the fahel award

It's official.

Gossip will be posthumously awarded the Fahel award.



This award is given out to the bitch who is #1 bitch of the year twice in her career. Gossip did it 2007 & 2010.

Only one other bitch has ever done this: The great Greyhound Horsea.

A very bittersweet award. . but she deserved it. . . to add to her other accolades, she is also the only borzoi to've ranked top 10 all breed four years running. And I think is the highest scoring bitch of all breeds for any year. .. just neat stupid little facts.

To've owned a dog of her quality is awe inspiring, to've been the breeder, is the things made of dreams.

Got a sweet email from a competitor I respect and adore. . her Snoopy ended up the #1 all breed, but she said it was a bittersweet award, it should've been Gossip's. . my girl was smoking her buddy Snoopy's butt before she died. . but we rooted him on. .. and her comment is why I love racing in this area. The camaraderie and supportiveness of all the racing community in this area makes it the bomb. . .as our shirts read at the Nationals "East Coast Rocks"

I will always wonder if she could've beat Bartleby at the top of her game, I think she could've for a few reasons, but would've loved to've known. . Both of the Nationals this year was supposed to be that meet. . .unfortunately seasons are the bane of running bitches, and every meet but one(Nationals 2009, where she rejammed that damn toe we ended up taking off on top of a very bad handslip) that they went head to head, she was in that slump period. . .

A group of great people are working on creating a Gossip trophy, spear headed by a wonderful lady named Carol Enz. I am so tickled and honoured by this all.

I miss my shadow.

Saw memories of her in her sister today at coursing practice, Secret took Bonnie by surprise with the speed she has. She will never be Gossip, but may she give me the next best thing: a little Goosling in her litter next spring.

PVBC's specialty

I keep writing 'em, and keep forgetting to post them

I had a long, surprising weekend at the show weekend before last. . .

Saturday was PVBC's fall specialty. I didn't want to enter. This had been the show Gossip was going to be in coat for, we were going to go for that 2nd & 3rd leg of our RA, so many plans, down the drain, but Bonnie convince me, so I entered Bella (9-12 puppy) and Dei(almost 10 yr old veteran), I had nothing competitive for the other classes, so that was it. .

Bella's never been shown by anyone but me. . .but she behaved like a little trooper for a good friend, behaving herself pretty much, tho by WB after sweeps she'd had enough and was getting squirrly. But overall, I was very happy with how she showed, not being a twit, behaving like a good little girl.


Dei hasn't been shown in years, but she is looking so damn nice. . still races around the backyard like a bat out of hell, still jumping on top of 3 ft tall dog houses, still playing hard with her kids, nobody believes her age, in fact, they thought she was Gossip's sister at her retirement race back in September. No, she's not as fast as she was when she was younger, but she definitely ran better than some of the dogs at the LGRA nationals!

Her movement suffered after a neck injury when she was young, and she became lifty, nothing like she was as a really young bitch at the 2002 Nationals, that coupled with her dry mouth in the ring(her lips would stick to her teeth, and was painful when judges checked bite), caused me to retire her from the ring, but we had noticed recently that her movement had smoothed out. . unlike other older dogs, her movement had IMPROVED with age, and so I figured, what the heck, I wanted to support a good friend who was judging sweeps, so why not. .

Watching her in the ring, friends outside the ring couldn't believe her age, and she moved like a dream, taking Best Opposite in Sweeps to the male a few months younger who went on to win the entire shebang, so I don't mind losing to him(and his owner & breeder are just the greatest people!). She was having so much fun and the applause just made her shine more.

She went on to win her veterans class, but by BOB she quit. . it was a long day for a dog not used to showing. .but I was very pleased. . I brought home so much loot!

Unfortunately, each stride in the ring caused hair to start falling out LOL Or I'd be looking at fall specialties to enter her in. . hopefully she'll look this ncie come next spring for the nationals. .

The nice weekended ended with Ziva coming into season, evil little brindle brat.

There were tears cried that weekend, people I hadn't seen since Gossip died, but I'm still so thankful for all the friends and people she helped me meet

She was one in a million

Last night I'd've bet money I heard Surya barking to come in.

Been 6 weeks. .and I still miss her (and the dumb blond) terribly.

Those who haven't had a special dog won't understand, will make fun of me, I don't care.. she was my once in a lifetime dog.


I went to do something, and called Secret Goose. . poor Secret. . .she doesn't realise how big of a hole she stepped in in coming home. .
.

I catch myself looking for her in the yard. .she used to lay there and just watch me do whatever I had to do, ears cocked, until I headed to the gate, then she'd boink in excitement. Rarely ever making a noise, but waiting patiently



We're (Gossips friends & I) donating a trophy in her name, and I had to go thru my photos for the trophy maker, and I bawled the entire time. Too hard seeing that so full of life face and not have her next to me.

We finally got the full necropsy back. . .i'd been worrying it was the 'sudden death' thing that is in Borzoi. . I was pretty sure she didn't have any of the other heart problems in Borzoi, she'd had her heart OFA'd in May, had had another good ascultation by my own vet, and no dog with a heart murmur bad enough to kill a dog like this could beat dogs on the field like she was beating them, like she DID beat them 5 days before she died, and doing it without much effort by the way she
didn't pant long and hard. . .absolutely NO exercise intolerance. As my friend Ariel said today, there's no way a dog with a heart problem could kick her competitions asses like she did that last weekend. . .




I needn't've worried: her heart was perfect.

Nope, what killed my shining star was a freaking bacterial infection of the lungs, mass hemorraging in the lungs "Toxic shock". . .WTF?

I don't understand most of the necropsy, Bonnie & Jim do, and the above is the basic nature of it. . .massive bleeding in the lungs killed my baby, caused 'toxic shock'.






I have talked to other owners who've lost dogs the same way, no known cause. Was sent links to articles about boarding kennels/rescue kennels that have had dogs suffered from this. . .sometimes there's a known vector, other times it's a WTH is going on. . A friend told me about losing her brother to something akin to this. . .except dogs don't always tell you when they're feeling icky

All it does is leave me depressed, lonely and frustrated. I would do anything, ANYTHING to have her back at my side. I can't even go walk until I'm exhausted, my knee is STILL killing me, and so trying to not overdo it. . .

Secret has helped, a lot, even tho she is nothing like the Goose

She is stubborn

She is clingy to the point of throwing temper tantrums if I leave her and she can't get to my side.

She is clueless of personal space

She is dingy

But she is sweet, and bouncy, gives me hugs like Gossip used to, is loving on Pippens, gave Treasure a swipe of her tongue.

