weather

the weather outside is frightful. . .

nah, just cold, dreary, and may be dropping a couple of inches of snow on us today, to turn to freezing rain tonight, drive to work should be FRIGHTFUL. . if I can get down the hill . .who knows, maybe Baltimore may close down again tomorrow :)

The Golden Child Surya with his lamb in the last snow fall
I love photos of snow and ice. . dont' know why, always have


Isn't it so pretty? :)

Ah, the Joys of breeding. .

How is it, the idiot down the road can throw his dogs together and wham bam thankyou ma'am, they have a breeding and with little to no problem they have puppies?

Grins' girlfriend is in season. There were two that were being bounced back and forth, and although this isn't the one I prefered, she is a nice bitch none the less. She runs, the entire litter does, he improves her tank wide front, tho they're both moderate in the rear. Unfortunately,(fortunately? LOL) they're both full speed ahead personality LOL I've already got a name picked out for my studfee puppy LOL there might even be a blue :) YUMMY!! Hope so, her papa is a dilute.

Anyway, day 13, and nothing LOL. . .so much for the books. . .Does NOT help that we're attempting to do this when it's been 20-40 out, and I've still got this damn cold, tho now it sounds like it's trying to settle into my lungs, OH JOY!

It does make me laugh about the guy who'd wanted to breed to Dei but when nothing came on day 12, he swore something was wrong with his male and gave up. . .I got her bred, but it was day 17-21, nowhere near day 12. Only time'll tell if it took. If it didn't, she'll be spayed. She's already eight. . .granted, she's a young 8. . .LOL. She is unusually bitchy, put Gossip in her place. . so that's a good sign LOL Kyra only ever was bitchy when she was pregnant. .

We had visitors last weekend, and they didn't believe Touchet was 10. . yes, my golden girl turned 10 last weekend. And she spent it playing with the babies and flirting with Stardust :) Such a silly golden snausage she is. The longetivity of her lines is one of the reasons I wanted her, her father lived to be 12.5, her mother the last time I talked to Fern was still going at 12.5+.

Think Gossip & I are going to go hiking Sunday, maybe I'll take Dei, i'm not allowing her to rip roar around the yard, she has a bad habit of launching herself onto dog houses, which is bad on ice, so she's not getting a lot of excercise. She doesn't mind, she'd rather sleep in the house anyway. Loch Raven Reservoir is a wonderful place to walk, just been too damn cold to do much of anything, but it's supposed to be mid 40's this weekend, almost a heatwave! And with nothing else to do, sounds like a good plan. Get Gossip back in shape for this spring :) And keep Dei in shape.

Next weekend is a seminar, and picking up the 30 gallon salt water tank I'm being given. Coworker doesn't have time for it anymore, goign to try and figure out how to set it up as refugium for the 55, adds additional filtration as well as a breeding ground for the copepods my little Dragonnette needs to survive. . probably spend the next two weekends cleaning the tank. Salt water is a lot harder than fresh, not as bad as I thought it'd be, but it can be a PITA. . .especially if you don't keep up on the scraping of the algae. . need to get some more snails. . .expensive little hobby it is, but we enjoy it.

Bonnie's got a handyman tenant, which has me tickled pink. He's going to fix the Aframe, build a teeter for me, and with his help, I'm going to fence in an area at the top of the hill to work Gossip on the property :) Don't do it now, as I don't trust her off leash with all the damn bunnies and deer. it's nicely shaded up there, so it won't be too horrid come summer, but when it is, I can always go to Forest Hill and use that place. It'll be nice to be able to set up my weaves, which are currently in shambles, and be able to work them religiously. . .will also be able to setup jumps, with the shade it doesn't need quite as much mowing. . .I can't wait.

And wishing there was more rally in the next month. There's a hound show next month, I'd love to take Gossip and Umbra too, but it's NORTH Jersey, and weather this time of year is a huge ass crapshoot. May try Syracuse, see old friends, and show her there. She's looking nice, except for those damn spots. .

New pet

I made the mistake of going to Petco the other night. Pandora the thyroid kitty hasn't had her normal appetite since she got a cold(don't blame her), and was looking for smelly cat food to help entice her to eat. Cats can kil themselves by not eating.

Walked by the salt tanks . .despite some say, I've had pretty good luck with my petco fish vs other specialty stores. In fact, out of the fish in my 55, all but the Bengaii Cardinals, the Watchman goby & the Yellow wrasse all came from Petco. . .

