My World

Well, here it is close to Christmas...and once again it's been forever since I posted on my blog.  Lots of things going on...down to three Whippets right now.  I did breed Vanna and she's expecting sometime round the 2nd week in January.

I've been shooting a lot lately and have an awesome squad consisting of Dennis Cacciola Sr, Mary Ann Cacciola, Brian James and Glenn Zullick.  Dennis was High Over All in the LVTL last year, and I won High Lady.  We are a bit dysfunctional, but this year Dennis is once again in competition for HOA. 
I've met some wonderful new people in the shooting world that although I've been shooting like FOREVER...never knew personally. 
Several things I'm working on with shooting....but won't divulge them here until it/they actually happen. 

Right now Tyler is heading to Disney World with his dad and cousin, and I'm sure he'll have a super fantastic time.  I will certainly miss him on Christmas Day, but I'm happy for him.

I've lost my job two days ago and for the past two days I've been hanging out with my BF Christine and her hubby Kevin...baking cookies and filing for unemployment and searching for jobs. 

Guess that's about it for now...I try to keep up with my postings...but other than Vanna's babies coming it'll be most about shooting.

Stay safe and kiss your hounds.

My Sweetest Memories

This thread will probably be updated from time to time as more Sweet Memories are made, so check back often.

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>>February 7, 2001 - The day my son Tyler Clay was born will be THE sweetest memory of all.
>>Tyler catching a big fish (the grin on his face is priceless)
>>Tyler playing soccer and scoring in the wrong goal.
>>Tyler wrestling and winning a match only because the other team had a forfeit at his weight.
>>Tyler playing t-ball and forgetting to run to first base.
>>Tyler running his car in the Pinewood Derby for Scouts.
>>Tyler starting Karate and progressing onto his yellow belt.
>>Watching Tyler shoot his BB gun and hit the targets.
>>Watching Tyler learning to ride his Razor Scooter.

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>>February 14, 2006 - Zoey winning the Breed at the "Garden" and onto a Group 4.
>>Zoey's many Best of Breeds, Group Placements.
>>Zoey's 18 All-Breed Best In Shows.
>>Zoey being named 2003 Canada's Hound of the Year.
>>Zoey being an extremely happy "camper" and living out her life at Camp Whippet like the princess she knows she is and deserves to be.
>>May 31, 2008 - Vanna winning Best of Breed from the Open Bitch class at the Eastern Whippet Regional Specialty and on to a Hound Group 3. Before showing I remember standing at the trophy table and looking over the trophies. I came across the Best of Breed trophy where Zoey's name is engraved from when she won it in 2004. With a tear in my eye, I lightly rubbed my fingers over her name and mumbled, "I love you sweet girl". I know that day the Whippet Gods were looking over me and let the judge find Vanna worthy of being awarded Best of Breed.

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I have been an active competition trapshooter for the past two decades and I've shot live birds here and abroad. Some sweet memories from shooting are:
>>Winning the Ladies 16-Yard Championship in 1987 (198 x 200), 1988 (198 x 200) & 1999 (197 x 200).
>>Winning the Ladies Handicap Championship in 1988.
>>Winning the Ladies Doubles Championship in 1985, 1990 & 1991.
>>Winning the Ladies All-Around Championship in 1991 & 1995.
>>Breaking my first 100 straight in Handicap in August of 1983.
>>Placing in the Top Ten of the Lehigh Valley Trapshooters League in 2006.
>>Placing 3rd in Portugal while shooting live birds in a field of approximately 500+ shooters. >>First and second places were awarded to Joaquim Morato and Bruno Pardini (two of Europes best shooters).
>>Winning the Ladies World Live Bird Championship in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1989.
>>Winning many live bird trophies in the United States, and several PA Ladies Championships.
>>Winning 5 belt buckles in one weekend of live bird shooting in NC.

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I guess that's all for now, but I know there will be more.

How do you get your Whippet in racing condition?

