Jan 2010
What is ahead this year?
18/01/10 09:27 Filed in: Stories
2009 was a very trying time for many breeders and for a lot it was a case of hanging on in there and try ride out the recession, obviously the calamities within The GBGB were never going to help but now that we have entered a new year we can only but hope that things pick up.
I have recently engaged in talks with a few high profile British Breeders and we are all of the same thinking that it is about time our own board showed some support for BRITISH BREEDING, incentives should be in place to try and encourage owners to at least look at The British Breed as opposed just running to Ireland, through time British Breeders have shown that they can produce as good a pup as our Irish counterparts can, the major difference between both is that the Irish produce more good pups but they do, after all, produce many more pups at birth, I am in no doubt that if British Breeders produced the same numbers that they would close the gap considerably, should any British Breeders like to discuss anything that may benefit all British Breeders then please feel free to give myself a call as I fully intend speaking to various people about our Breed.
On the subject of Breeding, it is with very sad regret that I have decided to have Questhouse Sash speyed and a few more may follow dependant on how the sport goes over the forthcoming months, however have no fear I will still be giving it 150% and I honestly believe that I will have a cracking year on the race tracks.
All the pups have came through the worst weather I have seen unscathed but as expected the thawing snow has left as many problems in that many parts of my place are flooded, we had in places, 2 ½ ft of snow and now we have a foot of water in some areas, I will monitor how quickly it moves over next 2 days and decide whether to hire a water pump to speed it along.
I suggested to the owners of the Jazz Hurricane pups that they move as I was unable to get them in the field and they were very close to fighting due to boredom, thankfully they all agreed that it was best all round for the pups and they are now settled in at their schoolers but will not be touched for at least 3 months.
All the other pups are doing well albeit they are gagging to get into the field but it is just not safe enough for them yet, they do however have their paddocks so can still run around.
Daisy got her splint off 2 weeks ago and all is fine so far, whilst she has put the foot down she has not yet put full pressure on it, fear is stopping her but it will only be a matter of time; she is at times a pain in the backside as she is very jealous and wants all the attention but then she drops those soppy looks to you and how on earth can you stay angry with her.
If anyone should like to have an advertising banner on the site, please contact me direct, the current banners will expire at end of month and should they not wish to continue there will be prime slots available, the site is receiving 8,000 individual visitors per month and around 150,000 hits per month which could be very advantageous for your business.. questhousekennels@googlemail.com or 0779555 4199
We have also made a few pups available on monthly payment plans, all prices are online now in For Sale page.
I have recently engaged in talks with a few high profile British Breeders and we are all of the same thinking that it is about time our own board showed some support for BRITISH BREEDING, incentives should be in place to try and encourage owners to at least look at The British Breed as opposed just running to Ireland, through time British Breeders have shown that they can produce as good a pup as our Irish counterparts can, the major difference between both is that the Irish produce more good pups but they do, after all, produce many more pups at birth, I am in no doubt that if British Breeders produced the same numbers that they would close the gap considerably, should any British Breeders like to discuss anything that may benefit all British Breeders then please feel free to give myself a call as I fully intend speaking to various people about our Breed.
On the subject of Breeding, it is with very sad regret that I have decided to have Questhouse Sash speyed and a few more may follow dependant on how the sport goes over the forthcoming months, however have no fear I will still be giving it 150% and I honestly believe that I will have a cracking year on the race tracks.
All the pups have came through the worst weather I have seen unscathed but as expected the thawing snow has left as many problems in that many parts of my place are flooded, we had in places, 2 ½ ft of snow and now we have a foot of water in some areas, I will monitor how quickly it moves over next 2 days and decide whether to hire a water pump to speed it along.
I suggested to the owners of the Jazz Hurricane pups that they move as I was unable to get them in the field and they were very close to fighting due to boredom, thankfully they all agreed that it was best all round for the pups and they are now settled in at their schoolers but will not be touched for at least 3 months.
All the other pups are doing well albeit they are gagging to get into the field but it is just not safe enough for them yet, they do however have their paddocks so can still run around.
Daisy got her splint off 2 weeks ago and all is fine so far, whilst she has put the foot down she has not yet put full pressure on it, fear is stopping her but it will only be a matter of time; she is at times a pain in the backside as she is very jealous and wants all the attention but then she drops those soppy looks to you and how on earth can you stay angry with her.
If anyone should like to have an advertising banner on the site, please contact me direct, the current banners will expire at end of month and should they not wish to continue there will be prime slots available, the site is receiving 8,000 individual visitors per month and around 150,000 hits per month which could be very advantageous for your business.. questhousekennels@googlemail.com or 0779555 4199
We have also made a few pups available on monthly payment plans, all prices are online now in For Sale page.
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SNOW!
07/01/10 11:29
20 Inches of Snow arrived overnight to keep us on our toes and I may have to call on my good friend Roger in Switzerland for some shoes..lol.. Have to say these are by far the worst conditions I have ever seen and working with the dogs is very hard and we are trying to do as much as we can, I hope everyone else is coping okay and that no bad stories come through.
Oxford Don
04/01/10 11:54
As previously stated in Blog Oxford Don captured Nottinghams Dog of The Year award which was, IMO, very richly deserved, this lad has been a model of consistency for over a year now and even finished 2nd in his comeback race( A1) after what looked like a potential career ending injury, Questy just wants to run which is seen at the track when in the pre-parade area, congratulations to his owners and I must praise his trainer Terry Munslow who has guided Questy through his career with the greatest of care.
Happy New Year
02/01/10 10:57
I would like to wish everyone a very happy new year and hope that it brings all that you dream off, health and happiness.
We did not quite manage to hit 300 winners for 2009 and ended up 4 short, many second places in the final week was to cause frustration, we are though still very proud of the winners achieved last year.
The final winners were Questhouse Alexi at Newcastle, Bonjour Paula at Nottingham and Smoking John at Hove. Final running total was 896
The Cherry on the cake was hearing that Oxford Don had won Greyhound of the year at Nottingham, which was very well deserved. Questy as he is known( Or The Don to regulars) has been a model of consistency throughout 2009 and I know just how proud his owners are of him and his breeder feels the same.
What are my own thoughts and aspirations for the year ahead!
I hope that the GBGB can get their fingers out of their backsides and start promoting the sport in a good light instead of bowing down to outside pressures and chasing owners away, the core product is there for all to see and I cannot see why it is so hard to market it properly, who knows someone at head office might put 2 and 2 together.
Why cant the bookmakers put their heads together and produce a dedicated channel on Sky for Greyhounds, much like was run before but this time have all bookmakers contributing, personally I would not have a problem with £20 p/month subscription fee and I am certain many many more would not worry about this, time has proven that live racing on TV has no affect on track attendances but it does bring in more and of more importance, NEW owners, this is what our sport needs in spades and we cannot afford to sit back and watch owners run away from our sport, time to walk the walk instead of talking.
If anyone is interested I am looking for some people to get involved in a young dog that will run in opens and all being well should be on Sky frequently, check out the For Sale page for details.