What's New? (Last updated 7/3/10)

Left: Solo wears the blue.

• With the two "Ws" out of the way:  his Win and his Water, Solo will be buckling down to finish his championship this fall.  Granted, he will have to travel out of state -- probably far out of state -- to do so, with zero-one trials in our lovely home state of CA to enter, but nonetheless, we are up for the challenge!  
• Solo and I stopped in Minnesota on the way back from a business trip to Detroit so we could pick up the last spring field trial.   Although he didn't earn any frequent flyer miles (I keep asking those Delta representatives to do something about that!), he did garner first place in the Amateur Stakes at the Northern Minnesota field trial over a field of 40!   What fun we had in the refreshing cool weather, wide open courses, not to mention the luxury of shuttles to the line thanks to Dick Vermazen lending me his Polaris and Maddie Meyer making sure we got there on time.  We can't do that in CA because our grounds are mostly on state properties that prohibit ATVs on the fields.  We also completed two series of the Open, running alternating series with the Amateur, so with four contacts in the 3rd series on Sunday, not to mention four series worth on Saturday, Solo got his share of birds last weekend.  I think he missed birds since he hadn't been out on any since a trial first weekend of March. Thank you to the Haglins also for allowing  Solo to stretch out on their wonderful Pine Shadows grounds on Friday.   
• Enjoyed a spaniel get-together on with Zeus, Lily and their offspring Tre, Sage and Dixie, and owners in a local dog park, after a fun time at the Scripps Lake pond.  The frontpage photo of Solo was taken at the pond.  Plus the others below, all taken by Lori Lagudis.  Thank you John and Lori for organizing the "spaniel get-together."  At that time, we learned that Sage (pictured on far left below), along with owner Cynthia, were model citizens, providing a tip to the local police that helped lead to apprehension -- and ultimately conviction--of a notorious local criminal -- someone who inflammed the local San Diego community.    Way to go Sage and Cyndy!!!!!

Below, L-to-R: Sage, Tre, Lily (dam), Dixie, Zeus (sire), and Solo (half-bro to Lily)    Below:  Solo running along the shore (see duck in foreground)

