Grayhart Weimaraners: Trixie, CH GraytSky's I'm Not Really a Waitress, CD,RN,OA,NAJ,V BROM

Beautiful Bliss turns 2!

2012-01-31T20:45:00.000-05:00

We finally received some pictures of Savi's beautiful Alaskan sister, Bliss, Grayhart's Launch My Line, (Clay x Trixie). Owner Jen Boyd showed Bliss last weekend and was able to get pictures for us. Unfortunately, Bliss was the only Weimaraner entered, so no points to win. Bliss will have to make a trip to the lower 48 to find enough competition to earn her championship.

Jen reported that Bliss showed really well and was quite excited to be there, especially gaiting around the ring.

A beautiful team - Jen and Bliss!

Sky's Championship Gift

2012-01-29T11:59:00.000-05:00

When Debbie Moody finished Sky's championship, Bonnie Lane (Parker's owner) and I wanted to do something really special to celebrate all that they have accomplished. We presented Debbie with this fabulous, custom bag, which is an actual picture of Sky wearing her "Kentucky Derby Day" hat.

Debbie says that she's been carrying it ever since and get daily comments and smiles from folks. From Debbie, "Thank you so much Linda and Bonnie for your thoughtfulness!"

Sky, out of our Parker x Trixie litter, is now CH Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain, RN, JH, TD, NA, NSD,NRD,CGC,VX!

Bravo's Setup at the Golden Gate KC Show

2012-01-29T11:43:00.000-05:00

The Bravo poster

This weekend is the prestigious Golden Gate Kennel Club show in California. It is one of the few "benched" shows left in the US. When a show is "benched", such as the famous Westminster Kennel Club Show, it means that only the entered dogs are allowed in and those entered dogs are assigned a crating space in the benching area. They must be in the building and present for the bench attendance checks. From the AKC website: Bench Show - A dog show at which the dogs are kept on assigned benches when not being shown in competition, so they can be viewed and discussed by attendees, exhibitors and breeders.

Since the show celebrates each breed and show dog, it is customary for exhibitors to decorate their dog's area and also hand out business cards. Jay had the great idea to have our talented friend and designer, Sara Renee, design a poster and handouts. All were a hit at the show!

These are the handouts!

Beautiful day in the neighborhood!

2012-01-28T11:13:00.000-05:00

Enjoying a gorgeous spring-like day in January! Savi on the left and Jam on the right. Time to hiking!

New Novice Agility title for Sky!

2012-01-26T23:06:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Debbie Moody and her girl Sky, CH Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain,RN,JH,TD,NA,NSD,NRD,VX, for earning her Novice Agility (NA) Standard title last weekend! Sky finished this title with 1st places for all three qualifying legs! An impressive accomplishment.

Sky going down the A-frame with all four paws in the air!

Sky also double-qualified at last Saturday's trial, qualifying in both Novice Standard and Novice Jumpers with Weaves (JWW). Sky earned a 1st place in Novice Standard with a lightening fast run 30-seconds under course time and a 2nd place in JWW.

And over the last jump, a triple with perfect form...

for her title earning run!!!!

And Debbie celebrating as Sky finishes the course!

Jam for Longchamp in Vogue & Elle magazines!

2012-01-24T22:02:00.000-05:00

How awesome to see Jam and Coco Rocha's Longchamp ads in the March issues of Vogue and Elle magazines.

Snowday!

2012-01-21T22:47:00.000-05:00

Savi

The first snowstorm of 2012 left about six inches of snow for the dogs to play in, and play they did. A good thing, as we were stuck at the house and the driveway did not get plowed until 4:30 pm.

Trixie surveying the yard and watching her daughters. She takes her role as play police very seriously!

Savi with her favorite retrieving toy, although I think she likes it better in the summer for water retrieves.

I cleaned the snow of the teeter and then Jam decided to show off how she bangs the board...

Next thing I knew, she was practicing her 2 on, 2 off agility contacts!

No treats for Jam at the bottom of the teeter but she can't help but look.

Savi was utterly exhausted after running like a gazelle through the snow all afternoon. She didn't even care when Trixie decided to share the dog bed.

Oh! My Dog - Longchamp 2012

2012-01-16T22:03:00.000-05:00

We are excited to present the video from Longchamps 2012 campaign starring Coco Rocha and our girl, Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze,CD,JH,OA,OAJ,SD,VX. We had so much fun working on this video. Filmed in Dumbo, NY.

Savi at two: the official stacks & more!

2012-01-15T23:23:00.000-05:00

Kellyann was kind enough to spend the morning with us and photograph Savi, Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,NSD,NRD,CGC, (Clay x Trixie), who she affectionately calls her PBP (Puppy by Proxy). Kel has watched Savi grow up from the puppy pen to the sweet girl she is now. She's also been with us to photograph and celebrate many of Savi's wins (she only needs one point to finish) and titles earned including her Novice Shooting Dog (NSD), and Novice Retrieving Dog (NRD).

What a face!

It was a very cold and blustery day so difficult to get her tail up. Otherwise, we think she's looking good.

I thought it would be fun to look back and show how Savi looked at 8 weeks, shown below, taken by Sara Renee, when she visited us and took all those fabulous shots of the Bravo litter.

And at our official puppy evaluation party, with friend/mentor, Bonnie Lane.

and at only four months old, Savi had her first major modeling assignment for Swiffer!

Who knew what fun and friends this little keeper pup from our Bravo litter would bring? We have big plans for Savi, as we know that she has great potential in many venues. Our goals for 2012 include finishing her AKC championship, training for her Companion Dog (CD) and Novice Agility titles as well as Senior Hunter title.

Most importantly, Savi, is one of the sweetest dogs we've ever owned and has a wonderful, stable temperament. We will be getting her certified to be our next Delta Therapy Dog.

The Birthday Girl: Savi turns 2!!!!

2012-01-15T10:40:00.001-05:00

January 14th was a momentous day in the Grayhart household - it was Savi's birthday! Our little girl turned two and of course, we had a little pawty and the obligatory photo session.

Truly a princess in her hat and bandanna with Momma Trixie waiting patiently in the background for the special treats.

What a good girl...

Enough already....where's my cake? Well, no cake but all the girls loved the gourmet chicken treats that Savi won when she earned her 2nd major at the Lehigh shows.

The real fun began when we took Savi and Jam for a birthday hike. Above, Savi backing Jam.

And on the West Coast....prince Bravo celebrated his birthday in a regal way!

Miss Bliss, our Alaskan Princess, celebrated with a super yummy treat!

Happy 2nd Birthday to our Bravo litter!!!

2012-01-14T23:02:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday to our Bravo Pups (Clay x Trixie) who turn two today!

Top row l-r: Treynor, Logan, Memphis, Bliss, Bravo

Bottom: Savi, Whitmore, Tallulah

These pups have won the hearts of their owners and everyone they meet. Thank you to all the wonderful owners for not only giving these pups the best homes but letting them shine! We have also made incredible friendships through the mutual love of these pups.

We are proud of the accomplishments of this litter in such a short period of time:

Bravo, GCH Grayhart Crescent's Bravo, CGC, AKC Grand Champion with multiple Best of Breed wins, and was Best Dog in the Western Futurity!
Bliss, Grayhart's Launch My Line, futurity placing and at a very competitive 2011 WCA Nationals, placed in almost every class.
Savi, Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,NSD,NRD,CGC, our keeper and upcoming star. Futurity placing, has 5 point and 3 point majors from the Bred-By-Exhibitor class, and only needs one single point to finish her AKC championship. Training for her Senior hunter, agility and obedience titles as well as therapy dog. Savi has also appeared in ads for Swiffer and the Gap.

We look forward to watching these pups continue to grow and blossom.

Birthday wishes from Bravo's Blog!

2012-01-13T17:05:00.002-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAYHART BRAVO LITTER - 2 years on January 14, 2012

WITH PUPPYHOOD BEHIND THEM AND PLENTY OF "ZOOMIES" LEFT IN THE TANK, CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE BRAVO LITTER ON THEIR 2nd BIRTHDAY!!

Crescent Kennels Best in Futurity Grand Champion Grayhart Crescent's Bravo, Canine Good Citizen and 2011 22nd nationally ranked in top 25 show Weimaraner wishes all his littermates a AAARG Matey Good Birthday and a bottle O rum for celebration. Bravo's pirate theme Birthday was the BEST and at Bravo's Beach, of course!!

Triple training

2012-01-12T23:12:00.000-05:00

People coming into the training school thought they were seeing triple - three Weims and three German Shepherds! It seems our Thursday night class is made for multiples, plus a few other single dogs thrown into the mix. I was so proud of my girls, especially Trixie and Jam, who held their sit and down stays with huge distractions such as group recalls and me working Savi. The dogs all received a very high value reward - liverwurst! Maybe gross to hold in your hand or bait bag but it worked like magic. Savi had terrific focus on all her exercises and worked with great attitude and purpose. Trixie, who hasn't been to a class in ages, did well on heeling and drop on recall but was a bit rusty on the hand signals. And Jam, well let's just say she was thrilled to be invited to the party and was her fun loving self.

Rock on!

2012-01-09T19:45:00.000-05:00

A fun Sunday morning spent with Kellyann as our puparrazzi, taking shots of the girls on the rocks. Jam is balancing on the point of a triangular shaped rock, watching us on the other side of the formation.

Surprise gift from Sagira's folks!

2012-01-08T20:21:00.000-05:00

One of the wonderful surprise gifts we received this holiday season, was a disc with pictures from the 2011 WCA Nationals Agility trial. These terrific shots were taken by Jeremy Barnhill, who owns the awesome Sagira. We had the pleasure of meeting Christina and Jeremy and their wonderful pack, Starr the Weimaraner, Sagira, their agility star, and Bokeh, their mini-aussie, who is Jer's disc dog and awesome at everything they are learning.

Jer caught these wonderful action shots of Trixie and I love how in the first shot, the bond that Trixie and I have at the start line.

This panel jump says it all!

Thank you Christina and Jeremy! Hope to see all you again at a future show or trial!