She reminds me in many ways of a combination of Surya & Gossip.

She has brought smiles back into the house, and is slowly warming up to everyone, but she's definitely MY dog. .as if I move, she has to follow me. . silly little red head.

Off to shows this weekend, frustrating as I can't even show my own dogs until this bum knee heals. . was hoping it'd be feeling much better, but it comes and goes :(

Miss you Goosey goose. . .

She's home

Gossip came home Tuesday night

How such a vibrant, bright, full of life, full speed ahead girl can be reduced to such an ugly tin box, is so beyond me.

Been owned animals on my own for 18 yrs now. . and have lost animals, way too many over the years, mostly to natural causes, only one of them 'all of a sudden', and that was a stupid yard accident on way too much ice. . but this has been the worse. .because there was no illness, nothing.

I keep trying to think of something she could've gotten into, but the three kitties that sleep with me every night are fine. . and we still wait the report. . the prelims were confusing at best. .

Each day is hard, a little easier than the one before, but still hard. . as Gossip was my shadow. Unless it was too hot for her to go someplace with me, or work, she went everywhere with me. . she helped me thru losing Obie, took me on so many adventures. If it weren't for her, I would not've rented the van last year and gone to MI to the Nationals, nor would I've rented the van and gone up to NH by myself. . most of the 47,000 miles put on my car in 3 yrs, were put there because of her, racing, shows, classes. . or just joy rides. . .she was my partner in crime, my copilot, my best bud. . .

House is so empty without her and Surya. . Dei & Tilly just don't exude the presence they had. They're quiet souls for the most part. . Gossip & Surya were the class clowns. .

Once I can handle it, she'll be put in an Urn more her style. . and ashes from her & Obie will be sent to have a heart pedant made to hang in my rear view mirror. .they were both my copilots. . .both curled up in the front seat of my cars(Obie in the 'stang, Gossip in the Neon). Found a place that will make beautiful glass pedants, and it just 'feels' right.




Pick up the rental car tomorrow and rush down to Bristol VA to pick up Secret. . not sure i'll be able to do the trip in one day, but going to try. On one hand, I hope she's nothing like Gossip in personality, OTOH, it would be nice to have some of that back. . .hopefully she will be ok with the cats.

Then it's back to the drawing board after I recover monetarily from the last month(No credit cards are good, but also sucks :P), health tests and stud dog shopping. . i have my eye on a few boys, unfortunately, one of them is way out west, another is too young( yearling), and the last isn't as keen on the bunny as I'd like. . even more unfortunate, there's no whole brother of Surya around. . .his half sibs are nowhere near as nice as he was, IMHO.

degenerative myelopathy

Not that it really matters anymore, but my darling Gossip was DM Clear. . now here's hoping her sister is too. . damn I miss that dog

Waiting sucks, but the not knowing. . .

A week later, and still no closer to knowing what killed my girl. . all we know is it was not the same thing as her buddy, the two of them dying like that was just a horrid, awful coincidence. . .

I keep looking for her, keep calling for her. . this morning as i gathered my bag up to head downstairs, I said "Goosie, let's go" and promptly broke down into tears. My relationship with her was close, strong, and she was part of my every day routine as my bed buddy. . .Ziva's trying her hardest to step into her cousin's huge footprints, but she's no Gossip.

I loved Obie, but I think Gossip managed to do what I didn't think would happen, and ease herself even further into my heart. . it may be circumstances are different. . no ex to b*tch about the dog being in the house, living closer to town so we could do more together.

Her and Obie were a lot a like, both thought I was the center of their universe, unless the bunny was around. . . both had their own special hugs they gave to those they cared for. And both were the smartest dogs I've had the joy of owning, and yeah, that includes the English Cocker and the Collie growing up.

I keep going over that last night. . .trying to find something that was 'odd', but I can come up with nothing. She acted completely normal, visiting with the puppies, snuggling with Uncle Jim, doing her OB work when she got riled up and jumped on visitors, cleaned my plate for me, and raced up the stairs to bed. . bright eyed, normal behaviour. . .

A friend asked if she could've gotten into anything, but we are so careful, there's nothing in my room, with the three Muskateers(Treasure, Herbie & Pippens) I am extra careful, and none of them have shown a sign. She wasn't a nosey dog, Surya was the one more likely to find something he shouldn't and eat it. I can't count the number of times I found pill bottles in his toy bottle(thankfully not chewed on, he just collected them). She was such a good dog, I rarely caught her eating cat food, even if the bowl was right under her nose, she didn't raid the cat box, nothing. Another mentioned maybe a rat/gopher had been poisoned and gotten into the yard. .the one time she caught a mouse, she played with it, throwing it up in the air, I could see her Uncle Eros eating somethign like that, but not her. . .and we may never know what killed her. . .

And nobody else(knock on wood) is acting ill or abnormal, but we are of course, watching them all like hawks. ..

The only thing I wonder is if there was a collision in the yard and she threw a clot. . .I'm so afraid we'll never know what killed her. . .

I'm so thankful for Bonnie. . she and Jim have been my rock. I don't think I could handle this without them. .. they know the questions to ask, knew what to do. . .I was a useless puddle. . .

I'm also so very thankful to my long time friend Margaret, who is giving me back Gossip's lovely sister Secret. . I sold Secret when my life went to hell, afraid I'd have to place everything. . .margaret's not in a position to breed a litter, so Ms Secret will be heading home as soon as we can arrange it. . she can't replace Gossip(Nobody can), but maybe with her help, we can 'recreate' as much as you can, my special girl. . .

Miss you Loosie Goose. .and seeing the tears that were shed last weekend, I'm not the only one.

Who wants to live forever, when love must die?

Little over 6 years ago, my beautiful girl TOuchet came into season. I took her down to Bonnie Dalzell's, in hope of getting a breeding with her lovely boy Blaze, sire of my Queen litter. Touchet would have nothing to do with that, she did NOT like Blaze. Bonnie suggested my Blaze son, Races, who looked a lot like his daddy, only in white & brindle, instead of brindle & white. . THAT Touchet approved of.

Two months of anticipation, and finally the pups were coming.. .I remember the last one being a huge white pup, and thinking that's a big boy. .upon examination, I found it to be a white & brindle girl, who was given the tag line "amazon bitch". At over a lb, she was the heaviest puppy I'd ever had born.. .

As time progressed, I found it really hard to pick between the three girls..(The fourth had missing pigment), but finally chose to keep two of them: Amazon bitch then known as Gossip and her pretty sister Secret.

