Toby's Indian Name

Back in August, we gave Toby an Indian name. Let's just say, he has an "aim" problem.......

Kristina Terra bought Toby a special gift at the Enumclaw shows in August. Here's a photo of Toby wearing his special present: orange goretex gators.

Oh, and his Indian name (in case you haven't figured it out) is:

Toby Yellow Paw.

The Pack Leader

12 lessons on leadership I've learned from our pack (applies in real human life as well). Our pack leader here is Rowan, our red Borzoi. All Hail Rowan:

1. The Pack Leader does ask for attention, her mere presence commands it at all times.

2. The Pack Leader communicates nonverbally (a lip pulled back ¼” over one fang, or The Look, is all that is needed).

3. The Pack Leader is clear in her expectations (Thou Shalt Not Play in My Bedroom! Thou Shalt Not Steal My Food! Thou Shalt Not Chew on My Bone, even if I buried it 50 yards into the woods, five weeks ago!).

4. The Pack Leader will only rarely and when absolutely necessary verbalize strongly (bark, growl), and you had better pay attention!

5. The Pack Leader is always consistent in her expectations.

6. The Pack Leader commands respect with her appearance and body language.

7. The Pack Leader watches and listens at all times for the good of the pack.

8. The Pack Leader takes care of her needs first; knowing that without a leader the pack is lost (ie: “In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, securely fasten your own oxygen mask before attending to your children….”).

9. The Pack Leader will defend her pack from outsiders at all costs.

10. The Pack Leader will administer punishment only when the pack does not resolve the behavior or issue on their own.

11. The Pack Leader considers every pack member as equal, (even the lowest member of the pack, who’s special purpose sometimes is just to take out her aggressions on and prove her dominance).

12. The Pack Leader shows compassion when any pack member is not well.

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Today was the Puget Sound Borzoi Specialty. Toby was fourth in Open in a class of 10, Catie made the cut but didn't get a placement. And, Toby's sire was Best Stud Dog in the Specialty. The weather was nice and we had a good day overall.

Last night, Rich stopped by the grocery store to pick up supplies with which to groom the borzois. As he was in the checkout line, he got a call on his cell phone. I heard that there were some pretty shocked looks from the cashier and those in line when he told the caller that he was at the store buying baby powder and cornstarch to turn Toby white again.

Life Moves Pretty Fast

Ferris Bueller: "Live moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while you could miss it."

That quote seems to be the story of our life this summer. Last weekend our coursing club had three days of events - a lure operating seminar, Junior Courser tests, and a lure coursing trial. Across the street from the coursing field was an AKC conformation show where we entered Toby in two shows. We also had a BBQ and party at our home Saturday night, and had a house guest for 4 days.

The weather was extremely hot and humid - almost 100 degrees, and sweltering. I have the sunburn to prove it, too....!

This weekend was the last chance we had to qualify Rowan for the AKC National Lure Coursing Championships to be held here in September. She only needs one more point, but unfortunately she won't qualify -- but not because she tried and didn't make it. With the soaring temperature and the course conditions, we scratched her from the event - it was just too dang hot and better to not risk an injury than otherwise. I suspect we'll have our hands full at the NLCC working anyhow and wouldn't have time to care properly for a hound we'd have entered.

Both Rowan and Catie are at the end their heat cycles, thus poor Toby has not been eating since he's got OTHER things on his mind, and he's lost weight. We considered not showing him this weekend since he doesn't look his best, but decided almost at the last minute that we'd do it just for practice. I'd pretend that we were in handling class, and not expecting to win anything - just have fun and practice, since our Specialty is this coming weekend.

Lo and behold, the lad took Best of Breed on Saturday for 2 points, and Best of Winners on Sunday for 1 point! So, in the absolute hottest part of the hottest day, Toby and I got to go run around the Group ring, which almost killed me from heatstroke, but was fun nevertheless. He's such a good boy! Win photo coming soon.

The highlight of our weekend was hosting the judge for our lure coursing tests and trial -- Gary Runyan of Runyan Borzoi. It was a pleasure to have such an interesting person here for four days and we're very happy to have made a new friend. Thanks Gary for putting up with our humble abode and our dogs - they loved having your company too. Kisses from Catie.

Calgary Shows

Rich returns tonight or tomorrow from Calgary - and although I don't have ALL the details, I do have some photos to post plus show results for our girls, and it sounds like it was a really great weekend for all the Tovaritch gang. I'm proud of Rich and both Catie (Tovaritch Catherine the Great, SC) and Rowan (Tovaritch's Beresina, SC) for how well they all did!