Happy New Year! Our 2011 Year in Review

2012-01-02T19:26:00.011-05:00

Sky, CH Grayhart Lightfoot's Early Morning Rain, RN,JH,TD,NSD,NRD,CGC,VX

Our 2011 Year in Review

Wow, 2011 was a busy year full of family, friends and of course, Weims. We couldn't have imagined all the fun times and successes brought by the Grayhart dogs and their dedicated owners. A highlight of the year was the Weimaraner Club of America National Specialty in May, in Ohio, where every dog we had placed or won their classes, and even finished titles, in multiple venues and the wonderful time we spent with friends from all over the country, especially Bliss and owner, Jen Boyd, who flew in from Alaska.

In July, we traveled to St. Louis for the AVMA convention for Jam and Trixie to represent Frontline's newest product Certifect and were able to spend the weekend with Marshall, Dylan and owner Laura Roehrich. We then took a road trip down South, and spent time with Sky & Debbie Moody and Mia-belle & Jessica Scharff, competing at the Tarheel Weimaraner Club Agility trial in North Carolina and then the WCA Southern Futurity/Maturity show weekend in Greenville, SC.

Visiting with Bravo at Martin's Beach in December 2011

We ended the year visiting Bravo and owners Jay and Ron in California, spending a wonderful few days with them and their family and visiting their incredible beach cottage. Many Grayhart dogs live in the Northeast and we were thrilled to see Ranger, Monty, Mia, Mason, Trudy, Whitmore, Memphis and all their owners.

As for awards, we were honored for Trixie to receive her WCA BROM title and with Bravo, GCH Grayhart's Crescent Bravo, CGC, going Best Dog in the Western Futurity, we had our first Futurity winner! And couldn't be prouder that FOUR of Trixie's get finished their AKC Championships in 2011!

Congratulation to our new Champions: Bravo, Mia-belle, Mason and Sky!

We are grateful for all the support of our wonderful puppy people who give our pups the best homes possible. We could not have done it without the help of my wonderful mentors and friends, Amy Anderson and Bonnie Lane.

***

We hope 2012 will bring everyone good health, happiness and prosperity!

***

Highlights of 2011:

Trixie, CH GraytSky's I'm Not Really A Waitress, CD,RN,OA,NAJ, V:

Trixie was awarded the WCA Breed Register of Merit or BROM title. This WCA award recognizes sires and dams who produce fine offspring.
Four of our Grayhart bred pups out of Trixie finished their AKC Championship titles in 2011! Trixie has produced six champions to date and we look forward to more of her pups completing their championship titles.
At the 2011 WCA Specialty Agility trials, Trixie had stellar performances. Day one: 1st place Exc A Standard and 3rd place Open JWW. Day two: 1st place Open JWW!
Trixie's son, Bravo, won Best Dog in Western Futurity, and as owner of the dam and Bravo's breeder, we received a pewter dog statue.
Trixie continued to model, doing printwork and video for Tiffany's and represented Frontline's new product, Certifect, at the AVMA convention in St. Louis, with daughter Jam.

Trixie-Parker pups born May 28, 2008, were busy in 2011:

Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD,JH, OA,OAJ,SD,CGC,VX, had an extremely busy year in multiple venues, earning titles and qualifying legs.
Out on a limited basis as a special, Jam earned multiple Best of Breeds, owner/breeder handled.
At the 2011 WCA Nationals week, Jam, handled by Jamie Bernardin, was selected for an Award of Merit. Jam also received a Specialty AOM at the GSWC Specialty in May and then owner/breeder handled, earned an AOM during the Southern Regional Specialty in Greenville, over several group placing specials.
Jam finished both Open Agility (OA) and Open Agility Jumpers with Weaves (OAJ) titles, all legs with placements, including many 1st places. Jam completed her Open Standard title at the WCA Nationals winning the class. At the WCA Specialty Agility trial, Jam was 1st place in Open JWW! All of Jam's qualifying runs for her agility titles have been earned with placements.
At the Tarheel Weimaraner Club Agility trial, Jam won the High Combined award for highest scoring Weimaraner.
Jam earned her first qualifying legs in both Excellent A Standard and Excellent A JWW.
During the WCA Nationals week, Jam earned her 3rd Companion Dog, or CD leg to complete this title with a 3rd place. These titles gave Jam the necessary requirements to earn her WCA "VX", Versatile Excellent title.
Jam earned her WCA Shooting Dog (SD) title.
She continued to train in obedience, agility and field work and will do the same in 2012 after her first litter, with breeding plans in January to Mason, CH GraytSky's Southern Fire, NSD.
Jam passed the Delta Therapy Dog certification and spent time visiting autistic adults at a nearby residential facility.
Jam continued to model, doing shoots for Frontline's Certifect, representing them at the 2011 AVMA convention for the product launch in St. Louis. She also worked with Supermodel Coco Rocha on a commercial and print shoot for Longchamp.
Sky, New CH Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain, JH,TD,RN,NSD,NRD, CGC,VX, finished her AKC championship title and the next day went Best of Breed!
Sky earned her WCA Novice Retrieving Dog (NRD) and Versatile Excellent "VX" titles.
She continues to train in agility, earning her first agility legs and is working towards her TDX.or bred by us, we are proud of

Trixie-Zeke litter, born March 23, 2009, were busy in 2011:

Mason, New CH Grayhart's Daily Special, handled to his last 2 points by his breeder, completed his championship in September. We are truly thankful to Pat O'Brien, Zeke's breeder/co-owner, for his friendship and handling of Mason to his three majors wins, including a Specialty win.
Mia-belle, New CH Grayhart's Special Request, RA,CD,NSD,NRD,V, had an extremely busy year, titling in multiple venues.
Mia-belle finished her AKC Championship completely owner handled, including winning a 4-point Specialty major!
Mia-belle earned her WCA Versatile "V" title and her WCA NRD title.
Mia-belle earned her first Open obedience CDX leg. She will be back in the obedience ring in 2012 and is training for agility and hunt tests.
Trudy, Grayhart's Special Reserve, shown sparingly in 2011, won 8 show points including her 2nd major, owner/breeder handled. She only needs 3 single points to finish her AKC championship. Many thanks to Pat O'Brien for his handling of Trudy to her first major and our collaborative effort to finish this lovely girl.

Trixie-Clay litter, born January 14, 2010, wasted no time making their mark in 2011:

Savi, Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,NSD,NRD,CGC, had an exciting year. She earned her first show point in February and with limited showing, ended the year needing just one single point to finish her championship. She was a great traveler, going along for the ride to the WCA Nationals and then our trip down to the Carolina's for the Southern Futurity/Maturity and visiting with Debbie and Jessica.
At the WCA Southern Futurity, Savi, handled by Carissa Shimpano, came in 2nd place in her futurity class. Then, at the Greater Charleston Weimaraner Club Supported Entry show, owner/breeder handled, Savi won a 5-pt major from the Bred-By-Exhibitor class and went on to go Best of Winners!
At the last show weekend of the year, at the Lehigh KC show, Savi was Winner's Bitch for 2-pts and the next day at the Delaware Water Gap KC show, Savi was Winner's Bitch and Best of Winners for a 3-point major!
Savi earned her WCA NRD, Novice Retrieving Dog title and her WCA Versatile "V" title.
Savi was a terrific ambassador for the Weimaraner breed at the AKC Meet the Breeds in New York City. She also helped out at a number of Tri-State Weimaraner Rescue events, helping to raise money and educate people on the breed.
Supermodel Savi followed in the Grayhart tradition and her Swiffer ad was spotted in many nationally circulated magazines and she was a hit as part of the Gap Kid's I Want Candy, holiday ad campaign. She also worked with Trixie on the Tiffany shoot.
Savi will be very active in 2012, training for her agility and obedience debuts as well as training for her Senior Hunter title and Delta Therapy Dog certification.
Bravo, New GCH Grayhart Crescent's Bravo,CGC, had an exciting year in the show ring, completing his championship title at just 14 months of age and finishing his Grand Champion title just two month later, earning multiple Best of Breed wins. He also earned Specialty Select Dog and Awards of Merit. Selectively specialed in 2011, Bravo finished the year ranked #22 among all Weims nationwide. Bravo will be out in the show ring in 2012.
With no formal training, GCH Bravo earned his Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certificate.
Bliss, Grayhart's Launch My Line, made the trip down from Alaska to the 2011 WCA Nationals in Ohio and made us proud, placing in every class she was shown in. She will work towards her show championship in 2012.

I hope that I haven't forgotten anyone but as you can see, it was a busy year. You can check the archives of our blogs, the main one, for Trixie and all our Grayhart pups, and the ones dedicated specifically to each of our dogs and we will continue to publish updates to share all the news and fun happenings as well as the Grayhart website.

It was great fun spending time with the pups and their owners, as well as old and new friends at shows. We also enjoyed running and chairing the Garden State Weimaraner Club Hunt Test and volunteering for Tri-State Weimaraner Rescue.

Jam's Best of Breed Delaware Water Gap KC Show

2012-01-02T13:24:00.000-05:00

Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD,JH,OA,OAJ,SD,VX, (Parker x Trixie), official Best of Breed win photo with Judge Shirley Limoges, awarded on December 18, 2011, at the Delaware Water Gap Kennel Club show. There was a major entry in Weimaraners and half-sister Savi, Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,NSD,NRD,CGC, (Clay x Trixie), was Winner's Bitch and Best of Winners for a 3-pt major! A terrific day at the show.

New WCA Versatility "V" title for Savi!

2012-01-01T18:30:00.001-05:00

Savi in the BBE Sporting Group where she earned a Group 3! She also went back to back WB/BOW, earning her 2nd major and a total of 5 points that weekend.

We are pleased to announce that Savi, Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,NSD,NRD,CGC, has qualified for one of the Weimaraner Club of America's prestigious titles, Award of Versatility or V. The WCA recognizes Weimaraners who excel in a number of areas of competition and based on a point system, dogs can qualify for the Versatile title and then the Versatile Excellent title and beyond. The dogs must acquire titles in at least three different areas. It is an exciting milestone not only for Savi, who did this before her 2nd birthday, but for our breeding program as Savi is Trixie's 4th puppy to earn this award.

Savi's Versatile points came from the following areas: Field (JH), Retrieving (NRD) and Conformation (minimum of 10 bench points). Savi had a winning weekend at the Delaware Water Gap/Lehigh Kennel Club show weekend mid-December, which earned her 2nd major win as well as put her over the 10 show points needed to earn the V award. Savi only needs one single point to earn her AKC Championship title.

