Pawsatively Handling

Hi all! I bet some of you are wondering what’s going on this weekend.

Well, I’ll start by telling you that I am in Grand Island, Nebraska. The Kennel Club here has a grand new site! The building is big, new and clean and bright. There is plenty of room and there is plenty of grass outside and this year at least, the weather is beautiful. I would recommend this show site to anyone.

On this trip I have Danny and Buckie in the ring. Both of them won Best of Breed/Variety today and both went to group. The sad news is that neither did anything in their respective groups. Maybe tomorrow will prove better.

Also on the trip is Diamond, the sweet and funny Chow Chow baby, plus Chewy and Rufus, two Japanese Chins I am getting to know so I can show them next trip. On the last trip Tank, the boy Chow Chow got to go and get individual attention and he did great. This trip is Diamonds turn at going somewhere without her brother. She is having the time of her life! She thinks every dog wants to play with her and she thinks every person must say hello to her too! She is adorable and I hope she stays this happy with everyone, we will do our best to help her do so. She also likes to run. She runs this way and that with no real destination, the just the joy of running! She likes tall grass and when she gets frustrated that the leash has a limit then she sits on it. She actually sits down on the leash with and attitude of “so there”! She was such a good girl with being good in the building and laying on her side on the grooming table while I brushed her out, letting me turn her over and do the other side too. I can’t tell you how many people told me how cute she is, like I didn’t already know! Johnny and Phyllis, your girl is going to have a fan club before she even starts showing!

Chewy is a red and white Japanese Chin who is becoming a buddy of Buckies now. They started playing with each other in the ex-pen today. Making new friends is fun. Rufus is a black and white Chin and he likes to climb so he is in a pen with a top on it. He lost his buddy privileges because he was a little too friendly to the other boys in a way they did not care for. So, Rufus spends his time scratching up the ground and telling the world how tough he is and that keeps him happy. He is in a pen that is attached to the pen that Buckie and Chewy are in and they all like that.

Dan checks them every time he gets to walk by them asking them if they are all okay. That’s his self appointed job you know, he must protect the toy dogs! When we are walking but we are not near the toy dogs he will keep an eye out. If he sees someone go near the toy pen he wants to go back over and tell them to get away. If he is in his crate and see’s someone go near the toy dogs he has a cow and barks a warning ” get away, get away from my little dogs!” and he only settles down if whomever it is moves away. I have to watch him because he can take his self appointed job very serious. Dan thinks Diamond is very cute but he tells her that she is big enough to take care of herself.

Well, let’s hope that Danny can do better than just Best of Breed tomorrow. He is looking beautiful again and he is ready to do some more winning. His leg hair has totally grown back in after his snake bite and he is strong and fit again. Now we just need the judges to judge dogs. I don’t expect Buckie to light the world on fire quite yet, he still has training and maturing to work on, so if he can win Best of Variety again that will be great. I know he has time so winning for him is just icing on the cake, besides I love him no matter what and I know he will grow up to win more and more…when the time and he are right.

Wish us luck and good judges! Talk to you again soon!

