National Purebred Dog Day Movement

Did you know that there are more panda bears in the world than there are Skye Terriers?

I'm asking for the help of every purebred dog owner & enthusiast with this project.  Please share the link with ten of your friends and ask them to do the same.  Put it up on your Facebook page; post it on your clubs' pages.  Share with your hunting buddies because they too are impacted by animal laws, by breed specific legislation, and by the animal rights movement to restrict dog breeding.  Whether their dogs are purebreds purchased from an ethical breeder, adopted from a shelter, or re-homed from breed rescue, we are all in the fight of our lives to save our breeds and to preserve our right to own the dogs of our choice.

Will this save the world?  No.  But if having a national day recognizing purebred dogs and their contributions to the world; if having a website to help give voice to us as purebred dog owners & lovers, maybe it's a little start. I know I am tired of not having a voice.

In an effort to promote & celebrate purebred dogs, we hope to have this video go viral and to have a movement that sweeps the nation, but it can only do so with your help.

Please watch the video and offer your support at National Purebred Dog Day.

We all thank you.

Dyno-Mutt Systems Press Release - Gas Attacks...

With all the talk lately of gas attacks in Syria, we here at Dyno-Mutt Systems, a division of Yummy Mutt Feeds, thought to bring to light this almost, long lost press release about our bio-engineered, gas recycling system called FAART.

This recycling system was the product of the fine engineers at Dyno-Mutt Systems, Inc. We here at Dyno-Mutt suspect that the Syrians have stolen our patent and are using the FAART system for their nefarious purposes.  We wanted to clear the air.  We disavow any connection to the Syrian government.

Here is our original press release...

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DYNO-MUTT SYSTEMS, INC.

A DIVISION OF YUMMY MUTT FEEDS

PRESS RELEASE 

JULY 1996

Introducing the newest system of integrated greyhound design and utilization, Dyno-Mutt Systems is proud to announce the release of FAART (Fast Acceleration And Rapid Transit).

A Pair of FAART Equipped Greyhounds

FAART is an innovative, gaseous system that integrates several purposes of the flexible greyhound design. It provides both rapid acceleration and transport for the dogs. And, most importantly, it surpasses the stringent California EPA standards for fuel powered vehicles.

FAART can be used in the following ways:

Hook FAART up to the existing fuel system of your transport vehicle. Not only will you get a cleaner exhaust and non-polluting vehicle, but the higher octane rating (200) provides more pickup than ever with the benefit of increased mileage! A FAART equipped greyhound not only provides the fuel to get to a lure course, but then can run also!

FAART provides quicker acceleration off the line and provides an extra boost during long straights for coursing dogs. It is completely legal according to existing ASFA and AKC rules.

FAART equipped greyhounds are currently being used to provide natural gas (methane) for the City of Albuquerque to run its public transportation system and to heat public buildings (higher BTU value = less fuel used). NOTE: since the introduction of FAART, Albuquerque has been recognized as a "clean air city" by the EPA.

FAART equipped greyhounds are an effective anti-crime device. During the execution of a crime against a FAART equipped system, FAART erupts and incapacitates the criminal, leading to an easy arrest. A word of caution, those in the company of a FAART equipped greyhound need to stay upwind or suffer the same debilitating consequences as the criminal.

FAART is effective fumigation for pesky, ground digging critters (see gophers, prairie dogs, woodchucks). It is quiet and efficient (subprogram SBD). During the testing process, an incident took place proving FAART's effectiveness at fumigation. A burrowing owl was downwind of the test area in an abandoned prairie dog town. As the gas permeated its underground nest, it reportedly staggered from its burrow saying, "give a hoot, don't pollute".

And, FAART is sub-sonic, so as not to disturb any protected, threatened, and/or endangered species in your area, i.e., black footed ferrets, desert kangaroo rats, mountain lions, Mojave tortoise, etc.

FAART does not use expensive fuels (ethanol and/or petroleum) that are notorious for polluting the atmosphere. It uses a cheap, readily available fuel source in the form of soy and soy by-products. This fuel can be purchased at any grocer, pet or feed store. It can even be legally grown at home and is good for the planet. Whatever is not used can be 100% recycled.

FAART is environmentally friendly.  When not in use, FAART can be shut down using Pepto-Bismol, Di-Gel, Gas-X, or any of the other gas reducing/eliminating items available in your local market or pharmacy reducing the possibility of a ruptured fuel cell or accidental leakage. FAART can also be disabled by the introduction of soy free fuels.

What is better than existing propulsion systems? Why, FAART, of course!