Left:  Sage, Zeus (in water), and Tre

• Rolling Oaks Maximus, AKA "Max," the sire of Dina and Lily, completed his AFC with a win in Utah.    Congratulations to Bob Child for adding another champion to his dog career -- and woo-hoo! for us for selecting him as a sire to Dyna, producing some extremely biddable bird-finders who themselves have produced field trial stars Kona and Pete and other future competitors!! 
• Pete (Zeke x Dina) continued to gather many ribbons (mostly blues) throughout the Spring and seems headed to be the High Point puppy for the Western Interclub.  With his big stylish run, use of wind for great birdfinding and retrieving, the judges found him quite appealing.  Owner/handler Mike Leonetti didn't mind driving to Oregon, Utah and lots of CA trials in between to nail down the High Point.    (Will upload a photo of Zeke, Pete and Dina together at Porterville soon)
• Flash:  Kona won the Open Stakes at SoCal trial last weekend in Porterville last weekend -- and took 3rd in the Amateur Stakes the day before --- she is surely shining this Spring and much congratulations goes to owner Lois Hooker and handler/trainer Tom for the outstanding job they have done with her.   It reminded us of her sire Winston's performance in Porterville in '97 when he won the Open and took 2nd in the Amateur.     Winston went on to win the Open the following trial, Arrowhead and finish his FC in back-to-back trials -- wishing Kona luck towards the same!!! 
• Solo had more challenging situations than he's ever had in one trial -- finding about 5 extra birds on his way to retrieves in the Open at SoCal, but ended his day with a beautiful 100-yard retrieve.   We were proud he did not lose his head with all that happened and thankful we have such a dog that will never leave us without birds for the table!  
• Kona continues her winning ways with an Amateur 2nd place in the first field trial of the year, Antelope Valley Springer Spaniel Club.   We held the trial at San Jacinto Wildlife Area under challenging conditions, well actually under water almost....but the dogs that placed truly earned their placements.  
• Kona and Haylee's half-brother (out of Dina), Pete, owned and handled by Mike Leonetti won the Puppy Stakes at Antelope Valley also, his first field trial appearance. 
• Haylee's OFA exam came back with a good rating and her eyes CERF-ed (again) at age two.  http://www.offa.org/display.html?appnum=1375366#animal 
• Winston crossed the Rainbow Bridge on April 10th.  Letting go was so hard, but he lived such a long (16 years +!) and wonderful life. He left such a wonderful legacy in his offspring that we try to take comfort in that.   Still, his presence is profoundly missed and it truly feels like the end of an era.  See his tribute on his page, here. 
• Speaking of offspring, daughter Drumbeat in Murphy's Meadow (Haylee) completed another agility title and providing lots of fun and entertainment for owner Jenny Kroll in Indiana.....like delivering her dead moles, etc., ever the huntress.   Check out her beautifully marked tri-color face with the ribbons in the photo. 
• Haylee's littermate, Drumbeat Island Girl "Kona"  completed her Master Hunter title in MT at the May hunt tests.  On one of the day's only Kona and her kennelmate Lefty, both trained and handled by Tom Hooker, qualified with passing scores. 
• FC, AFC Surefire Major Winston turned sixteen today! Quite a long way from this little pup at right.  To celebrate, he dined on elk steak and went for a ride around the neighborhood in our new Polaris Ranger.  He was not overly impressed, but he did enjoy the ride and the bright, sunny day!   Can't believe it's been a year since his 15th birthday bash.  (See photo from that day below). Left to right:  Lily (granddaughter), Trey (great-grandson), Winston, and Zeus (son). 
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•   Kona wowed the judges and the gallery in her second all-age outing, taking 3rd place in the Amateur at the Arrowhead ESSC field trial in Porterville on Valentine's Day -- she showed a lot of heart by running the puppy stakes the same day and taking 4th --- all at 22 months of age!! Congratulations, Kona, Tom and Lois!  
• "Uncle" Solo finished the Open stakes with a bang on the 15th, but didn't garner a ribbon.    
• Milk-Bone's contest company finally contacted us to let us know that Solo did not win the Spokesdog contest....our consolation prize was a nifty digital camera with 15x optical zoom.    Given the huge number of entries, we are proud that he made the top 100 Finalists! 
• Winston is still padding around at almost 16 years of age, but his days are not long.   We are so happy his daughter Kona showed she will carry on after he is gone.  
• We are currently considering a spring breeding, please contact us for details.  
• Drumbeat's Island Girl "Kona" (FC, AFC Surefire Major Winston x Drumbeat Diamond Marquise) won her first puppy stakes entered on December 27th at Antelope Valley ESSC field trial held in Lakeview, CA with panache!    She also finished two series of the Amateur stake the same weekend.  And don't tell anyone that she finished her Senior Hunter in September at the WA state HT cluster.  That plus hunting at her owners' Tom and Lois Hooker's property in MT have kept Kona *very* busy:   Hunting, Hunt Tests, Field Trials, and of course laptime with Lois -- this girl can do it all.  

L-to-R: Kona at the hunt test in WA

• Drumbeat Haylee, littermate to Kona, owned and loved by Jenny Kroll in OH is enjoying an agility career.  Her first time out, she won three of her classes -- guess you could say she's a natural.   She also has a beautiful tri-color face and ever-happy demeanor.   Haylee also lives with two Weimeraners.   

Left: Haylee and her collection of "first-timers" ribbons

Left:  Ozzie (littermate to Kona and Haylee) and his haul, January '08 -- he was only 9 months old!  

• Solo and Diane were selected by a photo and essay submitted to reflect our favorite Milk-Bone Moment(TM).  We happened upon the Milk-Bone Moments(TM) tour earlier this year at the Wags for Wishes event in San Diego that benefits the Make-a-Wish Foundation.     Below is our entry photo and essay.   Please click on http://milkbone.icmodus.com/ to vote for us to

Check us out in the North County Times

• MAKE IT A FIELD-BRED SPRINGER THAT YOU KNOW  Solo was selected as one of the Finalists in the 100th Anniversary Milk-Bone Spokedog contest. We were selected by a photo and essay submitted to reflect our favorite Milk-Bone Moment(TM).  We happened upon the Milk-Bone Moments(TM) tour earlier this year at the Wags for Wishes event in San Diego that benefits the Make-a-Wish Foundation.     Below is our entry photo and essay.   Please click on http://milkbone.icmodus.com/ to vote for us to be the winning team for 2009!   You can vote to support us once a day through November 18th!!!     Thank you in advance for your support!   
• Vote at http://milkbone.icmodus.com/  

  Milk-Bone Moments End With a Hug 

  Milk-Bone moments go best with Solo, my naturally exuberant English Springer Spaniel.  Solo was named for many reasons:  first he “sang opera” to announce his arrival in this world; secondly, he was the only puppy in his litter and thirdly, because he is single-minded in pursuit of that which pleases him. His happy demeanor makes life more fun! From our morning bike rides to playing fetch at the lake to watching TV (my 50-pound lapdog) to commands well-performed for a treat, we share many moments together.  

