Dog Show News

Well there hasn't been much happening as of late. We had a show this weekend that was pretty darn good. Nothing too major to report but nice none the less.

On Saturday, I went up with my friend Jessica. I showed Brandi and Jess showed two of hers, Dash and Vega. Brandi took 3rd in her Open class of 6 (I think). I was more than happy with that placement. There were some nice girls in that class. Jess took 3rd in Open Dogs with Dash and 4th in Open Bitches with Vega. So it was a decent weekend. I can't complain when we are in the ribbons!

On Sunday I went up with Helen (Brandi's owner). She had Audre (baby girl turned 2 on Saturday!!!) and Olivia, I had Brandi. Audre won her Bred By class. I was super happy about that! Brandi was again 3rd in Open and Olivia went on to win Open Bitches, Winners Bitch and Best Opposite!!! Yay Olivia!!!!!!

After whippet judging I had the chance to show a really lovely Greyhound boy in the group. That was a blast! A big Thank You to his owners for giving me the opportunity to show him and to Barb for asking if I would like to give it a go! We got pulled in the group, though we didn't place it was an honor to just make the cut. There were some very nice dogs in the group. Some being in the top 10 in the country so it really was an honor to be pulled with a puppy boy.

It was a good weekend out at the shows!

Fish

Aren't they cute?! Go ahead... Feed em... You know you want to... Just click on the water...

New Beginnings

There have been some pretty big life changes going on here. Something that once was beautiful and full of promise became tainted and ugly and has come to an end.

I couldn't be happier.

There is a new life in front of me. A new beginning. Full of promise and success. Of failure and lessons learned.

For the first time in almost 10 years I am free to be myself. To do the things that I want to do. Be the person I know I am and can be. To meet new people and friends and to get out in the world as the 'new' me.

I like the new me. She is fun and outgoing. She is no longer angry and hurt and bitter. She is a person full of emotion and joy that she isn't afraid to show. I feel amazing.

This life is too short to sit and dwell on things that I cannot change. Things that could have been. There are plenty of things that will be and still are.

I am lucky to have wonderful friends that were (and are)there for me when I needed them most. I appreciate them more than they know.

On to the next new chapter of my life!

(Sorry for the non doggy post, more will be following. Hopefully more regularly than in the past!)

Happy Birthday

Today is Melba's Birthday. She is six years old today. I would like to know where the last six years went. She was just a six month old puppy yesterday, right?

Happy Birthday to the amazingly wonderful, beautiful, funny, smart (at times) whippet girl that makes my life better every day. Happy Birthday Mel,

Love,
Your ever grateful Person (mom)

P.S.
Happy Birthday to Melba's brother Buster!!! And the rest of the Dessert litter :)

Melba and the Bird Seed

It all started when we came home from work two nights ago. There was bird seed. Everywhere. There were two girl whippets looking at us with innocent, 'we didn't do it' eyes. The following is what happened through Melba's eyes. 99.9% of what you read in this story is true. You decide what's not.....

Just another day at home. We sit here and sleep and wait. Twix barks at Buster as Buster itches his butt on the furniture. Bella and I sleep for the most part. Just a normal day. We sit on the bunch under the window and watch the cows and those damn golf course crows! How I despise them. We hop down after a good bark session at the crows and Bella spots something, something wonderful. It is the shiny, translucent, slightly smelly, noise making, Tupperware box of bird seed.

Oh, it can't be! Bella has gotten it open!! Oh sweet joy! Maybe if I just have a taste....

Oh this is so good... **crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch**

I better go eat it over here though so no one knows it was me... *crunch*

Why isn't Bella eating any? *crunch* This is her most favorite thing! *crunch, crunch* How can she pass this wonderful opportunity up!? *drool*

Well it's not my problem if she doesn't want to join in. The more for me!

What's that noise? **crunch, crunch, crunch**

Uh Oh, I think they are home!!! *** Increase speed of Crunch,crunch,crunch,crunch***

I will just go sit on the couch. They will never know it was me. Bella why are you laughing at me? What's so funny? I can't believe that you didn't have any, same goes for the boys for that matter! Dang that was good.

Oh yay!!! They ARE home! **Jump, Jump, Whine, Whine, WooHoo!!**

I'm still hungry. I know that they should be giving us dinner right now. Why are they bringing out the loud purple screeching sucker thing?! Hey humans! There are hungry whippets in this house!!!!

Fine, I will just go outside and wait.

Thank God! The kid knows we are hungry! She is making dinner!

