Hey!

Don't forget about me!

I happen to know a thing or two about this flutter-bunny chasing too you know!

Let me show you my stuff. ;-)





Zephyr better watch out! Today 50 feet, tomorrow .... I sleep!

Signing Out,
Astro

Field Champion Zephyr!

Two weeks ago Zephyr, Astro, and I went to New Mexico for a two day lure coursing trial put on by the Albuquerque Whippet Fanciers Association and Zephyr finished his field championship! Yeah!! I actually didn't find out until this Thursday because I had thought he needed two more points. It turns out he only needed one, which he got on Saturday at the trial. I had made a mistake on figuring out the points he got for a Best in Field win from last spring. All of these great photos were taken by Shot On Site Photography, except one from Robin Greene!


Yes, I feel kind of like a dork for messing that up but, I am pretty new at all this. None the less, I am very proud of Zephyr. We're planning a celebration involving baked goods, Zephyr takes after his mother, maybe pie or muffins. :-) When we go to New Mexico he courses with some very awesome greyhounds, and that's not an exaggeration. Here in Arizona he is usually the only greyhound so, I'm really happy that he was able to finish his field championship running with such great dogs!

As usual, Zephyr was so excited to be able to go coursing that he could barely contain himself. The next few pictures show me barely containing him. It was all very fun, I felt like I was the hopping bunny.

Here's the face of determination. Thanks to Robin Greene for this picture!

Notice how far ahead of the other dogs and handlers we are yet everyone is still holding their hounds? Well, that's because Zephyr was pulling very hard and I lost balance and took two hops to get to this point. All I could do was hold tight and pray for the "Tally Ho". The next pictures shows what happened when I released him.

Pretty funny!

A much smoother release on his second run.

Putting on the brakes!

One very, very happy boy! ZEPHYR LOVES TO COURSE! It is definitely his favorite thing to do. Thanks to everyone who has helped and encouraged us along the way, I really appreciate it all. I still think one of the best things about having dogs and going to events is all the great friends you make. We're headed off to Phoenix, Gilbert really, for a trial on Sunday. Happy, Happy, Safe Coursing!

Brothers

Things are going well here in puppyhood. Zephyr and Astro are still getting along really well (with the rare little grump from Zephyr). They really love to play tug together, this is new for Zephyr. Crate training is going well, although Astro has figured out how to escape from the top by pushing the zipper open and climbing out. He is very smart! So, today I had to make paper clip locks.


Zephyr likes him so much that it lead to an injury this weekend. Zephyr accidentally squashed Astro's leg. :-( Astro cried a lot and then wouldn't put pressure on it so I rushed him off to the vet. There is no break, but she said it is really bruised, gave him a low dose of Rimadyl, and said no rough housing for awhile. I'm not sure how that worked out this morning because when I came home a few hours after leaving Astro was out of his crate and curled up in Zephyr's bed. Who knows what happened in between.


Astro is sleeping through the night now. Yeah! Training is going well, he already new how to sit and down (a gifted child) and we are working on leash walking. I'm working on teaching him to ring bells to go outside and potty.



I think Zephyr looks like a lion in a tree waiting to eat all those gazelles on the chair in this picture. Zephyr can't wait until Astro gets a little bigger and they can run around and cause all kinds of trouble. Currently he is talking (barking and making the fun rumbling sounds) it up and saying who knows what to Astro.

Meet Astro!

No, not the Jetson's dog. :-)

We came up with the name Astro a while ago (okay, it was before he was born). We really liked it but I was a little concerned that it was kind of goofy and of course everyone would think of the Jetson's dog (who is actually pretty cool too). So I went in search of a more dignified sounding name on the Internet. First I checked the Greek and Roman gods because Zephyrus is the Greek god of the west wind that brings spring. Well, I found a really nice god named Astraeus (or Astraeos) and of course Astro fit perfectly with that. Here is what Wikipedia has to say.

Astraeus

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For the airline, see Astraeus (airline). For the genus of earthstars, see Astraeus (genus).

