Author: kdarci

Billings, Montana…or Big Sky Country.  My first trip to Montana did not disappoint!  We left on Friday after Momma got off work and took a short 8-hour drive North of Colorado, through the entire state of Wyoming, to Montana.

Why, you ask, did we take such a fun weekend adventure?  Well, it was for my favorite thing – running fast!  AKC Lure Coursing hosted by the Rocky Mountain Coursing Club.  We ran on Saturday AND Sunday!!

Saturday I won Specials Stake and Best of Breed, for 3 points towards my LCX.  Then, Sunday, I won Specials Stake but Copper, my littermate, won Best of Breed.  I still earned 1 point towards my LCX.

In Billings, I met lots of people who had never seen a Pharaoh Hound – mostly at the hotel and in the downtown area.  I got to meet Momma’s sorority sister, Cheryl and her two kiddos.  They were so nice to me.

Then, a short drive home…and I was tucked-in bed with my family by 11pm.  Pretty great way to spend the weekend, if you ask me.

BIF, BIF, BIF – what the heck does that mean?  Well, Momma says it means Best in Field – and that is a HUGE deal!  Mostly for bragging rights… but I dig the cool prizes like toys and treats.  Momma was ultra-proud of me for earning it today at the Colorado Lure Coursing Association’s Desert Dog Classic Trial in Falcon, CO.

Best in Field means that today, I was the top-running dog of the trial.  So I earned a cool new title, and became the FIRST Bazinga-bred Pharaoh Hound to earn a Best in Field!  My breeder, Simon, was so excited!!

It’s not too big of a deal for me – I LOVE running.  Running fast is so much fun!

I had a successful, albeit hot and humid, dog show weekend in Dallas, Texas!  Momma drove me and my big brother Kaba all hours of the night.  Whew it was a long drive!  And, I got to see Kansas, Oklahoma, and finally the Lone Star State. The highlight of the drive was my first out-of-state “dog park” adventure – at Oasis on the Plains in Colby, KS.  Momma said it wasn’t a real dog park, hence the quote marks, since it’s at a gas station.  And, it was just me and Kaba in the dog park – stretching our legs after a few hours in our crates.  What fun I had running amok with Kaba – until Momma tried to get me back in the car.  We all know how I feel about car…no way Jose.  But, I copy what Kaba does…so I followed and let Momma put my leash on me – and reluctantly settled back into the kennel inside Momma’s private jet.  She told me that I can no longer run free at a “dog park” – hmmm, we shall see about that.

We arrived in the Big ‘D’ (what a cool name for Dallas btw), about 4:30am.  Luckily, our first dog show ring time wasn’t until 12:45pm.  So, I let Momma and Kaba sleep 4 hours, then I work them up because it was way past my breakfast time (normally 6 am Mountain).  I’m regimented like that, yet considerate that Momma may be a bit tired.  Kaba said we sleep in until Momma says it’s time…but I’m obnoxious when I’m hungry – hungoxious, as Momma says.  Momma says a lot!

Off to the dog show site, in 90+ degree weather – it was good the show was indoors!  Momma brought along two show site kennels, and we got to be in the cool air-conditioning with Nuri (my half sister), and Copper (yep, that Copper – my Bro.)   Both of them are dog showing too – but not Kaba, he’s retired.   Aunt Robin and Uncle George are here too (I think that’s how Nuri and Copper got here, but not 100%.)  Uncle George is so chill, and he was “on guard” to make sure we were safe and no strangers bothered us.

First up was Copper – Miss Abbe showed him – and she’s so cool!  Copper won Winner’s Dog for his very first major.  It was my helpful cheering (read: barking) outside the ring –  I just know.  Momma was all excited and temporarily forgot to give me cookies, so I barked even more.  Shhhh, Momma says.  Then, it was my turn to go in the ring – I was in front of Nuri – we are both “specials” which means we have our Championships – and only get to show in the Best of Breed class.  In reality we are both Grand Champions, but I guess there isn’t a class for that.  The judge was a nice man, Kerry Lee, from Australia.  He liked me a lot and gave me Best of Breed.  Copper got Best of Winners (which means best of the non-champion dogs), and Nuri got Best of Opposite.  I got 5 more Grand Champion points for my win with 7 Pharaohs entered.  Momma says we are working on my Bronze Grand Championship which takes 100 points.  Before today, I had 29 points.

Anyway, the Hound Group was a really large group, and as the Best of Breed dog, I got to go play.  It was super fun, and Momma gave me lots of cookies.  I got to meet all kinds of other Hounds, all winners of their breeds.  A man kept taking pictures of all the dogs, and I liked the clicking noises his large camera made.  No love in group, except from Momma.  Then…it was time to eat dinner.   Texas was still really hot at night – and I’m not used to the humidity.  I was tired from the hustle and bustle of the show.  And, tomorrow is an early ring time.

