Hamiltonstovare Feet

When people ask me what my absolute favorite part of a Hamiltonstovare is, I will always tell them that it is their feet. I usually get weird looks because people immediately think it is some fetish or something, but it isn’t.

The Hamiltonstovare foot is so perfectly designed to survive in Sweden that without it, the breed just wouldn’t be able to do its job. A Hamiltonstovare foot should be oval in shape with well arched toes. This structure provides increased surface area when hunting in the snow. The nails should be close to the pad to act as crampons if needed.

This is a breed developed to survive and thrive in Sweden so their feet are a key element in form following function. A judge should never put up a Hamiltonstovare with flat feet, as they would never be able to hunt properly.

Hamiltonstovare should have hair between the toes, this helps to protect the pads from the cold. Unlike other breeds, the snow doesn’t collect between the toes, it just falls out.

The final piece about the Hamiltonstovare foot is that each foot should have a combination of black and pink areas. This is tied to the Irish Spotting gene that makes their coat look the way it does.

In the 10+ years of showing Hamiltonstovare, I have never had a judge look at the pads of their feet to check for the black and pink sections or if there is hair between the toes. Should a judge do this? Yes, but pick up one foot to check and keep things moving. A judge should choose a front foot as it is the most comfortable to the dog.

What a weekend

We had our last shows of the year this past weekend, at the Virginia Classic UKC shows in Virginia Beach, Va. I knew that Rosie would finish her UKC championship on Friday, December 3rd, as she just needed to win the breed and she would have enough points and competition wins/majors to become a UKC Champion. I had no clue that it would be in the way that she did it. She won the incredibly competitive scenthound group at just 10 months old! This makes her the youngest Hamiltonstovare to win a group in the US! I received loads of complements about her and how nice she is from every single judge that I showed her to. She placed in the group at every single show this weekend, which is incredibly hard to do in the scenthound group in the UKC, let alone with a puppy.

Deku also finished his UKC Championship this weekend too. He won best of breed at each show and there was competition at 5 out of the 6 shows. While he didn’t place in the group, he had fun, and that is the most important thing.

Every single show has some drama that crops up but nothing prepared us for what happened on our way to Virginia Beach on Saturday, December 4th around 5:45am. We were the victims of a hit and run accident. Thankfully the three dogs (Rolo, Deku, and Rosie) that were with us seem fine as of right now. Michael and I have some back soreness but that is it so far, we know that it could take upwards of 2 weeks for the adrenaline and endorphins to fully leave our systems so we are keeping a watchful eye over ourselves and the three dogs.

As it was 5:45am, we were unable to make out the vehicle’s make or model but it left white paint on the damaged area of the vehicle. Our van probably has over $1,000 worth of damage on it right now. We did the right thing and called the cops and filed with my insurance.

So, if you know of anybody who was traveling on 295 South around 5:45am in Virginia and they have passenger side damage, please report it to the police immediately. We are incredibly lucky that we didn’t spin out of control or flip over.

Stalking

I have known for quite some time that I have a few stalkers and lurkers on this site. I know exactly who you are and have your IP addresses. This site is powered by Squarespace, and they have some of the best analytics and customer service in the industry.

The stalkers that I know about are in a few countries:
1. Australia - all website views, false information, hacking attempts, etc. have been sent to the local authorities there, due to the ongoing investigation, I cannot name names
2. The UK - we are currently investigating those IP addresses to determine the identity, but a lot of information has already been provided to the local authorities there, due to privacy laws and libel laws in the UK, I cannot name names
3. The US - these people are local to me, my local police department is aware of the situation, they are aware of the make and models of your vehicles, we also have security cameras inside and outside of the house that record constantly. As the stalking laws in the US are not as sophisticated as the ones in other countries, there needs to be additional escalation for criminal stalking to be considered. However, that means that I can name names as there is not an impending investigation. The main two are Mandi Heath of Amelia Courthouse, Virginia; and Jaci Combs of Powhatan, Virginia who has been using a VPN that routes through Kansas and Northern Virginia servers. Both of those individuals are active in the dog show world and involved in the following breeds: Lowchen, Australian Shepherds, and American Staffordshire Terriers/American Pit Bull Terriers

I do not take kindly to stalking and I have video evidence of a similar make and model of one of the vehicles driving by my house in quick succession. If any additional actions are taken, please note that I will pursue it to the letter of the law. I have consulted with legal counsel and will put them on a retainer if I need to in order for the stalking to stop and my reputation to be salvaged. Please note that we are not blaming, we have evidence, screenshots, and video. These people are not our friends, nor would we ever recommend them as appropriate homes for show dogs or as breeders to purchase puppies from for a multitude of reasons that do not pertain to the stalking

I see you, and I’ve had enough. Please do something worthy with your time, like volunteer at a rescue, educate the public about responsible dog ownership, get involved with your local scouts for education sessions, just like we do on a regular basis.