CHAMPION KRIMA’S PAY IT FORWARD, aka Picabo went home form the shows with her loving family! I think they were happy with her wins and performance this weekend. After she won the first two days Bill suggested that they get in their car and drive out so they could see her finish. They did and so of course she did not win on Saturday. I was afraid it was going  to curse her and for the day it did! But they were not to be disappointed and Picabo did win on Sunday to finish her championship and they got to see her do it. I could not be more pleased at the outcome for them and for her. She went into the weekend with  5 single points. This weekend alone she picked up two 3 point majors and a 5 point major and it’s only her 6th weekend ever showing. I would say that is a quick trip down champion lane!!

For the others it was Best of Opposite Sex to Best of Breed for Angel, Grand Champion Luna Azul’s Angel of Joy R-Luv-S, Spot, Suloha’s  She’s In The Spotlight, was second every day in puppy class and Peyton, Champion Velvety Quarterback Sneak was Best of Breed every day.

Lizzie came along to see her breeders and they were very pleased with her development and temperament. Bill was proud of her since he has been working hard on her training and socializing. She enjoyed the trip very much and Bill can’t wait to get her in the ring. She should be a great show dog. Time will tell.

Overall it was a good weekend and a great one for Jan and Scott Thompson taking home their first champion Picabo. Now it’s laundry and crate washing time and off to the Amarillo shows right away, like tomorrow night if at all possible. Next weekend has Angel, Peyton, Sunni and Spot going. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Odebt

Today had some changes here in Topeka. Little Picabo only got second in her class so she did not finish today. The adult bitch got winners and she is owned by the breeder of Picabo. That girl did finished her championship today so congratulations to her. Peyton won Breed and was wonderful in the group today. He was happy, showy and impressive to those who cared to watch. He did make the judge look at him but it still did not get him a placement. Maybe tomorrow.

Spot was second out of four and the puppy who beat her in the class also went reserve. The judge told Bill he appreciated true hairlessness and when he didn’t find  a bunch of stubble he commented how nice Spots hairless skin was. He would maybe be a judge to show her to again when she is more grown up.

So the big winner today was Angel! There was an entry of 25 Chihuahuas and I think two were absent. Angel took a big Best of Breed and in very nice competition. Then she went on to group and made the cut. It was a pleasure and Angel was so happy to be in the group that she got a little silly. So silly in fact that she got the zoomies twice! At least it was while she was waiting and not when she was in front of the judge. I would have liked her to have slowed down some on her last individual but she was so up. She wasn’t crazy or out of control, she just was rushing and she looks better when she settles down. I sure hope she can win again tomorrow! It makes her so happy to show in the group!

So, now it’s time for rest. I am having a hard time typing and focusing I am so tired! Let’s hope tomorrow is the best day! I will tell you all what happens as soon as I can. As you know, tomorrow is pack it all up day so possibly no internet. Wish us luck!

Odebt

Well, today was pretty much a repeat of yesterday. Part was good, part was not. The “not” part was little Spot did not win, rather she received 3rd in her class. The judge likes them bigger. She did state to those in the ring that “they are all nice bitches in this class”. She did not say that in every class so I think I can believe her heart was genuine when she said that. Still, it’s discouraging because we think Spot is worthy of the win. It’s not our choice though since we are not the judge who gets to point to the one of her choice.

Peyton won Breed and went to group again and showed flawlessly today but did not garner a placement. Angel was Best Of Opposite Sex again but  is already a Grand Champion so she gains nothing other than a Best Opposite win, ribbon included. Sometimes it is just harder to be a specials dog when you are a bitch. Angel is on her game this weekend and is showing really well and behaving when she is moving. I think she is a little happier and more relaxed at these shows since her girlfriend Drizzle came along to keep her company.

Picabo is the big winner today ! She came into this weekend with 5 singles and now has a total of 13 points and both majors!! Just two more points will do it. Let’s hope! I will do my best to groom her and present her and she has been wonderful trying to please me and show herself off so I  am sure she will do her part. So now it’s up to the judges! Congratulations to Scott and Jan Thompson! They have a good little show dog here this weekend!