The next two shows had the same results – how fun for the Bros.  Copper ended the weekend with 3 3-point majors, earning Best of Winners and Winners Dog all 3 shows.  I was Best of Breed all three shows too – and trotted off with 15 Grand Champion Points.  It was worth the trip!

It was another Running Fasty weekend – that’s what Momma calls it.  I love love love to run!  Love it!!

This weekend was an AKC lure coursing trial, in Peyton, CO at the lovely ZoiBoyz Ranch.  5 Pharaoh Hounds (the Colorado usual suspects) were entered.  This time, my feet held up and I won Best of Breed both days – that’s 8 more points towards my LCX (which takes 45 points after the Field Championship.)  On Saturday, my Momma let me run in Best in Field – it’s where all the Best of Breed winners get to run off with each other for top honors.  The run was delayed due to a crazy thunderstorm – with lightening, thunder, and small pieces of hail!  In the end, I got to run with a Borzoi and an Ibizan Hound.  It was such fun, and Momma (plus many other people) said I had a perfect run.  Momma was so proud of me (she always is though – I think that’s what Mommas do!)

I can’t wait to run again!

 

Super happy that my Uncle Justin came to visit me all the way from California.  I sure do love that man!  He said he came to run the lure for me – and I can’t wait to show him my smooth moves.

We got up super early and drove up to Hillsdale, WY (just east of Cheyenne, WY) – Momma brought Cayman and Kaba (they get to run in a special class called Veterans which is for the wiser and older Pharaohs.)   Gito came too (he likes to ride in the car), but he doesn’t run fasty.  Aunt Robin and Uncle George were there too with Nuri (my half-sister) and Copper (my Bro.)  Copper runs in Open, because he doesn’t yet have his AKC Field Championship.  Nuri gets to run with me because I’m cute…ha, ha.  It’s actually because we are both Field Champions, so we run in a class called Specials.

On Saturday, I won the Specials class, but tore my pad on my front right hand – ouchie!!  It really hurt, but there wasn’t much blood.  Momma cleaned it up at the field and we soaked it when we got home – that made it feel all better.  Because of my injury, I couldn’t run for Best of Breed.  Copper ended up with Best of Breed for his first 4-point major.  Yeah Bro!

On Sunday, I wanted to go with my Momma and the rest of my brothers.  I didn’t get to run, though.  My hand still hurt.  Nuri ended up winning Best of Breed, with 3 points towards her LCX2!  Cayman, Copper, and Kaba had fun, too!

Memorial Day weekend is a notorious Running Fasty (lure coursing) weekend in our Phamily.  This year was no exception…except, it was only 2 days of running in Fillmore, Utah.  Momma said we were going back to the first field I ever visited.  In fact, exactly one year ago, me and my Bro (Copper) got to hang out while Momma judged lure coursing – we were just 15 weeks old and had so much fun playing in the dirt!

The drive from our home to Fillmore is about 7 hours, and through the beautiful Rocky Mountains on I-70.  All of us piled into our crates: Kaba, Cayman, Gito, and me.  We were just 40 miles from our rest stop (aka Grandma Cyndi’s house in Grand Junction), when we came to a screeching halt!  Not sure what was going on, but traffic was BAD.  We hung out on the highway for an hour or so, until the Sheriff told us we had to evacuate due to a fire.  Scary…but Momma was cool and calm.  We managed to go back East, ate some dinner, and then headed to Rifle – the long way around.  We got into Fillmore about 2:30AM – thank goodness for GoogleMaps (that’s what Momma says!)

It was an early AM…after a long drive.  And, now, The Bros are all grown-up…and ready to Run Fasty for reals in Utah.  Copper and I are running in Open (for Pharaohs without their AKC Field Championship.)  Nuri, my half-sister, is running in Specials, because she is a Field Champion.  Kaba and Cayman get to run in Veterans, because they are older; 11 and 8, respectively.

Anyway, Copper and I had a blast both days.  I won Best of Breed both days, for 2 4-point majors….and drum roll…. I finished my AKC Field Championship at just 14 months old!  My Momma was so darn excited – and she said I became an AKC Dual Champion, because I already had my Conformation Championship.  Woo hoo!

I don’t think Momma has stopped smilin’ yet!  She even called Simon in Norway on the drive home.  He said I was his very first AKC DC.  I’m kind of a big deal, you know?

It’s Momma’s Birthday, and Grandma Gayle (Momma’s Mom) was visiting from Sunny Arizona.  We loved having her visit for the WHOLE week!

Momma had a great birthday – except she had to drive to Albuquerque for a lure coursing event that she’s judging.  She said we get to go too.  I feel like we had just gone somewhere – and here we are…going again!  What an exciting life we have, all together.

Momma loaded up her private jet..I mean minivan (but it’s like a jet because it goes ZOOOM.)  Kaba, Cayman, Gito, and I get our own crates.  We have super plush blankets (lots of ’em), and fancy filtered water in our own buckets.  I get dental chews in the shape of dinosaurs (Momma says they are Nylabones) – but they feel good to chew on, and help me not be as nervous in the car.

