Adios, 2009

What a year. Plans made, some executed, some abandoned.

A son sent off to college, now home for the holidays and easily mistaken for a man. I'm flabbergasted by how much more him he is - his good characteristics are even stronger.

The dogs had another banner year. Dot and Jake were retired, and Gin entered the field. Many trials were attended, the hounds earned some titles and national rankings, and much fun was had by all. I'm proud of them.

This time last year Bugg arrived, it's been a pleasurable education overall, having her here. We lost Mac and Junior this year, but have been joined by puppy Trek. Our pack is a compatible if diverse lot.

And although we lost my Uncle Doug in the spring, overall the family is happy and healthy and everyone's on affectionate speaking terms - a blessing.

Deepest appreciation to my many friends for a wonderful year. May 2010 be even better.

Hide and Seek

I have a client that is looking for a puppy, their elderly dog having recently passed away. They are willing to pay good money to an ethical breeder for the "right" puppy, and I applaud their approach: health testing, temperament testing, contract.

But of course when asking the local dog community for referrals (I'm not an expert in their breed of choice) I got one person who insists a shelter dog or rescue is the only way to go. Many people responded with references to local breeders (in the time-zone and adjacent states being our definition of local around here), all of which I passed along. But the "only good dog is a rescue dog" mentality irritates me.

Found a great line today:

The majority of purebreds are produced by family pets and commercial breeders, their puppies as far removed from the show ring as a second-hand pickup from the Formula One track.

It's from this article, and while I don't agree with the author's position on cropping and docking, much of it is sensible.

Wascally Wabbits

The NM jacks are very hard to find this year, so I've stepped my efforts to learn more about them.

I've published the link to Dutch Salmon's article several times, and I figure once more won't hurt.

Thanks to falconer Paul for the tip that black-tailed jackrabbits are protected in Washington state, I found two more articles:

This first piece was referenced in several places, I finally found what looks like the original site. The second one has information on rabbits around the globe; very interesting. And finally a historical view on jacks, which reminds me of why not all deaths are equal.

If anyone knows of other authoritative sources or scientific research, please let me know about it in Comments. Thanks.

Coming to a Screen Near You

If you get BBCA, watch this week: Pedigreed Dogs Exposed.

If you don't, try the link in this blog post and see if you can watch on-line.

Either way, breed clubs and breeders need to be prepared for the US reaction.

Winter terror-land

It hasn't been above 30 in a few days, but some people insist on driving like it's a warm summer day.

Seen on my way home from town:
Incredibly, the driver walked away.

We've gotten 6" of snow since daybreak, it should stop sometime tomorrow. Good thing we've laid in some firewood!