Airedale Match Show & Fun Day plus a PBGV's View

This past Saturday, September 24, I had the pleasure of being the chairperson for the Airedale Terrier Club of Greater Philadelphia's annual Match Show and Fun Day. The event was held at Hibernia Park in Wagontown, PA. The show had some interesting highlights - three Airedales received their Canine Good Citizen certifications and an Airedale puppy who had never been in the ring before won Best Puppy. Congratulations to Nancy Sutphen and Brady for winning Best in Match and to the Andrzejewskis for Reggie's Best Puppy win. More congratulations are in order for ATCGP members Sue Brint on Brady's and Molly's CGC certification and to Matt and Julie Eastburn on Violet Mae's CGC certification as well! Thank you to ATCGP President Bill Kochler, who served as judge, and to certified AKC CGC instructor Jennifer McElya for making the event such a success.

Both Mako the Airedale (CH Top Step Flash Act) and Punch the PBGV (Goodspice Sunday Punch) were in attendance. Once again, Punch was the only non Airedale. She's an honorary Airedale, though, and greets each Airedale with Airedalian body language. She gets a happy response from each and every dale! Our first visitor at the show was Desdemona, the mini long haired dachshund. Her human Mary saw our Dog Show sign and came to check out what was happening.

Punch keeps her eye on me while our visitor tries to sneak a sniff as Mako was looking the other way.
Punch was just so thrilled to be at the show. She remembers the good times that she's had there. Her face was radiant!



 Hibernia Park is a wonderland for dogs. It has fields, trails and woods -so  much for them to explore. It's especially a thrill for a scent hound like a PBGV. Airedales have a strong Otterhound background but they still don't wonder around with their nose glued to the ground like a PBGV.

Mary was pleased to meet a PBGV in person. It was a special treat because she's a hound lover. She was happy to see all the Airedales strutting around, though. Her aunt had had Airedales and she loves terriers, too.
One of the first Airedales to arrive was a puppy named Reggie. His owners, the Andrzejewskis, were invited to our event by ATCGP member Jack McLaughlin. Jack was going to teach them how to strip Reggie for the show ring. Jack manufactures Mackynfe stripping knives so he knows what he is doing! Reggie is a Victorianne puppy and his father is Hunter - GCH Victorianne Crimson Sentry.  He is the first Airedale Grand Champion. To show what a small world it is - especially in Airedales - I designed Hunter's ATCA Yearbook ad (which was also his ad in the Montgomery Kennel Club catalog) and I will be painting Hunter's portrait as well.

Reggie was 17 weeks old and earlier in the week had had his ears glued in place by professional handler Margery Good. Most Airedale ears (and Terrier ears) need to be set/glued in place to position the ears properly as the ear cartilage hardens as the pup matures. If you plan to show your Airedale, you need to do this. If you don't set the ears when they are young pups, the ears might  set with one straight up in the air and one down, one sideways or flyaway ears going every which way.
As ATCGP member Jack McLaughlin started out instructing how to properly strip Reggie and he then convinced them to enter him in the show. Reggie had quite an eventful week - his ears were glued for the first time, he was stripped for the first time and then won Best Puppy in his initial venture into the show ring!
Reggie had never been stripped before but he was a little trooper who did amazingly well. He did whimper a few times and Punch went up to the grooming table to console him. Punch was a mommy and still responds to puppies. Mako couldn't have cared less.

The "after" picture of Jack's transformation of Reggie. He has eyes! Now on to victory...
The winner.! Reggie's Best Puppy in Match pic with Judge and ATCGP President Bill Kochler.
Mako and Punch congratulate Reggie on his first win. Mako is showing Reggie how to "give ears."
Mako says, "Enough of that. What's next?" Reggie eyes the platinum Peeb. "She's a beauty!"
We're outta here!
 After the Match show there was a picnic lunch and some socializing amongst humans and canines.
Mako and Bella do some flirting.
Punch eyes the Apple Muffin with Strudel Topping that Adele Abe is holding. "Leslie made those... Gimme that!" She tries the PBGV mind meld on Adele. Adele can resist the Airedalian mind meld - so it didn't work... For now...


Below is a slide show with more pictures...

Devil Dog Mako and Dad

It just seemed appropriate that I found this snapshot of my father and Mako on Father's Day. Dad and Mako were buddies. He loved dogs and Mako was a special favorite. Their interactions were a lot like two brothers - teasing and tormenting each other. Dad would steal Mako's toy and Mako stole the contents out of his pockets. Dad would steal Mako's toy again and Mako stole the pens out of his shirt pocket. He stole countless magazines, while Dad was reading them! I know because he brought all of his loot to me. Mako brought me an endless array of stolen goods, books, a calculator, paper clips, rubber bands, napkins, even the newspaper - a piece at a time. He even brought me a toothpick and a sewing needle. Needless to say, those last two items really scared me! I fussed at Dad for leaving carelessly them around. Of course, he denied any responsibility...


I tried to warn Dad that Mako had a criminal brain. He didn't heed the warning and Mako systematically, over time, unzipped his pants, unbuttoned his shirt and stole the pizza right off the plate! I kept telling him that Mako would strip him naked one day. It never happened but Mako had even tried to unbuckle his belt. Dad just didn't grasp the concept that adolescent Airedales couldn't be trusted. You don't let them near your belt buckle,  or, worse yet, the zipper to your pants (Yikes!) - nothing good will ever come of it. He thought that it was funny. That's until Mako ripped a chunk out of Dad's Motor Trend magazine (he was trying to steal it) while Dad was reading it! What was different that time was that Mako tore a hole in the very article that he was trying to read. Then, and only then, did he realize that Mako's thievery was serious!