Now, the results and photos (Rowan is the one without the white on the end of her muzzle, and the larger of the two red bitches):

Rowan and her sister, Tovaritch's Barishnya, were Best Brace in each of the four shows they were entered in:

8/1 - Alberta Sporting Hound Association Specialty Show
Judge: Mr. Dana Cline
Best Brace in Breed and in Specialty

8/2 - Alberta Kennel Club - All Breed Show
Judge: Mary Keast
Best Brace in Breed and in Group

8/2 - Borzoi Club of Canada National Specialty
Judge: Sr. Ramon Podesta
Best Brace in Specialty

8/3 - Alberta Kennel Club All Breed Show
Judge: Roger Hartinger
Best Brace in Breed and in Group






Catie was Winners Bitch and Best of Winners for 4 points:

8/2 - Alberta Kennel Club - All Breed Show
Judge: Mary Keast
Winners Bitch, Best of Winners (11 class entries)




And, Catherine also pulled Reserve Winners Bitch at four of the five other shows, including the Canada National Specialty:

8/2 - Borzoi Club of Canada National Specialty
Judge: Sr. Ramon Podesta
Reserve Winners Bitch (11 class bitches)

8/3 - Alberta Kennel Club All Breed Show
Judge: Roger Hartinger
Reserve Winners Bitch (10 class bitches)

8/3 - Foothills Gazehound Club Specialty Championship Show
Judge: Sue Badick
Reserve Winners Bitch (11 class bitches)

8/4 - Alberta Kennel Club All Breed Show
Judge: Patricia Hartinger
Reserve Winners Bitch (9 class bitches)









Rowan also did well and was Winners Bitch, Best of Winners and Best Opposite for 5 points:

8/3 - Alberta Kennel Club All Breed Show
Judge: Roger Hartinger
Winners Bitch, Best of Winners, Best of Opposite(10 class bitches, 1 class male, 3 Special males, 3 Special Bitches)






Thanks to Greg and Lexy and the Tovaritch gang for their warm Canadian hospitality and help with handling, grooming and all things over the last week! Here's a photo of the whole Tovaritch gang this past weekend:

Breakfast is Served.....

Today I cooked up a little stew of beef, potatoes, carrots and zucchini for the dogs, and mixed it with some kibble for their breakfast. Spoiled dogs here, yes I know, but let's not go there! I live to serve.

I served up everyone's bowls and distributed food in their usual eating places. Beagles in the kitchen, Honcho in the spare bathroom, Toby in his crate, and Jewel in her bedroom (Rowan and Catie are in Canada today). Sidenote: Isolating everyone when they eat keeps the food stealing and resulting dog arguments to a minimum.

About 30 seconds after putting Jewel's food down and closing her in her room to eat, she starts barking……the same bark she uses when she has the cat cornered, or small animal (mouse, etc) trapped. RrrrrrrrRUFF!......rrrrrrrrrRUFF! What in the world? So I open her door to see what's up, and she is standing over her food bowl, ears at full prick and really pissed off; barking at her food bowl. A mouthful of half chewed potato is spit out on the floor. RrrrrrrrRUFF! Rrrrrrruff! Over, and over, again.

Apparently, I served breakfast a tad too warm for the Princess's liking.

She's been barking at it for a full five minutes now, mad that it won't let her eat it and that it "bit" her back. She stops every 30 seconds to taste it, then starts barking again if it's not just exactly the right temperature. Okay, now finally she's stopped barking, it must be at the perfect temp.

Sometimes, not soooooo smart. (Jewel, not me, but I'm sure she would beg to differ).

Like Ships in the Night

I returned home from Lompoc Monday night around 11pm. It was a great week and although we didn't place in the shows Saturday or Sunday (I did show Toby to #4 in Open on Saturday, about 14 entries) - I met nice people, saw beautiful dogs, had a lot of laughs on the trip and it was great all around.

Icing on the cake was Zabava Mercury's (Toby's sire) two Best of Breed placements on Friday and Saturday, plus a Group 4 on Saturday, it was very exciting!

About 18 hours after I returned home, Rich leaves for Calgary for a week with both Rowan and Catie - six shows in four days. Both girls are now in season so it should be quite an adventure for him. I'll be home this time while he goes with dogs.

Seems like our entire summer is just flying by and we aren't seeing much of each other.

Toby is Reserve Winners Dog / Lompoc Specialty!

Wow -- Kristina showed Toby today in the Specialty -- all the way to Reserve Winners Dog! He was absolutely gorgeous and Kristina did a fabulous job showing him. (Thanks Kristina!). Here's some photos of Toby in the ring; RWD show photo coming soon:

Lompoc Pre-Dog Show Adventures

Yesterday, after walking with the dogs around Solvang, we realized that the RV space that had been reserved at the show grounds, that promised to have power AND water, did not have an electric outlet that was compatible with the one in the Sprinter van. The hookup was 220 (or 208?...whatever, it was wrong) and the Sprinter was 110. After several stops at RV sales stores, auto parts stores, Kristina located the very last, and very dusty/dirty, $50 adaptor plug in stock at an RV repair shop. Off to the show grounds to bathe and groom dogs!


