Dog. Solo won an Award of Merit. All in all a nice day!

RLynn and Solo, Award of Merit, RMBC Fall 2008
We also got to meet with our friends and extended family at both events. The Lockards brought Kenny to visit and show, and the Turnell's brought Bailey (Arthur/Miss T) and his little girlie friend they got from Sara. She's a petite little thing and cute as a button! There's never enough time to visit it seems like!

It took a couple days to recover from the trip, with my back acting up as well as an episode of costochondritis from sleeping (likely twisted) on a hard bed at KOA. But I still had a great time!

Hell Week??

"Hell" meaning way too busy for our own good, not bad news. Goodness there's just too much on our plates for the moment! Mostly because we are getting ready for 2 specialties that we will be tackling Labor Day weekend that are in opposite directions (Borzoi in CO and Silkens in GA) - and trying to prepare for them is a daunting task!

I had to go and pick up Solo who returned from shows in Topeka and Kansas City (with 5 BOB wins under his paw) that he attended with David. During that same errand I dropped off a newly bathed and groomed and a bit overwhelmed Wulf who will head to the Monroe, LA show cluster with Jill. Looks like little Wulf will be attending the Atlanta shows with papa Solo as well, and then a trip to NY.

We have LOTS of dogs to groom and earlier this week I tackled the task of brushing out what's left of J/T's coat (yay for puppy coat blow...NOT!) and then had to attempt to carve out Sassi's coat. Goodness, it's amazing what can happen in a year off! Even though she's in a state of blown coat (her topline is all shed out) she is still a very hairy beast. I managed to get her ears trimmed up along with those darned furry feet of hers and her tuck up. She's still hairier than several of the boys here and she's already rolling out her new hair. Looks like her kids here (J/T and Shugah) will also be the type to recover from coat blows quickly. Here's hoping!

Last weekend we worked on leash-breaking Ginger's hellion children - Perry took to it the best, with Pryss less so, and Darkun disagreeing mightily. In the end we managed to be able to get them to trot by our side. Hopefully they will keep this knowledge through the Silken specialty (where Perry will meet his new family and half-sister GoGo). Also getting another session on the lead was J/T who had a downright fit the first time around. He's much better and I hope he does not embarrass me outright with a public tantrum in CO.

Tonight we give the first round of vaccines to Josi and Serena's crew and begin Silken bathing. Victor is taking 8 with him to show at the GA specialty - Tyler, Gabe, Goth, Darkun, Luna, Trouble, Pryss and Kandi. Perry is also going and I think Susan may show him as well. Traveling with him will be our friend Vickie with her girl Sylvi (Bruce/Luna)...and Bitsy may be going to her new home as well!

Tomorrow night I will brush out and trim up Sassi's hairy half-brother Deckard and maybe bathe him. He poofs up after a bath and blow-dry so maybe by the time of the specialty his hair will have relaxed. Faina and Solo are still in good shape trim-wise after Fai's trip to Canada and Solo's midwest sojourn (since I tend to trim much less than David and Jill!) So that leaves the three young heathens in the girlie yard - Shugah, Nox and Pumpkin (2 of which hang out in the wading pool).

Add to all the doggie-duties - the vans have to be loaded for bear as well!

Victor leaves Friday morning, and I figure I'm leaving either Saturday night or early Sunday morning. Goodness, after all this work I hope we have some sort of success at these events ! At least we'll have fun!

Pupdate

This past Saturday we were blessed with a milder day than we've had in a while with a wee bit of cloud cover. It was almost comfortable outside before noon!

Serena and Josi's pups were introduced to the world outdoors...and each other - we weaned Serena's crew, so they will now live together for a while. They also got to meet Ginger's pups, Goth and QiQi as we let them out of the puppy pen to take advantage of exercise in the full yard.

We took new shots of Darkun, Pryss and Perry (Harper/Ginger) - they're in that leggy, uneven stage, but they still look pretty decent. Darkun's coloring has become richer and more vibrant - it will be interesting to see where he finally ends up.

The Duncan/Josi crew turned 6 weeks old the previous Thursday (14th) - they didn't crouch as much this time around for their photo session. Yay!

my fave girl - Smudge
This was the first stacked session for Serena's kids and they behaved pretty nicely! The worst, of course, was the smallest - she sure packs a lot of attitude into her little body. Some of them are getting call names...one being the tiny girl who is now called "Bitsy"...as any time we picked her up we would coo "look at the itsy bitsy puppy" . The blueish spotted girl has been dubbed "Smudge" because of the muddy markings around her upper lip, and the lighter sabled self brindle boy has now been named "Mo", because the coloring and markings on his face is like a mosaic. One of the boys also has been christened with his formal name...from a Led Zeppelin song...it was only natural that he be named Gryffyn's Aeyrie Black Dog .

