2008  (Send news to susan via the email to be included here. And don't be shy about correcting anything I might mangle in translation between there and here!  Thank you!) May 9: There is a lot to update y'all on, and I'll get to it. First is the new Calypso address - see it on the home page. The phone contact number is there, as well. Don't be fooled by the North Carolina area code - that is my cell phone and it IS correct! May 3: Calypso Xi Xclusively Rennek has moved to her retirement home in Lexington, KY with Jamie & Theresa Goodin. Theresa had designs on Shooter but after he pottied on the carpet in a socially unacceptable way of saying hello (at least as far as the Boss was concerned), his freedom was curtailed as was Theresa's access to him, foiling her kidnapping plans! However, she'll be flying back in the eventuality she is picking up one of his puppies. Daddy Shooter may have been naughty, but his daughter "ND" was her always completely charming self.  April news:  Time's inexorable march continues to gather up Calypso dogs to cross the Rainbow Bridge and join the growing family there - Calypso Weekend Warrior "Gunny" had been fighting lung cancer for such a long time - and it didn't claim him, oh no!  Of all things, Gunny succombed to an aneurism while at the vet's office. Blessedly, he never suffered from the cancer, and actually had experienced several remissions. His owner, Dawn Fritts of Covington, VA had helped him fight an extraordinary battle. She wrote incendiary missives to the Calypso family as the secret secretary to Gunny in his role as President of DUHQ (dog union headquarters) whose mission it was to launch complaints at Management Scum (that's me) and torrid love letters to Calypso Absolut Angel in Florida (his litter brother's adopted sister). Gunny's correspondence took on a life of its own among some of the Calypso owners and I note that even in his absence now, others have stepped forward to fill the gap. Dog people really ARE crazy! From our "F" litter back in the early 90's, Aladdin (Calypso Frankly My Dear) has finally passed on. He was the much beloved pet of the Capt. Ed Homan family. Capt. Ed, recently retired from the Fed Ex "air force" has been our resident flying expert who helps keep me stocked with flying stories and pictures... he knows I'm a plane junkie!   I'm delighted that Aladdin provided the Homans with so very many years of that unique companionship that only basenjis can share. Debbie Joslin and her Calypso agility duo have been at it again!  Cody has scored another leg toward his MX.  Karly too has added another qualifying leg in her Excellent level work.   2007 Oct. 27-28: UKC Ch. Calypso KissKiss BangBang, JC made two big steps to close in on his AKC champtionship this weekend at dog shows up in Sioux Falls, SD by winning back-to-back 3-point majors under judges Bob Stein of Ohio and Jim Frederickson of Tennessee. Shooter now has 11 pts. Fellow traveler Dallas Hunt did the same with one of her stripey girls, JoJo. It was a stripey weekend! Accompanying Shooter and Susan were Tyger and ND, and B'Aatu who went along so that he maintains his 'show boy' focus in prep for his trip down to the Indian Nations mega-shows weekend in Tulsa in just 5 days. Our friend Dallas is taking the Tu down to Oklahoma. Fingers crossed!  Sept. 20th: Calypso Absolut Angel, AX, AXJ finished the requirements for her title today down in Miami. It has been 5 months since either Cody, Karly or Deb has been in the ring. Good things come to those who wait! Congratulations to Deb and her dogs who continue to amaze us from south Florida!  And last but not least: Susan is back on line! After unbelievable computer fiascos which found me drawing on heretofore unknown reserves of patience, I'm BACK! It's only dial-up connections out here in the middle of the hills and valleys of the Missouri riverbluffs region, but at least I'm connected again!  Dallas and I are still looking for land on which to build our joint kennels, etc. In the meantime, I have an unbelievably generous host who has taken in me and the 11 Calypso basenjis and piles of "stuff" that we need to get by. Yes, Dog People ARE crazy, and the greatest folks you'll ever meet!  But I'm working in Kansas City (don't know how long that is going to last due to the daily mileage and weekly $140 gas cost), but I'm really enjoying it and LOVE Kansas City, so the experience is overall a great one. No complaints from this orphan, and I'll post news on the homefront progress as it occurs.  