Odebt

Hi friends,
We are home safe and sound from today’s show and it was an easy drive. We enjoyed our day at the dog show and also we really enjoyed dinner with Bills Cousin Patrick and wife Kathryn. They recently moved to Brighton and it was delightful to visit their new home and meet their little dogs.
Jodie showed well today but she was rather silly and gazed up at me the entire time she went around the ring. That is sweet and all but it doesn’t help her movement. People commented on how much she adored me. I am very glad indeed that she does and that she has discovered that dog shows are fun and a good place to be. The sad part of the day for me was that Jodie went back home today until she blows out her puppy coat. Chow Chows just aren’t very pretty when they are blowing their puppy coat and she is just starting to do so. In a couple of weeks she will probably be rather shaggy looking. Hopefully she will blow it all out good and her coat will become the nice red color that has been showing itself in the last couple of weeks. It’s a very rich dark red that is very nice. Time will tell.
Our next shows will be the Grand Island shows in Grand Island Nebraska. We will be showing Danny and Buckie. It is the first show that Buckie was entered in as a champion so that is fun. I don;t really think he is truly ready to be a specials dog but he can show anyhow since he still has so much to learn. Danny on the other hand is a specials dog and a special dog. When we got home tonight he let us know that he knew we had gone to a dog shows and he did not get to go. He did forgive us after some hugs and reassurance that he is still a great show dog and that we still love him. He inspected to two new arrivals and approved of their presence. They are Chewie and Rufus, two Japanese Chins who will be going to the Gray Summit shows in a couple of weeks. They came now so we could get to know each other before we enter the ring together. They are absolutely adorable. Rufus is a champion and Chewie just needs his majors to finish. Rufus is a black and white and Chewie is a red and white. They are both very sweet and very nice and I am delighted than Danny has approved of them. I think he has adopted them as his charges just like he does the Chihuahuas. Who would have ever though that Danny would be such a toy dog protector!
So, now it’s off to bed to get rested up. It’s not very many days before the next shows and there is always so much to do between shows. I must say that I am missing Jodie and hope she will be able to come back and go to the dog shows soon with her beautiful new adult coat.
Take care everyone! See you at the shows!
Odebt

Hi friends! Here we are in Brighton Colorado at the dog shows. The weather forecast was bleak but today wasn’t half bad after all. It was sunny and neither hot nor cold for most of the day. The afternoon and evening did bring rain showers. There is a suggestion of snow tomorrow but we will have to wait and see. The best part of the situation is that we only have one dog with us this weekend! So, potential bad weather aside, it is an easy weekend.
Jodie is the center of our attention this weekend. Today she showed late at 2:50 and managed to win her class. She showed well and was one of the only Chow Chows to walk up the ramp easily. It pays to train! We of course thought she should have done more but in the end it’s always up to the judges, not us. Darn.
We will hope for a win tomorrow. Also today I had the pleasure of putting scissors to Mora, the Black Russian Terrier. She is being shown this weekend by her owner Claire. I finished Mora’s championship this February and not it’s Claire challenge to finish her Grand Championship. Today Mora took Best of Breed and yep, there was competition! Claire did a fine job of showing her in the group too but she was not lucky enough to get a placement today. She did get more Grand Champion points though so “goal accomplished”!
The day ended with a fun and entertaining dinner with Louise and Tom, Jodies family, and also Susan who is a Borzoi breeder from Midland TX. The company and conversation were both great. Thank you Louise and Tom for inviting us!
We also had a visit from some of Bill’s family who has moved to this area and came to visit us at the dog show. It’s always fun to share what you do and love with family that isn’t familiar with the dog show world. It was great seeing so many good friends too so over all it was a wonderful day at the dog show!
We will see what we can do about winning tomorrow! Wish us luck!
Odebt

Hi Friends,

I arrived home late last night. I am so grateful to be home safe. All of us dog folks travel so much and we all take so much for granted. On my way

home last night I saw a terrible terrible accident that cost some people their lives. They had passed me in my truck just a short time before. I was reminded of the fact that every day we have is a a blessing and we need to count our blessings and appreciate the days we are given. After my adventures last fall I am ever more grateful for my family, my friends and the life that I have. I will not soon forget how easy it would be to lose it all.

This last weekend was fun and Danny ( Kerry Blue ), Buckie ( Chihuahua ), Lizzy ( Pointer ), Jodie ( Chow Chow ) and Tank ( Chow Chow ) all did everything asked of them and with a good amount of success. Raisin ( Chihuahua ) came along for the ride and to keep Buckie company. Lizzy showed great but after the first two days her competition went home so there was no reason to keep showing her. Poor Jodie found out the first day that  she would have no class competition either so no reason to show her. She doesn’t need the practice because she knows what she is doing and so it was time to save some money for her owner rather than just spend away when there were no points.

