Erlina is 2 years old !

 

At one year we were amazed that she was  still with us:  If you can't remember the details, you can read backwards from that blog post.

However, she is still with us at 2 years old and full of life.  Here is a brief movie of her antics yesterday and today.

(you can click on the youTube icon below the video to see it larger)

If you want to comment, please send an email to: william {at} HoundsOfHeaven.com, or go to our website: www.HoundsOfHeaven.com

I think winter has arrived.

It is Winter 

 Keeva knows what to do in the winter

Winter seems to have arrived and the dogs love to play in the snow - and then they love to sleep.  

Overall things are going well for the Hounds of Heaven.  Erlina is perfecting her "monster moves," the dogs continue to serenade us at times expected and unexpected.  

Riona, she of the tail necrosis and bacterial endocarditis,  just doesn't want to eat.  Throughout her illness she has dropped from 140 # (64 Kg.) to 116 # (52 Kg.).  Now when she won't eat she gets syringe fed a high-calorie/high nutrition tube feeding formula + yogurt and a little canola oil.  She doesn't like it and she and Bill both get covered in the formula, as does the futon.  However, she has gained 2 # (1 Kg.) in the last week.

  

If you want to comment, please send an email to: william {at} HoundsOfHeaven.com, or go to our website: www.HoundsOfHeaven.com

Howl

With apologies to Alan Ginsberg and the rest of the Beat Generation, here is the Hounds of Heaven Chorus with their version of "Howl"

The chorus starts with the boys then Rhianon and Keeva and the rest of the girls join in.  Howling is a group sing that connects the various parts of the pack that are in different parts of the house and indicates that "All is Well."  It is delightful to hear, even at 3 am.  Our first Wolfhound, Fionna, used to start the chorus in her sleep, usually early (really early) in the morning.  Her health was always very fragile (even then she lived to 10 1/2) and it was reassuring to know that all was well.

If you play this with your dogs nearby, they may join in the chorus.

If you want to comment, please send an email to: william {at} HoundsOfHeaven.com, or go to our website: www.HoundsOfHeaven.com

Erlina !

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how may words is this video worth ?

Erlina and Oisin Playing

As you can see, Erlina is doing very well.

If you want to comment, please send an email to: william {at} HoundsOfHeaven.com, or go to our website: www.HoundsOfHeaven.com

Running with the big dogs

Erlina likes to chase after and play fight with Oisin, who usually enjoys it as well.  Well, this day he had enough and he decided to show the little monster when enough was enough.

So, he runs into her and over she goes.

Actually, it was over and over she went.

However, no one was hurt and they continued to play, although Erlina was showing a bit more respect of the big dog after that.

(As Erlina is Erlina, she went back to picking on him the next day - just with not quite as much verve.) 

If you want to comment, please send an email to: william {at} HoundsOfHeaven.com, or go to our website: www.HoundsOfHeaven.com

Oisin is an AKC Champion, Erlina is a monster

In the weirdest way, Oisin is an AKC champion.  Two weeks ago we went to the Monroe Kennel Club show hoping for 2 major wins.  In order to become a champion, a dog must garner 15 points, but 2  wins must be for at least 3 points: "major wins."  With so few IWs being shown in Michigan we haven't been able to find many majors.  We hoped that the Group 1 win would get him a major because with a Group 1 win, if any of the dogs in the Hound Group had gotten a major, he would too.  But, no major.  The exhibitors in Michigan are generally a cooperative and friendly lot so we conspired to "build" a major at Monroe.

Unfortunately on Saturday we were not quite in sync and he received the Reserve Winner's Dog (i.e: 2nd place), so no points and no major win.  On Sunday he did receive Winner's Dog and the major win.

Now the strangeness.  One of the cooperative exhibitors had brought a dog she bred with the sole intent of filling out the entry to make it a major.  That is the dog that one on Saturday.  But....

She showed the dog in the Bred By Exhibitor class, which makes sense, but in order to show legally in that class you also need to be an owner of the dog, and she was not.  She had borrowed the dog to help out.  As soon as she was reminded (by her co-breeder) that she was not an owner she notified the AKC that took away the win and awarded the win and the major to the Reserve Winner's Dog, who was Oisin.  

Thus he went from 15 points and 1 major to 18 points and 2 majors without even leaving home.

Erlina

Erlina has been off her antibiotics for 2 months now and is feeling better and better.  She now has the endurance and activity that we would expect of a young Irish Wolfhound.  Actually, she is a monster dog, tormenting all the other dogs because she wants to play rough with them.  In this picture she is charging out to do battle with Oisin (and incidentally to  knock over Bill, who is taking the picture).  Generally she can wear out 2 to 4 dogs before she is ready, reluctantly, to go back in her pen.  This is terrific !

If you want to comment, please send an email to: william {at} HoundsOfHeaven.com, or go to our website: www.HoundsOfHeaven.com

At Last, a Major Win

In order to win an AKC Championship the dog must earn 15 points.  There is a complex point scale, but basically the dog must win a number of times at shows.  The hard part is that 2 of the wins must be "major wins," and there just aren't enough dogs entered in most shows to qualify them as "major."  After about a year of trying to get a major win Oisin got one today at the Monroe (MI) Kennel Club show.  

Thanks go to the other exhibitors who dragged themselves and their dogs to the show at 8 am (in 36 degree weather) to help make a major.  Now he just needs one more to get his Championship.  Yea, Oisin !

If you want to comment, please send an email to: william {at} HoundsOfHeaven.com, or go to our website: www.HoundsOfHeaven.com