Upon our arrival at the RV space next to the show grounds, we went in search of dog bathing stations. Several loops on foot around the grounds revealed that water had not yet been turned on by the City of Lompoc for public dog bathing, but it was promised soon. Then promised in half an hour. Then later that day. Then the ETA was postponed until the NEXT day (show day) altogether, which doesn't work at all.

Kristina had noticed that in one corner of the RV area, which was actually a couple of baseball fields, there was a faucet with a hose attached and a grooming table nearby, as well as a couple of motorhomes. The people in one of the motorhomes informed her that this was THEIR area, but she was persuasive enough that the one motorhome person agreed to let her walk dogs over there to bathe one at a time.

After bathing two dogs, the people in the Montana motorhome removed the knob from the fawcett so that no one else could use the faucet in THEIR area. We never did see those Montana people or the breed of dogs that they had, but we have our suspicions! Let's just say, a certain breed that's classified as a sighthound that really isn't. Hmmmmm, now what could that be??

We then realized that WE were parked near the second baseball diamond, and did some investigating on our own and found a hidden public faucet (without a knob), near our space! Luckily the Sprinter had a pair of pliers packed away, and a hose as well, and we were able to turn on the water and bathe the last two dogs there. We girls can be pretty ingenious, don't you think?!

Afterward, six of us enjoyed a truly excellent dinner at Sissy's Uptown Cafe which I highly recommend, and will be a definite "must visit" the next time I'm in Lompoc.

Today is the Specialty!

Road to California - Arrival

After a day and a half of driving (actually, riding, since Kristina drove the whole way), we arrived in Lompoc last night. We spent Tuesday night in Yreka, CA at an inexpensive hotel that was home to several feral cats. How nice for the borzois to see on their walks around the property....(not).

Toby is doing great, he loves to GO and thinks hotels are pretty cool. Plus, he has two of the three most loved people in his life along for the trip - Kristina and me. And, a new big stuffed orange monkey to play with; a gift from Kristina. Life is good!

Today, we drove to Solvang for breakfast and a walk through the town. We brought the four borzois along for a walk through town and met many nice people who stopped to adore the dogs, which of course they fully expect.


Here are some photos of Solvang and surrounding area (Click on photo or text for larger image):



Toby and I in Solvang, CA



Vineyards and countryside



This region is known for its flower fields



Another view of the flowers



Danish architecture in Solvang, CA



Mercury and Kristina in Solvang, CA



Toby and I in Solvang, CA



Colorful side street in Solvang



Irina with Busya (Boo) and Mars (Listik) in Solvang



Grapes growing along the sidewalk! They were tasty, too.



That variegated leaf is a HOUSEPLANT in Washington.



Another neat building in Solvang

The Road to California ......(Lompoc, CA)

Today, Toby and I began the journey along with Irina and Kristina Terra and three borzoi (Toby's breeders) of Zabava Borzoi to Lompoc, CA, where we will be attending the Western Sighthound Specialties. It's a long trip, and we were on the road by 4pm (only about 6 hours behind the original plan), not bad at all; all things considered!
It's about 1050 miles and 17 hours to Lompoc:

Jewel's Wins at Rarities Shows

Twice a year (three at most), the North American Kennel Club (previously known as Rarities Dog Shows), comes to the Northwest. This is one of the only venues where Silkens can be shown, since they are a rare breed and not recognized by the AKC.
Our Baby Jewel went Best of Breed then Reserve Best in Show in one show, then Best of Winners in a second show, earning two 5-point majors. She pranced around the ring and seemed to be having a great time all day, even looking over her shoulder before starting to go to smile at the judge. What a pill. Photo coming soon!

Lure Coursing can be Dangerous

Yesterday I returned home from my three week island retreat, house-sitting 11 borzois. The dogs were great and the time passed quickly. I left and drove straight to a lure coursing trial, where I met Rich and our three borzois - Toby, Catie and Rowan. Catie and Rowan now both have their Senior Courser AKC titles as well. Toby ran beautifully and was pure poetry in motion, however we didn't get photos of him running, unfortunately. Toby now has his Junior Courser title, too. Here's a photo of both girls running this weekend:




Now for the dangerous part of lure coursing.


Saturday I had volunteered to field clerk, which means, after every few courses, you run across the field to the judges area, retrieve the score sheets, and bring them back to the Field Secretary's table. Since I had just returned from the Island, I had my bicycle with me. After a few times hoofing it across the field and back, I discovered that I could just ride my bike out and back, much faster and it worked great!