Man this new dinner is good. Chicken parts, veggies and other bits... yummmmmmmm...

Uh oh...

Hey guys, Mom, um, I kinda, well, don't, oy, feel, too good... Maybe if I stretch that will help. Oh no, I can't hardly stretch...Maybe if I go for a walk around the yard... Oh, that's not going to work... What's wrong with me? I really don't feel good you guys... Bella, it isn't funny! Stop snickering at me or I am going to tell Mom what you did!

Where is Mom?

Oh there she is... Hey Mom, Bella opened the bird seed and told me to eat some... No I wouldn't jump off a bridge if all my friends where doing it. What does that have to do with Bella!?... Anyways, she opened it and told me to try some, so I did cause she Double Dog Dared me, and you know you have to do it if it is a Double Dog Dare!...No I am not lying! She told me to!... Hey Mom, I really don't feel good... I know my tummy is huge... I think it might explode... Oh that feels better when you rub my tummy, it kind of stops hurting... Uh Oh, Mom, I think, um, I think, oh boy, I'm gonna gack.... **** BLECK ****

Dang, that feels a little better. How bout a good stretch... Hummm still can't stretch... Alright... I'm going outside then... Hey guys, I'm having a hard time here... walking isn't as easy as it was a little while ago... What's going on?... Why are the humans following me around the yard? Why are they making me stay outside? I just want to go lay down inside...

Ummmm...Thank you for letting me inside humans... Here is the problem... I gotta gack again! ****BLECK,GACK,BLECK****

This is not good. I want to go to bed. Mom, make it stop... please...

***Here is where I will end Mel's portion of the story. Needless to say she was sick all night long. She is FINE now. She and I were up all night long while she threw up and I took her outside and cleaned up after her. I would like to say she has learned a lesson from all of this, but I am not that naive. She is still a dog, the best dog, but she would do it again in a heart beat if given the chance. In all, Melba ate two pounds of bird seed. It was ugly to say the least.

****Melba would like me to add a picture of Bella so everyone knows who made her do it!




~I think she is laughing a little, don't you?

Goings On

Well once again (as always) I have been lazy and not posted a thing for over a month. Seriously, I am lazy when I get home from work. If I am not showing dogs, working or talking on the phone, I just sit here. I guess it is my way of getting away from the world. Maybe, just maybe, I should find something a little more productive. Like walking or something.

Eh, whatever.

So lots has happened in the last month. We had the American Whippet Club National Specialty show. It was a freakin BLAST! We had 4 adult women and FIVE dogs in one hotel room. Out of control you say?! Well only a little. We did manage pretty well and had some pretty fun times in between. We got lots in the ghetto trying to find a grocery store. That was an interesting experience. But what is life with out experiences?! They make us who we are.
There was a great welcome party that week with lots of drinking, dancing, singing and all that fun stuff. There was a costume contest for the dogs and people. The theme was Easter. I will post pictures of that later. They had a wonderful presentation by a very well know whippet person, Bo, that was very informational and like a history lesson too. I showed two dogs for Mary, she was a roommate for the week. The national was a good time. I can't wait until next year!

A little exciting news,
The Due West Whippet family welcomes a new half family member. Making our little crew of 3.5 jump to 3.5.5. Yes I know, that is two halves and that equals a whole, but the new member does not live here just like the other .5, the first 3 do live here. So she is still a .5. (I could run with that all day, but I will save you from that) The Due West crew would like to Welcome Brandi to the family! Brandi comes to stay on weekends sometimes for dog shows and we love having her here. A very sweet mostly white girl with patches of brindle on her head. We adore her and are so excited that her owner has allowed us to be a part of the Brandi adventure! Thank You Helen!!!!!!

Plenty going on out here, but no more time to write about it. I have to go be productive. I'm taking the girls out to lounge in the sun. Working on a tan is productive, right?

Curse of the Prowler Part 3

I Lied. It was a month before I posted the next installment. Oy!

The giggling continues.
It sounds like a junior high sleep over in the trailer.
Except for the rain pouring down.
The sound of 'scritching' from somewhere in the trailer.
The dogs blissfully unaware that anything is out of the ordinary.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, morning arrives. We all wake up, though two of us barely slept if at all, and take the dogs out to potty. It is still raining. The ground is sopping wet and so are my shoes. We put the dogs back in their houses and start getting ourselves ready for the day ahead. Still can't figure out how to turn the water on in the Prowler. So into the big building we go to take our showers and get put together.