From the Weimaraner Club of America Rules & Policies, here are the requirements for Versatile and Versatile Excellent awards:

SECTION VIII- Versatile Rating Standards

I. Schedule of Available Versatile Points
A. Bench Champion.....................................................8
Ten Bench Points (includes major win)...............6
Five Bench Points.....................................................4
Bench Pointed...........................................................2
B. Obedience Trial Champion....................................10
UDX.............................................................................8
UD...............................................................................6
CDX.............................................................................4
CD...............................................................................2
C. Field Champion, AFC or MH..................................10
Senior Hunter, SDX or 1st place in AA/GD Retrieving Stake 6
Junior Hunter, SD or 4 Field Points.....................4
NSD or 1 Field Point................................................2
D. RDX............................................................................6
RD...............................................................................4
NRD............................................................................2
E. Champion Tracker (CT)..........................................10
Variable Surface Tracking (VST)...........................8
Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX)...............................6
Tracking Dog (TD)...................................................4

Section II—RULES Standards for Ratings
F. Master Agility Champion.......................................10
Master Agility Excellent (MX) or MXJ...................8
Agility Excellent (AX) or AXJ.................................6
Agility Excellent Preferred (AXP) or AJP.............5
Open Agility (OA) or OAJ.......................................4
Open Agility Preferred (OAP) or OJP...................3
Novice Agility (NA) or NAJ.....................................2
Novice Agility Preferred (NAP) or NJP.................1

II. Requirements for Award of Versatile “V”
A. Twelve (12) versatile points minimum total.
B. Above Twelve (12) points must be obtained from at least three (3) of the above six (6) groups.
C. Points are not accumulative in any one group (i.e., a UD entitles a dog to six (6) points. His CDX and CD cannot be added.)

III. Requirements for Award of Versatile Excellent “VX”
A. Eighteen (18) points minimum total
B. Above eighteen (18) points may be obtained from three (3) of the above six (6) groups and must include a Bench Champion, Field Champion, Amateur Field Champion, Obedience Trial Champion, Master Agility Champion or Champion Tracker.
OR
Above eighteen (18) points may be obtained from at least four (4) of the six (6) groups.
C. Points are not accumulative in any one group.
IV. Requirements for Award of Versatile Excellent 2 (VX2)
A. Twenty four (24) points minimum total.
B. Above twenty-four (24) points must be obtained from at least four (4) of the above six (6) groups.
C. Points are not accumulative in any one group.
V. Requirements for Award of Versatile Excellent 3 (VX3) – VX7
A. Must meet the requirements of Versatile Excellent 2 (VX2)
B. Minimum total points required:
VX3...................................................30 Points
VX4...................................................36 Points
VX5...................................................42 Points
VX6...................................................48 Points
Weimaraner Club of America Rules and Policies

Playtime with Bravo

2012-01-01T13:23:00.000-05:00

We had one of the best vacations visiting with Bravo and his family. They were so gracious in inviting us to use their beach house and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there. It is a very special place, as you can see in the pictures. Half Moon Bay, outside of San Francisco has some of the most picturesque beaches and cliffs, which are surrounded by rolling hills and farms. The beach cottage we stayed at is located on Martin's Beach, 3-acres of private beach and little cottages, with dramatic views that take your breath away.

Non-stop fun when Bravo is around. He loves to retrieve and play in the sand.

Good boy! He also showed us his zoomies - a typical Weim scene!

He was so sweet and has similar mannerisms to his littermate Savi.

He gives kisses and is so light on his feet, gently leaning on us.

A shot of the gorgeous sunset.

Thank you Jay and Ron for sharing your special place with us!

Beach stacks of Bravo

2011-12-30T19:58:00.002-05:00

Time to pose for Linda

Of course, we had to get some stacked shots of Bravo and see for ourselves what a handsome boy he is! The last time I stacked him, he was 8 weeks old!

What a good man and the fabulous beach was the perfect background for our photoshoot.

Our visit with Bravo's family continued at the beach at Half Moon Bay

2011-12-30T19:48:00.001-05:00

Dinner and Sunset

Christmas with Bravo

2011-12-29T00:38:00.000-05:00

Spending holidays with family or friends is always special but this year was extra special as we spent Christmas day with Bravo, BIF GCH Grayhart Crescent's Bravo, (Clay x Trixie), and his family in California! I hadn't seen our blue collared pup since he left at 8 weeks of age and although Jay sends me pictures and we speak often, it was wonderful to spend time with him and his family.

After a lovely morning walk around the Stamford University campus and the Rodin Sculpture Garden, we finally arrived at Bravo's house and he was excited to see us. We played with him and of course, couldn't wait to see our handsome show boy on the move - trotting around his dog run, with a floating gait!

Sweet and well-mannered, Bravo is such a good boy and enjoyed playing tug or retrieving his favorite toys. He also gave kisses.

Jay and Ron opened their home to us and prepared delicious food for a full day of eating as well as great company, meeting the family and their close friends. They even welcomed our friends who live nearby to come visit. A truly memorable Christmas Day!

Happy Holidays from Grayhart!

2011-12-23T22:15:00.000-05:00

Photo and design by Sara Renee.

Merry Christmas from Whitmore!

2011-12-23T21:54:00.000-05:00

Whitmore, Grayhart's Millionaire Matchmaker, taking his nativity responsibilities very seriously.
Love this holiday card and photos from the McNeal family.

Gray-t Weekend for the Grayhart Girls! Delaware Water Gap KC Show

2011-12-19T22:39:00.001-05:00

Sunday was the Delaware Water Gap Kennel Club show and the Weims had an 8:00 am ring time. No sleeping late for the princesses. Trudy stayed with Pat in his room and my girls enjoyed going back and forth between Kel's room and mine in our suite. They are truly creatures of comfort!

Sunday was a repeat performance of Saturday. Ike was Winner's Dog and both Savi and Trudy won their classes. Pat stayed on Trudy and I took Savi in for winner's. I was thrilled when the judge pointed to Savi and she was Winner's bitch. There was a major in dogs so Savi would have to go Best of Winner's to get the major. Again, Michelle, our Weim friend, took Savi in for me while I showed Jam. Michelle worked hard to show Savi off.

Jam showed really well and was full of attitude. After all the champions were examined and lined up, the judge had the one dog special and Ike gate around together. She then pointed to Jam and had us go to the front. Then placed Savi second and then Ike. She had the group go around together and the final results....Jam won Best of Breed, Savi was Best of Winners and Ike was awarded Best of Opposite!!!

This gave Jam a Grand Champion major and also earned Savi her second major. Savi now only needs one single point to finish her AKC championship title. We were just floating after the judging was over.

Jam - Best of Breed (unofficial win picture)

Since Jam went Best of Breed, we needed to wait around for the Group competition. The Sporting Group, was the last group before Best in Show. We had a lot of time to kill, so Kel and I bundled up and took the dogs for a long walk and then went out for Chinese food for lunch. We then visited the many vendors and did some shopping. It was a thrill to watch our friends show their Vizslas and see Jenna go Best of Breed with her special, Miles. Miles won the breed on Saturday and had gotten a Group 2.

The Sporting Group was late in the afternoon and since it was full of professional handlers and some of the top dogs in the country, my goal was just to have fun with Jam and make her shine. Kel got some terrific shots of Jam and Miles in the group.

It takes about 20 minutes for each of the seven groups to be judged. It is a long time for the dogs and you want to make them look their best when the judge is looking.

Congrats to Jenna and Miles for winning the Sporting Group and competing for Best in Show!!!

A wonderful end to a great weekend! We look forward to the dog shows in 2012 and finishing Savi and Trudy's championships. We plan to breed Jam in January so she won't be back in the show ring until after her maternity leave and she's in shape.

Gray-t Weekend for the Grayhart Girls! Lehigh KC Show

2011-12-19T21:44:00.000-05:00

Kellyann and I headed off early Saturday morning to Allentown, Pennsylvania, for the last show weekend of the year. We were looking forward to seeing friends and hoping that we could finish the year with a win. What an amazing weekend it turned out to be, beyond our wildest expectations.

Savi, Winner's Bitch for 2 points!

Saturday was the Lehigh Kennel Club show. I showed Savi in the bred-by-exhibitor class, which we won. Pat O'Brien, who was there to show both our Trudy as well as a very nice puppy named Ike, out of Pat's dog Duke, littermate to Zeke, Trudy's sire. Pat went winner's dog with Ike and then won the Open bitch class with Trudy. Since Trudy is so attached to me, Pat and I decided to switch dogs and I took Trudy in for winner's and he handled Savi. We were afraid that if I was standing behind Trudy, she would keep trying to turn and look at me. Trudy was quite the happy girl and tried kissing me nonstop while I stacked her. The judge even commented on my happy girl. The judge pointed to Savi and she was Winner's Bitch for 2 points!

Next was the Best of Breed class and a fellow Weim friend took Savi in for me as I had to handle Jam. Ike was picked for Best of Winners and Jam was awarded Select Bitch, earning Grand Champion points.

Jam in the Best of Breed class

This show has a Bred-by-Exhibitor competition and Savi was Best BBE Weim, so we waited for the BBE groups which did not start until mid-afternoon. The BBE Sporting group was last. After a long wait, it was finally our turn to show. The group was quite competive, with eight sporting dogs, most of which had gone winner's for majors in their respective breeds. Savi showed well and we had fun in the big group.

Yay! The judge awarded Savi a Group 3!

Savi doing a bow while we played and had fun in the BBE group.

After a long day at the show, we rushed off to the hotel to meet Pat and Ike's owner, Sandra, and went out for a fabulous celebration dinner. Back at the room, Savi and Jam had a wild play session, well deserved after being crated all day and strutting their stuff in the show ring.

Off to bed to get our beauty sleep for Sunday's show...

Photos by Kellyann

Resting up...

2011-12-18T22:44:00.000-05:00

An exciting weekend of showing in Lehigh PA! Lots of news and pictures to share once we have time to update the blog. Savi and Jam got their beauty sleep at the hotel before the second big day of showing. All I'll say for now is that it was a gray-t weekend!!!

Life is ducky!

