WINDROCK

WINDROCK Inc greyhounds are first and foremost placed in homes to live as companions.

We do not require that you show or compete in any events with your greyhound, but we do stipulate that if you aquire a greyhound from us that the commitment be for life.  If it ever becomes impossible for a buyer to keep the dog, it must be returned to us.  To those wanting to acquire a greyhound from us, be advised that we do have an approval process which requires references and a home check.  

Dog Ownership entails great responsiblity. Make SURE you have the TIME and the resources to adequately provide for your new companion. Kids, both two and four legged, are EXPENSIVE. In the case of a puppy, it is not unlike welcoming a new baby into your home and even with a fully trained mature adult, the impact is the same as in adding another family member. To acquire a dog is a commitment that will span a decade or more. It is not a decision to be taken lightly.

 As a rule, Windrock does not sell dogs on co-ownerships, we prefer to place our dogs outright with full ownership. The AKC does not recommend co-ownerships and some dog registries won't even allow them. We have found co-ownerships involving dogs a whole lot like a marriage--while the Honeymoon lasts things are great, but when the relationship goes bad--we have seen nicer divorces! 

                                                                                                   Meet Emma!

This lovely blue brindle puppy was sold as a companion.  Her owner decided to try showing her at some AKC shows.

She became a SBIS winner handled by her novice owner in TOUGH California competition!!  She also won another specialty major and a hound show win.

"Emma" is SBIS Windrock Moonlit Journey JC and she is a typical Windrock Puppy!

 WINDROCK greyhound puppies are not often available. 

We generally average one litter a year.  One possible litter may be in the works for 2011.

WINDROCK offers this beautiful puppy dog. Note the front fill on this exceptional baby.  "Cisco" is just 5 months old and shows great promise of being a top flight competitor in the ring, on the field, or just in your heart.

Please contact us for more information on this handsome blue fawn boy.

 WINDROCK has a couple of home-raised proven show/performance prospects that might be available to the right situation.  

These outstanding young adults will become available after the 2010 show season. Both of these young dogs will be AKC champions.

Please call 970 270 1300 for more information or email us at windrock@bresnan.net

Look at these greyhounds fly!  If heart and effort expended made all winners, there would be many successful racing greyhounds!  The truth is, the competition is so keen, so tough, that very few greyhounds enjoy long careers at the track.  Thanks to proactive measures by the National Greyhound Association and a huge network of greyhound adoption agencies, ex-racers can be adopted into homes at a nominal fee.

Greyhound puppies from reputable breeders are rare and expensive. Please consider adopting an ex-racer. We can hope you locate the perfect one!

WINDROCK has been involved in dog rescue long BEFORE we ever bred AKC dogs.

We celebrate the 150 plus dogs we have assisted in re-homing--most of which have been ex-racing greyhounds. In addition to fostering and offering dogs for adoption, WINDROCK also transports rescue dogs at NO CHARGE .  Our lastest precious transport was "Millie" the Sheltie who got to ride with the Windrock Crew from Grand Junction to Salt Lake City!  Do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of service to assist a dog or dogs in need . . . windrock@bresnan.net

Occasionally people ask us, "How can you sell that retired champion?"  A good question that merits explanation.

The rules a Breeder must follow are different than those households who have only one or two family pets.  WINDROCK is constantly striving to produce the best quality Greyhounds for show and performance events. Competing with our dogs in AKC and ASFA events is the "proving ground" where WINDROCK can showcase our breeding and evaluate our dogs in comparison with Greyhounds from other breeders. As Breeders, we produce puppies, and Greyhounds have large litters.  Some puppies will not turn out to be quite up to our standards for the show ring. These puppies are placed in loving homes from 10 weeks on. The few we keep are the ones we hope will represent our breeding program the best in the show ring and on the field.  If we are fortunate, one or more of our picks may eventually be used to continue our bloodline. So, we keep, show, run and health test these few individuals.  The next generation of hopefuls will come from these select few, and so it continues on year after year. If we are lucky, we will have a few greyhounds worthy of carrying the WINDROCK banner on into future generations. As time goes by, the number of chosen greyhounds we keep increases (if we are doing the right thing in our breeding program) and eventually we find that we are over the number of dogs we feel we can care for in a fair manner.

Every good Breeder knows what "number" of dogs they never want to exceed without having to sacrifice the attention and care each dog is given. In operations employing kennel help, larger numbers of dogs may be kept. In our situation, there is just Colin and I and the number of greyhounds MUST be limited out of fairness to the dogs--and the limits of our home as our dogs live with us. Each dog requires love, care and most importantly TIME SPENT with them--dogs should not be crated a majority of the time. If we kept every dog we loved--we would not sell any and keep them all! But love is not enough. It is not possible to divide the time of 2 caretakers amongst too many dogs. There are not enough hours in a day. Therefore, Breeders must care enough for the dogs that have worked hard to help us improve the breed--to know when it is time to retire them into family homes where they can have 100% of the attention they love and deserve. Colin and I love them enough to let them go.

