The Whippet National

The girls and I had a lot of fun on our trip to Atlanta for the 2009 Whippet National Specialty.  Tim only joined us for the last day.  We got to Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon and attended the Welcome Party that evening.  The Welcome Party had a costume contest with an Easter or Spring theme for the pups and an American Idol contest for the humans.  It was a lot fun seeing all the creative costumes people had for their dogs from a box of Peeps to Hugh Hefner with Miss April to southern belles in their Easter dresses.  So cute!  

 
The Parade of Rescues and the Parade of Honors was held on Wednesday.  Our friend Jonathan was there with Zoey for the Parade of Honors.  Zoey was a dynamo in the show ring and had to give up her show career early due to some complications.  After retiring from showing she moved to Florida to live out the rest of her life with Jonathan and his crew of whippets and greyhounds.  A few months ago Jonathan and Zoey's owners made the difficult decision to amputate one of her back legs.  Then a few weeks ago she received a specially made wheelchair and can now enjoy walks on the beach and hikes in Montana, where Jonathan spends his summers.  Jonathan said she is up to going 2 miles with him on walks now.  You can view video of Zoey on youtube - just type in 'Zoey whippet' into the youtube search.
The National also consisted of an art show, raffles to benefit both The American Whippet Club and Whippet Rescue and Placement, lure coursing and racing, rally and obedience, agility, and of course conformation shows and shopping.  The art show was phenomenal.  Lots of talented Whippet owners!  The Hilton Airport Hotel was the host for the event and the girls did really well living in a hotel for almost five days.  The hotel allowed the dogs to run in the basketball court off leash, and this was a big help to get Tacy to release some energy.  This was the first time they had been crated in a hotel and after the first time we left them, there wasn't a peep to be heard from either of them.  The woman I roomed with said they got to the point where they didn't even care when she came in to grab something or use the bathroom.  They just laid in their crates chillin'.  The same can't be said for some of the other dogs on our floor.  We heard barking and whining all day long from other rooms.  One of Hazel and Tacy's favorite things to do was jump onto Hazel's crate and check out the view from the window.  Of course we didn't leave without buying a few whippety items - sweaters and necklaces for the girls, a metal Whippet wall hanging, greeting cards, and t-shirts.  :)

The Monday after I returned from Atlanta, I went in for my 20 week prenatal appointment.  As usual, all is well.  Baby's heartbeat was around 145 bpm.  As I left the office, I made the appointment for the ultrasound.  Monday, April 27th.  We can't wait!  Fingers crossed the baby sticks his/her junk up to my belly so we can see the goods.  Of course, the most important thing will be ensuring the baby is healthy and his/her organs are developing normally.  But still, finding out the sex will be fun!  A few weeks ago I could feel the baby moving every now and then and not everyday.  Now I can feel it moving throughout the day, everyday.  So far, it has only moved once that was strong enough for Tim to feel.