Dog Show Newbie

PSA: New Handling Class Sessions

2012-01-15T09:01:00.000-08:00

It's a new year, all righty. If one of your resolutions was to get into a handling class to get ready for the spring shows, you're in luck — opportunities abound at training centers everywhere! Here's a short collection of training classes local to southern Maine. It's not an exhaustive list, so please send information if you know of others.

Saco: Penny Cary of PETIQUETTE hosts her classes at Finish Forward Dogs. Classes start(ed) Thursday, Jan 5th at 7:30pm, then Jan 12th at 6:30pm for remainder of session. Contact FFD for information about current openings or to register for the next session.

Also in Saco: Penny hosts handling classes on Wednesdays at Paw-zn-Around. Contact Penny for more information.

PSA: Conformation Handling Seminar in York, ME

2012-01-15T08:42:00.000-08:00

The information in this PSA was pretty much borrowed wholesale from IADW's announcement. If you'd like to know more, call It's a Dog's World at 207-363-0099.

Conformation Handling Techniques with Sue Burrell

Wonder why your dog seems to always place a certain way in the show ring?

What was that judge thinking?

Bring your dog to the top by learning how to be a better handler with improved techniques.

National/International handler Sue Burrell will present to you handling techniques which will help you accentuate your dog's best assets while covering up minor flaws. She will explain how to show your dog to the best advantage. Take this opportunity to study with Sue Burrell and gain from her years of knowledge and insight in the show ring!

Concerned you may not remember everything presented? Not to worry! Katherine Burrell will be on hand and can video tape your session, if you wish, for purchase so you can refer back to Sue's advise again and again.

Seminar Details

When: Sunday, March 11, 2012
Time: 9:00am - 3:00pm
Cost: Participant: $75.00/handler Auditor: $37.00
Seminar Includes: Full day seminar (30 minute lunch break), handouts, and light snacks

*** it's a dog's world encourages attendees to bring a brown bag lunch as there will be opportunity to ask questions during the lunch break. There are several sandwich shops located within 4 miles of this seminar site. ***

****Special Offering****
For those of you not able to attend the seminar, Bill Burrell will beavailable for private evaluations after the seminar.
When: Sunday, March 11, 2012 Time: 3:30pm - 5:00pm
Cost: $50/evaluation
Pre-registration Required — Call to secure your evaluation!

it's a dog's world
3 White Birch Lane
York, Maine 03909

207-363-0099

Your Feedback is Needed!

2012-01-12T10:16:00.000-08:00

The Dog Show Superintendents' Association released a survey today asking what people think of the new Group Realignment proposed by the AKC. If you haven't been following this story, AKC has been working since 2008 on this initiative. Basically, it splits the current 7 groups into 11 groups by subdividing the Hound, Working and Sporting Groups according to function, and then shuffling around some breeds to more closely fit their functions to the group descriptions. The Miscellaneous group would disappear entirely, and breeds currently in that group, or awaiting admission to it, would be assigned directly to the other groups.

For example, the Hound group would be divided into Sighthounds and Scenthounds. Looking at the proposed realigned groups by breed (current as of July 2011), the Scent Hounds look pretty much as they have, with the addition of the Treeing Tennessee Brindle. The Sight Hounds include some breeds that have been in FCI and/or CKC shows for years (the Azawakh and Sloughi), plus a new breed called the Cirnecco dell'Etna, or Sicilian Greyhound. The CdE is currently an AKC FSS (Foundation Stock Service) breed, and has been admitted to the current Miscellaneous Class this month.

Here in Beardie-land, the Herding Group remains largely unchanged. Some of the breeds that had been added to the Herding Group would be moved to other groups after realignment. We get to stay right where we are.

As with every change to the way dog shows are held, the repercussions reach farther than to just the name of the group you're showing in. Remember that the change affects everyone from judges to hosting clubs to parent clubs to ring stewards. Speaking just as a humble ring steward and as a newly-minted Chief Steward who already has her work cut out for her finding enough warm bodies to cover seven rings every day... all I can do is cry "Uncle!".

Not that these changes will show up right away. The implementation date for the realignment would occur in 2015 sometime.

(And, as with every change, we all know that the ultimate aim is to give more money to the AKC. We know their employees have to eat too, but geeeeez.)

With all the repercussions in mind, the DSSA survey attempts to capture the concerns of a wide variety of dog fanciers, from the ringside spectators to the handlers to the judges. They'd like to hear from you, too!

Take the survey here.

Background Reading

If you'd like to catch up on the proposal and how it affects your breed/group, here are some links to follow. All of these are PDF files from the AKC website.

So... What Do You Think?

What do you think of the Group Realignment? Will your breed be affected? Is your all-breed club prepared to cover the additional expense and need for warm bodies? Is your Judges' Selection Committee tearing its collective hair out? Growth and change are inevitable, but that doesn't mean that they're always easy.

The National Dog Show: There's an App for That!

2011-11-23T11:39:00.001-08:00

Are you planning to watch the National Dog Show, Presented by Purina, on Thanksgiving Day? If you went to the show this past weekend, or know someone who did, you already know how things went... but the TV broadcast takes place tomorrow on NBC, at noon (just after the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade).

I always have to travel on Thanksgiving Day, which means I have to leave before the dog show starts, and I don't get to my destination until after Best in Show. Of course I have a DVR, but I can't watch that while I'm whooping it up with the family.

This year, there's a free National Dog Show app for those of us who either have to miss all the fun, or who just enjoy keeping up with all the broadcast events as they happen. I've downloaded it for my iPhone already, and am having fun exploring — and finding all the photos of Beardies at the show!

Here's the press release for the app...

NBC ANNOUNCES NEW APP TO ENHANCE ENJOYMENT
OF THANKSGIVING DAY SPECIAL,
THE NATIONAL DOG SHOW PRESENTED BY PURINA®

App available for Android, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices features
all the breeds, Tweets, polls, photo galleries, backstage video, interviews
and vignettes as the annual showcase celebrates its 10th anniversary

New York, NY (November 23, 2011) — NBC and “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina®” announce the release of their National Dog Show mobile suite application in time for viewers of its Thanksgiving Day special to keep in touch with all aspects of the event. Features of the app include exclusive video content, The National Dog Show Twitter feed, polls, video and in-depth descriptions of the 170-plus breeds in the show and the best photos from previous shows.

The new National Dog Show app is a free download available from the Android Market and iTunes App Store. Users can take advantage of the app to enhance their enjoyment of the show, which airs Thanksgiving Day immediately after the Macy’s Parade. Over 18 million total viewers tune into the two-hour special (noon-2 p.m. in all time zones) each year.

Specific features of the National Dog Show app allow users to:

check out more than 170 breeds as they are judged
view exclusive video clips and photos from past events
watch interviews and vignettes
view in-depth descriptions of this year’s four new breeds
view an outline of judging standards
read an article on Eli, the 2011 National Dog Show Therapy Dog Ambassador
download National Dog Show wallpapers
check out 2011 National Dog Show Fun Facts
participate in polls.

The special is a celebration of America’s fascination with man’s best friend, hosted by John O’Hurley, the “Seinfeld” ensemble actor (catalogue king “J.Peterman”) and expert analyst David Frei, America’s foremost authority on the sport. The two-hour special’s unique content is facilitated by the open format of the Kennel Club of Philadelphia event, one of only five remaining “benched” shows in which the dogs are on display all day for the visiting public.
###
Contact: Steve Griffith, Vizion Group Public Relations, (484) 433-7757,
sgriffith@viziongroup.net

Giveaway: Two Free Tickets to the Bay Colony Dog Shows and Canine Pet Expo

2011-11-18T10:22:00.001-08:00

Quick Reminder: Entries for the Bay Colony Dog Show cluster will close on Wednesday, November 23. MB-F is the super. Show dates are Thursday, December 8 through Sunday, December 11.

The Bay Colony Dog Show cluster and Canine Pet Expo, sponsored by Purina, is the show with which I have the longest relationship, while never actually having exhibited there. Thanks to my friend Julie at DennehyPR, I've enjoyed at least a few minutes of fame at the shows, first as a blogger-on-the-ground, and then as one of the guest emcees for the Rescue Parade.

Since then, the cluster has migrated south from Boston to Providence, and it now takes place at the RI Convention Center. The Convention center is close by the Amtrak train station, and not too terribly far from Route 95.

The Canine Pet Expo portion of the event includes loads of family-friendly events and demonstrations, including a "Meet the Breeds" event, a dog trainer with answers to your dog-training questions, demos in agility, K-9 Nosework, and Disc Dogs, and exhibits by various breed rescues and other non-profits (including New England Old English Sheepdog Rescue (NEOESR) and Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog, dedicated to purchasing bulletproof vests and equipment for K-9 police officers). Demos run between 10 AM and 3 PM on the weekend days.

This event is also famous for the sheer number and variety of vendors — everything from dog foods and supplements to clothing and gift items to outdoor equipment and home & garden items. The shopping is simply awesome — I know I've left a goodly portion of my wallet's contents there in past years, and quite a few folks I know do much of their holiday shopping there. This year, the show is expecting 40-odd vendors of all kinds. Check the website after Thanksgiving to see who's coming and where they'll be. (It never hurts to go to the shopping area with a plan in hand.) Wear comfortable shoes and bring a backpack or good-sized shopping bag... just in case. You do at least want to bring your dog home something, right?

Tickets are $10 for adults and seniors, and free for children under $12. The Bay Colony Dog Show website has downloadable, printable $1 off coupons. Parking is indoors and adjacent to the Convention Center. Single day tickets are $10, but four-day parking passes are available.

The event's website is a wealth of information on what to see and when, directions, parking, times for the events and demos, and so on. Judging programs, listing the ring times and ring numbers for each breed in the show, won't be available until probably a week after the show closes. You can either visit Infodog.com to get a judging program for each day of the show, or pick one up when you get to the show. The clubs will be selling show catalogs there, too.

Things to See and Do

Here are some things that spectators should plan to do at the show:

Stop by the superintendent's table for a judging program, if you want to watch the show.
Stop by the AKC booth for coloring books for the kids and lots of helpful information for the pet dog owner.
Visit the Purina booth. They're the shows' sponsor, and they might have goodies available for attendees.
Make sure to visit the NEOESR booth. Ask for Denver!

Want to Go For Free?

I have a pair of show passes to give away! Each pass is good for one adult admission for any day of the show (December 8-11), and they've come stapled to a flyer with another $1 off coupon on it. All you have to do to enter the drawing is to follow these Wicked Simple Rules...

Leave a comment on this blog telling me why you want to go to the show. Facebook comments, while loved and encouraged, won't be counted as entries.
Make your entry before the closing date of Wednesday, November 23. If you don't live near me and you win, I want to make sure you get your passes inthe mail on time.

The winner will be chosen entirely at random based on comment number.

My friend Val (Traveler's mom) and I have needed to take a road trip for a while now, so we'll be there. We haven't picked which day yet — we'll probably wait for the judging programs before deciding. See you in the shopping areas, if not at ringside!

AKC Tries to Woo Back Owner/Handlers

2011-11-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

I was never that great a handler, between lack of coordination and stage fright. My hat's off to anyone who sticks with it.

MB-F once published statistics for 2008 and 2009 that show the percentages of wins that go to dogs with and without agents named at entry, and you can see that the majority of Winners and BOBs are awarded to dogs with no agent listed. The majorities change for Group Firsts and BIS, though. Although the class and breed win ratios look good for the agent-less dogs and the thesis is proved that judges don't always put up handlers, the stats don't distinguish between dogs who just don't have their handlers named in the show catalog, and those being handled by their owners or other non-professionals.

You have to give AKC credit for trying, though. Between offering the 4-6 Month Puppy class and the Open Show to attract more AOH entries, AKC is hoping to get more owner-handlers out there with their puppies and class dogs. The idea is kind of nice: a lower-pressure environment where owner-handlers can just show their class dogs and compete only with other owner-handlers and their class dogs. Of course, the honors you can win at Open shows don't count toward a real CH or GCH, so amateurs still have to get out there and compete with the professionals in order to finish their dogs. The Amateur Owner-Handler (AOH) class at AKC shows is still relatively new (it replaced Novice, which hardly anyone entered anyway), but in my time stewarding since it started, I have yet to see the AOH entry get the win where any other competition is involved.

AKC hasn't given up on its hopes of getting more buckage from the non-professionals. Here is a blurb from the October AKC Board minutes describing the Best Owner/Handler. See Page 22, Attachment C. AKCommunicates! describes the Owner/Handler Series thusly:

AKC Owner/Handler Series

The AKC Owner/Handler Series will showcase owner handled dogs at well attended dog shows geographically distributed across the country. The AKC Owner/Handler competition will be conducted following Best of Breed judging in each breed ring. All dogs in the BOB competition (including WD & WB) will stay in the ring after the judge makes their placements in BOB competition. The ring steward will ask all professional handlers to leave the ring and then judge will then select the Best Owner Handler (BOH).

It sounds like a good enough idea, though as a ring steward I'm not thrilled about having one more thing to juggle at shows where we already have Puppy, Veteran, and BBE extravaganzas and their separate groups to judge. On the other hand, we adapted to awarding the Selects after only a couple of hiccups, so this is just one more thing we'll have to keep track of (not to mention the entirely new sets of ribbons we'll need for the 4-6 Puppies). As an owner-handler, you have to at least get Winners for consideration. There's also that mention of "well attended dog shows." I'm reasonably willing to bet that none of the shows north of Massachusetts will be deemed sufficiently "well attended" so that BOH can be offered. If you want encouragement, folks, be prepared to owner-handle at the Big E.

It's nice to see that AKC still cares enough about revenues form owner-handlers that they'll keep trying to get more of them back into the ring. I honestly hope that the experiment works. What do you think?

4-6 Month Puppy Class/Open Shows

2011-11-02T09:28:00.000-07:00

Dinah would have been a little handful in the 4-6 Month Puppy classes! Here she is at 18 weeks of age, playing in the mud. (She'll turn 6 tomorrow! Where does the time go??)

After we held a Beginner Puppy class at our National Specialty, AKC solicited input from the committee on how they thought the event went. People we talked to loved seeing the little puppies — it's just too bad that the show photographer didn't get any candids that day. (A lot of photos are showing up on Facebook, though.) Our judge LOVED her assignment, and wanted to take all of the puppies home with her. The only suggestions people made were that the puppies be separated by gender, as the older ones are.

AKC has announced that the 4-6 Month Puppy class is now official. You may show your puppies at regular all-breed shows, or at the newest type of conformation event: the Open Show.

Here is the official scoop on both news items, borrowed from AKCommunicates!...

Four-to-Six Month Puppy Class

The Four-to-Six Month Puppy competition will be open to dogs that are at least four months of age but under six months on the day of the event. Classes will be offered for AKC recognized breeds and varieties as well as Miscellaneous and FSS breeds. Professional handlers are not permitted to exhibit in this class.

Entrants in the Four-to-Six Month Puppy class will compete for Best of Breed and Best of Opposite Sex to Best of Breed. Group and Best in Show Puppy competition will also be offered.

Four-to-Six Month Puppy competition will take place in a separate ring(s) from the regular class judging in order to avoid delays in the judging of regular classes. Classes will not be divided by sex in this competition.

Certificate of Merit (CM)

Certificate of Merit points can be earned in the Four-to-Six Month Puppy class at a regular all-breed or specialty show, at an Open Show and in Miscellaneous classes. The Certificate of Merit, a suffix title, requires 15 points awarded in accordance with the following point structure.

Dogs Competing	Points
2	1
4	2
8	3
12	4
16	5

AKC had me with the 4-6 Month Puppy classes, but semi-lost me with the expanded competition and the CM. I can totally understand why someone would want to get out there and win with a promising youngster, and I'd have gone for it myself when Dinah was still a little fuzzball. I'm just not entirely sure I want to see baby puppies chasing points for the title and being campaigned the same way the adults are. Let puppies be puppies!

Open Show

An Open Show is an informal American Kennel Club sanctioned conformation event at which dog clubs, judges, stewards, and exhibitors and their dogs gain experience needed for licensed events.

All-breed clubs must offer classes for all registerable breeds and varieties and for purebred dogs of any breed eligible for entry in the Miscellaneous Class and all FSS recordable breeds.

Classes offered include:

4-6 Month Puppy Class
6-9 Month Puppy Class
9-12 Month Puppy Class
Open Class

Licensed and member clubs may hold two sanctioned Open Shows each year in addition to their two championship shows.

The Open Show is a terrific idea — think of it as being sort of like a B conformation-only match with points toward the new Certificate of Merit. This is a great way for everyone to get in practice "that counts." It's a great place for provisional judges to pick up experience with breeds, and it makes for a great training ground for everyone else involved with a dog show. Best of all, licensed and member clubs may hold them without having to give up their all-breed shows to do so.

Most importantly, the event is designed to be owner-handler friendly and geared toward the dogs and puppies in the classes. Champions of record and professional handlers are not permitted.

The October AKC Board Minutes contain information about the 4-6 Month Puppy class, Open shows, and more. See the attachments at the end of the minutes for the details and complete rules. The minutes themselves are fascinating reading, and include much discussion about new breeds in the registration pipeline.

PSA: January Handling Classes

2011-10-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

I know, right? Wasn't it just a little bit jarring to see the word "January" in the headline already?

