2014 Blue Ribbon Issue: The Grayhart Ads

The most awaited issue of the year, the June Blue Ribbon Issue of The Weimaraner Magazine, (the official publication of the WCA) has arrived. The Blue Ribbon is the biggest advertising issue for breeders and fanciers and this issue is sent to all AKC Weimaraner judges. It is the place to showcase your dogs and the issue is kept as a reference book for years to come. 

We are very excited to share the Grayhart ads from the 2014 Blue Ribbon which were designed by my extremely talented friend, Sara Renee Beaver. Sara even took some of the photos including my most favorite, the gorgeous head shot of Jam.

We had a total of five pages in the Breeder's Showcase section. This included the pages for Jam, her daughters, Siri and Presley, Savi and her daughters, CeCe and Reagan and littermates, Bliss and Bravo.

 Littermates Bliss and Bravo, stunning show dogs, strutted their stuff into the Top 20 in consecutive years, 2012 and 2013.  An impressive feat!

Happy 4th Birthday to our Bravo litter!!!

Top row l-r: Treynor, Logan, Memphis, Bliss, Bravo
Bottom: Savi, Whitmore, Tallulah

Happy 4th Birthday to our amazing Bravo litter - Treynor, Logan, Memphis, Bliss, Bravo, Savi, Whitmore, Tallulah!!! This litter by Clay, BIS GCH Bxyfeet American Idol x Trixie, CH GraytSky's I'm Not Really A Waitress, Cd, RN, AX, OAJ, V, BROM, has accomplished amazing things and are adored by their owners.

• Bravo is BIF GCH Grayhart Crescent Bravo, CGC, finished 2012 in the Top 20 All Breed & Breed standings! 
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• Bliss, Grayhart's Launch My Line, not only was WB/BOW during the 2013 Nationals week at the Chattahoochie Weimaraner Club supported entry show, handled by owner Jen Boyd but also won the Open bitch class at the WCA National Specialty! Bliss finished 2013 in the Top 20 All Breed standings with multiple Group Placements! 
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• Our keeper, Savi, Futurity placing, CH Grayhart's Shear Genius, SH, NSD, NRD, VX, is working on obedience & agility titles & in 2013 became a mother to a litter of 7 lovely pups sired by Parker, BISS, GCH HiBourne's It's All About Me, BROM, who are getting ready to follow in their momma's pawprints in many venues.
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Many thanks to our friend, Sara Renee Beaver, for taking these amazing photos that we will cherish forever.

Congratulations Bliss!

We are so proud of owner/handler, Jen Boyd for handling her lovely girl, Bliss, Grayhart's Launch My Line, (Clay x Trixie) to a Group 2 at the Cook Inlet Kennel Club show.  This is Bliss' 4th Sporting Group 2 placement this year and she also has a Group 4.  

Bliss and Jen's great show weekend continued and they garnered a Sporting Group 3 on Sunday!

Competing at the Group level is very difficult, especially for a virtually unknown team like Jen and Bliss, as many of the dogs are "campaigned".  When a dog is campaigned, they are shown by a professional handler with a lavish full color advertising campaign featured in the trade journals like Dog News, to help create a "brand" to make the team recognizable to help increase the chances of future wins.  They also travel across the country, making strategic decisions on which shows to enter based on how many points the wins carry and their chances of  winning based on the competition.  We are talking about big money, hundreds of thousands of dollars to back a dog and it is serious business.  The dog that won the Sporting Group, beating Bliss, was a Clumber Spaniel named Semour, who is currently ranked as the #2 Sporting Dog and #8 All Breeds.  Semour and his handler, Jorge, flew up to Alaska and not only won the Sporting Group but went Best in Show!

Bliss is a beautiful bitch and shows well.   Due to the lack of Weimaraner entries in Alaska, Bliss earns few if any breed points towards her AKC show championship by going Best of Breed, even though she earns group placements amongst top competition.  She is on the Top 20 All Breed Weimaraner list, the only non-champion.  Having earned a 5-pt major during the WCA Nationals week and winning the Open class at the WCA Nationals, we know that Bliss is a very special girl and would have finished easily in the lower 48.  A road trip is planned to finish her championship,

Congratulations to Jen and Bliss, our Alaskan Princess!

