Winter is Officially Here...

Well, winter is here. For the first time since April, we have turned on the furnace. Last night it was cold. (How cold was it?) It was cold enough that the all day rain we had yesterday turned to ice on the cars, the grass, the trees.... We drove into town through the pass and there was snow on the mountain. True it was the 2nd snowfall on the mountain this autumn, but it stayed. The other one, back in September, was gone by the time we were headed home. This snow was still there at sunset. Bleh....

The only good thing about winter is that it is the start of hunting season. Opening day is in two weeks. Hurrah! It's been a long six months. Soon, the hounds & I will be out chasing rabbits for dinner.

Yep... winter is here.

Unabashed Brag!

Warning! Warning! This is your final warning! Unabashed brag ahead....

I thought last weekend was good. You know, the one in Los Lunas? Well, this past weekend ranks right up there with it. This past weekend tho' was lure coursing, not the conformation breed ring. This past weekend, the Albuquerque Whippet Fanciers held their semi-annual lure coursing weekend. I had the three stooges (Banner, Nampa & Glory) entered.

On Saturday, Glory finished her AKC Lure Coursing field championship by winning the Open stakes over 4 other hounds for the major. However, Banner won Best of Breed over her in the run off.

On Sunday, Nampa took a 3 point major and he finished his dual championship (field & breed ring). Nampa also had to run off for Breed over his brother, Banner. Again, Banner emerged the winner.

On Sunday, Banner went on to compete in Best in Field and he took the honors! Pictures when I get them.

Cool....

What a Weekend!

My Lord, what a weekend we just had at the Valencia Valley KC shows! It was a weekend that some only dream about. To start, as of 10/13, I'm released from doctor's care and I can go back to work. So, since I am soon to be released, I attended the dog show in which I had the pups, Nampa, Banner, and Glory entered, as well as their dam, Abbey Lou. We had built a major in greyhound bitches and I would be damned if I was going to break it. (Breaking majors is a pet peeve of mine.)

On Saturday, I arrived in plenty of time and had made arrangements for people to help me with the hounds, as I believed I'd be unable to show them. I went to the super's desk to change Banner & Glory's class, which was only possible because of a recent rule change. I thought I'd change their class and then stay around to hold dogs & watch. However, the super informed me that if I took them out of Bred By, I'd have to physically leave the show grounds. So.... I took them in myself.

To make a long story short, we cleaned up. Banner went WD on both days (no points) but on Saturday, he crossed over for Best of Winners and got three points. Glory went WB both days for two, 3 point majors, and Nampa went Best of Breed both days. In addition, on Sunday, Abbey went Reserve to her daughter! What a weekend!

Stuff

Well, it's official..... my lungs are clear of the pneumonium bacteria which struck me to the ground about 10 days past. It sure is nice to be able to draw a semi-deep breath without gasping for air. However, that being said, at this point in time in my recovery, every action leaves me exhausted. That is most aggravating!


Speaking of disease, for many years now, greyhound breeders would occasionally get a puppy in a litter that just wasn't right. The unknown syndrome (for want of a better word) would strike pups early in their life (8-12 wks) and lead to their premature deaths, usually before 1 year of age. It was believed that the problem was a case here & there, but then it was realized that the problem was more common than thought and the greyhound breed was afflicted with a new, genetic disease - neuropathy. As yet, this disease is not yet described in any scientific literature.

Puppies affected with Greyhound neuropathy present with an abnormal gait, an arched back, muscle atrophy, and rear weakness. They run with a 'bunny hop' gait with turned out knees. They tire easily. There are other symptoms but I'm trying to keep this short. Thankfully, there is no pain.

And, the best news.... recently, Dr. Corde Drogemuller at the University of Bern has discovered the genetic anomaly for the disease and there is now a test to determine if your greyhounds are carriers of the defective gene. For more on greyhound neuropathy, please check out the link below.

http://www.genetics.unibe.ch/content/e2353/e2982/index_eng.html

DCh El-Aur Royal Dragon SC, FCh

DCh El-Aur Royal Dragon FCh, SC aka B.J.

7/5/97 - 2/26/09

BJ was a remarkable dog. He was one of 8 pups born to Ch Arborcrest Danae FCh, SC, UD and Ch El-Aur Remember Royaltan SC and was bred by Laurel Drew, El-Aur Greyhounds. Rob & I had known Laurel for not quite 2 years when the litter was born. Even so, she entrusted us with two pups from this particular litter: BJ & Spoof. In fact, BJ was Spoof's "replacement" for the show ring because Spoof never developed into a show quality dog.

A day or two before we were to pick up BJ at age 14-16 wks, he had an accident at Laurel's which resulted in a distal end fracture of the femur. In other words, he broke his femur at the stifle joint. Laurel called and offered to replace him with any other puppy, including any of the bitch puppies, because it was "doubtful he'll ever finish a breed ring title, let alone a lure coursing title." During his months of restricted exercise he had to have two surgeries. The first one was to fix the fracture using screws and the 2nd was to remove the screws that his body was rejecting. Poor puppy!

The years, 1999 and 2000, were momentous for BJ. He took his first points in the breed ring on Feb 2 and in April, he ran on the lure for the first time. Up until the day that BJ took his first points in the breed ring, Feb 2, 1999, Laurel offered to replace him with another dog. She never believed he would be competitive in the breed ring up until that time. But on Feb 19, 2000, BJ officially became Ch El-Aur Royal Dragon SC. Two months later, on Apr 2, 2000, he finished his AKC lure coursing title and his dual championship. He exceeded all expectations. He did everything which was asked of him and he did it in style!