Like it or not, the end of the dog-show year is beginning to wind down in our latitude. It normally ends with the Thanksgiving cluster in Springfield and the Providence cluster just after that in early December. Oh, there's the odd show after that in January (Fitchburg) and February (Hartford), but a lot of folks hibernate until at least the vernal equinox before venturing out to show in the new year. (We do. Winter is the time we spend training.)

Anyway... back to the PSA. Penny Cary of Petiquette Canine Education has already started posting dates and times for January handling classes at Finish Forward Dogs in Saco. Classes meet on Thursdays at 6:30, starting on January 5.

Penny's classes fill up quickly! To reserve your spot, contact Finish Forward Dogs as soon as you can.

Specialty Hangover Edition

2011-10-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

There's a reason why people save up most or all of their vacation time for the National Specialty. Sure, it's basically just another dog show — but what a dog show! How often do you get to see hundreds of dogs of your breed in one place, ranging from puppies to seniors, in all colors and coat lengths, from champions to rescued companions? You get to catch up with old friends, see grown-up dogs you met when they were just puppies, check out a future parent of your next puppy, see the big guns and brass hats up close, meet all your buds from Facebook, and get your hands on some very, very nice specimens of your beloved breed.

I try to get to the BCCA National most years, even if I don't bring a dog to show. It's just so great to reconnect with my friends, meet all the dogs, and enjoy what the show locale has to offer. Some friends of mine and I have a long-standing tradition (started at the 1997 Beardie National) of picking a gourmet restaurant in the area and spending one evening at a nice, civilized, off-campus dinner. Amid the excitement and near-constant activity at the show, this one dinner is an island of peace and conviviality over great food and fine wine. I still regret missing the 2010 National, but I'd just started a new job two weeks before the show and was still up to my eyebrows in mandatory new-hire training.

This year, my local regional club played host to the National. Hosting the show is actually a multi-year effort — we've been at it since our bid was accepted at the 2009 National. Here's where we held it...

That's The Colony Hotel in Kennebunkport, a lovely old resort hotel with a tradition of dog-friendliness. The staff couldn't have been nicer or easier to work with! They seemed as pleased as we were to see Beardies everywhere, from the private beach to the veranda overlooking the pool. Once the rain stopped, people and Beardies appeared all over the place, enjoying the view and the amenities.

The rain damn near killed us. It rained on the herding trials. It rained on the drive to and from the herding instinct tests, though the skies managed to hold off just long enough to do the tests themselves. Badger Blue Burfitt earned his instinct certificate, which makes him Breaksea Revolution, HIC.

(This photo actually comes from last year's English Shepherd Gathering. I don't know if there are any candids from this year's HICs.)

It rained on the obedience and rally trials. Dinah was having none of that sitting-in-the-puddles crap, so we blew our Beginner Novice debut rather badly. I ended up pulling her from Rally Excellent. She can do both in her sleep, but not on that day.

I was too busy toting barges, lifting bales, buying supplies, and so on to see as much of the Specialty as I would have liked. I missed the Welcome Party, all of the meals I'd bought tickets for, and a good part of the showing. At least working at the fundraising/logowear booth gave me a good view of the judging when I wasn't running around.

Dinah got a big honkin' rosette with all her titles on it for the Parade of Titleholders... but alas, she (and I) didn't get back to the ring in time to take part. It was the only time all week that she got any love of any kind while in the ring... but she looked lovely during Friday's best-of-breed judging. Kathy said that her head wasn't in the game, though — maybe it was a holdover from Tuesday's puddle-based trauma in that same ring.

All the rain and rushing about aside, though, it was a good week — and I'm both sad and relieved that it's over. I hope to go dogless to next year's National, hang out, see my friends, and see more of the actual show than I did this year. The National doesn't rotate back to the East until 2014, when it will take place in Gettysburg, PA. Dinah could show in Veterans by then (she'll be 8) — and we're already psyched for it!

Heartfelt thanks to everyone who played a part in the success of the 2011 Beardie National -- to the committee chairs, the conscripted help, the exhibitors, the event secretaries and judges, the shoppers at the logowear and fundraising tables, and anyone who volunteered to help out with anything. It takes a very large village to put on a Specialty, and we're all grateful.

PSA: Handling Seminar in York, ME

2011-09-17T16:58:00.000-07:00

Conformation Handling Techniques and Evaluations with Bill & Sue Burrell

Ever wonder why your dog places a certain way in the show ring?
What was that judge thinking?

Retired handler and National/International Judge Bill Burrell and National/International handler Sue Burrell, will present to you handling techniques which will help you accentuate your dog's best assets while covering up minor flaws.

In the second half, Bill will critique and evaluate your dog and explain how to show your dog to the best advantage. Join us and learn what dogs look like through the eyes of a judge and practice evaluating dogs in just 2 minutes. Take this opportunity to study with the Burrells and gain from their knowledge and insight in the show ring!

When: Sunday, October 16, 2011
Time: 9:00am - 3:30pm
Cost: Participant: $75.00/handler Auditor: $37.00
Seminar Includes: Full day seminar (30 minute lunch break), handouts, individual evaluations and light snacks
Join Us!
Call or Email Renee Gordon, Manager
207-363-0099
info@itsadogsworld.me

For those of you not able to attend the seminar, Bill will be available for private evaluations after the seminar.

When: Sunday, October 16, 2011 Time: 3:30pm - 5:00pm
Cost: $50/evaluation

I Still Freakin' Love Dog Shows

2011-09-05T15:33:00.000-07:00

Labor Day is always a bittersweet holiday for those of us living on the tourist-trap coast. It marks the nominal end of the summer, even though we have three more weeks until the autumnal equinox puts a decisive end to the season. We already have a few red trees and a few orange-y branches here and there. Pretty though the leaves might be, we still could use a few uncrowded weeks of sunshine and lemonade before we all have to hunker down, draw our jacket hoods around us, and start shoveling the damned snow again.

There are still outdoor dog shows and trials in this region after Labor Day, including some of my traditional favorites (such as the Garden State Bearded Collie Clan's regional). None of them possess quite the end-of-season poignancy of the Labor Day weekend cluster, though.

Dinah hasn't been showing in many conformation shows this year. We missed out on the Canadian National and haven't entered any of the Regionals, so the BCCA National will likely be the first time she steps into a conformation ring in 2011. We've been focusing on rally and obedience this year, and have made great strides forward in our training. We've completed two APDT rally titles, and are shooting for AKC obedience and rally titles before the snows come.

Because we haven't been showing, this leaves me open to being dragooned by chief stewards at all of the other local dog shows. Gossip gets around; if you've finished your dog and aren't showing anyone else in the classes, you're considered fair game. Stewarding is not a task for the disorganized or easily distracted, but if you're up to the demands, there aren't too many other places to get as close a view of the goings-on as inside the show ring with the judge. Besides, how much fun can you have while being paid gas money with breakfast and lunch thrown in?

All the "hired hands" at dog shows share a camaraderie based on hard work and war stories, but the ring stewards have an esprit de corps all their own. Recognition is instant: "So you're another sucker, eh? Welcome to the club!" Veteran stewards have some of the best dog-show war stories and gossip you'll hear anywhere.

If you're very lucky, you'll get to work with some wonderful judges. Every one I've shared the ring with this year has been delightful, funny, friendly, and a joy to work with. Many of them remember well what it's like to be the ring steward, since they had to have that experience before becoming judges. Some, if time permits, will share some of what they look for in a good dog — whether in general or specific to the breed being judged. Some are chatty, some are strictly businesslike, and some seem gruff until you're both up to your elbows in ring procedure. Some are newbie-friendly and share tips from their own stewarding days about how to keep the traffic flowing smoothly. Some talk about their own experiences in the transition from steward to judge, and are wonderfully encouraging. I've even had a chance to work with a fellow DWAA member, and wish we could have socialized more. Oh, you do get stuck with a humdinger every now and then, but I've only had one of those, and not within the past couple of years.

The most interesting thing I've noted as a steward is the change in dynamic in how many of the other folks treat you. The professional handlers and the juniors are almost unfailingly kind and polite, and I've had some owner-handlers poke me in the back or shoulder or shout "Hey, Steward!" when they want something. (Note to the pokers and the shouters: Judges notice these things. They were stewards once, too.)

On the other hand, specialty chairs are so grateful when you do something as simple as keep track of their trophies and ribbons without making a hash of things. The Sheltie folks were a joy to work with this weekend, and they even gave me a tin of treats to take home to the Gang of Four. I should have offered them gifts for being so well-organized and fun to be around.

Yesterday, at the end of the four-day show cluster, I plopped into a handy director's chair someone had vacated in the club tent. My feet felt broken. My bones were weary, and I hadn't had a caffeine fix in hours. All the same, I watched the group judging and Best in Show through the afternoon sunshine, smooched a Vizsla puppy who had climbed up into my lap, and thought, I freakin' love this. What finer place to spend the last weekend of Maine summer?

Retirement Breeds

2011-08-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

There's no avoiding the fact that we're all getting older — and especially around the conformation ring. Just surf the various dog-show websites and those for the publications, and see the number of articles that lament the graying of the sport, the increasing average age of the people involved, and so on. Look around you at the next dog show you attend, and note the proportion of gray-haired judges and exhibitors to younger ones. (While you're there, do something nice for a junior handler, even if it's just to say, "Good job." They are the future of this sport, and fewer and fewer of them are taking up show handling instead of XBox.)

Not that I mean this post to be a downer. It's just that I've noticed the subjects of conversations with my friends drifting toward certain subjects more and more often as time goes on. One very popular theme these days is the Retirement Breed. Almost everyone I speak with at a show has, at one time or another, started a sentence with, "When I retire, I think I might get myself [X breed]."

Retirement Breeds are almost always smaller than people's current breeds. Some have easier-care coats. Some have the same sorts of coats as the speakers' current breeds. In Beardie-land, a number of people have "downsized" from Beardies to Lowchens or Havanese — same amount of grooming, but on a dog you can gait around the show ring at a walk, show on a table, and pick up and carry easily.

I'm honestly not ready for the little dogs yet, if ever. Having grown up with Newfies, I still maintain an overwhelming fondness for the giants. I would have a house full of Irish Wolfhounds if they only lived a little longer. As it is, I proudly point to Dinah and say, "I've already downsized! She's the smallest dog I've ever owned."

Still, playing the game of "What If" with friends is fun and doesn't cost anything. The subject of Retirement Breeds came up around the stewards' lunch table at the Penobscot shows. Aside from the folks with Shelties and Chihuahuas, who have probably already downsized enough, nearly everybody added a Retirement Breed to the pile.

French Bulldogs appeared to be the paws-down favorite; quite a few people would trade a little snoring for a short, easy-care coat. Many of those folks thought that Boston Terriers or Whippets wouldn't be bad breeds to downsize to, either. One person offered up a Smooth Collie as a breed that still was respectably big enough to have fun with, but with an appealingly low-maintenance coat.

For myself, I can't imagine not having a Beardie around the house. Long-haired smaller breeds just don't make adequate substitutes for me. Actually, most short-haired small breeds don't do a lot for me, either. If I did cave in and draw up a Retirement Breed Bucket List, perhaps these breeds might make their way onto it:

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I just love this breed and always have.
Skye Terrier. I've met a few belonging to friends and think they're just wonderful. They're definitely not little dogs; they just have low centers of gravity.
Frenchie. Of course, the Frenchie! I had one become my BFF at a Mardi Gras dog parade once.
Greyhound. Yes, they're big -- but they have hardly any coat, and they wear funky collars so well.
Standard Poodle. I had one as a kid. Keep a good groomer on speed-dial if you're not the DIY type, but they're wonderful.
Smooth Collie. All the fun of a Rough Collie with a fraction of the maintenance.

What about you? What breeds would be your Retirement Breeds?

PSA: Update on Saco Handling Classes

2011-08-02T07:49:00.000-07:00

Petiquette and Finish Forward Dogs are offering two sessions of breed handling classes in September. Each session lasts 4 weeks and starts at 6:30 PM. Cost: $80.

The Monday sessions begin 9/5. The Wednesday sessions begin 9/7.

FMI and to reserve your spot: Contact Penny Cary.

PSA: New Handling Classes in Bangor and Saco

2011-07-26T11:14:00.000-07:00

The Penobscot Valley Kennel Club is holding handling classes on the Bangor Waterfront on the following dates: August 8, August 15, and August 29. FMI: Contact the instructor, Denyse Adams.

Petiquette Canine Education is holding handling classes in two locations in Saco...

August 3-31 at Paw-zn-Around
September 5-26 at Finish Forward Dogs

FMI: Contact Penny Cary.

Coming Soon to a Show Near You!

2011-07-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

Dinah with the Winners' Bitch trophy from the 2008 BCCC National. This photo was taken in 2009, shortly before we shipped the trophy back to that year's Trophy Chair.

According to the Secretary's notes in the July (online) edition of the AKC Gazette, the AKC Board has proposed changes to the Rules Pertaining to Dog Shows. Among the proposed changes is the addition of a Reserve Best in Show, similar to what they've had in Europe for a long time. These changes would be voted upon at the September 13 Delegates' Meeting. Presumably, they would take effect next January 1, but that was not specified.

Here is the existing rule. The proposed change is underlined.

Chapter 3
Section 17.
A club giving group classes must also give a Best in Show, the winner to be entitled “Best Dog in Show”. No entry fee shall be charged but the group winners must compete. The club or association giving group classes must also give a Reserve Best in Show, the winner to be chosen by the Best in Show judge from among those group class winners remaining in the ring, the winner to be entitled “Reserve Best in Show.” No entry fee shall be charged but the remaining group winners must compete.

The rule changes also describe the RBIS ribbon as "any unassigned color or combination of colors." Looks like there might be some room for creativity there. As expected, most of the rest of the changes have to do with inserting "Reserve Best in Show" after "Best in Show" wherever described.

What do you think about the upcoming change? Is it...

A no-brainer (after all, British KC and FCI shows have had RBIS for years)
Just another ploy for money
A real incentive for increasing entries
Unlikely to change much of anything
Just one more thing for the show chair to worry about

...or all of the above?

Vanna, Can I Buy a Title?

2011-07-10T09:55:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder whether I should rename the blog to What the Hell is AKC Doing Now?. I completely understand that having the organization lose money is a loss for all of us, but sometimes their desire to wring every possible dollar out of the dog-owning public is just so naked it's embarrassing to watch.

Thus it is with the new AKC Therapy Dog (THD) title. For the price of your time and a mere $20, you too can buy a Therapy Dog title from AKC!

Please don't get me wrong. Therapy dogs provide wonderful, valuable help and service to so many people, from shy kids struggling to read aloud to lonely seniors in nursing homes to hospital patients missing their own pets. Therapy work requires training, patience, and an unwavering commitment to helping improve others' lives at the same day and time every single week, rain or shine, month after month after year. It's something that I have always wanted to do, and have always been too short of reliable time slots — but as an AKC CGC evaluator, I'm always especially proud when one of "my" teams expresses a desire to go on to do therapy work. (I did look into becoming a TDI evaluator in order to help make therapy certification more available here in Maine. The organization quite rightly requires evaluators to do therapy work for a year first, even if you are a CGC tester already. This goes to the top of my "when I retire" list.) We need to have more therapy teams in the world, and any method that encourages people to engage in therapy work with their dogs is a Good Thing.

So what is my objection to the new THD title? For one thing, it marks a major departure from the way one normally earns an AKC title -- at AKC events, with AKC sanctioning. Just because I do CPE agility and APDT rally doesn't mean I can go back to AKC, wave those title certificates, and say "Hey, gimme one of those AKC titles. I have the papers to show I've earned one. Oh, and here's $20."

I don't really even object to the fact that the THD is the first non-competitive title that AKC has ever offered. (I'll get to CGC later.) What I do object to is the fact that AKC doesn't really even oversee the earning of the title; that work is left to whichever organization certified the therapy team in the first place. It's not redundant to require that work toward an AKC title be done at an AKC event, even if it means liberalizing the interpretation of the term "event." All AKC is doing for therapy teams is printing certificates and offering up titles for non-AKC activities — for a fee.

The Delta Society also certifies goats, llamas, rabbits, and other animals for pet-assisted therapy. If I give AKC $20, can my goat have a title? (Actually, no — unless I register it as a mixed breed first.)

CGC: So What Am I, Chopped Liver?

Where does this leave the CGC (Canine Good Citizen), the red-headed stepchild of AKC titles? Well, CGC is not exactly an official title — it's a certificate. You're not allowed to include it in your dog's list of titles when entering AKC competition events, nor does the CGC appear on any of your dog's other title certificates. Many — perhaps even most — of the therapy teams out there started with the CGC, but the record of that CGC is buried in another database far, far away from the "cool" AKC activities.

Despite its subterranean profile, you don't get the CGC for nothing. Some people train on their own, and some enroll in CGC classes to learn the 10 exercises (all of which are part of the therapy certification programs as well). Both approaches require investments of time and money, and the exam costs extra for those people not enrolled in the training classes. If you pass, you have to send your evaluation sheet and $10 to AKC for your certificate. How about if we CGC graduates send AKC $20 so we can have titles too?

If AKC's objection to legitimizing the CGC lies with the fact that they only get $10 per dog, then perhaps it could adopt a three-tiered program such as the UK Kennel Club's Good Citizen Dog Training scheme. Dog/owner teams can work toward Bronze, Silver, or Gold levels of training, learning such valuable skills along the way as an emergency stop and "go to your place." This approach ought to be good for at least $30, plus the opportunity to sell the associated swag.