Like many an adolescent Airedale before him, Mako earned those devil horns!

Spinach with Freshly Grated Nutmeg

  
  The warm weather has ushered in some wonderful examples of local produce. I just bought my first batch of fresh local spinach and wanted to share one of my favorite ways to cook it. It cooks quickly and is simple to prepare. Washing the spinach takes the longest!

  This is recipe is an adaptation of the Spinach with Nutmeg recipe in the cookbook, Pierre Franey Cooks With His Friends. Some of my best go-to recipes are in this book.

  • 1 pound of spinach leaves or a 10 oz. package of fresh spinach
  • 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Wash the spinach carefully. Be sure to get all grit and sand off the leaves. Cut away and discard any tough spinach stems and blemished leaves.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over a medium-high heat and add the spinach - in batches, if necessary - nutmeg, lemon juice plus salt and pepper. Stir as the spinach wilts. Cook until the spinach is totally wilted. About 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve. Yield - 4 servings.

 Above: Nutmeg nuts without shell -  Fresh nutmeg can usually be found at your local Farmer's Market. I use a microplane zester/grater to grate whole nutmeg.

All images © 2011Blue Zephyr Studios, LLC

Happy Mardi Gras and Memories of Monty

Happy Mardi Gras to everyone! This time of year always reminds me of my beloved Bull Terrier Monty. For most of his life, I used to throw Mardi Gras parties. Monty was always the mascot of the parties and oversaw all festivities. Mardi Gras Monty knew when it was Carnival season as soon as he saw the balloons! Balloons meant party time and he immediately checked the door for visitors. Yes, visitors that played tug-of-war with him, give him treats and liked to rough house with him. He ignored the women and partied with the guys! Balloons and beads meant LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER!

I always purchased two King Cakes every year and thank heaven for that! One year, our guests informed me that Monty was downstairs licking a King Cake! Oh yeah, the party animal couldn't reach the entire cake but his tongue certainly covered a lot of real estate. What a sight. He had a purple tongue! They were all reluctant to interfere with his mission. I wasn't. I bellowed, "Quit licking that cake!" as I removed it from the table. This is one reason not to bake the baby in the cake - your Bully boy just might swallow it. Then he's King for the night! Awe, gees... That's a scary thought. I called in the stand-in cake and placed it decidedly above the party animal's domain. Monty still hovered in the near-by vicinity. You never know when a cake might fall from it's perch?

So, here's a salute to you, mon ami, the one who inspired me a decade ago to become a portrait artist... LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER! Monty, party hardy over the Rainbow Bridge. I miss you, old friend.

Potatoes au Gratin via Cajun Cooking TV

  I don't eat potatoes. I have a spud allergy so I stay clear of the little fiends but my senior mother loves them. She doesn't really have much interest in cooking these days so I frequently cook for her to make sure that she eats a balanced diet. I have been venturing into Potato Land and started dealing with spuds via Potato Salad. I got the idea when I bought her a jar of mayonnaise. My mom is southern and worships a good mayo. Since I shop for her, I decided to try a different brand with a vibrant red label and lid that I saw in the local grocery; a good southern brand named Mrs. Filbert's.  On the label was a recipe for Potato Salad that I thought sounded good - even to someone who doesn't even eat the stuff. It turned out that my mother thought the same thing when she saw the recipe. I had all the ingredients (minus the potatoes) so I decided to give it a whirl. I can make a great Shrimp Salad so I can make the "salad" part without much worry about taste. It's fascinating to read the recipes with various riffs on the theme of Potato Salad. It's an American institution! I'll include that recipe in my next post.

   I was able to purchase 5 lbs. of russet potatoes for $1.50 yesterday so I thought that I'd try making a dish that I know that she loves - Potatoes au Gratin.  Remember that I have never tasted it so all I have to go by is reading the various recipes that I found via Google. After asking mom what she liked in Potatoes au Gratin, it turns out that she used to add Worcestershire sauce when she used to make it. I normally cook in the Cajun and Creole style so that's a staple in my pantry! (I love it in Shrimp Victoria!) I love just inhaling that stuff. I recall that mom used to add it to Mac n' Cheese, too. Mmmm!

  After doing a Google search and reading various recipes, I narrowed it down to Ree's recipe on The Pioneer Woman's cooking blog -http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/01/perfect-potatoes-au-gratin/ and Emeril's on the Food Network - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/potatoes-au-gratin-recipe/index.html. I had considered adding white pepper and making a roux. instead of just making a white sauce and noticed that Emeril includes both, too. Then I though of one of my favs, Cooking Cajun TV! Below is Beryl's version - http://www.cajuncookingtv.com/potatoes-au-gratin - on video from that site:




   This is the recipe that I decided to try. I didn't do the 8 cups o' cheese, though! LOL! My mom has low cholesterol, no weight issues and loves cheese, but my didn't think that she needed or wanted quite that much. Yowza! I used closer to 2 - 2 1/2 cups, including the topping. That is still more cheese than the other two recipes used! Beryl's recipe had more sauce than my casserole dish could handle so I had overflow (note that Beryl mentions a baking pan in the oven and I didn't forget!) even though I had removed half a cup. I just sprinkled the cheddar cheese over the top and let it melt after removing it from the oven - as Beryl does. If mom wants a browned topping, she can do that when she re-heats it. It smells divine.


