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The Beginning of Raindance IGs
Piper was the dog that started the “madness” which is my obsession
with Italian Greyhounds. I had always dreamt of owning a sighthound
some day - their flowing lines, sweeping curves, elegance, and
gentle nature was something that appealed to me ever since I was
first introduced to them - I had to have one! After years of
admiration and sufficient research, I decided that the IG was to be
my next endeavor. I acquired Piper in
February of 2000 with hopes of
dabbling in the show ring with me at the end of the leash (I had
previously shown Dobermans, but they were shown by professional
handlers, so I had very little ring experience). I was pleasantly
surprised to find that, despite my limited handling abilities at the
time, Piper and I were quite successful in the ring. Prior to
getting my first IG the thought of breeding had never entered my
head, and probably never would have if I had started out with any
other dog than Piper - who has so many extraordinary qualities and
who epitomizes the phrase “of ideal elegance and grace.” Piper truly
was the start of many great things.
Successes
Above: My
dogs doing what they do best, stealing food from people.
Here are
Brooke (in lap) and Madison (on floor) trying to con one of our guests
(Christmas 2005) into believing
they don't get fed!
I am the breeder and/or owner of several AKC Champions, Canadian
Champions, Group Placers in the U.S. and Canada, Nationally ranked
in Breed & All Breed points in the U.S. and Canada; have had several
dogs invited to the AKC/Eukanuba Invitational/Tournament of
Champions, and plenty of other various wins/achievements. As of
late I’ve also started my involvement in lure coursing with a fair
amount of success - despite my limited knowledge/experience of the
sport - with hopefully
more good things to come.
But most importantly, my dogs are my pets
and I spend virtually all of my free time with them - and I wouldn’t
have it any other way.
Breeding Philosophy
My main goals as a breeder and dog owner are to be able to
consistently produce dogs with the qualities I feel are essential to
the ideal Italian Greyhound in my interpretation of the standard -
while at the same time striving to avoid producing health problems
(and reducing incidence if/when possible) and maintain correct,
sound Italian Greyhound temperament/personality. Health testing (at
minimum: current CERF eye exam, OFA patella, and Thyroid function
level) is done on all dogs in consideration for breeding in addition
to extensive pedigree/family tree analysis to ensure reasonable
compatibility between sire and dam. While nothing concerning health
problems at this time is in “black and white” until we have some DNA
tests available, I do feel that we should at least take advantage of
the few tests
 we have available to us - it certainly wouldn’t hurt
to have that information for future reference. I do my absolute best
to make breeding decisions with health in mind. My dogs can all be
individually searched/verified for health tests submitted (meeting OFA requirements) at http://www.offa.org
My motivation for breeding is not for money, but rather for my love
of the breed. I only breed litters when I would like to keep
something from the prospective litter and think that the combination
will have something positive to offer the breed and/or my breeding
program, I do not breed to “fill orders” for those demanding puppies
- nor do I have many puppies to sell often. I do not have “thoughts
of grandeur” when it comes to breeding - so many are obsessed with
numbers and records that they no longer can see the “whole picture.”
I would rather see my puppies sit on someone’s couch as a beloved
pet than go off to be a “show dog” and make “another champion” for
my kennel name and end up being one of many dogs that is later
forgotten once a “new” show dog comes along for its owner. When it
comes to showing, if I feel the puppy is “SO NICE” that it HAS to be
shown - I show it myself! (that was one of the reasons of breeding
the litter, right? To keep the best?) I have no desire to see 2nd,
3rd, 4th “Best” etc of a litter leaving my home and going on to make
families of their own for many reasons, so everything not kept by me
(for the most part) is already spayed/neutered before leaving here -
it is included in the cost - saves the new owner the trouble of
having to have it done, and it saves me the worry of wondering when
it will be done and hoping/praying that the dog doesn’t somehow get
bred before it’s altered. Everyone wins! Because of this, it’s
probably pretty unlikely that anyone will ever see any “Raindance
dog” appearing in pedigrees frequently across the country (or globe)
- and I’d like to keep it this way.
I am ALWAYS more than happy to "talk dogs" (my favorite subject)
with anyone interested, feel free to drop me an email if you ever
have a question or just want to chat!
raindanceshowdog@aol.com
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