Rest assured that we're doing fine and really have no complaints that amount to much. Surprisingly, Benin import "Honey" is having the best time! She has 5 new boyfriends (4 canine + 1 human) and is living the life of privilege. She tried to crawl in our host's lap at dinner last night, and was not a bit shy about her intentions! What a bold little Miss! I was astonished. And she works the TV remote control and "assists" with the Play Station gaming. She is certified now on Madden football, EA Sports MLB and NHL, Sony's Gods of War and some other death & destruction games. What a gal !!!  August 12: More good news, this time from Finland!  One of our Finnish grandbabies is a new Finnish Champion: Fin Ch. Dakarai Shani Mlia ("Rusina")  - she is a daughter of our Calypso Holiday Hot Fudge, and has the same sire as our import, "Tiku", Bulldobas Phantom. Litter sister "Tyger" and her keeper daughter here at Calypso (Calypso ND Nation At Lacada) send huge rrrroooooos! to Finland to the new champion!  Congratulations to breeder Sanna-maija Heleva. We know you are thrilled!  August 11 & 12: NEW CHAMPION - Calypso Lorelei of Apex finished her AKC title winning back-to-back majors at Greensboro, NC. Kim Byrd handled her to her wins, just like she did Daddy Jon Bon Jovi just 2 summers previous. Lorelei also passed her CERF eye exam this weekend, and her fanconi linkage test results came back "Clear". Congratulations all around, especially to her co-owner Gary Pickler who had to endure Lorelei being gone to 'dog show camp' up at Kim's place for months on end. We are thrilled to no end at all this good news! Jon sends enthusiastic 'rrrrroooooos!' to his gorgeous sweetheart of a daughter back home in NC! June 15: One of my last updates for awhile since moving is imminent. As of 3 July, Kevin and Melissa depart the USA to Kevin's new assignment at Air Base Geilenkirchen, Germany for 3-5 years. This is a NATO base and should be a great career move for Kevin, as well as a wonderful personal opportunity to live and travel in Europe for an extended time.  The dogs and I are heading home to South Bend, IN for a family/friends visit for several days before arriving in Faucett, MO on June 25th. I'll be joining up with the folks at Lacada basenjis who got their start in the breed as Calypso people: Larry & Carol Hunt of DeKalb, and their daughter, Dallas. Dallas and I will be working toward building a joint house/kennel for both our breeding lines. In the meantime, everything is going to be in a state of flux, to say the least! If for some reason I cannot be reached through the normal channels, go through Dallas'  - just make sure you make it clear that you're  "Looking For Susan" in your emails to  lacada2@aol.com    My computer will be boxed indefinitely but I'll be stealing looks at my email over on Dallas' pc. Patience, Grasshoppers! Eventually I'll get settled in and unpacked. The dogs are my first priority - getting their runs set up and a routine in place for them to help them feel secure is Job One.        Thanks for all your good thoughts and wishes at this time. I can't tell you how nice it is to know that so many folks have me and the dogs in their prayers. We're too rotten to 'keep down' for long, so look for us to reappear on your radar screen like the bad pennies we truly are, undoubtedly with a slew of "moving adventure tales" to share!  (aaaaaaack!) June 10: News from Finland!  Daughter of our own FIN Ch. Calypso Double Dares Bulldobas, "Sella" FIN Ch. Dakarai Thumbelina,  was judged 2nd best bitch at the Finnish Basenji Club's 2007 national specialty show by British judge Mrs.Jill Avis. Judge Avis awarded "excellent" ratings to just 5 of the 55 bitches entered in the Specialty show. Congratulations to breeder Sanna-Maija (Virtanen) Heleva and to Sella's owner! Sella's litterbrother, Tikal, is here in the USA with us, and will start showing once the move to Missouri is completed and we are settled in at our new location.  June 5: Calypso N'kiru's Night Out ("Bix") is the last of the NN puppies to go home,and new senji parents Kim Noel and Dixon Lee of Charlotte, NC appeared bright and early this morning to fetch their brand new stripey prince who had started out HIS day with a bath _ aaaaaack! Accompanying Bix is his new mentor, our own stripey princess, "Toffee", UKC Ch. Calypso Butter Brickle. Bix has separation anxiety issues and it had become apparent that to avoid the Shrieking Syndrome, young Mr.Man was going to need a doggy boss to not only reassure him about his world, but put the screws to him when he began to exit orbit of the planet - voila! Ms. Toffey!   