Anyway, we arrived around 8pm at the Lovatos Home.  They are Momma’s super fun friends, with lots of fenced land, and we get to run around the whole place!  Gito goes hunting (for field mice mostly), and the rest of my brothers explore – I like to do that, too.  Sometimes Momma has to come find all of us because we are so busy having a blast.  He he he…it’s a fun game!   We all came back inside, and got to cuddle in bed in the elegant princess suite.   Momma says we are spoiled and so lucky to have good friends in the ABQ!

Once we got a good night’s sleep, we were up and driving to the field.  Today I got right into the crate in Momma’s jet, I mean van.  I just KNEW we were going to Run Fasty!  Yee haw!  It’s my favorite.  Besides, I’m a big winner from last week… you know?  At least that’s what Momma says.

I had such a great weekend – winning Best of Breed both days!  Woo Hoo!  I earned 4 more points towards my AKC Field Championship, too.  Momma said I ran really well and she was so happy to watch me run.

We had an easy drive home, and we all snuggled in bed together.  Good night, Momma says.  I agree.

Turns out, I got to show off my handsome self in two more dog shows!  One on Saturday and another on Sunday.

Saturday was a blur with all the show excitement – my half-sister Nuri won Best of Breed, and this time I got to win a ribbon too…I won Select Dog.  Woot!  Not sure what all that means, other than more cookies for me.  We hung out to cheer on Nuri in the Hound Group – that’s what happens when you win Best of Breed – you get to go play in the Group with the other Best of Breed winners.  So, it’s a big deal.

Sunday we packed to go home, and because we had a later ring time…Momma took us to the Pacific Ocean!  The beach!  Momma isn’t strong enough to walk all 4 of us to the beach – so we went two by two.  I went to the beach with Cayman.  Ran around (on leash) in the sand, saw lots and lots of other dogs, and got my first taste of salt water – yuck – and sea plants – not so bad.  Momma wouldn’t let me eat it, though.  The sun was warm, but not too hot – and the ocean water was cold!  The waves were fun to chase, but a little scary when they would put water on me.  It was fun to dig in the sand, too.  Cayman really likes the beach because it makes Momma happy.

The Sunday Show was my best result, probably because of the beach time…hint, hint.  I won Best of Opposite to my half-sister Nuri…who went Best of Breed again!!  Fun time, and when can I go back to the beach?

Cayps here – and yes, we are still in California.  I was so excited to wake up today – running fasty is always 2 days, right??  Well, Momma says no.  That today is a dog show day.  Humph.  I want to go running instead.

Momma dressed up in her usual black dress and we left for the show site, in Silverado Canyon.  Once we got there, I saw my Colorado buddies: Ibi, Nuri, and Copper.  They live together with Aunt Robin and Uncle George.  Did you know I’m related to Nuri and Copper?  It’s true!  We all have the same Doggie Daddy (Cayman) – but, he wants to be MY brother…so I let him!  I’m cool like that.

Anyway, this is about Lucky Friday the 13th – Momma said it’s lucky because it’s a superstition.  Not sure what that means…  I get to show in two different shows today, and they are Pharaoh Hound specialties.  My second specialties (my first was the National in New Jersey last September.)  But this is my first specialty as a Special – that means I’m an AKC show champion.  I got to go into the ring with my Uncle Wink, and Second Cousin Tawfik, and Cousin Swayze.  How cool is that?  I’m like a big dog 🙂

The first show, the judge called me “the wild child” – I raced around the ring and drug Momma behind me.  I was really wanting to run, so I did.  Ha!  Momma was all teary-eyed because my half-sister Nuri WON!  She won the specialty Best of Breed!  Too cool!

The second show, I settled down a bit and remembered the dog show game.  Tomorrow is a new day – and I hope we can play dog show again OR run fasty.  We all know which one I’d prefer.

AKC lure coursing day is finally here!  No idea how it’s different than the other time I’ve gotten to run fasty – but Momma says it is…so, it must be true.

We left the hotel early in the morning, and drove to a field in Eastvale CA (near Norco).  The field is super nice, soft, green grass that’s perfect.  Nothing like this back home in Colorado.  It’s like a stroll in a park…get it?  (Because it IS a nice park!)

Today is the day of the Pharaoh Hound Western AKC trial.  It’s my first AKC coursing, and my first Western.  There are lots of Pharaohs entered!  And lots of good runners.  I want to meet them all.  Momma says I have to focus on running instead.

I ended up winning the Open class (for non field champions) — my cousin Jett won the Specials class (for field champions) — my brother Cayman won the Veterans class (for the oldies but goodies).  We all got to run off for Best in Field….and guess what?  I won!  I just ran, but Momma was super excited and all smiles.  She says “Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner” – and Cayman got all excited and was barking.  I joined, too.  Now…where’s my dinner?!  Back at the hotel, apparently.  Booooo.

Today, was my first 5-point major, towards my AKC field championship.  But I didn’t care…I got to run!  Yeah!