Rob Summerhill
CEO and Top Dawg

Elaine Summerhill
Secretary, Administrator, and all around Minion

Grey 2K Strikes Again

People have asked me, how can you love greyhounds and NOT SUPPORT Grey2K. I've told them because Grey2K does nothing for the dogs. They are a political action group... lobbyists. Well, Grey2K has given me other reasons to not support them... reasons that are despicable. Recently a Grey2K BOD member commented, "Middle class, educated, white people don't go to bet on the dogs". That comment leads me to believe that the BOD member believes that betting on dog races is an activity that is engaged in by either the poor, the uneducated, and/or minorities, but not "middle class, educated, white people." Very, very distasteful...

However, that same BOD member followed up with this gem, which is most insensitive, most distasteful, and very vile. She compares dogs being crated as follows, "it looks like Auschwitz". It makes me want to get sick. It trivializes the millions of deaths, the attempted extermination of not only the Jewish people, but also of the Roma and anyone who opposed the Nazi regime: the Poles, Slavs, and POWs, just to end a sport that they do not like. How vile can they get? How low can they go?

Disgusting!

Greyhound Club of America - What's Up?

Several months ago, I submitted an application for membership to the Greyhound Club of America (GCA), the American Kennel Club (AKC) parent club for the breed.  For many, many years, I have been trying to become a member of the club.  I was told that good breeders and serious fanciers of the breed are always parent club members.  Since I consider myself a good breeder and a serious student of the breed, I have been trying to join.  I've not met with any success.  They continue to deny me membership.  I believe I know why, but not a single board member has the backbone to stand up and tell me why.  Instead, they hide behind a veil of secrecy, i.e., secret ballots, etc.  They are more like a high school clique than a club for serious fanciers of the Greyhound breed.


Reasons I am a good breeder: 

1. I health screen my breeding stock;
2. I take back dogs that I have bred, any time, any reason; 
3. I rescue dogs that others have bred; 
4. I'm there for my puppy owners and others, when needed.

However, it seems that being a good breeder, a good owner, and having a love for the breed isn't enough either. Even my length of time in the breed, 15 years, which is more than some of the board members, doesn't seem to matter to the GCA.  I've added to my resume through the years. My dogs have accomplished much, including, but not limited to:

• Out of a total of 11 puppies, we have 7 conformation champions with 3 dogs not shown. This means that 64% of our puppies have attained their championship.
• We have bred 6 dual champions;
• Our dogs have amassed a total of 21 lure coursing championship titles (AKC & ASFA)
• Two dogs in our first litter were nationally ranked in breed competition.
• Three pups bred have group placements (18 placements in AKC and 2 in UKC).
• Four are multiple year invitees to the Eukanuba National Championship. One of them, Dash, was a 3 time invitee. 
• Our dogs have been nationally ranked in lure coursing (AKC & ASFA), oval racing (NOTRA), and open field coursing.
• I've handled dogs in other breeds to their championships (saluki, borzoi, harrier) and also greyhounds that were not owned by me.
• I am an AKC lure coursing judge and received my judging license in 2003.

Still, I'm not good enough to be a member.  Yet, there are members who don't even own a greyhound.  So, why?  Why am I continually being refused membership?  The only thing I can surmise is that I do not meet with their approval for reasons, petty & personal, based on personal agenda.  I can only surmise that I am being blackballed because I was one of many people who fought a prior board on their attempts to close the AKC studbook to dogs registered with the recognized domestic registry - the National Greyhound Association (NGA).  That fight occurred over several years, beginning in 2000 and ending in January 2003, when the AKC Board of Directors with a 12-1 vote lifted the moratorium on the stud book.  Since I meet all criteria, that is the only reason I can deduce.   Go figure...

Good Hound Day on the Rio Grande

Back in 2002, Kathy came to Albuquerque to pick up her blue puppy dog, Slate.  She brought BJ's littermate, Allegra, along with her.  While here, she & I took BJ & Allegra down to the Rio Grande River to romp for a bit, off leash.  The attached slideshow has been put together from some of the pictures Kathy took that day.  Boy, did they have fun!

Enjoy...

Snapshots...

The following story was composed and published on an email list back in, if I remember correctly, November 2001. It was written after my attending my first open field coursing event with my dog, BJ. BJ was a big fellow and he so enjoyed himself that day. I have since lost him to the infirmaries of old age and I'm indulging myself in a trip down memory lane... Enjoy.

A personal account....

I firmly believe that there are times in one's life where brief moments of time seem to stand still. An image of that moment, a snapshot of perfect clarity, color and composition, is forever burned onto the silver nitride of one's brain to be viewed time and time again.

This past weekend, BJ & I participated in our first official open field coursing event. My brain carries one "snapshot" of a particular moment in time and one slow motion, moving picture of the events leading up to that snapshot.

BJ ran well. He ran well and ran with some high quality open field dogs (gh's owned & bred by Karen & Ramon and Karen's mom - Pat). We were running the Corralitos jacks - big, tough, fast blacktails. BJ did not embarrass himself, even tho' his inexperience showed.