I asked this question on several lists and also in a few Whippet boards and got some great advice. Free running exercise, short sprints, good diet, and keeping your Whippet lean and mean (lighter is faster you know). And I truly appreciate all the great advice and hope to have Vanna, my first Whippet who can actually compete in the race for something other than the TURTLE award, in better race condition for the upcoming CWA National race meet to be held at Nottingham Park in Nottingham, PA the end of August.

I have Vanna off to a great start with her conditioning. She LOVES to chase her tennis balls, this gives her the short sprints of speed she needs, Tyler forgets to close the door behind him when he goes out, this gives her the free running exercise she needs, she eats her dinner every night, which gives her the good diet, and chasing moths from one end of the house to the other keeps her lean, mean and keen.

Although she has this good start for the race meet, we are heading off to our yearly two week Canada fishing trip, and she is going to stay at my cousins house while we are gone. I'm just hoping she doesn't come back like a little pork ball after two weeks with two young girls (ages 6 & 10 I think). I kind of got things under control here with Tyler not feeding the dogs anything, but who knows what may happen.

Right this moment, Vanna is lying down on her doggie bed, eyeing up the homemade cinnamon bun Tyler is eating, and she also has her eye on a moth that's flying around. I'm hoping she makes a mad dash for the moth, as that is a lot less calories than that delicious cinnamon bun!

Eastern Specialty 2008

The Eastern Whippet Specialty is held every year during the first weekend in June. It was a fantastic weekend for Eclipse and their relatives.

Friday at the Greater Philadelphia KC show, my new puppy Rio was awarded RWD and Best Puppy by judge Roberta Campbell and onto a Hound Group 4. Melissa's boy Hank won BOS in the Specialty Sweepstakes to his sister Feather under breeder/judge Chris Durance-Watkins.

Saturday, the Specialty day judge John Simm awarded Vanna...aka Daydream's Nights In White Satin, Winners Bitch, Best of Winners and BEST OF BREED from the Open class over BIS and Top 20 Winning whippets, then to top it all off she went Hound Group 3. It was a big decision for me to put an 18-1/2 month old bitch in the Open class, but I thought she looked mature enough. Was I ever surprised when judge Simm came over to me in the final lineup of Specials, bent over and said, "you're my Best of Breed". I just about died right then and there. It was a day I will treasure F-O-R-E-V-E-R!!! Thank you judge Simm.

The Almighty Vanna

I really didn't have any intentions of buying a show dog from anyone else, as I have a bunch of my own that need showing, but when I saw the pics of the "Roux 12", my eye was immediately drawn to Puppy #12, the last pup in a very large litter. As the breeders kept posting stacked pics since around 5 weeks old, I watched this puppy get better and better each week. Upon meeting P-12 (as she was called for a very long time) I saw this beautiful dark eyed girl who was just the sweetest looking thing. Sitting down in the kitchen with Kari, she told me all about P-12.

Vanna, as she is now called certainly does have a mind of her own. If she wants to come to you when you call her she will, if she doesn't then good luck trying to get her. If you forget to close the bathroom door, she'll come up with devious plan to get the toilet paper off the roll, or used tissues from the bathroom trash. If you go out of the room for a split second, she'll find one of Tyler's toy figures or a pen or pencil to chew up. She will play with the squeaky toys for a while, then decide to kill it, and we have fluffy stuffing all over the floor. She is learning to catch bits of food that I throw to her, cause if she don't catch it, Paco will most likely get it. She once snapped a martingale hound collar that was made with mountain climbing strength plastic parts, she wanted that bunny BAD, that's how she got the name "The Almighty Vanna".

All in all, she is a wonderful dog who loves to be under the covers at night, just wish she'd stay there instead of in and out, in and out, in and out.....well you get the picture. I wouldn't trade her for the world. I thank her breeders Linda, Kari & Erin Day for all the love and care they put into this litter of 12.

I'm looking forward to getting Vanna out to the shows and races this spring and summer. Hope she'll kick some butt!!!