2013 Blue Ribbon Issue: The Grayhart Ads

The most awaited issue of the year, the June Blue Ribbon Issue of The Weimaraner Magazine, (the official publication of the WCA) has arrived. The Blue Ribbon is the biggest advertising issue for breeders and fanciers and this issue is sent to all AKC Weimaraner judges. It is the place to showcase your dogs and the issue is kept as a reference book for years to come. We are very excited to share the Grayhart ads from the 2013 Blue Ribbon which were designed by my extremely talented friend, Sara Renee Beaver.  Sara even took some of the photos.

We had a total of six pages in the Breeder's Showcase section. This included the pages for Jam, Sky, Mia, Bliss, Ember, Mia-belle, Savi and Bravo. An update, Mia finished her AKC championship title in May. Also, Sky earned her WCA VX2 title.

 Mia-belle has earned her OA (Open Agility Standard) title and her VX2

Bliss has also received another Sporting Group placement...

On May 9th, Savi delivered 7 healthy pups, 4 girls and 3 boys!!!

It is always so much fun to plan, create and design the ads and of course, to see the finished product.

Another Sporting Group 2 for Bliss!!!

Huge congratulations to Jen Boyd for handling Bliss, Grayhart's Launch My Line (Clay, BIS GCH Bzyfeet American Idol x Trixie, CH Grayhart's I'm Not Really A Waitress, CD, RN, AX, OAJ, V BROM) to a Group 2 under judge Elizabeth Muthard at the Alaska Kennel Club show on Saturday!!! This is Bliss' 3rd group placement! 

Beautiful Bliss was WB/BOW (Winners Bitch/Best of Winners) for 5-pt major at the Chattahoochie Supported Entry during  the 2013 Weimaraner Club of America Nationals week and won the Open class at the WCA National Specialty!  Bliss is a littermate to Savi, our girl, who is home with puppies.

Bliss 5 pt Major Win photo

Bliss, Grayhart's Launch My Line winning WB/BOW at the Valdosta Kennel Club show during the 2013 Weimaraner Club of America Nationals week.  Congratulations to owner/handler Jen Boyd for her amazing win with Bliss!

2013 WCA National Specialty

5-pt Major winner Bliss with owner Jen Boyd

The 2013 Weimaraner Club of America National Specialty was held last week in Perry, Georgia, with the related agility and obedience trials on site and the WCA Ratings tests close by. It was disappointing that I was unable to attend due to work commitments but the three Grayhart dogs that did attend, made us super proud.  It was a week of exciting competition in various venues and all of our girls came home with ribbons and even a few titles!

The pups from our Trixie, CH GraytSky's I'm Not Really a Waitress, CD, RN, AX, OAJ, V BROM, Pet Partner Therapy Dog, had an awesome WCA Nationals week:

Bliss, Grayhart's Launch My Line, (Clay x Trixie) owned/handled by Jen Boyd, was 1st place Open bitch at the WCA National Specialty, was Winner's Bitch and Best of Winners for a 5-pt major at the Chattahoochie Weim Club Supported Entry on Thursday, and Open class winner/reserve winners bitch (RWB) to a 5-pt major at Friday's show!

Sky with her new AXJ title medallion & 2nd place ribbon

Sky, CH Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain,RN,TD, JH,OA, AXJ, CA, NSD, NRD,CGC, VX, (Parker x Trixie) owned/handled by Debbie Moody, earned her AXJ with a 2nd place at the Chattahoochie Weim Club Agility trial. On Thursday, Sky earned her 1st MXJ leg with 5 MACH points, then Double q'd on Saturday to earn an AX leg with 2nd place & an MXJ leg! Sky also earned her CAT (coursing ability) lure coursing title in 2 days!

Mia-belle, CH Grayhart's Special Request, CDX,RA,JH,NA,NAJ,NSD, RD, VX, (Zeke x Trixie), owned/handled by Jessica Scharff, showed in 3 different venues! In agility, they double Q'd with 2 - 1st places on Saturday in Open Standard and Open JWW, and then at the WCA National's Agility trial, Q'd in Open Standard with a 1st place! Mia-belle also made her Utility obedience debut with a nice performance and compliments from the judge even though she didn't qualify. Mia-belle also ran in the WCA RDX (Retrieving Dog Excellent) test but didn't want to share the bird.

Bravo, BIF, GCH Grayhart Crescent's Bravo, CGC, owned by Jay Logan, was invited to compete in the Top 20, and although he was not in attendance, Jay celebrated his ranking and was thrilled to receive the gorgeous ribbon & sash for the invitees. 

Bravo's loot!

Bravo looked handsome on his owner's banner!

Huge thanks to the owners for making their dogs shine!!! Sorry we couldn't be there to celebrate but we were there in spirit.

