Grins

Another try, hopefully it'll work. It doesn't show Grins too clearly, darnit, and ignore the strange noises, usually I can get Touchet to talk to me, and it's rather hysterical LOL

Fidget

LOL, thought this was Grins, but it's not, it's my 16.5 yr old baby Fidget and her 10 month old brat brother Pippens.

Sage is a Westerner

Sage left for Vegas yesterday, I gotta say, I absolutely hate flying dogs, but she got out on the other end like she'd always been there, and despite my telling my sister that she is on a diet, she got fed Fries because of her poor pathetic look. My neice told her mom that Sage was too skinny ROFL, I can see where this is going.

She starts handling classes this week. . .and Tricia has her first show picked out, I hope she does well for her, I hope she's a good girl, I miss her silly RAP(Russian American Princess) look, but I know she's happier without a hoard of dogs to contend with, and a couch to call her own.

ROFL

So, after our swimming today, we went for a three mile long walk, no, let me be true, HIKE in the woods, OMG, I am tired and sore. . .and guess what? She is too LOL. I went upstairs to read a bit, and fell asleep. When I got up, I asked her if she wanted to come downstairs, and she looked up and then thump, head fell back down.

Wow, it was like the trail rides I usd to do in Germany, and was a lot of hard work. Lots of up hill too, so worked the muscles hard. And gorgeous, wow, just gorgeous. . .we're goign to continue doing this, not only is it good to get her back into shape, but good hard work will take the weight off. . .

She's getting it

OK, so she still absolutely hates it LOL We have to drag her in, but once she gets in, she's fine. PIc is from the first day where they had to show her what they wanted, and the fact that she kept trying to crawl her way out. It's no longer a two person job other than to get her into the water. Now she'll follow me around the pool, and even is learning puppy turn when she needs to flip around and go the other direction. She had two 5 min swims today, and starte d out good, at good speed, good form, not so much slapping the water but actually doggy paddling. .but by the end of the session you could tell she was tuckered LOL. . .not that it lasted long, she's currently bouncing around the house LOL Silly ass dog

Bitches

Grr, Jim probably has cursed me, he commented Touchet's been flirting more than usual, hey, maybe the rest of the girls'll bring her in season early

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Due to logistics and money, I DO NOT want her coming in early!!

Grrrr

Gossip

So, day 3 of the Swimming therapy, to say she does NOT want to get into the pool is mild LOL. She is all happy to be there, until they open THE DOOR, and then she's bolting for the front door.

BUT she's getting the hang of it, she's swimming more than she's splashing, tho she's still doing some of that, and she actually did a swing around without touching the wall today on one of her threesomes(she did three sets of three laps). And she is using her rear, I see the air bubbles with each powerful stride. I can already feel some difference, but know her old strength is a few weeks away.

She's got every other day until Tuesday, goes in on Wed, and then out for 10 days and start back up 3 times a week. Trying to figure out how to jury rig a toy that she can have fun swimming with, unfortunately not being a lab, chasing balls thrown in the pool is not of her venue LOL I'm thinking of either getting a lunge line and a fake rabbit fur, or even foam balls with rabbit fur glued to it. Got two days to figure something out.

She's currently zoned out LOL. . unfortunately, her exhaustion doesn't last her long anymore.

sage

In a week or two, Ms Sage will be heading out West.
I'd been toying with placing her, in a pet home even, as she's not happy as a yard dog, but right now, with Gossip being housebound, and 16+ yr old fidget cat being sick with kidney failure, there's just no room. I don't know if I'll ever get her in the ring,money & time only allows me to do so many dog events, and i"d much rather go racing with Gossip once she heals. I hated the thought of spaying her, as I love her pedigree and would like to get another litter out of her, but it also wasn't fair to keep her in an unhappy situation.
Then pops in my sister. . .years ago, before Mollie died, she'd been on my waiting list for a puppy, but with the subsequent events, she couldn't get one. Things have gotten better, and she got a Bernese Mountain dog that was supposed to be showable, after geting f*cked over by a breeder (boy does that soundf amiliar), she has an expensive, if sweet pet, and the damn show bug has infected her. LOL. . .She muttered ot me in a complaining email that she wished I had something ready to show now, as she awnted to show. . .and I thought of Sage
Sage is a beautiful, mature bitch, typey, good sidegait, beautiful coat, a little hockey, and head not as pretty as I would like. . .also a soft girl who needs a gentle hand or she'll melt. We call her the drama queen or the Russian American Princess for a damn good reason LOL. If the other dogs get into a squabble, she screams and darts into a dog house or behind someone. I love her, but she needs a different home than I can currently give her.
I don't know if she'll finish, she's small and doesn't have the great showy attitude, but she'll be a good learning dog with Tricia, and in a few years if all is well, we'll breed her again. She gave me such a lovely litter the first time, but most of all, she's going to be much happier where she's going. .Tricia betetr just treat her like the RAP she is ;)

Swimming Borzoi

Well, we survived our first session LOL.

