Winter's finally gone, except for a few shrinking piles of dirty snow in shady corners. Here in Maine, that means the coming of...
1. Mud
2. Blackflies
3. Dog show premium lists
Even though being unemployed means that there won't be huge numbers of shows in our future for this season, I'm still looking forward to those few that we will enter. It's Dinah's first show season as a special, plus we have that one more point to get in Canada.
And then there's this guy...
Meet Badger Blue Burfitt (
Breaksea Revolution). If you've been following our tales of adventure on my
other blog or on Facebook, you'll know that Badge came to live with us after his former owner sadly passed away. Jeff had intended to register Badge with the AKC and show him, but that never came to pass after he got sick. I'm now in the process of getting his paperwork done in three countries.
You have a perfect right to collapse in peals of hysterical laughter at the merest thought of me showing again, after all of the agony and drama we went through getting Dinah finished. Kathy hasn't met Badge yet, but she thinks it will probably be easier to finish him since he's 6 years old -- he won't have to go through any awkward adolescent-puppy stage.
Back in the Old Country, the B-Man collected some fairly impressive wins, though it's so hard to finish a dog in the UK that he didn't finish there. He has shown at Crufts at least a couple of times, and he has 24 offspring, including one AKC CH.
Depending on paperwork, cash flow, and other circumstances, Badge's AKC debut is still a big TBD. Watch this space for any announcements. Whether or not he's entered in the show, I have promised that if I make it to the
BCCA National this year, I'll bring him along so Gill, Alan, and Margaret can see him again and see how he's doing. As for the
BCCC National, that's also a TBD for Badge. Dinah already has an HIC, but they are offering herding instinct tests there this year...
Dinah Moe: the Ima Special TourThis year's first show for The Lovely One will be our
Northeastern Regional at the Ladies' Dog Club show at the end of May. I decided not to enter her in the
YCKC or
Vacationland shows earlier in the month. Since I'm a member of YCKC and always tear-my-hair-out busy at that show, I made the executive decision to preserve the remains of my sanity and wait until Ladies to start our show season in earnest. Auntie Kathy will be at Ladies, so Dinah can make her Best of Breed debut in the best possible fashion. (Actually, Dinah made her BOB debut last November on the Sunday after she finished. This year is the first year for her to start the season as a special, though.)
Between Ladies in May and BCCC in August, we haven't made any concrete plans yet. We'll figure that out as time and my employment prospects go on. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone, though, and I know that Trav will be happier at the shows when he sees Dinah there.
Speaking of Trav...Congratulations to Auntie Val and Trav's daughter Fiona! Fee placed 3rd in her class at the
National Capital Regional last Friday. Not bad, considering this was Fee's show-ring debut. She's only been in a ring once before, but she did very well at that match.
We're all waiting to hear news of Trav's kids. Ebby Ritchie should be having hers any day now. Sadie, Fiona's mom, had a repeat breeding a couple of weeks ago, but we're hoping that this year's puppies will be as gorgeous as last year's. Dinah and I just helped out with collecting for our old friend Rosie's AI breeding with Trav. (Dinah got to realize her dreams of being a professional "teaser bitch," a task she always performs very well. We're sure Trav appreciated the additional -- er -- inspiration.)
We're also waiting to hear whether Dinah's litter sister Buffy will be having puppies. Jana and Buffy have recently returned to the Czech Republic after a whirlwind breeding tour of the UK. The proud father-to-be is Leo, the handsome brownie who won BOB at Crufts this year. If I weren't already full up with four dogs, I would beg for one of those puppies.
Public Service AnnouncementsClosing date for the Northeast Regional/Ladies Dog Club show on May 30, plus the supported entry at the Framingham show that Sunday the 31st, is May 13.
MB-F is the superintendent. For the Beardies and their people, we'll have some fabulous trophies and rosettes, a raffle and silent auction, a potluck lunch buffet, and plenty of camaraderie.
Closing date for
Vacationland is 4/29, and the show is May 16-17 in Scarborough at the traditional spot. We don't usually have a huge Beardie entry at this show, but I hope that the folks with the puppies and other Beardie folks will enter. I'll be stewarding both days (I've requested the Beardie ring), and will be offering CGC tests after Best In Show on Saturday. The one hitch with offering CGCs at a dog show is that only dogs who are eligible to be on the grounds for the show can come for the tests -- i.e., only dogs who are entered in conformation, rally, or obedience at the show. You don't have to sign up ahead of time for the CGC test, though. If you're planning to enter Vacationland anyway, come on by after BIS. Bring $25, a brush, and a plain flat collar (and bring your dog's AKC number on your show paperwork or in the catalog).
"Supported" Entry at YCKCI suppose we BeardieMainiacs brought it upon ourselves. By choosing to hold our first-ever Regional at the end of May, we should have predicted that only the locals would bother entering our supported entry at the beginning of May. Between that conflict and last year's crappy weather, our entries aren't exactly huge:
Saturday's entry is 6: 1-3(2-0)0
Sunday's is 5: 1-2(2-0)0
That's okay, really. We know some people who would have come will be home with little puppies at that time. I'm kind of bummed that we don't have a Veteran entry for Sunday, though -- we had a rosette and a nice trophy.
We could have decided to skip the supported entry at YCKC altogether this year, but somehow, that wouldn't have been right. It was at YCKC that we decided to form the Bearded Collie Club of Maine, after all, and we now have a tradition to uphold. Since YCKC is hoping to cluster with Vacationland after this year (assuming both clubs make enough money to be able to offer shows next year), the old Acton get-together will be no more after this year's shows. We'll decide what to do about supported entries once we see how the Regional goes.
