It's a beautiful day in Ohio! Mom and I just went on a spectacular walk around Loveland. We saw BUNNIES! I was almost too exhausted to chase them, though. I had a very big day yesterday (refer to my schedule). We participated in the Milford Frontier Days Parade! I was such a huge hit! I walked with all of Mom's little tumblers from the dance studio. They were flippin' and floppin' down the street, but I was definitely the star of the show. People from the crowd yelled,"Wow, look at the greyound," and "nice dalmation," and "that dog needs some food!" Mom and I just nodded our heads politely. It will be our little secret that I'm a whippet.

Here I am getting petted by a Daisy troop. Nothing like 12 little hands giving me a full body massage! That's the life!

Tommorrow I'm going to Lebannon to do some WRA racing! Sooooo excited. I know...I'm a little slow. But I don't care. I just want to have a good time!

-Lacey

It's been a while...

Hi, blog world! It's been a few months since my last post. As you know, it's Bunny Season, and this girl is quite busy chasin' trash bags! Here's where we've been:

First, we spent the weekend in Fairborn, Ohio at the OKIGO ASFA trial. I was on my best behavior at the line. When I was a little younger, I used to throw fits at the line (see photo below). In my career, I've broke someone's nose, ripped someone's pants off, tore my Dad's shirt, inflicted serious damage to a woman's thumb, and left numerous bumps, bruises, and claw marks on many, many legs. As I get older, I've learned to use my energy more wisely. Instead of wasting it at the line, I use it to cheat on the field. Anyway, we had fun our first weekend out.

Photo by Shot on Site

The next weekend we went on a Road Trip to Michigan with our friends, Charlene and Pat, and their whippets Lucy (my niece) and Turbo (my brother). We got to stay in a fancy hotel called the Red Roof Inn. We had fun jumping from bed to bed, but the best part of our trip was definitely the bunny chasing!

We coursed at the Raisin River Rhodesian Ridgeback Club's AKC trial. The course was set over a rolling field, and Madden did not like the hills. She chose to run around them instead of over them, costing her some serious points. Lucy and Allie had great weekends, though. Here's Lucy running for Best in Field! Lucy is now an AKC Field Champion after 3 weekends out.

Lucy and Allie are having a wonderful year on the field!

Next, we headed back to Fairborn, Ohio for the OKIGO AKC trial. Mom had a wedding to go to, so she sent only Allie to run on Saturday, while the rest of us arrived on Sunday. Boy did we miss a big day for Allie. She placed 1st in her flight for a 5-point-major! Now she has a total of 12 points, 2 second places and 1 first place. All she needs now is another first place major and she'll be a Field Champion! We are so proud of little Allie. She goes nuts over that bunny, and Mom loves to watch her run! On Sunday, I was well-behaved at the line again. I've matured into a polite little lady, haven't I?

Along with lure coursing, I've kept busy with quite a few other projects this spring. I've been keeping up on my therapy dog work at Cedar Village Nursing Home and Ronald McDonald House. My brother, Wager, also passed his Delta Society Pet Partner test, and will soon be visiting the library! Mom took him for ice cream after his exam. She forgot to bring some home for me. Below is their "team photo " taken at Bethesda North Hospital.

Mmmm...ICE CREAM!

I've been also helping out A TON at the dance studio. Mom's been extremely busy preparing for the annual recital, and I help out whenever needed! Just last week I worked with the photographers to help them pose the children for dance pictures! I ended up with lipstick on my butt, but I had lots of fun with the little Ballerinas! Hopefully when the recital is over, Mom will have more time to help me type this blog. I miss sharing my adventures with everyone online!


Yesterday, Mom and Dad took us to our local Memorial Day Parade. I love parades. Next week, I will be participating in the Milford Frontier Day Parade with Mom's dance studio. Afterwards, we have an ice cream party. Can't wait!

Well, the rain has stopped and the sun is shining this morning, and I must get out and roll in some worm guts before they all dry out! Talk to you later!

-Lacey

Hi, everyone! I took a little vacation from blogging after my big obedience debut (gone bad). Mom's been so busy sewing dance costumes that she hasn't been able to type for me! Here's a picture of us hounds helping our mom make some tutus. Aren't we helpful? We're such a great team.

