Saturday, May 31, 2014

Showtime!

Today was the BIG day for the Silkenfest Beauty Pageant.  Everyone had baths & looked spiffy; even the humans.   Of course, I realize that you want to know all the winners, but I am not a reporter.  I will leave that to one of the humans who actually care about such things.  I will only comment on the Companion Classes (which usually get the short shrift), and Opa!'s ridiculous performance - because I enjoy giving her grief.
I do have to laugh; J dutifully wrote all the placements into her catalogue - in case I might want to comment, I suppose; but then she left it in the ballroom when packing up our supplies.  ROFL.

In Companion Dog, Appley surprised both J & I by placing 2nd!  My pal, Moto, won (as usual) - but I have no idea how Appley managed to beat Dove & Semi.  He is such a timid goofball when 'on display' - but he did manage to pull himself together well enough to move nicely when asked.  I'm shocked; he usually keeps looking back at the dogs behind him or on the sidelines which interferes with his stride.

As usual, I won Best Companion Bitch.  I confess to being less confident about this today because I had not competed against Lexi before.  She is a lithe little thing, but I pulled it off.  In the Best Companion competition, I got distracted by my show color itching & kept trying to scratch.  What can I say?  Moto won Best Companion - leaving me as Best Opposite.  That's OK; we tend to alternate this title.  It was probably his turn anyway.

Opa!?  She did nicely in Puppy Sweeps placing a strong 2nd.  A few people gave J a few handling tips so she was feeling good about the actual show class.  Unfortunately, Opa! was not so sure about the judge.  She looked great up to the "down & back" . . . but basically she only did the "down".  She would NOT come any further than 1/2 way back towards the judge.  Perhaps she hadn't liked that the judge examined her teeth so studiously.  J tried several times to get her moving, but she put on the brakes every time.  How juvenile.  Obviously she did not win.

Oh, well.  That's all for now.  We are both exhausted & must get ready for tomorrow's event.
Until next time! And i hope the human reporters post the full results soon!

Friday, May 30, 2014

SF Begins

SF begins - but I would not say with a bang.  From my perspective its more off with a whimper, but that's just me.
After a quick walk this morning, J left us back in the hotel room.  She had to man the Hospitality Table for people arriving & collecting their welcome bags.  They also displayed the poster about the BadAss Trophy & the pottery for the raffles.  (or so I am told).
Simultaneously the obedience & rally competitions were happening in the ballroom, but we did not get to watch this.  We only got to watch the pool man skimming the pool that is outside our window.  BORING.
From boring things moved to unpleasant, J returned to the room & dashed us across to the 'torture chamber' in the suite with the Silken Store.  Appley's breeder, Alison was there.  They poked me Opa! & I with needles to draw blood (Thyroid tests, or so they say).  In any case, Opa! was a quivering mess, but I stared down them down & revealed NO secrets.
Did J reward us then?  No.  Back to the room for Appley & I, and Opa! was taken for water torture.  Appley & I were bathed a few days ago, and J decided this was adequate, but poor Opa! was not so lucky.  She got all soaped up, rinsed, and dried.  She looks like a silly fluff ball now.

Opa! went with J to a lecture on reproduction.  I guess J thought it was good for her to learn about this stuff as Opa! is intact.  I didn't have to go since parenthood is not in my future.
After the lecture J set up our crates & x-pens in the conformation ballroom. Apparently human snacks are available as well; J made dinner of it & socialized while we continued to be bored to tears in the hotel room.
Later we did get to send some time with Shelby, Mocha, & Cartier at their room; and then too a walk around the hotel grounds to chat with other Silkenfolk.  That was fun - but it took  along time for us to get there.
J is falling to sleep with the laptop in her lap.  I guess I should let her go . . .

To Silkenfest

Today InPhenite journeyed from Oregon to Olympia, WA.  Appley & Opa! are with me; J is our chauffeur.  It was not a long drive ~2 hours; but we had to hang out in the car & later on our too while J helped stuff welcome bags & put in some social time for herself; that was OK.

I think that I have determined the cause of our security breech & blog 'block'.  J sent the wrong link to one of the windhound lists that receives my blogs.  This was to my 'work page' not the  'published' page.  Sometimes I think I should hire a better typist/soft ware tech . . . but J's services are free, and she is a loyal supplicant.