We want to offer congratulations to Lois and Charlene too with Danny, their Ch. boy Kerry Blue Terrier. There is a lot of competition at these shows and they have held their own winning Select dog twice for two grand Champion Majors. I know they would also have liked to get breed and I think they have that potential still this weekend but it is a big deal too, to work on that Grand and on a young dog who has quite a future in the ring if they choose it. I like that Danny is now so close to his Grand title. It is fun to be noticed and rewarded if you don’t get the breed. At least the judge and the ringside have then noticed your dog. You know you are competitive and you are in the running in this venue.

Well, we are exhausted tonight so we ate fast food and we are taking a nap at the hotel. We will still return to the grounds to walk the dogs there since it is better for the dogs as there is not only more grass there but there are a lot of trees and it is more pleasant over the little bit of grass and busy streets that are here at the hotel. So, nap time and then back to workto prepare for tomorrow. Keep good thoughts!

Odebt

Well, today we like Kansas! We started the day off with Angel and an entry of 20 smooth coat Chihuahuas. She showed really well and easily got Best Of Opposite Sex to Best of Breed. Of course we want Best of Breed and that could very well happen this weekend but not today. The Best Opposite was well deserved. Next was Peyton who won Best of Breed. He was happy today with his harem of girls. He is the only boy in the set up and he likes it that way. He went on to the group but was disappointed there, but he walked out along with several other nice Terriers. We will try for a group placement tomorrow!

The next dog to show was Picabo. She knows what is happening at the dog shows now and she enjoyed every minute of her time in the ring. The judge noticed and not only did she win Winners Bitch but then she won Best of Winners for a 3 point major! That’s her first major and that brings her up to 8 points total with one major! She has three more days to get her second major and if she happens to win two more days it will finish her. Let’s hope!

Spot was the last class dog to show today. She was delighted to have Bill take her into the ring. She likes Bill a lot and showed well for him.She got second in her class today. The puppy bitch who beat her went on to reserve so obviously the judge liked her. Ringside friends said she looked more mature than Spot. She was bigger and more filled out. Our friends also said they felt Spot out moved the other puppy but maybe that was not what the judge was looking for. It does bode well if our judges the next three days look for movement. Again, let’s hope it works out our way.

We can’t ask any more from the dogs than they are giving us already. They are all showing well, great and we know they are worthy. Now as always, it is up to the judges.  So, the big winner today was Picabo. Congratulations to Scott and Jan Thompson!

It’s very late and we all need our rest to conquer tomorrow! Think of us with good and positive thoughts!

We will let you know what happens!

Odebt

Here we are at the beginning of another dog show weekend here in Topeka Kansas! All the dogs traveled well and I think they are ready for the shows. We have had a little time off at home and for them it was getting boring. Enough of R & R they say, on to the shows!

I will let you know how we do today, keep your fingers crossed and good thoughts coming our way. We will do our best to convince the judges that we have the best dogs on the day!

We hope you have a good day too!

Odebt

We are home again and as tired as we were we had to  go out and see the pigs and poultry and see how the garden has grown. We then had to visit the house dogs and let them see Lizzie, Angel and Peyton too. The dogs in the kennel had to wait because it started raining almost as soon as we arrived home but they were glad to see us too once it stopped and they got to come out and play too!

We stopped on the way home to drop off Danny and visit with Lois, Charlene and Eva and her pups in Littleton. The pups had grown and Eva was delighted to see Dan and us. We were delighted to see all of them and they were nice enough to let all the  dogs  take a break and run in the back yard before we hit the road again. We stopped in the Springs to meet Mark to drop off Taylor so we had a late lunch while we waited for him to arrive. We parked in the shade with the doors and windows all open and ate Mexican food that was satisfying, cheap and filling. After Mark took his kiddo we headed for home and here we are.