Only one more month until Bunny Chasin' season starts up!

Mom says we have to get back to the sewing machine if we want to have all of these costumes done by this afternoon. Talk to ya later! -Lacey

I'm back from my winter of discontent. It's been snowy, icy, and just treacherous outside for the past two weeks! And to make matters worse, Mom's been sewing dance costumes instead of napping with me and my fellow hounds. Ugh. But this week it will be in the mid-sixties, and my spirits are up! We went on a wonderful walk today.

I'm sure you're all wondering how my big obedience show went on Saturday. I bet you're also wondering if I won a new squeaky toy, right? Well, I got a little nervous. Really nervous. And Mom couldn't "talk me up" like in rally. I wanted out of that ring. So I left. Yup. Went right over to my Dad and jumped on his lap. I guess I didn't qualify, because I know I didn't come home with a squeaky.

Mom wasn't so happy, and made me come back in the ring to finish. I did pretty good through the off-lead and figure-eight. I even did good on the sit stay and down stay. But I sure wasn't happy. Mom's trying to figure out what got into my little head that made me so scared. I'll never tell her. I'm a quirky little girl, and my mind is very complex.

Mom said she was proud of me for finishing, and she also said we are taking a break from obedience and going back to rally for a while. I like rally better, anyways.

Oh, and do you know what I like best? Bunny Chasing! Yup. The snow melted, so Bunny Chasing must be right around the corner! Pack the car up and get my toes taped, it's almost Spring! -Lacey

Dear Dad,

Thanks for leaving an entire package of DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES on the counter within my reach. After going to the vet this morning to get my sore neck checked out, I was a little hungry, and they were just what I needed to get feelin' better. I hope you didn't want me to leave you any. I'm sure you didn't. They were all for me, right? Oh, I'll be right back. Mom's calling me.

Mom just gave me a little something to drink. It was very carbonated. Oh wait, my stomach's feeling a little queasy. Be right back.

Hey Dad, you know how you like to recycle? Well, I recycled your DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES! Yup. They're all sitting in 4 little piles in the kitchen. Most are still intact! I was going to eat them again, because I know how you wanted me to have them. But Mom said no, we should put them in a baggie and leave them for you, Dad.

Can't wait for you to get home from work! You're the best!

Sincerely,

Your Lacey-Doodle

Have you ever woke up on the wrong side of the crate? I sure did yesterday. It's been soooo chilly-willy here in Cincinnati, Ohio (the coldest January since '77, actually), and i need to burrow deep in my blankets at night to keep warm. Well, yesterday I burrowed a little too deep and couldn't get out. I was twisted up like a pretzel! The next thing I know, I've got a kink in my neck! Ouchie!

Since the incident, I can only turn my head to the right. Sometimes I forget and turn to the left to look at mom or look for cats, and then I quickly remember that LEFT HURTS! I let out a loud yelp! My human parents and canine family come runnin' to make sure I'm OK.

Mom took me to the vet. He thinks I'll live. He did give me a big shot of cortisone in the butt, though! I hope I feel better soon, because I have a HUGE obedience show next week. Well, maybe not huge, but it's a big deal for me! There's a possibility that I will win a new squeaky toy! I rarely win them on the field anymore. The judges just don't like my style of "lure cheating."

Have a good week! -Lacey

Happy Monday everyone! Wow, I had a busy weekend. Saturday morning, it was back to obedience class after a six-month vacation. Mom said it was like riding a bike, and she was right. Most of my mad skills came right back. It's great because Mom signed me up for an obedience show on February 7th.

Saturday afternoon I was in the middle of a nap (boy was I tired from my class), and Mom woke me up. She said it was time to go down to Ronald McDonald House and spread some whippet cheer! Even though I was tired and would have rather stayed curled up on Dad's lap, I got my vest and coat on, and headed downtown. The visit was rather uneventful until....I BARFED! Yup. I shot chunks all over the new tile floor (and a little on my Rottweiler friend, Ursa). It was terribly embarrassing, but when you gotta barf, you gotta barf. Mom took me home, and I was back to bed.

Sunday I was feeling better. Mom was in a crazy mood. We went to the dance studio. She worked on costumes, and I worked on my down-stays and sit-stays. Mom had all of her students sit in front of me to make sure I didn't move! It was great practice for our show coming up!

