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.

Farewell Golden Boy

on the field

A great heart was stilled on one of the kindest Borzoi I've had the privilege of knowing and sharing my life with. I cannot thank Nadine enough for sharing him with me and Victor for all these years. He was a wonderful boy, who even while working through the results of a grave injury several years ago (ran into the cross-fencing and temporarily paralyzed from a spinal shock) and dealing with decreased mobility, maintained such a happy attitude and acted like he had never had a bad day in his life.

on the runway for a Christmas modeling show

Kalipso was a remarkable dog in so many ways - beautiful and talented and such a love. I believe he is still the youngest Borzoi to complete an AKC Dual Championship. He finished his conformation championship by taking Winners Dog from the 12-18 Month Dog class at the Rocky Mountain Borzoi Club specialty show under breeder/judge Gwen Post. He had also won Best Opposite in Sweeps under Rebecca Peters-Campbell there. We were pleasantly surprised by his enthusiasm for running sports considering he was such a large boy, and from lines that generally did not come to mind when thinking of lure coursing. He was remarkably agile for such a big boy, with that agility at speed garnering him a Best in Field win. One of his final wins was an Award of Merit at the Borzoi Club of America's centennial national specialty show.

Sadly, it came to a point where the meds could no longer help him, and he lost that sparkle in his eye and it came time to say goodbye. My heart hurts with emptiness.

BIF DC Rising Star Kalipso, SC FCh

May 20, 2002 - October 10, 2012

Farewell my golden boy.

http://www.gryffynsaeyrieborzoi.com/borzoi/kalipso.html

"Dear Mr. Obama"

The following was written by Amanda Kelly of Fwaggle Manchester Terriers. Amanda edits "Black and Tan" which is a breed specific magazine, and she was the editor of Canine Review, the Canadian version of Dogs in Review, for several years.

The potential impact and intent of the proposed USDA/APHIS regulation change are crystal clear, even to someone outside the US. The collapse of dog-breeding in the US thanks to this ill-thought regulation change will impact purebreds around the world. The loss of genetic material as US lines are lost will be devastating to all breeds. Not to mention the extinction of the well-bred family pet, raised lovingly in breeder homes.

Permission to cross-post with attribution.

------------------------------------------

Dear Mr. Obama,

By Amanda Kelly

What a fantastic photo of you and Bo playing in the yard. It is obvious that you enjoy each other very much -- how lucky you are to have such a wonderful family dog. But I wonder... would Bo even have existed if your changes to the Animal Welfare Act had already been made? After all, his breeder did have a website (if you haven't been there, you really should visit www.http://amigopwd.com/). Oh my God, you don't think they might have sold dogs to people in other parts of the country, do you? People who
didn't visit their homes in person to pick up their puppies? Oh wait...wouldn't that be people like you?

Under your new rules, after all, those breeders would automatically be subject to the licensing, inspections, and standards of the AWA. Sounds good, until you realize that means no more "home-raised" puppies. Uh-uh, no way -- USDA rules don't allow breeders to keep their dogs or puppies in the house, only in the kennel. And thank heavens, I mean, who would want a puppy raised in a home environment anyway... I'm sure you would agree that kennel dogs "always" make better pets. Right?

I'm sure Portuguese Water Dog breeders are also happy you chose their breed, if only to give their market a bit of a boost. After all, if they want to be allowed to have their dogs in the house, they will have to sell every one of their puppies locally so owners can pick them up in person. Whew, that's a tall order. Just imagine what a problem that would be for someone who breeds Manchester Terriers, say, or Sealyham Terriers, or Norwegian Buhunds. You mightn't have ever heard of these breeds, but they are really great dogs and their owners really love them. The trouble is, their breeders have worked really hard to protect them from popularity, over-breeding and the problems that come with it. I bet they're really kicking themselves now.

Most of these breeders have one or two litters a year as a hobby, their dogs live in their homes and they sell their puppies to people all over the United States and around the world. They have to, you see, because the market is relatively small and spread out. Guess they will have to move the dogs out to the kennel, breed them more often and get to work selling them to anyone with the money. Or maybe those breeds will just go extinct altogether. Well, that would be a shame, but why waste time worrying about that -- they have only existed for a few hundred years. and their owners are mostly just snooty people who love their dogs and like to go to dog
shows and agility trials and things like that. I mean, it's not like those leisure activities generate any income for their local economies.

And finally, whew, you won't have to worry about waiting around to find the perfect dog in the shelter, that's for sure, when the only people able to meet the USDA requirements are those with giant breeding operations, there will surely be lots to choose from. Won't it be perfect when all of the breeders of these rarer breeds are gone? If we're really lucky, the changes will take down all of the small breeders and when dog shows and trials collapse and some of the bigger breeds follow, we'll be set! Everyone can get shelter dogs -- it will be perfect. Well, maybe a little difficult for people who live in apartments and had their heart set on a small,
smooth-coated breed (they don't tend to be very popular among large volume breeders). Or families who have to think about allergies, I mean, it may be a little tough to find a reliably hypoallergenic breed down the road. Oh wait... isn't that you again?

Anyway, as I was saying, I'm so glad you are enjoying Bo. Be sure the press gallery takes lots of photos -- he may be one of the last of his kind.

Sign the AKC's petition to Protect Responsible Small Breeders here .

(The) Magik is Gone

Today the world is a less "magickal" place.

DC Chataqua Gryffyn's LaMagieContinue, SC SOR GRC FCh ORC
aka "Magik"
Nov 22, 2001 - June 6, 2012
she has joined her sister Sassi in the fields of heaven - Godspeed ladies

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

Ending 2010 on a High Note

December 2011 saw two Gryffyns complete the requirements for their AKC conformation championships!

First was Deckard, who took Winners Dog (and 1 Best of Winners) both days of the Conroe Kennel Club's show cluster. His finishing win was bestowed by breeder/judge Pat Murphy, Oaklara Borzoi. What a greay way to wrap up his show career (he hates showing, so this is it for him)!

Ch. Gryffyn's Aeyrie Blade Runner
"Deckard"

Our second champion of the month is miss Pumpkin. This Solo/Duri daughter has blossomed into a lovely little lady and she loves to show off (must get that from Dad)! She completed her championship at the Dallas shows, and some of her friends from the local performance club saw her - not used to seeing her all dolled-up and overgroomed! They usually see her in her normal "tomboy state."

Ch. Gryffyn's Aeyrie Incendio, SC
"Pumpkin"