We are a very small hobby kennel in Cape Coral, Florida. We have a house that sits on just over one fenced acre. Our dogs get to spend time running free in the yard each day, and spend each night sleeping in our bedroom with us. In short, our dogs are family members and beloved pets that just happen to go to dog shows from time to time!
Khayyam is registered as Lesley's Bakhmull Khayyam, and her breeding is Goldmine's Lamu Nights x Sugarfoot's Peach Pit. She is a 6 year old, black masked red bitch. Khayyam is the first Afghan Hound that I have ever had the great pleasure to own, and is my shadow around the house. Now, I have to admit right here that even though I love her dearly, we did go about getting her the wrong way. We had never purchased a purebred dog before, and knew nothing of the existance of puppy mills and the problems of buying from a pet store. So, when I fell in love with that puppy in the window, my husband Walter bought her for me as a Christmas present. I have since learned that this is not the way to best ensure getting a healthy, well adjusted puppy, and I would never, ever recommend that anyone buy from a pet store. But, Khayyam is here, and here she will stay. She will have a happy, and hopefully long, life with us for all her days.
Gandalf is registered as Driftwood Special Powers, and his breeding is Ch. Zebec Sakr Splendor x Ch. Driftwood's Royal Elegance. He is a 4 1/2 year old black and tan dog. After we had Khayyam for a while, I became seriously interested in the dog show world, and decided that I would like to have another Afghan and try my hand at showing. Gandalf has been slow in maturing, but he is coming together and is starting to look really nice. He is AKC pointed, with several Reserves as well. He is also WWKC pointed, with a Group 1 to his credit. We also lure-coursed him at the Afghan Hound Club of America National Specialty 1993, and as a result he has one leg on his Junior Courser title. We would love to go coursing on a regular basis, but the nearest coursing to us is a five hour drive, and the dates available have often conflicted with other obligations. I'm trying to get my all-breed club to get coursing started in this area.
Melody was registered as Sharja Sing In The Wilderness, and her breeding was Ch. Sharja Second Seduction x Ch. Sharja Stolen Moments. After showing Gandalf for a couple of years, I realized that this was something that I wanted to do as a long-term, serious hobby. I took on the kennel name "Rubaiyat", and added a puppy bitch to our family. She was a very lovely, refined girl that did nicely in the puppy classes, including taking a Reserve to a 3 point major from the 6-9 month class. She had a promising show career in front of her, and it was our great sorrow that we lost her at 14 months due to complications from pnuemonia. We mourned long and hard for her, and she is still sorely missed.
Sesame is registered as Sharja Spice of Life, and her breeding is Ch. Sharja Second Seduction x Ch. Majestic's The Games We Play. She is a cream bitch who is about 10 months old (as of this writing: 10-12-95), and is a half-sister to Melody. From what we see so far, she is very nicely put together, and we hoping to have a lot of fun with her in the ring. She certainly has the attitude for it! She took a Group 3 at her first puppy match this spring, and went Reserve Winners from the 6-9 month class at her first points show. It's a nice start, and we're looking forward to showing her more this fall.
Kaeli is a 2 1/2 year old blue brindle domino bitch, and has been with us since June. I was at a show late this spring, and was asked if I would be willing to provide a foster home for an Afghan, as there were three or four Afghans in Florida in need of homes. As it turns out, I always wanted a blue brindle domino, and when I had an opportunity to have one literally show up on my doorstep, I couldn't resist. She had a wonderful, sweet personality, and so we decided to keep her as a pet. She and Sesame have become best buddies!
As I mentioned above, I decided to take "Rubaiyat" on as our kennel name. As it happens, the very first present that the man who became my father-in-law ever gave me was a copy of _The Rubaiyat_ by Omar Khayyam. This is a poetic work by a 12th century Persian astronomer/poet, and in my opinion is quite beautiful. When Walter gave me my first Afghan puppy, I knew I wanted a Middle-eastern name, and she was named Khayyam for those sentimental reasons. Our kennel is named Rubaiyat in honor of Khayyam -- she has been spayed and will thus pass no genes onto our kennel, but she will live on through our name.
You will undoubtedly notice that we frequently use the term "Snoo". What on earth is that?!? Well, Khayyam joined us as a three month old puppy. Now, three month old Afghan puppies don't look very much like adult Afghans, even though they certainly are adoreable! When my father-in-law saw her for the first time, he commented that she didn't look like a dog, so much as some animal out of a Dr. Seuss story. I jokely replied that she was, and I told him that she was a Snuzzle-Wuzzle-Snoo. No, Dr. Seuss never did have such a creature in his stories, but it was the first nonsense name that came to my mind, and it does sound kind of Dr. Seuss-ish. Well, we laughed, and the term stuck, abbreviated as "Snoo". So basically, "Snoo" has become the Peterson family term of endearment for Afghans Hounds.
As for me, I feel that I've come a long way since Khayyam first set paw in our home. I have learned and am continuing to learn a great deal about Afghan Hounds and the world of purebred dogs in general. I am currently on the Board of Directors of the Greater Fort Myers Dog Club, and am currently serving as Public Education Chairperson. My purpose in putting this page on the Internet is to help educate newcomers to the breed, as well as to "meet" and chat with Afghan lovers both new and experienced.
Wags to all!
Lesley L. Peterson