Toffee is Shooter's 1/2 sister, and Tyger's mother so she is both aunt & grandmother to Bix. They make a wonderful pair and won't this new family look terribly fancy with a pair of stripey 'senjis when they are out-and-about!  Bix is a dark brindle, exotic and dramatic; Toffee is of the butterscotch dessert, caramel color. What a pair!   Good luck Kim and Dixon    The final pupster, Miss Calypso ND Nation At Lacada  will be accompanying me and the rest of the Calypso crew out west to Missouri where she is co-owned by Larry Hunt of Lacada, and who apparently has already decided that she'll be joining him on his pillow! I hate to break it to him that she's like a dragonfly- she may alight occasionally, but this is one busy little Miss! She is most definitely the daughter of her hyperkinetic daddy, the perpetual motion Shooter! June 2: Calypso Lorelei of Apex won another point today at the Charlottesville-Albemarle KC shows in western VA under judge Joan Goldstein when she was awarded Winners Bitch. Lorelei was handled by Kim Byrd. Owner Gary Pickler notes that this makes Lorelei's 4th point. Congratulations!  Quick note re: The Move To Missouri___I begin work out there on July 2nd, so I and the 11 adult Calypso dogs and one puppy will be on-site in our new home in Faucett, MO by the last week of June. Packing continues here in North Carolina... I am becoming cutthroat about jettisoning "stuff"! May 27: Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone! Hope you're having a good weekend - we're house painting which means there are a lot of more fun things we could be doing!  Received a link from the Lavine's so that we can peek at the first week home pics of Ryker & Nyla. Here it is for your enjoyment! These are the NN babies__the lighter colored brindle is Ryker, Mr Future Agility Basenji; the darker brindle with that spectacular 'badge' on her collar is the Precious Princess.   http://web.jimnsna.com   Thanks Jim and Tina for the pictures! May 19: Three more NN babies gone to new homes! In the greater Raleigh area, Calypso North By Northwest ("Roo") will be living in Morrisville with Jennifer and Lee Langston, and Jim & Tina Lavine of Wake Forest are the proud 'senji parents to Calypso N'finite N.R.G. ("Ryker") and Calypso N'finite N'chantment ("Nyla"). Ryker is destined for an agility career, and Nyla (the former and infamous 'Diamond Lil') is a princess, pure and simple.  The leftovers are "Bix", Calypso N'kiru's Night Out, who will be joining Kim Noel & Dixon Lee in Charlotte, NC and Calypso ND Nation At Lacada who will be accompanying Susan in her move to western Missouri in June to be co-owned with Larry (and Carol) Hunt of Lacada basenjis who got their start in B's from Susan back with their first show basenji, Ch Calypso Jewel of the Nile ("Belle"). If you couldn't tell by ND's name, everyone involved is a huge fan of Notre Dame!  And oh yes - if you didn't catch that: Calypso is moving to western Missouri in mid-June, in a location about 20 minutes north of the Kansas City airport (convenient!). Kevin is being transferred to Germany for five years by the Air Force, and has been forced to put his house here up for sale. That left the door open for a change in scenery for Susan. The Hunts offered to join forces with Calypso and so at least for now, it looks like we'll be building a joint kennel out there on some beautiful rolling prairie land along I-29. Everytime the kennels are rebuilt, there is the chance to incorporate what has been learned along the way into the latest set-up. It's exciting to have a chance to build a home for the kids from scratch again. Since we're headed to tornado alley, however, "the hole in the ground" will be one of the first priorities - Gotta have a safe place in which to hide from the twisters! Have to admit that the hurricanes will be missed! ... there's at least a week's notice as the storms form off the Cape Verde Islands of Africa's western coast, and then they are tracked as they meander across the Atlantic. Plenty of time to get the supplies in and the hurricane preparations in order. Tornado preparations? I just hope we'll be HOME to get the opportunity to USE the underground shelter! aaaaack! May 17: The first of the NN litter babies has left! :(  Off to his new home in Inman, SC with Frankie Dusky & Calypso Unona's Scheherazade (mother to our LL litter out of Jon Bon Jovi) goes Calypso Nuru N'Gozi To Unona (loosely translated: blessing born in daylight). He'll be called "Nuru". Inman is in the general area of Greenville/Spartanburg, so he'll be a neighbor of Honey's puppy girl, Avuvi Alexandra.  