Shortly after I decided which two were staying, I lost their handsome father to the dog flu, and the first real memory I have of Gossip is sitting on the futon, bawling, and her coming up to drape her head over my shoulder.

Those two girls were inseparable but the sweetest things in the world. As they grew up, I was happy to see that the promise i'd seen in both was coming true. Ms Gossip placed at her 1st show (GNY specialty) at barely 7 months, handled by a stranger, with sister Secret winning her sweeps class two days later at BCDV's specialty handled by me. I remember the handler just raving over the muscles GOssip had at that age. .

Shortly after that, I took them racing, it was a handslip meet, and I remember Charlie coming up to me at the finish line, after handslipping my brindle girl "she left scorch marks". . .and the rest became history.

Bonnie warned me that breeding to OFC lined Touchet, that the resulting pups might not chase plastic, and her warning proved true. After getting her JC, she interfered with her Uncle Obie on a cert run, then tried to play with a SD after the bunny broke and got chased screaming off the field. At that point I gave up. . and we hit local racing events.

Her first season of racing, racing very little, she picked up 9 points without a problem, finishing barely out of the top 10 for the year. . unfortunately, that was also the year my life went to hell with the Ex, so we didn't hit that many, but what we hit, she won. . .

Following year, due to a good friend, we went to the BCOA nationals. . it was my last vacation with her Uncle Obie, who died a month later to bone cancer. . she won the LGRA event, shocking me to no end, and thus began the ride of a lifetime.

Up until last year, Gossip ran undefeated meet winner. . unfortunately, the first LGRA nationals we went to, she was attacked and dislocated a toe. . that toe gave her a reoccuring problem until we amputated it completely. . and then there was no looking back.

Introducing her to the box was a breeze, by the third race, she was already figuring it out,a nd even tho she was behind, she caught up and flew by everyone.

Her racing style was rather interesting, leading to Dr Saklad giving her the nickname "G-Biscuit". . she often would stay behind until 1/2 way up the course, and then she'd just fly by the others with no effort.

I'm not sure how many meets she ran in. . but she made records. . only borzoi to become an SGRCII undefeated, only Borzoi to've been #1 two years, only Borzoi to've achived to date, the SGRCIV, and SGRCV titles. And just recently moved into the top 5 all breed.

Unfortunately, our luck in the show ring wasn't as good, and I ended up handing her off to Kari, who put three poitns on her in limited showing this summer, including a specialty placement. A rock solid bitch, judges didn't know what to do with her. She wasn't 'show ring' pretty, she was performance gorgeous. .and built to run.

Inbetween racing, we played with obedience/rally. She proved to not only be fast, but SMART, learning things quickly, and then sometimes decidine she didn't know how to do it. Teaching her the different between the two downs in rally(from a sit, and from a stand) took all of 5 minutes, and she ended up getting her RN the first three times we walked in the ring. . one leg of her RA, and were just ramping up to work hard on those other two legs this fall.

But best of all about Gossip was her personality. . she loved everyone, from kitties, to small dogs on up to people, but she thought I walked on water, wanted to be with me all the time. if I went thru a baby gate and shut it, she'd lay there patiently, waiting for me to come back. Because of her wonderful temperament, I met so many new friends.. and those friends mourn with me now.

Gossip died this morning, taking on her wings and leaving me. .way too early. .we lost my roommate's dog earlier this week under same circumstances. .. and I'd told her last night she had to live forever. .the one and only time she ever truly defied me. . I'm hoping the tox screen and pathology report will give me closure, cuz right nwo, I'm sitting here going WTF???? Trying to remember the good times. . .trying not to cry myself sick, think I've failed this last one. . .

Unfortunately, someone took it upon themsleves to play the 'did you hear' game. . .and I've found this news spread across the internet before I was really ready. . .but here it is. . .

Run swift, run fast Gossip. . kill that bunny
RIP
Mielikki-Windhaven's Petty Gossip JC, CGC, RN, SGRCV
9/24/04-9/17/10

Fall has sprung

Fall season has commenced. Just about every weekend between now and middle of December you can find some sort of doggy event to attend, whatever you want, you can probably find something to do.

The last two weekends have been LGRA and it's been so much fun watchign Ziva & Tip 'grow' on the field.

Ziva continues to improve with each meet, she is now more like her mom than a wilting wall flower. . willing to solicite attention, sometimes bossingly LOL And boy does she WANT TO RUN. Soon as the blanket and muzzle are on, she's dragging her handler to the box, tho she does have this annoying habit of flipping over and trying to get her blanket off, for whatever reason. Last weekend, she threw a tantrum on me for not putting her in the box that was open, a bit improvement from back in June where she refused to box unless I picked her up and threw her in!

Ms Tipperary is also improving. When I'd started the cookie reward, she started slowing down coming over the finish line. . but something clicked in her little needle head this weekend, and she finished the last four races of the weekend in great running form. She's not as fast as some of her kennel mates, but she's becoming a lot of fun to run, happy go lucky, very silly, other than for the desire to think her fuzzy butt belongs in the front seat.

One of my favorte memories of two weekends ago was running the lure for the two Chart polski pups that are now entering the racing venue. .they're not much younger than Ziva and crew, but watching the two sibs and the way they are learnign to use their bodies was very interesting. . Maisie is already running like a little adult, while her big brother has no idea where his rear end is, and was very ungainly, but there were shadows of the powerhouse runner he's goign to be once he grows into his long legs.

Last weekend Ms Ziva became Mielikki's LIason Officer Ziva David GRC, the first puppy to be titled in her litter, and Gossip continued making history by becoming the first Borzoi and only the 7th all breed SGRC5. Unfortunately, I screwed my knee up badly at the dog show yesterday and not sure how much more i'll be doing this fall, the MRI will tell

dealing with puppy buyers

Dealing with puppy buyers can be rewarding, but it can also be a big PITA. . .some puppy buyers are real accomodating, listen to what you have to say, some think they know it all, and have no problem telling you that. .

Over 15 yrs in Borzoi, I've come to terms that many show people/puppy buyers are nuts. . .and much prefer selling my pups to pet homes where they'll be loved and adored, no matter if they end up missing 5 teeth, have a gay tail or a bad bite. . .all they care about is that the puppy fits their household and has a wonderful temperament. Soo unlike the revolving door of the show dog world.

Some of the asinine reasons I've heard for returning dogs from show homes just make me want to scream. . there was the beautiful white & red bitch that I would've stole in a haertbeat, that was returned because she 'looked too much like Kennel X", another self black & tan bitch who was returned a year later because the show person didn't like black. . hunh?