The Bismarck weekend was productive with 12 BEST OF BREED wins, a new GRAND CHAMPION  and a GROUP 4. It was a pleasant trip with good dogs, good show grounds and hard working club members who made it a show to consider again in the future. Bismarck is a good sized  city with plenty of motels, restaurants and stores for anyone including the mandatory Walmart which we were lucky not to have needed to visit for once. We took Hwy 83 for a  good portion of the drive and it was certainly pleasant enough and in good condition. The gas was on the expensive side averaging about $2.90 per gallon for the entire  trip. There were of course a lot of motorcycles since Sturgis is starting this week and it’s their 70th anniversary. Still it didn’t really affect us much and made it interesting seeing some beautiful bikes. I even saw one that was painted like it was a chicken coop! It has a beautiful rooster and a couple of pretty hens on it and had them in straw behind chicken wire. I loved it of course! The other highways we drove were Hwy 94 to 71 to 76 and I-80 to hwy 83 on the way out and we took 83 to 80 to 76 to I-25 so we could drive through Denver and the Springs to drop the dogs off that are not staying with us. We are also glad to be home. Still I have Topeka already in my mind and want to remind anyone sending a dog that hasn’t been entered yet that entries close Wednesday! Please don’t miss them!

So far it has been a good year and time is flying toward the fall and the end of the year. We are proud of the dogs we have shown and are showing currently. I hope we can keep up the momentum and fill the second half of this year with a lot more wins and maybe a couple more champions too!  I am looking forward to Topeka! I hope you are too!

Odebt

I guess one of the fun things that happened today was that Bill and I were each asked to judge a Bred By Exhibitor Group. Bill judged Sporting and I did Terriers. Bill put up a Vizsla for his group 1. I put up a Miniature Schnauzer for my group 1. Since we did the judging we had to go watch Best Bred By in Show, judged by the  regular Best in Show judge. Once again, it was my pick that went BEST! I love it when that happens!

Our dogs all showed and looked great and the judges were all in a great mood so the day was easy and fun. The schedule was much better today than yesterday too! Our neighbors were enjoyable and the show being so small is really relaxed. I would come back to these shows any time, the club has done a great job.

Tim, our eldest and certainly much appreciated son is home holding down the fort. He has been selling off our piglets rapidly this last week so there will be far fewer piglets when I get home. I will kind of miss seeing all of them and watching them play and eat. If anyone still wants us to raise them a hog and hasn’t told us now would be the time to speak up before we have none left. We have bred the sows back to the boar so we will have some more babies later this fall, probably November or December. We send thanks and love to Tim for all he has been doing for me and we appreciate very very much that we can relax and enjoy the shows without worrying about what is happening at home with all the critters, not just the dogs.

So, one more day and we head for home. We can’t do anything more than we have been doing and we can’t ask any more of the dogs as they are giving it their all. All that is left is for the judges to point in our direction.
If we get a room tomorrow night on the way home with WIFI I will write and tell what we have managed to do if I can and it isn’t too late. Otherwise it will have to wait until we get home.

Think “pawsatively” and wish us some wins! These are good dogs we have!

Odebt

We showed today amid a little chaos but it was all good. We didn’t do as well as we had hoped but that’s dog shows right? Taylor was second today sorry to say. She simply wasn’t enough dog for Jane Kay.  I showed a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and got Best Opposite with him. It was his first day as a special so that was fun. Then Angel showed and won breed again. At exactly the same time as I was showing Angel and going around the ring, Bill was in the next ring going around with Danny. Danny won since he was the only one to show up. Then it was time to wash Peyton again. At the same time Peyton was to go into the ring Bill was off showing Taylor. That was all fine and good  except the groups had started and Toys were the second group in! One of us had to get done to be able to take Angel in the group ring. Luckily I knew the folks who were to be judged right before Peyton was scheduled and they and the judge agreed to let me go in first. Thank you to them all. I had just enough time to run, and I do mean literally run, and put Best of Breed Peyton back into his crate, grab Angel and her lead, run to the group ring as I am putting her lead on her as the group was going into the ring! I had time only after we stopped to stack up and the judge looked at everyone to then change our armband to hers from Peytons! Boy that was crazy!

