My first Italian Greyhound was a little girl given to me as a gift in 1993, whom I named Allegra (aka Leggy). She was a tiny little thing, only about 7 pounds! Several years later, Bullet became part of my household. He was such a funny little guy! He was a year old when I got him, born on the 4th of July. (We joke that when the fireworks went off his mother jumped and out came the puppies!) I called him the YoYo because he never simply walked when on a leash, he boinged! About every other boing wrapped him in the leash, then he'd unwind on the way down like a spent yoyo.
After a while, we moved to Virginia. I really wanted him to have a friend, and I'd heard that IGs liked "their own kind," and so Oreo came to live with me. He was my first show dog. Our first two shows were nerve wracking, since neither one of us knowing a darn thing about showing...but Oreo still managed to win Reserve Winner's Dog to a 5 point major both days! Sadly, soon after we lost all competition in our area and I ran into physical problems which put a premature end to his show career.
Years went by. I moved back to Utah and became involved with IGCA Rescue as their Utah representative. Working with rescue has been one of the most difficult, but most rewarding things I've ever done. It's so hard to see the foster iggies come in when they've been abused or neglected, and it's so hard to see them go after I've watched them blossom into their own little unique selves and come to love them! But, seeing the joy in the faces of their new family, and seeing the way they dote on their new fur baby makes it all worth it! I try to keep in contact with my adoptive families and we sometimes get together for playdays.
More time went by. I'd come back around to a place in my life where I really wanted to get back into showing, so adding another IG to my little pack seemed the next step. I'd kept an eye on the different kennels showing over the years, so I had a good idea who I'd like to talk to, but since my focus had been on rescue all those years, not showing, I didn't know anyone personally. I sent emails to several breeders who I admired, and filled out the questionnaire for several of them. One, Pat Anders of BelCanto IGs, had some beautiful dogs so I filled out her form, even though she was all the way in Virginia. I hoped that she'd be able to steer me toward a breeder closer to me, since I doubted she'd want to work with someone so far from her. Well, Pat and I hit it off, and she offered me a pup from CH Marchwind BelCanto Tia Maria! I was flattered! Enter Isabetta, my crazy, wonderful little girl. She's been a hoot! Though she has a bit of the diva in her, she's been a wonderful companion nonetheless. Full of wild play and silly quirks, she brings life into my house of little old boys (Bullet was 13yo and Oreo 10yo when I got her). Pat's been such a wonderful person to work with, and I consider her not "just" Issy's breeder, but a friend.
The future? I hope to continue to show Issy and other IGs. There's the possibility of breeding someday, if all goes well. I also would like to introduce the younger ones to the joys of lure coursing, and perhaps agility.
Anyway, thanks for listening to my little tale. Please feel free to contact me if you'd like to talk iggies!
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