Anyhow. I noticed they had a new shipman in, and low and behold, I realised they had a pair of Mandarin Dragonnettes.
Sorry the pic's not the greatest, I've learned it's really hard to get good photos of my fish. Anyway, Mandarin's are the coolest, most pschydelic fish ever. .I've wanted one for months, but didn't want to spend $30 on a fish that may or may not make it. These are BUGGERS to keep alive, due to the fact it's hard to get them to eat anything but copepods (Google in, itty bitty tiny shrimp like things)

Poor guy was in a itty bitty tank with one live rock. It's highly unlikely he'd've made it for any amount of time in that tank. I brought him home, set him up in the 55, and drove out to lancaster and picked up two bottles of copepods.

These guys are the hummingbird's of the fish world, constantly eating. A lot of people will get angry at you for even trying one of these in anything smaller than a 75 gallon tank. I'm going to try my best, but also know that the odds are stacked against him. Will buy some more copepods next paycheck, and hope I can seed the tank and refuge enough that he'll make it, but at least he has a chance in this tank. I have been learning a lot about this fish over the last 16 months., . so many don't learn before they buy(like the lady who bought the huge damn yellow tang to put in a tank smaller than mine. . and this fish was too big for MY tank. Geesh!)

vet speaks out on PETA & Westminster

Couldn't've said it better. . PETA sucks, PETA is the Nazi's of the new world, please please please do not donate money to PETA.

Permission to crosspost: Only if you copy and past in a new e-mail and don't just forward~!!!!!!

Thank you Libbye Miller DVM for stating:

"Adorable mixed breeds" get cancer, epilepsy, allergies, heart
disease, and orthopedic problems just like purebreds. I see it every
day in my veterinary practice but mixed breed dogs aren't tracked like
the purebreds so they have a reputation as "healthier" that is actually
undeserved in many cases."

It is so sad that a lot of folks, including young veterinarians these
days, buy into the "hybrid vigor" baloney. The vet schools have been
infiltrated by the Animal Rights Extremists, who are teaching them this
junk science in order to push their agenda.

All animals have a certain amount of genetic load, which is to say
there is absolutely no animal without some genetic problem of some sort
of another. Know anyone who wears glasses? Has allergies? Thyroid
problems? Weak knees? Flat feet? A skin condition? Arthritis? A gap
between their front teeth? These are all genetic imperfections.

No human is genetically "clean." Neither is any individual of any
species on earth. So this idea that dogs should not be bred because
they might have a genetic problem, and that breeders are somehow "evil"
for breeding them, is ridiculous. Every single individual of every
single species has at least a few genetic conditions.

To use PeTA's logic, all breeding of all kinds (including having human
babies) should halt immediately. And to be honest, Ingrid Newkirk (the
woman who founded PeTA) does believe exactly that. She thinks that
humans should become extinct, along with dogs, cats, etc. This
ridiculous scenario is precisely what she would like to see happen.

So folks, if that is what you want...if you agree with Ingrid
Newkirk's whacky views, send your hard earned money to PeTA. They will
help to ensure you are not able to own a dog or cat or hamster or any
other pet in the future. They will see to it that you can't eat meat or
fish or eggs or any type of animal-based nutrition. They will work to
shut down places like Sea World, the zoos, etc. so you cannot observe
the many wonderful animals on the Earth. Eventually, once they
accomplish these things, they may turn their efforts to making it
illegal for humans to procreate.

If you don't agree with their extremist views, wise up and start
supporting those who truly do love, care for and enjoy interaction with
other species here on our little blue planet.

The fanciers of the breeds, those you see exhibiting their dogs at
Westminster and other dog shows, work very hard to eliminate serious
genetic conditions. They screen their breeding stock with every
available test. They research pedigrees before breeding into other
lines, to check for similar clearances in those animals. They
contribute money to research organizations to further the work being
done to track down genetic problems. They contribute blood, cell
samples, etc. from their own animals to help with DNA and genome
studies. They have made great progress so far, and they continue to
work hard at it.

Are there unethical breeders? Certainly, there are. Just as in any
group of humans, you will find the good and the bad. United States VP
Elect Joe Biden, for example, managed to find a not so good one when he
got his new German Shepherd puppy. I don't know who did his research
for him, but they obviously didn't do their homework if they were
looking for a responsible breeder. Joe has the right to get his dog
from whomever he wishes, but if he was trying to set an example of
purchasing from a responsible hobby breeder he went off the track this
time. That's too bad, but it was his choice.

