September 27, 2006
Lupine whelped nine healthy puppies: 3 liver males, 3 black males, 2 liver females and 1 black female. Huxley is the proud father. You can follow their progress HERE.
August 26 & 27, 2006
We took Tima and Pipit to the Cranbrook show and met up with Begbie and Indy there. Tima finished her CD, placing 2nd in her class both times. Pipit got to show in a puppy fun match and placed 3rd out of 9 3-6 month female puppies. She bounced around the ring and had a great time. In conformation, Tima was Best of Opposite both days and Begbie was Winners Dog for 2 pts on the Sunday.
August 5, 2006
Liz took Huxley, Tima and Begbie to the Flat-coated Retriever Society of Alberta Specialty show in Calgary. Tima was in season, so that made for an interesting trip. Begbie won Reserve Winners Dog. Thanks so much to his family, Kim, Will, Laurel and Claire, for letting us have him for the weekend. We enjoyed getting to know him better.
Tima was Best of Opposite at the specialty.
July 2006
We are having a hot, hot, hot summer! The dogs (and the humans) are enjoying lots of swimming in the river.
At the end of the month, Lupine was bred to Huxley, so we are hoping for puppies towards the end of September.
June 23-25
We hosted the Flat-coated Retriever Society of Canada's National Specialty show in Lethbridge. A ton of work, but lots of fun and a few ribbons for our dogs and their relatives as well.
Tima won High in Trial from the Novice A class - it was her first time in the obedience ring! We couldn't have been more surprised and pleased. She did a super job.
Huxley's son, Ripley, also qualified in Novice A
Both Tally and Lupine failed in the Open classes - Tally anticipated the drop-on-recall and Lupine anticipated the broad jump - oh well, that's obedience competition for you.
In the Conformation Show (judge Per Iversen, Norway):
Begbie (Blazingstar Brown Willet) won the Canadian-bred male class and went on to win Reserve Winners Dog. Thank-you to Kim, Will, Laurel and Claire for letting us show Begbie on the weekend!
Indy (Blazingstar Brown Ruff) won the bred-by exhibitor class. Thank-you to Katheryn, Brad and Gwen for bringing Indy to the show. Indy also won the open male class in the Lethbridge show.
Tala (Blazingstar Black Turnstone) was Reserve Altered Female. Thanks to Adrienne for letting us show Tala and looking after the puppies at home for us.
Tima (Blazingstar Brown Whimbrel) placed 3rd in the Working Female class.
Tima and Tally won the Brace class
Tally won the Brood Bitch & Progeny class with the help of Tima and Begbie.
Huxley placed 2nd in the Stud Dog and Get class wilth the help of Angel and Jona.
In the Field (judges Mary Shillabeer and Judy Teskey)
Indy passed his Working Certificate test in fine style! It was the first time that Indy and his owners had even been to a test.
Ripley (Huxley's son) also passed his Working Certificate test. Congrats to Ripley, Darren and Michele!
Lupine did a super job in the WC test, but took a dramatic and inexplicable right turn on her way out to the last bird, so we did not pass.
June 2006
Huxley's offspring have been having a successful spring. Dixie, CH Riverwoods Dixieland Delight finished her Senior Hunter title. Congratulations to Dixie, Jim and Sandi! Jona, Ch Prairielight Up at Dawn CD WCX got his Working Certificate EXCELLENT. And Ripley, Prairielights Believe It Or Not finished his CD title - well done Ripley, Darren and Michele!
We also found out that Tally was the #5 flat-coated retriever in obedience in Canada last year.
May 11, 2006
There was some very exciting news today. Huxley and Jazz's son, Raven (Riverwoods Rainmaker) was Reserve Winners Dog at the U.S. Specialty show in St. Louis! Congratulations Raven! Raven was bred by Lenore McKee in Minnesota.
May 2006
We got a nice surprise in the mail - Huxley was the #3 flatcoated retriever in Canada in 2005! It was very unexpected, as he was only shown 5 times last year, but he did do very well when he showed. Well done Huxley!
At 9pm, Tally and Mikey's puppies were born. Tally has a litter of 9 beautiful black puppies - 7 males and 2 females.
The whelping was very stressful for all of us and after a long labour and little progress, we had to take Tally in to the vet for a C-section. Thanks to our wonderful vet and technician, it went smoothly and in no time at all Tally was nursing her puppies on the floor of the vet's office.
We took Indy and Tima to the Alberta Kennel Club show in Calgary. There were 11 flatcoats entered. Indy was Winners Dog on Saturday, for 2 pts, bringing him up to 5 pts. Tima was Best of Breed on Sunday! We were very proud of her as this is the first time we have shown her as a Special (champion).