One of mom's youngest tumbling teams is doing a routine as the Wizard of Oz Munchkins. After much contemplation, Mom decided that the Munchkins needed sparkly bonnets. Here's her first prototype on her best-looking model (myself). It's amazing what you can do with a sewing machine, a glue gun, green tulle, purple sequins, foam, wire, cardboard, and some sparkly stretch crushed velvet. Gosh, I'm cute! -Lacey

I'm feeling sparkly today. No, it's not what I ate for breakfast...it's my new coursing blankets! Mom's been making a lot of dance costumes lately, and she had some extra fabric to make us some bling-bling blankets. Here's me in pink:

The Front:

The Back:

And the Bottom:

And here's Allie-Bean in Blue (She was busy playing "COD" with Dad to get up and pose):

Is it coursing season yet? -Lacey

Hello everyone, and good morning. As a Canine Good Citizen, one of my most important duties is to make sure my humans are not late for work. By "work," I mean feeding us hounds. We need to be fed at the crack of dawn. We're busy hounds, and need full tummies so we can play with squeakies, chase bunnies, walk to the park, bark at cats, and take naps. In the video below, I will show you how my "canine alarm clock" works. As you can see, I start the barking; Wager joins in with some growls; Allie jumps up and down on Mom's belly; and Kayla is under the covers yipping and chewing on Mom's toes. It works like a charm! -Lacey

Good morning, World! It's Lacey again. I made sure to wake the humans up extra early so I can get started on my blog entry. We had a late night yesterday. The Dog Whisperer was on all night, and one episode even had whippets! My dad loves to watch that show. I swear he thinks he's Ceasar or something. This morning, he even practiced "calm assertiveness" and made me and the hounds sit in the living room while he and Mom ate breakfast! It was absolutely ridiculous! If it were Mom, she'd let us sit on her lap and eat off her plate. We must stop National Geographic from airing this show. It is very detrimental to our well-being. He did, however, reward us with a big plate of leftover scrambled eggs. Off on a walk! Later. -Lacey

Hello, World. It's Lacey here! Mom finally let me get a blog. I've been asking for one for a while now. All of my friends at obedience class have one! I bet you all are wondering who I am. Well, I'll tell you. I'm a little 5-year-old (almost 6, but who's counting) whippet girl. I live in Cincinnati, Ohio with my mixed-species family. My human mom is Catherine. She's a dance teacher. She likes to do leaps all over the house. My human dad's name is Rom. He does not do leaps all over the house (thankfully), but he does love video games!

Then there are my canine brother and sisters. First, there's Kayla Wiggles. She's a Super-Mutt! By "super-mutt" I mean "super-weird-looking." She actually has two different sized ears! Then, there's Wager the Whippet. He's a goofy old show whippet. He doesn't even chase bunnies! What a goof! Madden's my little sister. She's a daddy's girl, and a lazy-bones. That's why my human parents call her "Bones" most of the time. My little sis sure is a Champion Couch Napper! As of last October, she's also an ASFA Champion Fake Bunny Chaser (aka Field Champion). Last, there's my very own granddaughter, Allie-Bean. Well, her name's just Allie, but we think it's too short. Allie-Bean sounds better. Allie only lives with us part of the year, thank goodness. She is a nut-ball. She's got more energy than a firecracker! She sure does love to chase the bunny. She definitely got that from me.

Now that I've told you about my family, I bet you are wondering why (human) Mom let me have a blog and not my sisters and brother. I'll be honest. It's because I'm so smart. Yes, I'm a smarty-pants. Sometimes, I hear Mom tell people that me being so smart is not necessarily a good thing, but I just can't figure out why. What's the matter with tactfully organizing a mission to get the entire container of chocolate chip cookies off the counter and into the living room without making a sound? Mom's hoping that this blog will be a great creative outlet for me. Also, I think she wanted me to start a blog so all of her friends can log on and read about how great I am, and all of the exciting things I get to do. I am a ASFA Field Champion, a Delta Society Pet Partner, a Canine Good Citizen, a rally dog, an obedience dog, and a very, very fast race dog. Well, that last part may not be entirely true (unless you're comparing me to a beagle), but I do love to race!

Well, I'd better get back to my nap. Talk to you later! -Lacey