Danny finished up the weekend with three Best of Breed wins and a Group 4 placement. Not bad for the comeback trail! Buckie is a wonderful little dog to show and he is very near his Grand Championship already after just this past weekend. He won Best of Variety once and Select Dog 3 times. He acquired all of his Grand Majors, all of his champions defeated and additional Grand points, and all this as a move-up. There was only once that he did not win something. Incredible little guy and so sweet!

Tank came along for the match and he did even better than we had hoped. We honestly thought he was going to be a challenge in the ring but he was so good! He was Best of Breed and then went on to a Match Group 4!

Raisin walked around the grounds on the match day just to give her the experience because one day soon she will begin her own show career. She did well for the walking but has to learn it’s okay to stand up when we stop! She got better and better as we went along. She always has a good time when she is in her crate and in her pen, all full of confidence then! I am sure that will transfer to all other places once she gets going.

Our next set of shows will be Terry-All in Brighton, CO. The only dog going with us though will be Jodie. Let’s hope her competition for those

 

shows will show up! There are more entered so hopefully they will. She will also get to see Louise and Dale ( her owners/family ) there and that will be a real happy surprise for her! She does love them dearly! I will get to see and groom Mora, the Black Russian Terrier, and be able to visit with her mom, Claire too. I am sure we will enjoy such an easy show since we are only bringing the one dog and we will have time to socialize and watch our friends show their dogs for a change!

We send congratulations out to Lois and Charlene on Danny’s wins and to Tanks family, Johnny and Phyllis, for his great behavior and wins in the match too. I send out thanks to Joan again for letting me have Buckie, he is making both of us proud!

Thank you to my friends who come and read my blogs and root us on at the dog shows, we appreciate all of you! Stay safe, drive carefully and take care of yourselves and your loved ones and give your dogs and extra belly rub from me!

Odebt

Hi friends,
Today was a beautiful day in Park City Kansas and perfect weather for Easter Sunday. As we drive to the show grounds this morning we could see children in front yards with baskets as they hunted eggs and goodies. It was a very charming way to start the day.
Buckie showed first this morning but it wasn’t his day. No complaints here though, he has done fabulous and he enjoyed his ring time.
Danny showed just after lunch and though the competition gave him a run for the money he won Best of Breed again. Very nice win and he is certainly looking and showing well. No group placement but we will do it all again tomorrow and see if we can do more winning! All we can do is try our best!
I am doing this post on my phone so I hope it publishes okay. After showing tomorrow it’s packing up time so I won’t be blogging until after we get home. Please wish us luck and I hope everyone had a beautiful Easter!

Odebt

Hi Friends,

It’s late, very late and I need sleep but I wanted to post the results of todays showing. To start, Lizzy was Winners Bitch and Best of Opposite Sex again today. Then Buckie went Select Dog for his third Grand Champion Major and his third Champion defeated too! That get’s the hard parts out of the way, now he just has to accumulate the rest of the points he need, I think he has 11 left to get. The way it’s going he will be a Grand Champion before I even get him really trained! He is doing so well though and he is maturing nicely. Hopefully he will have a long and fun show career!

Danny went Best of Breed today and he is really looking and showing beautifully! He went to group and had a ton of fun because we surprised him with a new squeaky made out of cow hide! I had had one before that he absolutely loved but then I lost it somewhere in Mississippi I think. While I was in Texas with Lois and Charlene we found the lady that I had bought the other one from and managed to buy two more. Thank you Lois for buying your boy his beloved cow hide toys! While he was having fun the judge decided he also deserved a Group 4! WooHoo Danny! Then he got to do one of his other favorite things! Get his picture taken! Really, he absolutely loves to get up on that podium and get his picture taken! If you ever get the chance to watch him you will be convinced, it is a happy activity for Danny!

So now there are two more days left, like a whole weekend again. It will just be Danny and Buckie because now Lizzys competition is bugging out just like Jodies did, no point to be earned, so no point in wasting time and money. Lizzy is getting spoiled so she will be obnoxious when we get home again, I am sure Tim will appreciate that! Jodie has been a good girl and she is mentoring Tank who is doing really well on this trip. They have been pals on their walks and she helps him relax aboutnall the sights and sounds. They have had the opportunity to wrestle in the grass and just enjoy the cool weather we have had.

