Where has the summer gone! Cape Cod & other adventures...

This is probably the longest I have ever gone between blog updates and so much news to share.  We spent the summer vacationing, traveling from Cape Cod to Alabama, competing in dog shows and agility trials, visiting with friends and enjoying many of the pups we've bred in addition to our own girls.  There was also a major health scare with Savi, who has recovered completely, that I will share once the blog is up to date.  The summer included show wins, agility titles, legs and placements and great times with the dogs for all the Grayhart family. We were fortunate to have a number of Grayhart pups come visit and loved having them here.

Now that the weather has gotten cooler and the fall is almost upon us, we have switched gears and started field training, planning our fall show schedule which includes our favorite show, my club, the Garden State Weimaraner Club Independent Specialty, that is also hosting the Weimaraner Club of America Eastern Futurity and Maturity and gearing up to breed Jam.  Weekly agility classes are a highlight of our week as both Jam and Savi, along with their handler, continue to improve.

Here are a few pictures from our annual Cape Cod holiday and we are blessed to be able to spend two weeks in this beautiful place.  The dogs consider it heaven!

 Savi is our star swimmer and retriever!

 She loves to swim and impatiently waits for us to go for our multiple walks/swims each day on the Cape, and will even run down to the marsh with the bumper in her mouth.

 Presley, above, spent the summer with us at Grayhart boot camp, learning to swim and just having a great time!

 The gorgeous view from our deck.

 Plenty of room to run through the salt marsh.

 Presley, below, pure joy!

 A favorite activity for Jam and Trixie is squirrel hunting in the decayed wood pilings.

Cape Cod 2014

Savi doing what she loves most!

We just returned from a fantastic two week family vacation in one of our most favorite places in the world, Truro on Cape Cod, MA.  With four dogs in tow, we had an incredible vacation doing many of our favorite activities. We hiked, cycled, whale watched, toured the Dunes, ate amazing seafood and took the dogs on daily run at the beach and in the salt marsh.  Traveling with four dogs takes much preparation and organization but we are experts at taking them with us on our annual family holiday and make it work beautifully.  Stay tuned for more photos of our trip and tips on traveling with your best friend(s).

Enjoying the fall

We are fortunate to live close to some fabulous state parks and Harriman State Park in New York is one of my favorites.  Last weekend, I took Trixie and Savi for a short hike and even though it is past peak fall foliage, it was still beautiful and we enjoyed having the trail to ourselves.  

After the hike, we drove a short distance to one of the many lakes in Harriman and Savi did some water retrieving.

\Scenic view of the lake.

Savi even had an audience, a group of Japanese tourists, who thought she was quite entertaining. They were snapping away at her swimming and water retrieves.  Wonder if she'll show up on a travel blog!

 Savi absolutely loves to swim and retrieve and it is terrific exercise.

We fit the hike and swim in before the sunset.

Morning Marsh runs

There is nothing like waking up and being able to take the dogs on a fabulous run in the marsh just steps from our rental house. The house is on a salt marsh that is part of Pamet Harbor which leads to the Cape Cod Bay.

   Savi loves to swim and cannot wait to get down to the water.

 Below, a resident Great Blue Heron, who we saw quite a bit of during our stay.

Trixie on the move...

 High tide makes for beautiful views.

 View of Pamet Harbor and the Yacht Club.

 Chipmunk hunting is a favorite Weim activity!  Jam pointing a critter and then the three girls with a team effort but no, they did not catch the chimpmunk.

Cape Cod 2013

We had a fabulous two weeks on Cape Cod, exploring, hiking, cycling, swimming, shopping and eating amazing local seafood, especially lobster...it truly is our slice of heaven.  The dogs had a blast, running in the marshes, on the beach and Savi loved swimming and retrieving in the marsh and bay.  They enjoyed meeting new people and shopping with us in all the dog friendly shops.  Our girls are amazing travelers and it feels just like home having them with us on vacation.  I really enjoy photographing the dogs and sharing their adventures.  