On Saturday, we ran with TCC (The Coursing Conservancy) a nice group of people. We had fun and there weren't any injuries in the field - a good day coursing. We kicked up enough jacks to finish the prelims and called it a day as the field was getting too hot to safely run the dogs. BJ had drawn into the 6th course and when the hare broke cover, I believe that he never sighted until he was a long ways back and in a tail chase. He returned to me instead.

Sunday we ran with SWCC (Southwest Coursing Club) and it was a different day. Roll call was held at the Lazy E Cafe aka Brent's Cafe (they have excellent coffee!!!) and BJ drew into Course 5 with Elia (greyhound) and Nova (whippet).

Sunday was a pretty day, sun shining & cooler temperatures. The day dawned with a gentle breeze. But, as the day progressed, the wind intensified to a point just strong enough to encourage the hares to seek cover down in the washes. The first course or two was run up on higher ground bordering the wash and pretty much came off without a hitch.

Since hares were few & far in between up topside, the huntmaster made the decision to sweep down into the wash that we'd been paralleling. Her thinking was, correctly if I might add, that the hares were hunkered down in the wash because of the wind. Course 3 went smoothly and then course 4 was run.

Course 4 was a great course. I don't remember the third dog in the course, but two hounds were Mocha (gh) and Ms. Bootsie (saluki). A nice runup followed by a take attempt and a turn. When the dust settled, Mocha was hot on the tail of the jack, really working it and forcing turns (boy can that bitch turn!), but, standing alone on the field favoring her left front was Ms. Bootsie. Bootsie had broken her foreleg just above the wrist. According to the owner, it had the appearances of being a clean, simple fracture. They splinted her leg on the field and were staying with her, awaiting the arrival of a vehicle to take her to the vet in Las Cruces. While they were waiting, we resumed the hunt.

For those of you who do not know, when BJ was a puppy, he broke his femur in the stifle joint. It has always been the subject of great concern to all who are associated with him. Even so, the boy has done everything I've ever asked him to do. Now, here I was, asking him to do one more thing...one more thing that would really test his desire and abilities as a greyhound, and, not to mention, the leg.

We began walking the field, hunting, searching for the elusive Corralitos jacks. The hunting dogs were Elia (NGA greyhound), Nova (whippet) and BJ (AKC greyhound). Thoughts ran rampant through my brain, "What if.... Suppose...." and finally, "Am I nuts?" I was absolutely, stone cold terrified that some nasty, nasty misfortune would befall my beloved companion and buddy. I was torn and tormented as I questioned my sanity and the wisdom of letting my dog run in this wash with holes in it large enough that they could swallow a man, let alone a racing dog.

Suddenly, the cry went up, "RABBIT!!!". At this point, time slowed down. As if in slow motion, I heard the long, drawn out cry, "Tal...ly..... ho!" as the hare swung in an arch to the left across the front of the hunting dogs. I remember seeing the big, strong jack as it went by, ears flat back and then looking down at BJ. His muscles were bunched for the all important first spring, the spring out of the slips, and he was more than eager to be off. Before I even thought about it, I had released him, he was out of the slips and on the hare, right along with Nova and Elia. The 3 hounds were all within a length of each other with Elia right on the hare's butt. It was at this moment, my "snapshot" imprinted itself.

The snapshot is one of BJ, his ears flat back and his mouth open for maximum air intake. I can see his teeth through the open mouth. He is balanced on his left foreleg, which is well back under his body, the right foreleg tucked well up in front of his chest just before it extends, and his powerful hindquarters coming up tight under his body just before he becomes airborn in the contracted phase of the DSG. The look of intensity...the look of power...the look of grace. I will always remember this moment. Anyway, the game was afoot and the course was on!

From that point forward, time resumed its normal speed. I was told that Elia, who was in the lead on the runup, tumbled but rolled to his feet and came up running. BJ & Nova were right behind him and BJ had a gut-wrenching, hard fall that ripped the blanket off of his back.

**Oh my gawd! I've broken my dog!!!** Came the unbidden thoughts as I clutched first Ramon's arm and then my friend Robert's hand for support and security as the tears began to flow from my fear. Robert reassured me that BJ was alright and he was up & running - and running well - before I could bring myself to watch the remainder of the course.

He too came up running with the blanket tangled around his hind legs. He kicked off the blanket and resumed the chase, closing the gap between himself & Nova and Elia. The course cut left and then right. All too soon, the hounds and hare were out of sight. We watched and waited. The judge still had his glasses up. How far, how long would the course go? After some time, the judge lowered his glasses and the lookout for the dogs began.

