march, what a busy month

what a busy week last week was

Started off with a whirlwind trip to NC and back in less than 36 hrs. Ouch. . .left here and the weather was horrid, high winds, cold rain, lost electricity 5 mins after I left. . my poor salt tank got hit, lost my favorite salty. . .will look for another one as soon as the 105 is finished for my birthday :) Tony & gossip in the backseat, Drummer in the crate in the front seat. For an 11 wk old puppy, Drummer was an ANGEL!! A little singing, then I'd hear a huge sigh and flop as he plopped back down. Tony was the perfect little traveler too.

Weather was nasty until we hit the WV/VA border, then it eased up, but still overcast.. VA is lovely, and made me miss NY, but weirdly reminded me more of Germany. There were some great landscapes, but nowhere to pull over and snap a photo, so just enjoyed them as I drove. . once we hit the NC/VA Border, the skies cleared up and the sun came out.

Drummer saying hi to Ripple the silken

We finally got there at like 3:30 Saturday. Placed Drummer in the back yard with two silkens, two boxers and a boston, and within 10 mins he was racing around like he'd always been there, totally totally in love with the silken who is 2 wks older but about the same weight.

Brixs & Ripple

Introduced Tony to his new mama and put him in the backyard, where he was surprisingly gentle with the two pups, didn't leave him long or alone, before putting him up for awhile and bringing Gossip in.

Gossip and Manning

Manning, my friend's cat, decided Gossip was THE THING, and kept following her around the house, attacking her tail. She ignored him until he got close, and then he was subjected to the same thing her cats are: a face washing, not impressed, he bolted for a seat and laid in wait until she went to sleep, then he snuck up, and started chewing on her feet. LOL She's such a good girl, she just ignored him.

Got to see the Brooks/Sage kiddo Payton. As puppies, he and Kani were twins, he's gotten more cream/red in his coat now, she's still a very naked silver brindle. He's also huge, especially in comparison to his sisters LOL It was so nice to spend time with his mom, she's an absolute trip and adores the boy.

Payton 4.5 yrs old, sorry, didn't level the camera

Turned around 10 am the next morning and headed home, again, was beautiful until I hit the VA/NC border, then got overcast. The Potomac was horridly overflooded, brown rapids with thick chocolate caps as it crashed along its beds. really wish I could've pulled over to take a photo, as it was gorgeous, but alas, nowhere safe to pull over and with a promise of a nice dinner at my favorite restuarant was just wanting to get home.

Bella brat getting the bunny

Got home and I SWEAR those girls doubled in size while I was gone. They were not happy with the rain, first day in the boarding kennel, and refused to go outside to potty, but the rest of the week was gorgeous and they have been very good little monsters, going outside to play and potty. I am so very pleased.

Even better, they've met other breeds, including some border terrorists, that bark bark bark, and the girls are NOT at all bothered by them, bouncing around to say hi to them. My attempts to make them bomb proof is really seeming to work, as even Drummer has not been phased by much in his new home.

Joy meeting her uncle Misha, who she'll be living with


Friday I visited with Joy's new home and then repacked my car, removing over 20 toys from the trunk, collection that has grown for 8 yrs from when Obie was running and winning so much to Gossip's toys, what Surya hasn't stolen that is lOL I now have room back there!! WOW!!! :) Went to bed, and tried to sleep.

Gossip saying hi to a Fergie Puppy

It's cheaper with my car for me to drive and back then try to find a hotel in NJ for under $50 a night that accepts dogs. OTOH, I hate getting up that early. 4:30 rolls around and I SOOO do not want to get up. Gossip was up and ready, so much like her uncle Obie in that aspect, if it were a show date, she'd know somehow and not be ready LOL. Load the car up with dogs and head out.

I dressed in layers, but those layers came off as soon as I got there. Some people looked at me like I was nuts, but by 10 they were telling me I was the smart one LOL It was a beautiful almost 80 degree day, clear sky, beautiful field, nice entry of 11 zoi after one of the FTE failed her training run.

Lots of great races across the breeds, with dogs making the line judges job hard, but for the most part, beautiful clean racing all day long. The high point races with Orleans, Focus, Gossip, Mrs Peel & Padua were amazing(no, not all at once, but they all ended up in high point at least once). Gossip kept fooling with Focus' mind by letting her lead til the last 20 yds, where she'd suddenly put on a burst of speed and cross the line pulling away from her competition. She has started a new HORRID technique at the end that involves throwing herself down on her side on top of the bunny and sliding into home base. And yet again, she decided to macrame herself with the line. Enough to make you shudder the way she does it.

Jim Saklad got some awesome shots I'll post as soon as I get them, including a series where you see Focus is ahead and then see Gossip go GOODBYE!!! LOL

Her cousin Dillon(his grandfather is Mir, brother to Gossip's sire Races) had a wonderful weekend, picking up 3 GRC points his first time out. It's so funny, one of his breeders keeps track of racing thru facebook LOL I post the race by race results as they come about. LOL I love the internet and my iphone!

Racemeet ended with Gossip taking 4 NRC points, Focus 2 NRC points, Padua placing third (1 NRC & 3 GRC), Dillon & First tying for fourth, and Reba coming in 5th,c an't remember the rest off the top of my head.

Sunday, earlier roll call, trip starting off by my car getting the first bunny of the day, ewww, the sound of it rolling around in my tire, dumb bunny. Get there, less dogs, but an even more beautiful day.

