Tomorrow - March 10, 2010
- will mark
the ninth anniversary of Donna's passing. Donna remains in our
hearts every day and her loss is still difficult to grasp.
We hold onto many wonderful memories including the day captured in
the photo below. We were all beaming with pride on this day in 1996
when our first Skye from
Gleanntan, "Fiona" earned her AKC Championship. I invite you to
listen to "Harpsong" by celebrated Irish artist Moya Brennan.
March 7, 2010
Today, our friend Travis
Wright visited and we were able to get a group of new photos of the
Skyes. Although the weather was quite nice with sunny skies and
temps in the 50s, the wind was strong and the Skye coats were
flying. Despite the winds, it was still valuable to get new photos
of the 5 month old youngsters as well as Elphie (17 months) and
Cooper (3 years).
Ch. Gleanntan Gaelforce - "Cooper"
(Ch. Finnsky Gladiator x Ch. Gleanntan Givemebusybee!)
Age: 3 years
March 6, 2010
Yesterday, Maida and I received a group of photos from our
friend Carol. I thought I would share our favorite photo of the
series. This is Carol and her much loved "Tara" - Gleanntan
Gottamakereservations (Ch. Finnsky Gladiator x Ch. Gleanntan
Glindathegoodwitch) - born September 21, 2009.
March 5, 2010 - Read Across America 2010
This morning, I made one
final guest reader visit to a local elementary school close to the
office. This was a smaller group of students which provided the
students with more one-on-one time with the Skyes. Some of the
children were special needs students. For this visit, I took Ch.
Gleanntan Givemebusybee!- Bea and the male puppy from
Glinda's litter, Gleanntan Gulliver's Travels- Roscoe.
After initial introductions, the kids sat in a semi-circle
around the Skyes. Roscoe made himself right at home, rolling over on
his back for his obligitory belly run. Like his father, Tony, Roscoe
also enjoys giving enthusiastic kisses. The kids found this very
amusing.
March 2, 2010 - Read Across America 2010
This morning, Maida and
I had the privilege of serving as guest readers at a local
elementary school as part of the National Read Across America
Celebration. This annual event is held on the occasion of Dr. Seuss’
birthday and it is designed to inspire children and teens to read.
We have been
participating in this event for the past five years. The first two
years we visited with just one Skye, Ch. Gleanntan Grandxpose -
“Emily”. Emily set the standard for high-quality, gentle
interactions with the kids. More recently, we’ve participated with
more than one Skye. This year, we decided to take Emily’s 5.5
year-old daughter, Ch. Gleanntan Givemebusybee! - “Bea” and
Ch. Gleanntan Glindathegoodwitch’s 5 month-old puppy, Gleanntan
The Goodbye Girl - “Lilly”.
Maida and I were at the
Saturday and Sunday Rockland County Kennel Club shows in Suffern,
New York. We first attended this show in the mid-1990s and the last
time we showed here was in 2003. It has been a few years - but we
enjoy this show venue. We also like the fact that this show
typically draws exhibitors from our current mid-Atlantic region as
well as exhibitors from New England. So, we had a chance to visit
with old friends from New England as well as friends from our area.
We had two specials entered, Ch. Gleanntan
Comeflywithme! - "Mick" and Ch. Gleanntan Glindathegoodwitch - "Glinda"
and this constituted the Skye entry (0-0-1-1). Mick took Best of
Breed both days and showed nicely in the group.
Mick in the lineup behind the eventual
Group Winner, the Smooth Fox Terrier
February 25, 2010 - Mick and Glinda's Westminster photos
Ch. Gleanntan Glindathegoodwitch
- "Glinda"
(Ch. Gleanntan Going For It x Ch. Gleanntan Grandxpose)
Handled by Dr. Travis S. Wright
February 18, 2010 - New photo of Glinda at the Garden State All
Terrier Show
Ch. Gleanntan
Glindathegoodwitch - "Glinda"
(Ch. Gleanntan Going For It x Ch. Gleanntan Grandxpose)
Best of Breed -
Garden State All Terrier Club - February 12, 2010
Judge: Ms. Carrie Paine, Australia
Glinda returned to the ring less than
5 months after giving birth to her litter of 7
February 17, 2010 - 134th Westminster Kennel Club Show
Maida and I have just
returned from New York City after participating in this year's
Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden. This
year, we had two Gleanntan Skyes entered, Ch. Gleanntan
Comeflywithme! - "Mick" (Ch. Finnsky Gladiator x Ch. Gleanntan
Givemebusybee!) who is owned by Gary and Lynn Wolf of Slidell,
Louisiana and our own Ch. Gleanntan Glindathegoodwitch - "Glinda"
(Ch. Gleanntan Going For It x Ch. Gleanntan Grandxpose).
The Skye entry consisted
of a total of 7 Skyes, including the top five ranked Skyes in the
country (2009). The breakdown was 5 males and 2 females with one
female absent. The judge this year was Mr. Peter J. Green. I have
always had the highest regard for Peter Green, first as a fellow
terrier competitor and more recently as a judge. I looked forward to
having this opportunity to show under him at the Westminster KC
show.