Fully ready now and it is time to take the dogs to ring side to wait for sweeps to start. I have two to show. Not bad. Show the Child, place in our class. Show the Child's Grand Dam, take Best Opposite Veteran. Good start to the day. Maybe the Prowler isn't THAT bad. Lunch break. Run to the Prowler and get a sandwich. Musty smelling, though maybe that is us from being in the rain all day and the smell of my suede jacket, which is soaked, is not exactly appealing. Trailer mate comes and talks to me, asking me to please, please, please not be mad. Hmmmm wonder what this is about? They found a room in the house that is on the show grounds. With a real bed that doesn't lean to one side and bathrooms. Lucky. So I accept my fate. The Prowler is all mine for the remainder of the weekend. Me and my two dogs. I can deal with that. We will be fine. Alone.


Scarf down lunch and run back to ring side. Show the Child again in regular class, place in class. Show Boo in regular class, nothing. Show Ciscoe as a special, nothing. My Trailer mates have a much better day than I had. Their young boy, Child's brother won his class and went on to Reserve Winners Dog and their Special, Ru-pee-toe (as I call him) was Best Opposite for the day. Nice!

Back to the Prowler for a change of clothes. My ex-Trailer mates take their stuff to the new room and promise to be back for dinner and drinks. There I sit. Alone in my little trailer. It's so quiet. My back hurts from the bed. My feet hurt from a long day of showing. Two more days to go.

My friends come back and we start making food. Drinks are flowing and we are basking in the great day we all had. The dogs are fed and pottied. They are happy too. Some of our show friends stop by and have some drinks with us.

This is how dog shows should be all the time. Friends, Food, Drinks and Fun.

One of my ex-trailer mates decides to help me find a way to turn the water on in the Prowler. We had turned all the knobs on all of the faucets and nothing happened. Interesting. We thought we had it figured out.

He goes into the bathroom.
"Hey! I think I figured it out!"
Flips a switch hiding in plain sight on the wall.
Water starts gushing out of every faucet in the trailer.
The screaming starts.
"Ack!!!! Turn it off!!!"
Turning the water off is much harder when you are getting soaked and panicking.
Turn everything back off.
"I guess it works now", he says.
"Ya Think?!", I say.
The clean up begins and ends.

Everyone starts to fade away into the evening. One by one. Off into their own little abyss. My ex-trailer mates head back to the luxury of their new found room. I am happy for them. The dogs and I will be fine. Alone.

I take the dogs out one last time before bed. They all get to stay loose and sleep in bed with me tonight. That will help keep the cold out. I open one of the windows to get some air moving in there. Throw on my pj's and get into bed.

The rain starts again.
My back already hurts.
At least I am toasty warm.
Then it starts.
Again.
No sleep for the weary.
Or at least that is what they say.
Super.

Two more days.

Tagged!

Melbie has been Tagged by Ribsy over at Whippet Snippets .

- Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

- Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog

- some random, some weird.

- Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.

- Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.



So Mel is thinking that she won't tag anyone back as most of her blogging buddies aren't big fans of being tagged. She likes it though. :)


1. I am a Mole Killer. All moles shall fear me.


2. I think it's funny when the human men get mad at me for whining.


3. I am fluent in 6 whining languages.


4. I love gardening.


5. I pretend that my little sister annoys me, but we sleep together at night and I love her.


6. I love puppies, but will never have any of my own. (I have a steady career and kids just aren't in my future)


7. Butt rubs are my guilty pleasure.

Curse Of The Prowler, Part 2

Three hours a Box O' Wine and a couple dog potty trips later, the Prowler makes an entrance.

By now light is fading to dusk and everyone but us are comfy in their campers/motor homes. We get the Prowler parked, plugged in and emptied out. Crates get stacked, clothes are hung, food gets put away and drinks come out. We all make our respective beds. Take the whippets out and get them fed and watered and pottied. The hunger and exhaustion are taking their toll and we are a little pissy.

The BBQ has made it outside and charcoal has been thrown into the BBQ and doused with a hearty serving of lighter fluid. There is no way that it wont ignite. The familiar "Whoosh!" sound comes from the black bricks and the fire commences. There will be food soon.

Some friends come over from surrounding camps. They see we are cooking and have copious amounts of food and drink. They all come in and take a seat in the Prowler. Now we are more than a little cramped. Too many people in the Prowler.

My trailer mates and I decide to start cooking.

Take the burgers and chicken out of the freezer box and start the small amount of prep work needed to cook outdoors. Make sure we have enough chicken cooked up to supply 4 people with bait for the next day. Four or Five chicken breasts should do right?