Don't even get me started on the amount of effort, love, time, and training that puppy raisers for programs such as NEADS and Guiding Eyes for the Blind put into their charges before the pups go on to lives as working service dogs. If those people and those puppies haven't earned the right to recognition, could they please get a title of their own for $20? Better still, give them their certificates for free. They're the only group for which success means having to give back the dog at the end.

Okay, we get it. AKC is changing its slogan from "We're the Dogs' Champion" to "We're the Dollars' Champion" — but at least be consistent about it, folks. Put something behind the sale of THD titles, or make titles easy enough for all of us to buy that we can get them at Big Lots, where they hang next to the AKC-branded Made-in-China dog treats and the AKC-branded Post-Its with the adhesive that doesn't stick to anything. That, at least, would be the honest approach.

PSA: Summer Handling Classes in Saco

2011-07-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

Penny Cary of Petiquette Canine Education is offering handling classes throughout the summer in Saco, but they're in different locations:

August's classes are at Paw-zn-Around. The classes take place on Wednesdays starting on 8/3.
September's classes are at Finish Forward Dogs. The classes take place on Mondays starting on 9/5 and Wednesdays starting on 9/7.

Penny's classes fill quickly, so contact her soon to enroll!

Milestones

2011-06-26T20:19:00.000-07:00

The longer you remain in the dog world (or in any community, really), the more likely it is that you'll observe not only your own personal milestones, but those of the community. We celebrate birthdays of people and puppies. We bid farewell to our old dogs and our friends' dogs, and to the people we meet in this sport of ours.

AKC judge Lester Mapes was one of those. He died on June 15 after surgery from injuries sustained in a car accident. He and his wife lived in Monson, MA, one of the towns that sustained the most damage from the tornadoes that struck the Springfield area in western Massachusetts. The tornado knocked out two walls of their house and removed the roof. Lester and Judy Mapes were in their car at the time, when their car was struck by another car. Firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to extricate them before taking them to the hospital. Judy was injured but survived; however, Lester succumbed. This is just all too sad.

His obituary mentions his life in dogs and his equal passion for music and theater. I didn't know him well enough to know any of these things about him — just to note that his time here on earth was still too short.

Lester Mapes gave Dinah her very first AKC point as a puppy. I hadn't yet met Kathy and was still stumbling nervously around the ring with her myself. Despite taking Best Puppy in Show at the Canadian National Specialty, a Puppy Group 2 at another local show, and placing in the puppy class at two regional specialties, Dinah hadn't competed with enough other class bitches to have earned any points. Her perfect shutout score was finally broken, thanks to Lester Mapes, in the cavernous and funky downstairs area of Bangor Auditorium. I guess you never forget your first (point, that is).

Here's our photo from Best of Breed that day (that's Traveler in front of us). Rarely do our action photos include the judge, and it never occurred to me then to ask for a win photo. Try not to wince too much at this display of handling greatness (but at least the puppy's cute)...

Looking through Infodog, I see that other judges we've shown under have also passed. Norman Herbel gave Dinah the Puppy Group 2. Bill Bailey gave her a Reserve in a large and competitive lineup at Ladies'. Robert Moore gave her the 4-point major in Springfield that made her a champion of record, after a long march through zero-point shows and broken majors.

They might be gone from this plane, but they are remembered — and I hope that they've met up with their own old dogs in the afterlife.

An Even Grander Champion

2011-06-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

The July issue of Dog Fancy includes a short article by Nicole Sipe on the AKC Grand Championship program. In it, she mentions that the program has been quite a success for AKC, and she includes a quote from me about the program. (Well, it's not exactly what I said, but the editor got all excited and summed up my answer more creatively than I did.) The gist of that article is that the Grand Championship has brought a number of retired champions back into the ring, and a number of dollars into AKC's coffers. Despite my skepticism about the organization's cries of poverty, I have to agree that any initiative of AKC's that generates support from its core constituency without simply tightening the thumbscrews must be a Good Thing Indeed.

Dog Fancy's publication deadlines happen quite a ways in advance of the actual issue in which an article will appear. Nicole first contacted me about the GCH back in February. Little did either of us realize that AKC would produce a scoop of its own before the July issue reached the newsstands.

Anyway, the GCH program has been such a success for AKC that they've expanded it to include additional levels of achievement. Whereas the original GCH called for 25 points to be earned with at least 3 majors and 4 awarding judges, the new expanded levels of Grand Championship are as follows:

Bronze: 100 GCH points
Silver: 200 GCH points
Gold: 400 GCH points
Platinum: 800 GCH points

Seems like you have to show an awful lot of times to get that far... but some dogs have reached the Gold level already and are headed for Platinum. At this writing, a Doberman Pinscher named GCH Ch Mi-Ti's Three Cheers leads the GCH points race with 543. There are 30 dogs in total who hold enough GCH points for the Gold level, so the Dobie is hardly alone.

Just for jollies, I asked a couple of my friends what they thought of the new levels. Most responses ranged between chortles and snorts. "It's just another money-grab." Some felt that the new levels were completely unnecessary, and pretty much everyone agreed that the new levels were reserved for the more wealthy owners out there. If you figure that the #1-ranked GCH now entered shows at $30 a throw and won a 5-point major every time, that's still a $3,258 investment in entry fees alone. Even if you squeeze every penny till it squeals on every other aspect of showing, there's really no way to cheap out on that part. Factor in gas, hotel rooms, handlers, and the gazillion other expenses associated with showing, and you can see how things add up to put the new levels out of reach of many of us mortals.

All the same, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Many other dog sports require 10 qualifying scores to earn some titles, and performance competitors are no strangers to the concept of "money titles." I've invested in a few myself, between Seamus and Dinah. Although these new levels really redefine the concept of "money titles," at least the money headed into AKC's coffers from the new program might forestall increases in the costs of everything else. If folks have it and want to spend it, then good on them. You might say that the big-time investors are helping to keep expenses down for the rest of us.

Dinah has 10 GCH points with 2 majors and is currently the 87th Bearded Collie in AKC's GCH rankings. With the number of shows we'll be entering this year, I don't expect those stats to soar any time soon. I can pretty much guaran-damn-tee you that we won't be shooting for Platinum level.

What do you think of the new GCH levels? Are you tempted to try for any of them? Have you achieved the "plain vanilla" GCH yet?

PSAs for Today: Handling Classes in Fryeburg and a Seminar in York

2011-04-12T09:55:00.000-07:00

Telling Tails Training Center in Fryeburg, ME is offering conformation classes for all experience levels, led by Beth Collins. These classes will help everyone get ready for the Southern Maine Coastal Classic cluster in mid-May.

Classes will be held on the following dates:

Tuesday, April 19 at 6:30-7:30 PM
Tuesday, April 26 at 6:30-7:30 PM
Monday, May 9 at 6:30 - 7:30 PM

Each class costs $25. You may take one, two, or all three. Sign up at Telling Tails' website or call 642-3693.

Handling Seminar in York in October

It's a Dog's World in York is planning to hold another conformation handling seminar with Sue and Bill Burrell on October 1 and 2. FMI: call 363-0099.

Public Service Announcement: Handling Classes in Bangor, ME

2011-04-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

The Penobscot Valley Kennel Club will start its next session of show handling classes on Monday, May 5 at 6 PM on the Bangor Waterfront.

Cost to PVKC members is $5 per class; non-members pay $7. Of course, classes are held weather permitting, so stay home if it is raining or snowing.

PVKC is also considering a 'Puppy Prep' class for conformation showing. All puppies must be 16 weeks or older and have proof of vaccinations. They plan to cover technique, filling out forms, proper dress, and other show topics.

For more information, contact PVKC from their website at http://penobscotvalleykennelclub.itgo.com/index.html.

The New AKC Points Schedule is Out

2011-04-05T08:04:00.000-07:00

...and here it is: http://www.akc.org/events/conformation/point_schedule.cfm .

What do you think? Have the points needed for majors increased, decreased, or stayed the same for your breed and geographic region?

It's been just long enough since I've had a class dog in the ring that I don't remember what the points schedules for Beardies have been like in the past few years. The points are quite a bit lower than they were when Dinah was in the classes (7 bitches for 3 points, then 6) -- but it has also been correspondingly more difficult to field the requisite number of entries. For a while there, it was easier for owners of the bitches to get their majors from the crossover points, since the number of dogs needed is so much lower than the number of bitches. (When there are not enough points in bitches to constitute a major, but there are in dogs, then if Winner's Bitch also goes Best of Breed, Best of Winners, or Best of Opposite, she receives the same number of points for her win as the Winner's Dog receives. This means that the Winner's Bitch receives "crossover points," enough so that she, too, gets a major from that win.)

Springtime Rituals

2011-03-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

I've always envied my friends in California. The weather generally stays nice enough there so they can go to shows and trials all year round. Here, entering any event in the winter is always conditional. You enter a dog event with full knowledge that if the weather that weekend is sufficiently bad, you'll end up eating the entry. That, along with hibernating from Thanksgiving until St. Paddy's Day or so, marks the "off season" for dog showing here in the Frickin' Arctic.

Since today is the Vernal Equinox, it's time to start thinking about the year ahead. It's time to dust off the equipment, take inventory of what needs repair/replacement/cleaning, invest in some fresh batteries, and organize it all so that an event's worth of necessities can be tossed into the car without too much scrambling. It's time to start reading the premium lists for the springtime events and to think about what to enter when.

Another way I mark the start of the dog-event year is to clear off the bulletin board in the sunroom. Back when I was still actively trialing with Seamus, I'd hang the ribbons and rosettes he'd earned from it in a given year onto the board. At the beginning of the next season, I'd remove them, pack them away, and hang the new year's booty. This has now become an unofficial ritual to mark the new dog-show season. (So what can you do with all the old ones? I had Dinah's BPISS rosette from the '06 BCCC National framed. There are also quite a few people who will take your collected ribbons and stitch them into a quilt, wall hanging, chair back, or what-have-you. This site shows a bunch of photos of finished examples. Maybe someday I'll do something similar with mine, but storing all the ribbons in Rubbermaid boxes in the downstairs closet is still much easier than trying to figure out where to hang a quilt.)

2010 was relatively slim for us in terms of spoils -- we only entered three conformation shows, five AKC rally trials, one UKC rally trial, and a bunch of APDT rally trials -- but we did bring home enough bling to cover the bulletin board. Each one marks some pretty nice memories: the weekend we finished Dinah's Canadian CH, BOS for the second year in a row at our Regional Specialty, her AKC RN and RA and APDT RL1 titles, Badger's 4th in Veterans at the BCCC National... Still, they make a pretty nice collage...

Now that the bulletin board is bare again, it's time to start thinking about the year ahead... and train, train, train! Dinah's litter sister Buffy is now competing in APDT Rally in the UK and is on the verge of earning her RL1 title, too.

As Seen in Dog Fancy

A few weeks ago, a very nice person named Nicole contacted me through the blog. It seems she was writing a small article about the AKC Grand Champion title and was looking for thoughts from the fancy about the new title and its appeal. The article will appear in the July issue of Dog Fancy, in case you're interested.

Public Service Announcement

The next session of Penny Cary's conformation handling classes starts in April at Finish Forward Dogs in Saco. Class spots are filling up fast, so contact Finish Forward soon if you want to get in on the fun.

Public Service Announcement: Handling Classes in York, ME

2011-03-07T09:25:00.000-08:00

Sue Burrell's weekly drop-in handling classes are returning to It's a Dog's World in York, starting today (March 7). Class starts at 7:30 PM. last 1 hour, and cost $17.00 per session.

FMI: Call 207-363-0099 or email info@itsadogsworld.me.

Public Service Announcement: Handling Seminar in York, ME

2011-02-12T14:41:00.000-08:00

It's a Dog's World in York, ME is hosting a conformation handling seminar with Sue and Bill Burrell on Sunday, March 6 from 9 AM till 5 PM. The cost of the seminar for participants is $50 ($25 for auditors), and includes handouts and snacks. (Bring a bag lunch.)

Sue and Bill are the regular conformation class instructors at IADW. They've taken a break for the winter, but will resume their weekly drop-in classes in the spring. (Dinah and I attended the drop-in class a few times for practice, but we took semi-private lessons closer to home.) In the meantime, you can spend 7 hours with them and get much more individualized attention than you would at the drop-in class.

To sign up or for more information: call 207-363-0099 or email info@itsadogsworld.me.

Here's more information from the flyer:

it's a dog's world's conformation instructor, Sue Burrell and her husband Bill Burrell, will divide students based on their knowledge and present a day long seminar on conformation handling. This seminar is geared towards:

Dog owners who are thinking about or who will soon enter their dog into a show
Owners who have already entered their dog into a show
Dog owners who are campaigning their special
Anyone looking to learn more about the dog show circuit

This seminar will be divided between the talents of both Sue and Bill as they discuss:

Choosing your show puppy
Raising your puppy for show
Creating a presentable dog for the show
Presenting your dog to the judge
Basic and Advanced handling techniques

Seminar Details

When: Sunday, March 6, 2011

Time: 9:00am - 5:00pm - including a lunch break

Cost: Participants: $50.00 Auditors: $25

Includes: Full day seminar, handouts & snacks

it's a dog's world encourages attendees to bring a brown bag lunch as there will be opportunity to ask questions during the lunch break. There are ample sandwich shops located nearby.

Sue & Bill Burrell's Bio

Sue & Bill have been handling dogs professionally combined for more than 90 years. They have shown dogs in 25 different countries spanning 3 continents. They average 15 Championships on dogs each year. Their familiarity with all AKC breeds and most FCI breeds has allowed them to place in every AKC group and win multiple Best in Shows. Their success is supported by a proven selection and training program that produces the highest quality of dogs to be presented to the judges.

PSA: More Handling Classes in Saco

2011-01-21T07:36:00.000-08:00

Petiquette Canine Education is holding handling classes on Wednesday evenings at 6:15 starting on 2/2. These classes take place at Paw-zn-Around in Saco. FMI or to sign up, contact Penny Cary of Petiquette at sasanoa@hughes.net.

Guess the Plan Worked!

2011-01-17T14:07:00.000-08:00

The following press release comes straight from the AKC Communications Department. I find it interesting to note that the inclusion of mixed breeds in certain performance events was not specifically cited as a cause for the increase in entries. This doesn't mean that it wasn't -- only that there was no specific mention. The Grand Champion program in conformation appears to have lured people back to Best of Breed competition. This release is good news for agility and conformation events, anyway!

THE AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB’S OVERALL ENTRIES INCREASE IN 2010

-- Records More Than 3 Million Entries --

New York, NY — The American Kennel Club® ( AKC®) leapt over the 3 million entry mark in 2010, recording a total of more than 3,014,000 dog entries across all conformation, companion and performance events. The growth over the number of entries received in 2009 was sparked by the ever-growing interest in the sport of Agility, where entries increased by 9%.  The new “Grand Champion” title assisted shows by providing an increase of over 40,000 additional entries in Best of Breed.  This equates to more than $1.2 million in additional entry fees to Conformation clubs.

“We were very proud to see the uptick in entries,” said Dennis B. Sprung, AKC ’s President and CEO. “The increase is a promising step forward for our clubs in the face of a persistently challenging economy.  We will continue to research ways to enhance the fun and value of competing in each of our sports.”

In addition, Sprung said, “We salute the finest Agility competitors in the nation who continue to set records; the entire AKC community appreciates their skills.”

The 2010 entry total includes entries from all-breed and specialty conformation shows, obedience, field trials, hunt tests, coonhound events, herding tests and trials, lure coursing, agility, earthdog, tracking and rally.

###

The American Kennel Club, founded in 1884, is a not-for-profit organization which maintains the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world and oversees the sport of purebred dogs in the United States . The AKC is dedicated to upholding the integrity of its registry, promoting the sport of purebred dogs and breeding for type and function.  Along with its nearly 5,000 licensed and member clubs and its affiliated organizations, the AKC advocates for the purebred dog as a family companion, advances canine health and well-being, works to protect the rights of all dog owners and promotes responsible dog ownership. More than 20,000 competitions for AKC -registered purebred dogs are held under AKC rules and regulations each year including conformation, agility, obedience, rally, tracking, herding, lure coursing, coonhound events, hunt tests, field and earthdog tests. Affiliate AKC organizations include the AKC Humane Fund, AKC Canine Health Foundation, AKC Companion Animal Recovery and the AKC Museum of the Dog.  For more information, visit www.akc.org.

AKC, American Kennel Club, the American Kennel Club seal and design, and all associated marks and logos are trademarks, registered trademarks and service marks of The American Kennel Club, Inc.
To become a fan of the AKC on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/americankennelclub. To follow the AKC on Twitter, go to http://www.twitter.com/akcdoglovers.

Public Service Announcement: Group Practice Match in Saco, March 5

2011-01-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

The Pine Tree State Doberman Pinscher Club is holding an all-breed Group Practice on Saturday, March 5 at Finish Forward Dogs in Saco. (Snow date: March 6.) Breeds in the Miscellaneous Group are welcome; a Miscellaneous Class will be offered. Come practice for the spring shows!

If you haven't been to a Group Practice before, it goes something like this: You enter your dog's class (for example, Open) as usual, but all dogs (and bitches) within your group and class (e.g., 9-12 month Toys) will compete at once. Since the classes range from 3-6 month Puppy to Open of any age, you'll first see the 3-6 month ring with (for example) all the little Shepherds leading the pack, huge puppy feet flying, and the little 3-month-old Corgi puppies toddling sweetly in the rear. Next, the 6-9-month-old puppies in the Herding Group get to do the same thing... up through the Open class. Spectators are welcome, and all dogs could use practice moving to applause. Come cheer the next generation of group winners!