   I'll take this cheesy delight over to mom's house later. Check back for mom's review.

Airedale Hike and Some Coton de Tulears @ Valley Forge Park


 It was one of those glorious fall days that linger in your memory as a perfect example of autumn. Gorgeous scenery that exploded with the warmth of the yellow, orange and red foliage, along with the good company of Airedales and their humans which made for an exceptional day. Above, Sue Grant with Brady (I think that is his name), Julie and Lou Zanine and Cooper.


The Airedale Terrier Club of Greater Philadelphia held its annual fall hike on Saturday, November 13th @ the Valley Forge National Park. Mako and Punch were in attendance along with their buddy Violet. Violet is a pretty Airedale girl with the sweetest personality. She was in her element on this Saturday, as the only girl amongst a sea of handsome boy dales. Violet brought her people, Matt and Julie Eastburn with her, too. It is always a pleasure to be in their company - they are really nice people. Julie and V can be seen above and V is with her Matt by the log cabin below.


Julie tried to take a group picture by this log cabin and it was like "herding cats." Mako looked at the camera but Punch kept turning toward a mighty powerful smell at the foundation line of the log cabin. Julie took some pics that probably have Airedales going every which way. The dales were busy taking in the sights and smells. Punch was just interested - like a good little scent hound - in the smell at that cabin. Julie made the joke that she was probably smelling a ghost. I had lost me sense of humor at that point - with two dogs going in two directions - so I was voting for animal pee. LOL! I'm a lot of fun! Mako took that spot seriously, too, hence my suspicion that it was animal pee. Maybe we're both right and it was ghost pee! Or a ghost dropped some crumbs?


When we ventured on, a pair of Coton de Tulears greeted us. Their owners were delighted that their dogs chose to bypass several Airedales in order to greet Punch. "She looks like them!" their lady proclaimed. Above, Punch says hello to a Coton as Mako looks on. Below, Julie pets a Coton.


I remarked that Punch was drawn to them for the same reason - they were small, white and have large eyes. Punch is attracted to Malteses, Bichons, Cockapoos, etc. because they look like little versions of herself!


We were joined on the hike by Mako's breeder Caroline Beard and Mako's nephew Tommy. You can see that Tommy was on a mission to check out that tree and there wasn't much that Caroline could do about it!


ATCGP President Bill Kochler strolls along the Valley Forge trail with Foster as two tourists try to pass them.


As we stopped for a water break, Sue gives Brady some water as Julie checks out the view. Julie knows some great trails at the park and was planning our route. Matt and Julie take Violet on lengthy hikes every weekend at state and national parks. Julie will be starting a new blog for the ATCGP where she and others will be planning additional hikes. She'll be a great activity organizer for our club and be a great tour guide as she (along with Matt & V) shows us the best dog walking trails in the region. I'll be posting new info as it's available.

Lou and Cooper are in the center of that photo, too.  Cooper and Lou attended our ATCGP Specialty in May and I included a picture of him my post about the Specialty but I had misidentified him as Winslow. Lou wrote to me to  inform me of the error and in return, I invited them to our hike. We're glad that they were able to attend. Cooper is a teen-age Airedale so the hike was good socialization for him - he saw lots of dogs, people, cars, bikes, strollers and was quite shocked when a horse galloped by! Mako assumed his "been there, done that" mode. Besides, he was more interested in catching up with Violet!


Violet, Brady and Cooper were at the vanguard of the hike at this point. It was fun to hear the people count the Airedales as they passed by. Some looked shocked as their eyes fell on Punch. "She's not an Airedale." I would then go into the routine of all PBGV owners, "She's a P B G V! A Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen - the smallest of the basset breeds. A rabbit dog!" Then I'd hear, "Well, I knew she wasn't an Airedale!" What they don't know, is that in her heart, Punch thinks that she's an Airedale, too! An honorary Airedale on short legs!

Montgomery 2010 has come and gone...

I have been so caught up in the rush of life that I haven't posted to this blog in three months! Yikes! One of he many things that have transpired in all that time has been my favorite week of the year - Montgomery week.

The Montgomery County Kennel Club show was held on October 10th in Blue Bell, PA. and thousands of terriers and their people came to the Delaware Valley to participate in all those festivities. I have loads of photographs from the MCKC show plus the all Airedale Obedience and Rally. Of course, I have pics from the Airedale Terrier Club of America's Banquet and Auction. Below is my donation to the Fine Arts Auction - Mako @ MCKC. It was won by Sue Oury who was the Banquet Coordinator this year.

This head study is a detail from a larger painting of mine that is currently a work in progress. I'm using a photo by ringside photographer and Airedale person, Chris Halvorson of DogAds fame, as an inspiration. The image is from the Best of Breed ring in 2005 when Mako made the cut under judge Ed Biven. (For those of you that watch the dog shows on the Animal Planet, he's the AKC judge whose does the color commentary during those broadcasts.) I was so thrilled with how well this portrait turned out that I really wanted to keep it but I'd already committed to a donation of a portrait so I had to let go of it... I want to paint one for me!