2011-12-15T21:07:00.000-05:00

Savi is a nooker...not all Weims are but it is a Weim trait - sucking on toys or blankets in a trancelike state. I personally think that it is soothing for them. When Savi does it, she also kneads her front feet, with them going back and forth, so cute. Amazingly, this duck toy, one of her favorites, which still makes a quacking sound, is from Savi's litter's whelping box and has lasted a long time. Quite a feat for any toy, especially a stuffy that makes noise!

Speaking of things that last...I took Savi to obedience class for the first time since the summer. I was so proud of how well she did, showing how much training she had retained. To be fair, even though she has not been in a formal competitive obedience class in months, doesn't mean that there has not been training. My dogs get training everyday at home, whether formal or informal and we include obedience in agility and field work. They have to work for treats and I'll take a few minutes to practice various skills, whether it is sending to place or a drop on recall. My goal for Savi is to get her ready to compete in novice obedience and earn her CD or companion dog title in 2012. A very doable goal to work towards as she's had a nice foundation and knows the exercises. Just a matter of fine tuning and focusing on her on and off lead heeling.

Naptime

2011-12-13T22:22:00.000-05:00

Afternoon naptime, no matter how many dog beds we have in the house, Trixie wanted to squeeze in with her daughters. L-R: Jam in the back, Trixie and Savi. Amazing how the Weims love the little cuddler beds that are designed for smaller dog.

As seen in Martha Stewart Living...

2011-12-11T22:32:00.000-05:00

What a nice surprise to see Savi, Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,NSD,NRD,CGC, in her Gap Kids ad in the December issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine.

Sky's Novice Standard Agility run

2011-12-10T20:33:00.000-05:00

Sky, CH Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain, RN,JH,TD,NSD,NRD,CGC,VX, running in the Novice Standard class on November 27th in Pendleton, SC. No "Q" for this run due to a missed dogwalk contact but Sky had a lovely run, controlled, focused and nailed her weave poles. This girl has a ton of potential and I know that Sky and Debbie have many Q's in their future.

Longchamp Spring/Summer 2012 Campaign with Coco & Jam!!!

2011-12-08T09:08:00.000-05:00

Jam & Coco, photo by Dane Shitagi

So excited to see the first released shot of Longchamp's Spring Summer 2012 campaign. Supermodel Coco Rocha has been chosen as the face of this campaign and we are thrilled for her. Of course, it is also thrilling to see Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze,CD,JH,OA,OAJ,SD,VX, in this beautiful shot. We had a great time on this shoot. Stay tuned for more images and video!

Handle this

2011-12-07T11:08:00.000-05:00

It wasn't a Weim only class but with four Weims training, we definitely had the majority. From left to right above, Jam with me, Bebe with Bonnie and Steve working the puppy.

What better way to spend a rainy Tuesday morning than go with friends to handling class and then out for a scrumptious lunch? An added bonus was the shopping at Total Pet Care, where they have terrific prices on food, treats, toys, collars and everything your dog would need.

Savi practicing her free stack

This shot of Savi is actually the reflection in the mirror on the other side of the room.

another free stack of Savi after our go around...

Jam, out for some ring practice as we get ready for the Delaware Water Gap and Lehigh shows in two weeks.

Good girl! She remembers how to be a show dog.

Jam loves Steve and he took a turn working her...

And around we go...

More treats please!

Jam above and Savi below...

Kel tried her best to take shots of all the dogs without intruding on the class. It was challenging with the poor lighting and constant moving but I appreciate the pictures she took.

Savi

After class, we all went to a Long Island favorite, Maureen's Kitchen. They have the most awesome menu, hard to decide between their yummy breakfast options or creative sandwiches. Lots of comfort food and great company = a perfect day with friends!

Fit to be Tricked

2011-12-05T21:29:00.000-05:00

Savi, working her muscles to balance on the peanut ball.

Last Saturday, we attended a terrific seminar:
"Fit To Be Tricked"
Specialized Trick Training
A Fun Way To Optimize Fitness, Flexibility & Coordination
with World Renowned Animal Trainer, Sassie Frankie Joiris and
Agility Champion and Guinness World Record Holder, Chris Ott-Parker
Comprehensive program designed with Internationally Recognized Physical Therapist "Ria Acciani, MPT"

"This one of a kind seminar focuses on specialized trick training designed to
improve your dog's accuracy in performance events while keeping them fit,
increasing physical strength, decreasing muscle recovery time and raise your
dog’s learning ability, focus and drive.

Frankie (Sassie) Joiris and Chris Ott-Parker are international seminar presenters and full
time dog trainers with a combined 60 years experience training dogs in agility, obedience,
conformation, search and rescue, hunting events, as well extensive experience in
television and film. Both Frankie and Chris have competed at the top levels of multiple
dog sports venues with multiple breeds of dogs and are well known for their ability to
customize training to fit each team’s unique strengths and ability."

At the full day seminar, we learned all kinds of tricks and stretches to keep the dogs healthy and mentally stimulated. We were too busy to take pictures at the seminar but we started practicing some of what we learned at home with the giant peanut ball. It takes great balance and strength for the dogs to sit or stand comfortably on the ball and then do tricks on it, like waving while sitting. Savi and Jam both came with me to the seminar but I primarily concentrated on working Savi. She learned to catch foam rings around her neck, jump through hoops and various body positions and building body awareness that will help in all the sports we do. Jam loved when she got to work, as she patiently waited in her crate, watching us work and didn't make a peep. Jam showed off her balancing skills, doing doggie surfing and pushing the peanut while standing on her hind legs. All of the skills and tricks we learned will be perfect activities to keep the dogs busy on cold, winter days.

Trixie, above, and Jam, below, watching Savi work on the peanut until their turn. Both love working the peanut as they get treats and find it fun.

Back to Saturday. The seminar was an all day affair, from 9-4:30, and dogs and handlers worked hard. We were exhausted when we arrived home and Savi and Jam were so tired. They crashed on the couch and didn't move for hours.

A tired Weim is a good Weim!

Exciting breeding plans for Jam!

2011-12-02T15:41:00.002-05:00

We are excited to announce that

Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze,CD,JH,OA,OAJ,SD,VX,

will be bred to

"Mason" CH GraytSky's Southern Fire,NSD

(Am/Can CH Colsidex Nani Reprint, JH, SD, BROM HOF x BISS CH GraytSky's Stellaluna, BROM, Top Producer)
Owners: Laura Lauffer, Amy Anderson & Mary Ann Richard

DOB: September 11, 2003

OFA Hips: WE-9657G24M-PI -- OFA Elbows: WE-EL599M24-PI -- OFA Thyroid: WE-TH151/25M-PI -- OFA Cardiac: WE-CA34/26M/C-PI-ECHO

HUU - N/N Normal (clear)

Mason has earned multiple Best of Breed wins and Futurity and Maturity placements. He is a proven sire of multiple champions who have shown natural ability in the field and earned performance titles.

This is a line breeding, bringing together a pedigree of top producers and BROMs, who have produced champions and versatile get, earning titles in field, agility, obedience and tracking. More importantly, dogs with excellent temperaments, health, and proper conformation.

Check out our Jam x Mason page on the Grayhart website for more information and pedigree.

Sky's New Champion & Best of Breed Photos!

2011-12-01T11:41:00.000-05:00

New CH Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain JH TD RN NSD NRD VX CGC, what an exciting day this was!

Sky's first time in the ring as a special she goes BOB and earns 2 grand champion points!

Huge congratulations to owner/handler Debbie & Sky!

Support Tri-State Weimaraner Rescue!

2011-11-30T20:05:00.001-05:00

Donate $5 to TriState Weimaraner Rescue and be entered to win this terrific Chillydogs Great White North Winter Coat!

Black, size large

Details below

Perfect for a male Weimaraner or other large dog!

Your dog will be the coolest dog in the snow!

Three heads are better than one...

2011-11-29T23:52:00.000-05:00

Savi almost climbed this tree!

On a recent hike at Harriman State Park, the dogs had a field day chasing squirrels and finding nests and other interesting smells in many of the down trees from the recent storms.

All three girls got in on the act...

Jam is in the orange collar, Trixie in green and of course, Savi is in pink.

They never caught anything but had a ball trying!

Thanksgiving Weekend Happenings

2011-11-28T21:13:00.000-05:00

Sky and Debbie

We've been away and it's time to catch up. Thanksgiving weekend is a very busy time of year for family and also for our dogs, with some of the biggest dog shows and agility trials taking place. Down in North Carolina, Sky, CH Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain, RN,JH,TD,NSD,NRD,VX, ran in the CDCA Agility trial. Sky ran in novice standard and novice jumpers. She didn't qualify but ran with enthusiasm, drive and improved with each run. She definitely has great potential and with more training, will get those "Q's".

Sky flying out of the tunnel

Savi, Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,NSD,NRD,CGC, spent the weekend at the Springfield Massachusetts dog show circuit. On Thanksgiving day, Savi went Winner's Bitch and Black Friday, had another winning day, going Winner's Bitch and Best of Winners! Savi was expertly handled to these wins by Jamie Donelson-Bernardin. Savi now has 9 points towards her AKC championship title.

And while Trixie and Jam were home relaxing with the petsitter, we were off having a great family vacation at the happiest place on Earth - Disney! A whirlwind trip to Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom was the perfect way to spend Thanksgiving.

Jersey Girl

2011-11-22T08:59:00.002-05:00

Beautiful fall shots of Jersey, Grayhart's Goin Someplace Special, JH,CGC (Zeke x Trixie)

Thanks Rachel for sharing these terrific pictures with us.

AKC Meet the Breeds - Part 2

2011-11-21T16:18:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share more fun shots of Savi and Parker at the AKC Meet the Breeds on November 19th. Here they are vying for a treat from both sides of the table at the Weimaraner booth.

Savi was just awesome dealing with all the people as there were literally thousands of people there. She seemed to be a magnet and drew the crowds in to see the Weim booth.

Parker greeted people and of course, expected Jo to share her snack with him...who could resist that sweet face!

It was a long afternoon and we were all pooped...

Savi found the table to be a comfy spot to hang out as we cleaned up for the day.

We were very proud of the great job Parker and Savi did representing our breed. The only catch is that everyone assumed that all Weims are as laid back and well trained as our crew...unfortunately that isn't the case. We spent a lot of time educating people on the characteristics of the breed (high energy, need for a tremendous amount of exercise, very intelligent) and what a huge commitment it is to own, train and socialize a Weim or else they can be destructive, skittish, wild and even aggressive. Yes, they are a beautiful breed but much more and not the right dog for most people.

