In the Mail

Got a letter from the American Kennel Club today.

And a little padded envelope held something inside!

It was this medallion!

The letter:

RE: GCH CH GLENAMADDA STARKEEPER LIBERTY

"Congratulations to you and your dog for completing the new AKC Grand Champion title!

"The American Kennel Club is proud of your accomplishment and wants to recognize your dog as one of the first 10 Grand Champion title holders in its breed ...

"In honor of this distinction, the American Kennel Club is pleased to award you with a special AKC Medallion to commemorate your dog's place in AKC history ...

"Your dog's name will also be listed on the AKC website for its accomplishment.

As a Grand Champion, your dog will be automatically invited to attend the 2011 AKC/Eukanuba National Championship."

WOW! Miss Liberty is one of the first 10 Irish Wolfhounds in the history of the breed to win an AKC Grand Champion title!

Thank you to her breeders, Susan Prokopenko (Glenamadda) and Jocelyne Gagne (Starkeeper), and thank you to our handlers, Bill Buell and Erin Hines.

Grand Champion

AKC has recorded our Miss Liberty's wins and she is now officially our first GRAND CHAMPION!

SEE AKC GCH RANKINGS HERE

Show Hound

Two more shows, two more Best of Breed wins for Liberty.

Thank you to Judge Mr. Ralph M. Lemcke at the San Gabriel Valley Kennel Club show and Judge Mr. James E. Frederiksen at Antelope Valley Kennel Club.

Wahoo, Liberty!

We believe our Fourth of July firecracker, Miss Liberty, finished her AKC GRAND CHAMPION title with a Best of Breed win on Oct. 30 at the Kennel Club of Riverside show at Lake Perris, CA.

She then went on to win Hound Group 2!

With deep appreciation we thank our breed and group judge, Mrs. Lowell K. (Arlene) Davis.

The following day, Oct. 31, she won Best of Breed again.

Thank you to our judge, Mr. Walter Pinsker.

And on Nov. 1 she celebrated Halloween a bit late ...

Treat, check.

As for Trick:

Time to toilet-paper the living room!

Liberty

© John Mechalas

Handler Bill Buell with Liberty at Lompoc.

Our Fourth of July Firecracker, Liberty, is 2 years old!

And she's blazing toward her AKC Grand Championship, with limited showing.

At the all-breed shows on a Lompoc specialty weekend, she earned select bitch on both days (two majors toward her AKC Grand Champion title) and an award of merit.

What Love Is

We have new wolfhound babies in our world. Ocho, above, pictured at two days old, wears his heart for all to see.

Wearing Valentine Love

© Pat Murkland photo

Blake loves to love people and be loved.

Extremely rainy days

©Pat Murkland

We've been having extremely rainy days and flooding in Inland Southern California.

We advise all: Buy stock in towel-making industries!

Meantime, sometimes a wolfhound just needs a good raincoat.

Here Miss Liberty models ours.

It was made by Alexis Montgomery, Montshire Irish Wolfhounds.

©Pat Murkland

Before we got this raincoat, we tried blankets made for miniature horses.

(But no, we don"t have that saddle anymore, in case you wanted to ask.

Hunter ate it.)

Resistance is Futile

A passer-by at the Eukanuba dog show fell in love with Miss Liberty and was kind enough to share this photo with us.

Catching up

© Pat Murkland

It's been a while.

Time to catch up!

© Pat Murkland

Baby Hunter celebrates

his first birthday on Feb. 23!

© Pat Murkland

He's a baby no longer.

And Miss Liberty, running slightly ahead of him here, is now an AKC champion!