There were three awards available to Skyes on this
day - the top prize of Best of Breed; Best of Opposite Sex; and a
single Award of Merit. We are thrilled that Glinda earned Best of
Opposite Sex, handled by Travis Wright, and Mick earned the Award of
Merit, breeder/owner handled by me (Michael Pesare).
Glinda was shown to her
championship by Travis Wright in April, 2007 and she showed beautifully for
him despite the fact that she has only recently returned to
competition after a break of nearly 3 years. Mick is a young son of
our beautiful Finnish import, Tony, out of Bea. Mick was shown
lightly in 2009, completing his AKC Championship in September, 2009
and he completed last year as the #5 Skye in the U.S. (breed points).
The show was
particularly enjoyable because Maida and I were able to share the
Westminster experience with friends. This was the first time that
Mick's owners were able to see Mick in competition. Also joining us
this year were friends Ernie and Jan Kowalec from Calgary, Canada
who were attending their first Westminster show. We also enjoyed
spending the full day on Tuesday in the benching area with fellow
Skye exhibitors. During the 9 hours in the benching area, we all
fielded a steady stream of visitors with the full range of
"frequently asked Skye questions". Having multiple Skyes
in the benching area also allowed us to give one or two a break from
the nearly continuous visits to the benching area.
We didn't have too much
free time during our visit but we were able to spend a portion of
Monday walking down Fifth Avenue to the "glass cube" Apple Store and
then we spent a few hours at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed
Guggenheim
Museum. We also enjoyed dinner at Carmine's in the Theater
District.
Ernie Kowalec, Michael, Maida &
Jan Kowalec at the NY Public Library
Mick's owners
Lynn and Gary Wolf with Mick and his very own New Orleans
Saints cap.
Mick on the table
Mick on the move
Skye friend Jill Campain from
Australia visits with Mick in the benching area
Travis Wright and Glinda
Inside the Frank Loyd
Wright-designed Guggenheim Museum
February 13, 2010 - Garden State All Terrier Show
The Garden
State All Terrier Show was held at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in
Long Island, New York. The total Skye entry was 2-2-0-1. However,
there were a few absent so the final entry was one class bitch and
one Specials bitch. We had the Specials bitch, 5.5 year old Ch.
Gleanntan Glindathegoodwitch - "Glinda" (Ch. Gleanntan Going For
It x Ch. Gleanntan Grandxpose) returning to the ring on a limited
basis this year - less than 5 months after her litter of 7. Fortunately,
Glinda's pups were easy on her coat and we worked hard to bring
Glinda back to full bloom. Glinda completed her AKC Championship in
April, 2007 and she was not shown in the intervening time until a
couple of weeks ago.
Glinda earned
Best of Breed. I was pleased with her showing in the breed and the
group. Now, we are getting ready to head to New York City for the
Westminster Kennel Club show.
February 9, 2010 - First Shows of 2010 - Mick Group 1 and Group 2!
Maida and I were at the
Erie Kennel Club shows last weekend. The Skye
entry was (0-0-2-1) and consisted of Ch. Gleanntan
Comeflywithme! - "Mick" and Ch. Gleanntan
Glindathegoodwitch - "Glinda" as well as one additional male
Special. On Saturday, Mick earned Best of Breed and Glinda earned
Best of Opposite Sex under judge Marieann Gladstone. Mick then went
on to earn a Terrier Group 1 under judge Ms. Marjorie J. Underwood. The
following day, Mick repeated his Best of Breed win and Glinda
repeated as Best of Opposite Sex under judge Mr. Robert D. Black. Mick then
went on to a Terrier Group 2 under Mr. Black. Mick is owned by Lynn
and Gary Wolf of Slidell, Louisiana and co-owned by Gleanntan.
Ch. Gleanntan Comeflywithme!
- "Mick"
(Ch. Finnsky Gladiator x Ch. Gleanntan Givemebusybee!)
Group 1 -
Erie Kennel Club - January 30, 2010
Judge: Ms. Marjorie J. Underwood
Ch. Gleanntan Comeflywithme!
- "Mick"
(Ch. Finnsky Gladiator x Ch. Gleanntan Givemebusybee!)
Group 2 -
Erie Kennel Club - January 31, 2010
Judge: Mr. Robert D. Black
Ch. Gleanntan Comeflywithme!
- "Mick" winning the terrier group
Erie Kennel Club - January 30, 2010
February 3, 2010
Four of the seven pups from
our September, 2009 litter are now with their new owners. We are
delighted that "Purple Boy" - now known as Gleanntan Showstopper
- "Teddy" is now with his new owner Barbara Shickley and "Green
Girl" - Gleanntan Gottamakereservations - "Tara" is now with
her new owner Carol G. Fink. "Dark Blue Boy" - now known as
Gleanntan Goin' To Show-Me - "Harry" is now with his new owners
Beth and Brent Willis and family. "Light Blue Boy" - now known as
Levi is now with his new owners Christopher and Carrie-Ann Jordan
and family. Two more pups will be going to their new owners in 2010
and one girl, Gleanntan Symphony In G - "Moya" will stay with
us.