We also found out that Tally has finished her SHDX title (scent hurdle dog excellent). It will be a while before she can race again, but hopefully she can get back into it in the summer.
We have two visitors to Blazingstar this month. Dillon (Blazingstar Brown Surfbird) arrived in early January for some training and fun. Later in January, Mikey (Ch Prairielight New Years Salute WC) arrived for breeding to Tally. If all goes well, we expect puppies in late March.
We went to a Howl-A-Ween party near Calgary. It was great fun! See photos from the event here.
Our scent hurdle team, Due South, raced in Calgary and did very well. Tally finished her Scent Hurdle Dog title (SHD) and is now close to finishing her SHDX. Molly, the standard poodle and Buschman, the german shepherd both finished their Scent Hurdle Championships (SHDCH)!
Dillon, Blazingstar Brown Surfbird was Reserve Winners Dog at a show in Michigan. Congratulations to Dillon and Terry!
Indy and Tally travelled to the Cranbrook show to meet up with Begbie and his owner, Kim. It was Begbie's first show and he did a great job in the ring. He was Best of Breed on Sunday and Indy was Best of Breed on Saturday. Tally competed in obedience, but failed the drop-on-recall both trials, so she did not qualify in Open. Inbetween the breed and the group ring they all got to go to a lake and retrieve balls! The dogs voted that "the-best-part-of-the-entire-weekend".
After the Specialty Show, we spent several weeks relaxing at the cottage in southern Ontario. The dogs learned how to jump off of the dock and they spent most of their time in the lake!
We travelled east to the FCRSC National Specialty Show in Thunder Bay, Ontario. There were over 130 flat-coats entered and we had a great time visiting with old friends and making new ones. We took Huxley, Tally and Tima with us and they enjoyed some successes:
In Obedience
Tally won HIGH IN TRIAL from the Open A Class and completed her CDX. She scored 195/200. The judge was Howard Ward.
In Puppy Sweepstakes
Tima placed 3rd in the 12-18 month female class. Her brother, Dillon, placed 4th in the 12-18 month male class. Their half-sister, Luna (Prairielights Easter Moon) won Best Puppy in Sweeps.
In the Regular Conformation Show
Tima placed 2nd in the 12-18 month female class. Dillon placed 4th in the 12-18 month male class.
Huxley's son Polo, placed 3rd in the Open Dog Class. Another son, Jona, made the first cut in the Best of Breed ring.
Tally made all the cuts in Best of Breed and was in the very final line-up.
Tally won the Working Bitch Class (for females with a WC or JH).
Tally also won the Brood Bitch Class, with the help of three of her offspring, Kitty, Dillon and Tima.
Tally and Tima placed 2nd in the Brace Class.
Huxley won the Working Dog Class and the Stud Dog Class.
In the Field Events
Tima passed her Working Certificate Test (WC)
Tally passed the Junior Hunt Test and got her first JH leg
Huxley almost passed the JH Test, failing because of a handling error on our part on the very last bird. Ooops!
CLICK HERE for MORE SPECIALTY PHOTOS
Huxley's daughter, Dixie (Riverwoods Dixieland Delight WC JH),finished her American Championship. Congratulations to Dixie and her owners Jim and Sandi!
On the left, Tally flying high with her High in Class ribbon won from Open A.
On the right, Lupine with her High in Trial ribbon - she finished her CD and her championship over the weekend.
It was a good weekend at the Lethbridge dog show. On Friday Tima was Best of Winners and finished her championship. On Saturday, Lupine was Best of Breed, finishing her championship. In obedience, Lupine got her 2nd CD leg with a High in Class. Tally got a CDX leg, also with a High in Class. On Sunday, Lupine finished her CD and surprised us by winning High in Trial!
Two of Tally's puppies, Tala and Macleod, came to stay for the weekend. They had a great time playing with our dogs and reuniting with Tally and Tima. We are very pleased with how Tally's puppies are growing up.
May 28, 2005
Huxley's son, Polo, finished his US championship. He is now CH Riverwoods Polo, owned and bred by Lenore McKee. Congratulations Polo!
May 14 & 15, 2005
Tally and Lupine competed in the Medicine Hat obedience trials. Lupine did an excellent job in her first time in the Novice ring, but she managed a "dance for exam" instead of a "stand for exam" and didn't qualify. The next day she managed to keep herself somewhat under control and qualified, winning her first CD leg. Tally made her debut in the Open ring and got her first CDX leg, winning High in Class.