  Solo gladly shared his most recent box of Milk-Bones with his fellow spaniel Spencer, who taught him how to knock the box off the pantry shelf for easier access.  Quick-study that Solo is, I had to move the box up one shelf to prevent Milk-Bone overload.     Everyday life is full of humor around Solo.   With his innate retrieving instinct, he often carries unexpected objects around the house.  One day he picked up a rattan wastebasket so that it covered his head like a lampshade – but the lack of vision didn’t slow this “party boy” down one bit. 

  When the laughter subsides, our Milk-Bone moments always seem to end with a hug as shown in our photo at the Wags for Wishes stop of the Milk-Bone tour.  Because of his natural exuberance, I sometimes don’t know what Solo will do next.   However, there is no question that it will brighten my day.  And that’s what makes it a Milk-Bone Moment™.  

• Drumbeat's Streakin' Zeke has been racking up placements in the Midwest with an Amateur 2nd at Illinois and Amateur 3rd at West Allis trials....he's headed East to Ohio for the NAC in early December with owner/handler Mike Leonetti.     With Zeke's consistency and style, we hope this is Zeke's year to take it all!!!  

  

   

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• Winston's PRA-DNA test results came back today and he is normal, meaning he is 1) not affected and 2) not a carrier.  

 Look closely for Spencer in the middle right on his last quail hunt in Nov 06 in Ridgecrest, CA. 

Top Row L-to-R: Summer '06, March '95, October '96, November '97, December '06 with Winston, July '07 with Zinya, Ocober '01

Bottom Row: L-to-R: February '97, November '97, March '99 (First Place Amateur, Green Valley ESSC field trial, handled by Tony)

• 8/3/08: Our spunky, smart and stylish boy Spencer always did things quickly, and he passed away this morning the same way -- swiftly, only two days after manifesting signs of a splenic tumor.  Since he had two tumors, one mild & one of moderate degree, removed from two different legs over the past year, we knew he had internal tumors, too, but hoped they were just the benign, fatty tumors.   Rather than put him through another surgery at his advanced age of 13.5 years, we elected to alleviate his symptoms, and let him go.  He spent the past two days close to my side, especially to enjoy the venison steak I cooked for him, which he relished with tail wagging at lightspeed.   His happy nature tempered by disease, he still maintained his polite nature while begging for Milkbones last night.  As tough as he was in the field, he was always glad to dress up in a Santa suit every Christmas, enjoying the attention and photo sessions. Godspeed, my friend, I'm sure you're running again as fast as you did in your youth -- faster than any other Springer this earth has seen.   
• Dina (Drumbeat Diamond Marquise) had a litter by Zeke (Drumbeat's Streakin' Zeke) whelped 5.28.08.  Click here to see the pedigree. This was done via one chilled semen insemination and resulted in four pups, although one female died shortly after birth, probably due to lung aspiration.   The remaining pups -- two males and a female -- are doing great, having just turned six weeks.   
• Left:  Lily, Trey, Winston and Zeus celebrate the old guy's birthday!  (read dogs go wild!)
• Winston celebrated his 15th birthday (3/31/08) with three generations of offspring and some of his favorite humans, too ;-).  He loved his presents and shared treats with all, including dessert -- but he wanted to lick everyone's plate when they were done---LOL!   Click here for some video of dessert time.   There will truly never be another dog like Winston in our lives, but we have been fortunate to enjoy him for so many years.  He still likes to go for a walk, although he doesn't move too fast most of the time -- but sometimes he gets energized -- like today when he was walking around a pond filled with ducks -- next thing you know the old guy was splashing through the water, although I kept him in the shallows with a leash.   
• Spencer was diagnosed with a nerve sheath tumor -- a lump that was removed from his right front ankle last Saturday -- and he is wearing a cast to keep the lower leg immobile so the stitches can heal.  He's taking it like a trooper -- even wearing a plastic baggie over the cast in our rainy weather.  
• Dyna's memorial tree flowered white blooms starting a couple weeks ago and her memorial red roses are budding nicely, they should produce a beautiful array of blooms starting sometime this month.  We still miss her more than words can express.
• Dyna departed this earth on 4/2/06.  We are deeply saddened by our loss, and grateful for everyone's kind sentiments.  Click here to read a partial tribute.  I say partial as there are many volumes to write on her.  We planted a Aristocrat pear tree (which has pretty white flowers) in her honor in the front yard.  She joined us right after we moved into this house, and her presence remains here in many ways.  Some beautiful red roses have joined the front garden to symbolize her red collar (they are the new "Black Cherry" variety -- a strong, dark red). 

Above:  Three Generations: Solo, son of Dyna; Winston; Dyna, daughter of Winston. Nov.'05

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