Kirislin

all you other Iggies better start training 'cause Neko's got a head start on you. :laugh: Baby can RUN!! by kirislin, on Flickr

Yes IGs are recognised as sighthounds for lure coursing. The list is: Afghan Hound, Azawakh, Borzoi, Greyhound, Ibizan Hound, Irish Wolfhound, Pharaoh Hound, Saluki, Scottish Deerhound, Sloughi, Whippet, and Italian Greyhound + Basenji and RRs.

I wonder if IGs will be recognised as sighthounds in this case. They are in other countries but here they're classed as toys.

I can say for sure that when we first started doing it privately we had close to NFI! Fortunately no harm was done, but now we've done it a lot more and have done a lot more research I can tell a good one from a bad one and some of the stuff we used to do makes me cringe a bit. All I can say is that people should ask questions, someone who knows what they are doing won't find it difficult to give specific answers about specific concerns. I hope you'll get involved in lure driving, it is a real skill too and if you've already done it for greyhounds you'll be one step ahead :) thanks for being so honest, this is what I wondered and I'm glad you've learned from it with no harm to the dogs. I suspect there's other courses set up out there that dont have your knowledge. This is one reason why I haven't pushed for coursing in the club I'm involved in. We run a straight line drag and even that carries risk, mainly bumper injuries with the sliding stops. I'd love to get involved, I miss lure driving, I was good at it. I dont know if there's any basic "rules" for coursing lure drivers. With professional greyhound racing the lure is supposed to be between 5 and 8 metres in front of the leading dog. There's quite a skill in doing that, especially where I used to drive on a straight track so was looking at dogs coming out of the boxes almost head on and almost 300 mts away from me. If they need a driver in Vic I'm willing to have a go.

thanks :D Actually my minds been active lately thinking about leatherwork but not collars, something else. If I make something I'll post photos of it

Lure coursing is not risk free, but there are ways to set up turns and courses to minimise the risk of injury in a fit, well conditioned hound. Very sharp corners should not be used because not even hares and rabbits jink the way some courses are set up. Corners are not put in just to suit the field, the track is laid with a view to minimising injury and maximising performance - so, for example, there is usually a combination of long stretches and shorter stretches with turns to test the five things lure coursing judges are looking for: Agility, Endurance, Speed, Enthusiasm & Follow. When setting the track allowance also has to be made for the terrain and the weather conditions. We are using the guidelines for course design published by the American Sighthound Field Association, unfortunately this document isn't publicly available because ASFA keeps a tight hold on its copyright but I think there are other articles online which talk about the good, the bad and the ugly of course design. One thing I will mention is that injury risk is heightened if the dogs are unfit and/or overweight just as it is in sports like agility. This is a really taxing sport, and no matter how good the course design, if the dog is not fit and strong, the likelihood of injury will go up. Yep, I understand the risks of injury in any dog, but more so, an unfit dog (I successfully raced whippets for years and was a professional greyhound lure driver) but I have wondered about the course design at some events. Whether the person setting it up really knows what they're doing. I couldn't say I'd recognise a good design from a bad one. I'm not criticising the lure coursing being recognised as a sport, in fact I'm pretty thrilled about it. That's unfortunate the ASFA doesn't want to share their course info. You'd think in the interests of dog safety and the promotion of the sport they'd be happy to.

I wonder if hot spots are similar to rain scald on a horse. Horses can get some pretty yucky skin infections under thick winter coats. They get all pussy and the hair peels off. They look disgusting and are painful, but once you wash them with an idodine based shampoo they clear up really quickly. That's what I'd be inclind to do with that if if came up on one of my dogs.

something I've wondered about with lure coursing is the way the turns are set up. Do the course setters try to mimic how a hare or rabbit really jinks or do they just put corners in to suit the field and if so is there more or less likelihood of a dog being injured by the way the course is designed as compared to if they were chasing live game? I also worry about the line and pulleys at the corners. Do dogs injure themselves much on them. I've only ever tried on whippet on lure coursing and she was so good she took the driver by surprise and caught the lure several times. That was my (now departed) Penny who was a very successful racing whippet and naturally very agile.

My sister did, but only thoroughbreds. She always dreamed of having a champion racehorse. I think she had at least 7 foals including Pagan but I was the only one who crossed her with a pony. I just wanted a beautiful riding horse.