Unfortunately, breeders like that may be a lot easier to find because
of their high volume and high profile. If you are looking for a nice
family pet from a breeder who will be there for you forever, you need
to do due diligence. You won't get that from a pet store. You won't get
that from the guy selling dogs out of his pickup truck in the WalMart
parking lot. You won't get that support from a high-volume breeder,
either. Yes, it takes a little more time and effort to find someone who
really cares and does all the work to breed the healthiest, happiest
puppies possible and then stands behind those puppies.

This is a living being that will be part of your family, hopefully,
for many years. Isn't it worth a bit of effort to find a breeder who
will be there for you and that puppy forever?

And guess what? Shows like Westminster are a very valuable resource
for finding breeders who do care and who use the best possible
practices, as well as for learning more about the various breeds.

Bravo to USA Network for broadcasting the Westminster Kennel Club show
all these years. May they enjoy continued success through the ongoing
inclusion of such programs. I will be eagerly watching this year's
show!"

Dr. Libbye Miller
Elizabethtown, KY

www.swissstarsaints.com

1st client!

A friend of mine got an Aussie who's a typical Aussie, her previous aussies had been happy to not have a job, but not Quincy. He's a busy boy who NEEDS a job. . .so I offered to take him and work him Rally and then on to 'real' OB with him for his owner, and she's tickled pink. So starting Monday we'll be back in class, I can rotate him & Gossip out so she doesn't get bored. He's a sweet boy, just needs some work. I'll also be taking him over for agility workouts :) Working with him gives me more confidence :)

Also pays for my renting of the room, so basically get to work Gossip for free. Working either dog for an hour is too much for their wee brains. . . :)

More video's of us playing

Gossip

Enjoy, one of the few photos you'll ever see of me. I hated pictures taken of me when i was skinny, hate 'em more now. Unlike our first leg, this was an indoor show, so I got a photo taken. :) Doesn't she look proud of herself

So, as we're freezing our you know what's off (it is currently 8 degrees here in Baltimore), I've been trying to work with Gossip inside. One of the next things we have to learn in Rally is how to back up, WITHOUT sitting. It's proving to be harder than you'd think, and I'm trying to remember anytime she backs up to PRAISE her, in hopes that she'll suddenly get it like she's gotten so many of her 'tricks'. I'm also attempting to teach her to bow, problem is, she's so used to dropping that butt in a down, I have to try and catch it before it gets there LOL. . .She has learned to circle me continously :) yeah, the stupid silly things we do with our dogs

really need to get back into the swing of things for Agility training. That's Gossip up above doing jumps, really pleased with the way she's coming around.

Can't remeber what this is LOL Not as great as Never say Never Greyhounds videos, but considering I'm EXTREMELY new at this, I think she looks good. this is with my old camera which was on the blitz, we'll see what the new one looks like. Think I'll reserve an hour next week and go out and play

Sucks that it's too damn cold here to do it, and I don't trust her off leash here, it's not fenced in. Wish I could rent the above facility by the 1/2 hr, as with Dei being bred, Gossip's the only one I have that I can work, tho I could start training Grins. Gossip just shuts down after an hour of training. Tho I guess I could do a bit of agility with her, and start working Grins or Umbra on rally.

Additional photos

Mom, Dad, & Favorite sister
Attempted to get a photo of the beautiful sunset off the mountains during
the trip from Anaheim to Las Vegas. What took us 4 hrs to get there, took us 7+ to get back. Winds were so fierce it blew over a semi truck . .Not my idea of a great place to live

Part of the gate into Mickey's Toontown

My horse envy came out, what a lovely hunk of horse flesh :)

It's a small world dressed up for Xmas :)

Holiday Photos

So, life has finally slowed down a bit. Both Pandora & I caught a nasty cold, her's sent her to my vet, as she only weighed 6 lbs when I got her back from the vet, and she lost more weight. A cat who can't smell, doesn't eat. Me, it just affects my ability to breath

Anyway, thought I'd share some of my favorite photos of my trip
My little sister, not the littlest, but next littlest, she'll be 21 on Sunday, wow, I remember her being Bubba's size, and my adorable 3 yr old nephew Bubba, who LOVED his camera he got for xmas ;)

Right inside Disney :)

Mom's alien kitty :)

Little sister's monster Kitty Pooh

Bubba and HIS dog, Ms Sage, who went to live with them last year, and they adore her and she adores them

DC Silkenswift Blaze of Chaos SC, CD, LCMIV, SORCII, SGRC

I first met Blaze oh ,back in 1999 I think it was, at a regional specialty, I liked him, a lot, nice substance and width, beautiful head, nice sidegait. He wasn't as outgoing as my Kyra, but he was yummy in every way, including being a proven producer of multiple running dogs.