I have to get some sleep so I am ending this here. I will let you know how tomorrow goes! I hope you are all wishing Danny and Buckie some great wins! Talk to you soon!! Happy Easter to our friends and families!

 

 

Hi Friends!

We are currently in Park City Kansas, just north of Wichita, at the Sunflower Cluster of Dog Shows. I arrived on Wednesday to be able to be here early for the building to open on Thursday morning. We also had a toy group specialty on Thursday in which Buckie was entered and I had moved him up via email to Onofrio after he finished at the Texas shows. So, after we got in and all set up I had just enough time to wash him before showing him. He was such a good boy even though it was a cold water bath. I guess you could say it invigorated him! He was very excited to show and he earned himself a Select Dog win and it also included a champion defeated toward his Grand Championship! Not a bad start to a long weekend!

After showing Buckie it was time to wash the other kids in preparation for todays all breed show. Buckie was first to be shown today too and that sure made him think he is the center of this whole trip! He showed with that attitude too and he managed to pull of Best of Variety/Breed!!! That should be his second Grand major and another champions defeated too! Wow Buckie!!

Next was Bill showing Lizzy. She hasn’t been out for almost a year but she was up for the fun. Bill guided her to Winners Bitch and Best of Opposite Sex. She had a ton of fun and was just delighted to be with her person in the ring!

Next up was Danny. Talk about excited! Danny was on fire and turned heads even as we just walked to the ring. At ringside there were several people who made comments about what a beautiful Kerry he is! How nice is that? Of course we know how much we like him but it is always gratifying to hear it from others. The judge also thought he was beautiful and gave him Best of Breed! Good boy Danny!

The big disappointment of the day was finding out that there is no competition for Jodie. The other people did not bring the other girl because she was in season and they did not want to bother. So, Jodie gets a rest and Louise saves a little bit in handling fees. At least Jodie didn’t miss out, she still got a bath and trim and enjoyed her treats very much! She is enjoying being at the dogs shows now that she has decided they are fun to go to! The next shows have more than just one other bitch so she will have a chance at points the hopefully!

So, with that development we still had two groups to go to and then the big event….the puppy match for Tank! Dans group was first and he was still on top of the world! He showed wonderfully well but only made the cut. It is a tough terrier group and I know he is just getting back at it but I still think he should have gotten a placement. But if I didn’t think that then I would not be here now would I? Oh well, we have three more days to try and I think he is ready for it! Right after the Terrier group was Toys. Buckie is still learning to be a show dog. He finished fast and has only just passed 13 months of age. So we worked and played and he enjoyed all the attention he got in the group. Some day I know he will be rewarded but he is not quite ready for that at this point, but he’s working toward it! So, no group placement for baby Buckie today but we see a few in his future I think! It was very nice to come out of the ring and have multiple people let us know they noticed him and thought he was a looker!

#0 minutes after Best in Show ( which was won by the Whippet ) we had the sanctioned B match and Tank the Chow Chow puppy was entered. It is his very first time in the ring. I was a little leery since he has been acting like a naughty Chow baby but that’s why he came, he needed the most work and it has come time for the two Chow pups to be separated from each other too so they do not become too dependent on each other. He has been doing fine that way but has still been a little shy of strangers. I got him up and washed his face again and laid him down for brushing and he got his nails ground and a nice combing too.We went to ringside and he watched everything while we waited. He jumped when some people came near and he wanted to explore the scents of other people so it was like he could not quite make up his mind if he liked it all or not. Ring time came and they called him in. He let me stack him and then we went around the ring. He wanted to check out every spot on the ground in hopes that it was “cookies!” but he went along just fine. We stacked again and though he was a little leery again about the judge he did let her go over him without incident and then I asked her to give him a treat which I gave her ( it was chicken! ) and he thought she was wonderful then! Next was our individual movement which he did even better than his first time around the ring and since we were coming back to that nice lady who had chicken he went right up to her with his tail wagging! Good boy! So, I gave her more chicken to give him. Now he was in love! She gave him his first Best of Breed. We then waited for the Group and by this time he wanted to go back in the ring. He did everything great including letting the judge go over him and we even did an L pattern which he executed without fail. This in the end got him his first group 4! Good boy Tank!