The irony of choosing this image as a donation to the ATCA Fine Arts Auction is that the person in the background is Deirdre Hernandez, the Auction Coordinator!

 

Jazz in My Soul

Jazz is the driving force behind my art, my painting, my life in general. While I'm most inspired by trad jazz, especially swing, I'm stoked by all jazz.



It's a rainy, overcast Saturday afternoon in July. The heatwave has finally broken and I've been cooking and painting since all day. It has been so hot and humid this week - 102 degrees at one point - that it has been hard for me to work. I just wanted to rest and reflect. It's jazz on a wet afternoon, the creatives forces are flowing with the sounds of Johnny Hodges with the Billy Strayhorn Orchestra. It's really the Ellington Orchestra transformed into another lyrical plane. All my life, I loved the sound of Johnny Hodges alto. My mother didn't know quite what to make of her child that loved the Ellington sound. I loved the tune Azure from the first time I heard Ella sing it with the Ellington band. The song is playing now! Later, when I heard some Strayhorn melodies, I instantly knew who wrote and arranged Azure. It's so intoxicating...


I like to joke that jazz is in my DNA. It's been a part of my soul my entire life. It's certainly part of my early conditioning. My parents were fans. Fortunately for me, they had good taste. It rubbed off, too. I grew up surrounded by jazz LPs with great cover art. I just ran with it and expanded my exposure. I have a rather large jazz LP collection that I now have in storage since my conversion to CDs. Stardust is playing now, I'm a Bix Beiderbecke fan so that's a special melody to me. I have to get back to painting before the time vanishes.

I've been so busy that I didn't get to post last month. I need to play catch-up soon. One of the highlights in June was attending two days of the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival! I took tons of pics and have been planning some portraits based on my experiences.

A Saturday at the Specialty with the Airedales and Their People

On Saturday, May 15th, the Airedale Terrier Club of Greater Philadelphia had its Specialty and Sweepstakes. It could be said that it was perfect Airedale weather - windy with brilliant sunlight and temperatures in the low 70's. Early in the day, those winds made it hard for those of us helping with the hospitality tent. Several mighty gusts ripped through the tent in an attempt to strip the tables clean. I was so glad that I'd baked my Cinnamon Buns in a large, heavy Pyrex® dish that I used, long after the buns were consumed, to hold down the table cloth. My Pecan Sour Cream Coffee cake was a large cake with enough heft to hold down the other end of the table cloth until it started to dwindle in size... The cake container helped keep it from becoming airborne but a box of lovely pastries from a bakery on Staten Island wasn't as fortunate! We lucked out that the winds had subsided by the time that we put the food out for our tailgate party.

The club also held a raffle after the tailgate party where we raffled off the portrait (right) of Mako @15 Weeks - with his ears glued in place - that I painted especially for the Specialty and a huge, bountiful basket of Airedale related stuff (donated by members) that was artfully assembled by Treasurer Ann Kochler. Diane Sinclair won the portrait. I was quite touched by how she cradled it in her arms, as if it actually was a puppy! Club Secretary Brenda McCann won the basket of Airedalia. We also had a large jar of pretzels as the third prize which was won by a young boy who was visiting with his family and Airedale named Abby. See the ATCGP Facebook page for pictures of Abby and many images of the ATCGP Specialty and Sweepstakes.

Below is an image of a visiting Victorianne puppy, Cooper, who was on also the scene to be checked out by his breeder, Anne Curtis. Anne can seen in the first picture posted above and in several below.


 We were all so happy to have so many visitors with the Airedales joining us ringside during the show.  Everyone stayed for the tailgate party, too. New members, Julie and Matt Eastburn, were there, too with their sweet Airedale, Violet. In a previous post, I blogged about meeting them - Violet had the pleasure of meeting Mako and Punch - at the Dog Fest. They blogged about the meeting, too, and have also added posts about Violet's haircut for the event by longtime club member, Jack McLaughlin and their impressions of our Specialty.

The slide show contains images from our Best of Breed Competition.



Congratulations to ATCGP Vice President, Karen Coffey, for winning BOB/G3 with CH Crescent's American Chopper. Left to right: ATCGP President, William Kochler, Collette Coffey, Judge Mr. Peter J. Green and Karen Coffey.


All images © 2010 Blue Zephyr Studios, LLC

Punch the PBGV & Mako the Airedale Visit the Dog Fest & Mako Falls in Love, Again

We had a marvelous time at the Dog Fest this past Sunday afternoon. It was sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue. There were Great Danes everywhere plus many other rescue groups, vendors galore but most importantly lots and lots of dogs and dog lovers. We were there for several hours while Punch and Mako socialized with a wide variety of canines. Punch isn't as used to crowds as Mako is so I exposed her to the outside events for a long period before we went into the pavilion area that which densely populated with dogs and vendors. Punch had a blast while Mako was in love with all the canine females that he met - each and everyone of them.