In Greek mythology, Astraeus or Astraeos or Astraeos (Ancient Greek: Ἀστραῖος) was an astrological deity and the Titan-god of the dusk. His original Greek name, Astraios (Ἀστραῖος), translates as "dawn of the stars" (astra- meaning "stars"; the -eos portion meaning "dawn"), the time when the stars come out, or simply dusk. In Hesiod's Theogony and in the Bibliotheca, Astraeus is a second-generation Titan, descended from Crius and Eurybia.^[1] However, Hyginus wrote that he was descended directly from Tartarus and Gaia, and referred to him as one of the Gigantes. Appropriately, as god of the dusk, Astraeus married Eos, goddess of the dawn. Together as nightfall and daybreak they produced many children who are associated with what occurs in the sky during twilight. They had many sons, the four Anemoi ("Winds"): Boreas, Notus, Eurus, and Zephyrus,^[2] and the five Astra Planeta ("Wandering Stars", i.e. planets): Phainon (Saturn), Phaethon (Jupiter), Pyroeis (Mars), Eosphoros/Hesperos (Venus), and Stilbon (Mercury). A few sources mention one daughter, Astraea^[3] ("stars", fem. personification. Sometimes: "justice"), but most writers considered Astraea the child of Zeus and Themis. He is sometimes associated with Aeolus, the Keeper of the Winds, since winds often swell up around dusk.

Greek Name: AstraioV; Transliteration: Astraios; Latin Spelling: Astraeus; Translation: Of the Stars (astraios)

We'll probably include Astraeus or Astraeos in his registered name. Zephyr is Cebar Winter Solstice Zephyrus (born in winter and Zephyr brings spring after winter) so I am thinking maybe ...... Summer Solstice Astraeos .... (born in summer, nights get longer after the solstice, and Astraeos brings night). Okay, I am kind of a nerdy science type.

Everything went extremely well with his flight to Las Vegas on Saturday morning. He flew with Continental's PetSafe program, which is how Zephyr came to us. Both times the plane arrived a little early and they get dogs off the plane and to the pick up office very fast, like within 10 minutes. We were all there to meet him when he arrived. He was wagging and giving kisses right after the delivery.

After leaving the airport we drove to Boulder City and had lunch at a nice park. Zephyr and Astro got along from the start, but it was a little too hot to do much playing.


After all the excitement everyone was tired and slept on the drive home. Yes, that's a pillow Zephyr's head is on. :-) We had camped the night before picking the puppy up.


When we got home the boys explored the back yard together.


Astro really started to relax and play. He loves toys like Zephyr.


Zephyr really, really wanted to play with Astro right away but Astro wasn't so sure at first. When Zephyr got too excited about it all he did a few crazy laps around the yard. Later they were playing and Astro would duck in to the bushes when he got overwhelmed. It was really cute.


Is that my twin? Annie was the first kitty that he met. He has been doing really well with the cats and they with him.


The next morning Zephyr and Astro were up early and ready to play. It was so cute! Once Zephyr laid down to play they really got nutty and started to play tug.




After playing tug Zephyr was smelling Astro and grooming him all over. No, he is not a perv, he's just really happy to have a new brother.


Later that morning Astro met his cousin, Buster, and went on his first short hike in the forest.

So, he is Astro, and he is so sweet and cute and smart ...... ! Thanks to Dani Edgerton and family, Robert Greene, and Andre' Fairfield for doing this breeding and raising such a happy sweet boy. We couldn't be happier!

Caron

It's A Baby Boy!

I am so excited to announce that this little boy will be joining our family this Saturday!! Someone who will remain nameless is so excited to meet this boy she can hardly sleep. He is expertly shown by Elizabeth in these pictures at eight weeks old.


A happy little boy who is ready to have fun with his new big brother! Zephyr has picked out some nice toys, treats, a blanket, and a bed for him.



He's quite a looker too! I love his brindle markings. Those feet look like they are ready to go for a hike and do some coursing. ;-)


Look at that face and those eyes!! It's like he is saying "Hi Mom, can't wait to see you". It's going to be a rough couple of days, like the past few months. Patience is not always one of my best virtues. I've spent a lot of time in a trance drooling over "puppy picture slideshows" the past two months. :-)

Caron