Closing Images from 2010

I wanted to leave everyone with some images 

I took today of the magnificence 

of icicles, dogs and cats...

 

These two images are from our honeysuckle vine right outside our kitchen door. With temperatures in the teens and twenties the last few days, we have an Icicle Waterfall--Amazing isn't it?

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Some action shots of the dogs;

to get the best resolution, 

click on the image to enlarge it

  Aspen going in for the kill!

 Pharaoh leaping

 Isabella and Pharaoh playing hard as usual

Isabella racing to catch Pharaoh, 
but he is as fast as the wind!

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Here are a few of the cats enjoying their organic catnip:

Cassie, American Shorthair

Merlin, our Maine Coon

 Piper--don't know what is with all the tongues showing, must be getting stuck-- LOL

Romeo, our Seal Point Snowshoe

And one last shot of Merlin, our Golden Girl at 14

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 Isabella eating snow

Head Study of Pharaoh

Head study of Isabella, 21 months old

Here's to wishing everyone PEACE & JOY in 2011

Cheers!

PKCLC October 2, 2010 Lure Coursing--Best in Field!

Recently Isabella and Pharaoh debuted in the sport of lure coursing for sighthounds. It was an AKC trial held by the Pocatello Kennel Club in Blackfoot Idaho.

Both Pharaoh and Isabella passed their Qualifying Coursing trial enabling them both to enter in the actual trial itself.

As the only Irish Wolfhound and the only Afghan Hound competing in this day's event, they both won Best of Breed with scores of 40/50 points (first run) and 40/50 points (second run) for Isabella and 40/50 (first run) and 41/50 points (second run) for Pharaoh!


Since this was Isabella's first event and she had run 3 times already I decided to pull her from the Best in Field run.


Pharaoh still appeared to have plenty of running left, so along with 3 other dogs, I decided to enter him in Best in Field. He ran against a Scottish Deerhound in his run.

When they announced the Best in Field Winner

--the judges chose Pharaoh!!!!

What an amazing day for us! Both Pharaoh and Isabella had a great time and we took home lots of ribbons, toys for the dogs and a huge bed that we barely managed to fit in the car.

I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Isabella Qualifying Courser Run

Isabella running with a Scottish Deerhound

Pharaoh's Qualifying Courser Run

Pharaoh--Running big

Pharaoh's Golden Sunrise--Best in Field PKCLC October 2, 2010

Chaos killing the bunny

Best in Field run--Killing the Bunny

Bella and Me

Just a few late night pictures.

Isabella has such a great face!

Cheyenne Specialty 2010

Isabella and I entered the RMIWA Specialty 2010 held at Lyons Park in Cheyenne, WY. It was our first specialty and seeing over 100 Irish Wolfhounds in one place was breathtaking. I met so many welcoming and lovely people who shared tips about grooming, stacking and showing in the conformation ring, even though we did not place, it was a wonderful experience. Randy was a real trooper and took pictures, set up and took down all the equipment you need for showing, and drove most of the time. We spent twelve and a half hours at the show site and it was a very long day. We stayed for the dinner and it was great to hear the judges comments. We did well, but I learned that I need to practice striding out to allow Isabella to show off her lovely movement. So both judges did not see her at her best. Here are a series of pictures from the show.

 

 

 

Tug of War

Pharaoh is always ready to play! Isabella grabbed a Pogo Plush and Pharaoh immediately snatched a mouthful.

Who do you think won this round?

PhotoScape vs. GIMP and we have a winner!

We just purchased a laptop that came with Windows 7, so I needed to find some new photo editing software that works with this platform. After reading some online reviews, I tried GIMP, but I am not ashamed to admit it was way too much for me. Then I downloaded PhotoScape and it was pretty intuitive. Here is a shot of Isabella and Pharaoh playing chase. PhotoScape has some fun features. I am looking forward to playing more with it.

"Do Right By Your Dog"

I was really nervous about showing Isabella this past weekend. When I mentioned this to my friend Meredith Acly, dog trainer extraordinaire, she shared her mantra that she uses before running her dog Sully at agility trials: "Do Right by your Dog". In other words, your job as half of the team is to be clear in your communication; to use your body language and cues to set your dog up for success. Keeping this in the forefront of my mind allowed me for the first time in any competition to be calm and focused. We had fun! This is my goal: to have a happy and confident dog who enjoys working with me. Enhancing our bond each and every time we are competing together is what matters the most to me.

Thanks to Meredith for sharing such a wonderful tip. Cheers!

Utah Beehive Cluster--May 8, 2010

Isabella's and my first conformation show. She was 13 months old. We won reserve, beating a 3 year old female! Pretty good for our first show. The judge was kind in her comments recommending that I have a great looking girl and to keep practicing!

Mount Ogden Kennel Club Fun Match January 31, 2010

Isabella and I went to our first Fun Match! Hosted by the Mount Ogden Kennel Club on January 31, 2010. Isabella was 10 1/2 months old. Nancy and Dean Laney, my breeders, were there with Isabella's two brothers. It was great to see them! Nancy and Dean gave me some great tips and Randy took a lot of pictures. Here are a few from the match.

Here is one of Isabella's brothers: Rudy

Waiting for Treats!

 
Isabella, Pharaoh, and Aspen get daily doses of salmon oil. This is a natural source of Omega 3s. Here are all three of them waiting for their capsules. I dole them out and boy are they focused!

A New Friend Joins the Household!

We are fostering a young male Afghan Hound named Pharaoh. He is a delightful boy--very playful and affectionate! Here are a few pictures from the last few days. He is fitting in very nicely.We are glad to share our home with him.

Pharaoh is very fast and he loves the snow!

Pharaoh hasn't had access to a safe enclosed yard, so you can see he is enjoying himself immensely!

I can't believe I captured this on film!

Isabella and Pharaoh are fast friends already! They are sharing Isabella's bed, each enjoying a hoof. 

Isabella and Aspen Playing in the Snow

As you can see, Isabella and Aspen play hard!

Can you find the white dog in the snow?