We were thrilled to meet another Airedale, a lovely Aire girl named Violet. Of course, Mako was in love (or lust) and there were lots of play bows and Aire snaps. Violet had only been with her humans for four months but acted as if they had always been together.  I was pleased that sweet Violet's humans, Matt and Julie, are enthusiastic about the breed. Julie posted some pics of the two dales to her blog east plus 4 & 1 more.  Mako actually looks like he's playing hard to get (hah!) in some of the pictures! You can see in the image below, how Mako's attention is locked on Violet. That's the back of his head that's directly in front of her! I think that we'll be seeing more of this Aire girl because her people are interested in checking out some of the Airedale Terrier Club of Greater Philadelphia's activities!
There were a number of rescue groups at the Dog Fest. Besides the Great Danes, there was also the Greyhound rescue - think it was the Diamond State group - the Siberian Husky rescue, Rottweiler rescue plus rescue groups that were open to all animals. 

Don and Anna Brown of the Academy of Dog Training in Newark, DE were there with an agility display where folks could let their dogs do trial runs.  It was great to see Anna and Don again. I have taken show handling lessons where Don was the instructor and he's an excellent trainer. I learned so much in those classes and both Mako and I had a great time. The Brown's have an Airedale connection, too. Their daughter Christine is very active in Airedale rescue. When I first met her, via the Internet, Christine was President of the National Airedale Rescue. We met when I donated a custom portrait for an on-line senior Airedale auction. (That portrait Holley the Airedale can be seen on my website as the last entry in the gallery. Holley was 14 at the time and had a huge Airedalian beard!)

 The Dog Fest turned into a hound fest for Punch the PBGV. We met Jeff with Sabrina the Bloodhound plus Madelynne and Daisy the Basset girls. He trains his hounds in agility at the Academy. Jeff did a trick with his hounds where they all went into a down and stay as he placed a treat on the top of his boot. Little Punchie went into a down, too, and stayed while she intensely watched the treat poised on his foot. It was only a few inches from her, yet, she waited! Jeff was nice and rewarded my Peeb girl with a treat.

  Of course, Mako was busy being an an Airedalian male. He was surrounded by girls and tried to make the most of the situation. He couldn't keep his nose to himself - or his paws. He especially wanted to grab Sabrina the Bloodhound. 

Punch wasn't jealous. She was busy watching for more treats! Her patience was rewarded, too. She had a wonderful time chillin' with the big hounds and getting the occasional treat.

Meanwhile, there was also Pookah the Chow for Mako to lust after. The redhaired vixen wasn't the least bit interested in him but he isn't a guy who takes "no" for an answer. 

Later, we also met Olivia the black Standard Poodle and two Giant Schaunzers - one of which was a female. Mako worked his charm relentlessly and decided to zero in on Olivia. You can tell that Spring is here! Mako is in lust, er, love. He tried to grab her at least three times!

Libby the Airedale's Portrait & Delaware Pets


I don't normally show the source images that I use for my portraits. I thought that I'd include this photo (below) of Libby the Airedale (RB) that I recently used for her memorial portrait because it shows how a painting can not only enhance a memory but actually improve upon the original image.


Libby was a rescue dale from Airedale Rescue and Adoption of the Delaware Valley. I didn't have many good photos to work from and I settled on this one because it showed expression plus it showed her head to advantage. The image is blurry but I knew that I could sharpen the focus in my painting. As you can see, I edited the out the extraneous background and used much more saturated color. I cropped it a wee bit closer to the nose than the photo since I like it to look as if the dog is about to emerge for the confines of the border! The nose touching the border creates a visual tension that draws your eye to that spot and you then follow the image across the canvas. Libby was a sweet Aire girl that I had the pleasure to know. Mako was especially fond of her. I think that she liked him, too!

I am fortunate to be featured in an article -"With lens, brush, artists capture love" - in the Spring edition of Delaware Pets! I'd like to thank Ken Mammerella of the News Journal for the interview for and including me in the story. The print version of Delaware Pets was included in 3/25 edition of the News Journal.


There is a quote in the article from me about grief counseling. Many of my clients have recently lost a pet and the pet's passing is the reason that they want to commission a portrait. Often, they have waited for a year or more to commission a portrait from me and the death of their pet has triggered the desire to have a portrait done now. A painted portrait is a way to still have a special connection to that pet. It is how I got started in the profession. I painted my Monty's portrait just before he died of CRF. Monty still guards the house and that portrait is my official image of him. Our society still doesn't fully recognize the validity of grieving over the loss of a pet. Sometimes, people feel guilty or that something is wrong about the intensity of their feelings. I'm here to say that it is normal. When you've shared your life and your emotions with your pet, they are part of the fabric of your life. Of course it hurts us when they die! Especially if you nursed them through that final illness. Anyone who puts you down for grieving for them is insensitive and cruel. I'm lucky to have a life and career where I am surrounded by animal lovers. We all understand the meaning of the human - animal relationship. It doesn't mean that you love the people in your life any less. In fact, it may mean that you love them even more.   

And to paraphrase the title of Temple Grandin's recent book - Animals Make Us Human!

Announcing the Launch of Margery Good's Web Site


This week marks the one year anniversary of professional handler and renown Sealyham terrier breeder Margery Good's fabulous Best in Show victory with CH. Efbe's Hildalgo at Goodspice (Charmin) at Crufts. Crufts is the world's largest dog show. To win at Crufts is reaching the pinnacle of the dog show world.

To mark the occasion, I'm happy to announce the launch of her new web site margerygood.com - web design by Blue Zephyr Studios, LLC! I certainly had great material to work with... stunning dogs and videos, too. Margie and Charmin are even in two Eukanuba commercials! I even included my Mako, too! You can see him with Margie at Westminster on the Handling page and you can see his lovely head on the About Goodspice Kennel page as an example of their grooming artistry I'm a proud mama!

