Flyte's Pedigree

Breeder: Susan Weinkein

July 7, 2000 - October 15, 2009

I loved Flyte the very first time I saw Susan Weinkein walking her at a lure course. She was only a puppy at the time, but I thought she was a gorgeous bitch. It never occurred to me that I would ever have the chance to own her.

Flyte came to live with me on January 2, 2004 due to the unfortunate passing of her breeder and owner, Susan Weinkein. I was honored to be asked to bring Flyte into my home and hoped to be true to Susan's love for this girl and the legacy of Susan's Ravenwolf Hounds.

Now that I have lived with this wonderful borzoi I have found her to be a great companion. Her personality was that wonderful ying/yang mix of passionate predation and absolute kindness and gentleness that has led me to so love and respect this breed. She loved to be outside where she could watch for squirrels, lay in wait for them to make a foolish mistake, nab them and then gobble them up. While Flyte definitely had the fire of a hunter, she also had a softer, compassionate side. From the moment she walked into my home, Flyte adopted my cat as her own and got along well with my other three dogs. She was so kind to Zodi during the time he was suffering with his bone cancer and did much to comfort both him and me during that difficult time. She also loved little dogs. A friend of Susan's once told me the story of how Flyte played with her little Boston Terrier when she and Susan shared a hotel room one weekend. I respected the hunter she was and cherished Flyte's kindness and compassion.

Flyte was an excellent athlete. She had a successful ASFA coursing career through Susan Weinkein's and other human friends' efforts. Unfortunately, Flyte was a bit too passionate about possessing the lure, causing her running career to be cut short just a little shy of her LCM 3. As another aspect of the ying/yang nature of her personality, this same passion was never expressed toward the dogs in my yard.

Flyte had many excellent attributes. Her rear assembly was well put together creating one of the best rears I have ever seen on a dog. Flyte's front assymbly was nice as well, though a bit wide from the front. Her movement was not extreme but well balanced and she carried her tail just as the standard says, in a low, graceful curve. I just loved her.

I bred Flyte to Mir (DC Meilikki A Kind Of Magic, SC, LCM, SGRC, ORC) and on April 15, 2006 she presented me with 8 puppies clothed in brindle, brindle and white, and red and white. You can see the litter here. She has passed on her best qualities to her puppies and blended these attributes with the best Mir had to offer to produce some beautiful athletes of excellent caliber. I am grateful to Flyte for what she has given me. Eight exceptional borzoi who have made their mark either on the coursing field or in the hearts of their wonderful owners. I am grateful to Flyte for her delightful companionship during the time she was with me. What more can anyone ask for?

Flyte succumbed to a very aggressive spindle cell sarcoma on October 15, 2009 after a short but brave fight to enjoy every last bit of life that was available to her.

Unfortunately, Flyte had her head turned slightly away from me when I took this picture. But I am not going to complain. It was such a lazy day on December 13, 2008 that I was just lucky to get a photo of any of the dogs standing. Mostly the dogs were pretending to be heliophile pancakes in the yard.

Flyte watching the funny human taking pictures on December 10, 2006.

Flyte from the rear. See what I mean about how lovely her rear assembly is?

I managed to catch a nice photo of Flyte's pretty face as she rested in the leaves on an early December day in 2007.

This photo was taken at Billie Thibeaux's home when Sherita met me there after Flyte was bred to her male, Mir.

Flyte (background) and her daughter, Hay Luz (foreground), on a cloudy December day in 2007. Hay Luz looks a lot like her mom. Apparently, so does Lightning who everyone gets confused with Hay Luz, though they seem so different to me.

Flyte from the front.

Around here squirrel watching is a favored past time. On April 18, 2008, I came home to find the dogs enthusiastically watching a squirrel perched up in a tree. Obviously, Flyte is doing this from a comfortable vantage point.

Here is Flyte trotting toward me. It is so frustrating to get photos of the dogs because, unless there is something else that catches their attention, they come toward me the moment I point the camera at them. This photo was taken sometime in January of 2008.

Life is good! I love watching the dogs roll. They seem to enjoy it so much!

I know this is a tiny picture. It is a detail of a series of photos a friend of mine took of Flyte trotting. Thanks, Ellisa!

Flyte outside enjoying a break in the heat after the hottest summer in San Antonio history. This was after the break in the drought, too, so there are actually green plants in this picture. Flyte's two daughters surround her enjoying her company. Obviously, Lightning is enjoying a good roll in the grass and Hay Luz is just enjoying hanging out with mom. This photo was taken on September 20, 2009, which turned out to be about a month before Flyte's death.

Here is a close up of Flyte's face taken on September 20, 2009.

Anna Midgarden was kind enough to send me this photo of Susan Weinkein with Flyte. This is such a beautiful photo. They look so good together. After all, Flyte was always Susan's dog, she just stayed with me a while until the time they could be reunited in the beautiful fields across the Rainbow Bridge. I am grateful to John Weinkein for entrusting Flyte with me.