Playdates!  May 6: Back in Chesterfield, VA on the UKC front, Calypso Butter Brickle finished her UKC championship,and Calypso Griffin's Gold Fizz took some baby steps in starting work on hers, winning her class at the two shows and getting 20 points. It's a start!  So that was 3 Calypso basenjis who finished their UKC championships this weekend, and a Calypso grandbaby with a Finnish championship -  Whooo!  Altogether, a very nice weekend at Calypso and among the extended family. Congratulations, everyone!  May 5-6: Down in Florida, more agility news involving Calypso Windsor Joslin, AX, MXJ, JC: Cody qualfied in his jumpers runs both days, adding 10 more MACH points, bringing his total to 54.  Congratulations, Debbie Joslin - we remember that at Cody's level (jumping at the 20-inch height with the Border Collies and Aussie Shepherds!), dogs only qualify by achieving perfect, no-fault runs at blinding speed. Go, Cody!  May 5-6: Calypso Lorelei of Apex wins WB at both the Bucks County(PA) and Trenton, NJ AKC shows this weekend, Kim Byrd handling. The wins were worth a point each day. Congratulations owner Gary Pickler, and thank you, Kim!  May 5:Closer to home... today up in Chesterfield, VA at the Mid-Atlantic Kennel Club UKC shows (2), we have two new UKC Champions: Calypso KissKiss BangBang (Shooter) & Calypso Xi Xclusively Rennek ("Xi"). Shooter also finished the day with a Group 1st &  Group 2nd.  May 5: News from Finland - new Finnish Champion Dakarai Tingeling ("Tiuku") who is at home with her breeder, Sanna-Maja Heleva. Tiuku's mother is our own FIN Ch. Calypso Double Dares Bulldobas (Barbi), and she is litter sister to our Dakarai Tiku Calypso.  Congratulations to our Finnish family!  April 15: Brighton, CO...Calypso Lance Livestrong is awarded WD for his 2nd point at the Terry-All KC show under judge William Usherwood.  Now littermates Lance & Lorelei each have 2 pts. Congratulations to Lance's co-owner, Danielle Johnston-Torrey of Aurora, CO!  April 15: Harrisburg,PA at the Mason-Dixon KC show, Lorelei is awarded Reserve Winners Bitch under judge Jay Hyman (and congratulations to our friend Laura Gilchrist for her WD, 3pt major on her homebred tri puppy boy, Wyatt! ***Laura__ya gotta share the love, girl  - we wanted some points, too!***) April 14:Harrisburg,PA - Calypso Lorelei of Apex wins WB (1pt) her very 1st show under Canadian judge Mrs. Barbara Innes.  Daddy Jon's handler, Kim Byrd, is carrying on the tradition with the next generation. Thank you, KIM! Congratulations to Lorelei's co-owner, Gary Pickler here in North Carolina!  April 8: Check out baby puppy photos. Hyperlink in the Breeding Plans/New Puppies section under the NN litter announcement. Eyes & ears are open now; visitation for the owners will start in 2 weeks! We have some gorgeous markings on these stripies (no surprise, given their pedigree)!!!  April 1: No Fooling! Great news from our Florida agility competitors - Calypso Windsor Joslin can now add MXJ to his AX and JC titles. Congratulations "Cody" and Debbie Joslin!  Cody also accumulated 4 additional MACH points this weekend.  On the UKC front involving some 'home' dogs, Susan traveled down to Hickory, NC for the 3-day Carolina Classic March 30,31st, and April 1st with Shooter, Toffee & Xi. Shooter accumulated 95 of the 100 needed championship points, and 2 Best of Breeds and 2 Group II placements. Xi collected 70 pts and a BoB (the middle day which ended up robbing Shooter of the possibility of completing his title requirements this weekend! grrrrrr, and Toffee finished the weekend with 45 pts. Thanks (!!!!!) to Gary Pickler who helped out by handling Xi on Friday, and to Suzanne Hefner who did the same on Sat & Sun. The travelers had a GREAT time and made a bunch of new friends. They'll be back in the UKC rings in May. Mar 27: Health news - Calypso Lorelei of Apex has received a clear thyroid profile! Lorelei is from the LL litter out of our Jon Bon Jovi and Calypso Scheherazade.  Mar 20: Happy Birthday to Calypso's latest babies out of Calypso KissKiss BangBang,JC & Calypso Holiday Hot Caramel. Tyger has whelped 3 boys & 3 girls, all are brindles. Welcome to the Calypso NN littermates!   