Bliss: 5 point Major Win during the WCA Nationals Week !

Unofficial win photo of our gorgeous girl, Bliss, Grayhart's Launch My Line, (Clay x Trixie), handled by owner, Jen Boyd, to a 5-point major going Winner's Bitch and Best of Winners! This was at the Chattahoochie Weimaraner Club supported entry at the Valdosta KC show in Perry, GA, on Thursday, during the WCA Nationals week! Thanks to Julie Aune for this lovely photo.

Huge congratulations to Jen and Bliss on this incredible win!

2013 WCA Nationals Week Day 2: 5-pt Major win for Bliss!!!

Bliss

Thursday was a day chock full of events and excitement.  The Chattahoochie Weimaraner Club had a supported entry at the Valdosta Kennel Club show and the entry was huge, as this was part of the WCA Nationals week.  We were thrilled to get the call that Bliss, Grayhart's Launch My Line, (Clay x Trixie), owner/handled by Jen Boyd was Winner's Bitch and Best of Winners for 5-point major under judge Barbara Stenmark!  Not only is this an amazing win for Bliss but Jen and her family had traveled down from Alaska for the Nationals.  This is Bliss' first major and first points as there are very few Weims in Alaska and difficult to win championship points.

Debbie Moody and Sky, CH Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain,RN,TD, JH,OA, AXJ, NSD, NRD,CGC, VX, (Parker x Trixie) were back in the agility ring and Sky earned her first Master Jumpers with Weaves leg with 5 MACH points!

Jessica and Mia-belle, CH Grayhart's Special Request, CDX,RA,JH,NA,NAJ,NSD, RD, VX, (Zeke x Trixie), were entered in the RDX or Retrieving Dog Excellent stake of the WCA Retrieving Ratings.  Mia-belle, a high-drive performance dog, did a super job on her retrieve but refused to give the bird to Jessica - the prize was too good to share.  Back to more training and we are optimistic that Mia-belle will pass in the future.  The RDX is the highest level of the WCA Retrieving Ratings and includes multiple retrieves.

We are very proud of all our Grayhart girls and their owners at the Nationals!  They are entered in more events and we will keep you updated on all the fun.

Bliss get back-to-back Group 2s!!!

Huge congratulations to Jen Boyd and Bliss, Grayhart's Launch My Line, for winning back-to-back Sporting Group 2 placements at the Alaskan Kennel Club and Kenai Kennel Club shows this weekend!

Very proud of this awesome team and we can't wait to see their official win photos!

Happy 3rd Birthday to our Bravo litter!

 Happy Birthday to our Bravo Pups who turn three today!  

These pups are sired by Clay, BIS CH Bzyfeet American Idol, BROM and out of Trixie, CH GraytSky's I'm Not Really A Waitress, CD, RN, AX, OAJ, V, BROM

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,  Multiple Best of Breed winner, GCH Grayhart Crescent's Bravo, CGC. With limited showing, Bravo finished 2012 the #15 Weimaraner in the country! AKC Grand Champion with multiple Best of Breed wins, and was Best Dog in the 2011 Western Futurity!
• Bliss, Grayhart's Launch My Line, futurity placing and at a very competitive 2011 WCA Nationals, placed in almost every class.
• Savi, CH Grayhart's Shear Genius,SH,NSD,NRD,V,CGC, our keeper and star.  Futurity placing, she finished her championship with going Best of Winners for 5-point and 3-point majors from the Bred-By-Exhibitor class. Savi earned her Senior Hunter title and has NA and NAJ agility legs with placements and only needs one more novice leg to earn her CD, Companion Dog obedience title. She is in training to be a PetPartner therapy dog.  Her modeling career continues and Savi has appeared in ads for Swiffer, the Gap and in British Vogue.
• This will be an important year for Savi as she will be bred to Parker, Group Placing, Multiple Best of Breed, GCH HiBourne's It's All About Me, BROM.

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

Beautiful Bliss

Grayhart's Launch My Line, (Clay x Trixie), aka our Alaskan Princess, on top of the world.

Weimaraner Wednesday

 

A favorite picture from the not so long ago past: Bliss, aka Miss Pink, Savi's littermate from our 2010 Bravo litter, loving that cream cheese during stacking practice!

Downward Dog

Bliss, Grayhart's Launch My Line, our Alaskan Princess, playing in the snow on Portage Glacier!

Beautiful Bliss turns 2!

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!

The Birthday Girl: Savi turns 2!!!!

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 New Year! Our 2011 Year in Review

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.

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

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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.