What was that?
Felt like rain.
No, it couldn't be.
Someone help me set up the pop up just in case.
Oh no one is listening.
Try my self to put the thing up.
Rain, lots of rain.
Still struggling to get the pop up set up.
Everyone is inside the Prowler.
Everyone but me and my trailer mate who is cooking.
In the rain.
The pouring rain.

Finally I gave up with the stupid pop up that doesn't pop up its gets put together. Real easy to do in the dark when you and the canvas are soaking wet. Completely defeated and pissed I walk inside the Prowler and realize that I have no where to sit. There are too many people in the trailer. Food however is done. Thank all that is good in this world.

Another hour or so goes by and our guests start to head out for their camps. We take the dogs out for one last potty before bed. This day was finally coming to an end! The rain continues to fall. Hard. The dogs just want to go back inside. We oblige and take them back.

It's bed time. The three of us climb into our respective beds.
Then it starts.
The silence.
The strange noises.
The sound of pounding rain on a fiberglass roof.
The giggling.


This concludes Part Two of the Curse Of The Prowler. Stay tuned kids! I promise the next installment won't take a month!


Thanks Mar for getting my ass in gear! :)

Curse of the Prowler

The Curse of the Prowler came to be on a sunny August afternoon back in 08'.

It started like any other summer day before a dog show. Packing the car with dogs, dog food, dog supplies, dog show clothes, you get the point. This time was a little different. We were going to stay on the grounds. No more commuting back and forth like normal! Oh no, we were staying there! This was going to be great! Three of us in a trailer that sleeps AT LEAST 5 people. Awesome! There is room for us and the dog crates.

And so it began.

We loaded up the Prowler. A lovely shade of late 70's oranges and browns and creams. You get the picture. Everyone cheery, knowing that it will be just perfect for the three day show. The Prowler is crammed to the gills with crates, bedding, clothes, food, BBQ, anything you could possibly need for three people and five or six dogs.

Hitch Prowler to Truck. Pull out of driveway. Or not....

This was the beginning of what was to be a very long day.

Prowler breaks don't seem to be budging. Hummm... well she hasn't moved in over a year. Maybe they are rusted and stuck.

Nope.

Prowler breaks are NOT connected to Truck. Connect breaks to truck. Prowler moves!!!

Starting driving down the road to the show site. It is only about 20-30 minutes from where we are heading for the weekend of dog showing goodness.

5 miles down the road... Nice trucker dude pulls up next to the truck. "Ladies, you know your breaks are on fire right?"

WTF?!?!? Yup, breaks are now smoking. This is normally something that would have been noticed as soon as it started due to the smell alone. But not today. Not with a car full of whippets with horrid gas. The stench inside the truck was worse than the smoking breaks.

Pull the truck over. Call the owner of the Prowler and have them come get it and bring it to the show site. I will not sacrifice my 2 month old truck to the Prowler, though I know it demands a sacrificial lamb or something of equal or lesser value. But that can wait. I have dogs that need to potty and people waiting for us at the show site. So on we go, leaving the Prowler behind at the gas station down the road.

We roll up to the show site about 3 hours after we were supposed to arrive with my trailer roomies waiting in what we now call the 'homeless camp'. They have all started drinking, with out me. I take out the dogs let them potty and put them back in their respective 'boxes'. Drag the cooler out of the car. No bottle opener..... now what?

Ahhhh yes, the boxed wine! Convenient dog show beverage. Now mind you these Boxes O' Wine are small. Not the giant boxes you stuff in the fridge at home. These are holdable and portable, great for just such a day. Bring on the Box O' Wine!

As we all sit drinking out of little boxed wine and twist top beer, we begin to wonder, if the Prowler will ever make it here. After a couple more hours and more than one box of wine in the 'homeless camp' we got our answer...



To be continued....

Bella And The Fake Puppies

Bella seems to think she is having puppies. This is something that she does EVERY time she goes out of season. (Mind you there is NO chance of her having real puppies, never has, never will. Only one boy she comes in contact with and he has been altered for over 8 years) I am used to the whole "Bella, false pregnancy, thing." She gets pudgy and lactates. She mothers her little 'baby' stuffie toy. She loves the toy like it is her child. The poor thing gets groomed and carried around and she attempts to nurse it. It is really kind of sad to witness. So, soon she will be spayed and the curse of the fake puppies will come to an end. It is better for all involved. She is currently residing on the couch under the covers with me and her 'baby'.

Oh Honey, this too shall pass.