I dont have any current foal photos. This is a photo of a photo, the original taken way back in Sept 1984 the very day my beautiful Pagan was born. That's her with her mother, an ex racehorse called "Lady Cynthia" her sire was an Australian Pony stallion called Koorana Chief who was himself sired by one of the most famous Australian Ponies, Llowllyn Silver Chief. I still clearly remember the morning I went up to check on them. I'd gone up sometime around midnight and she hadn't been born and I was up there bright and early the next morning, it was just light so at that time of year maybe around 6am ish and I couldn't believe I could see an extra pair of legs. I called to the mare and she called back and her tiny unnamed foal also mimicked her, in her little foals voice. I went up and patted Cynthia and touched the babys bottom and saw it was a filly, which is what I'd been hoping for and I ran back to the car crying with joy and excitement wanting to tell everyone at home. We had some friends staying the night as well as my sister and I ran in the house yelling that she's born and burst into the guests room thinking it was my sisters room but it was the other guests who were just in the throes of passion and must have been very startled. I just slammed the door and went on yelling till I found who I wanted to tell. :laugh: Pagan and Lady Cynthia by kirislin, on Flickr Pagan grew into the most beautiful mare with a calm kind temperament and absolutely the most perfect hack. We've been on so many amazing adventures together, and she has shaped my life. Pagan photo taken April 1993 by kirislin, on Flickr

I have a friend with a little dog with odd ears. It's Iggy Mums Peanut. She is loved regardless. Peanut by kirislin, on Flickr

beautiful. I love Andalusians. Do you ride any of them?

I'd like to, but I dont. Sometimes wonderful coincidences happen though.

the Prodigal Collar returns. I made this collar almost 10 years ago, sold it on ebay for a reasonable amount at the time and donated the proceeds to charity. I always knew where the collar went but as it was the only one I've made of cow hide I thought about it a bit and wondered if it had been used as I knew the buyer didn't have a whippet. This thread has brought it out of the woodwork and the original owner has very kindly sent it back to me. I wont be putting it up for sale again. :D It's almost as it was when I sold it, only Tag the original model has aged. Thankyou Perrin. 5F6A6749dppt by kirislin, on Flickr 5F6A6746dppt by kirislin, on Flickr 5F6A6745dppt by kirislin, on Flickr

beautiful BEAUTIFUL photo!!

about the only things mine dont seem to like are mushrooms and celery, but I'm sure they'd eat both of them cooked. Mine even love the left over salad dressing I make that is very lemony and garlicky. Any of the brassica family is always eaten with pleasure, especially the thick stalks of things like broccoli and hard ribs of cabbage leaves.

I would love a macadamia tree in my backyard but cannot plant one simply because of my dogs. They'd eat them for sure, they eat every thing else around here. They love fruit. I used to buy the cheap juicing apples from the local orchard by the box and just leave it outside for them to help themselves. Now I have 2 apple trees here myself, but I dont expect to get to eat many, they're little tiny hard green lumps at the moment and Tag is already stealing them. here's Kibah after enjoying some watermelon Watermelon lips by kirislin, on Flickr Puck eating pineapple Puck by kirislin, on Flickr My darling Penny trying to work out how to get the nectarines that are caught in the net Penny by kirislin, on Flickr brute force is called for Penny: Nectarine thief by kirislin, on Flickr Penny: Nectarine thief by kirislin, on Flickr Penny: Nectarine thief by kirislin, on Flickr Tag knows how to pick blackberries IMG_8322dppt by kirislin, on Flickr IMG_8320dpp by kirislin, on Flickr Watch out for the prickles Taggy IMG_8321dpp by kirislin, on Flickr

Well, at least you cannot fault their customer service. They are offering you a refund, that's a good thing.

I think if it was me I'd take up their very fair offer of a full refund in this case.

$45!!!!! No spirit of Christmas with that company. After reading the response from the company I apologise for the above comment too. I'd delete it but it's been quoted further down so no point.

Neko the trend setter. Trend setter, new fashion. by kirislin, on Flickr

I thought if they're not showing symptoms they'll be OK. I'm so glad we dont have them where I live.

I think it looks cool. It's Feathers collar, and Feathers only got a tiny neck herself but it fits easily 'round Nekos teensy tiny waist. Looks a bit Billy Idolish dont you think :laugh:

her owner might be a dag but Neko is a trend setting style icon. 5F6A6735dppt by kirislin, on Flickr 5F6A6742dppt by kirislin, on Flickr

Sure if you dont want it anymore. I know it fits Tag :D I'll pay for the postage if you like.