MANY of our pals are here, and J is excited to see some of her friends as well.  There are people from all over the US - CA, AZ, CO, TX, NY, and more.  We also have British Commonwealth representatives in attendance.  I'll practice my bark accents while here.

Sigh.

I feel like I should have more happy, excited news about Silkenfest, but - honestly -  I am sad today.  I learned of the death of one of my friends from OFC.  Ivy.  She was quite the live coursing superstar.  We had competed together on several occasions.  If SmartAss bitches can have a role model - she was one for me.  She had a leiomyosarcoma - very rare & with no symptoms until very advanced.  Too sad, I will snuggle close to J tonight, but I'll also send healing vibes to Joyce, Ivy's human.

God speed.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Cold War tactics with SF days away????

Fans, I have grave news.
There may be a Double Agent in our midst!  2 of our number - perhaps  more - have had my blog blocked!  I'd suspect CATZ, but I know that there are no felines at Starfyre . . . perhaps at Renaissance?

J has made no changes in the blog format; but she reviewed her settings & cannot find anything that might explain this breakdown in communication.  She cannot investigate more thoroughly as she is busy packing Ivan the InPhenite Van for Silkenfest (and, of course, typing the blog for me as directed - she is more pliable when not sleep deprived).

One cannot help but be concerned that some plot is underway to disrupt Silkenfest.  I promise to be on my guard.  It is unfortunate that neither Rio the WonderDog nor Phoebe the Nose will be joining us.  They are both so good at sniffing out clues.  Perhaps I will discover some new recruits to assist in safe-guarding all the SF fun & games.

Opa!, Appley, and I leave in the morning for the short drive north.  I promise to keep a close look out, but will stay undercover if needed.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Boring . . .

Honestly, I want to post daily with SF approaching so rapidly, but I have nothing to report.  Today was bone chillingly DULL.  We did nothing.  Boring.

J claims she was busy with Silkenfest stuff.  Most of this was 'personal' prep time.  She heard some people were making banners or signs with kennel names -- like hers.  Hers?  What are they talking about?  For our 1st SF, she got a little legal size, laminated sign with our names & pictures on it . . . but that's it.  Well, once she told me about this, I said "where's my sign? That's all I get; other less famous bitches might have better signs? That's not right."   To be fair, I actually just grunted & growled such statements . . . but J understands me.

In addition to InPhenite stuff, J had to work on the Allagante Windspirit Barbados Memorial Trophy. Sadly, the fancy trophy she has ordered is not yet completed at the foundry where it is being cast.  Yes, cast.  This BadAss Trophy will be bronze.
That sounds great, but it is not so grand when it is not here.  This got her even more distracted.  She had to develop a poster for the trophy presentation.  People should be able to see what the 'grand prize' is.  How else would we motivate people to participate for next year?

To bed with me, this stuff is exhausting.  Tomorrow J picks up her 'quick' sign & drives back to home base in Portland.  From there we travel to Olympia on Thursday morning.  The countdown to SF2014 is on . . .

Monday, May 26, 2014

Hike & Horror

Yesterday, we went for a 5+ mile hike not far from the Hoodoo Ski Resort in Oregon.  FUN!!  With the exception of Wye who lives with friends near Olympia, all of the InPhenite Hounds were there (Opa!, Appley, & yours truly plus the Greyhounds, Mintz, & the annoying puppy, Wicka).  Our friends Max, Bert, and Lucy joined us with their people.  Bert is a Black Lab; Max & Lucy are "All-American" mixes.

The weather was mild & bugs are minimal at that elevation this time of year, and at the end was at one of the Patjen Lakes for a splashing -- or swimming if you are into that sort of thing.  Perfect!

Once we were far from the campground all (except for Max who had a surgery recently) got to be off leash for much of the time.  There was much zooming - especially between Opa! & Wicka.  When at the lake and among all the trees, this made J a bit queasy.  Wicka is a yelper & screeched a couple times stepping on branches or when darting through rough underbrush - but there were no collisions.