Entries are $10 apiece, and you sign up the day of the match. Show up between 9 AM and 9:45. Judging will start at 10:15.

Here are the rest of the rules:

Classes offered are: 3-6 month, 6-9 months, 9-12 months, 12-18 months, and Open.
Dogs with one major are welcome to enter.
All dogs must be current on their vaccinations (as recommended by their vets) and free of internal/external parasites and communicable diseases.
No heavy grooming, no chalking, and no taped ears.

Crating space is limited, as is table space. The match will take place indoors on Finish Forward's wonderful cushioned flooring.

Food will be available in the morning and the afternoon, and there will be prizes and a 50-50 raffle.

FMI: Email Penny at sasanoa@hughes.net.

Public Service Announcement: Handling Classes in the New Year (Southern Maine)

2011-01-11T09:48:00.000-08:00

It's a new year, all right -- so new that I'm still writing 2010 on the checks I've been sending out for the latest training classes. Anyway, if you've made a New Year's resolution to sharpen up your handling skills, continue with your handling classes from the previous year, or begin to get the puppy ready for the spring showing season, here's your chance.

Penny Cary of Petiquette Canine Education and Finish Forward Dogs will be offering handling classes on Monday evenings starting on February 2. Class sessions are 6 weeks long and cost $120. Look here for a registration form. Classes take place at Finish Forward's facility in Saco. Penny's classes always fill up quickly, so sign up soon if you plan to join in the fun!

Casco Bay Dog Training Club offers classes in Bath at the Bath Recreation Department. Their class listing doesn't show handling classes for January or February just yet, but visit the page again and/or contact the club to find out when they plan to schedule classes.

It's a Dog's World in York has drop-in handling classes on Monday nights with Sue Burrell. Sue is taking a break this winter, but will start classes up again in March.

Carroll County Kennel Club offers conformation classes in North Conway and Shelburne, NH. Their January class schedule hasn't been announced yet.

If you know of other conformation handling classes or seminars going on between southern NH and Mid-Coast Maine, please let me know at saltysheepdog at gmail dot com and I'll gladly announce them.

First Shout-Outs of the Year

2011-01-01T11:13:00.000-08:00

Congratulations (slightly belated) to our long-time Dog Show Newbie friends Barb Rimoshytus and Rio the Papillon! Rio earned his AKC championship at the Worcester County KC show on 12/4. His handler Courtney Pray finished him, and she sports a great grin in the win photo. If you're a friend of Barb's on Facebook, you can see him with Courtney and with judge Ruth Zimmerman. The win was a little bittersweet for Barb, who couldn't be at the show, and who wishes she could have been holding the lead that day... but the deed is done. Rio is now officially CH Brookfield's Slam Dunk, and he might also have some Rally title initials after his name. Rio and his Golden roomie Tazzy have both been doing rally this past year.

Another old friend picked up some alphabet soup at this year's Springfield Thanksgiving shows. Deb and Richard's Moxie was already a Canadian champion, but now you can call her Am/Can CH Cameron's Kiss Me Quick. Moxie's long march to the CH was even longer than ours. Even with the slightly reduced number of dogs it takes to make a major in our region nowadays, it still took forever to find majors, and for those majors to hold. I'll have to ask Debbie how many points Moxie finished with. Dinah has something like 24 or 25, and Rowdy Blue had close to 30 by the time he caught his big break.

Fiona needs only two more singles, and her brother Brae finished this past fall at the age of only 17 months -- that's a month younger than his sire Traveler was when he finished. CH Bramley's Green Mountain Boy CGC and handler Brian Kirk made a great pair. Brae took his last points with another handler whose name escapes me, but whom Brae's owners also like very much. Good work, kids!

Okay, I admit that I feel just slightly nostalgic for those days in the classes and all of the socializing that went along with them -- but the whole ordeal of hunting majors feels somewhat like having kids. You have to forget about the pain before you're prepared to have another. We have no room here for a puppy anyway, much less a litter. Maybe someday it would be nice to start again, but in the meantime, it will be fun to cheer for Cash/Casey, Bonnie, and all the new kids. Good luck this year!

A Brief History of Dog Shows

2010-12-07T12:20:00.000-08:00

In the wake of recent big dog-show events such as the National Dog Show in Philadelphia and Eukanuba in Long Beach, this article appeared in Yahoo! News. Not sure how long this story will persist, so enjoy it as soon as you can...

A Brief History of Dog Shows

It's (Almost) All About Dinah

2010-11-24T09:23:00.000-08:00

It's getting to be the time of year where we pack up the show stuff and prepare to hibernate for the winter. Dinah hasn't actually seen the inside of a show ring since the Canadian Specialty in August (though I still wish we could have gone to the Carolinas Regional). We do have two more APDT rally trials coming up on the first weekend of December, and then we'll really put 2010 to bed.

All the same, we brought home a decent small collection of memories this year...

BOS at the New England Regional (for the second year in a row)
BOS at the Supported Entry the next day
10 AKC Grand Champion points
BOS at the Fredericton KC show to finish her Canadian CH
Best in Show in the MB-F Virtual Dog Show
AKC Rally Novice and Advanced titles
APDT Rally Level 1 title with an Award of Excellence (AOE) and 1 leg toward Level 2
7 legs (so far) toward the APDT Rally Level 1 Championship (RL1X) title
1 leg in UKC Rally Level 1 (URO1)

Although I say we're hibernating for the winter, we're really just not going out to compete. When the weather permits, we spend our time at home on the weekends, practicing. Dinah's back in agility class with Jim Gregg, who's a master at deconstructing handling and helping you build a successful process. We've been going to Wednesday-evening rally classes since school started, and will resume when the next semester resumes in January.

Oddly enough, working in rally and agility seem to complement each other — all the more so since Jim is so good at spotting inconsistencies in handling that (especially in my case) seem to be handicapping our progress. Sometimes neglecting the simplest things can make a huge difference. Jim noticed that I wasn't taking the time to catch Dinah's eye in the ring because my ring nerves had me all flustered. Keeping that in mind, I tried to keep eye contact in both agility and in rally, and Dinah did much better. She's always stellar in practice; at trials, not so much.

I'll have to remember to keep Jim's advice in mind next time we go to a trial. I've had the worst time doing APDT Level 2, although we managed to complete the AKC RA. Dinah knocked the jump bar on our first Excellent run, but that has to do with bad agility handling (mine). She was looking at me, and not at the obstacle.

The year hasn't been completely about Dinah, though. Badger Blue managed to take a 4th in his Veterans class at the BCCC National.

Dinah's image has been places, too. Two photos of her — one as a puppy, one as an adult — appeared for the Bearded Collie at the AKC's Meet the Breeds event in NYC last month.

Next month, Dinah and Badger get to be supermodels for a day! They'll be modeling couch covers for the FetchDog catalog. We'll all head to the shoot at a house somewhere in West Falmouth, and a local dog trainer we know will help coax the two stars of the show up onto the furniture, to recline in appealing poses. Somewhere, some lucky copywriter will get to struggle with the temptation to talk about all the dog hair that won't get on the furniture, and we'll end up with some lovely professional photos of the Breakseas. I'm looking forward to it!

Seamus already knows how best to model a couch!

We have to spend every Thanksgiving on the road, so we won't be home to watch the National Dog Show on TV. Have a great Thanksgiving, all, and enjoy the show for us!

We Are Virtually Proud

2010-10-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

InfoDog Virtual Dog Show
9/27 - 10/1/2010
Best In Show

Yes, you read that right. Dinah just received her first Best in Show as an adult, and her first in the States. (She was Best Puppy in Show at the Canadian National back in 2006 and had an AKC Puppy Group 2 as a puppy.) Okay, so maybe it isn't a real show, since it didn't involve grooming, gaiting, sweating, driving, or an expensive hotel stay. All the same, it's a Best in Show, and we'll take it.

If you're not familiar with the Infodog Virtual Dog Show, it's an online simulated all-breed show sponsored by show superintendents MB-F, Inc. It's free to enter; all you need are a few nice photographs. There is also a "fun" section where you can enter candid photos of your dog in various categories. Yes, you may enter both sections.

In the dog show section, you may enter with just one show-side photo of your dog, or you may upload front, back, and right side photos and even a video of your dog gaiting. (We have an assortment of very nice stills, but no video.) In a way, this forces you to select from among the piles of posed and candid shots you own to find the ones that would look good to a judge who cannot actually touch your dog or watch the gaiting around the ring. The breed, group, and Best in Show judges' bios are posted as the show opens for entries.

Judging proceeds the same way as it does for any other all-breed show: first the class dogs, then the class bitches, then Best of Breed. Infodog even has little "animations" of the dogs' photos going around the ring to "applause." When your dog wins, you receive an emailed certificate showing the photo, the win, and a rosette. Judges are allowed to post evaluations of the dog they've judged, and some do take advantage of that. I'll never forget the evaluation we received the first year we entered (2008): "This appears to be a quality dog with a correct coat, however there is so much that a judge cannot do in this sort of competition. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that this dog has or will win big." Well, we've done okay since then.

This year Dinah, being a special, started off in BOB. Okay, so there wasn't a lot of competition in breed this year, since there were only three Beardies -- but still, she won and advanced to Group.

Last year, she didn't place in Group, though she's had a Group 3 and a Group 4 in the past. There were some very nice competitors out there. This year, though, was different...

The same lovely blue merle Aussie and some other group competitors from the last were there again this year, though there weren't any Collies. It might be just a virtual Group First, but it was Dinah's first! I was too busy to read email this morning, so I missed the email with the Group 1 inside. Dinah went on to BIS without me.

At lunchtime, I received this in email:

It took me a minute to react (as it usually does) -- and then it hit me. Judging was over. There were no additional rounds to advance to. Dinah had not only won Best of Breed and defeated the other dogs in the Herding Group, but she had also defeated the other group winners! Sure, this is how every all-breed dog show works, and people whose dogs are multiple BIS winners are probably used to this... but all the same, it's our first BIS, however virtual. Maybe a real one is in the cards for someday... most likely, not.

Anyone can enter the Infodog Virtual Dog Show. Get your photos together and come join in the fun for the next round!

End of the Season, But Not

2010-09-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

Now that Dinah's a special, we can pretty much pick and choose which shows we feel like entering instead of frantically scouring premium lists for every show on the Eastern Seaboard, in search of one more stinkin' major or a few more crummy points. Quite honestly, I don't miss that part -- but I do miss showing later into the year. Much as I complain about showing into late November or early December, I miss hanging out with my buddies on weekends at the Big E or on some other road trip. Mind you, I don't miss these trips enough to consider campaigning Dinah as far as the GRCH, but I still feel just the teeniest bit wistful when everyone else gets to pack up and go.

Since our last appearance in conformation, though, Dinah and I have been fairly busy training and showing in rally trials in a few different venues. She completed the APDT Level 1 title in July with an Award of Excellence, and her AKC Rally Novice at the very end of August. This makes her Am/Can CH Breaksea November Storm HIC CGC RL1 (AOE) RN.

Not that we plan to stop there. We're entered in another AKC trial and hope to make progress toward the Rally Advanced title (she has one leg already). We have more APDT trials to enter between now and the end of the year, plus we're attempting our very first UKC rally trial in October. My ambition is to work enough to cross over into regular obedience as well. Our rally instructor has a Novice class right after ours, and I might do the occasional drop-in just to see if we're even ready to start just yet. Holding still is not one of the Princess's favorite things to do.

Are we coming back to the conformation ring? You bet your Bean boots we are, but probably not until spring. It gives us something to look forward to during the dark and icy days of wintertime. Until then, you can see us in class with our compadres or playing in the local trials. If you're going to the conformation shows, good luck and have fun!

O Canada: the Road Trip Movie

2010-08-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

Bearded Collie Club of Canada National Specialty
8/11 and 12, 2010
Badger: 4th, Veteran Males 7-9

Judge: David Hyde. Photo by Garth Gourlay.

In a way, Val and I needed to go to Fredericton to prove to ourselves that not all car trips turn into plots for horror movies. Our trip to Minnesota was so Edvard-Munch-The-Scream horrible that we still have PTSD flashbacks from it, and I never did finish my blog post about it from last year. (I might still do that someday, but it would probably end up within the chronology of this blog and pass, unnoticed, into the Collection of Things Best Not Mentioned. Either that, or someone like Rob Zombie will pick up the option for it and turn it into this generation’s version of The Exorcist Meets Sybil. Yes, it was that horrible. Worse, even.) Anyway, we were overdue for one of our own road trips -- so off to the Maritimes we went. We baked in the heat, we got wet in the rain, and we encountered giant spuds on the roadside... but we did have a pretty good time.

When Dinah picked up her last point in Fredericton, I said, “Pack your bags – we’re heading to Belleville!” We’d entered the National two days before, simply because entries closed before we could make it to the Maritimes. If we hadn’t had such a nice trip to Fredericton and back, we might not have gone at all. The very idea of long car rides still makes us both cringe.

So there we were: the two of us plus Kathy with Dinah, Fiona, and Badger -- all packed into a rented Ford Econoline van, eager to prove to ourselves that not all trips have to be Trips From H-E-Double Hockey Sticks. The construction on the way there, plus the traffic through Montreal, made the drive up a Trip From Heck, but we survived. If not for the fact that most of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Quebec appeared to be under construction, we might have made the trip in 9 hours instead of 10 1/2.

The Ramada in Belleville was lovely, with a nice big flat area perfect for showing -- and right by the water for scenic show pictures. We arrived late enough in the week so that we missed having time to explore the hiking trails, but that was unavoidable. Next time, for sure!

Here's a view from Val's and my 4th-floor balcony:

Badger and Fiona, the class dogs, showed on Wednesday, with the boys showing first. Badger was first up on the table:

He's essentially retired from showing, but he still loves to show off occasionally. I brought him along mostly so Kathy would have enough dogs to show, but he cleaned up nicely and looked great in the ring.

Badger ended up taking 4th place in Veteran Males 7-9, which was a pleasant surprise. There were 6 dogs entered and 5 showed up, so he wasn't last in the class. Not bad for a retired guy. He still gets his spot in BCCC history now.

All the weather forecasts the previous week had promised us lovely, 60-degree days and 40-degree nights with a chance of rain on Friday and maybe Thursday. None of us -- especially the hairy members of the entourage -- are huge fans of very hot weather, but Kathy probably dislikes it the worst of all of us. She's the one who has to dress up and run around in the bright sunshine -- while wearing a suit and pantyhose. Can't blame her there. Anyway, the weather forecast lied. By the time we made it to Ontario, it was just plain baking hot. We ended up having to soak chamois cloths to put over each dog before showtime. Luckily, we had electricity available so we could plug in our big fan, and we ran the batteries in the crate fans until they begged for mercy. Dinah relaxed on her waterbed, but Badger just didn't care for his. He stood it for the car rides, but asked to be placed in a crate without the bed -- and then dug up the fleece bed so he slept just on the plastic pan on the bottom. Silly old bluey.

Next, it was Fiona's turn to shine in the baking hot sun.

The Open Bitch class was massively competitive, and Fee acquitted herself very well. There wasn't a bad-looking girlie in the lot. I'd moved Dinah up since she finished in Fredericton; otherwise she'd have been in this class, too.

The judge had pulled out his first picks in the ring in Open Bitch, and then he looked back and looked Fiona over again. He pulled her out to join his other picks, then moved her up to third place. For a moment, we thought he would move her up more, but he seemed content with his choices as they were. Third place at a National is still nothing to sneeze at, and it gave people a good look at Fee.

Thus encouraged, we celebrated with a room-service picnic and high hopes for Best of Breed. If David had liked the B-Man, then he would love Dinah, right? Dinah had been Best Puppy at that specialty in 2006 and Winners Bitch in 2008. With a winning streak like that, she should come home with something very nice from out of the Specials class, right? Even if she didn't take Best of Breed or Best Opposite, even an Award of Merit would have been cause for a victory banquet at Big Daddy's BBQ, home of the all-you-can-eat lobster dinner.

Of course, the big game that everyone plays at dog shows is, "What does the judge like?". Some like good movers. Some like nice heads. Some don't show any pattern to their choices. Everyone scrutinizes the judge's picks and tries to determine the pattern (if any).

It rained in the early morning hours before the show, which to us was an encouraging sign. Dinah loves to show in wet weather; as Kathy says, "She's a mudder." It remained cloudy at showtime, which was a vast relief to everybody sporting sunburns from the previous days of showing.

There were so many entries in Best of Breed that the judge brought everyone in, then allowed the bitches to leave the ring so he could judge all the dog entries first. He would make his cuts, then dismiss the dogs and do the same for the bitches.

By the time dog judging was complete, the atmosphere had started heating up again. I was disappointed that Dinah wouldn't get to show in the rain. Sure, she gets horribly messy, but she plows through the muck and water with such joy that you'd think she actually loved to show. She doesn't really -- she likes it okay, but she doesn't love it. Still, add water and she's a happy camper.

Finally, the bitches were called in. Because Dinah had moved up from Open just the day before, she was placed last in line. She had plenty of time to get bored and fidgety back there, and she made Kathy work to keep her focused. All the same, she looked lovely.

She moved nicely, when it finally came her turn.