AKC Meet the Breeds - Part 1

2011-11-20T21:15:00.002-05:00

Savi & Jo posing by a cool dog sculpture that was in the lobby on our way in - it was on sale for $3500!

Yesterday was a super busy day as we had volunteered to man the Weimaraner booth in the afternoon, at the 3rd Annual AKC Meet the Breeds event held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. This is a huge event with over 200 breeds of dogs and cats plus demos and vendors.

The ambassadogs for the WCA - were Parker, BISS GCH HiBourne's It's All About Me, BROM, with owner/breeder, Bonnie Lane and our Savi, Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,NSD,NRD,CGC, with my daughter, who did an awesome job handling her all day. My hubby was also there to help and spoke to many people, educating them on the breed. A real family day!

The event was very crowded and everyone who walked by wanted a chance to pet, kiss and hug Savi.

And it was nonstop flashbulbs as too many people to count, wanted a photo op with our supermodel, Savi.

Savi turned on the charm and was an awesome representative for our breed, impressing everyone she met with her sweet disposition, stable temperament and terrific training.

The Weimaraner booth, representing the Weimaraner Club of America, Garden State and Long Island Weimaraner Clubs, was decorated with photos of Weims doing everything from agility, obedience, swimming, hunting, showing, etc. There were also informational handouts on the breed and books for people to peruse.

And the best part for Savi - all the yummy treats she got!

Therapy Thursday

2011-11-17T21:13:00.003-05:00

I've mentioned before that Jam is a certified Delta Society Pet Partner. Over a month ago, we were asked by a social worker who is also a Delta Evaluator, to be ambassadors and do an initial visit to a residence that is part of the Rockland County Association for Learning Disabilities and has wanted a pet therapy team for a long time. Jam was a hit and I was honored to be asked back and offered to do weekly visits. The residents or consumers as they are called, are mostly men in their mid-twenties with ASDs (Autism Spectrum Disorders) plus developmental disabilities and neurological issues and are non-verbal.

Our visits have been powerful, for me and also for the positive effects of the therapy visits on the consumers. Jam seems to be a calming influence and the staff see wonderful reactions, such as smiling, laughing and the individual behaviors expressed by the men. Each visit, the men, especially the one pictured, get more comfortable with Jam and it was exciting to see him initiate petting her - a truly big deal for him.

The consumers enjoy petting Jam and helping me give commands for her to do tricks. It is important to understand the population and know what to do to make them feel comfortable and safe when interacting with Jam and to also keep her safety paramount. Jam loves going on the visits and gets extra special treats!

More Jam Agility

2011-11-15T18:44:00.000-05:00

Fabulous photos by Barry Rosen, taken at the SICDTC Agility trial in November. These were from Jam's Excellent Standard run.

Teamwork!

New CHAMPION Sky!!!!

2011-11-12T13:01:00.001-05:00

Huge congratulations to Debbie Moody for finishing Sky, new CH Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain, RN,JH,TD,NSD,NRD,CGC, VX!

Sky finished, owner handled, at the Furniture City Kennel Club show today, in Winston-Salem, NC. Not only does this win give Sky the final point to earn her AKC championship title, but also earns her the WCA Versatile Excellent (VX) title. This win also gives sire Parker, BISS GCH HiBourne's It's All About Me, his 8th champion and qualifies him for the WCA BROM award.

Sky is Trixie's, CH GraytSky's I'm Not Really A Waitress, CD,RN,OA,NAJ, V BROM, 6th champion and 4th to finish in 2011.

We are so proud of Debbie and her beautiful and talented girl, Sky!

Friday Flashback

2011-11-11T19:52:00.000-05:00

Trixie was the star of Banana Republic's Black Friday cashmere promotion in 2009. With her two daughters, Jam and Savi, making their mark in the modeling world, I thought I'd share one of my favorite shots of the original gray supermodel!

Weimaraner Wednesday: Happiness in the field

2011-11-10T20:58:00.001-05:00

Savi - pure joy!

Yes, it's Thursday but we had to post these shots from a great day in the field on Weimaraner Wednesday. After a week off due to the freak snow storm, the dogs were raring to go and enjoyed running in the fields and hunting. The bonus was a day of incredible weather.

Savi above, and Jam below, have such enthusiasm and love running in the fields.

My girls, Trixie, Jam and Savi, had the preserve to themselves.

Then it was time to get to work and train for the Senior Hunt tests in the Spring...

Jam on point...funny how she does that lip thing!

Intense point from Savi!

Savi has what my trainer calls a Master Hunter retrieve - enthusiastic, direct and retrieves to hand - just fabulous! She is exciting to watch and has such talent and drive.

Gap: I Want Candy Holiday 2011 Collection with Savi!

2011-11-07T08:50:00.000-05:00

Savi, Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,NSD,NRD,CGC, (Clay x Trixie) looking fabulous with all the adorable kids in the Gap's new "I Want Candy Holiday 2011 Collection". This was shot in September on a hot day in Brooklyn, New York, with lots of fake snow!

These shots are part of the Gap's ad campaign and used for mailers, Facebook, website and in-store displays.

Excellent JWW Agility leg #1 for Jam!!!

2011-11-06T20:11:00.002-05:00

We had perfect fall weather for this weekend's Staten Island Companion Dog Club's agility trial. Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze,CD,JH,OA,OAJ,SD,VX, (Parker x Trixie) made me proud with her jumpers runs and earned her first qualifying leg on Saturday, in the 24" Excellent A class with a 3rd place! To earn the AXJ or Agility Excellent Jumpers title, Jam needs to earn two more qualifying legs. Jam also has one AX or Agility Excellent standard leg so she is on her way to earning these high level titles.

She came very close to qualifying on Friday in JWW, with a terrific run but slipped on the mud and missed the tunnel entrance at the end of the course. The standard courses were a challenge for us with a very difficult weave pole entry on Friday, that wasn't doable for us and on Saturday, Jam slipped off the teeter. She did manage to nail her weaves in three of our four runs and had awesome start line stays. We'll be working on speeding up her weaves as well as teaching independent weaves and difficult entries; important skills at the excellent level, especially if we want to be competitive. I also tried to apply some of what we learned at the Tracy Sklenar seminar and I feel that although we are a work in progress, Jam was more responsive and my handling was improved.

A highlight of the trial was seeing many friends that I have not seen for awhile since we have not trialed locally in a long time. It was exciting to see how well their dogs ran and cheer them on.

Snowtober!

2011-11-03T14:36:00.000-04:00

Not everyone was upset by the freak snowstorm that enveloped the Northeast at the end of October. Whitmore, Grayhart's Millionaire Matchmaker, (Clay x Trixie), had a blast playing in the snow. Thanks to his owner, Chris McNeil, for taking these amazing shots.

Life goes on...

2011-11-01T20:27:00.000-04:00

We are on day four without power and missing many of the conveniences of modern living, such as electricity, running water, and heat, and can't forget crazy stuff like TV (Food Network, Real Housewives and the Today show!). Life is good and we are enjoying the comraderie of our fellow powerless neighbors hanging around the town library vying for plugs to charge cellphones and laptops and waiting on line at the YMCA for a shower. Even being on the priority list, the local high school is still closed and my daughter is enjoying her "vacation" with the dogs.

Life still goes on and we needed to keep on schedule and Trixie had her physical therapy appointment today at Aquadog in Flanders, NJ. If you've notice that we haven't shown Trixie much in many posts it's because she had been recuperating from an Iliopsoas Strain. You can read about it at the link but with rest, stretches and strengthening, this injury, common in performance dogs, has a very high rate of complete recovery. We expect Trixie to be back in agility very soon. Today, Trixie was introduced to the underwater treadmill:

After her workout, Petra of Aquadog, showed us some new stretches and strengthening exercises for Trixie, using a box and a peanut ball. Petra is thrilled with how well Trixie has healed and prognosis is great. Trixie was her typical ham, doing every trick for the treats as she was shown how to do the stretches. Trixie offered silly behaviors like jumping all the way up on the ball or cheating by stepping on the treadmill for support. Anyway, I know what our homework is and away we went with our newly purchased peanut ball and list of exercises.

Due to the big storm, field training is cancelled for the week and we're not sure when we'll be able to resume. Lots of other fun and important things to work on while we are home. More tomorrow!

Snow in October???

2011-10-31T13:10:00.000-04:00

Snow storm in October? Well , we received 8 inches of snow and lost power, heat and water....Electric service isn't expected to be restored until between Thursday and Saturday. All we can do is make the best of the situation and be thankful that our house did not sustain any damage from the numerous trees and branches that fell.

Upscale camping in the living room. Candle light and gray dogs...

Savi has had enough of not having heat...lots of cuddling to stay warm!

Tracy Sklenar Masters Agility Seminar

2011-10-29T12:17:00.001-04:00

Always looking to learn and improve my handling, I was excited to have the opportunity to participate with Jam in a Tracy Sklenar Masters/Advanced Agility Seminar. The seminar covered course analysis and how motion, footwork and position can give your dogs information for fabulous runs. Tracy Sklenar is a world class agility competitor and a great instructor, bringing humor and her excellent eye to help handlers get faster, more accurate and consistent runs out of their dogs.

Jam and I were up to the challenge and as hard as it was to learn a new handling method, running for acceleration and less arm and verbal cues, I had to trust my dog and it worked! We also enjoyed and learned from watching the other dogs and handlers, many of whom we've taken classes with and known for years.

Weimaraner Wednesday - Fall Field Training!

2011-10-26T17:40:00.001-04:00

What could be better than spending a nice, brisk fall day out with friends field training? We had a special guest today, Michele and Mia, Grayhart's American Woman,CGC, (Parker x Trixie), who joined us to introduce Mia to birds. Before we worked the dogs, they all had a great run in a big field - all FIVE together - four Weims (Trixie, Jam, Savi, Mia) and Becky, the German Shorthair Pointer puppy.

If you click on the left photo above you can see all 5 dogs and on the right picture, Mia and Savi playing.

Mia and Becky

Jam ran with Beau, the GSP who lives with Becky and just completed his Senior Hunter title last weekend. Below you can see Jam pointing a quail and then later, honoring Beau on point, with me collaring her.