Gossip thought it was wonderful, as all three workers came out and made a huge fuss over her. The owner went over her, and mentioned that she really wasn't in that bad of shape, told her I agreed, but that she had lost some conditioning over the last 4 months.

There was some worry that their life vests might not fit such a big, long girl, but they finally got something worked out. As they opened the door to the pool, Gossip darted in all excited. . but then realised she didnt' want to be there!

they walked her in, a nice long ramp into the pool, with me on the other side of the pool calling her, and first time around, she would scramble to get out if they let her get near the edge, I thought maybe this wasn't a good idea. they let her get out, relax, and back into the pool

This time, much better, actually saw her swim a little, tho she'd still scramble to get out of they let her get too close to the edge.

Third time, even better, lot more swimming, long as mom was ahead of her and she could see me. Only scrambling was towards the end to come back up the ramp, she didn't want to do the ramp, she wanted to get out over the edge.

Fourth time was a two-fer(around twice). . and she swam the entire way, tho she cut across the pool halfway towards the second one as she saw me at the exit. When she came out, I could tell she was one tuckered puppy, not the bouncy happy Borzoi who came in.

She was a bit sore, next time I'll walk her some more before we head home, but when we did get home, she crashed on her bed, and crashed hard. LOL Just what Mom ordered. . .

It was really neat to see the lightbulb click on in her head, and they said the 1st time was always the worst, but that she caught on quickly.

I tried to take video, it was too dark, so next time we'll take more pics. . I'm glad i found a way to tire her out without reinjuring that damn toe!!

I never learn

Not to doubt myself

I cancelled Gossip's toe surgery as she ran around the front pasture alone, and didn't come up lame

I ran her around the front pasture with Grins, who was being Mr D*ckhead, and she didn't come up lame.

So I was like wow, maybe that damn toe has finally healed!! Had it xrayed, nothing, examined, some thickening of the joint, but the vet thought it wasn't anything to worry about.

And as my luck would have it, she came up lame again today. DAMNIT!

So she goes in for a checkup with the main Vet this Friday, but I made an appointment to have that toe taken off. . .she is my top racing dog, I do not want to have her out for another 2 months in hopes it'll heal, only to have her reinjure it and be out two MORE months for surgery and recoup.

Gads, i'm so damn stupid

preparations

So, got the thumbs up from Touchet's co owner, and we're goign to go ahead with the young boy I want to use. . any breeding is a crapshot with her age, might as well go for the one I really really want.

Touchet has so much to offer, beautiful width, spring of chest, little ears, dark eyes, nice hare feet and a wonderfully sweet temperament. Hoping she'll do her silly Borzoi dance for me so I can video tape it this weekend, as she's hysterical. Her beau in waiting has the things she needs, from straight, low set tail, to a slightly flatter topline, to prey drive. . omg does he and his entire litter have prey drive.

I hope she gives me 5 pups. . one for Marie, one for Tricia, one for John, one for me, and one other to sell. .as this is going to be one expensive endeavour, but if we get pups as nice as the first one, it'll be worth it. To tell you the truth, there were only 2 pups out of her first litter i'd consider as nonshowable, the rest are gorgeous, even if they are in pet homes.

So, later this month will get her thyroid done, and retest her heart. it was clear 18 months ago, but I forgot to send it into OFA. . and if I can get her eyes done, will get her CHIC number. .not concerned about eyes, but stud dog owner wants the thyroid. Fine by me. I'm doing the heart due to the BS so many spread about all pickle hill dogs having bad hearts.

An era shall soon end

Wasn't bad enough that I got the bad news my 16+ yr old cat has kidney failure, I get an email that Nakita, from my very first litter of Borzoi, is failing. . amazingly, it's not her heart, which was ruined by the infection her a**hole first owner and cobreeder let rage thru her system because she was too cheap to take her to the vet, it's her rear. .she's having problems getting up. . she's always been heavy, which doesn't help. . .

I didn't expect Nakita to reach 7, let alone 10+. . because of the problems she has gotten. Amazing, she lived past her sister who died in a stupid yard accident and her brother, who both got more loving and dotting care throughout their life vs nakita who didn't start to be loved until her a**hole first owner sold her.

I have no clue if the other two are still alive, Sinbad's owner has become a recluse, I guess I'll email Edna Hanley and ask her if she knows, and Ace was sold outof the country to spite me. . .so Nakita may be the last of my first litter. . .

At least she lived the last 8yrs very loved, very spoilt, and taken well care of. Her owner even put AC in the house, just for her. . .