A recent interaction with a 'show' person reiterated to me how much I hate dealing with show homes. . .not that I will turn away a good show home that'll keep a puppy forever. . but you have no idea if that show home will be such at first. . not unless they've proven themselves to you. And in 8 litters, I've had 2 puppies returned to me, and I think part of it is because of my hatred of placing in show homes.

This person contacted me earlier this year, in like Feb, asking about Chrissy, a few emails back and forth, then she disappeared. . I'm used to that, so I just blew it off, and went on with life. You can't take it personally when homes looking at puppies do that, it happens. They flake out, go elsewhere, change their mind, whatever. I can deal with that.

Suddenly she reappeared, asking if she was still available, a few emails, then wham, disappeared. I saw her at the Nationals, she didn't inquire on Chrissy, so once again, I blew it off. . .

Few weeks later, I get an email, can I stop by and see them? I really like Chrissy, blah blah blah. . sure, set up a time, came home and met with her, introduced her to the pups, spent quite a bit of time that evening with her, she fell in love with Aurora, really liked her, blah blah blah, granted I thought and still think Chrissy is the better bitch, but hey. . and as we headed back to the house, she dropped a bomb shell in my lap.

"I like her, but I kind of am in line for a pup out of Breeder Y's litter, not sure if I want one, I don't like the colour, but. . "

Wait a minute here. . .this should've been stated first thing. . IMHO. . There's just no way I'd go to a breeder's house, waste their time and then go oh well, your litter is my back up plan. . it's rude.

Whatever. . she left, swearing she'd make a decision in a few weeks.

Again, heard nothing from her, tho she talked to the cobreeder and a friend of mine. Figured she'd made her decision. . .whatever. . .that doesn't bother me. .

And then, again, she pops out of nowhere, "I'd like to stop by next week and see her again". Ok, fine, whatever. .but again all I heard of was how much she loved Breeder Y's puppies parents, balh blah blah. I dropped her an email and told her it seemed she'd already made up her mind, there was no need to stop by and see Aurora. . I'd rather she be in a home who loved her for her. .first love, not by whimsy,and I don't hear the same things coming out of her mouth about Aurora and her family. That's ok, there's plenty of types of Borzoi. She never responded to that email

Except she ends up calling and cancelling, didn't get out of her summer home when she'd plan, blah blah blah "let's make it tomorrow". Ok. . .at this point, I've about had enough, I feel like I've been ran thru a ringer by this person. . .the next day, she calls. . .now, she has to deal with Friday rush hour traffic to come see me, IMHO, wouldn't you leave early AM if you plan on meeting someone, to insure you get there in time? Already realised she wasn't serious, have no clue why she kept stringing me along. . .my two friends kept saying 'she's a wonderful home', yeah, but not sure I want to deal with this type of crap for the life of a dog.

She calls again, says she's not going to make it (Well duh, I'd already figured that out), but that she'd think seriously about which pup she wanted on the way home. . .later that night, I get a call "i've decided to go with the boy'.

I wasn't angry, I was frustrated, and just sick of dealing with this person. . .sick of being screwed around with and sick of being lied to. . maybe she didn't lie to me, but lying by ommission is still lying to me. . .maybe she didn't mean to run me thru the ringer and screw around with me, but that's sure how she left me feeling.

Hope her baby boy turns out, despite what breeders tell you, there's little you can tell about if the dog is truly going to be show quality until all teeth come in and the bite settles. . .so much can happen, ask the lady who spent $1500 to import a puppy from sweden only to be missing SEVEN teeth. Her replacement puppy ended up having mismatched rear angles(one side straighter than the other) I had a puppy who was beautiful as a puppy, angles to die for, who grew up missing those angles. .

Buying babies as a show dog is a huge crap shoot.

If you want a show pup, buy an older pup. . .unless you have no problem putting a bunch of money and time into growing out a puppy to adulthood, training it, working with it, vetting it only to find out it's not show quality, at which point you either return the puppy to the breeder(if you have a limit law in your area) and get a replacement, neuter it and get another dog(if your'e not at your limit), or just neuter it and be done with showing (if you are at your limit), that's assuming your contract covers any of this.

Yes, it means more work if you get an older pup and have smaller dogs/cats in the household. . .but it's doable. My current setup the puppies don't interact with the cats, but the pups I kept have been introduced to the cats and ignore them. . . but it's really no more work than what you have to do bringing a young puppy in. You cant' just throw them and your other pets together at any time, it takes work.

Buying older doesn't make things written in stone either, you can still ruin a puppy you get as an older pup. . lack of exercise or improper exercise are just two ways you can do that. But at least you have a BETTER IDEA

And remember, 'show quality' at 8-12 wks just mean it has a good bite and both balls(if it's a boy). Our breed doesn't have breed DQ's beyond both testicles, so as long as they have both, there are breeders who call everything in the litter as 'show quality'. You can't tell anything about that age, IMHO. . I've seen dogs grow up and totally fall apart, and those who looked horrid at that age who grew up to be gorgeous specimens.

And most important: BE HONEST with the breeder from day 1. .don't dick them around, don't string them along. . .this incident was ridiculous.

This entire instance left a bad taste in my mouth about dealing with show homes. I now understand why breeders are termed as short/rude if they've had multiple instances with these type of buyers it could make someone jaded and not willing to talk with someone unless they are serious. .

Between this and the local nitwit who despite numerous breeders trying to help her, keeps buying from puppymills, then complaining about the dogs and then getting upset if you agreed with the fautls of the dog. . . Plenty of breeders (not me, I have enough headaches) in the area have offered her a show quality puppy, but she nitpicks them(not white enough, doesn't have a blaze, doesn't talk to her, etc, etc, etc). . .it all makes me want to scream

Not to say all puppy buyers are bad or wishy washy. . .every one of my puppies has gone into a great home, with great owners, even if the puppies had their 'issues', they worked with and dealt with them. . and love them. .but 99% of the ones I've sold have gone to pet homes, some are pet homes who dabble in showing or running, but these are homes that lvoe the dog, no matter what. .. and that's what I love about them.

So to all those wonderful homes my pups are living in: THANK YOU!!!

Not to say I don't have a few show homes lined up for Gossip's litter. . .but these are long time people who've got a track record of keeping dogs who don't turn out. . .if they're as nice as I expect them to be, Bonnie & I have no problem growing them out until the right home comes along.

By George I think she's got it!

Well, I sure the heck didn't expect this soo soon.