It was Jam's turn to find the Chukkar and she did a terrific job, found it easily and held her point until the shot and then retrieved the bird.

Jam was quite pleased with herself and had a fun time doing what she loves best.

We then gave Savi a turn and worked her on steadying until she is released to retrieve the bird. She did well and was rewarded with lots of retrieves. Last up was Mia, who was introduced to quail for the first time. She found the bird and showed interest. She definitely has natural ability and with more training and exposure to birds, she should easily get her Junior Hunter title. Of course, no get together with the pups would be complete without a stacking session. Mia, who is quite the Momma's girl, allowed me to stack her while Michele took pictures. We plan on showing our pretty Mia in 2012 to work on her AKC championship.

Teamwork

2011-10-24T21:45:00.001-04:00

Setting up for the water retrieve, I'm telling Savi to watch the duck as the gunner is getting ready to throw it in the water...

A picture perfect water retrieve! Savi, without hesitation, dove right into the water, swam directly to the duck and grabbed it! She swam back to shore and here she is on her way to me in the circle. She brought it right to me and that completed her new Novice Retrieving Dog (NRD) title! Next up, training for her RD, Retrieving Dog title, where she'll have to stay without retraint until released and complete double land and water retrieves.

Intense Savi during her land retrieve

Thanks to GSWC club member Michelle Ostrander for taking these terrific pictures

The Grayhart Southern Girls Rock with a Major & CDX leg!

2011-10-22T17:26:00.001-04:00

At the Atlanta show circuit, Sky, Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain, RN,JH,TD,NSD,NRD,V (Parker x Trixie) was Winner's Bitch for a 3-point major at this morning's show handled by Susan Wise. In the afternoon Specialty, Sky was very close to winning and went Reserve Winner's Bitch to the major. Sky only needs one single point to finish her AKC Show Championship.

Sky with handler Susan Wise posing for their win photo

The exciting news continued to arrive as we heard from Jessica that Mia-belle, CH Grayhart's Special Request,CD,RA,NSD,NRD,V, (Zeke x Trixie) qualified for her 1st CDX obedience leg with a 4th placement!

Congratulations to Debbie and Jessica and their awesome girls for a gray-t showing today! We are so proud of our Southern girls!

Therapy Thursday

2011-10-20T20:46:00.003-04:00

Jam, all dressed up and ready for an official Delta Pet PartnerTherapy Dog visit. This was our second visit to this residence for mentally disabled and autistic adults who are all non-verbal. It is truly amazing to see the positive impact that is made by Jam's interactions with these gentlemen.

DVWC WCA Shooting & Retrieving Ratings

2011-10-19T19:05:00.000-04:00

Some pictures of Savi during her Novice Retrieving Dog run at the DVWC WCA Ratings test last Sunday. For her land retrieve, she was off like a shot to go retrieve the quail.

Good girl retrieving it to hand in the circle!

Once we passed on land, it was off to the pond for the water retrieve. Savi, who we know loves to swim, couldn't wait for her turn and impatiently paced and barked until it was our turn. The duck was thrown, blank gun shot and I released Savi, who without any hesitation, jumped into the water and swam straight to the duck and grabbed it! This year she did order the duck! Then she turned around and swam right back to me and again, retrieved to hand. That's a pass and a new NRD title, showing everyone how it's done.

Jam was entered in the Shooting Dog as she had earned her Novice Shooting Dog title last year. Due to the way the birdfield was set up and live fire, the spectators in the gallery had to stay pretty far away, which made picture taking difficult. The shot below shows me collaring Jam, while Muddy is on point and waiting for the gunners to get in place. Both dogs had terrific runs and passed.

Thanks to our pupparrazi Kellyann for these photos and cheering us on.

Back to back Best of Breeds & new CGC Title for Bravo!

2011-10-18T09:25:00.001-04:00

From the October 15th & 16th shows in California, Bravo went Best of Breed both days. As owner Jay was walking Bravo back to his setup to rest up for the Sporting Group, the CGC evaluator grabbed them and talked them into doing the AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test. Bravo passed with flying colors. Bravo demonstrated that he could accept strangers, be polite, accept grooming, walk through a noisy crowd, stay and come, accept other dogs, stay calm and accept supervised separation from owner.

Bravo is handled by Michael Stone. Breed and Group Judge is Mrs. Keke Kahn.

New WCA Ratings Titles for Jam and Savi!!!

2011-10-16T21:28:00.002-04:00

Jam & Savi with their qualifying ribbons

We had a great time today at the Delaware Valley Weimaraner Club (DVWC) WCA Ratings tests visiting with friends and seeing many talented Weimaraners. The DVWC and Garden State Weimaraner Club's put on a double ratings test at Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, with morning and afternoon tests with a delicious potluck lunch in between.

We are proud to announce that both Jam and Savi qualified and have new titles! Jam ran in the Shooting Dog (SD) rating, which is similar to the AKC Senior Hunter test but not as stringent, and had a terrific run that would have been a pass in a regular AKC Hunt test. She was braced with her half brother, a Parker son, who already has his Senior Hunter title, and they ran very well together. Jam had a nice honor in the backcourse. In the birdfield, Jam used the wind and pointed the Chukkar on scent from at least ten feet away. She held her point while I located the bird and was steady to shot and then retrieved the bird to me.

Jam is now CH Grayhart's Purple Haze,CD,JH,OA,OAJ,SD,VX!

Savi was entered in the Novice Retrieving Dog (NRD) rating test. This test includes both a land and water retrieve. Savi had awesome retrieves to hand on and in the water. Friends commented that she has a Master Hunter retrieve!

Savi is now Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,NSD,NRD,CGC!

Champion Mason

2011-10-15T16:02:00.002-04:00

Official win and new champion photo, introducing Mason, CH Grayhart's Daily Special (Zeke x Trixie)! Mason earned his last two single points going Winner's Dog at the Brookhaven Kennel Club on September 30th, handled by his breeder, under Judge Dr. Herman. Mason's finished with three 4-pt majors, including a Specialty major, all handled by his sire's owner/breeder, Pat O'Brien. Mason is Trixie's 5th champion.

Friday Flashback

2011-10-14T15:34:00.000-04:00

Trixie, our Princess! This is one of our favorite photos and was taken at the 2006 WCA Nationals in Pittsburgh, PA, by Brandstudio. A friend insisted we put the boa collar around Trixie's neck for a few shots and this impromptu wardrobe addition made this photo fabulous.

Trudy's Official Major Win Photo

2011-10-12T16:59:00.000-04:00

Trudy, Grayhart's Special Reserve, (Zeke x Trixie) winner of a 3-pt major going Winner's Bitch and Best of Opposite at the Westbury Kennel Association show on October 2, 2011, handled by her co-owner/breeder. This was her 2nd major win and she now only needs three single points to finish her AKC championship.

GSWC Independent Specialty Show

2011-10-11T20:48:00.001-04:00

Savi and me, getting ready to gait around the ring.

Sunday was the annual Garden State Weimaraner Club Independent Specialty Show at North Branch Park. A month and a half ago, thanks to Hurricane Irene, this park was under water. Well, time to dry out and we had a gorgeous lawn to show our dogs on and it was a sparkling, hot fall day. The club put on our usual outstanding show and everyone had a great time showing dogs, eating the delicious hot and cold buffet supplied by club members and winning raffle prizes. This was not our regular show, as the club hosted the Weimaraner Club of America Eastern Futurity and Maturity the day before and this drew dogs and handlers from all over the country as well as Canada and Weim friends from Australia. As trophy chair, I was in charge of buying and organizing all the trophies and sponsors for them and was pleased with how they looked set up outside the ring and the winners seemed to enjoy them.

Savi, Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,CGC, (Clay x Trixie) showed well in a large BBE (Bred-By-Exhibitor) class and the judge awarded us 3rd place.

Savi on the last go around. Trudy, on owner Rich's lap, waited patiently for her turn and of course, the princess wore a pink cool coat to stay comfortable on this hot day.

Trudy, Grayhart's Special Reserve, (Zeke x Trixie) was handled beautifully in the Open bitch class by Pat O'Brien, owner/breeder of her daddy Zeke.

Above and below, Trudy strutting her stuff - lovely reach and drive.

Trudy won the large Open bitch class! We were on the edge of our seats when she went in for the Winner's Class. All the class winner's go in and the judge picks the Winner's Bitch and that is who gets the points.

Trudy looked great and the judge had her in first place for the first two go arounds.

At the last go around, when I was hoping the judge would pick Trudy, he moved another bitch in front of her and that is who he awarded Winner's bitch. Oh well, so close as this win would have finished her. Her littermate Mason, won the dog major at our show last year and it would have been beyond exciting for Trudy to get the Specialty win. On to the next set of shows in search of those last three points.

Trudy and Pat

Jam was along for the ride and was happy to meet new friends and prospective puppy people. Our supermodel was thirsty and made no qualms about telling me that she wanted to drink out of a water bottle.

Mason, CH Grayhart's Daily Special, (Zeke x Trixie) was bumped up to Best of Breed. Pat handled him and we were happy that our newest champion made the first cut, not too shabby at a big specialty. Just one year ago, Mason won the 4-pt major and Best of Winners at this show.

A fun and noteworthy event put on by the club on Saturday, was the Rescue Parade. The rescue dogs and their owners had a chance to parade around the show rings while a short bio was read. They even received rosettes and prizes.

Our good friend, Kellyann and her 9-year old rescue, June, tracked around the show ring.

The Rescue Parade participants

A lovely, handmade rosette for the rescue dogs made by Kellyann.

Bumming in Bridgehampton

2011-10-10T19:56:00.000-04:00

Well not exactly bumming. Jam was called at the last minute for a modeling job in Bridgehampton, part of the famous New York Hamptons, home of the rich and famous. The day was glorious and after a 2 1/2 hour drive, we arrived at a fabulous beach house for the location of the shoot. Jam posed on the beach, in the house and even in front of a Maserati, for this clients upscale product line. I'm not sure when the ad campaign will be out but I will sure look for it and post when available.

The house had incredible views out every window and the 2nd floor deck area had this amazing infinity pool with ocean views. The man from the management company for the house told me that this special house has been used on episodes of Royal Pains, a USA Network show and many other commercials and movies. Jam's career takes us to the coolest places!