We were surprised and disappointed when she didn't even make the cut, but she simply wasn't David's cup of tea -- nor did she feel particularly motivated to make him change his mind about that. David appeared to prefer bigger, longer dogs. Dinah is long enough, but he liked them really long. Badger and Fiona are both longer than The Lovely One. She's also a little girl, and he didn't put up any little Beardies in any of the classes. Anyway, we sadly left the ring and started packing up. Dinah's winning streak at the National was no more. No AOM. No all-you-can-eat lobster.

The top honors eventually went to two deserving dogs: Arwen (whom Dinah has beaten every other time they've been in the same ring) took Best of Breed, and Darcy (Diva's littermate and a very nice boy) took Best of Opposite. All of the specials were nice -- not a bad one anywhere, or an undeserving one -- but it was still a bummer about Dinah's winning streak. Not even Kathy's lucky suit and my lucky earrings helped. (I'm not really a believer in lucky charms, but I do believe in how you act and feel when you have them. It does make a difference when you feel lucky.)

Our trip home took us over the same bridges that we crossed to head home from Gananoque, and we took a shortcut through the farm country in upstate New York that was charming, but not exactly short in terms of time. At least we weren't stuck in miles of orange barrels with kamikaze traffic trying to run us off the road. It took us a good 11 hours to get back, but we made it safely (if a bit punchy toward the end -- we giggled from central MA all the way back to Maine), unpacked in as orderly a fashion as we could manage, and got lucky Kathy on the road for home so she could attend a wedding the next day. She survived it, and we all survived the road trip. Even if we didn't bring home any really big honors, simply surviving the trip without it devolving into insanity was almost enough of a reward. Maybe we can travel again without flashbacks after all.

Public Service Announcement: Dr. Hutchison Seminar, October in Portsmouth, NH

2010-08-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

Robert Hutchison, DVM, the noted specialist on canine reproduction and neonatology and arguably the leading expert on frozen semen, will be holding a one-day seminar on Saturday, October 2, at the Sheraton Harborside Hotel, 250 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH. It is being hosted by the York County Kennel Club of Maine, Inc. All interested canine breeders and veterinary professionals are invited to attend the seminar. It will start at 7:30am. Coffee service and a buffet lunch will be provided.

This may be the first time “Dr. Hutch” will be giving his popular presentation in the seacoast area of northern New England. A graduate of Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, he is affiliated with the Animal Clinic Northview of North Ridgeville, OH. He is also director of the Center for Canine and Feline Reproduction and Infertility and a past president of Lorain County Veterinary Medical Association. He is the author of countless articles and journals on canine reproduction that have appeared in professional publications and he holds canine reproduction seminars all over the world.

At the seminar, he will deliver basic information on canine reproduction, focusing on maximizing conception, prenatal care, successful whelping, postnatal care and the care of whelps. He will take questions from the audience. In addition, there will be a networking period.

The cost will be $99 per person (no canines, please). Payment should by made by personal check or money order in US dollars payable to YCKC—Seminar. Fill out the form below and mail it with your payment to Mr Carroll Goodwin III, YCKC Treasurer, PO Box 336, Alfred, ME 04002. UPON RECEIPT OF APPLICATION YOU WILL RECEIVE AN EMAIL CONFIRMATION. Payment must accompany your reservation.

Registration deadline is September 25, 2010.

For more information and a registration form, please visit http://yorkcountykennelclub.homestead.com/news.html or contact Eileen Kelly at olbaileylabs@aol.com 207-247-3734 or 631-862-9118.

*For overnight accommodations, the Portsmouth Sheraton Hotel has reserved a small block of rooms. For availability visit http://www.sheratonportsmouth.com/. There are also several other hotels in the Portsmouth area. However, all attendees are responsible for making their own reservations.

O Canada! Part Cinq

2010-07-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

Fredericton Kennel Club, 7/24
WB/BOS, 1 point
7/25 RWB

Announcing... Am/Can CH Breaksea November Storm, HIC CGC RL1!

Yes, it finally happened. We finally got that last stinkin' CKC point to finish Dinah in Canada. Now we can show our faces around the BCCC National without having to enter her as a class bitch for the third time.

A lot of Dinah's family members have CH titles from multiple countries -- her sister Buffy (Breaksea November Mist), for example, has been burning up all the countries of continental Europe and picking up championships in each one. Badger's brother Moby (Breaksea Norwegian Wood) has at least all of Scandinavia covered. Dylan (Breaksea Gone West) was the first Am/Can Ch in the family, and Dinah is the second one, as well as the first bitch to earn both.

There aren't huge numbers of Beardies showing around the Maritimes, so sometimes you just have to bring all your breed's entries with you if you hope to earn CKC points without depending on Group 3s -- so that's just what we did. Val and I were overdue for a road trip, anyway. We decided to pack up Trav, Fiona, and Dinah and meet Ashley at the Fredericton shows to try our luck there. Our friend Penny, a local handler who has had a lot of success showing in eastern Canada over the years, offered to handle Dinah to her last point.

The only thing that we can never predict about a show is the mood that the Princess will be in on any given show day. When she's in a good mood and wants to show well, she's hard to beat. When she's Not In The Mood, no amount of cajoling, bribery, or Great Bait can get her to focus on the task at hand. Kathy and I have Talked to the Paw more times than we care to admit.

Val and I made good time on the drive (aside from the summer construction delays), crossed at St. Stephen with absolutely no traffic ahead of us (a first!) and headed for Fredericton. The road between St. Stephen and Fredericton is pretty much a swathe through the woods, and is the kind of drive where you rejoice when another vehicle comes toward you in the opposite lane because it gives you something else to look at. "Wow," Val said. "When a Canadian says that this show is in the middle of nowhere, you'd better believe it!"

One of the joys of driving with a GPS is that it very rarely gets you truly lost. You might not always take the most efficient route to get someplace, but you'll generally get there. We ignored the GPS's entreaties to cross at Houlton rather than at Calais, and for miles afterward, it kept trying to get us to drive back to Houlton to cross.

Our biggest navigational challenge happened in Fredericton, where the Princess Margaret Bridge, which we were supposed to use to cross the St. John River, turned out to be closed for construction. The GPS, in deep denial of that fact, kept trying at every turn to route us that way, until we both told it to shut up and turned it off. We procured directions at a gas station, crossed the river, and headed to the campground to set up.

The drive along the river was lovely, punctuated every so often by a local landmark, such as a giant potato wearing a top hat or a huge carved wooden figure of Sherlock Holmes.

We arrived at the show site, found Penny and the Doberdogs, and set up at ringside just behind them. After the EZ-Up was staked and the chairs and flooring unloaded, we set off to find out hotel, ignoring the GPS's entreaties to take the closed bridge. It finally complied and showed us a route that involved streets that we actually could take to get there.

Once esconced in the hotel, we ordered take-out, exercised the dogs, and readied ourselves for an early wake-up call. Trav was so happy to be out of the car that he practically threw himself at me with his usual "Arrrrr, arrrrr." (Trav and I have deep conversations. He likes to do his pirate impression for me. We talk about his favorite letter of the alphabet and other subjects of great philosophical import.)

When the alarm went off far too early on Saturday morning, we all bundled back into the rental van and headed across the bridge that wasn't closed to the show site on the other side. The GPS was not amused. We passed the Giant Spud again, and pulled into the show site.

Val, aware of my "skills" as a show groomer, neatened up the Princess's feet and got her finish grooming done, then worked on Fiona. Ashley arrived and started prepping Trav.

CKC shows run somewhat like UKC shows do -- all breeds in a group using the same ring, and breeds showing more or less in alphabetical order. Groups sometimes follow the individual breeds, and sometimes take place after all breed judging is over in all the rings. If you're used to AKC shows, where the show secretaries have to juggle rings, breeds, judges, and groups and try to fit them together into a puzzle, then you'll come to appreciate the beauty and simplicity of the CKC/UKC scheme. It does take a short time to get used to the fact that all shows run pretty much the same way -- but then you have one less thing to have to keep in mind.

Penny had four breeds to show, and three of them conflicted that day. We worked out a game plan whereby she would show the Aussie, bring her out, take Dinah in, hand Dinah back to me, and sprint into the Doberman ring next door to show her own dog. If the Aussie took her breed and Dinah took hers, I would be showing Dinah in Group. We all gathered under the roof in the waiting area and assumed our stations. I felt a little bit like a running back waiting for the kickoff.

Penny took third with Jules the Aussie, then offered Dinah various kinds of bait from $15-a-pound roast beef to chunks of liver. I offered up Dinah's old favorite Great Bait and added it to the show menu. The ring steward called for Bearded Collies, and they were off, with Val and Fee behind them.

Dinah seemed in a pretty good mood, and she decided to work for Penny instead of making her Talk to the Paw. I was still worried that she'd decide that the day was getting too hot to show, and take a summer vacation right in the middle of judging. She didn't show with great enthusiasm, but she held it together well enough to take the Open class and get that last point. Fee took Reserve. Dinah ended up going Best Opposite to Trav, who took the breed. (Sadly, Trav didn't get much love in the group -- though the judge looked at him for a VERY long time before calling four other dogs out.)

Outside the ring, we did as much hugging and dancing as we could do without disrupting the rest of the show's proceedings. Penny had had to send her Dobe into the ring with her husband because of the ring conflict, but she suspected that the breed judging wouldn't have gone her way anyway.

One of Penny's friends took this nice photo of The Lovely One in the ring. Thanks, Mark!

When Dinah finished her AKC CH, I'd packed a bottle of champagne just in case we needed it. Because Val doesn't drink and my days of drinking whole bottles of the stuff myself are long behind me (Day, actually. I did that once in college and definitely regretted it the next morning), the only bubbly I could rustle up for Dinah's CKC championship was a can of Red Bull. Anything chilled and bubbly served the purpose. I was just so relieved to have finished Dinah that I would have toasted her success with lukewarm soapy water.

The afternoon grew hot, so we packed up the pups and headed back to Fredericton proper, ignoring protests from the GPS. We stopped at the Giant Spud for a photo shoot, and the dogs drew adoring fans...

After a little celebration dinner (which couldn't include the guest of honor), we passed the rest of the evening sending emails and messages to everyone eager for news, watched the Food Network (porn channel for Weight Watchers), and hung out with the pups. Trav and I had several conversations on the subject of Arrrrr.

The next morning, we drove through a monsoon to the show site. The EZ-Up kept everything relatively dry, but it was so new that I hadn't even sealed the seams yet. We had a few drips here and there, but they didn't compare with the drenching we sustained getting between the car and the tent, trying to keep the dogs relatively dry.

Because Dinah had won the day before and finished, Val and I agreed that I wouldn't move her up. Instead, Dinah would stay in the classes, and I would show her. That way, we shared the points with Fee.

Just before we were supposed to go into the ring, we peeled off our soaked raingear. I looked like a contestant in a wet T-shirt contest, so I had to put my coat back on. The judge, who sported a strange headgear midway between an Arab headdress and a fisherman's sou'wester, removed his hat just as the wind started to pick up, and ended up wearing the same hairstyle that Michael Keaton wore in "Beetlejuice."

Fee took the point and went Best Opposite to her dad, who showed beautifully and looked wonderful -- and who still left the group ring empty-handed. Fee now has 4 CKC points -- only 6 more to go.

We stopped to visit Ann, showered and changed, and got to cuddle a litter of 4-week-old Trav/Sadie puppies, full siblings of Fiona's. I made sure to share a little "Arrrr" with the pick boy, who looks just like a miniature Trav. I told the little brown girl that brownies are special, and swapped conversations and puppy breath with everyone else.

Eventually, we brought the new champion home, and I had the pleasure of requesting a move-up to Specials Only for the BCCC Specialty. I hope we get to go, but even if we don't, this little special is still pretty special.

-- Post From My iSomething

Location:Sheffield, New Brunswick, Canada

Public Service Announcement: AKC Survey About Dog Shows

2010-07-13T18:56:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know. I know how the last survey went -- but if you like conformation shows and want our sport to stick around, then here's your chance to speak up and suggest ways in which AKC can make some changes to benefit the sport.

The rest of this post is copied and pasted directly from the email...
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The American Kennel Club Board and Staff are currently considering ways to attract and retain participants in the conformation sport. The objective is to consider changes which will result in a better experience for Clubs, exhibitors, and the general public. The goals are to improve entries, level of participation, and, in turn, the financial performance of our show giving Clubs. The information you provide will be summarized and be presented to the Board of Directors in August. As active members of the dog fancy you understand the challenges the conformation sport is facing and we are sure you have ideas on how to improve our sport. What we seek are ideas.ideas on how to improve the conformation show, thoughts on how to attract new people into the sport, and ways to attract the general public to shows so they can learn what purebred dogs are and ! why purp osely bred dogs are important. We have divided this request into 3 parts.shows, new exhibitors, and the general public. We are asking you to provide you ideas, brief and concise as possible in these three areas. You do not have to complete all three sections.just the area(s) where you have a point of view. While contact information is not required it would be helpful in case follow up is needed to better understand an idea. All input will reported anonymously and it is recognized, due to the short timeframe, that your views are not necessarily those of your Club. http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/ WEB22AWMCSHGMT

Public Service Announcement: Anne Bowes Handling Seminar

2010-07-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

I'm paraphrasing this from the official seminar handout. Note: This seminar is open only to Shelties and auditors until July 31. The seminar opens to other breeds starting August 1. Signup deadline is October 9, 2010.

Anne Bowes Handling Seminar, sponsored by the Colonial Shetland Sheepdog Club and Granite State Shetland Sheepdog Club
Sunday, October 17, 2010, 9 AM - 5 PM
Waggin' Tail Dog Training Center
67 Broadway Street
Westford, MA 01886

Working spots are $75. Audit spots are $40. Lunch and drinks are included in the price.

Classes Offered: Level 1: Have yet to complete a championship on a dog. Level 2: Have finished at least one champion, owner-handled

Each class will be limited to 15 participants and dogs. Participating dogs should be over 1 year of age for the handler to obtain the most benefit. The focus of this clinic is to teach the handler, and not train the dog.

To sign up, send a check made payable to Colonial Shetland Sheepdog Club to:

Elizabeth Hildreth
40 Lincoln Road
Ashland, MA 01721

Include your name, address, phone number, and email. Also state with level class you would like to join, the breed of your dog, and the date when you signed up.

New AKC Rule for 12-18 Month Class

2010-07-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my friend Lisa for bringing this to my attention. She just entered a show in CA and discovered that today was the effective date for the split in the 12-18 month class. As of now, this is an option for the event-giving club. It certainly is something we can consider for specialties going forward.

At least for Beardies, they change so much from day to day as youngsters that a 12-month-old will look worlds different from an 18-month-old of the same breed. Splitting the class gives all of these youngsters a chance to compete against other dogs in similar stages of development. It will make things a little more exciting for the stewards and judges for a while, but no more than other changes.

Here is the AKC rule describing the split. The update is shown in italics.

CHAPTER 3, SECTION 5. The Twelve-to- Eighteen Month Class shall be for dogs that are twelve months of age and over, but under eighteen months, that are not champions. Clubs may further divide the Twelve-to-Eighteen Month Class into two age groups consisting of twelve months of age and under fifteen months, and fifteen months of age but under eighteen months. The age of a dog shall be calculated up to and inclusive of the first day of a show. For example, a dog whelped on January 1st is eligible to compete in the class at a show the first day of which January 1st of the following year and may continue to compete in this class at shows up to and including a show the first day of which is the 30th day of June of that year, but is not eligible to compete in this class at a show the first day of which is July 1st of that year.

Two more changes to the rules that should help breeder/owner/handlers (also cribbed from Lisa's email)...

New BBE rule: You have until the day of the show (instead of the day of closing) to make appropriate ownership transfers and still qualify for this class.

Another rule change is that a BBE entered dog can be moved to Open class (and only Open) if the BBE breeder/owner is not able to handle the dog at the show entered.

Public Service Announcement: Toys-Only Handling Class

2010-06-16T09:40:00.001-07:00

Do you have a toy breed dog that you'd like to take to handling class, but are worried that s/he might have a hard time among the Labs and Goldens and other large dogs?

Penny Cary of Petiquette would like to put together a toys-only handling class at Finish Forward in Saco, if there's enough interest in holding one. If this sounds like something you'd like to join, contact Penny or contact Shannan at finishforwarddogs.com. (links to come later)

-- Post From My iSomething

Location:Finish Forward Dogs, Saco, ME

The Best-Laid Plans

2010-06-11T15:24:00.000-07:00

2nd Annual NE Regional Specialty, Wrentham, MA, 6/5/10
BOS
Supported Entry, Framingham District KC Show, 6/6/10
BOS
10 GRCH points

Sometimes, in spite of all the careful planning, negotiating, communicating, and coordination involved in putting on a show, the best-laid plans can... actually work out.

I don’t mind sharing that I had been dreading the Regional Specialty this year. I’d been appointed show chair at a meeting where I wasn’t even present, and from then on I never quite felt that I had the details under control. When you’re coordinating two events at two shows two states away and trying to coordinate between two regional clubs and two all-breed clubs, things can get a little hairy – even by Bearded Collie standards of hairiness. They get hairier still when you’re a Show Chair Newbie.

The signs weren’t looking so good. Beardies ended up being scheduled at 3 PM on Saturday and 2 PM on Sunday – so much for the idea of showing in the morning and then enjoying a leisurely lunch afterward. Our club treasurer ended up having back surgery. A week or so before the show, the sub shop where we’d bought last year’s sandwiches was struck by lightning. A day or so before the show, the weather forecast changed from sunny and high 70s to a tornado watch. The night before the show, the skies opened, accompanied by thunderboomers. You never want to ask the question “What else could go wrong?” – but the temptation to do so anyway is hard to resist.