Feb 17: News from Finland! New Finnish Champion Dakarai Thumbelina ("Sella") won her title in just about the biggest way possible... While competing at the Jamijarvi,FIN show under breeder judge Ms. Leila Karkas, Sella won Best of Breed, FCI Group V 1st place, and then Best In Show-2nd (at FCI shows, they give placements 1,2,3 for Best in Show). This was an FCI show for groups V, VII & VIII.  Sella is the 2nd champion for our export to Finland, FIN Ch. Calypso Double Dares Bulldobas, the gorgeous brindle known as "Barbi".  Thumbelina is the litter sister to our import, "Tiku", Dakarai Tikal Calypso.  Congratulations, Sanna-Maija (Virtanen) Heleva on your first homebred Champion !!!!!  Feb 12: OFA "Good" rating received on Calypso KissKiss BangBang ("Shooter").  Feb 10: The last of the inaugural litter of Avuvi puppies has finally gone home...Alexandra left for South Carolina, and momma Honey looked high and low for her missing baby. I can't even talk about it...Alexandra had been my special baby pretty much since birth.  waaaaah!   And so now they are all in their new homes: Apollo to Idaho & Washington State (his owner has 2 residences); Astraea to the hills outside San Diego, CA; Athena to Rehoboth Beach, DE; Alexandra to Greenville, SC.   Jan 27: From Perry Joslin's jazz fusion concert in FL, comes news from Debbie, his wife and the owner of the agility basenjis of Calypso:    "Jazz Times is doing an article on Perry in the March/April issue. "Jazz Times" is the largest jazz publication in the world. The audience gave Perry, the band, Sanjay, and Rama a standing ovation. So many came up to Perry and said they never attended a jazz concert before and were blown away. The 20, 30-year-olds said they appreciated the traditional Indian music, but hearing it blended with funky jazz was awesome.  They said their generation would eat this up. Perhaps we will start selling CD's in India! The Sahara Group wants this performance done in Baton Rouge in Boston now as the event raised $20,000.00 to provide emergency relief to women and children affected by domestic violence.  It was beyond words, the music was so incredible!  Our musicians (Miami Sound Machine guys) told Perry that no one in the jazz world has ever done anything like this before with Indian music. It was amazing, our musicians so talented to be able to play along with Sanjay so seamlessly. This violinist is very well known in India. "  We are so proud of Perry (who has, btw, written songs dedicated to his doggy daughter, Karly, as well as a nod to the Basenji 500 that takes place in his house on a daily basis that was recorded on his first jazz CD_available from Palmstone),and look forward to much more success coming his way. He has a unique musical vision, a beautiful 'noise' in his head that the world will be hearing, soon enough!  Go, Perry! Jan 21: News from OFA __ Calypso Griffin's Gold Standard.  ("Kulta") has received a "Good" rating on his hips. His number is: BJ 1826G60M-PI.  Calypso KissKiss BangBang ("Shooter") has had his hip x-rays done and rating results are pending.  Jan 20: The first breeding for the NN litter is finished! Keeping fingers crossed, pupsters due approx. March 24th out of Calypso KissKiss BangBang [Shooter] + Calypso Holiday Hot Caramel, JC [Tyger]. Jan 15: From the source of our family agility news in Florida comes a brag of a different kind - Debbie Joslin's husband, Perry, is an accomplished, up-and-coming young jazz musician. Here is the latest musical excitement about Cody & Karly's dad: "Perry is performing January 27th at the Broward Performing Arts Center, a huge deal!  He and the band will be performing with the #1 violinist in all of India. Sanjay has been at the house the past several nights helping Perry learn some Indian music, and vice versa. This is going to be fabulous! Close to 1,000 tickets have been sold and if it is a hit, as we expect, Perry could sell a ton of CD's in India.  When Sanjay was learning to play "Kashmir", one of the songs on Perry's new CD (the jazz version of a Led Zeppelin tune), Sanjay had no idea who Led Zeppelin was - too funny!  We wish Perry all the best luck (not that he needs it) and we know that the concert will be a baroootiful success. !!!  Jan 10: Sometimes the watched pot is empty!  Following a diagnostic visit to our vet, it seems that Toffee has reabsorbed her fetuses. Fortunately for her, this was accomplished cleanly and without endangering her own health. However, that means that plans for the NN litter met with the hammer of Fate!   