I don't think Lucy actually has any water dog or retriever in her mix, but she is crazy about sticks & is an avid swimmer - as long as a stick is involved.  Her person would throw big sticks into the lake for her.  As Lucy leapt into the lake, Opa! & Wicka would bound after her.  Every time, Wicka would bound after her until the water was over her head & then turn to swim back in . . . every time.  You think she's learn where that 'cut-off' was; Opa! did.   After her one & only inadvertent swim, Opa! would dart into the shallow water to a log that was partially submerged & then tightrope walk along this further out.  Perhaps, she is a SmartAss bitch in training after all.

The initial thought had been to walk to the further Patjen Lakes, but J put the kibosh on that.  Mintz had been limping slightly (old recurrent injury), & she thought that would be too far for both him & Appley who was not doing any zooming.  Fine.

Unfortunately, yesterday's joy led to today's ORDEAL.  Yes, we got to do our usual river walk near where J has a lot (a future InPhenite home), but then it was time for "Spa Day" at Grooming by Cherie (that is Silken Dove's mom).


HAH.  This is not a spa . . . she says "Spa" but we all know she means "bath" . . . and this is not Bath, like the spa town in England.  It means sprayed water & soap suds, then rinsing, and blow drying (the horror).  OK, I kind of like the blow drying behind my ears, it tickles; but I HATE it when they blow dry my toes.  You should have heard Wicka (only 6 months old & a Greyhound) screeching again.  You would have thought they were doing a Poodle cut - but they were just trying to get out all the debris from her wild shenanigans at the lake.
Then they trimmed our toenails -- ugh.  No one likes that.

Now we are resting back at the "Greyhaven" as J likes to call it, or the "Big Cock Ranch", as Rob likes to call it.  There is a lot of rooster folk art (J insists I point out that much of the rooster stuff was here when she bought the place; Rob "embraced" the rooster theme.  J poopoos it, but she has added rooster additional imagery.
Whatever . . . I point out both that this is not a Ranch & that the InPhenite Hounds are no longer all Greyhounds.  The complaint falls on deaf ears, but as I lie in the sun looking at mountain views from the patio J has enclosed with x-pens, I think I can cope with such inconsistencies.


Saturday, May 24, 2014

Bend it like Beckham

OK, not really.  None of us play soccer.  But we are practicing for our sports of choice & aspiring to great highs - like the students in that movie.  Of course, Garis may already be the Beckham of Silken Oval racing, but "Bend it like Garis" does not have the same alliterative zing for a title.

Our story starred the InPhenite Hounds, that's me, Opa!, & Appley plus Mintz the Greyhound & Wicka, the Greyhound puppy.  Our co-stars were Garis, Kam, Shiner, & Cayman (Jackie's pack), Dove (Cherie's Silken), and a cameo appearance by a terrier puppy named Bunny (I missed his owner's name).  Bunny certainly enjoyed chasing the bunny once properly introduced. LOL.

As usual, Garis was a speedster & 'won' his practices with Cayman, but on their 2nd run Cayman got a quick start and initially had the lead.  Garis caught him, but it was close.  Nice job Cayman.
Kam ran with Shiner, who will still be too young to race at SF.  Although Kam 'won' Shiner is focused & shows a lot of promise.  I think he'll be super fast like his dad, Garis.

Cherie let Opa! run with Dove.  J released Opa! slightly late, & the run looked good for both.  In their 2nd run, they started pretty close together, & she bumped right after the start.  I think it was intentional, but Opa! denies it.  Like a good trainer, Dove ignored it & zoomed ahead.  (Opa! is a skinny little thing - he probably didn't notice.)  Anyway, she was not far behind at the end of the run, but did not run into him them.

Appley ran 1/2 lengths with the Grey puppy, Wicka.  She is almost his height now.  What can I say . . .  she smoked him.  Admittedly, Appley is not a fast or enthusiastic runner, but Wicka is only 6 months old!  She's going to be a wicked runner (pun intended).

Mintz & I each ran our 1st runs alone, but J decided to pair us at the end.  (We were late for some human 'playdate'. )  Now, Mintz is an enormous Greyhound, & I am a mere 21".   They expected him to smoke me, and wondered if I might stop part way in disgust.  That was a valid option; I mean, how fair is that: running little me with a Greyhound.   J did start him a bit further back from the lure (his initial strides & speed are CRAZY long & fast) - but I was NOT going to be smoked.  Yes, he caught me quickly, but everyone was shocked how close on his tail I was able to stay.  I may even have been gaining some ground right at the end.
Hmph.  Because I do not always RUN, some people are surprised when they see me go into top gear. In fact, I can run quite well; I just do not always choose to do this.