At least my own anxieties never made it into the premium list. Beardie folks entered the show, some from as far away as Toronto, Charlotte... and even Oregon! Our Sweeps judge was our friend Ann Lord from New Brunswick. We ended up fielding a small but respectable number of entries for sweeps and veteran sweeps, and enough class entries in the regular show to offer a 5-point major in dogs and 4 points in bitches. Trophies? Check. Food? Check. Raffle? Check. Hospitality tent? Check. Tables and chairs? Check. Judge’s gift for Ann? Check. Checks? Check.

On show day, the intrepid show crew appeared, set up the tables and spread out the buffet, the raffle items, the grooming tables, the crates, and all of the other paraphernalia associated with dog shows. Since our part of the entertainment didn’t start until 3 PM, we were able to assemble the party at our leisure, greet our friends as they arrived, groom our dogs, and even do a little shopping. We held a raffle, and Ann managed to win a bunch of the items – so she definitely didn’t leave the show empty-handed.

Sweeps judge Ann Lord goes over a puppy boy shown by Amy Alspaugh Penuel.

Dog shows are social occasions for the Beardies, too. Our dogs got to greet their friends, meet new acquaintances, and mark their territory. Dinah was particularly thrilled to have so many good-looking guys around to flirt with – not only her sweetheart Traveler and his son Brae, but she also took a particular liking to Fuzzy from PA.

Shameless plug: GreenDoggieBags.com outfitted us with a very generous supply of their eco-conscious doggie bags as well as several samples of their green trash bags. The trash bags came in mighty handy both for regular old trash and for bottle and can recycling. I had expected people to remark more on the doggie bags, but folks seemed even more interested in the green trash bags – so it was helpful to have samples of both products. I’m glad to report that we sustained no doggie-bag emergencies, but it was comforting to know that we had the tools at the ready if they were ever needed. We will also have plenty left over for the club’s annual Bounce and BBQ in July. Thanks, GreenDoggieBags.com!

Our Green Doggie Bags display

One thing we can certainly say about our group is that we can certainly feed people! Folks kept arriving with more goodies – veggie platters, fruit kabobs, brownies. We had plenty to eat, and still didn’t have to snarf it all down so we could rush off to groom. The early-morning clouds had burned off, leaving us with that old familiar New England heat and humidity. It felt good to take our time – almost as though we’d planned it that way. There were a couple of distant rumbles from thunder, but they remained idle threats.

Eventually, our ring time arrived. Kathy had about 400 Beardies to show between Sweeps and regular classes, and Dinah (as the special) went in last. I wasn’t sure how badly Dinah would want to show on a hot, sticky day 8 months after her last show, but she was so happy to have both Her Trav and his handsome brother Roy out there with her that she acquitted herself well and went Best Opposite to Roy. Roy went on to Group 2.

The most unfortunate thing about the schedule was that we ended up with the busiest judge of the show. They were holding up the group ring for her while she judged us, so we had no time for pictures or chitchat before she had to go. We were all so hot and sticky by that time that no one was feeling very photogenic anyway – and by the time the poor judge would be available, it would be past our bedtimes. I hope they gave her anything she wanted for dinner that night, including drinks from the top shelf of the bar or the best wine in the cellar.

After Saturday’s showing had concluded, we dragged ourselves back to the hotel and rinsed all the half an inch of sweat and stickiness from our skins. I blasted the AC in my hotel room, and Dinah hopped up onto the bed nearest the unit with a sigh. I have never been so happy to be standing under a running shower in my life! Val and I had Girls’ Night out with Lesley and Sue later that evening, while Pat volunteered to doggy-sit everyone (even Dinah, who knows how to whoop it up with Trav an a hotel room). We had a great time and the waiter was perceptive enough to keep the cold drinks a-coming, but I think I ended up staring at my dinner more than actually mustering up the energy to eat it.

On Sunday, we dragged our sorry carcasses back to the show for another frickin’ afternoon show time. Pat had the Sunday paper. Kathy and Kenny brought chicken salad for lunch (thanks, guys!). We brought out the leftover goodies from the day before and set up a nice little brunch.

The humidity hovered between 100% and 99% for much of the day. It sprinkled fitfully from time to time until the clouds burned off and the sun returned.

“I don’t know how Dinah’s going to do today,” Kathy said. We both knew that Herself likes to put all her effort into one day at the show, and then slack off for all of the other days. Since she showed well on Saturday, we both expected her to just give us the paw on Sunday and do as she pleased.

The other thing that Herself like to do is surprise us, and that she did – by deciding to show beautifully, even at the ragged end of a long, hot couple of days of showing. She arguably worked harder for the second BOS than she did for the first one! She did have some pretty formidable competition in the person of Trav’s daughter Fiona, though. Fee had just gone BOB over her dear dad a couple of weeks before, and was looking good in the ring. Fee ended up going BOW on Sunday, thus scooping up the crossover points from the boys’ 5-point major. Fee’s uncle Roy went on to Group 1 that day.

We all enjoyed watching the judge, who exercised infinite patience with the puppies. “What a nice judge,” someone remarked. “He even says ‘please’ to people in the ring.” Again, since he was the group judge, he had to get to the ring with little time for pictures.

Remember the tornado watch that was forecast for the region? As showing in our ring wound down, we could see that the clouds were growing denser and uglier, and the wind was beginning to pick up. We wasted very little time getting out of Dodge – tents came down, chairs and tables were folded, dogs hopped up into crates in the vehicles – and we cleared out of there before we got blown all the way to Oz. It seemed like an anticlimactic way to spend the time after a reasonably successful show weekend, but we all just wanted to outrun the storm.

Thanks to everyone who entered, brought food and drink, offered goodies for the raffle and bought tickets, and visited during the event. It was great to see everyone – including some new folks we’d only met through email. Thanks too to the show chairs for both host clubs, who made sure that everything Just Worked.

Because we’re hosting the National in Maine next year, it’s a bit too soon to tell whether we will also be holding a Regional in 2011. Kathy and I are trying to work out our schedule for the rest of this dog-show year, and we hope to get to at least one more Regional (Garden State) and the BCCC National. Carolinas is looking mighty tempting, too – and we know they’ll show us a good time. Anyway, we’re glad that our Regional is over, and hope people had a good time.

(The complete results and a bunch of action photos will appear on the BCCME website when I get some time to type them all in.)

AKC Screws the Pooch

2010-05-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

If you've been following dog shows and dog show news within the past few years, you're already aware that show entries have been on the decline for quite a while. Numerous articles have been written exploring this subject, attempting to determine the main reason(s) for the decline: the floundering economy, onerous anti-dog laws being enacted, the aging of the dog-showing population, lack of interest on the part of juniors, rising entry prices and other costs, the disappearance of the small local dog show... All of these are true and valid reasons, but there haven't been many articles discussing one of the larger and more disturbing reasons: AKC is so determined to make money at all costs that their core constituency -- dog exhibitors and breeders -- is no longer important to them. If they were a corporation, the trade press would be speculating when they planned to divest themselves of the conformation division, and whether they thought they could sell it for a profit.

I personally don't have a big problem with AKC's decision to allow mixed breeds in performance events, in spite of the fact that the decision contradicts AKC's own position as overseer of the sport of purebred dogs. Plenty of mixed breeds compete in leagues such as NADAC agility and APDT rally, and the world hasn't come to an end. What galled me at the time was that the constituency was asked its opinion after the decision was made, and it was evident that AKC would go on with the decision no matter what the member clubs said. If I were an owner of a purebred dog from a breed not recognized by the club, I'd be mighty pissed about now. Anyway, the decision is done, the events are opened, and welcome to the new exhibitors!

Don't even get me started on the long-standing romance between AKC, high volume breeders, pet shop brokers, and so on. When the whole Petland proclamation backfired, AKC backtracked, fortified itself with a few cocktails from the Hunte Corporation's table, and then quietly created the PRIME program in an attempt to woo back the breeders who went off to form their own bogus registries. What's the PRIME program? It's basically a double-secret discount on registrations for pet-store puppies. Pretty soon people can be as proud of their AKC registrations as they are of their registrations with the Continental Kennel Club.

As if that weren't enough evidence of AKC's waning interest in dog shows, the club has been creating rule after rule designed to ensure the extinction of the small local dog show. From piling on additonal educational requirements and rules to campaigning for clubs to advertise on AKC's behalf in the local papers (at the clubs' expense, of course) to ensuring that small clubs forced to cluster to save costs may not share the same volunteer show secretary, AKC has gone out of its way to make it harder to put on dog shows in the first place. They derive only a small part of their revenue from show entry fees and licensing fees, so they've made it evident that they won't miss us when we're gone.

Here, however, is the crowning glory of the whole sad scenario: AKC has decided to start killing off their Best in Show and group judges. It sounds innocent enough: they've decided to start charging each dog show judge an annual fee of $5 per breed. For the judges licensed in only one or a few breeds, this is no big whoop. Many already have day jobs, and they judge a few weekends a month. Provisional judges, eager to complete the requirements for the breeds they want to judge, pretty much pay their own way to their assignments -- plus they don't get paid.

However, consider the Best in Show judges, judges licensed to judge 151 breeds, or even just whole groups of breeds. Annual fees from them can run into the hundreds of dollars. This prospect makes the bean counters at AKC salivate like a cartoon doggie at the sight of a biscuit -- THIS is where they can make some serious judging revenue. Never mind that many of the judges who have reached that echelon are elderly, living on fixed incomes, and derive no benefits from their part-time judging labors. Faced with the prospect of having to pay such huge fees to AKC, it's likely that some judges will drop breeds they don't judge often, refrain from picking up additional breeds that don't fit the budget, or give up judging altogether. This scheme makes Wal-Mart's treatment of its senior employees look benevolent in comparison.

You have to hand it to UKC President Wayne Cavanaugh. In the wake of this pronouncement by AKC, his statement reiterated how much UKC values its judges -- and as a token of that club's appreciation, UKC would send them badges and other small gifts. Coincidence? I don't think so. On the page at the UKC site where this announcement appears, there's a link reading, "If you'd like to become a UKC judge, click here." In light of what AKC wants to do to its judges, who wouldn't want to click there?

-- Post From My iSomething

PSA Time

2010-05-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

Penny Cary has just competed a session of handling classes at Finish Forward Dogs in Saco. Check with Finish Forward to sign up for subsequent sessions.

Penny is also offering a Beginning Conformation class at It's a Dog's World in York on Sunday, June 13 from 9 AM - noon. Contact IADW for all the details.

IADW's regular group handling classes with Sue Burrell are still going on. They take place on Monday nights at 7:45 PM.

Breaksea Beardies at Crufts 2010

2010-03-20T16:04:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the Tribe and Some PSAs

2010-03-10T10:07:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of running into my friend Jill at the Finish Forward Open house this past weekend. We've been friends-of-friends and Facebook buddies for ages now, but this is the first time we've ever had a chance to meet face-to-face and chat. We've trained at the same facility in the past, but never in the same class. It's nice to be able to associate faces with names, especially when your Facebook photos show your dogs' faces. (I recognized Finn the Golden immediately.)

Come to find out that Jill is a Dog Show Newbie! Welcome to the pack, Jill! She's brave -- she purchased a lovely Golden boy-pup named Copley from some top Golden breeders, and is now on the march toward the Big CH. It only takes 752 dogs to make a major in her breed, so you have to be very determined, and have a very good dog, just to want to start the process.

Good luck, Jill and Copley! See you around the rings this season!

Now for a couple of breed handling PSAs:

It's a Dog's World in York has resumed weekly group handling classes starting on March 1.

Finish Forward is offering handling classes with Penny Cary. If you sign up for this class, you could be classmates with Jill and Copley!

Newbie Gets a Promotion

2010-03-02T09:38:00.000-08:00

Woohoo! Imagine my surprise! This past weekend, I checked my phone messages and found one from a friend in the Midcoast, asking me if I would judge the Working and Herding Groups at her kennel club's spring match. She assured me that I didn't need to be an expert on all of the breeds, and that my eye for dogs would be my best guide. I was pleased as anything to be able to accept.

The only Working breed I've ever had is Newfies, though I've spent time with my brother's Boxers and Mastiffs, and I never met a Rottweiler I didn't like. Come to think of it, the only Herding breed I've ever owned is Beardies. I'm hoping I can persuade a bunch of them to come to the match so I'll have some entries of a breed I actually know.

Anyway, I'm tickled. Even if the position is more ceremonial than anything else, it's still quite a step up for a mere Dog Show Newbie. (This doesn't mean that I'm changing the blog's name to Tired, Jaded Old Dog Show Regular.)

My chances of ever qualifying as a regular AKC judge hover between slim and negative infinity. I've never bred a litter before, which makes it unlikely that I'll ever produce the requisite number of champions. I have been doing my time as a steward, but I mostly like the work.

Anyway, if you're within driving distance of midcoast Maine, come to the match on May 16! The host club is still working out venues and other arrangements, but I'll find out as soon as they're sure what's going on. Come see me hit the big time!

Great Article on Big Shows and Big Winners

2010-02-15T14:48:00.000-08:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/business/14kennel.html

Dispatches from the Confessional

2009-09-12T21:28:00.000-07:00

Tuxedo Park Kennel Club, 9/4/09
Dinah: BOS
Badger: 1st in Open
Somerset Hills Kennel Club (Garden State Bearded Collie Clan Regional), 9/5/09
Badger: 2nd in Open

(Note to my Catholic readers: No offense intended, but sometimes you just have to riff on the accidentally funny when it presents itself.)

We always have good memories of the Garden State Regional. Dinah went WB there for the past two years, and this year was the first year she'd be back as a special. The Regional itself had been moved to a show on an earlier date for a couple of reasons: the biggest being that the Ramapo shows took place on the weekend immediately following the National, and people were too dragged out from the National to enter Garden State.

Thus it was with hope in our hearts that Kathy, her junior helper Joanne, Joanne's Portie Brita (World's Cutest Portie Ever), Dinah, Badger, and I converged on New Jersey. We were hoping that both Beardies would make a good showing, and we could keep up the tradition of winning at the Regional. Kathy was also showing Cali for our friend Lesley, and it would be nice to take home Winners Bitch three years in a row.

Our time in the hotel proved to be a special bonding experience for Dinah, the B-Man, Auntie Kathy, and me. Joanne mentioned that Brita usually didn't care for other dogs, but she appeared to really like the Beardies. Dinah was so happy to see Auntie Kathy that she danced and danced... she even danced on Auntie Kathy's head in the middle of the night. Badger stretched out diagonally across my bed, rolled over onto his back, and snored softly. I awoke a couple of times to find myself rolled into a little ball on the bed, with Badger expanding to fill the available space. Brita decided to join in the slumber party and helped Dinah take up all the remaining space on Kathy's bed.

When we reached the show site on Friday, we set up an "assembly line" for the Beardies. Badger went first, since he was the only boy in our little doggie group. I have no expectations for the B-Man; I'm not sure whether I should simply wait until his pigment comes back completely, or just go for it. After all, he is 7 years old already, and I am not going to struggle to finish him.

Much to my surprise, B-Man took first in his class, though the judge didn't give him Winners or Reserve. It did demonstrate to me that some judges would put up a handsome, great-moving dog with iffy pigmentation over a dog whose pigment might be better than his movement. It cheered me, even if he didn't get any points out of the deal.

Back on the grooming table, there was no rest to be had. Lesley got Cali all groomed for 12-18 Bitches, and Joanne prepped Dinah for Breed. It grew hotter and muggier the longer we stayed out there.

Cali ended up going Winners Bitch, and those last three points finished her Championship. It appeared to be a bittersweet experience for Lesley, who would have liked to have finished Cali at the Specialty -- but we take the opportunity to finish when we can.

Finally, Best of Breed came around. Joanne finished getting Dinah ready, and we performed a complicated dance: I held on to Badger, Kathy took Dinah in for Breed, and Cali went back in with Joanne. Dinah showed very nicely -- even in the heat -- and went Best Opposite. "He LOVED her!" Kathy exclaimed as she exited the ring.

Joanne had to stay late into the afternoon for Juniors, so I scooped up Dinah and Badger and decided to head back to the nice-air-conditioned hotel for a quick shower and a room-service lunch. It was just too hot to go anyplace where I'd have had to have left the dogs in the car -- so we returned to the hotel and hung out together. We had ourselves a nice, cool afternoon, shared my salad, and waited for Kathy, Joanne, and Brita to return.

Joanne reported that she had won her class in Juniors, but didn't get Best Junior. Brita strutted around with her pink squeaky toy and didn't seem to care. We all slept more soundly the second night, and Dinah kept her head-dancing to a minimum.

Saturday dawned frickin' hot and sticky and grew even hotter and stickier. Kathy had been running around in Friday's heat and bore up well, but Saturday's temperatures threatened to do her in. (She, like Dinah, is not a fan of the hot weather.) All of us had forgotten to pack the Gatorade, so I made some supply runs to the booth selling vitamin water with electrolytes, and threw in some salty potato chips for fun. We didn't even start showing until late in the afternoon. Joanne and Brit won their Juniors class and came back to wait with us.

Of course, when you're drinking considerable quantities of liquids, sooner or later, you'll have to "pay the rent" on those same liquids. Kathy departed, then returned and told me with a chuckle that someone had taped a sign over the porta-potty door reading "CONFESSIONAL." Thus, every time one of us needed a biology break, we'd depart with the announcement, "I have to go to confession now." "Again? You must have been very bad."