So, after the match it was time for dinner for the dogs and then their last walk of the night followed by bedtime. There is another day on it’s way and more winning to be done! So, now it’s good night from the land of Oz and Dorothy! Wish us luck tomorrow! Check back to hear about the great things these special  dogs are doing! Hugs to everyone and goodnight!

Odebt

 

 

 

Hi Friends,

I just updated my “upcoming events” calendar through June 2012. It can always change due to unexpected circumstances but for now those are the shows I am hoping and planning for. Be sure to contact me if you want to send a dog along with me or if you have any questions. I am looking forward to getting busier, our show year has had a slow start after the disasters of last fall.

If anyone has a show that they are interested in having me attend that is not listed don’t be shy about suggesting it. I am always open to considering different shows.

The next shows we are going to are the Sunflower Cluster of shows in Park City, KS.

Hope to see you there!

Odebt

 

Hi friends,

It’s a beautiful day in Yoder, Colorado and we are glad to be home. We even have a weekend off to look forward to. Fort Worth was a very worthwhile trip for a few reasons. First of course is that my little Chihuahua Buckie became a Champion with a five point major to finish. That was super, heck he isn’t even trained yet and he will now be competing for his Grand championship. In fact, since he finished the at the first all breed we moved him up for the second day and he went Select Dog for his first Grand Champion major! Good little Buckie and thank you judges!

Another great part of the trip was seeing Jodie the Chow Chow become a stable and happy show dog. She won her class a couple of times and was second the other two times but at each show she improved and got more relaxed and happier, that was very positive and I am delighted that she now enjoys showing and she is competitive.

Tank and Diamonds owners, Johnny and Phyllis were able to come for a visit and they got to spend a bunch of time with their babies and take pictures. The pups did pretty darn good on the long trip and their training continues and most of all for them, they did have a good time despite

having to get a bit of training on the trip. We really enjoyed visiting with Johnny and Phyllis for the little time we had together. I am so glad they could make the trip and I also congratulate them on their anniversary! Long term marriages are special and take special people.

We got to visit with a lot of people we rarely get to see and we got to share some fun with friends who celebrated some nice wins too! Big congratulations to Phil and Beth with Finn on his Best of Breed win. I get to share some of the win in my own mind since I did his haircut! We also were able to congratulate several other friends on their great wins, majors, new champions and such so that added to the fun.

The other dogs who came along for the ride also had a great time and Danny got to use the scooter and really get going on his re-conditioning. All

of them got bathed at the grounds ( they have warm water at the Fort Worth shows! ) and they got lots of treats and attention too. On the way home Tim and I determined that we would find a place to stop that would be photography worthy and also a nice place to exercise and work the dogs. Our first intention was to go see Palo Duro canyon near Amarillo, Texas which was our stopping point Sunday night. It turned out that the

canyon was over 30 miles out of the way, one way, away from Amarillo so that will have to wait for another time on another trip. The sun was shining and we drove along watching for something to do that we had never done or seen before. We were all the way into Colorado and thinking we just weren’t going to see anything new on this trip. As we approached Lamar Colorado from the south we did see the wind farm and Tim started taking pictures of that. I saw a sign on the right that said Two Buttes wildlife reserve. I turned. Now all we thought we were going to do was to drive in a circle around the “Two Buttes” and go back to the highway. Well, as we approached the buttes we were surprised and the road curved away from the buttes rather than curving to go around it. By the way, the far side of the buttes is prettier than the highway side. We continued on down the road and there was another sign that said Two Buttes Wildlife reserve again and so we turned again. Tim started getting nervous as the road narrowed and got more rutted ( we were driving in my old box truck that is