To bed now . . . I will dream of Silkenfest 2014; it's less than one week away!


Friday, May 23, 2014

Sorry for the delay . . .

Can you say friday?  My last post was Saturday.  That's a week.  I try to be a good blogger, but it's not like I have thumbs or ever had the luxury of a typing class.
I must rely on my typist/publicist when dictating my blog.  I tell her (J) . . . "What kind of blogger am I supposed to be?" "How can I build an audience if you won't type for me when asked?"
Hrumph . . . and she calls me "Bitch".  Well, I guess J is more of a whiner that a bitch.  She whines that she had to work overnight both Monday & Thursday, and that both were very busy nights; she got less about 2 1/2 hours sleep both nights.  She still has "compliance training" due for her employer.  Yada, Yada, Yada.  Talk to the paw, I say.

Doesn't she realize Silkenfest is one week away?  People are getting excited & want to know the scoop (not to mention if they need rain gear; I hate going out in the rain, too).  Sigh.

At least she is typing now, but she is fading.  I see the glazed look in her eyes, and she keeps having to correct her typing.  Autocorrect isn't even good enough for her errors.

Quickly, I can say that all of us drove over to Central Oregon today for Memorial Day weekend.  I would have liked to go to the Northwest Versatility Weekend (This is a weekend of straight/oval/lure as well as a conformation "fun match".   One of the local Whippet clubs puts on that event.  It actually is going to be at the same field where the SF performance events are happening.

I'd love to compete, but J points out that bitches who lure course in Singles can't win the versatility prize, nor can bitches who cut across the oval track or duck behind the boxes to get to the finish line first.  Fine.
At least we'll get to practice with our friends Kam, Cayman, and Shiner again tomorrow.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Practice makes perfect

Hi, fans.
This weekend we have travelled to central Oregon for fun in the sun.  J's significant other wanted to ride a bike up MacKenzie Pass before the road opens to traffic.  Instead of joining him, J met up with our Silken friends to run some practices.
The Silkens we practiced with were Kamiah & Cayman (Bados' dada & brother) plus Garis (oval racing superstar) and his son, Shiner.  Shiner is one month younger than Opa!.  He is pretty cute for a silly, adolescent boy.  He's also tall, focused, and speedy.  All 4 ran well.

I must confess that I got confused on my 1st practice run.  It's embarrassing, but shit happens.   I was early in the rotation & not sure if this was straight racing or lure coursing practice.  I held up waiting to see if it would turn . . . . then they stopped it to 'lure' me forward - but that's such an obvious ploy.  I don't fall for that one (OK, I should have this time).  Anyway, once I heard J running up behind me, I realized my mistake & took off.  Zoom!  It always surprises people when they see my speed.  On my second run, I knew the routine for the day.  No problem.

J did not let Mintz, the big Greyhound, run.  He was not limping today, but he had been recently.  His back is bothering him - or so he says.  I think he just wants a massage & to go back to PT where they give him lots of treats & laser therapy.  If it was a ploy, it cost him because she did not give him a turn on the lure.  The dope kept biting his crate trying to get out & run.
Appley did not run either, but that was fine with him.  He was happy just to wander & pee on some trees when J got him out of the van.  Speed is not his "thing".

Opa! was weird.  Her 1st run was super, but the 2nd time she stopped halfway & looked back to J.  She started again but half-heartedly.  It's possible her foot was bothering her, she had hit it jumping back into the van after her 1st run, screeched like a baby, then pretended she was broken for life - but then she was not limping when she got back out of the van later.
Opa! was probably trying to earn her own SmartAss Bitch title - but I don't think she's got what it takes, not if she screeches like that over nothing.  What a sissy.

They let Opa! run one last time with Shiner.  J had to release them both so they were super close when released.  Shiner swung right initially - (probably because the 2 were so close, I'd veer away from Opa!)  but Opa! started veering that way as well.  Of course, Shiner corrected himself & turned back, so then Opa! ran into him, more of a side-swipe really.  Anyway, after that both corrected themselves, & they focused back on the lure.  Everyone expected Shiner to smoke her, but she actually kept up pretty well.

