Mr. Bullet

Bullet is a very sweet boy and doesn't give anyone any trouble. He is very playful. He will run and play with Glow quite often. He also is the only one out of the pack that will play fetch. If you throw a toy, he will bring it right back to you so you can throw it again. Sometimes he will run around and shake it a bit before he drops it on the ground. If Glow is outside, he will run it by her and tease her with it to try and get a chase going. Sometimes she takes him up on it and they chase each other at high speed around the trees in the back yard. Bullet is the one that sleeps with one eye open to check on you if you move. He never misses a move if you decide to getup out of your chair, he is watching to see where you are going. He will come into my office with me and lie on the floor while I am using the computer. He always wants to be with you. He is also a very shy boy and will not let everyone pet him. Some people can approach him and others he will move away. It doesn't seem to matter if it is man or woman. He has a very gentle nature and he is a very handsome boy. He has the softest fur of the bunch. His fur feels as soft as a rabbit. He also has the most energy of the bunch. He gets very excited when he knows we are going for a walk and he will roll around and grab a toy and start squeaking it. If he is in the bed room, he will rub himself along the bed and sometimes get into the play position. He may even entice Glow into a quick game of chase in the house. 

Sweet Stephanie

Stephanie is our sweet little girl. She is the most needy of the bunch. She will come dashing into my office looking for me and bump my wrist while I am typing until I spend some time petting her. She loves toys and has her favorite stuffed cheetah we call "baby". She sleeps with it and wants to take it on walks all of the time. When she goes out inthe yard for potty breaks, she always has to take baby with her. She can also be quite aggressive when another dog barks at us when we are walking in the neighborhood. She will want to growl and bark back at the other dog. She also will be the first one to sense another dog making an aggresive move or sound. I have to watch her closely when we meet other dogs. She is also the best hunter of the pack. She will stalk a squirrel walking so slow, that the squirrel barely knows she is there. She has an enormous amount of restraint. None of the other dogs can match this ability. She is a very loving little girl and will let anyone pet her for as long as they want to.

Tommy Boy

Tommy is our laid back boy. When all of the other pups run out the door chasing a squirrel, Tommy will be laying on his bed wondering why. He usually is the last one out the door, because he doesn't seem to get as excited as the rest of them. Bullet has tried to herd Tommy around since he came into the family, but Tommy takes it in stride and does not get aggresive about it. Tommy is very affectionate and he will come around for pets when I am working in my office. Stephanie will come in and bump my wrist wanting a pet and Tommy will usually be right behind her. He gets along very well with Stephanie. This is surprising, because Stephanie gave Bullet a hard time when he joined our family. When I let the dogs out for the first time in the morning, Tommy and Bullet will always come to me and want some attention. I give them some good neck scratches for a while and then they are OK. They run off to lie down and I get ready for work. Tommy has a solid personality that doesn't seem to be bothered by anything or anyone. He also has this thing of chattering his teeth. It sounds like he is cold or something. He does it even when he is inside and warm.

Glow, natures work of Art

Everytime I look at her I am amazed at her beauty. She has a very calm personality and she is the Alpha in our pack. Glow will come around for a pet now and then, but she will not pester you for it. She really likes butt scratches. She twists her head up as though it is the greatest thing on earth. She is always very attentive to what is happening with Stephanie. It seems like she wants to protect her if she senses that something is wrong. She is a great playmate for Bullet. The two of them will tease and chase each other when they are out in the back yard. Bullet only wants to play with her. Tommy is her litter mate, but you really do not see an interaction that you might expect. You can see some characteristics that seem to run in the family though. They both have happy tails and get very excited when they know they are going fo a walk. They even jump around alike. They both do a sort of wheezing sound at times, especially during cool weather. Glow likes to snort like a pig sometimes. She seems to do this when she thinks there is a squirrel or something in the yard.

Here's mud in your eye!

Mk Rock and Roll got a face full on the muddy track and is getting cleaned up.

The finish line

In this view from the trainers lounge, you can see the lure at the finish line with the leading dogs behind it. 

On the way to the paddock

The brindle is Santa Fe Addie and the fawn is Jit Dodge Rover. Addie belongs to Steve and Sharon Nelson of Santa Fe kennels. We met Sharon and Steve when we picked up Tommy down in Kansas.

John's work is never done

After turnout, the dogs track sand and mud into the kennel. Guess who gets to cleanup. You have to love these dogs to do this everyday. 

And one last thing

"Ooooh!...I have been waiting to do this." 

Face and eye cleanup

The dogs get wet sand thrown up into their face and eyes, so Carla used the rubber syringe to squirt water on their face and eyes to clean the sand and mud out. 

After race cleanup

Carla hoses down Spike's paws and legs after the race. The track was very wet and they come back with lots of sand on them.

After the race

The leadouts remove the silks and return the dogs to the trainers after the race. 

The Lure

Some of the girls hear the lure running around the track and try to look at the action. Notice that the white pup's tail is a little short. She had a happy tail that got broken. 

The girls are looking at the boys.

"Hey why don't you go sniff some poop and leave us alone!" 

The boys are checking out the girls

"Hey look at the hips on her!" 

The new boy in the kennel

John comforts one of the new boys. He was getting picked on by the other boys so John gives him a private turnout until he can adjust. 

Poop scooping and a curious pup.

John cleans up the turn out pen while one of the girls takes a closer look at my camera. 

Turn out pens

The boys are on the left and the girls are on the right. The curious ones hang out by the gate and watch me. 

Turnout time

After the first racers are brought to the track, the other dogs get turned out to take care of nature's business. The boys are put in a separate pen from the girls. 

Chow time

One of the non-racers chows down on the mix. 

Weigh in

The dogs are weighed to make sure they are within 2 lbs of their racing weight. Careful attention has to be paid to each dogs diet. Today they had a mixture of kibble and ground meat. They get roughly 3 1/2 lbs once a day. The racers are fed after the race. 

The racers are checked

The dogs are checked to make sure the right dog is being entered for the race. Metal tags with the race number and post position are clipped to each collar. 

A rainy race day

John leads the dogs from the kennel area to the paddock. The day started out rainy, but it stopped before the races started. 

Off to the races

The kennel is pandemonium as the racers are collected from their crates and led out to the paddock for weigh in. 

The quiet before the storm

All the dogs are resting quietly shortly before race time. That all changes rapidly when the racers are prepared to weigh in.