Angel showed well enough to make the cut but she was a little too wild on her last individual and did not get a placement. The judge said she will get there so we can agree on that. She is still very young. We find that most people, including judges, think she is a puppy. At some point she will lose some of that puppy look.

I then had one group to get Danny and Peyton back up and ready for the Terrier Group. Normally that would be plenty of time. However, at these shows the group between Toys and Terriers was Hound, and that group consisted of 8 dogs. Of course I am almost always up for a challenge and was able to get them both looking good. Still we had to rush to the group ring. The bad news was that neither Danny nor Peyton got placed. The judge told us that he was pleased with the quality of all the dogs in such a small group so that was nice of him. Later he told me that if he had a 5th he would have given it to Danny. He told me he hoped we would show him the dog when he is more mature. I hope we will have that chance.

Would you believe the show was over by 2:30?  I have been done before at such a time but I have never been to an all breed show that was done that early. Weird.  So it’s time to relax, walk dogs repeatedly and then go to bed as early as the dogs will allow, sometime around 10:30 here, we are an hour ahead of Colorado and dogs don’t read clocks, did you know that? We want some big wins tomorrow so we all need our rest, us and the dogs. Keep thinking good thoughts for us!

Odebt

We arrived in Bismarck yesterday around 3:30 pm. We checked into our hotel and then went to unload all the equipment at the show grounds. The hotel is pretty decent, the rooms are clean,they contain a fridge with a  freezer, an ironing board and iron, a hairdryer and working AC. There is a table and a desk and free wifi. It is also very quiet here and dogs are allowed in the rooms no problem.

The show grounds are at a convention center in the exhibit building. The building is large and air conditioned nicely. There is a wash sink for the dogs and it has warm water too. Our  grooming spot is about central to everything. An added plus is nice grass pretty much right out the door and shade trees around the parking lot so if you get there early enough you can park so you car isn’t overheated when you go to pack up the dogs each day. After unloading we found a grocery store and bought fresh bait for the dogs and snacks for us. ( It is a normal convention center and the food is over priced ). We then went back to the grounds so I could let the scissor fly and give Danny his haircut.  I knew I wouldn’t be able to get him done before his 10:00 am ring time and that with prepping and showing Angel earlier.  Then it was feed the dogs, dinner for us and bed for all.

Up early today to get to the grounds and grab one of those shady spots. Lizzie, Bill’s Pointer baby has eaten her second bed of the trip. No more beds for Lizzy. Well, we are going to try a solid fleece bed. If she manages to  tear it up then absolutely no more beds for Lizzie! The show here is little,more than little, it’s like a match.  It is more important than a match I will give you that. Still, in all our years showing, it is the smallest show Bill and I have ever been to, ever. There are 5 rings total, tons of grooming space and big isles. They put bleachers next to the group ring. The bleachers have cushioned folding chairs on them instead of benches, very nice.  One ring is for all of the Obedience and is over in a corner and the other 4 rings are conformation.  There is so much space that Onofrio is able to leave their trailer right in the building and there is still way more than enough room for everyone. Oh how I wish it was always like this at a show!

The first dog we were showing today was TAYLOR, Mark and Tracey Watsons young Vizsla bitch. She won her class  but did nothing further. She is  relaxed about the dog shows now and has acclimated easily and is having fun.  Lets hope she does better in the next few days.

CH LUNA AZUL ANGEL OF JOY R-LUV-S, also known lovingly as Angel by those who know her, was the next to show. From now on you can write her name as GRAND CHAMPION LUNA AZUL ANGEL OF JOY R-LUV-S! She won BEST OF VARIETY over another champion to finish her Grand Championship title! Yeah Angel and congratulations to Rochelle and JC Smith!!! Thank you Judge Peggy Lloyd!