I contacted his breeder/owner in Spring of 2000, and asked her about bringing my Kyra to Blaze, and she gave Kyra the nod. November 2000, the Queen litter was born. All I had wanted in that litter was one good running dog, I got more than that.

Eight of the resulting nine puppies ran, one of them didn't go beyond his JC due to his Owner being afraid to let go, another became pointed in ASFA, LGRA & AKC before his owners decided they couldn't send him away with Sara anymore, another, Gossip's daddy, was pointed LGRA, NOTRA, AKC & in the ring when I lost him, and of the remaining 6, 5 of them finished some sort of field title, with Mir finishing his DC.

Unfortunately, Wings was in a horrid vehicle accident which has left a lasting impression on him, and he can no longer go places, as he is absoulutely terrified of the car. Eros will be seeing the ring this year, and I hope he'll finish his LCM or LCX, and maybe his GRC(If we can get him over his damn box phobia lOL. Obie, Obie was a dream, and pointed towards a number of titles that he never accomplished due to time and money, but most of all he was my best friend.

Those 5 puppies accomplished between them 15 titles, but are also titled towards 26 more. Maybe some of them will get finished, maybe not, but IOW, this litter went beyond my dreams.

My resulting litters have not had nowhere near the quality that one was on the field. It wasn't what I'd consider my best conformation litter(that would be the Gossip litter), but it was the best performance litter.
It included:
1 AKC Best in Fields
1 ASFA Best In Field
4 AKC Field Champions
4 ASFA Field Champions
2 Lure Courser of Merits
2 Gazehound Racing Champion
1 Supreme Gazehound Racing Champion
1 Oval Racing Champion
1 Dual Champions

Hopefully my next litter, linebred on Blaze, will give me once again the quality of the Queen litter. . only time'll tell.

Here is Blaze, at 10+, being shown at the BCOA national sweeps back in 2004. It shows more than anything what I saw in him the first time. .

He's been gone a few years now, but he's still sorely missed

AKC's stupidity

Yegods, AKC is driving me nuts, they are wanting to 'tax' dogs who are entered in anythingh, $25 a year. . .why? Why do they need this money, let me quote some of the BS i read.

"To begin with, I will discuss the Future Program. Conceptual in nature, and still in the research stages, this is an idea with two primary goals. The
concept was shared at the August Board Meeting and with the Coordinating Committee in October. My idea is to develop an initiative to improve breeding programs and maintain access to quality breeding stock for you, our core constituency, for generations to come.How many of us have dreamed of breeding to Shirkhan, Ceiling Zero, Dictator or the Brat. The first priority of the Future Program is the collection of frozen semen for the breeding of outstanding dogs.**

My problem with that is what makes an outstanding dog? What my opinion of an outstanding dog may not be what others may think, so why should I donate money to preserve a dog I think is a poor example of the breed? I'd've paid a lot to have Blaze(DC Silkenswift Blaze of Chaos SC, CD, LCMIV, SORCII, SGRC) or Radi, or CH Windrift Kindred Spirit or a number of other 'outstanding' dogs and have them available for future generations, but there are a LOT of other dogs I think never should've joined the gene pool. . who's to decide? There are dogs people RAVE about, and I look at and see a dog who couldn't move his way out of a paperbag let alone run, and that's probably the crap we'd have preserved by AKC.

Or as in the case of a very well used male, he was put down due to temperament after he turned on his owner, but he's already produced 6-8 litters. (and the temperament has shown up in numerous litters)

Who's going to decide which dog is an outstanding specimen? Someone suggested #1 producers, considering some of the #1 producers have been bred quite a few times, why in hell would we want that? #1 borzoi? Bah, there's some that have gone to that title that make me gag. . .

