21 February 2013

Happy 12th!

Happy Happy 12th Barkday to . . . . .

Am CH Varazs Sara's Full of Grace MH

From 12 days old . . . 

Miss Mauve

to her first two months of life




Saying goodbye to Mama Abby

to the years in between . . .in the Show Ring

Sara in the show ring


to the field where she and her owner Pam Lambros, earned their Master Hunter title




To now . . .





At the age of 12, Sara still looks young and very beautiful!  Many thanks to Sara's owner for giving her such a wonderful life!

18 February 2013

Group point

Tyro, Miska & Diva all locked on point

Sylvilagus audubonii - desert cottontail

This is what my Vizslas were pointing.  See how well these AZ desert cottontail rabbits blend in with the surroundings.

16 February 2013

AZ agility school

Here's a snap of part of the agility school where we train. It's owned and operated by the Jumping Chollas Agility Club which is about 15 minutes drive from my house. There are two HUGE fields covered in artificial turf (in a desert, this makes a whole lotta sense).  Classes run at night which is why the lights are needed.  Classes are very structured and the instructors are pretty terrific for the most part. There is a low student to instructor ratio and class fees are very cheap compared to what I have to pay in Canada.  I like that!!


Diva waiting her turn on the course


Diva keeping warm



14 February 2013

12 February 2013

Nasty hitchhikers

Ouch!! These nasty Cholla cacti barbs hitched a ride on Miska on our walk in the desert.  She was off leash but even being on leash, my dogs can still get these stuck to their bodies.  Their barbs are like porcupine quills which have a hook at the end. They are NOT nice.


A Cholla stuck to her wrist


Several barbs are stuck on her rear paw as well.




Removing the Cholla with one swift lift using an Afro comb

10 February 2013

Choices

Hmmmm, would I rather be back in Ontario with this??


After the big storm of Feb. 8th. Not so bad really - we were lucky compared to Toronto & parts of NY.

Or in Arizona where Phoenix has been having its coldest winter in 25 years? (Those are storm clouds to the NE.)


OK - YOU figure it out!

5 February 2013

Great weekend miles apart

Thousands of miles apart, in two different corners of the continent . . .

Bodi and his Group 3rd placement

In Woodstock, Ontario Canada, Bodi (BIS (UKC), CKC/UKC CH Varazs Mokany Kiralyi Orban FDJ JH URO1 CGN NAVHDA NA PZ I) born May 31, 2011, took a Group 3rd in the Sporting Group at the Wildwood Kennel Club dog show on Saturday February 2.  Woot, woot!!  He was expertly handled by Edgar Rojas. This placement gave Bodi 41 all-breed points to put him into 1st place standings in Vizslas in Canada.  Congratulations to owner Corrine Sellars.

And in Phoenix AZ, Bodi's big sis, Diva (CKC/Int'l/UKC CH Varazs Kedves Quickstep FDJ, JH, NA, NAJ, AgNJ, AGI, Am RN, URO1 CGN CGC) from my 2008 litter, earned her AKC Rally Novice title on February 3 with scores of 100, 85 & 98 and 2nd, 3rd and 1st place finishes respectively.  Well done Diva! (And yes, it was chilly in Phoenix, the reason for the fleece vest!)

Diva with her mom and the nice judge