Punch and Mako Meet Ricki the Cairn Puppy






Punch and Mako are always so happy to meet other dogs at the parks when we go walking. On this particular day, they had the pleasure of meeting an adorable 4 1/2 month old Cairn Terrier puppy named Ricki. It was Ricki's first trip to a park and her first time socializing with other dogs. She did quite well. She was greeting a Porty (like Bo Obama) when we initially approached. We stayed back because the Porty was a male and didn't act like it wanted to greet us. It just tolerated Ricki.

Punch is a PBGV and they are bred to be pack dogs so she is in her element when we can walk with other dogs. She loves just "being" with other dogs. Mako is a flaming extrovert and he wants to greet other dogs and interact with them. Mako especially loves little dogs and goes into a down so he can be on their level. Of course, he tries to crawl in and sneak a sniff under the tail, too. He's quite good at that!

This is my first attempt at editing a video so it's nothing fancy and mercifully brief. It's not too bad for someone who was holding a camera while handling two dogs at the same time. It was also quite windy, as it always seems to be at all the parks, so you can hear that on the soundtrack. Oh yeah, that was one crazy lady with the red gloves!

How to Pick a Shelter Dog

After writing about how to select the right breed and how to find a breeder, I thought that I should also include, how to select a shelter dog. I came across a recent article in the Houston Chronicle where dog trainer Victoria Stilwell, who stars in Animal Planet's It's Me or the Dog, does an excellent job of outlining exactly what to look for in a shelter dog. I have learned a great deal from watching It's Me or the Dog and have had success using Stilwell's positive training methods with Punch and Mako. She makes it easy! 




ANIMAL PLANET
Victoria Stilwell says to do your research on breed characteristics. You can check my previous post for help. “If it's a border collie, for example, and you are laid-back and don't get a lot of exercise, then don't get a dog that has border collie in it.”

Note: They misspell her last name in the article's photo caption!


Breed Selection From a Dog's Point of View & How to Find a Breeder

If you've been considering adding a canine friend to your family in this New Year, I suggest trying out Petcentric's friendfetcher from Purina. The descriptions are brief but they are pretty accurate snippets that will give you a sense of the differences in the various breeds.  There is a questionaire that matches you with breeds that better fit your lifestyle. You can even do breed comparisons, too.



The Airedale's self-description has that nice (from a terrier person's point of view) manic edge that the ADTs have. The Airedale enthusiasm is well-expressed along with it's big personality. I am bothered by the animated Airedale's round eyes with the white plainly visible. They should be small, dark and almond-shaped. The whites of their eyes are rarely seen. The animated eyes follow your cursor so I kept expecting the Airedale to snap at the cursor, like Mako's snaps at flies!

I posted this link on Facebook and an Airedaler thought that the emphasis on swimming was a little exaggerated because her view was that while some Airedales do like water, there are plenty that don't. I know plenty of Airedales that love water and several who discovered their fondness for water later in life. She lives in Arizona and I'm in Delaware. There is plenty of access to water of various types in DE including the Atlantic ocean. It may be that the Airedales that I know are able to acclimate themselves to water in ways easier for them to learn to love it. You can start them in a pool, a creek, a pond, a lake, a river or the beach and they can even run in the surf. (All these should be done with proper supervision, by the way.) It does come down to the fact that dogs may have some of their breed's personality traits but they are all individuals.



PBGV

As for the PBGV description, I thought that it was pretty accurate except that I expected an emphasis on hunting RABBITS! Punch is of French bloodlines and she goes crazy when she smells a rabbit. She has a special RABBIT bark/cry. She goes insane for the rabbit that got away! Jim Scharnburg, Master of the Skycastle French Hounds (a hunting pack of PBGVs in the Chester Springs/Malvern area of PA) told me that Punch was supposed to be like that - the French bloodlines won't rest until the trail is resolved. That's my girl! When a RABBIT escapes until the fence, Punch screams and paces at that spot. Mako moves on and looks for the next rabbit while Punch is obsessed with the RABBIT that got away!

So, give the friendfetcher a try. Check out the other breeds, too. You will get an idea of how accurate the descriptions of the more obscure breeds are by comparing them to breeds that you know really well. You'll also hear the correct pronunciation of Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen which is pronounced "Puh-TEE Bah-SAY Gree-FOHN VON-day-uhn."

How to Find That Special Canine Friend

I also want to point out that if you are considering any of the breeds mentioned in friendfetcher, please Google the breed name and look for the national breed club's web site. This is a good way to start your search for a reputable "hobbyist" breeder. Also consult your local kennel club and ask for names of breeders. Avoid pet shops and backyard breeders for reasons to lengthy to discuss in this post. In addition, check the national club's website for any lists of health issues and health survey results in the breed/s of your choice. And PLEASE, PLEASE consider getting the breed of your choice from rescue!

Airedale Terrier Club of Greater Philadelphia's Available Puppy List - email: Jack McLaughlin Doggydadi@aol.com

Another way to discover more about the breeds that you are interested in is to join an online list for lovers of that particular breed, such as the Airedale-L (the Airedale-L is on Facebook, too) and the PBGV-L.