We took all four dogs to the Edmonton Kennel Club show and had some success there. Huxley was Best of Breed on Sat and Sun, our friend's dog, Lukas, was Best of Breed on Friday - congratulations Lukas! Huxley won a Group 4th on Saturday. Tima did remarkably well - she was Best Puppy, Best of Winners and Best of Opposite Sex on Friday and Saturday, winning over specials (including Tally!). She now has 9 championship points. Sunday was a family affair - Huxley's daughter, Angel, was Best of Opposite and his son, Brutus, was Best of Winners. Brutus finished his championship - congratulations Don, Cathy & Brutus!
Another Huxley son, Ripley, was busy in the obedience ring and he earned his 2nd CD leg with a High in Class - congratulations Ripley!
We got exciting news today - Huxley was the #3 flat-coated retriever in Canada last year! We are very proud of him, especially as he was not shown all that much. Thank-you Lena for sending us this handsome dog! And thank-you to Ellen Stomp for handling Huxley in 2004!
The U.S. National Specialty show was held in Atlanta, Georgia. We are very proud that two of Tally's puppies showed there. Dillon and Kitty both showed in puppy sweepstakes and Dillon also showed in the regular classes. Their classes were huge - with 25-35 9-12 month old puppies! Dillon made the final line-up in his huge class and got lots of attention! Congratulations Dillon and Terry. Thank-you Karen, Paddy and Terry for taking these two to Georgia! Huxley's and Olivia's two puppies were there too, but they were too young to show - maybe next year!
The dogs are very happy to report that swimming in the river has resumed! Other signs of spring include the return of the mountain bluebird and prairie crocuses poking up out of the ground (but not blooming yet).
February 8, 2005
A truly sad day at Blazingstar. With little warning, Piper got sick and within a day we had to say goodbye. He was a wonderful dog and we miss him very much. He was such an exuberant and optimistic character that our home feels very empty and quiet without him. An awesome hunting dog, constant companion, high-in-trial obedience dog, truly sweet-tempered, gentle flat-coated retriever
- CH Prairielights Nikik CDX WCI - our "Piper Pup"
February 4-6, 2005
We had a very successful weekend at the Alberta Kennel Club show. On Friday, Huxley won Best of Breed and a Group 4th. Lupine was Winners Bitch for 2 points. Our friends Sarah and Kaleb won Best of Winners and Kaleb finished his championship - Congratulations Kaleb!
On Saturday we had four of our dogs entered - Huxley was Best of Breed and won a Group 1st, Tally was Best of Opposite, Lupine was Best of Winners (for 3 points) and Tima was Reserve Winners Bitch. What a day! On Sunday, Huxley again won Best of Breed, and a Group 4th, Tima was Best of Winners (for 3 points) and Best Puppy.
Thank-you to Sarah and Margareta for handling Lupine and to Ellen for showing Huxley to his best. Also thanks to Judi, Deb and Amanda for helping Liz wrangle so many dogs and to all of Huxley's fans that cheered him on in the Best in Show ring! He had quite the cheering section.
Tally made her debut in scent hurdle racing. She did a good job, but got very confused when we changed lanes. We will work on that before our next race!
February 2, 2005
Happy Groundhog Day! Huxley may have seen his shadow, but it's hard to imagine that there are 8 more weeks of winter left. The river opened today - the earliest we've ever seen the ice break up.
January 22, 2005
Dillon (Blazingstar Brown Surfbird) made his debut in the American show ring in Michigan this weekend. There were lots of other flat-coats entered and today he was Reserve Winners Dog to a four point major AND Best Puppy in Breed!! Dillon is owned by Terry Fowler and Paddy Engen. Well done Dillon and Terry!
January 11, 2005
We had some good news from Florida. Huxley is now the proud father of two liver puppies, a male and a female. Their mother, Olivia and puppies are doing very well.
January 8, 2005
Two "relatives" were showing at a show in Minnesota this weekend. Kitty (Blazingstar Brown Curlew), made her very wiggly and waggly debut in the show ring. Kitty is owned by Karen Booth and Paddy Engen. Huxley's son, Polo, was Best of Winners for a four point major. Polo is owned by Lenore McKee. Polo now just needs 3 points to finish his American championship.
January, 2005
Happy New Year! It was a very cold start to the year here, with lots of snow. The dogs love the snow but find -40 C to be a bit cold! Tally and Piper have been busy brushing up on their scent hurdle skills as our team has some races coming up.
September 27, 2006
Lupine whelped nine healthy puppies: 3 liver males, 3 black males, 2 liver females and 1 black female. Huxley is the proud father. You can follow their progress HERE.