Went racing this weekend, first race meet since 6/16-6/20, almost 7 wks of dealing with oppressive(for our area!) heat that resulted in a herd of normally athletic Borzoi turning into giant shag slugs, except for the young and the stupid who's brains don't engage. Loaded the car up with 5 girls, the ez-up, a cooler and water for the Dogs, and headed out on what started out as one of the nicest mornings in a long time!

I'd been working with Ms Tip on behaving after the finish line with the power of CHEESE!!! She is oh so very food oriented, and it seemed to've worked, as this weekend she would trot a circle around me then come in for cheese. No panic attacks cuz she headed for the Jersey shores, nada! She did pull up on Saturday and slowly galloped across the line, not sure if she was anticipating the cheese.**

There was some nice racing, with one of Gossip's top peers coming on Saturday, unfortunately there was some strange ass racing too LOL First race First beat Gossip & Mrs Peel. . usually First can't TOUCH either one of them. WTH? Second race Gossip came back and beat First, MRs peel was in the cofeature and won that one. Last race, it was Gossip, Mrs Peel and First pulled up and came off the field, owie. . .slightly slipped pad. . not as bad as one of the other girls that came with Mrs Peel, but enough for her to go NOPE!!!

Ziva-doll made my weekend. She is not pleased with the box, but if people tell her too bad, she'll go ok, here I go. . from what I was told, she's got the box breaking down pat and solid, much like her papa, who even at almost 8, usually gets the break on EVERYONE he's with. She was not bothered by the wailing and screaming of Leans, who can scare a dog She moved into High Point after the first race, poor thing, and got her butt promptly trounced. . ended up placing 4th out of 9 for another point. Gossip won the meet, for 3 more points towards her SGRCV.

Sunday, left Ms First home and brought Jenny for her first meet, to the unhappy howls from her daddy, her cousin Carrot, her uncle Eros, her brother LOL All who wanted to go with us.

A little warmer, but not intolerable with the wonderful access to onsite water.

First race was Tipperary & Jenny, who's still learning how to break and is 2 months out of season. . .so running like a slug! But she ran well. Then it was high point Borzoi. . and across the line. . it's Ziva? Yes, my little brindle child beat my not so fluffy white one. . .check Gossip over, make sure there's no owie, don't see anything obvious, put them up.

Second race, it's Reba & Jenny, with Reba winning that race. And then it's. . Ziva again, with Gossip on her shoulder. . to be overjoyed or sad to see the passing of the guard, not sure. . .my friend said "remember, if you'd bred Gossip, she'd've only had those puppies 4 wks ago" OK, maybe that's it.

Last race, Tip slowed down for some reason and Jenny passed her, which tickled me pink, clean running by the newb! And then HP Borzoi all slowed down, still galloping, just not as hard, WTF? Gossip won that race. . walked them out, hosed Gossip down, and she's standing odd in the rear. . walk ehr out, and yep, a slightly not quite there gimp. . she got loaded into Uncle Jim's AC'd car, to sprawl out in luxury and head home.

Ziva won the meet. . was it luck, or is she faster and Gossip's slowing down? We'll know in a month or so. . .Tho Gossip will turn 6 in a month. I was very pleased with my little brindle monster. . as well as her dark sister. Ziva's now got 8.5 points towards her GRC, and Jenny picked up her first point. .well half a point, she tied with Tip. LOL.

Seeing a way a competitor in another breed has treated dogs belonging to her peers in that breed, i'm so happy that I have such great friends willing to take my youngsters to the box, be firm but not abusive with them. Everyone has made it enjoyable for them. And taht's made a big difference!

Saturday is another show for Bella-Boo, then Sunday if I'm up to it, Ziva's going coursing!!!! Can't wait to get her there and on the oval track next month! :)

All and all, a great weekend!

**I later gave Gossip a bath to try and knock out as much of the blowing coat as I could, and when she ran in the front field to dry off, she came up lame and with a bloody foot. She must've started running her pad off and tried to compensate for it at racing, and the bath soften it enough to tear it off. This fall shall be interesting on the racing field, to say the least!

weekend from hell!

Ever had a weekend where you felt like the gods hated you?

That was a weekend last month

I was so looking forward to relaxing that weekend. Work had been a bitch, this is supposed to be our down time, NOT this year! The weather was going to be horrid, so was going to have one of my rare, quiet weekends. Gossip was away with Kari, so planned on working on finishing taking down my 55 and dealing with my salt water tank, maybe go see a movie.

Saturday morning at 4ish, my roommate knocks on my door telling me her hubby is
worried about Grins. .first thing that went thru my mind was OMG, how'd he
manage to overheat as an indoor dog?

Back story. . 5 yrs ago, Grins suffered a devastating condition called "Monday Morning Disease", or "running
your back off". It is caused (amongst other ways), by over exherting yourself. I thought he was in great shape, thus why I entered the "International Invitational", the premier event for ASFA, not realizing I had a dog who would push himself beyond his body's ability. I learned the hard way that weekend, that I have a dog who is beyond insane for the bunny, and who would not listen to his body when his body said enough. IOW, he runs like a Greyhound. Greyhounds can run themselves to death and I know he will, now.

At that point, I had no clue what kind of disaster I had, as every other dog I'd ran, would pull up if their body said stop.

In going into azoturia, he also caused himself to overheat, resulting in a week at the vet's, and a huge vet bill. Since then, I have been very careful with him in the heat, as he is, even at almost 8, a full speed ahead dog who will race up and down the fence line with his son, even in 90 degree weather, so he gets brought in the house and forced to be sedate.

I knew it was going to be horrid the day before so he became a house dog Friday night. When I went to bed at 10, he was fine, bouncing at the gate, Grinning at me. And next thing i know, I was racing down stairs to find out what was wrong with my dog.

I got to the dog kitchen, and he was sprawled out, stiff, head cocked sideways, legs straight out in front of him. Afraid he was seizuring, I did not touch him. A dog who's in the midst of a seizure can bite you, not meaning to, even the best behaved dog in the world, and so I was not going to put myself in danger. I knelt near his head, called his name, he wagged his tail. . ok, not a seizure.

Put a leash on him and tried to get him up, and this is where he scared me to death, he started spinning, like an alligator death roll. We got him calmed down, which he did almost immediately after I touched him and decided to get him to the ER, and ran to change clothes. When I came back down(no longer than 5 mins), he was up on his own, head tilted slightly, wagging his tail, leaning against Jim.

We put a harness on him, and rushed him to the vet, where after a thorough exam, a chem screen, cbc, tick panel, heartworm test, he was diganosed with more than likely having 'veteran vestibular disease'. . in fact, as they walked him away from me, the vet says he's normal, I said I know, but you should've seen him 45 mins ago.