11 1/2 feet tall and is the maximum of 8 feet wide ). The road was narrow and getting rougher as we went. I told him there was no place to turn around now so we continued on. The road started going down, down down. Tim consulted the phone GPS and said it was supposed to be a reservoir area, we didn’t see any water. Mind you, we had just been traveling on the plains of Colorado which are flat, very flat and dry and now we were dropping down into what seemed to be a small canyon. My truck has good clearance so I wasn’t too worried about the rutting on the road and

as it narrowed we did trim a few old dry trees as we passed. We finally arrived at a clearing. There was plenty of space and it was flat and there was even a state outhouse in the clearing. The road continued on and there were obviously pull outs now so we decided it was a good place to walk the dogs even if there wasn’t anything other than the canyon walls to photograph for Tim. We pulled the exercise pen out for the Chihuahuas and then Tim went ahead and got Danny out along with his camera. I got Jodie out and we proceeded to potty them. Tim decided he wanted to take a picture so I took Danny from him as he climbed up through the bushes to get a better view of the cliff face.

I told him to go ahead and I would finish walking the dogs. So I went in a different direction down another pull-out. What I found was an beautiful little oasis in the canyon! Back up the road I went to get Tim, we had found a photo spot! There is a leftover dammed up area with a pond and beautiful red cliffs with vegetation all around. Since Dan and Jodie were pottied now we got Tank and Diamond out for their walk and took them back to the water. Diamond, she of no fear waded into the water and would have continued in had she not had her leash on. She waded in all the way halfway up her body. She kept asking me to let her go further but I didn’t think it was a good time to see if a chow puppy ( one belonging to someone else ) could swim. She had a blast to say the least. The rest of the dogs were more sensible as we walked them back to the water so they could each see it, no one else though swimming was a good idea. I kept

walking dogs while Tim had a heyday taking pictures. It was a wonderful discovery in a place where we would have never expected it! After awhile we knew it was time to get back on the road and get home. Shortly after we got back on the highway the wind really started to blow. Driving became tough especially every time a semi went by. Luckily the wind was mostly behind us as we traveled north on highway 287. Lamar is only about 2 hours from the house. Once we turned onto Highway 94 for the last 80 or so miles the wind was broadsiding us. At least there wouldn’t be much semi traffic. It was fairly slow going at that point but we didn’t need to hurry anyhow. The wind did eat up almost twice as much gas though. I really do need to find a more fuel efficient vehicle to replace the Honda Odyssey that I usually drove, especially with gas prices and what they are supposed to become too. I love my truck and all the room and comfort it has and the fact that I can stand and walk around in it rather than bending over like in a standard van. However, feeding the beast is not much fun at almost $4 a gallon and when it only gets 9 miles to the gallon on a good road on a good day.

We got home about the same time Bill got home from work so it was quick work to get the dogs all out into yards and pens accordingly and unload the necessities, leaving the rest of the unloading for the next day.

Home sweet home now until the Sunflower Cluster in Park City, Kansas, near Wichita. It’s not far off and there is a lot of work to be done between now and then. Conditioning a show dog should never stop, they are athletes like any other. I am looking forward to the coming shows in Park City, they are some of my favorites with the Art Show at the Dog Show, lots of different vendors, more friends and maybe a trip to Strouds for fried chicken! Bill will be taking his Pointer, Lizzy and I will have Danny, Jodie, and my new champ Buckie! I might take a couple of youngsters for the match and just to work them, we will see what the situation warrants as it gets a little closer. I hope to see some of you there! Be sure to stop and say hi if you see us and we always appreciate applause if we make it to groups!

 

Talk to you all soon!

Odebt

Hi all!
We arrived home today from the Fort Worth Texas shows and we are all safe and sound. It was a great weekend at the dog shows and I will write more about it all tomorrow. Tonight is for rest and recovery for me, Tim and the dogs! Talk to you soon!
Odebt