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Walk in the vineyard
Mar. 13th, 2014 01:46 pmThe rest of the photoset from our recent walk in a vineyard.
( A collie, a sheltie and a borzoi go walking in March )
( A collie, a sheltie and a borzoi go walking in March )
December morning/Impatient
Dec. 19th, 2012 09:30 amThe young hound says:
frost fell last night, and the earth
will be cold beneath my paws.
Why are we still in the house?
Why aren't we moving,
running now?
frost fell last night, and the earth
will be cold beneath my paws.
Why are we still in the house?
Why aren't we moving,
running now?
Doggies earning additions to their names!
Dec. 10th, 2012 11:09 pmHappy news: Zhava has earned the first point toward her championship, and my fluffy little sparklefox is now 'Outlaws Cobalt Gambit CD,CGC' on paper. There was a dog show! We totally won! It was great!
( If you happen to want a whole lot more detail than that, it's under the cut )
( If you happen to want a whole lot more detail than that, it's under the cut )
Kyn cooked some delicious BBQ ribs the other day. No hounds, of course, were allowed to be unsupervised anywhere near the cooling meat, which makes miss Zhava very sad. She had never wished so passionately to commit a perfect crime, and it would only have taken her mere seconds to complete it.
( oh please, humans, just turn your back for a moment. That's all it would take, just a second of the relaxation of protective primate glare, and those ribs could be mine, so mine, oh please. )
( oh please, humans, just turn your back for a moment. That's all it would take, just a second of the relaxation of protective primate glare, and those ribs could be mine, so mine, oh please. )
The hound says
May. 1st, 2012 08:36 amZhava comes up from behind,
and touches me, lightly, with the
end of her long nose. Once, pause
and then another snout-snout-snout
pause
as if to say,
it is Beltane morning, and
outside is green and moist in bloom
(snout, pause)
and there are fine hounds, such as I.
You should be able
to make this connection.
(snout, pause)
And so,
we walk out into the morning.
***
Blessings of the season, everyone!
and touches me, lightly, with the
end of her long nose. Once, pause
and then another snout-snout-snout
pause
as if to say,
it is Beltane morning, and
outside is green and moist in bloom
(snout, pause)
and there are fine hounds, such as I.
You should be able
to make this connection.
(snout, pause)
And so,
we walk out into the morning.
***
Blessings of the season, everyone!
Borzoi in an old movie
Apr. 24th, 2012 03:37 pmThis is just cool, in that way-over-the-top 1930s sort of way. Look for a bunch of trained borzoi at around 3:00 (I love the one who yawns as the dancer dances over him) and pretty pinto ponies with gilded hooves thereafter.
is what one of several old friends who I ran into in Sebastopol this morning said of us.
I don't usually get very good photos from the dog park, but I ended up with some cool ones from this morning. I am really happy with this one, which says everything there is to say about the developing relationship between Coba and Zhava.
( a couple of others )
I don't usually get very good photos from the dog park, but I ended up with some cool ones from this morning. I am really happy with this one, which says everything there is to say about the developing relationship between Coba and Zhava.
( a couple of others )
Clear December days
Dec. 4th, 2011 06:26 pmThe last couple of days have been so clear and beautiful. Kyn and I took the dogs to the beach yesterday.
( Perforce, beneath the cut you will find a number of dog pictures and rambling about same. )
( Perforce, beneath the cut you will find a number of dog pictures and rambling about same. )
things overheard at the dog park
Nov. 27th, 2011 07:17 pmI keep a somewhat eclectic collection of dogs, and will admit to a certain degree of vanity about them, even if their beauty is very different from that of my wolfdogs. I miss Fen, Pryde and Jez terribly, but I am also enjoying my planned dog's-lifetime hiatus from their kind. It turns out that there are many things in life you can't really do well when you have three pet wolves. My current pack is trustworthy around other dogs, which makes it much easier to take them in public. I find that I enjoy taking them to dog parks and into town---consequently, I hear a lot more public feedback than I generally did with the previous incarnation.
We confuse the hell out of people. It's really funny.
( I ramble behind this cut as I try to distract myself while pedaling. )
We confuse the hell out of people. It's really funny.
( I ramble behind this cut as I try to distract myself while pedaling. )
Tall Tail!
Oct. 2nd, 2011 01:36 pmEveryone exclaims over the length of Zhava's tail (as they did over Bliss' nose at that age. Or possibly any age). I just measured, and Bliss' tail is 1'3" long. Derzhava's is 1'6." Measuring them was hilarious. EDIT: Rooster's tail is 1'4.5."
Yes, she has a lot of tail! It brushes the ground at a walk, although she almost always moves at a trot. As of this morning, she is learning how to run---I wonder when she'll figure out how to steer with all of that. Hopefully, before she crashes into a tree...
