  As 2019 is coming to a close, we have much to be thankful for in life and with the hounds. Spring and summer found us out with the hounds quite a bit. As we moved into autumn, work and life got hectic and not as much running was done as we would like. Always seems like there just isn’t enough hours in a day to accomplish what we would like to accomplish. We were able to get Katie started and running well, put a lot of hours on Tiana, Maury & Bindi and enjoyed the rest of the pack for many trips throughout the year.
We were only able to get one female bred this year, Taya, and that was disappointing. Also disappointing was the fact that Taya only whelped 2 pups (both males). Paco, at 11 has reached the end of his fertile years and that seems like it came way too fast. We are grateful for the pups we have from these older males and must concentrate on what we have, not what we don’t have. We have had some bad luck with some other hounds both in our kennel and those that have gone to other homes. My uncle used to say that every time you unhook the lead, might be the last time you see them. Now we haven’t lost any hounds but there are definitely choices that we would make differently if we had a crystal ball. It seems you blink your eyes and the hounds are old like the Kenny Chesney song “Don’t Blink”. Pria went to another good friend’s home and birthed a litter this summer. Our pup should be here around January 12 and we are excited to see how that goes. Pria is a very nice hound that was bred to a nephew of Paco on the West Coast. Pria is the only female pup from Twila, who was one of our all-time favorites. We have high hopes that Twila’s granddaughter will possess some of those qualities that made Twila such a special hound. Katie and Tiana (pictured at top) are quite the duo. They are both sired by Gadget and their mothers are half sisters, both by Paco. Further, their grandmothers are littermate sisters (Elsie & Annaka). (I know that sounds confusing!) For young hounds, they have the stamina and desire that we like to see, and both have a level head when out with the pack. I have seen each do some things that are rarely seen in a young hound. Tiana was a very easy starter, Katie not so much but when the switch went on for Katie, it went on full blast. They are both very nice hounds in the kennel and fairly well behaved. They both love to have an evening wrestling match that sometimes gets pretty heated. They both also love to give the squirrels in the yard a “chewing out” every time they see one. They are buddies and they always seem to be together. These are Taya’s boys. I call them Pius and Peus. Sometimes puppies can really get on the nerves, but I think I got on my parent’s nerves quite a bit also. All part of growing up I guess. They were using the doggy door at 5 weeks and are as round & plump as any pup I’ve bred. They are full of fire and spring will bring on some good times as we just love starting pups. Our rabbit population seems to be down (too many predators) but I always have a few to get the hounds some work. I am really hoping to do some predator control and rabbitat enhancement this winter.
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