Bravo's Beach and Pumpkin Field Visit

2011-10-07T09:14:00.001-04:00

Enjoy these fabulous pics from Bravo's Blog, our California beach boy.

Let's have some fun today!

Bravo, GCH Grayhart Crescent's Bravo, is owned by Jay Logan and Ron Goularte.

DUMBO Dogs

2011-10-06T17:50:00.000-04:00

The view of Manhattan from the lovely Brooklyn Bridge Park in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn. DUMBO is the acronym for Down Under the Manhatten Bridge Overpass, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY, which has undergone gentrification and become one of New York's premier arts districts. We were there last week for a photoshoot/commercial for Jam and had to bring Savi and Mason along on the second day, straight from a dog show on Long Island, where Mason, now Champion Grayhart's Daily Special, finished his show championship.

Savi, Mason and Jam, relaxing in the park.

Beautiful views

Although these dogs all live in the suburbs, they had no problem acclimating to the city.

Weimaraner Wednesday

2011-10-05T14:41:00.000-04:00

Fall is definitely here and we had a perfect day for field training - cool, crisp and sunny! I forgot my camera but snapped off a few shots of the dogs running in the field before we began training. No, I didn't get a German Shorthair Pointer. This energetic girl belongs to my friend and training partner Jeff and I took her for some obedience and socialization training with Jam, Savi and Trixie.

Becky, the GSP, is a friendly 9 month old pup but needs to learn some manners with other dogs. Jam took on the role of teacher and gave Becky a number of appropriate corrections until Becky learned how to behave. All dogs need to learn dog language and if they don't it can be dangerous. Becky runs in hunt tests and needs to know when another dog doesn't want to play or not to get in their face.

Once Becky was comfortable with my grey girls, she had a blast running and playing with them in this huge field. It also helped get burn some of her endless supply of energy off.

Training was very satisfying. Jam ran with Becky's housemate, Beau, who received his 1st Senior Hunter leg last weekend. The two ran well together and we were able to steady them and shoot for retrieves. Jam broke before the shot and I was able to correct her before she grabbed the bird. I then made her stand and then released her for the retrieve, which she did well with. Unless a dog makes a mistake in training, it is difficult to fix problems encountered during the actual test.

Even though Becky is a green dog and working on her Junior Hunter, she is extremely birdy and the perfect running mate for Savi. Savi had a gorgeous point, sorry no photo, and we shot over her for the first time. I did attach a check cord before we flushed and released the Chukkar in case she broke. Well, so proud of my girl who stood through the shot and waited until I released her for the retrieve. She had to search for the bird as she didn't mark the fall but when she found it, had an impressive retrieve to hand. We are also training her to honor and she's starting to understand that not every bird is hers. I'm very excited at the progress she is making and hope to have her ready to run in Senior Hunter in the Spring.

Trudy's Winning Weekend

2011-10-03T11:02:00.000-04:00

Unofficial win photo, taken while we were setting her up for the real thing.

Our Long Island princess did us proud at this past weekend's shows on her home turf. Trudy, Grayhart's Special Reserve, (Zeke x Trixie) began the weekend with a bang on Friday going Winner's Bitch, Best of Winners and Best of Opposite for two points, alongside her littermate, Mason, now CH Grayhart's Daily Special, who was Winner's Dog and finished his bench championship.

On Sunday, Savi, Grayhart's Shear Genius, JH, won the Bred-by-Exhibitor class, and then I quickly switched dogs and showed Trudy to win the Open class. In Winners, Trudy strutted her stuff and won her 2nd 3-point major going Winner's Bitch and Best of Opposite. She now only needs three single points to finish her AKC show championship.

Gray-t Weekend for Grayhart!

2011-10-02T21:06:00.001-04:00

Jessica & Mia and Debbie & Sky - new NRDs!!!

Our weekend began on a high note with Mason finishing his championship and littermate Trudy, going Winner's Bitch/Best of Winners/Best of Opposite at the same show. Well today, at the Tarheel Weimaraner Club WCA Ratings test, both of our Southern girls earned their Novice Retrieving Dog titles. Congratulations to Debbie Moody & Sky, Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain, RN,JH,TD,NSD,NRD,V (Trixie x Parker) & Jessica Scharff & Mia, CH Grayhart's Special Request,CD,RA,NSD,NRD,V (Trixie x Zeke)!

From the WCA website, here is what is required for a dog to earn an NRD:

NRD—Novice Retrieving Dog
A. Requirements for dogs competing for NRDs shall be as follows:
1. Land Retrieve
a. Dog is required to retrieve a single dead bird on land, a shot will be fired.
b. Retrieve shall be a minimum of 20 yards, but shall not exceed 40 yards.
2. Water Retrieve
a. Dog is required to retrieve a single dead bird in the water with a minimum swim of 20 yards, a
shot will be fired.

At the Long Island New York shows, Trudy, Grayhart's Special Reserve (Trixie x Zeke), handled by me, her breeder and co-owner was WB/BOS for a 3 pt major! Trudy now only needs three single points to complete her AKC show championship! Trudy's win photo to be posted at a later date.

New CHAMPION Mason & more points for Trudy!!!

2011-09-30T22:11:00.002-04:00

Mason at a park by the Brooklyn Bridge with NYC across the river

Mr. Mason is now Champion Grayhart's Daily Special! Mason handled by his breeder today at the Brookhaven Kennel Club show, earned his last two points going Winner's Dog under Judge Dr. Steven Herman, to complete his championship. Mason, finished with three - 4-point majors, including a Specialty major, shown by his sire's owner/breeder, Pat O'Brien.

If that wasn't enough excitement, after I finished showing Mason, I ran to switch dogs and proceeded to show Savi and then Trudy. Savi won her Bred-By-Exhibitor class and Trudy was the only one in Open. For the Winner's Bitch class, a friend took Trudy in and I handled Savi. Trudy won and was Winner's Bitch and Savi was Reserve Winner's Bitch. Trudy then went on to be awarded Best of Opposite and Best of Winners! She now has 9 points towards her championship including a major win.

It was a wonderful feeling to have two littermates win the points. The club had a lovely podium set up with fall decorations, hay bales, pumpkins and flowers for the win photos. We only had time to take a new champion win picture of Mason and will post that in a few weeks.

As soon as the photo was done, we were off and running back to Brooklyn for day two of the a shoot with Jam. .

Ooh La La Jam!!!

2011-09-29T21:40:00.010-04:00

Jam behind the scenes with Coco.

Jam was back at work today and what an exciting day it was. We arrived on set in Brooklyn, New York, to find that she was hired to be the co-star with supermodel, Coco Roche in a commercial and advertising campaign for a very special client. This will be part of a 2012 Spring/Summer campaign and of course, we'll let you know when the campaign is launched.

Coco and Jam in deep discussion behind the scenes during a set change.

We loved working with Coco, who although a bonofide supermodel, was down to earth and a true animal lover. She told me all about an amazing charity that she is involved in. From her website, Senhoa is a great charity that supports victims of human trafficking in South East Asia by providing income-generating opportunities, social reintegration and programs for self-empowerment. Some of the children they work with are as young as 4 years old.

This weekend I flew to LA to finalize jewelry designs which we hope to have available within a few months. The Jewelry ‘Coco Rocha For Senhoa’will be made in Cambodia by the older girls in the program, with all proceeds going back into the program.

Pure Bliss

2011-09-28T19:00:00.000-04:00

Incredible beauty from Portage Valley, Alaska, outside of Anchorage, where Bliss spent the day hiking with her family.

A gorgeous fall day was the perfect background for an impromptu photo session of Bliss, Grayhart's Launch My Line, (Clay x Trixie).

Looking good! I think the shadow behind her is neat. It would have been a perfect photo is her tail was up but we still love how she's maturing.

Posing on the rocks and then quite obviously, gives us "the face"...silly girl!

Bravo's BIF in the Weimaraner Magazine

2011-09-26T12:29:00.000-04:00

As seen on the inside cover of the September 2011 issue of The Weimaraner Magazine, the official publication of the Weimaraner Club of America...here is Bravo's official Best Dog in Western Futurity win picture! He was handled to this terrific win by Keith Pautz. Thank you judge Virginia Lyne for this award.

Birthday Q with a 1st place for Debbie & Sky!!!

2011-09-25T19:10:00.000-04:00

Sky, Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain, RN,JH,TD,NSD,V, (Parker x Trixie) earned her first Novice Standard agility leg today with a clean run and first place!!! Debbie and Sky, at a trial down in North Carolina ran on Sat and Sunday in novice standard and jumpers and they improved with each run. We are very proud of this talented team and Sky gave Debbie the perfect birthday present. Debbie said, "What fun we had and a great way to spend a birthday!" - we couldn't agree more.

Congratulations Debbie and Sky!

Supermodel Savi

2011-09-23T09:23:00.001-04:00

A behind the scenes shot of Savi and her model friends!

Following in her momma Trixie and sister Jam's pawprints, Savi's modeling career is in full swing. She was chosen to be in a holiday campaign for Gap Kids and based on the terrific feedback on set, it was the right choice. Savi absolutely LOVES kids and the feeling was mutual and showed through in the shots of her surrounded by the crew of beautiful boys and girls modeling the clothes. In fact, Savi garnered more attention from the crew and passersby on the busy Brooklyn street where we were located, than the human models! We look forward to seeing the final ads to be used for in-store displays, mailers and on the store website sometime in November.

Getting used to her "wardrobe" while resting up for her call on set. I'm always prepared with a towel or bed for her to lounge on, stars shouldn't have to sit or lay down on a dirty sidewalk.

On set, I'm rewarding Savi between shots. The white stuff is fake snow.

Weimaraner Wednesday

2011-09-21T19:57:00.000-04:00

Jam, enthusiastic in the fields!

Weimaraner Wednesday fun spent field training with our friends and their dogs. The weather was a bit hot and muggy with little breeze, so challenging scenting conditions for the dogs.

Jam on point

The girls found the birds and had decent retrieves, especially our little retrieving machine, Savi, who does it with such gusto and retrieved to hand, it brings a smile to everyone who watches her.

Savi, air scenting as scenting as she hunts for birds

The leaves are already beginning to change color, reminding us that fall is upon us. I just long for some nice cool weather.