When he gave me a grin coming back to me, I knew he was better. All signs of the incident were gone

The thought is he tried to get up, and when he couldn't, he panicked, and thus the rolling as he kept trying to get up, when hsi body failed to do as he wanted, he tried to get up, and it became a nasty circle. He's a muscular, active dog, while a dog not in as good of shape as him probably could not've done what he did. It was over and done with in about 20 mins, with the only residual affects is being very sore from slamming into the door frame.

A vet friend told us Vestibular disease that it's more common in the hotter months in his experience, and this has been one hot damn August.

We are keeping him in the house, not just the dog kitchen, he's behind me in an xpen right now. . .we are watching him closely, but he's back to normal antics. While it's hot, he will not be allowed outside unsupervised, and unfortunately, his time out unsupervised is going to be totally curtailed. Pack behaviour can be sparked by something like this, thankfully his old dog compatriots all ignored him. . .but if he'd been in a pen with a bunch of punky young dogs, he could've been hurt. Or worse.

It's hard to think of Grins as a veteran. . .but he is. . .from what I've learned, sometimes it never reoccurs, and I'm hoping he's that way. It was damn scary. . .

Then Sunday morning, got woke up at 5:30 by everything in my room shutting off. . 1800 customers, not even all in the same area of Baltimore, without electricity. . it's too damn hot for this crap, especially with two dogs we're watching closely(Grins' aunt is sick). Thankfully it only lasted 4 hrs, but omg, I was never so happy to jump in the shower and wash grime off of me as I was today.

The light at the end of the really bad weekend is that Gossip picked up another point under Virginia Lyne, who really really complimented her. Since Kari camped out in horridly crappy weather, including a tornado watch, 60 mph winds, i'm glad something good came otu of it.

Thankfully, the following weekend was nice, and calm, a beautiful practice with Gibbs & babies, and RELAXING. The heat broke last weekend(but it's making up for it this weekend).

First racemeet of the season this weekend, coursing next weekend & a show! Going to be busy!

Yeah for the end of june

The heat has finally broken here in MD, at least temporarily. . I so enjoyed watching the Borzoi riproar around this morning, pouncing, trouncing, leaping, flying, bowing, playing, Reba & Gossip being silly together, old Lady Dei joining in on the fun, Gibbs & Ziva playing catch me if you can, the dirt stirring in the still morning air.

It has been so horrid, we've done as little as possible, racing was cancelled last weekend, it was 97 here on Monday, it's supposed to be almost 20 degrees cooler today. And it's been this way most of the month, ugh.

Did manage to finish First's & Reba's GRC, all the girls are workign their way out of their post season slump. :P

Ziva joined the ranks of the racing crowd this month. . .she's made me very proud, from being a dog only mom could catch or box(I'd box, then she'd race back down the track to me, first day she raced,s he probably ran 1000 yds!), to a dog anyone can box/catch. I don't usually race first, but used it this time to build her confidence. She is very soft like her mom, and so will be out selectively as long as I know the dogs who are running run COMPLETELY clean, meaning no crap after the finish line either!, which I have seen a lot of recently when running with others' dogs.

I won't put up with that crap, and in fact pulled a bitch at the last race meet who was doing that. We're taking care of her for a friend, and another friend is interested in a running dog. This bitch has a wav, ahs ran clean before, but for some reason this time, felt the need to roar at Reba as she came across the line. Thankfully Reba has become oblivious to that crap, but that doesn't mean a thing to me. I do not like it.

Some enjoyable time this month, was spent in the company of an old friend and making a wonderful new friend. Fourteen years ago, I met one of my favorite people in Borzoi: Nancy Hopkins. She came up to me at the San Antonio Cluster, very complimentary of my girl, one of the few people who was. She could teach a lot to people who can't see a dog beyond the breeder/pedigree. . .

She came 'back' into my life after I moved to NY, when I bought the littermate to her beautiful Blue Brindle Pele Daughter. My boy didn't turn out, but taught me a lot, as has my friendship with Nancy.

Nancy's friend (and also a friend of Bonnie's) came up to purchase one of the great grandson's of my Kyra out of a girl bred by Nancy. Nancy took a risk and a lot of flack for breeding to a 'half shefaro' boy. . why a risk? Because people were all lined up to buy a puppy from the 'famous' flyte until they found out who she bred her to. . .Mir's a very nice boy, accomplished, but again, refer to the paragraph to people who can't see a dog beyond the breeder/pedigree. . some people are so blind. She got a really nice litter out of Mir & Flyte, and I know she's proud of them all.

Bonnie's girl First is a pretty, very Kristull looking thing. . .and boy was she happy to see her 'grandma' when Nancy showed up.

When she heard I was going racing last weekend, Nancy brought up First's sister HayLuz to see how she stacked against both her sister & Gossip. And even tho we were up and on the road at five to go racing, Nancy was a great sport about it and heavensent, as we needed the extra hands and it helped in walking dogs out,IMMENSELY.

It was a blast, even if it did get warm and she got to see dogs run she'd wanted to see run(Gossip, First, Tipperary, Grins) and she helped me in training Ziva, who is now half way towards her title and getting better each and everytime. . .
Unfortunately, HayLuz decided to be grumpy, coming across the line roaring at poor Reba, and Nancy did the right thing and pulled her. .. wish other people who have dogs who did this would pull them, as it is intimidating to new dogs and can ruin a soft dog. . .Nancy was good nature about it, Hay Luz was about 4 wks post season, so it could've very well been PMS.

She got to see I wasn't joking on how hard it was to pull Grins off LOL. .

Sunday, even tho she didn't have a dog to run, she was up and with me to the field (We love you Nancy!).We got 17 races done in 3 hrs Sunday, and the track came down fast. And by the end of the day, Ziva was hard to pull off the bunny, so I was very happy over all!

The dogs all got in the van and became carpets. . .it was amazing to see LOL. Not a grumble.


If weather stays as mild as it's supposed to be for Saturday, Ziva will attempt her ASFA Cert. My luck, she'll get it and then come into season LOL. That's exactly what her sister did with her LGRA cert run. .

Health Tests

Soo, one of my goals this year has been to try and be a little more "responsible" in getting my health tests sent in to the various registries.

it's a PITA. . why? Because when you CERF at most places, you take the paperwork home. Last time I had Cerf's done, my friend wanted to scan 'em for her records, she scanned 'em, and well, I have no clue where they went. .::SIGH:: I found half of them, but not the ones of dogs she had done at a CERF clinic here at her house, but by the time i found the half, they were expired, darnit.

