Borzoi - Lure Coursing

Here is another breed you don't see every day.  At least I don't!

I looked them up on Wikipedia (my go-to-source for anything I don't know!) and I wasn't surprised to see it mentioned that they rarely bark.  Jo and I were stunned at how quiet ALL the dogs were at the Lure Coursing event.  Imagine 40-50 dogs together in one place and there was no barking.  It was wonderful!

This young pup was wondering what the heck I was doing out in the middle of the field.

He/She eventually decided that the lure was more interesting.

And one last picture of another young dog in training.  They can really get some speed when they put their mind to it.

Afghans - Lure Coursing

An Afghan going at full speed is a sight to see.  Their blowing fur can't help but look graceful and dramatic.

That same fur, can sometimes get them into trouble if they happen to catch up with the lure.  This guy got tangled in the rope - it was just caught in his fur.

My favourite feature though is their tail. Look at that little curl on the end!  Too cute.

I think another reason I was so drawn to the Afghans is because there is no mistaking their handsome good looks.  This guy could be on the cover of a romance novel.  Doesn't he remind you of someone?

Fabio perhaps?

Irish Wolfhound - Lure Coursing

This is Lady. She was the only Irish Wolfhound competing last weekend. Isn't she gorgeous?   

The scenery wasn't bad either. The event was held out in Balzac so it wasn't too far of a drive each day.

I got quite a few good photos of her as she was the only dog on course when she was running (due to the lack of competition) and she is so big that I could take pictures from farther away and you could still see what I was photographing.  :)

And in case you needed something for scale to figure out how big she really is...

It would have been interesting to see a male and I know they are quite a bit bigger.  With my very inexperienced eye, Lady did a great job.  She stayed focused on the Lure and I don't think she dipped off course once in the 4 runs I saw.

Lure Coursing - Foothills Gazehound Club

I spent an incredible weekend photographing a Lure Coursing trial hosted by the Foothills Gazehound Club.  I had never seen Lure Coursing before and there were lots of breeds there that I rarely, if ever, see so it was a pretty fascinating weekend. Everyone was so friendly and really made Jo and I feel welcome.

So for those of you like me, who aren't that familiar with the sport, I'll give you the quick explanation - courtesy of Wikipedia.

Lure coursing is a sport for dogs that involves chasing a mechanically operated lure. Competition is usually limited to dogs of sighthound breeds. This past weekend there were 8 different breeds competing - Afghans, Basenjis, Borzois, Greyhounds, Ibizun Hounds, Salukis, Whippets and an Irish Wolfhound.  In lure coursing, dogs chase an artificial lure across a field, following a pattern that is meant to simulate live coursing. A typical lure course is between 600 and 1000 yards (548 to 914 meters) long. The course must have a minimum number of turns in order to simulate prey (the jack-rabbit or hare) changing direction in a chase. Sighthounds generally have no need to be trained or enticed to chase the lure since the desire to chase is instinctual. However some breeds may require lure play at a very early age to encourage them to follow an artificial object with enthusiasm. Dogs must be at least one year old to compete; the hard fast turns are tough on a dog's developing joints and lure coursing before the age of one can cause joint problems later in life.

There are lots of videos to be found on YouTube if you want to see what it is like.  It never even occurred to me to take a video or two and now I'm kicking myself! You'll really get a sense of the speed if you watch some videos.

The dogs are judged on more than speed. They also take into account: endurance, agility (how well they can corner and turn), enthusiasm and follow (how well they follow the lure).  The first dog to the finish line is not necessarily the winner.

I'm going to blog about the various breeds one at a time as I have a tonne of photos. They aren't breeds you see everyday, so I thought I could share a few more photos of each one this way. First up tomorrow will be Irish Wolfhounds.  There was a gorgeous girl there named Lady that had some very nice runs.

Bigger Hint

My Weekend

You'll never guess what I did this weekend....  Many, many more to come!

Pugsters Meet-Up

I was thrilled to be contacted a few months ago to see if the Lethbridge Pugsters Meet-Up group could rent the daycare space for their first meeting.

This is Bruce. He was the MAN! He was super fun and was always running over for his close up.  It was fairly warm yesterday and his tongue was permanently out.  I kept trying to sneak up on him every time he laid down, but he kept jumping up and running over. 

There were two sweet older pugs there that were litter mates. I should have blogged yesterday as I've managed to forget both of their names.

Miko came a little later and hung out with her mom for a bit until she got her bearings.  She didn't mind posing for the camera at all!

This is Miko's little sister - Stitch (I think!).  She was WILD and so much fun. She basically hopped from lap to lap giving kisses.

This sweet and confident girl below was adopted just 3 weeks ago by her mom.  She loved the fact that I had treats in my pocket. In fact they all did.  At times, I had quite the little following.

I'd met Pickles before.  She came to daycare a week or so ago just so that she could get use to the place. When she first arrived yesterday, she didn't venture far from her momma.  But she eventually found her confidence.

This is Ruby. She was a little shy, and really, really didn't want to look at the camera.

Her sister China, was a little bit more of a social butterfly and flitted from person to person and dog to dog.

Hugo is a pug/schipperke cross.  His ears and tongue were unmistakably pug.

Hugo came with his little sister Pixie. She is a pug/boston terrrier cross.  She was cute, cute, cute but also a little timid of all the action going on around her.

There were two other litter mates there (who's names I also forgot!  Geesh!).  They are pug/long haired dachshund crosses.  They weren't usually found too far from their mom, but I managed to coax them out a little later with some treats.

And last, but not least was Izzy.  She kept getting the zoomies and running around with her tail tucked and a crew of pugs following her.  It was quite fun to watch.

I had a great time hanging out, taking pictures and doling out treats. Pugs LOVE their treats! It sounds like the group will be meeting again in the near future so if you have a pug, and want to join in, email Amanda S. to be included on their contact list.  You can also stay up to date by visiting their website - http://lethbridgepugmeetup.webs.com/

Shelter Pups

I went back to the shelter today and focused on the dogs.  There were a lot there!  I don't think I've ever seen it so busy.  Here are a few that are waiting for homes....

Irresistible Izzy

Izzy has been with her family for just over a week and she already has them twisted around her little paws.

Can you blame them though?

Just look at that cute face!

She has the cutest little puppy wrinkles I think I've ever seen.

Izzy only has two speeds.  When she is playing, she is playing hard but when she crashes, she crashes pretty hard too.

I can't wait to see her grow up.  I have a feeling she'll be keeping everyone on their toes.

Teaser - {Izzy}

This is Izzy.  A 10 week old min-pin that I had the pleasure of meeting this weekend.  Isn't she cute?

Don't worry.  I'll post more pictures later this week.