And only in New Jersey would we have such wild distractions in the bird field! The preserve where we train is said to have one of the best Halloween Hayrides in the state!

The dogs are so used to these freaky figures that they pay no attention to them.

Happy Hiking at Harriman

2011-09-18T17:11:00.000-04:00

What to do on a perfect September day? Go hiking of course at one of our favorite places, Harriman State Park. It was cool in the woods and Jam and Savi were excited to run and run and run...

Jam stopped to point a deer in the distance and we were thrilled to see Savi back her.

Savi backing Jam...

Jam on a deer point!

Smiling Savi, she sure enjoyed our hike.

And even treats, the girls think this is the best thing ever, especially doled out by Kellyann.

Fall Field Training!

2011-09-15T19:31:00.000-04:00

Savi & Jam

Even though the official start to fall is still a week away, with cool temps and rain, it sure felt like fall and we had our first day training in the field since Spring. The dogs got to run in the field for fun to stretch their legs and get some of the excess energy out before getting down to business.

Savi getting ready for take-off!

Jam

Jam was up first and we ran her with a German Shorthair Pointer, that is working on her Senior Hunter title. Jam ran fine with this new dog, always good to switch things up as you never know what kind of dog you'll be braced with at a hunt test. It began pouring during our run, which was not the most pleasant thing for the handler's and does effect the scenting conditions and birds, but hunt tests are run rain or shine and it was a good opportunity to challenge the dogs in not the most ideal conditions. Jam then had a chance for a second run with our friend's Vizsla, who is very close to finishing his Master Hunter title. We ran the dogs in a mock hunt test and I was pleased with how well Jam hunted, backed the other dog immediately and was steady to wing and shot. Her retrieve was passable, still something I'd like to improve to get her to have a better hold on the bird, but the whole run, if in a real test would have been a pass! Amazing how the dog's remember what they are supposed to do and pick up where we left off.

Savi, beginning her training for Senior Hunter, ran with the Vizsla, and we wanted to evaluate where she was at. She hunted in her usual bold, independent style and held point until we got to her to flush the bird. We need to work on steadying her more on the bird without holding her and while the bird is being shot. She has an incredible retrieve and brought the bird to hand! We wanted to introduce her to honoring or backing the other dog on point, and she did acknowledge the other dog. I then collared her and she was not happy watching the other dog retrieve the bird. In fact, she was hysterical, barking, jumping and whining....sorry Savi, life is not fair and every bird does not belong to you! We know what our biggest challenge is going to be with Savi in training her for Senior.

A fun day for sure, even if we were soaked by the time we packed up. We peeled off our rain gear, felt chilled and went out to lunch for some hot pasta fagiouli soup and Italian food....can't get much better than that!

Back to the Backyard!

2011-09-12T10:59:00.000-04:00

After days of hurricane cleanup with the chainsaw, chipper and lugging wood, we could finally see grass in the backyard and the dogs could run around.

There is still one giant tree left in the lower part, that as you can see has been cut into sections. The dogs however, think it makes for a great new squirrel hunting ground as well as an outdoor agility course!

Savi, Queen of the Log

Bravo's latest Best of Breed win

2011-09-10T22:22:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to owner's Jay Logan and Ron Goularte on Bravo, GCH Grayhart Crescent's Bravo, Best of Breed win today over a group placing/specialty winning top ranked special! He was shown in California at the Redwood Empire Kennel Club show.

Bravo chilling out after a long day at the show...

Rock Lobster

2011-09-09T20:12:00.000-04:00

What's a vacation without the perfect souvenir to bring home? Well, during our time on Cape Cod, we made the mandatory trek to one of our favorite stores in Eastham, The Cape Cod Dog.

I had accidentally left the dogs' indoor toys at home and needed to buy them a few for our vacation. They have a terrific selection of toys and it's always nice to find something we don't already own.

What better memento of the Cape than the iconic red lobster! This cute Hugglehounds Lobster, has a smile, is made of plush corduroy, has three squeakers and made with Tuffut Technology, a super durable three-layer material designed to hold up even with aggressive chewers. Time will tell how Weim-proof this toys is but for now, Savi has claimed it and thinks it's just great!

Trixie & Jam on St. Louis Fox2 for Certifect

2011-09-08T19:25:00.025-04:00

We found the link to a video of Trixie and Jam's appearance on FOX 2 St. Louis, when we were there for the Certifect product launch at the AVMA convention in July.

They were on the FOX2 Morning show as part of the PR team and did a great job!

Click on the link for the segment: Keeping the Pests Away From Your Pets
http://www.fox2now.com/videobeta/1c96e2c9-1b9b-4cb1-8f1a-36009202d4f0/News/Keeping-the-Pests-Away-From-Your-Pets

Don't rain on my parade

2011-09-07T17:33:00.000-04:00

I love my knee high Bogs Boots!

Mother Nature struck again this week with close to five inches of rain and more flooding in the Northeast. We had just finished our cleanup from Hurricane Irene and no sooner was the yard clear, the skies opened up for the downpour. It was disappointing to find out that the North Branch Park Cluster of shows this week, Big Apple Sporting, Tuxedo, Somerset Hills and Westchester, were cancelled due to flooding at the show site. What is a girl and her dogs to do? Go hiking! So what if we get a little wet. I donned my raincoat, waterproof baseball hat and Bogs boots and off we went...

The dogs needed a good run to stretch their legs after being cooped up due to the bad weather. We didn't see a soul and enjoyed having the woods to ourselves.

Savi

The rain and mud didn't bother the dogs one bit and they looked like dappled Weims by the time we were done.

Trixie waiting for the girls to come back from chasing a squirrel...

Jam and Savi find something interesting in the wood post.

The girls checking out the base of this beautiful tree.

Savi, all wet from our hike but a happy camper. The benefit of having a wash-and-wear breed!

Let the training begin!

2011-09-06T07:09:00.000-04:00

After a year off, due to her baby brother, Jersey, Grayhart's Goin Someplace Special, JH,CGC, is now back in full swing. She is now training for her NRD! Our local Weimaraner Club, WCTV, is hosting a ratings test in October, and our very own Jersey Girl will be entered. Let's just hope I can stop her from playing keep-away when she retrieves! Keeping my fingers crossed.

Check out those webbed feet! Such a neat picture!

Sky wins in Raleigh!

2011-09-04T15:12:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Debbie Moody and Sky, Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain,RN,JH,TD,NSD,V, (Parker x Trixie) who went Winners Bitch and Best of Winners today at the Raleigh Kennel Club show!!! This gave Sky her 11th show point towards her AKC championship.

Savi Winner's Bitch at Newton Kennel Club!

2011-09-03T22:00:00.000-04:00

At the Newton Kennel Club show, Savi, Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,NSD,CGC, (Clay x Trixie) went Winner's Bitch from the Bred-By-Exhibitor class for her 7th point towards her AKC show championship!

As a reward, Savi got to go shopping at one or our favorite vendors, Paw Up on Health, and picked out a beef trachea. I brought Trixie to their booth to pickup a supply of beef knuckle bones, which the dogs go crazy for and Trixie helped herself to a pork twizzle! You eat it, you buy it!

I was happy to find out that there would be a health clinic at the show and brought all three girls for various services. They had many tests available, a vaccine clinic, a microchip clinic, vaccine titers, SNAP testing, OFA Thyroid testing and others all at discounted prices. The vet was terrific and it was nice to be able to save a substantial amount of money.

Friday Flashback: Cape Cod 2004

2011-09-02T20:48:00.000-04:00

Wonderful memories of past vacations on Cape Cod and the old house we used to rent, which had an incredible view as it was perched on top of Tom's Hill, overlooking Pamet Harbor. Wotan, Windward's Standing in Motion,JH,AX,AXJ,NSD,CGC,V, on the left and Zoe, GraytSky's Broadway Bound, CD,JH,NA,OAJ,NSD, V, on the right, loved the Cape and swimming in waters there. This was just a few months before Trixie was born...

Welcome home? Hurricane Irene was here...

2011-08-31T22:04:00.000-04:00

After an incredible family holiday on Cape Cod, we returned to New Jersey with trepidation, as friends had told us that trees had fallen in our backyard into the house. We pulled onto our street and were happy to see that power had been restored! Next, what was the damage to the house?

Apparently, four of our close to 100 foot tall trees in the backyard fell uphill. The scene looked like a tornado touched down in our woods.

Amazingly, our house suffered minimal damage! A foot closer, the roof and windows would possibly have been smashed and major damage...

The trees fell below the side deck and smashed our outdoor patio furniture into splinters. However, the table was still standing with just one side sheared off.

You can see the size of the trees with Jam standing in what used to be her yard...

In the top left of this picture, the teeter made it through the hurricane untouched.

Savi surveys the damage..

Trixie thinks we should have stayed on vacation! We have a big clean up ahead of us and will have a lifetime supply of firewood!

We were truly lucky compared to those who suffered catastrophic damage from Hurricane Irene. Friends have had their houses flooded and our heart goes out to those people who have lost everything. Just a reminder to be as prepared as possible for you and your pets for emergency situations.

Mia-belle's official Champion win picture

2011-08-30T22:06:00.000-04:00

CH Grayhart's Special Request, CD, RA, NSD, V

(Zeke, CH OB's 38 Special x Trixie, CH GraytSky's I'm Not Really a Waitress,CD,RN,OA,NAJ,V, BROM)

Winners Bitch and Best of Winners

Carolina Kennel Club

August 14, 2011

Congratulations to Jessica & Mia-belle!

Jam-in at Balston Beach

2011-08-29T22:00:00.001-04:00

A picture perfect day for a hike through the hills of Truro to Balston Beach, which is on the Atlantic Ocean.

We couldn't imagine that the beach would be empty on such a gorgeous August day,

The surf was a bit rough due to Hurrican Irene and there was a high surf warning. The little black dot out in the water is a seal. We saw a number of seals swimming offshore amid the seagulls floating on the surface.

Jam loved spending time with us and running along the beach,

Here I come!

And what could be better than shorebirds to point...we think these are terns.

August is considered the best month for observing shorebirds on Cape Cod.

Jam had a wonderful workout and was quite tired when she joined us for dinner at an outdoor cafe in Provincetown.