Sooo, when I saw the Nationals testing, I took advantage of it. Can't beat the prices, which included sending the paperwork in for you. . two of my breeding had their eyes done(I believe testing a young dog unless you're worried is not worth the money, so didn't bother with Gibbs). Gossip (Mielikki-Windhaven's Petty Gossip RN, JC, CGC, SGRCIV) and maui(Mandolin-Mielikki Maui Waui) both CERF'd clear & got clear heart exams. Just waiting on the results to get posted on the CERF & OFA websites.

Today Eros (FC Mielikki's Somebody T'Luv SC, FCH) and Grins (FC Silkenswift Rider of the Storm SC, FCH, ORC, GRC) went to New Bolton with Grins' breeder and got two clear health tests. Bonnie's getting them scanned in now and they will be in the mail ASAP.(long as they don't disappear on her desk LOL)

Now to get Gossip's thyroid done soon as she's done blowing coat, a last thyroid done on Dei, and eyes on both her & Touchet!

Gossip & Grins=GOOOD Dogs!

April & May always get away from me. . and this year it's no exception.

PVBC's Supported entry was this weekend. . .and to support the Sweeps judge, I entered Grins & Gibbs. .Grins has never been shown outside of ONE fun match two years ago, Gibbs also has never been shown outside of one funmatch 6 months ago. . at which he behaved MUCH better than he did this weekend. Bounce bounce, tail way up in the air, looking over his shoulder at mom, grabbing my hand, you name it, he did it. . the good thing? At least he was HAPPY!!! LOL

He won his class, but neither one of the 12-15 month old boys were behaving LOL And lost Best in Sweeps to a much more polished 15-18 month puppy who's done a lot of showing

Then it was Grins time, and I was sure my silly boy would mimic his son,I always joke he's 7.5 going on 7 months. . but nope, Grins showed like he was a veteran show dog. Moved out smoothly, kept his stack, got a compliment on his wonderful teeth(We joke the clacking he does when he grins doesn't allow plaque to grow lOL) and a comment on how he's a hairball LOL. When he got the nod for Best Veteran, Vickie was shocked it was his first show LOL

Gossip got 4th out of 5 in regular class, but that's ok, I got a lot of compliments on how nice she is looking. And she made up for it Sunday by going WB for her 2nd point in two weekends out with kari. .. she was SOO happy to see her mommy, but not so happy to go back into the bitch in season run.

So all and all, a succesful weekend, made up for not being able to go racing this weekend. I DO have a lot of work to do with Gibbs to make him presentable for the Nationals LOL. . OTOH, I'm sure he won't be the only dorkie puppy, but I do wanna make sure Kari will speak to me again LOL

Got a down weekend next weekend, which'll include getting most of getting blankets ready and start packing for the nationals, yes, I start early LOL as well as spring cleaning(FUN!). May even take a hike, but i'm going to take it slow, cuz then it's going to be nonstop for a month before I have another free weekend, but I'm looking forward to the Nationals. . .:)

KC policies

The days are going too darn fast for me to keep up. I start a blog post, and then don't finish it.

After the weekend from hell(details to get posted soon as I can), I came home Monday, to find Gossip in season

A year ago, I wouldn't've cared so much, BUT

She wasn't supposed to be in til 5/22

I'd just sunk money into three different rally shows entries in the next month, and she'll be out BARELY before the nationals.

Thankfully one show hadn't closed yet, so cancelled that one, but the first one is nonrefundable for seasons

WTF?

In this day and age, when it's harder and harder to have unaltered dogs, i can NOT believe our PEERS have the gal to punish those of us who wish to compete with well bred unaltered girls. I did not enter this show with the thought she'd come into season so early. Why the heck would clubs, many of whom are suffering for money as it is due to entries being down, have such a stupid rule?

We are being pushed by our county and government all over the US to spay and neuter or dogs, being fined or caused to purchase expensive unaltered dog licenses. . .to have our own Kennel Clubs install such a ruling just adds insult to injury.

I truly don't understand this asinine rule, set by the clubs, not the superintendant, and I Wrote the club(Baltimore Kennel KC) and voiced my anger, politely, over this policy, as well as informed them I would be boycotting their OB/Rally events from now on unless they changed their policy, and that I would be encouraging everyone I know to do the same. It's been four days, haven't heard back from them, Plan on stopping by their club table tomorrow and asking them about this policy.

And since I have two boys in training, yep, who aren't affected by seasons, I will stand by that thought, even if it means missing judges I want to show under. There is no reason to support a club with this type of policy, and until they change it, they will not see my money. . .am going to bring this up at our (PVBC's) next meeting, as a 'do we really want to support a club who doesn't support unaltered girls?". . as our supported entry is this weekend

This is ludicrious. I could totally understand not refunding all of it, but to not refund most of it is BS.

So, be careful when you enter events, double check to see if refunds are given. . if they're not, write the clubs in protest. .. We can't substitute another dog, so we should get a partial refund at least. Andi f you're a member of a kennel club, please make sure they allow refunds for unaltered girls, require a drs note if you want, but give refunds.

Wellbred bitches are the future of our breeds, if we all spayed our girls, breeds would die off in 5-10 yrs. .. then where would we be?

bitches, got to love them, but boy am I sooo frustrated. Why, Gossip, Why?!?!?!

Gossip & Tony's weekend

One of the hard decisions, hard as in being honest with myself, I've had to make is that I do not do Gossip justice in the ring

The backstabbing nastiness I ran into up in NY/NJ, has really soured me in showing, no not everyone, there were some wonderfully sweet people, but there were some really downright nasty ones. . .and I just don't enjoy it, nor with my health, can I do justice with her, as she can move out. . so I made the decision after seeing Kari Macloskey with Bonnie's AM(who's now moved into Kari's house and heart) and decided to send her out with Kari

I have never used handlers. . .but the show ring is worse for me than the OB ring is. . .I'd much rather have fun with her in the Rally/OB ring than deal with the stress of the show ring. . .Four years away from showing with only dabbling in it, I've forgotten so much about judges. Kari loves to show, Gossip loves her, so it's a match made in heaven. . except I miss my spottled girl.