We kept ourselves amused until it FINALLY came time to show. Brenda Wantland appeared to have a very good time judging Sweeps, and we all enjoyed watching Sandy and Casey out there with the veterans. Kathy handled Cali in 12-16 sweeps (she hadn't been moved up after finishing the day before), and Sue handled Jezebel. They placed first and second in their class.

In the regular classes, B-Man took second in his class, but not Reserve. It was a bummer that he didn't do better on Specialty Day, but the handsome brownie that Karen Bowens showed definitely had the better day.

Cali took first and Reserve in the regular classes, and Jezebel took third. They held up well, for having to go run around twice in the heat.

While in the ring, one of the other handlers murmured to Kathy, "If he makes us run around one more time, I'm leaving the ring." Kathy replied, "If he makes us run around the ring one more time, I'll be leaving the ring in an ambulance!"

After more sweat and more confessions, the time finally came for Best of Breed judging. Dinah would have none of it. She wiggled. She sniffed. She looked everywhere but straight ahead. Kathy reported that she looked as though she needed to confess something, but she'd just gone to confession shortly before going into the ring. Apparently she hadn't felt completely absolved of her sins.

It was disappointing that Dinah hadn't felt like showing. Garden State is usually a great show for her, and she did very well there two years in a row. She must have put all of her energy behind the Friday show. She didn't do anything on Saturday, not unexpectedly -- but such a shame. When the Princess doesn't feel like showing, you can't get her to show with bait, bribes, steaks, cold hard cash, a bulldozer, or the entire first violin section of the Boston Symphony. She waited; she made her mind up; she was done. There's nothing else one can do about that.

We're Red Sox fans. Time to raise the battle cry: "Wait 'til next year!"

Another reason why our ring time was such a shame is that it grew too late to enjoy the wonderful buffet lunch that the Garden State club always prepares for members, exhibitors, and friends. By the time our part of the show was over, people were dismantling their setups and packing instead of hanging around and socializing. GSBCC is one of my favorite shows. I hope that next year, the Powers That Be will put us back in the morning so we can enjoy ourselves and enjoy everyone's company more.

A few people were interested in meeting and going over the B-Man, which was nice for both of us. They told me that they felt it was worth trying to finish him, and hoped his pigment came back soon to make that part easier. Some felt that his pink lips wouldn't deter an all-breed judge from giving him some respect, but until the blue fills back in around his eyes, he's going to scare them off. At least I had some reassurance that the effort wouldn't be entirely futile.

I can't believe how quickly this year is going by! In a couple of weeks, we'll be making the Long Trek to Minnesota for the National. Think good thoughts for us.

Long-Lost Doggerel Found!

2009-09-10T19:19:00.000-07:00

I've been looking all over for this poem. Someone posted it to the Beardie List eons ago, and I haven't seen it since. Thanks to the magic of Google, it's been found. No one seems to know who the author is, but whomever you are... Thank you!

Lament of a Stud

My job is making puppies
And I get two tries at that
They pat me on the head and say "Good Boy",
and that is that.

It's half my job to give 'em
teeth and toplines, fronts and other,
Remember, it's only Half my job...,
they also have a mother.

It's not my job to carry pups
And make 'em grow and nurse 'em
And feed and clean and make 'em strong
That's for "mother" and a person.

It's not my job to wean
And feed the calcium and food
And stack and gait and housebreak,
And make 'em a "showing" brood.

It's not my job to plan the breeding,
And learn what produces well,
To study pedigrees, learn what's there,
And pick out those to sell.

It's not my job to guarantee champs,
The breeder picks the pair,
To mate and whelp and feed and show,
and HOPE that the champ is there.

It's not my job to be on hand
when points are given out.
The breeder, owner, dam and friends
Take credit with a shout.

It's not my job to deliver a winner.
It's only genes I sell.
But let the puppies turn out bad,
And guess who catches HELL.

New AKC Grand Champion Title Proposed

2009-09-03T06:57:00.000-07:00

This has been making the rounds of the email lists. Someone took a lot of trouble to type it in, possibly from the AKC Gazette. Thanks to whomever took the trouble.

Sure, we know that it's another way to increase AKC's bottom line by encouraging people with finished champions to get back in there and try for the next title -- but at least this decision gives you something for your money. As for us, it was freakin' hard enough to get two majors the first time around.

From the August AKC Board minutes:

Grand Championship Proposal

There was a motion by Mr. Arnold, seconded by Dr. Davies, and it was VOTED (unanimously) to approve a new advanced conformation title to be called Grand Championship. The specifics of the Grand Championship, which is intended to provide additional venues for exhibitors and to encourage entries, are:

All Champions of record that are eligible to be entered in Best of Breed competition, are automatically entered in competition for points toward the "Grand Champion" title when they are entered in the Best of Breed class at a dog show. There are no additional entry fees or cost to exhibitors for participation in this competition at AKC events.

Dogs and bitches that have earned their Championship and are moved up to Best of Breed class would be eligible to compete on the day.

Any exhibits found to be ineligible for "Grand Champion" points would have those points disallowed administratively by the AKC. If Best of Breed is found to be ineligible, all Grand Champion points awarded will be administratively disallowed for Best of Opposite Sex, Select Dog and Select Bitch.

Winners Dog, Winners Bitch, Best of Winners, or non-regular class winners, are not eligible to compete for "Grand Champion" points.

All eligible exhibits entered in the Best of Breed class will compete and judging will be concurrent with traditional Best of Breed judging.

The judge will award Best of Breed, Best of Winners, Best of Opposite Sex, Select Dog and Select Bitch. Judges may withhold any awards at their discretion.

For eligible Champions, the Best of Breed (BOB), Best of Opposite Sex (BOS), Select Dog (SD) and Select Bitch (SB) winners can acquire points toward the "Grand Champion" title. A maximum of four dogs may be awarded "Grand Championship" points.

The existing schedule of points and divisions will be used to calculate "Grand Champion" points. "Grand Championship" points will be awarded based on the number of eligible entries exhibited. All class exhibits and champions in breed or variety competition present will be counted to compute "Grand Champion" points.

"Grand Championship" entries will not affect the annual computation schedule of points assigned to each Points Division.

Best of Breed, Best of Opposite Sex, Select Dog and Select Bitch can earn "Grand Champion" points at AKC All Breed, Limited Breed, or Specialty events.

There will be no "Grand Champion" points awarded when all competing Champions of Record or move-up dogs are defeated by a class dog or bitch receiving the Best of Breed award.

If the Best of Opposite Sex winner is the Winners Dog or The Winners Bitch, neither the Best of Opposite Sex nor the Select award for that sex will be eligible for "Grand Champion" awards.

Best of Breed winner will receive the highest number of "Grand Champion" points available regardless of sex. Best of Breed "Grand Champion" points are based on the total number of dogs and bitches competing in the breed or variety using the point schedule for the individual dog's sex.

Best of Opposite Sex winner will receive Grand Championship points based on the total number of dogs defeated of the same sex. The Select Dog and Select Bitch will receive points based on the total numbers of dogs defeated of the same sex. Best of Breed or the Best of Opposite Sex will not be included in this computation.

Best of Opposite Sex point computations may be equal to the Best of Breed winner but in no case will they exceed "Grand Championship" points awarded to Best of Breed.

"Grand Champion" ribbons will be provided to all eligible Best of Breed, Best of Opposite Sex, Select Dog, Select Bitch winners.

Once an eligible dog or bitch has accumulated 25 "Grand Champion" points with three majors under three different judges and at least one point under a fourth judge, it may be designated "Grand Champion" and receive an AKC enhanced certificate indicating they have completed the necessary requirements for the title.

"Grand Champion" title holders will continue to accumulate points towards the "Grand Champion Ranking System" after completion of title (Top 25, 50 or 100 by Breed, and Group).

Any dog who completes its Grand Champion title will receive an invitation to the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship.

Nothin' Shakin' on Shakedown Cruise

2009-08-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

Newtown and Great Barrington KC Shows
Springfield, MA
8/22 and 8/23/09
RWD (both days)

After the exercise in remedial humility that was our last trip to Canada, I drove home, swapped dogs, and headed out to Springfield for more. Sounds masochistic, doesn't it? It wasn't intended to be, but it makes one wonder sometimes.

This last pair of shows was intended as a get-acquainted trip for Badger. The B-Man hasn't seen the inside of a show ring since he left the Old Country, and he's never been subjected to the bedlam that is an AKC dog show at the Big E. To me, it was more important that he get to meet Auntie Kathy and get back into the rhythm of things before we start to expect great things from him. I also valued the bonding time we'd get to have together without interference from other dogs or humans. We hadn't spent much "alone time" together at all since we took the long drive home from Richmond.

(The B-man is Greg's favorite dog, and I practically had to pry Badge away from him to get him into the show ring in the first place. Those two get plenty of "alone time" together, mostly on top of Mt. Ossipee.)

The drive west was a bit challenging. The remnants of the hurricane that we'd heard about while I was up in the Maritimes had decided to pass through western Massachusetts at the same time I did. There were times along the Mass Pike where traffic slowed to 20 mph with a long line of hazard lights blinking. The rain just pounded down and made it nearly impossible to see, but there wasn't enough room for everyone to pull over... so we crawled instead.

Once we made it to the hotel, I took Badge to the Petco in the strip mall next door for a sterilized bone. (I usually prefer to give him raw bones, but I wasn't going to be cleaning carnage out of his beard the night before a show, thankyouverymuch.) He attracted every toddler in the place, who absolutely had to come and pet the nice doggie. I resisted the urge to check their hands for grape jelly before they petted him.

Note to all fans of the movie "Best in Show": Petco has Busy Bees in their clearance bins! If you, or anyone you know, needs a Busy Bee, they're on sale at Petco now for only a couple of bucks! Don't settle for a crummy bear in a bee costume...! Don't let your dog FREAK OUT!!

We had a good time at the show. Badge was very rusty at the whole process and didn't pay much attention in the ring. It's hard to tell anything when there are only two dogs entered, but Badge was still getting used to everything and really didn't have a chance to shine. The Dog Who Eats Everything wouldn't even sniff the bait in the ring, though he practically swallowed my hand afterward. The other dog was there and paying attention, so he took the one available point each day. Good on him -- he worked for them. Badge's Sunday performance was better, but still not great. He'll improve with practice.

The exercise was worthwhile, and we actually had quite the enjoyable time. We set up with our friends Lesley and Sue, who had Fanny and Cali along. (Roy was there too, but he was sequestered with his handler.) Fanny ended up going BOS to Roy, and Cali went BOW -- she only needs three points to finish (I think). My favorite part of the weekend was the bull session at the Red Robin after the show -- we definitely should do that more often!

Badge got to meet Auntie Kathy, and get used to the show routine all over again. Springfield probably wasn't the best place for his initiation, but you go where the shows are. The guy is a trouper -- after a while, he was jumping up onto the grooming table as he used to do back in Wales. Before we know it, he'll be the B-Man I remember showing back in the UK -- floating above the ground, looking alert and powerful. He took at least one Best in Show over there under a Beardie breeder-judge, and maybe he can do it again. Kathy said she really liked him and thought he should do well. We shall see.

Badge is a terrific traveler, just as his niece Dinah is. He is possessed of the same unflappable Breaksea temperament, and he sleeps on the hotel room floor just as he does at home: on his back with his feet in the air and a smile on his face. I never see him on the drive; he just conks out in the crate. (Dinah sleeps on her back in the car, too. Occasionally I'll hear a thump as she turns over.)

The B-Man's show journey will be quite a bit different from Dinah's. With Dinah, she and and I started the trip with a six-month-old puppy who was a terrific show prospect, handicapped only by a complete stumblebum on the other end of the lead (me). Kathy brought out that potential in a way that I never could have. In spite of all of the broken majors and crappy luck, she finished her AKC CH just after her third birthday.

With the B-Man, we're starting from the beginning with an adult dog (whom we hope will get his love of showing back soon). That's a good news-bad news proposition. He won't be going through an adolescent gangly stage, and he's already in coat. You need far fewer dogs to make up a major than you do bitches, so he just might have an advantage there. The bad news is that class dogs his age are practically nonexistent. In spite of the fact that he spent his formative years in another country, people who don't know his story might wonder what could be wrong with a six-year-old dog who hasn't finished yet. Hey, we'll see how far we can get before he qualifies for Veterans.

Our next show will be a different kind of "shakedown cruise." Dinah and Badge are both entered in the Garden State Bearded Collie Clan's Regional Specialty (one of my favorites). I've never had to juggle two dogs at a show before, so this should be an experience. At the very least, it should make for entertaining Dog Show Newbie fodder.

O Canada! O Hubris!

2009-08-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

New Brunswick Kennel Club
New Brunswick, Canada
Reserve Winners Bitch

The next time someone tells you that something is "as easy as shooting fish in a barrel," remember that sharks are fish, and that rubber bands don't really do a heck of a lot of damage.

It's my fault, really. Remember that tired-but-still-true saying about "Never assume...?" Well, I assumed. You can guess the rest.

We waltzed into a lovely local dog show in New Brunswick, Canada, and I simply assumed that we'd slay the available competition, pick up her very last CKC point, and waltz all the way home. It sounded so good in theory: we had two AKC champions (Trav and Dinah) and two 12-18 puppies (Chester and Fiona). The two adult dogs would simply beat the two kids in the ring and go home Am/Can Champions. Sounds good to you too?

Ah, we had it all planned. We'd take photos together, assemble a huge and fabulous ad for the Beardie Club brag rag, and have stories we could tell around campfires for years to come. We could even finish the two of them on the very same day! There was a liquor store just down the street. I could quickly nip out for a little champagne. Wouldn't it be loverly?

Then... reality decided to take things in another direction. Who invited reality to the party, anyway?

Val, Trav, and Fiona had gone to the shows three days ahead of us. Their plan was to show all six days of shows, finish Trav, and get some group placements. Dare we dream of Best in Show?

My plan was to bring Dinah three days later, pick up her last point on the first day, and see whether I couldn't leave her in the classes so Fiona could bring home a couple of points as well. How very gracious, n'est-ce pas?

Our kind and gracious hosts were Ann, Bob, and Ashley (Chester and Fiona's breeders). They did all the heavy lifting for us: they towed and drove the RV and camper to the site, set up the X-pens, brewed the morning coffee, and make what plans needed to be made. Ashley even arranged for a local junior handler to take Dinah in for me, and to bask in the glory of finishing a new Am/Can CH.

That, at least, was the plan, but plans do have a way of deviating from reality. I had forgotten to take into account some additional ass-umptions:

Dinah and Trav are very different in type. Judges who like Dinah's type tend to ignore Trav... and the reverse is also true. The other two dogs, being Trav's kids, were also of his type.

One of the judges had previously dumped Dinah for a puppy at one show last year, even before Dinah set paw in the ring. It's safe to say she's not a fan.

When Dinah doesn't feel like showing, no one and nothing can change her little Bearded mind. When condition are (to her) exactly right, she's unbeatable. When things in Dinah-land are not to her liking, you can't get her to show with liver, toys, or a bulldozer.

I may have been keeping this blog for a few years now, but in the ring, I'm still a Dog Show Newbie.

Trav acquitted himself very well in the ring, going Best of Breed all six days and picking up three Group 4s and a Group 3. He finished his Can. CH on the fourth day.

Things weren't as easy for Dinah, unfortunately. (They never are.) She didn't like the junior handler showing up 10 seconds before we were to step into the ring. She didn't like my grooming or my handling. She didn't like the bait. She didn't like the heat, or the slippery floor surface where the mats didn't cover it. In short, she didn't like anything about that week, and she was prepared to display that dislike in the show ring.

Remember the "fish in a barrel" part? We had figured that since Fiona plodded around the ring, head down, that all Dinah needed to do to beat her was to show up. Little did we figure that Fee would pick that week to decide that not only did she love showing, but that she couldn't wait to get into the ring! This was wonderful news -- but it could have happened at a better time for Dinah.

In the end, Fiona went Winners Bitch all three days. Dinah went Reserve all three days. No final point, no Can. CH, nothing. I was crushed. It had never once occurred to me that we wouldn't finish. There would be no pictures, no party, no nipping out for champagne. It's what I get for assuming.

We did have fun, aside from the showing part. The pups had a fun time hanging out together, and we had plenty of play time. Val and I tried to figure out how we could talk BCCME into acquiring an RV for the use of the Show Committee. Dinah loved sleeping in the camper, and managed to take up most of the bed by stretching diagonally across the middle and lying on her back. Our hosts were kind, helpful, and encouraging, and Ann and Ashley deserve a huge amount of thanks for patiently trying to guide me through my fumbling attempts to show Dinah on my own. (At least I know I can fit into my electric-blue linen suit again!) The Kennel Club's traditional corn and mussel boil was a hoot, even though the DJ played all of the biggest hit songs from the jukebox in Hell -- very loudly. I even won a Tim Horton's coffee card in the raffle!

After a long, discouraged, empty-handed drive home, I had plenty of time to get philosophical about what had just happened. At the border, the US Customs guard asked whether I was bringing anything from Canada back into the USA. I sadly held up my empty coffee cup and said, "This is all I bought. I didn't even get one winners ribbon." He waved me through.

I'll have to make plans to bring Dinah up there again and try one more time to get that one last point, but I'll be leaving my assumptions on this side of the border.