Links to the updated pages are at http://www.gryffynsaeyrie.com/updates.htm

There's also a new shot of Goth - also in a leggy stage, but definitely in
need of a new picture.

Peaceful Puppy Moments

Of course with all the craziness and chaos that is our lives here at Gryffyn's Aeyrie, there is a balm to soothe the frazzled soul.

"Puppy TV" - otherwise known as sitting and watching our puppies while they are still in their "larval stage". That is really when it's the easiest, since mom's doing most of the work keeping them clean and fed. We can sit back and gaze at the little pink noses and wee pink feet that burst with color after they have had their fill at the "milk bar". Watching them twitch while they sleep the sound slumber of the innocent, and yawn as they begin to awaken. Sleep. Eat. Sleep. Eat.

I think that's what I am going to try and do this weekend. Housekeeping be damned.

The pups pictured above are from our L-Band litter. Not quite 2 weeks of age when the photo was taken. The colors are just turning more and more exotic. The pups pictured below are from the K-Band litter. They are getting more and more active and their personalities are beginning to come out.

Out Into the Big World (Kinda)

With the almost oppressive heat that has descended upon North Texas, Ginger's pups that remain here have been kept inside longer than our personal preference for optimum growth (much less, life experiences). We settled for a compromise and a few days ago started putting the rowdy trio into the puppy pen in the evening and they stay out the night with adopted brother Goth and surrogate sis Qiqi, along with Missi. Pryss, Darkun and Perry get to raise some cain throughout the night with their new buds and after we bring them in in the morning, they're a bit too tired to trash their kitchen area while we're away at work for the day. Perry will head to his new home (with half-sister GoGo) in Florida at the end of August!

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.

the "road of near-death" to KMR
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!

the back deck and its beautiful view
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 - it's not the most exciting of drives. While nearing Salina, KS we could see the threatening skies to the south. We didn't get rain until near Wichita, but in Oklahoma the skies burst and the winds really kicked in. It got to be too difficult to handle the Sprinter with the wind blowing the rain sideways - and the wipers could hardly keep up with the deluge. Near the exit for Enid (or some town beginning with an 'E'!) we pulled off into one of the truck parking areas, with some other cars coming in behind us. After about 30 minutes or so, we continued on our way, and we hit more heavy rain in Perry but the wind was much more manageable. Once we hit Oklahoma City, the roads were dry. Vickie took over the wheel again about 30 minutes from the state line as I was starting to completely fade. We got to her house about 4:30 that morning, and I arrived in McKinney 30 minutes later, just in time for Victor to wake up to begin the morning dog routine. After waking up the dogs from "road mode" and getting them out to do their business, I promptly passed out.

Another year's specialty trip come to an end.

always a winner in my eyes - Tyler
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

Post-Silkenfest Brief

Well....I guess it's what happens when a terrier man from another country judges sighthounds! C'est la vie! Or whatever "that's life" is in Spanish!

No "three-peat" for Tyler (aka "Wee-man") - actually he was completely shut out, without even an Award of Merit. But we still had fun seeing everyone again and meeting some new folk. The scenery was gorgeous (even if it did try to kill me - see future posts for that) to boot - both at the ranch and at the little cabin I had rented 20 miles away (pictures forthcoming).

Despite my dismay at some of the judging, some dogs I admired came away with honors - notably Dita (Talisman Maia Mudita Kumbaya). Tyler's pups from Cinder's breeding did well in their classes, with his daughter Ilsa earning Best Opp Puppy honors. Our color of the day seemed to be white (4th), with the exception of Luna, who earned 3rd in the Bred-by class, and Isaak and Trouble, who walked.

I also got to get an eyeful of prospective 'husbands' for some of the girls - always nice to see what else is out there that may complement our breeding goals.

Results are in!

Got the certificates from OFA for the dogs I had heart exams done at Silkenfest in May! Demi (borzoi), Trouble, Kandi and Luna (silkens) all passed and are now "cardiac-certified" by OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, Inc.). Don't have the certificates from CERF yet, but Kandi, Luna, Trouble and Demi all passed their eye exams as well and are listed in the CERF database at http://www.vmdb.org/cerf2.html