( Edited to add more puppy pics! )
Yes, she has a lot of tail! It brushes the ground at a walk, although she almost always moves at a trot. As of this morning, she is learning how to run---I wonder when she'll figure out how to steer with all of that. Hopefully, before she crashes into a tree...
( Edited to add more puppy pics! )
Derzhava is now 14 weeks old. Here are some more pictures from the beach trip!
Puppy Update: I've taken my dog infant twice now into the big world outside walking distance to my house, (the dog show and the beach), and she enjoyed both. She's definitely no longer in a fear period, although she's all about having a moment of boldness and then returning to her safe spot as my little hound shadow, especially outside the house. She (surprisingly?) may be quicker to understand the meanings of new commands than my herding dog puppies, but she is definitely less motivated to perform them without a treat.
She's acclimating into my pack well, and watching the four of them (six when Kyn's dogs are added) sort out all of their little understandings and relationships is really fun. It's also a bit bizarre to look at this relatively large, powerful animal and realize that she's a total infant; you couldn't even call her a juvenile dog. Adorable. You all can look forward to photos of the incredible dorkitude of an adolescent Borzoi---most people don't share those with the world, but I intend to share the hilarity of Zhava's growing up with the world.
I still have a bunch of beach day pics that I didn't post. Here they are.
( dogs )
Puppy Update: I've taken my dog infant twice now into the big world outside walking distance to my house, (the dog show and the beach), and she enjoyed both. She's definitely no longer in a fear period, although she's all about having a moment of boldness and then returning to her safe spot as my little hound shadow, especially outside the house. She (surprisingly?) may be quicker to understand the meanings of new commands than my herding dog puppies, but she is definitely less motivated to perform them without a treat.
She's acclimating into my pack well, and watching the four of them (six when Kyn's dogs are added) sort out all of their little understandings and relationships is really fun. It's also a bit bizarre to look at this relatively large, powerful animal and realize that she's a total infant; you couldn't even call her a juvenile dog. Adorable. You all can look forward to photos of the incredible dorkitude of an adolescent Borzoi---most people don't share those with the world, but I intend to share the hilarity of Zhava's growing up with the world.
I still have a bunch of beach day pics that I didn't post. Here they are.
( dogs )
Dog show done!
Sep. 13th, 2011 06:12 pmThe show was lots of fun. We didn't place, but Coba's first obedience run in particular was great. I think he might even have had a pretty high score, had he not sat up at the very end of his down stay. But I can hardly fault him; the dogs on either side of him had broken completely and were up walking around, and he only sat when a siren startled him. He is almost there; I just need to work him in somewhat noisier, more urban settings, and in more strange places. His second obedience trial wasn't as good, and he lay down on his sit almost immediately...but hey, we know what to work on.
I was not expecting any success in conf...shelties are very competitive in breed, and he's lacking in ear set, which is heavily pointed. Still, my handling is getting better, and I needed the ring experience. Coba may not have a chance at finishing a championship (if I can even get points on him); Derzhava has a very real chance at finishing, but only if I learn how to handle her. Getting there!
The Borzoi people found Derzhava when Kyn and I took her to spectate the end of the show, when Coba and I were done. They were very kind (and some of them recognized her mother), and I got to meet the Best of Breed dog, a rockstar of a Borzoi, GCh. Aashtoria Wildhunt Hidden Agenda, "Casper" who I have admired from afar for some time and didn't expect to meet at a local show. He's even prettier up close, even/especially when politely pulling his lips away from his lovely sharp fangs to express distaste for his hairspray.
Kyn, Eclipse and I had a great time, and I think I'm almost done with dog show nerves. This relaxation translates into Coba having more fun, too, and I think if that isn't the ultimate point of this exercise, you are doing it wrong.
( Also, lots of pictures. )
I was not expecting any success in conf...shelties are very competitive in breed, and he's lacking in ear set, which is heavily pointed. Still, my handling is getting better, and I needed the ring experience. Coba may not have a chance at finishing a championship (if I can even get points on him); Derzhava has a very real chance at finishing, but only if I learn how to handle her. Getting there!
The Borzoi people found Derzhava when Kyn and I took her to spectate the end of the show, when Coba and I were done. They were very kind (and some of them recognized her mother), and I got to meet the Best of Breed dog, a rockstar of a Borzoi, GCh. Aashtoria Wildhunt Hidden Agenda, "Casper" who I have admired from afar for some time and didn't expect to meet at a local show. He's even prettier up close, even/especially when politely pulling his lips away from his lovely sharp fangs to express distaste for his hairspray.
Kyn, Eclipse and I had a great time, and I think I'm almost done with dog show nerves. This relaxation translates into Coba having more fun, too, and I think if that isn't the ultimate point of this exercise, you are doing it wrong.
( Also, lots of pictures. )