BJ suffered a career ending injury one day on a ranch somewhere in New Mexico when he took off on a jackrabbit. The jack ducked down into an arroyo and BJ did not have enough running room to either hurdle the arroyo or turn to avoid it. He tried to turn but the laws of physics would not be denied and he went crashing into the arroyo at 35 mph. I thought he was dead. Before I could get to the arroyo, he climbed out of it, but it had cost him. His pelvis was broken in two places and he injured his neck. BJ's running days were over. The vet who pieced him back together, Dr. Frank Coons, commented, "His injury was very much like what we see in dogs that have been hit by a car. (pause) Well, if you think about it, he was running as fast as a car. It makes sense." BJ was retired. His running days were over.

The boy always chafed at retirement. He knew he could do more than I would allow him. He bounded back from two very bad bone fractures and other miscellaneous difficulties. However the coursing injuries would haunt him the remainder of his life until one day, he could not stand. That was the day he continued with his journey and went over the bridge. That was the day my heart was rent in two and today is the first time I could even face writing about my boy. God speed your journey, BJ. You are missed.

Jon & Kate.... Who the Hell Cares?

Don't know about you, but I'm sick & tired of hearing about Jon & Kate Gosselin's dirty laundry. Ya know, it takes two people to make a marriage work and if neither side works hard at it, it will fall apart. Marriage is hard, difficult work. So Jon, Kate & the media ----- in the words of email lists ---- TAKE IT PRIVATE!

And, more importantly, think of your kids before yourselves.

Benefits to Being Sick

There are a few benefits to being sick:

1. Able to watch more football games than I have when I'm not sick. Just finished watching the Notre Dame vs Washington Huskies game. Outstanding! Final score: ND 37 WA 30. Go Irish!
2. Able to spend more time with the hounds, especially since they keep hounding me... mom? What's that noise coming from you, mom? Can I sit on your lap, mom?
3. Able to catch up on a bunch of little projects that aren't too taxing: website update, blogging update, facebook update...
4. Able to sit by helplessly while hubby does the cooking, cleaning & feeding. Hubby is a very good cook. It's nice to not be the primary caregiver for a bit of time.

Later...

Where has the year gone???

Good Lord! Where has the year gone?

It seems like it was only a couple of weeks ago that I last posted here. Oops! Try it's been nearly 8 months!

A lot has happened in that time. Sadly, we had to say good-bye to an old friend, BJ. BJ took a huge piece of my heart with him when he left, and it has taken me forever to recover. In truth, I'm not sure I have recovered from that loss. Even so, the puppies, which are now two years old, have done their best to fill that hugh chasm.

The puppies - Banner, Glory & Nampa.... my 'three stooges'...

Banner has finished two field championships during the past 8 months. He finished his AKC field championship in April and just this past September, he finished his ASFA field championship with a 2nd place finish in the Open stakes on Saturday at the Grand National. That boy is a talented runner. I cannot wait until he sees Mr. Jack this winter. I'm hoping & praying that he continues to course all in one piece. That is my biggest fear... that he breaks. In addition to his running titles, Banner has picked up his 2nd major in the breed ring. Now, he only needs 5 single points. They may take the longest, altho' we have dogshows on 10/10 & 10/11 sporting a 3 point major both days. With luck, maybe he'll cross over for the points to finish his dual championship.

Glory hasn't done much in the breed ring, but not for lack of try. Many judges just do not find her their cup of tea for any number of reasons: too moderate, popping elbow, too muscled... However, she picked up a 1st placement at the Grand Nat'l to add 40 ASFA points to her quest for that field championship. And, she picked up a major in AKC lure coursing in April. Only time will tell with her. Regardless of whether or not she gets any titles, she is a sweet, loving pup. She is very much her momma's daughter in attitude and temper.

Nampa is another talented boy. He has to have close to a 20' stride on him! He finished 4th both days of the Grand Nat'l to finish his ASFA field championship, pending confirmation. I think I've counted all his placements & points correctly, but, one never knows for sure until that confirmation is received. He may still need a placement. Argh!!! Nampa most recently had his coming out party as a "special" at the Elk City, OK shows. On Saturday, he put on such a show in the ring that the judge was laughing 2 hours later. Yep, he's special! However, on Sunday, he kept 4 on the floor to take best of breed over a nationally ranked special, Ch Gaia Woodland Waltz. In the group ring, he made the judge's cut. I'm proud of the boy. He's a keeper.

*** Pictures of the Grand National can be found at Big Paw Prints.

Other than that, I'm very proud to say that my loving hubby, Rob, took on a new job in March with a company called CompRay. To date, they seem to be a very good company and good to their employees. Hurrah!

Other excitement around here has been some interesting weather. Now NM is known for its rainbows and we see many, quite a few of which are double rainbows. However, NM is not known for nasty weather. Back in late August, early September, we spotted this just over the hill from us. Thankfully, other than a couple of fences coming down, there were no injuries or severe damage to dwellings. These things are scary.

Oh, and after 5 days of feeling sick, I finally went to the doctor. I have pneumonia. Joy - NOT! At least, they did not admit me to the hospital but sent me home with medication and orders to take it easy. Go figure...

Yours in hounds.....