Wednesday, October 31, 2007

sighthounds and coursing

dancing hounds: amelia, boris and dmitri
running hounds: dmitri, amelia, and boris
three borzois in flight
.....
regular visitors to the sermonette know that i am fond of sighthounds. i have three of them, amelia, boris, and dmitri. amelia and boris, borzoi-greyhound mix, are called "longdogs." dmitri, a borzoi, greyhound, scottish deerhound mix, is called a "staghound." i love watching them run, dance and play. possessing unbelievable energy, they exude a joy and a love of movement that i have seen in nothing else. i get to witness this in my back yard, several times daily, or at the dog park in raccoon river park. there are organizations around the world which sanction coursing events in which the hounds, by breed, chase a lure, usually small plastic white bags, which are tied to a rope that is pulled by an electic motor which leads the hounds around a course, usually from 500 to 800 meters in length. these dogs are beautiful in flight; they move as i can only dream. they put their bodies through amazing contortions as they tear around the route, chasing the little white lure.
click here for a series of photos professionally taken in rapid succession, showing several breeds of sighthounds [ibizan hound, podenco andaluz, whippet, afghans, rhodesian ridgeback, saluki, borzoi, irish wolfhound, and another borzoi] tearing ass across the grassy field. just watch how these exuberant hounds put ass over applecart going so quickly after that damned lure.
they're just amazing.
seriously, check out those photos, and marvel at how a real speed merchant gets around.

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