Our first dogs were Lesley’s Bakhmull Khayyam (Khay) and Driftwood Special Powers (Gandalf). Gandalf was by breeder and AKC show judge Rita Figg. She was a wonderful mentor to me as I started in the show world and I remain deeply grateful to her.Our next dogs were by Linda Shipley – Sharja Sing in the Wilderness (Melody) and Sharja Spice of Life (Sesame). We added another from one of her co-breedings, Jendhar Criminal Mischief (Logan). Both Sesame and Logan carried champion points. Sadly, Logan died suddenly and unexpectedly from a seizure. We were heartbroken. But we remain forever grateful to Linda for her help and mentorship. I have the utmost respect for her.
Our next dogs involved breedings by Joe & Linda Fillapone along with Jesus Llano and Michael Cuevas. Together we were the proud owners of Multi-Group winning Ch. Aloof Llacue's Enchanter (Merlyn). And with Merlyn becoming the sire of our lovely girl Llacue's Aloof Qadim Desert Moon (Sheba), Sheba became the first of our dogs to carry our name, Qadim. The word "qadim" means "ancient" in Arabic, and we felt that this was a fitting name that reflects the long lineage of this venerable breed.
Soon after, we rescued two other Afghans who were being fostered by Rita Figg. They had no papers, so we couldn't register them. Nevertheless, I gave them a formal name along with a call name. So, to us, they were Desert Wind of Qadim (Zephyr) and Desert Rose of Qadim. (Jasmine) and they were shown in AKC Parade of Rescue Dogs classes. All three hounds were exceptionally sweet and loving. Sheba carried points, but we retired from showing before she could finish. We lost her in the fall of 2021 at the age 16. We lost Zephyr on June 6 of 2022 at the age of 11-1/2, and then Jasmine the following year.
We also had other rescue dogs who were part of our family – Kaley, Beaver, Alf, Joshua, and Savannah. Each one had a unique story and personality. Show dog or rescue made no difference… we’ve loved them all. And we have always been a forever home. When we commit to a dog, it’s for life.
We may have stopped showing in the late 2000s, but we never stopped loving the breed in general, and our dogs in particular. When we lost Zephyr, leaving Jasmine bereft of canine companionship, we realized that it was time to bring a new puppy into our family. I set off in search for a particular type of puppy. I wanted a good representative of the breed, but I also wanted a blue brindle domino and I was determined to find such a one. I was most fortunate to come across a new breeder, Cathy Bailey of Zardin Afghans, who just bred her first litter. One of her little boys was exactly what I was looking for. A while later, we added Sandy, from Kristin Lamb, of Aristo Afghan Hounds. Both of these dogs have pedigrees that descend from Hosanna Afghan Hounds. We've been very happy with these dogs and, with our hiatus at an end, have been showing once again in a variety of AKC sports, including conformation, CAT and FAST CAT. We've also titled them in AKC's Family Dog Events, including Canine Good Citizen and FIT Dog. We believe very strongly in the value of a well-rounded dog that meets the breed standard, maintains its breed's instincts, and is a well-behaved family companion. Their registered names are prefixed with their breeders' names in recognition of their role in producing these wonderful dogs, but also are suffixed with our name in recognition of what we have accomplished with them. Thus, their names reflect their breeding as well as their nurturing and development. Khalil is Zardin Desert Sands of Qadim, CAA FCAT CGC FITS, and Sandy is CH Aristo's Desert Sands of Qadim, CA DCAT CGC FITB. We treasure them and look forward to many happy years to come.