FYI: I am a member of the Airedale Terrier Club of America and The Airedale Club of Greater Philadelphia. I am also the Advertising Manager for the ATCA newsletter, The American Airedale. I have donated paintings and custom portraits to the ATCA, the ATCGP, the PBGVCA and Airedale Rescue as fundraisers.


The images are from Petcentric's friendfetcher.

Wool Mosaic Patchwork Scarves by trnka


  Creativity has always been what you notice first about my friend Shari Trnka. As she describes herself on her Esty profile, " A clothier by trade for over 25 years, I am a patternmaker and have been sewing clothes since I was 8 years old... I spent nearly 20 years manufacturing natural fiber clothing wholesale for the boutique market... Selling my own designs that way made me a manager more than anything. After so many years of the rat race I chose to give it up for my artisan roots."

  Those artisan roots resonate in these mosaic scarves. Using scraps of felted recycled wool sweaters and thread, she has given the garments a second life as these lovely textural scarves. There is a rippling, sculptural quality to these these artisan pieces that fascinates the viewer. The colors swirl toward you and then recede, drawing your eye along the morphing shapes as they jigsaw together, composing a fabric that transforms into a scarf. These unique scarves and other wearables, designed and hand sewn by Shari, can be found @ www.trnka.etsy.com  and at her studio at Rancho Azulejo in Oakville, Washington.

   Shari used to have a clothing shop in Newark, Delaware that featured her own line which she also sold to boutiques across the country. I was always fascinated by her gorgeous color choices. That was what immediately struck me when I entered her shop. Next, I was mesmerized by the luscious feel of my favorite fabric in her collections, the powdery soft velours which were drenched in a fabulous garden of color.  Her colorways could always be perfectly blended and mixed together from year to year. I bought so many items that even though Shari closed her shop several years ago, not too long after she moved to Washington state , I still have many trnka items. I'm wearing some right now! I've worn them so much that I've had to relegate them to home use. They are what I wear when I'm being my most creative because they are so comfortable and those colors are still vibrantly inspiring.

Image © Shari Trnka. 
   

Rawhide Bone Update

I'm been monitoring the chewing of the rawhide bones. Punch has turned primal over it. I have to finesse it away from her to inspect her progress and trim away any parts that are protruding from the bone.  I'm still concerned about the possible dangers of rawhide. I have been concerned about the rawhide swelling in their stomachs/intestines. I just read one article (among many) that really makes me think that I won't let them chew them any longer: http://www.daneangelnetwork.org/rawhide.htm The chemicals that are used to make rawhide sound pretty harsh.

Make No Bones About It!



I took Mako to the vet's this week for his rabies shot. Mako has some tartar on his back molars and the vet mentioned something about having them cleaned. He also suggested giving him bones to scrape off the build-up on his teeth. Mako generally only chews on one side of his mouth so the build-up is worse on that side than the other. We had talked about this before and he had also included Nylabones to the list of things that I could try. All these items have a controversy around them - like so many of the decisions that we have to make in dealing with our pets and their health. I wanted to try other alternatives before I had to put Mako under anesthesia to have his teeth cleaned.

Mako isn't all that interested in chewing but Punch certainly is. My Bull Terrier, Monty, was a chewing fiend. I used to buy him one of the souper size GALILEO bones every year at Christmas and he would gnaw his way through it by the end of the year. Some mega chewing was done by that dog! The floor even vibrated! Punch still gnaws on the last GALILEO bone of Monty's. She has a small GALILEO bone that is more her size but she prefers the one that Monty honed to a mighty peak!  Mako is totally uninterested in it.

I tried treating Punch and Mako to the Healthy Edibles Nylabones over the the last six months and they chewed their way through them so quickly that I don't think that they got the benefits that I hoped for. I won't try the more traditional Nylabones because they have the reputation of splintering and I saw that happen firsthand with Monty. As a pup, he crumbled one in his mouth like it was hard candy. It disintegrated into knife-like shards right before my eyes. My father had given it to him without telling me, so it was a double shock that went from "Where did he get that?" to "OMG, it's crumbling! Drop it! Drop it!" He dropped it all right - in millions of pieces!

I used to give them Nutri Dent® / Quest Dental Care System bones daily.  They are similar to  Greenies which I won't use because of the number of Airedales that I read about on the Airedale-L that had problems with them. Several broke them off and swallowed large pieces that could cause a blockage. Yes, it is just anecdotal evidence but in light of the whole controversy surrounding Greenies and the Airedalean ability to crush them if them decide to do so, I decided that I'd try something different. 

So, I gave the Nutri Dents to them for quite awhile until we had a potential Greenie-like incident. Since Punch has food aggression issues at times, I crate her whenever she gets any treats like these. That way, I know that Mako got the bone that I wanted to clean his teeth - not hers. Also, he isn't under pressure to gulp his treats down to keep her from getting them, either. Well, one morning I saw Mako at the door to Punch's crate, offering her his Nutri Dent! I had just given it to Mako, so I went over to take it from him. I was shocked to see that half of it was already missing in just a matter of a few minutes! I saved the remaining half and wondered if he had swallowed that other part in one piece? That night I got the answer to my question when Mako threw up that remaining half in three large fragments. That was the end of Nutri Dents around here. I now give them Dentastix, instead. I also brush their teeth, too.


