AboutUs

TEMPERAMENT - A sound, intelligent, trustworthy dog is a joy to live with and a pleasure to train for the home, obedience or

conformation rings, lure coursing and agility fields. We personally feel this is the most important aspect of any animal. We are

very proud of the temperaments on our "kids" - it is something that we work very hard at. For this reason, we believe in heavy

socialization for the first 8 weeks and require that all puppies must attend a beginner obedience / puppy socialization class

after they go to their "forever" homes.

STRUCTURE & MOVEMENT - A moderate, sound structure that moves comfortably and easily indicates that the dog is not

"extreme" in any one portion of his body and should therefore be less prone to problems. Our dogs were bred to "hunt" -

without a moderate and sound structure, the dogs cannot be effective at the jobs that they were bred for. We believe in

"testing" our Salukis by placing them in the open fields in the West Coast to prove that they are still able to hunt desert jack

rabbits. We are proud to have bred and owned open field pointed dogs.

HEALTH - Overall health is actually somewhat related to both temperament and structure. Attitude has been found to directly

affect health in humans and we find it does in dogs as well. We keep a watchful eye on potential hereditary defects. We also

believe disclosure is the best way to erradicate problems from a breed.

Aeolus Salukis was established in 1995. Firebird Whippets was established in 1999. Kevin & Dawn, however have been involved with dogs for over 15 years each. Kevin and Dawn were married in October 2003. Kevin began with Greyhounds and while coursing them, he fell in love with the running style of the Saluki. He also learned that Salukis were a bit more durable on the coursing fields. Kevin shows and trains the dogs in conformation, agility, lure coursing and open field coursing. Kevin is a member of the Saluki Club of America, the American Saluki Association, Huron Valley Saluki Club, Midwest Coursing Club, American Whippet Club, is the conformation show co-chairman for Greater Racine Kennel Club. Kevin is licensed as a lure coursing judge for ASFA and is a Board Member for the American Saluki Association. He is also on the Public Education Committee for the Saluki Club of America. Kevin judged Saluki sweepstakes at the Kalamazoo, Michigan, Memorial Day Show in 2004, judged an all-sighthound fun match in April 2004, and judged Saluki sweepstakes in San Francisco in October 2006.

After years of success in Australian Cattle Dogs, Dawn was looking for a sighthound to have her first dual champion. Dawn fell in love with the versatility of the Whippet. She is a member of the Australian Cattle Dog Club of America, the American Whippet Club, the Midwest Coursing Club, Huron Valley Saluki Club, American Saluki Association and Greater Racine Kennel Club. Dawn co-chairs an all-breed conformation show with Kevin. Dawn was also the catalog advertising chairperson for the 2003 ASFA International Invitational. Dawn trains and competes in conformation, agility, lure coursing and obedience. Dawn had the opportunity to judge Whippets at the 2002 Contintental Whippet Alliance Labor Day show. She was an obedience instructor for several years at Sta-Lyn K-9 Training Center.

We have been able to rescue and rehome five Australian Cattle Dogs and a Saluki - we also have provided a permanent home to a rescue Saluki, a rescue Lab and a rescue Lhasa Apso. In 2000 with a good friend of ours, we rescued a Siberian Husky that had been abandoned while pregnant - we whelped and raised her puppies and then found wonderful homes for everyone!

We do not breed very often. Usually we will only breed when we want something for ourselves. We also generally do not allow our males at public stud. Our goal is to breed versatile dogs.... ones that have the potential to excel in the show ring, on the coursing field, in the obedience and agility rings, and on the couch! We love the breeds so we decided to set a list of priorities and breed towards them. Our priorities are as follows:

To summarize, when you look at an AEOLUS dog, you will know that we have thoroughly analyzed each and every puppy and evaluated temperament, structure and movement, and health. Our puppies are raised in the living room and are socialized extensively before leaving for their "forever" homes. We take great pride in our puppies and have developed wonderful relationships with the new owners... they become part of our "family". People who own dogs from us realize that our relationship continues far beyond the time the dogs go to their new homes - we want to hear from the new owners - for the life of the dog and beyond!

We primarily breed Salukis and occasionally breed Whippets. Our Saluki breeding program is primarily based on the Canem-Dei, Dadaelis, Warm Valley, and Pine Paddock lines. We love the elegant moderation of these lines and strive to maintain the "one piece" body with smooth lines and sound temperaments, while retaining the heart and intensity to pursue quarry. Our limited Whippet breeding program is primarily based on Kathy and Debbie Davenport's Kamada line. The classic Whippet look and the outgoing personalities have drawn us to the Kamada dogs. We will always be grateful to the late Marie Adams & Don Adams (Salukis) and to Kathy & Debbie Davenport (Whippets) for providing us with a phenominal foundation to build our programs from.