Oh, Wicka ran.  She's such an annoying little witch.  Since she is taller than Opa! & I, it's hard to remember she's not quite 6 months old (a Greyhound).  Perhaps I should give her more slack?   No, I think not.  She is already super focused & speedy.  I need to keep her in her "place" while she is small enough to dominate.


Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Who am I?

Hi, fans.

J says I should let new Silken families know more about me, and why they should care that I blog.  I kind of wonder "why?".  I am who I am, and my fans know me.  BUT . . . I should be open to having new fans as well.  It is not the fault of these people that they only recently joined the Silken world.

OK.  Why am I Agent Gita, SuperSpy & SmartAss Bitch.  Those are lofty titles.  I was also the 1st Silken bitch to earn a UKC Altered Championship, but whatever.  At western ISWS shows, I tend to swap Best Companion awards with my pal, Moto.  He's alright, I guess.

Why am I "SmartAss Bitch".   That's kind of obvious isn't it?
Why am I a SuperSpy?  Well, obviously I am not REALLY a Secret Agent, or J just blew my cover.  But I COULD be.  Actually, J used a Bond theme with an early video of mine, and this just kind of stuck.
I am kind of smart.  My K9Q (canIneQ?) is up there.  Not like a Lab or Retriever is smart ... it's important to decide if you want to follow some random command.  It's not like a Border Collie is smart either . . . I mean, sometimes it's important to NOT do things (even if you can) & conserve energy.
How can I say I'm smart if I do not consistently follow commands?  Well . . Zippers? No problem.  Child Proof caps?  Check!  String Theory? I've got that down.  Do you?
If you don't believe me, search youtube for Agent Gita, Silken Windhound.  Here are 2 examples - (but you might need to cut & paste them, my blog is only as high tech as my scribe):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwP7p905UfE&list=UUwoUTsh0QzoxapApAmkavuA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qf_c-ZMFMM&list=UUwoUTsh0QzoxapApAmkavuA


Monday, May 12, 2014

Gita rising . . .

Hello, fans.
I apologize for my extended hiatus.  True - I never blogged much between our annual trips to Silkenfest . . . but with the big party being planned so close by, I had hoped to get an early start & rev up the enthusiasm.  This did not happen, but it's not too late to start.

I have been in a bit of a funk this year.  I did not like the last 6 months of 2013 & 2014 has only been slightly better.

First, J brought home that annoying, little bitch late last summer.  Opa!.  What kind of goofy name is that?  . . . with an exclamation point & all?  That's as bad as dotting your i's with a heart.  She was just 8 weeks old and everyone thought she was so cute, especially Mintz.  Ugh.  You should have seen that huge Greyhound following her around, playing tug-o-war with her & letting her win, etc.  What a dope.  Opa! is almost 1 yo now, but she is too thin IMHO and has all kinds of dippy-do curls.  I bet she puts rollers in her tail after I go to bed at night . . .

The last bit of 2013 was overshadowed by what happened to Bados, of course, but I don't want to write about that.

Now there is ANOTHER puppy.  Even worse, this one is a GREYHOUND.  Who ever heard of getting a Greyhound puppy?  Aren't they supposed to be retired like Mintz?  Well, this one was almost as tall as me before she even arrived.  She's a monster.  She has a puppy brain in a grown-up size body (grown-up size for a Silken anyway).  At least Opa! gets the brunt of her energy, but there is spill over.  Mintz even gets annoyed by her (more than he did with Opa!).

OK, enough of the bad stuff.  2014 is going to take a turn for the better.  I can feel it.
This weekend got the 2nd quarter of 2014 off to a good start.  J took me lure coursing.  This is my forte - even if judges tend to disagree.  I say that but this weekend they actually gave me good scores - not just "qualifying" scores.  I brought home some ribbons.  Whatever . . .  J is very happy.

J is less happy that Opa! was not able to certify for LC.  The judges thought she was coursing her by-dog, Sand.  Really, she was just keeping an eye on him (he's imposing) - but I wasn't going to correct them on this.  J let her run a practice run on her own; I admit she looked pretty good.

I guess that's enough for today.  How often should I write?  Previously I have blogged while driving cross country - but this year it's just a 2 hour drive.  (I'll miss the Grand Carpool).  I doubt there is enough daily stuff to blab about.
Twice a week?  Then daily for SF itself?  I'll tell J to post my plans & if they change.