Gossip ended the weekend undefeated, tho if she keeps up this waiting til the last moment to fly by the dog ahead, she's going to end up misjudging. . .and with 7 NRC points. Reba & First tied on Sunday, taking 3rd & 4th behind Dillon, for 1 point each. Reba then promptly came into season LOL We're never going to get those last 2 points, First is due for season, but will hopefully hold off for the coming weekend.

Jenny came and smoozed, got used to the box opening, ran through the box for the bunny, and was just a wonderful silly girl. Her, Gibbs, Ziva & the piranhas will all get a chance on the bunny this weekend at PVBC's event.

Got home to hear that Tony had a nice weekend smoozing at his first NOTRA, and got to chase the bunny a bit. He's a little unsure of which way his legs go, so will need some more maturing, but looks promising :)

So all and all, a nice week!!

Racing season has BEGUN!!

Oooh, sooo sore, but it's a happy sore. .. much better than the totally exhausted sore last month after shoveling snow LOL

First racemeet weekend of the season is over, done with and so very successful. The weather could NOT have been any nicer, tho I have a bit of wind burn going on, and possibly some sunburn LOL. It was warm enough the jacket came off. .

The thing with racemeets is, if you do it right, you WORK, and for grins, I took my pedometer with me and the total after the weekend was over 23 miles of walking! This field is great, but you park quite a bit away from the track, so it was A LOT of walking LOL.

Saturday Mr Tony went with us, made a lot of friends, and got some practice in running with both his daddy and cousin Reba, he doesn't quite have having his long coltish legs go in the same direction at the same time LOL but given time, i don't think he'll upset his new owner too much. He pleased me by allowing various strangers handslip him without a problem. He was a very tuckered puppy on the way home. At 12 months 3 days old, noway I was going to enter him for real, so he got his practices in and just smoozed with everyone. He's such a big dork of a puppy.

Gossip was ON fire. . .was wondering, she is 5.5, her time will soon be over with, but I was hoping not quite yet. . and she was SOO VERY DAMN HAPPY, you could see it in her eyes. . and back into rock hard shape, barely panting after each race, and a sh*t to get off the bunny. . .

Poor Reba got flattened by a big damn boy coming out of the box, and his and another boy's screaming really upset my sweet red head enough that she didn't even try to pass him. . this poor girl has had a walking bullseye on her butt, she's been attacked more than any dog I've ever ran, and so I pulled her for Sunday, I don't want a bad experience to ruin her desire to run. Don't think she got hurt, but maybe leary after being ran over. ..

First ran well, getting her back into shape after she had puppies last December, forgot what place she came in, but picked up .5 a point for her owner. I know her breeder Nancy is tickled Having puppies seem to've made her LESS stubborn, it was actually enjoyable to run her this weekend.

Sunday, it was Ziva & Gibbs turn. . .Gibbs is as socialble as his father, and as big of a dork as his father. . .my Basenji friend went orgasmic over his rear LOL What is it with people and my dogs rears? LOL She couldnt' believe the muscling on my 12 month 4 day old boy, he's got a wide load, and it is NOT fat. . .They both got a chance to smooze, and got some time listening to the box slam open. I didnt' practice them, as I want to get them coursing first, and that's what I did wrong with Gossip, did more racing before I tried her with coursing. .I really hope one of these two will chase plastic.

Sunday's racing was soooo AWESOME! I took Focus, Gossip & First, and Focus made Gossip work, 1st race, barely by a nose was it Gossip, second race was not quite as close, but third race she was on Gossip's hip. . .there were two other equally nice girls running, Padua & Mrs Peel that are going to make NE racing soemthing to watch this year! :) First was tired, and didn't place high enough to get points, but Ms Focus finished with a 2nd place out of 9, tickled her owner enough I got a texas longhorn dinner out of it :)

I had a blast, great camraderie, great running, great event. . I am sooo tired, that first few events of the year kicks your butt until you get back into the swing of things! Going to be a busy spring!

puppies & things

The monsters continue to entertain me, growing like weeds, and being evil little sh*ts LOL

The snow is still too deep to take them to the puppy pen, so they've been visiting an xpen on the driveway all day on the weekend if I'm home, and a few hours in the evening if it's warm enough. . .the weather is sooo unpredictable right now, some days it's nice and warm, others it's WTF is my jacket? We are soo over this crap.

They continue their bombproofing, and I realised this morning as I lovingly cursed their lovely little butts as they promptly trashed their play pen, destorying the papers I had placed so neatly in there for their pottying pleasure, they are bombproofing themselves. The heavy papers make a lot of rattling noises as they bounce, trounce, jump and race around on it. I'm goign to go look at baby toys tonite and see if I can find some rattling ones lOL. ..

The contractor brought his young son over, and even the shyer pup Joy thought he was the greatest thing int he world. . he was lovingly mauled by puppy tongues LOL

Kani is finally done with going in with them, but up until last few days(they're 9 wks old today) has demanded to be as close to them as she could get without being in with them.

They had their first 'be a show dog' session this weekend. My handler friend came over and helped take photos of my 6 babies, Bonnie's 7 babies, and then of the 4 yearlings on the property. The babies were like wrangling 'jello ferrets'. .bounce bounce, twist, I really really wanna lick your face, move twitch, bounce bounce LOL. Thank the heavens for my great camera, click and hold, it takes 16 photos in a row. LOL was a total pain going thru them all to find the good ones, but at least I didn't have to do another photo shoot

Before Kari showed up to help me, I introduced the puppies to the bunny, as you can see, Joy thought it was a lot of fun

Joy pouncing towards the bunny.

Got homes lined up, hammering which one are you keeping? Will know in a few weeks. . whichever one is keenest on the litter :)