But.... as they say: When a door closes a window opens..... the bitch we planned on breeding this summer, Toffee's brindle daughter, Calypso Holiday Hot Caramel, JC  has just now come in season, according to her co-owner. We will be considering moving up the breeding plans... it just remains to be seen if we can get everything accomplished necessary to do this on such short notice!  aaaaaaugh!  Jan 7: Junior handler Tia Smith of Bellevue, WA and our Avanti (Ch Unona's Calypso Avanti) competed in the Serious About Dogs fun match in the Seattle area, winning Best of Breed and Group 3. Congratulations, ladies!  (and Toffee STILL has not had her puppies!!!) ================================== 2006 Dec 31: A watched pot never boils... still no news from the whelping box where Toffee is happily ensconced. Perhaps she is awaiting the return of her king, Daddy Kevin, who took Melissa back home to South Bend, IN for the holidays to see family friends and Notre Dame and Chicago. He's due back Jan. 3rd... Dec 31:Sunday agility results from Florida: Cody earned 2 more MACH points and the 9th of 10 legs needed for his MXJ title. Karly earned her first 4 MACH points and 1st leg of her MXJ title. Congratulations, Debbie!  You have had a great year with the Calypso agility duo!  Dec. 22: A warrior passes - Just 2 weeks shy of his 16th birthday, an indomitable force surrendured to a year-long battle with kidney failure. Calypso Donnaiuolo, "Guido", crossed the Rainbow Bridge. He was one of the infamous, notorious, and larger-than-life "D" litter who all seemed bent on world domination from the moment they opened their eyes! They remain the most memorable puppies I have ever helped whelp, and the 8 short weeks they spent in my care before going to their new homes STILL occupies a large chunk of my memory. Guido was one of the red/white sons of Macho Man & Cruz, and totally lived up to the character inherited from them both. His owner, Bob Manosky, maintained regular contact with me always, and for nearly 16 years, I got to watch Guido's life unfold from the sidelines - what a show! Bob's life, after being manservant to a king, must seem rather mundane now. Our sincere condolences at his loss of this remarkable and memorable companion.   Dec 10: Agility news from Florida_ Cody got his 8th leg toward his MXJ title. Two more to go. He finished his run 2 seconds under the course time of 37 seconds for the 20 inch jump class. Just to let you know how blasted fast the Border Collies are that he has to compete against at this jump height - the placing BC's ran their course times 8-13 seconds faster than Cody! Blurrrrrrrrs is what they are!  Congratulations Deb Joslin and Calypso Windsor Joslin! Additional news: Calypso Absolut Angel ("Karly") finished the qualifications for her AXJ title. Again, Congratulations to Deb and Karly (who also got a 1st place from that qualifying run!). You go, girls! Dec 5: More sad news from the Galdeens - Calypso Z'Aireborne Ranger has joined his grandmother "Tasha" across the Bridge. It would seem that she felt he needed a finer hand in his control than we mere mortals had to offer where Ranger was concerned. Leaving "Amelia" as the only basenji in the Galdeen household is unacceptable, so the family will journey down to North Carolina immediately after Christmas to fetch the Clown King himself, Calypso B'Aatu Big Sir ("Hollywood") to join their family. The dog of a million nicknames (with musical accompanyment), an equal number of nefarious skills, and whose vocalizations give Susan a run for her money when he gets going (and that is SAYIN' something, I'm here to tell you!)... the Galdeens are never gonna know what hit 'em !!!  We predict a mad passionate love affair which is just the tonic they need right about now.  Nov 27: Sad news from Michigan about one of our long time favorites, Am/Can Ch. Calypso Grand Fantasy, JC has crossed the Rainbow Bridge following a battle with cancer. Tasha was treated like a queen her entire life by her proud owners, Myrl & Glenda Galdeen of Saginaw, who were not only a credit to the basenjis who shared their lives, but to the world of basenjis. With the arrival of Tasha in their lives, they jumped into basenjidom with no holds barred and contributed to many projects and endeavors on behalf of the breed from behind the scenes, completely without fanfare or credit - but with lots of great stories as a result! Tasha and Trapper were together at this year's BCOA Nat'l Specialty in Warwick, our two seniors around whom our schedules and activities revolved. Until her cancer came to dominate her, it had been planned that she, too, would be an entrant like Trapper. She was the Royal Guest, instead. Now she returns to her former glory - and it was considerable - and joins the family across The Bridge.  