The benefits of an adult dog are many! Puppies are wonderful, but they require a tremendous amount of time in training and it is a big commitment many homes can't meet. An adult dog is fully trained, so it is an excellent alternative for people who work. With an adult, you have the benefit of knowing all about the dog ahead of time--we have a complete portfolio and we carefully screen to match the right dog with the right people. An additional bonus is you will have the privilege of owning a dog who was kept by WINDROCK because he/she was "the best" which means you will very likely get a Champion and a very beautiful representative of the breed. With an adult dog, there is no gamble--what you see is what you get--a prized Champion lovingly raised and trained by professionals.  Adult dogs are often the best choice for homes with seniors who are not able to handle the rigors of raising a puppy, but could welcome a polite and well-trained adult dog into their homes easily.

Do I cry when one of our adults leaves?  Absolutely and often for many days. If you think Colin and I are not bothered by seeing a member of our family led away from our home for the last time by the new family, you are sadly mistaken. We love our greyhounds enough to know that it is necessary to let some them go. Even though we know it is the right thing for the dog, a huge part of me wishes it did not have to be this way, as they are very much our kids.

 Do we place *EVERY* greyhound that  we retire from the showring? No, we only place dogs that can easily make the transition to a new home. Most dogs can, and do so quite easily, but some greyhounds do not adapt easily to change. Those stay here. We only place healthy dogs that can add happiness and many years of enjoyment to their new owners lives. A dog that would pine away for its former home is not a good candidate for placing in a new home. These dogs must stay with us for their entire lives, which also means that any given time, we will have three or more veterans living here along with the younger generation.

So, the next time you ponder why a Breeder is selling an adult dog--consider the reality of their situation. It is not by any means an "unwanted dog", it is a very much loved dog that the Breeder has cared for and loved, but now wants this dog to have the love and devotion of a family where that lucky greyhound will be the "one and only!"

Colin and I wish to thank all of the wonderful people who have extended their homes to our adult dogs. We know it takes a special person/family to take in a greyhound that is older, but your letters, pictures and calls always serve to remind us that we have done the right thing. And athough I find it hard to swallow because of the lump in my throat I am very happy for these dogs--and the special people that have them!!

                               SOME OF THE ADULT DOGS WE HAVE PLACED

This handsome red dog is Ch Windrock Ring Of Fire!  "Cash" blew through his AKC Championship in 7 straight weekends of shows. He is a son of our highly regarded MBIF DC Windrock Mamma Mia SC LCX Fch and is from a noteworthy litter than already features #1 ranked winners, multiple Champion and Field Champion get. His next endeavor will be the most important and the most lasting - - that of a companion.   Now retired from the show ring , Cash has joined the Cirka family here in Grand Junction! 

This beautiful greyhound is  Ch Windrock Angel In Disguise.  She finished her AKC Championship in a flash with  steller achievements by virtue of her winning multiple 5 point majors on Specialty weekends!  Bred once, Angel gave us two beautiful puppies.  Angel flew out to Tennessee and just the other day she wrote us saying she'd seen "Elvis!" 

 This is  Ch Greystone's All The Right Moves, call name "Tigger."  This is one of the many beautiful Champions that WINDROCK has placed over the years. She is a littermate to the puppy we ultimately kept and bred down from--he grew up to be the #1 ranked BIS/SBIS Ch Greystone's Barcelona!!  Tigger is a grey-muzzled veteran now and lives happily with a family and one other dog in Grand Junction.

 Here is another AKC champion that we did not retain for our breeding program. This lovely particolor is Ch Windrock Martigra Party.  She too, was retired and placed as a 2 yr old dog. A daughter of our top winning special, the famous BIS/SBIS Ch Shazam's The Journey Begins JC, she is simply not up to our breeding standards.  Parti has been the best of companions for her family!

 This breathtakingly beautiful bitch is Group Winning Ch Shazam's Journey In Starlight CGC!  She was retired to a home after a short, but successful career in the ring, and after two bouts at motherhood. Zephyr did not get along with other dogs and required a special home situation. We told Zephyr to be patient and we waited until just the right one came along. Sure enough, the perfect match was found right here in our home town! Zephyr gave her adoptive Mom the courage and determination to survive breast cancer and was a devoted companion until she passed away a few days shy of her 14th birthday.