As for giving them real bones, that makes me nervous. I grew up with a Wire Fox Terrier, Lady, that almost died from a bone fragment that caused a blockage. The vet fussed at my parents and exclaimed, "Don't you know that you're not supposed to give bones to a dog?" Years later, there's still a controversy.  It's very confusing. The ezine article, Bones for Dogs - Are They Good or Bad? , touches on several of the issues but ends on the note that they are good for your dog if you are careful about what type of bones that you give your dog. Then I read of worries about bacteria levels in raw meat and bones, and the suggestion on a forum " Should this be of concern, a one minute dip into boiling water is long enough to kill off bacteria without removing the nutrients &/or making the bone splinter when chewed." Raw feeders seem to have no worries about any of this.

I'm a pesco-vegetarian (pescetarian) so the only bones that I deal with are the tiny bones that you pull with pliers from filleted fish or the cooked bones in canned Alaskan salmon that I give to the dogs. They dance for canned salmon! I view that Punch and Mako are naturally meat eaters since they are members of the canine family so I came to the conclusion that I should consider giving them bones.

I decided to return the vet's office and ask the vet techs what type of bones I should feed them and how I should treat them (raw, cooked, etc.). The vet tech at the desk mentioned the Nylabones and soup bones. Then the seemingly eternal controversy ended up playing out again when one of the other vets came to desk and made it known that she didn't like the Nylabones - for the reasons previously mentioned - and didn't like giving bones to dogs because of the dangers of splintering. "I give rawhide to my dogs. Not the type with a knot in it. The straight ones and when they get down to a small piece, I take them away from the dogs."

Rawhide wasn't even on my radar screen! I immediately thought of the arsenic issues that are mentioned with some rawhide products. I used to give huge rawhide bones to Monty the Bully. He could blaze through half of one of those bones with such awesome speed that it scared me. I knew he couldn't be chewing all that much. Then there was the diarrhea... Then no more rawhide for Monty.

I left with the idea that I'd give them soup bones. When I got home, I started researching the rawhide pros and cons on the internet. You can drive yourself crazy with all these concerns and end up paralyzed in a perpetual state of indecision, so I decided to try the rawhide. I settled on an American-made rawhide product that is shaped like a femur. As you can see from the above picture, Mako was doing just the type of chewing that he needs to do. Punch was a little confused at first on how to handle her "bone" but she soon figured it out.



They were both blissed out in a chew-a-thon that lasted for an hour and half. Mako eventually quit and tried to sit on the arm of the sofa, to look out the window, with the rawhide sticking out the side of his mouth. He was a tired but happy boy and ended up dropping the bone. Of course, I had to take the bone from Punch. She was still working away and as I remove it from her crate, she opened her mouth the widest that I have ever seen as she tried to get it back! She looked like Sylvester the Cat as he went after Tweety Bird! I promised her a treat in exchange so she relented and settled for a carrot in return.

I'll see how it goes. So far, the only obvious drawbacks are gooey spots on the carpet plus gooey beards and furnishings. A little scrubbing with soapy hot water took care of all that!
   

Images from the ATCGP Fall Hike


The day in Chester Springs, PA was all a blur to Mako - intense smells, new dogs and virgin territory to mark. The event was the Airedale Terrier Club of Greater Philadelphia's annual Fall Hike. Punch had the honor of being the only non-Airedale present and she acted as if she belonged with a pack of terriers. The scents were so intense that she couldn't resist pulling to such an extent that she kept choking herself. We would have to pause until the oxygen supply returned to her Peeb brain. I love the sense of Airedale energy in the above photo. Not only is there an image of Mako in a blur of activity but his shadow has the classic Airedale profile bordered by moving ADT feet.



Mako and Punch are used to walking together so it was natural to bring Punch to the club's hike. She couldn't have been happier. Here they are in pursuit of an Airedalian shadow belonging to Dutch (Harper). Dutch is only 9 months old but he fit in as if he had always known the other dogs. His people are Fran and Gregg Harper, who joined us for the hike after attending the Philadelphia Kennel Club Show. Dutch has been participating in agility which is a great outlet for the manic energy of a 9 month old Airedale. He may became a show dog, too. Actually, he was so well-behaved that I forgot that he was such a youngster!

Dutch recently gave Fran and Greg a big scare when he decided to try swallow some pantyhose. He soon discovered that they aren't exactly a consumable and luckily for him, the pantyhose stopped moving just before it got into his Airedale stomach. Fran and Greg took quick action and rushed him to an emergency room where they were able to extract the pantyhose from inside the canine gourmet without surgery. You can spot Dutch in the pictures by the shaved ring around his front leg.

Punch was fascinated by all the ducks and geese on the pond. The ducks were diving into the water and splashing around in such a way that the dogs just had to take notice. As soon as the other dales showed up, they forgot all about the waterfowl.



The young girl posing in the picture with Dutch and his people is Jillian - ATCGP Secretary Barbara Vaughn's granddaughter. Jillian is very dog-savvy and knew just how to charm Punch and Mako. It's such a pleasure to be in the company of a young person who fits in with the dogs in such a way that you don't have to worry about them startling them. She knows the proper way to interact with dogs and I praise the adults in her life who took the time to teach her. Plus, she's a great kid too!

I'll be looking at these images this winter, visually recalling the warmth of the sunlight as I yearn for the return of spring. Oh, and those gorgeous blue skies will look especially vibrant in the gray winter days to come...