AKC needs to keep their fingers out of the cookie jars, and worry about what they're involved with now. Other reason they're thinking of doing this is revenue's down, well then cut corners. . this will only have the side affect of stopping people from showing puppies and veterans they 'play with' in the ring. I showed Umbra four times last year, entries are expensive enough without adding this dumb ass tax. People won't enter puppies in shows/specialties for experience, prices are cost inhibitve as it is, without adding a stupid 'tax'. .

Dog show entries are down, it's a fact. People just can't justify spending so much money on dog shows when the economy sucks. There's rarely breaks for puppies or BBE dogs anymore, this keeps people from entering more dogs. . .go to the root of the problem, don't create more

Touchet's new job

I can't believe Touchet'll be 10 in about a week. . she doesn't act it, doesn't look it, it's amazing. Heck, I saw 3 yr old dogs from a prominent kennels who look twice the age she looks(already broken down in pasterns and rear). Nobody who sees her believes her age.

Since getting spayed, she has gotten fat, so she was given a new job, being Auntie to the two puppies Bonnie got last fall. . and she LOVES it(and they love her)
She is so gentle with them, but they keep her bouncing and playing

She will tell them off if they get rought with her, they're 7 months or so old, and already almost as big as she is.

She was always sooo good with Gossip's litter, I knew she'd make a good nanny for these two girls.

I just love going out and watching them play with her

Yes, she's usually the wolf in their play

Just thought I'd share :) I love my new camera

Things a going on

Can someone explain to me the common sense of creating a night time medicine, that ONLY lasts 4 hrs? By the time you can fall asleep, you've been tossing and turning for an hour, and then by the time you feel crappy enough to wake up, the previous dosage is already gone, and you have to toss and turn until the new dosage kicks in. .it makes absolutely NO sense to me at all. . .

I think I may've finally recovered from jet lag, only to be waylayed by a bugger of a sinus problem. . .

Vacation was typical of a vacation. .fun, stressful, went too fast, frustrating. . funny, when I got on the plane to head to Vegas, put on my ipod, and 1st song that comes up in the shuffle is ZZ Top's "Viva Las Vegas" LOL. boy I sure do miss my family. .Bubba is a handsome little boy. Yaya is a brat, but aren't most almost 9 yr old? Bubs is a little booda bellie boy, can't believe that 4 month old baby weighs in at 20 lbs, and J is growing into a handsome teenager. . Linnie is a brat, as usual. . .17 going on 7. . .

Disney was fun, albeit 5 days there is a long damn time. . .only one mishap and maybe one day Yaya'll forgive her Aunt LOL. Vegas is actually tolerable this time of year, a little chilly some days, but otherwise, not miserable. .but too damn brown. . I couldn't live there, the lack of colours in the desert is sad to me. . as we drove to Anaheim all I could think of was how blah it was out there. . if you live in the desert and love it, great, but don't get angry with me because I don't like it. I like my greens and yellows and reds and purples. . even the occasional whites LOl

Was amazed in Anaheim that flowers were blooming, from day lillies, to birds of paradise, to roses, but there were days where it was warmer home than it was even in California. Unfortunately, Marie & my schedules did not overlap at all, she was on the East coast when I was in California, would've loved to've seen my buddy (and Gossip's other momma)

The wind in between Vegas & Anaheim is strong and amazing. We saw half of a double wide ripped off its trailer and the trailer itself further down the road, looking like toffee some child had played with then tossed away. boggles your mind to think of the strength of the wind that ripped those hold downs apart. Mom told me there are some days that stretch of road is closed down to any and all semi's, due to the force of the wind. Just amazing. Nothing but flat desert, nothing to break up the wind, so it hits like a freight train.

While I was away, Eros got a thorough grooming, and looks really nice. Bonnie's groomer did a lot better job than I would've, I'd've got frustrated and hacked away, because he's a PITA, and managed to get some herbage entangled in his britches. . .but Mary is soo patient. . .but of course, with the way vacations get away from you, I forgot what day it was, and missed the dog show entry for him. .damnit. Oh well, Kari has time to work with him, and I have time to get him into better shape.

And oh well, it allowed me to spoil myself for the first time in like ever. . .I was bad, never spent this much money on myself on anything but a dog. . .I bought myself two late Christmas presents. . a HP Photosmart printer(Does it all, printer, scanner, copier, photo printer), and even more tickled a new Nikon Coolpix p80. . .haven't had energy(due to being sick) or weather(been horrid) to play with it yet, but I can't wait :) Jim helped me pick it out, since I had no clue what I was looking at and he's a photographer geek :) So it's a really nifty little camera