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| Judging 'Best of Breed' for Cirneco Dell'Etna |
I am totally not ready for a dog just yet. My back yard isn't fenced, and I'm not sure I'm up for dog walking just now. Even if I were ready to find my next doggie, my favorite breed - Afghan Hound - was not one of the many breeds represented at the Hurricane Ridge Kennel Club dog show. So I contented myself with staring longingly at happy pups and pondering which ones I'd take as a pet if push came to shove (Border Terrier puppies), and which one's I'd be more inclined to send to live in a farm 'up state' (any of the 'bully' breeds).
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| Cirneco Dell'Etna |
Shortly after arriving at the show, I spotted a couple of ladies standing by some sighthounds. I asked them if I was looking at Pharaoh Hounds. I was told, I was looking at Cirneco Dell'Etnas - a breed totally new to me. The Dell'Etna's resembled slightly smaller Pharoah Hounds. Later in the day a bit of research revealed they are Sicilian sight hounds (my favorite dog type) and they are sparse as hen's teeth in the U.S.A. Cool seeing a dog breed that is totally new to me.
I spotted another strange dog and asked the owner if the dog was a Spinone, and was tickled that I was correct in my ID. The dog was a beautiful cream color and sooo very sweet, a joy to fuss over.
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| "Italian Spinone', a dog breed, not a type of soft serve ice cream |
I had my eyes open specifically for any sight hound breeds. What I love about them is they are rather cat-like, as opposed to being all slavishly up in your business 24/7 as are other breeds such as Labradors. Ugh! I've had a Whippet and an Afghan and they were totally wonderful.
What else was at the show? You just name it!
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| Mastiff |
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| Saint Bernard - WAY the hell larger than I remember... |
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| The opposite of gigantic - the Japanese Chin |
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| Cute Basenji - an African hunting hound (A sight hound!) |
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| Flat-Coated Retriever (I first learned of their existence in Scotland) |
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| Clumber Spaniel - the only spaniel breed that traditionally hunts in packs |
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| A Droop of Bassets |
This little cutie to the left is a Cane Corso puppy. I was surprised how cute the pup was, and sad that in America its still OK to chop off puppy tails and slice up puppy ears. I'm happy that at least in the UK, dogs are not sliced & diced so over there, for example, you can see Rottweilers and Boxers with tails and Great Danes & Doberman Pinchers with full, floppy ears. I will get off of my soap box now.
There were a zillion other breeds on hand for me to gawk at: Borzoi, Standard Poodles, Britany Spaniels, Border Terriers (Puppies, soooo cute!), Mini Pins, and such. Viewing all these dogs has put me on a firm path to getting my backyard fenced so I can have a dog of my own to parade around. Afghan Pup, I'm coming to get 'cha!