Daily hikes in the salt marsh are fun, give the dogs and people plenty of exercise!

 Truro is our favorite spot on the cape with rolling hills, salt marshes and fantastic bay and ocean beaches.

Running through the hills and swimming after ducks!

The dogs settled into our new routine there pretty quickly and with much planning and packing, we were well prepared to make their vacation with us an easy one.  It is important to make sure when traveling with pets that you not only have their food and depending where you go, water, extra leashes and ID on their collars, but all kinds of medications (check with your vet) and first aid supplies (vet wrap, hydrogen peroxide, super glue, etc) in the event of an illness or accident. We always carry anti-diarrhea medications and antibiotics.  Also, check to see where the nearest vet and emergency animal hospitals are located.  Since Cape Cod is also known for its ticks, we make sure to apply Frontline or Vectra to the dogs a few days before we leave to give them adequate protection.

Just like at home, we set up crates and dog beds for the dogs in the house and show them their potty area and bring a pooper scooper for clean up.  A few favorite toys, treats and special chews, new knuckle bones from White Dog Bone, kept the dogs busy, especially on rainy days. Another important piece of equipment that we "schlep" with us are the xpens, which we attach to the deck.  Since our rental house did not have a fenced yard, it allows the dogs to hang out with us on the deck or alone while we are home, in a safe, contained outdoor area.  For practical reasons, it works great to put them in when we get back from the beach and they are wet and sandy; you sure do not want them in the house full of sand!

I took a ton of pictures and will continue to share some of my favorites in future posts.

Grayhart Southern Adventure - Morning Dip

Savi starting her day with a morning swim in the wonderful pond at Silversmith Farm.  This is our last morning here as we will begin the next leg of our trip and head up to Sanford, NC, with Savi and Trixie, to compete in the Tarheel Weimaraner Club Agility Trial.  We are also looking forward to a little family reunion, meeting up with Debbie and Sky, good friend KellyAnn and on Sunday, Michele is bring Mia!

 Savi retrieving her bumper

 Trixie exploring the dock diving floating deck.

Jam & Savi

Grayhart Gray-t Southern Adventure 2012

Our journey down south began with a 13-hour drive on Monday to Johns Island, South Carolina.  Trixie, Jam and Savi, all seasoned travelers, took the long drive in stride and with only two brief stops, we arrived late Monday night at Silversmith Farm, home of Summit, CH Pike's Peak Silversmith Summit, SH, SDX, NRD, V, Jam's new hubby.  After we settled Trixie and Savi in their kennel quarters, we introduced Jam and Summit, a little get acquainted romp, before we put them to bed for the night.  Jam will be bred to Summit this week.

 Tuesday morning, we headed out for some fun on this gorgeous farm.  We took the girls to the 3-acre fenced area that contains the pond.  With views of the horse pasture and beautiful trees surrounding us, we had a great time letting the girls stretch their legs for a run and Savi and Trixie had a blast swimming. Of course, I had packed Savi's favorite retrieving toy, and she had a ball doing many water retrieves.

Then Elena, owner of the farm and gracious host, introduced my girls to a special delicacy - fresh figs from the tree that grows next to her house! Savi in particular, loved this new exotic food, and jumped up to try and pick them herself.

We then put the Grayhart girls away and let some of Elena's dogs out for a run and swim.  Here's a shot of handsome Summit:

Sweet, happy go lucky boy Summit!

Summertime fun!

Summer vacation is in full swing and we love to enjoy the outdoors.  Today, we met a friend with her two Vizslas and went for a lovely hike and then the dogs practiced water retrieves.  Savi is a natural retriever and I think, part fish!  She gets super excited and absolutely loves to swim and retrieve.  In fact, she enjoyed her role as the cleanup dog when the other dogs couldn't bring the bumpers back.  Savi also screams like a banshee when she impatiently waits for her turn.  Watching her swim is pure joy and she will retrieve over and over.  I took a short video with my Iphone of her doing a water retrieve.   Managed to get the whole thing without dropping the phone!

Let the training begin!

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!