This weekend was our first weekend apart. . and the house is empty without her bounciness. . .but she's getting loving from Kari and is learning the dog show thing. . .and is coming home pointed in the ring :) She got to dabble in the group ring, was a bit confused of why there was somethinjg other than Zoi in the ring, but otherwise was a very good girl :)

While his cousin was showing, Tony went to his very first I'm entered race meet, and did his owner proud considering he's 13 months and some days old and those long legs don't go all in the same direction sometimes LOL He picked up his first .5 of a GRC point, considering he's running against cousins Kyrie & Ryder, he's got big shots to run against, so it's nothing to sneeze about. Baby Drummer got to practice, ran a Silken puppy into the ground, and schmoozed with his adoring masses, so they both had a wonderful weekend

PVBC's spring event

Photo by Jim Saklad

Oh what a weekend, so GLAD it's over!

Weather once again did not cooperate for PVBC's event. Sunday was miserable cold, but we got done before it rained, got everything packed up, INCLUDING the box(that was the easiest box loading I've ever witnessed), but it was COLD!!! And the wind didn't help.

One thing I did this time around, was 'hire' a 10 yr old. . a contractor that is working on Bonnie's house has a sweet boy who agreed to come out and run the bunny down the track in exchange for donations. We ran about 16 races, with an additional handful of practices on Saturday, and maybe the same number of runs Sunday with the large number of practices we did, and he made a nice sum from all the donations he was given(over $60). We've already booked him and another young friend of his for May. If you do racing, you know that one of hte hardest things to do is to get someone to walk the bunny back down the track. This worked out WONDERFULLY. His mom also thanked us, cuz it tired him out LOL. He enjoys the dogs, comes over to help socialize the piranhas every other week or so, they LOVE him. And I just got told tonite that he is soooo raring to come back, as he made enough money to buy himself a new Wii game lOL I love that enthusiasm

Unlike in December, just about everything went right and I started training my friend Mary McQuade on how to be race secretary. That helped a lot. She's a doll, and I'm so glad she came. I just had to worry about checking the board(she did it perfectly!) and run the lure. I'll be working on getting a number of club members trained, a lot less stressful if I know i have someone to help out!

Only problem we had was wind and the bunny, one high point race, the wind managed to throw the bunny off the track and Gossip shattered the post holding up the tape, scary shattered, she could've impaled herself on the broken piece. She was a bit sore from hitting that, and thus was house bound(not that she cares, means big fluffy beds, not getting rained on, she's all for that). fora few days, but is back to normal :) Otherwise the box, the equipment all ran well, the field was perfect, not too hard, not to soft. . .tho the bunny was hard to see on the wintered grass, thus the white bag that helped lift it off the field. Other than one obnoxious person who refused to run her dogs unless all other dogs were off the 8 acre pasture, everyone was great.

We had 13 starter Borzoi on Saturday, unfortunately 3 of them decided to be BAD. . .I feel bad for their owners, two of them are newbies to the racetrack, and it sucks when one day your dog'll run clean, next time you run 'em they're world class D***heads. . .but we had two NICE running FTE Borzoi, with the pretty white Bianca taking home the NICE Borzoi turtle (I didn't get a pic of it, but this turtle was NICE, nice enough her owner was bragging about it the next day at an ASFA trial LOL!) and Lori Miller's handsome Ryker placing nicely in the meet, not nice enough to get points yet, but he's learning strategy and it was his first weekend of being boxed. I really like him, he's a beautiful Teine bred black & tan. Top honours went to Gossip, but she had to earn it, then Padua to finish!(Congrats Ariel!), then a three way tie between Serrano, Dillon & First. LOL

Sunday was a much smaller meet, but unfortunately the bad luck for naughty Borzoi rolled into Sunday, and one girl decided she didn't like to be ahead, and turned to cheer on her cousin. .what's sad is she ran clean the first two races. . she kept weaving in front of Tipperary back and forth like she was cheering her on. Dingdong. . .Gossip won the meet, Ms First came in 2nd for 2 GRC points, and finished . . .was sooo tired Sunday night nothing was making sense. Tipperary was third, Surya, oh lord, images of his great uncle Races come to mind. . he's been boxed before, he's been raced before, but OMG!! Each time he was boxed, he got worse, and worse, to the point, third race he was a Paddock Scratch because we couldn't get him in. Having had to do that with Eros, I SOOO understand the frustration. . .

We had a number of nice practice runs with Surya's brother Yuri, Sciroccos' son Cayenne getting in a number of practices. Yuri cert'd with Grins ,and Cayenne'll come back out to play next time we have a practice. I was too tired to bring my monsters down by the time we were done.

We were so thankful for everyone who came out to help, even if they didn't have a dog in the race. Those hands are what makes a meet happen. Tho it does get frustrating when local Club people who are less than 10 mins away don't come out to help.

Grins got to certify a number of dogs this weekend, and enjoyed every bit of it. .from a deerhound to numerous Borzoi. . and when we quit yesterday, he was still raring to go. His eye has just about completely healed up! He'll be out next month to Cert' his kids for coursing!

So all and all, a successful weekend, but I am so glad I took this weekend off, had planned on going to RI, but changed my mind. The flooding made me glad I changed my mind, OTOH, it's nice not having anythign planned but birthday dinner and a movie, and maybe, just maybe, going to get First and the pups ASFA certified this weekend.

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!

Gossip

realised with all the crap that's gone on in the last few weeks and fighting this damn cold(a fight I am losing as is obvious by the fact I came home early from work and went straight to bed), that I didn't post this.

I convince PVBC to sponsor a high scoring Borzoi in OB/Rally this year and felt I had to support the club by entering. So I did. . .and Gossip left her brain at home LOL Sit? What's that? When she refused her jump twice, I knew she just wasn't 'in it'. .. something I've never dealt wtih with her. .. and I wondered if it was hormones? She is just now 9 wks post season. IT was also unusually warm after a long week of cool weather, and the wind was high(outdoor show).

Sunday, I almost left her at home, same judge, why mortify ourselves again?But the weather was noticably cooler, no rain, but cooler, and she was more upbeat, so I said what the heck. Entry was already paid for, and as Bonnie said maybe she'd give me extra points for being masochistic enough to come back LOL

Gossip didn't do everything as she normally did, but she DID work, unlike the previous day. I didn't care if we didn't qualify at this point, I wanted to get all the way thru it to prove to myself we could do it. When we left the ring, the judge mentioend she was MUCH happier to work that day then the previous day, and handed us our first RA leg!!!! :)

We're taking time away from the rally ring this fall, with Umbra being sick, car problems and racing, not enough money to go around, but we will be practicing some more in hopes of adding an RA to her name :)

Sunday's a dog show, hoping she behaves as nicely as she did last time. I respect this judge, he's willing to do what HE wants and screw politics, so here's hoping :)