The first dog back was Elia. He approached the gallery from the north. As all looked to the north for BJ & Nova, someone called out that he/she saw them up on the ridge, heading south. They were a good 800 yds out and headed away from the gallery. That is where the fun began. With whistles blowing, me calling (made me feel better), and people waving hats, leashes, whatever, his attention was finally caught and he began to head towards the gallery. The huntmistress (I think) encouraged me to go out and meet my dog and to tend to him as he had a long, hard course.

Karen & Pat told me it was an excellent course. I'm ashamed to say I missed most of it because of my fear.

I cannot express my appreciation enough to the fine people of SWCC and TCC for all their help and encouragement. Nothing I have ever encountered could have prepared me for my experiences this weekend. The OFC people are a fine group of dedicated dog people, who helped me when I needed help and took the time to both teach and encourage me. I will always be thankful to them. Before BJ & I packed up to leave, the question was asked, "Did this discourage you? Will you try again?"

No, I was not discouraged. And, yes. BJ ("my wussy AKC greyhound showdog") & I will be in the field again.

Now that I've purged my fears from my system, more things are resurfacing in my memory, including other snapshots of the day.

Mocha.....

Mocha is a pretty, very feminine, red fawn greyhound bitch that is an incredible runner! She goes, I'm guessing, about 58 - 60 pounds and is a little bit larger than her littermate (again guessing), Peanut. But, as feminine as she is, that bitch is an assassin on jacks.

Mocha ran in Course 4 and this course left three more snapshots in my mind's eye. The snapshots left their impressions throughout the playing of the movie left by the course. The hounds, Ms. Boots, Mocha and the third dog, are slipped and accelerate off the line. They are flying! The runup seems short to my little pea brain and then the hounds are forcing a turn. As the hounds forced the jack to turn, Mocha seemed to slide through the turn on her hocks, not unlike a quarterhorse cutting cattle, and accelerated out of the dust cloud, leaving and creating more dust in her wake. This is the first snapshot, her red fawn body going through the turn with a cloud of dust behind her. Her slide through the turn, hind legs well under her, hocks well bent, body slightly arched from the tuck and her back parallel to the ground. Simply incredible!

Continuing the movie... Hollering over my shoulder at her owners, the comment came, "My God! Can that bitch turn!!!" The sight of her demanded my full attention and I could not take my eyes off of her. She is simply incredible! But then, I heard someone to my right say, "She's hurt...leg's broken..." At that time, my heart fell and the joy of watching Mocha faded as my eyes took in the scene of a hurt dog on the field with her owner being excused by the Huntmaster to go and attend to her dog. The scene of the hurt saluki and the people attending her was the second snapshot of that course.

The third snapshot was another one of Mocha. My attention drawn away from her, I did not see her finish the course and make the kill on the hare. The movie clip resumes with Mocha entering the periphery of the scene from the right, carrying the blacktail jack, its body dragging alongside her body. The dead jack appeared to be half as long as Mocha! It looked to be huge in comparison to this petite hound. I can clearly see the grey-brown coloration of the hare against the red fawn of the greyhound. Mocha has her head and neck arched against the weight of the hare. She approaches the people attending the saluki and drops the hare at the saluki's feet. Then click! The third snapshot, her dropping the hare in front of the saluki.

ADDED COMMENT - Hounds don't willingly give up their catch to other dogs. I found Mocha's display of charity a very generous one and one that people would do well to learn.

Brrrrr......

Brrrrr..... Yesterday, we had the coldest day on record here at the Summerhill house since we moved here in 1993. Yesterday, for the very first time, temperatures in the early morning, i.e., 6am, were sub zero! Yeppers.... you heard me right.... SUB ZERO! Yesterday at 6:30 am, it was -10 degrees F. Today, if Weatherunderground is correct, it is much warmer at 14 F. Still brrrrr..... I wonder if this is what it's like in the winter in Alaska?

Funny thing about greyhounds....

Greyhounds are supposed to have short hair and no excess body fat. Many, if not all, greyhound owners put their dogs in coats and blankets when the weather turns cold. So, here it is steadily getting colder over the past week to reach yesterday's record low temp of -10 F with 6" of snow on the ground. Being a good owner, I put polar fleece blankets on the dogs and turn them out for the day. All day long, I'm worried over the hounds because it is absolutely bitter cold. I'm worried they'll have frostbite. I'm worried that they'll be frozen and dead. I'm just very worried about them being out in the cold! NOTE: By 5pm it warmed up to 23 F.

Anyway, I get home from work at around 5pm. I hear dogs barking in the yard. **Good! They're alive!** I dash into the house, open the glass slider to the back and, lo & behold, in come three, naked hounds. Naked? Yep, all three had gotten their blankets off and were very happily running around the back yard in low 20 degree temps. So much for trying to keep them toasty warm. So much for them being poor choices for a cold weather climate. Go figure... One would think the way these guys were acting that they were borzoi! I'm just wondering how long these guys were out in the back yard naked?