Next up was Danny. He belongs to Lois Croley and Charlene Dwyer. They sent him out for a weekend away from the house while they spend time with Eva and her puppies. It is hoped he will enjoy the shows and be kept in practice. Keeping in practice for a champion includes going to  groups. Since Danny won BEST OF BREED, he got to go practice in the group.

After Danny own breed, I had to get Peyton ready. He is the Bedlington also owned by Lois and Charlene. We got  to use the nice raised up wash sink and wash Peyton in nice  warm water. He did up beautiful and was ready for the ring just on time. He won BEST OF BREED and  was also going to play in the group. So,with all the dogs shown we had two groups to go to with three dogs.

One of the judges had been deleted from the panel so groups had to start 45  minutes later than listed. We didn’t mind, it gave the dogs time to nap and then go potty before the groups started. The groups at a small show tend to be small  and this show is no exception. The largest group was the Toy group. It had I think 13 or 14 dogs. The smallest group was the Non-Sporting group with 5 dogs. I  felt sorry for the one person who had to walk out without a ribbon and they had to walk out alone. The Terrier Group was 8  strong. Even though these groups are small they are still strong with well known handlers from California, Arizona, Texas and even Colorado. Some folks felt it made the small groups even harder. Sort of like starting with a judges cut.  We don’t worry about that, we play to  win regardless of the size of the group.

I showed little Angel in the toy  group. Everybody and his litter brother are bigger than Angel. I don’t know if that holds her back, being only about 3 pounds and always near the back of the line because of it. She showed her little heart out as usual and still was noticed only by the ring side who took every chance they had to tell me how much they adored her. Even the lady who owned and showed the competition was ringside rooting her on and told me how much she loved her. That is good sportsmanship folks! I wish everyone could support their breed in the groups even if they don’t win themselves. I also love to see someone who can see a good dog even if they are not holding the lead themselves! That is what this hobby should be about. Showing, breeding and appreciating a good dog for the betterment of the breeds and the sport. I love it when I see a good dog in my breed. I would like to think there are lots of good  healthy loved dogs in my breed and I always hope to see one at each show I go to. Yes, I am often disappointed since there  are few showing of my breed first of all but that does not mean I stop looking and hoping. Back on the subject! Angel showed and was loved but not  picked by today’s judge for a placement. We will give it another shot tomorrow!  If we are beat by the little boy champion we will try again the next day and we will support the little guy in the group. He is a decent little guy and has a very pretty head. I would like to see him as he gets more mature and relaxes better at the shows.

On to the Terrier group with Peyton and Danny. Danny being a Kerry Blue is happy to be shown by anyone he knows so he goes in the ring with Bill. I take Peyton in. Danny heads up the line as he is the only non-table dog in the group. The I follow second in line since Peyton is the second longest legged dog in the group, everyone else being much smaller by a couple of inches at least! Our judge is Jane Kay who I think is about 93 years old. No that is not a comparison or a joke, she really is about 93 years old and is a spry little old gal, sharp as a tack. She has a  reputation as being frequently crabby and I have seen her so. But today she not only cheerfully judged her assignment but she also did all of the dogs from the missing judges  assignment too then went on to judge 2 groups, all in good humor. She had to be tired after all that. She gave every dog it’s allotted time and made everyone feel like they were in the running. It was a 50/50 chance of placing after all.

Both Peyton and Danny showed really well, no complaints from the handlers. First went to the Smooth Fox Terrier, second to the Miniature  Schnauzer, third to the wheaten colored Scottish Terrier and fourth went to DANNY! Woo hoo Danny and Bill! Regrettably Peyton and I walked. I knew I shouldn’t have groomed Danny so nice! Well, of course I don’t really mean that but I do wish that Peyton had placed too! During the picture taking Jane Kay told us how she always loves a nice Kerry Blue and when he wagged at her when she approached him on his individual evaluation he pretty much told her how much he wanted it and she listened. Congratulations to Lois and Charlene for Danny’s GROUP 4 win during his practice shows!

On to tomorrow! Let’s hope we do as well and better. Talk to you tomorrow night!!

Odebt