As Myrl Galdeen repeated for 14+ years, life with Tasha was an "E" ticket ride, all the way - and thank goodness the ride was a long one! Nov. 16: Honey's puppies have arrived! A litter of 1 red/white boy and 3 red/white girls were born silently in the middle of the night. Kevin slept right through the whole event, and I was at work. Melissa heard some rustling coming from Honey's big pen, but that was the only "clue". Needless to say, our bush dog never gave any "predators" a hint, by sound or scent, that babies were being born. In fact, the pen was hardly disturbed - Honey'd kept it perfectly clean!   Now we spend the day dodging the tornadoes that are springing up all over North Carolina today (9 people dead by 10am). I no sooner walked in the door this morning than Honey & honeyBunlettes were ensconced in a big vari-kennel in an interior hallway since we were directly in the path of a tornado which fortunately pulled up its tail as it veered east of us. Going to be an exciting day all around, I can tell!  Nov. 12: Calypso KissKiss BangBang (Shooter) won 1st in Open and 16pts at MAHA's ASFA trial in a freezing, driving, rainstorm. His two clean, hard runs through the swampy field were a welcome change from his distraction the day before that sent him packing. He's a speed demon but needs to learn to keep focused on the lure. Are you listening, Pooter???  Our 'fair weather' Calypso family support abandoned us to suffer in the inclement conditions, forcing Susan to finally learn how to put a coursing blanket on a dog rightside up and properly "assemble" the slip lead - and use it correctly!  Many thanks to the MAHA folks who patiently supervised this transplant from the show rings through a day of coursing. I'll bet they're still chuckling at the sight of her patiently waiting to start the 2nd run with Shooter - facing the complete wrong direction and wondering why the lure operator wasn't bringing the lure around in front of her and The Shoot... sigh. This is what happens when an Amateur is left to her own devices!  Nov. 11: Calypso Lance LiveStrong won his 1st point today at The Southern Colorado Kennel Club under judge Joan Goldstein. Lance was handled to his first win by his co-owner Danielle Johnston-Torrey. They live in Aurora, Colorado. Congratulations! Nov. 11: Calypso Holiday Hot Caramel  (Tyger) placed 2nd in Open at the MAHA ASFA lure coursing trial in Rocky Mount, NC today, earning 15 points toward her ASFA field championship. Tyger was handled for us by Jennifer Haynie of Raleigh, one of our Calypso owners. Thanks, Jen! Oct 27: We regret to announce the death of our beloved Trapper. He suffered a stroke and subsequent seizures which completely debilitated him, and so he was released to join his nefarious Calypso cohorts across The Rainbow Bridge. I know his reception was as memorable there as was his life here. You can read about him on his own page which has been updated to include his remarkable adventure at this year's BCOA Nat'l Specialty in Warwick, RI where Trapper won a cartload of prizes and had the time of his life. He went out on a high note, of that there is no doubt! He was 15yrs, 3 mos. old, and up to the day of his death, had never really been sick a day in his life. What a remarkable dog who reigned atop Calypso from the moment of his arrival. Bon Voyage to our most special "Doodle" !!!  Note: Reveille Calypso Trapper  b. 7-26-91 d. 10-27-06 Half-African son of Ch Termay Dial Reveille & Avongara M'Bliki bred by Damara Bolte.   Oct 22: Rescue female available! Please read the information on our Breeding Plans page down toward the bottom about the young red/white female available. Contact information is included. Thank you!  Oct 14: This just in from south Florida, Land of the Agility Gods -where Karly has decided that she did enough agility in Warwick, Rhode Island to last her for awhile and has initiated a Dog Union Headquarters-approved "strike action". That means she is so NOT into agility right now!  News from Debbie Joslin about the other half of this team, Cody: There were 49 dogs in his jump height class (20 inches) and he was one of only 6 that qualified. He earned another 4 MACH points. Congratulations!