Sunday morning, when we arrived, I walked across the field that was slick with dew to retrieve my bike. Shortly after climbing on and starting to pedal, the ground came up and smacked me in the face. At first I thought I'd broken my nose, then realized my back, neck and shoulders hurt like hell. As I rolled off my bicycle that I somehow landed on top of, Rich saw me and came running. My left shoulder was bruised, down my chest and my left breast (handlebars I think), my cheek and nose were bruised but thankfully not broken, my thigh, knee, and calf had huge bruises and I mildly sprained my ankle. Oh, and knocked a crown loose on a tooth I later discovered. I think I suffered a mild concussion since I had a headache for 8 days and was very sleepy for 2-3 days after! Fortunately a doctor was on site and checked me out as more or less OK.

Then, later in the day, as Rich was retrieving Toby after his run, he slipped and fell on the start line and twisted his arm/elbow severely too. We decided that neither of us earned OUR JC's that weekend, lure coursing can be dangerous after all.

A Secret Admirer?

Today I was working away in the office, and glanced down into my computer bag. Seems that an anonymous borzoi has left me a gift....a cute little stuffed tiger. I turn it over and it has a red heart on the front. Wonder who left me that, placed so carefully in my bag? How sweet! * Click on photo for larger image.

Camano Island Sunset, Dogsitting Bonus

Sunset view tonight from house-sitting on Camano Island. Nice view for Borzoi, yes?

Sesame Street Flashback

I'm housesitting for a few weeks for some borzoi breeder friends. Here, we leave our shoes at the door and wear soft slippers in the house.

Today, as I was passing through the living room, I noticed this: Click on photo for larger image....

And, I had a sudden deja-vu of this Sesame Street Song from my childhood. Remember this one?:

Three of these things belong together
Three of these things are kind of the same
Can you guess which one of these doesn't belong here?
Now it's time to play our game (time to play our game)!

Now I've got that Sesame Street song stuck in my head all day, no damage to my shoe, however. Let the games begin!

Late Night Snack

Okay, I'm sitting in the living room working tonight and about the same time I realize that there are no dogs in here with me, I hear a strange sound coming from the bedroom on the other side of the wall behind me. Kind of like the headboard is banging against the wall? What the hell......

So, I go in there and find several dogs on our bed, all watching in particular one black & white borzoi in particular in repose across the bed with her late night snack:

Our #1 Fan

We've been watching our blog to see where in the world people who visit our blog come from. There is one person in Vancouver Washington who visits EVERY DAY. You're our number one fan!
You know, you could subscribe to an RSS feed so you automatically get notices when we make new entries. :-)

But, it's nice to know you care.

Jewel's Bounty

I went in to take a bath at lunch today (work at home), and as soon as I shut off the water and laid back to relax for a few minutes, Jewel our little Silken Windhound starts barking in the kitchen. I holler at her, but every 30 seconds or so she lets out another bark. SIGH.

No relaxing bath today! It's like the same type of bark like when she has the cat trapped in a corner and wants it to come out and play. Or, when she has a really good chewie and is warning everyone off. Actually, it turns out to be something about the size of the cat, and edible so the message in the bark I heard was not too far off.

So, I get out of the tub and notice that all our other dogs (3 borzoi, 1 silken and 3 beagles) are all in the bedroom looking in at me like they're saying with their eyes, "We're staying in HERE, the Jewel's gone psycho!".

I get dressed and come into the kitchen to find:

1) The refrigerator door hanging wide open
2) Jewel standing over a turkey carcass (from a turkey I roasted the other night) in the middle of the kitchen floor, barking at any dog she sees, in any direction. Too busy barking to eat much, but I notice that all the white breast meat is chewed down to the rib cage.

Thankfully she was acting psycho and keeping them all away from the kitchen.....if not, a whole lot of stuff in the fridge would have gone away in the feeding frenzy that would have most likely ensued with everyone. I figure a Beagle yanked open the door and hauled the turkey on the floor, and Miss Jewel took over from there and chased them all away to guard the bounty for herself.

Jewel blissfully slept the rest of the afternoon away, no doubt on a tryptophan high from all the turkey she ate.

Show Success in Elma

This weekend past, we (I) showed our new borzoi boy Toby (Zabava Tabasco) at the AKC shows in Elma, Washington. We are pleased and thrilled to report that on Sunday, Toby was Best of Winners for one AKC point, and his sire Zabava Mercury was Best of Breed and went on for a Group 3rd placement. Show photo to follow!
In addition, Rowan (Tovaritch's Beresina) was Reserve Winners Bitch on Sunday.