But the Stories You Can Tell: Priceless!

2009-08-16T07:13:00.000-07:00

This semi-oldie was gleaned from the BeardieList. I'm sure you can identify!

The Most Expensive Collar you ever bought? Why of course ..that very first show collar!

How it all began

In the Beginning...

You got your dog, a real show dog, and quickly realized that you needed the correct collar to show him on.

Which, in turn, led you to that wonderful buttery smooth three-foot leather lead.

At your very first show, you noticed that you just HAD to have the proper grooming supplies also.

Slicker Brush $9.00

Comb $10.00

Spray Bottle $4.00

Good Conditioner $15.00

Water Bottle $4.00

Pin Brush $15.00

Bait $10.00

NEW Collar (your dog has now outgrown that first one) $14.00

Chalk $9.00

Chalk Brush $15.00

Wella Kolestral $10.00

YOUR FIRST POINT.*****YOU' RE HOOKED******

Bait $10.00

Dog show calendar $12.00 — don't wanna miss ANY shows now

By now, you're beginning to realize the back seat isn't a proper way to transport your dog.

Dog Crate for the car $80.00

At your very next show you, begin to feel a bit more confident and relaxed at dog shows. Borrowing and waiting to use your friend's grooming table is so inconvenient.

Grooming Table $95.00

Grooming Arm $50.00

Bait $10.00

You begin to start collecting dog show things: old towels, skirts with pockets, dresses with pockets, good comfortable shoes, rain gear, umbrellas, water jugs, etc. Price: At least $100.00.

Too many grooming supplies?

Tack Box for supplies, $50.00.

Good comfortable Camp Chairs $35.00 — we seem to be spending much more time at shows lately.

Suddenly you realize all of these items AND your dog don't fit in the family car anymore.

Used Mini Van $15,000.

Somewhere around this point you get tired of waiting to use your friend's blow dryer.

New blow dryer $150.00

Extension Cord for Dryer $15.00

Five-way plug for sharing electricity with your new dog show friends $10.00

New and improved dog show collar and lead $40.00

New type of improved Coat Conditioner $15.00

Bait $10.00

Your friend's favorite Shampoo and Whitener $35.00

New Comb and Slicker brush $25.00 (you lost the old ones at the last show)

Scissors $30.00 (kitchen shears just don't trim those pads right)

Muddy Show grounds..Roll up mat for covering ground $45.00

YOUR DOG PICKED UP HER NINTH SINGLE

The hunt for majors begins.

After wasting much money on entries where majors didn't hold, you begin to get frustrated. You seek out and find that new male show puppy and a perfect match for your female!

Crate for new dog $80.00

Show collar and lead for new dog $50.00 (your tastes have been refined now)

Handling classes for new dog $40.00

The very first show teaches you that your minivan will not carry both crates and all your equipment.

Brand New Larger Mini Van $25,000.00

Now, having two dogs to show and get ready quickly teaches you a generator is required!

Generator $325.00

Two Dog Kennels for outside $1,000.00

Just gotta pick up one of those majors on your female Handler for those major shows: $200.00 (+/-)

YOUR FEMALE FINISHES!

Your new male is too young to breed.

Updating & Health Clearances on Female $200.00

Stud Fee $1,000.00

Progesterone Testing $200.00

Whelping box $250.00

Vet bills-x-rays, sonograms, well mother checks $400.00

Putting first aid whelping kit together $300.00

Vaccines for new litter $150.00

X-pen for puppies $80.00

Whelping pads, fleeces, toys for puppies, weaning supplies, etc $450.00

Baby Scale $45.00

Well puppy and mother exams $150.00

Spectacular puppy in litter will be new show dog. Immediately realize minivan will NOT hold three dogs and show equipment.

Motor Home or Full size dog show van $30,000 to $100,000.00! !!!!!!!!

You suddenly realize you are eating macaroni and cheese while your dogs are eating Human Grade Dog food at $55.00 a bag. Congratulations! You have now earned the title of "Dog Breeder!" Aren't you glad you are finally making those big bucks breeding dogs? So far you have invested $75,652.00 in showing your two dogs.

This figure does NOT include dog food, the initial cost of your dogs, entry fees, motel bills, general vet bills, toys and Many other ownership incidentals.

Your litter of pups yielded six puppies, you kept one and sold the other five for $500.00 each.

Congratulations — you just made $2,500.00 Breeding your dogs!

Now if you can just breed 30 or more litters, you MAY just break even with your initial investment of over $75,000!

A Pleasant Surprise

2009-08-01T21:21:00.000-07:00

Just received my copy of The Bearded Colleague, the newsletter of the Bearded Collie Club of Canada. Seems that The Lovely One is still the #7 Bearded Collie in Canadian conformation standings in terms of 2008 breed points, as reported in the July Dogs in Canada. Not too shabby, considering she only had two wins in Canada last year. They were just big ones.

The Colleague also contained the unfortunate news that the 2010 BCCC Specialty won't be on the West Coast, I'd been looking forward to going to Victoria again (this time, with all my clothing!) with Ann and Ray and their young brownies. The good news for us is that the show might return to Gananoque in 2010, since it can't be in Victoria. Gananoque has been good to us.

Warming Up for Summer (Finally)

Like the weather, it's taken us most of the season to get into the summer showing season. This is mainly due to the old budget; this life of leisure doesn't really support my hobbies or what few vices I do have. Kathy and I have been selective about our shows, but there are some coming up that we don't want to miss.

We decided to move Badger's AKC debut from Fitchburg to Springfield. Since Kathy's other class-dog client (a boy of Lesley's) wasn't showing there, we decided to take the B-man and go where the breed points are. I would much have preferred to show at Fitchburg, if only because I don't have to shell out money from my dwindling supply for a hotel -- but maybe we won't have to go to as many shows to finish Badge if we just go to bigger ones to begin with. All those little zero-point shows I went to with Dinah were wonderful practice, but they didn't help us very much in terms of competition.

Kathy's going to enjoy the B-man. That dog is a born show-off, and will happily show himself. Dinah's beautiful and can move when she wants to, but Badge is a complete and utter ham. He doesn't gait; he floats. It will be impossible not to look at him in the ring.

This makes for an August full of adventures. I've also been possessed of the crazed notion of showing Dinah up in New Brunswick a few days before Badger's debut in Springfield. Dinah and I get to share a camper with Val, Pat, Traveler, and Fiona. Guess how much sleep we humans will get with that crowd --!!

Even our September adventures are starting to take shape. The Garden State Regional, another show that has been good to us twice in the past, has been moved to a different club's show on a weekend in September. Kathy and I had concocted an elaborate scheme where we'd get Dinah, Badger, Jake, Diva, and at least one of Lesley's dogs (Cali) to the Regional and borrow one of our favorite juniors to help show. As things worked out, we are now minus Jake and Diva, and might not be able to get Joanne to the Friday show because of school. We do have more leisure time, and maybe room for Casey the Newfie to join in the fun now. I'll miss October at Ramapo and the lovely Tuscan bistro we discovered, but we must go where the specialty goes...

So Long, Farewell...

2009-07-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

...to the Irene Leduc Memorial Trophy, which has graced our living room for the past year. The Leduc Trophy came home with us after Dinah won WB at the BCCC National Specialty last year. Since we can't attend the show this year, UPS had to do the transport honors for us.

Just before I boxed it up for shipment, though, we had to have one more farewell photo...

I am weeping great salty tears at not being able to go to Quebec this year. As Canadian shows go, this one is practically right next door. Maybe next year we can go, and Dinah can enter Best of Breed...

Public Service Announcement: Handling Classes in Lincolnville, ME

2009-07-26T08:37:00.000-07:00

Listen up, Dog Show Newbies! Wag-It Training Center in Lincolnville is offering the following show ring practice sessions (borrowed from Sumac Grant-Johnson's announcement):

Friday: July 31 6:30-7:30
Friday: Aug 21st 6:30-7:30

Sue Morlan will offer a show ring practice session to prepare for the breed ring. Sue will act as judge directing and going over dogs as at a show. (No actual judging or placements will take place.)

Pre-registration required
$20.00 - Two handlers from one household, $35.00.

limited to 12 handlers (handlers may alternate their dogs)

Sumac also is thinking of offering a regular beginners' handling class. Contact her if you'd be interested.

A nice introductory article from Purina Petcentric

2009-07-09T06:52:00.001-07:00

petcentric: Becoming A Champion

Shared via AddThis

Some Nice Virtual News

2009-06-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

The Lovely One has done it again! She took BOB in the MB-F Virtual Dog Show held earlier this year, and she just took BOB again in the latest show. Group judging is later in the week. She didn't get any love from the group judge this last time around, but we're hoping for better in this outing. Dinah scored a virtual Group 3 last year with most of the same competitors -- both Collies and the Aussie are very nice dogs indeed.

Now, before you think, "Of course she went BOB -- she was the only special Beardie entered," I have to point out that her breed competition was no slouch, either. She's been in the ring with some stunning girls, such as my friend Maryann's Sparkle and my friend Beth's Celia. If this had been a real dog show, she would have had to work for the honor.

I like that MB-F is holding these virtual shows more often (plus you can't beat the price). It took us a long time to accumulate enough nice photos to enter, but now we look forward to it. I only just found gaiting photos that I thought were worthy of entry, so I'll have to put one of those in the next virtual show.

From AKC's Meet the Breeds Flickr page...

2009-06-29T10:27:00.001-07:00

Bearded Collies R #1
Originally uploaded by Meet The Breeds with AKC & CFA

A Very Special(ty) Photo

2009-06-11T20:27:00.001-07:00

Isn't she lovely? Our judge is Kimberly Meredith-Cavanna, and she and Kathy look pretty cool in the photo, considering that the sun was beating down on both of them and Dinah at the time.

Social Networking Comes to Dog Showing

2009-06-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

Today I received a bunch of invites to a dog show-related site called The Dog Show Network. It offers some of the same benefits as other social networks, plus some extra bennies for the paying customers (including "premium content"). You can upload photos and videos, set up a blog or a Web site, participate in forums, create classified ads, and so on. The site isn't much to look at (it parties like it's Microsoft FrontPage circa 1999) and could benefit greatly from the judicious application of a spell checker, but its content does have some potential. I plan to go back and check it every so often to see what's up.

Just for the fun of it, I also decided to go have a peek at the Infodog group on eons.com. This group benefits from the eons.com interface and the fact that show superintendents MB-F, the folks behind infodog.com, are the group owner/moderators. It doesn't show a lot of message traffic yet -- 73 messages for 487 members -- but that could have a lot to do with the fact that eons, the self-described "social network for baby boomers," isn't exactly a booming metropolis either. Although I admit to having been born on the late end of the aforementioned boom, I'm not entirely sure I like the idea of a social network for people who don't get Facebook... but that's just me.

There are lots of groups on Facebook related to dog showing. The UK Kennel Club and AKC both have group pages, as do various parent clubs (including the UK Bearded Collie Club) and dog events (Westminster, Crufts, and the US and Canadian Bearded Collie Club National Specialties). Of course, if you can't get enough, there are also groups such as Dog Showing is Awesome!.

I don't have a MySpace account, but there are undoubtedly dog-showing devotees there, too. If you are on MySpace, let me know what dog-showing groups are there and how busy they are.

Who's the BOS?

2009-06-06T19:11:00.001-07:00

Northeast Regional Beardie Specialty, Ladies' Dog Club
5/31/09
Best of Opposite Sex

It's hard to believe that six months have gone by since Dinah's last show. The last time she saw the inside of a ring was on her very first day as a special, on the Sunday of the Thanksgiving shows in Springfield.

The show season began quite a bit earlier in the year for me. I served as trophy chair for my local kennel club's shows, and stewarded for Vacationland (where the show chair really knows how to take good care of the stewarding staff). Dinah came along to Vacationland to act as my able assistant in the CGC tests, but she didn't show. She was less than impressed; she felt that if she came to a show, she should be able to show, thankyouverymuch. No crappy spectator stuff for this girlie.

Of course, I had to enter Dinah in the first-ever Northeast Regional Specialty (or whatever the heck we call it) at the Ladies' Dog Club show. The Specialty was a joint effort between the Bearded Collie Club of Maine and the Minuteman Bearded Collie Club, and it would have been impolitic as hell to not show my support by putting my girlie in. Besides, Wrentham is only a few miles from my hometown, and I couldn't just show up to my dad's house with my hands empty of visiting Beardies, could I?

Plus, I've always had a soft spot in my shriveled little heart for Ladies. 19 (eeek!) years ago, my very first Bearded Collie puppy went to Ladies for his very first show, and came in 4th in his class. Woohoo -- a ribbon! It was as though the little guy had just won at Westminster! I was so tickled that my baby Beardie boy had his very first placement there that I've been a touch sentimental about that show ever since. The rest of Merlin's story is short and sad, but that day still comes back to me with fuzzy golden edges.

Back to Ladies 2009: The weather gods smiled on us. Kathy the show chair, Debbie the hospitality chair, and Val the trophy chair all outdid themselves in making sure we had enough food, fun, and fellowship to make the weekend memorable. We even drew 5-point majors in both dogs and bitches! (This answers my agonized question of the past couple of years as to what we need to do to get majors in this region... throw a party!)

The show even brought out friends I haven't seen in ages. Rosie's mom Cindy brought her veteran girl Abbey for Veteran Sweeps. Lesley and Sue brought Cali and Jezebel, who were both still very much puppies when we last hung out at Thanksgiving. Michele (with Brock and Tart) even came up from PA and attended the show with Joanne and Jack (who is a very handsome young man!). Our friend Kandis was the Sweeps judge. Best of all... we got to stage a reunion of the fabulous all-star team of Auntie Kathy and Dinah Moe!

The Lovely One was pleased as anything to be there with her favorite boy (Traveler) and his kids Chester and Fiona. She's had weekly play dates with the Bramley/Avalon bunch since Val and I signed up for Tuesday morning Weight Watchers classes -- Dinah and Charlie come along for the ride and get to romp with Val's Beardies after each meeting. For her, the show was Old Home Week.

The puppies and veterans acquitted themselves well in Sweeps. Chester and Fiona looked wonderful, and did very well considering that this was only their second or third show. Barbara's Spirit ended up as Winners Bitch and getting the 5-point major. Barbara handled her in Bred-By, but Kathy handled her in Winners and won! Barbara was so thrilled that Kathy now gets to finish Spirit's championship. (She's also going to handle Barbara's new puppy Denbigh when he's old enough to start showing.)

There are some photos on the Web at the BCCME Web site, though all of us who took pictures are still slowly combing through hundreds of shots for the best ones. Come see what we have thus far.

I must admit that I'm liking this Best of Breed thing. Sure, you have fewer opportunities to compete in a given show since you're not showing in the classes, and there are really only two things you can win in breed competition, but if the entry is sufficiently large, the pace is much more leisurely. You can spend more time getting ready, and you're not on until last. Best of all, you don't have to care if there are majors at the show. You just go. Sure, you might get skunked more often since you're only competing in the breed ring for BOB and BOS, but the whole show experience is a lot more fun. If you're lucky enough to win BOB, the wait for Groups is usually long -- and thus more leisurely than you might like sometimes.

Kathy and the other handlers I know have always said that if the judge speaks to you while going over your dog, then you're doomed. When I saw our judge flash a big smile at Kathy and Dinah and say something, I honestly didn't know what to think. We've shown to judges who have obviously hated Dinah's type before, but they've never grinned at Kathy while doing it.

After the individual evaluations and the last go-round, the judge pulled out Roy, Dinah, and Traveler for her BOB finalists. Dinah couldn't have been more pleased -- she got to stand out there with two of her favorite boys! She shows best when she's happy, and the judge gave her Best Opposite to Roy.

Kathy told me later that the judge had REALLY liked Dinah, and that Dinah had come close to beating Roy for the breed. Roy's a magnificent dog with a high-powered handler and a big financial backing, so it's no small honor to come in second to him. Kathy also enjoys making Cliff (Roy's handler) sweat for BOB. The judge had remarked to Kathy, while going over Dinah, "I really like what I'm feeling here!" She went on to praise Dinah's structure and substance, and mentioned that Dinah did come within a hairsbreadth of getting Best of Breed. As much as I wish we could be on the other side of the hairsbreadth sometimes, you just can't hate that. Going Best Opposite at a Specialty, however small, is still a pretty good-sized win.

Of course, it's never official until I've texted Alan and emailed Gill and Jana. Jana replied that Buffy appeared to be starting labor. She had a hard road and an eventual C-section, but Buffy is now the proud and loving mum to two baby brownies, a boy and a girl. (The proud papa is Leo, Bendale Special Times, the gorgeous brownie who won Breed at Crufts.) Dinah is now an aunt!

We didn't fare as well with Dorothy Collier on Sunday -- she pretty much ignored everyone except Roy, but she deserves some props for putting up Lesley's girl Cali (who took the major on Sunday and went BOS to Roy over the bitch specials). Dinah wasn't as cheery that day as she had been on Saturday, and kept pulling on the collar and gagging herself for some reason. When Dinah's not into showing, she's Not Into Showing, and it does no good to complain.

Still, if we had to pick one day for Dinah to shine, we'd have picked Saturday anyway. Can't hate that.

A Friend in the Trade...

2009-05-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

Got an email announcement about these Show Ring Seminars being held in conjunction with Groom Expo 2009 in Pennsylvania in September. The faculty includes Frank Sabella, Peter Green, and Margery Good.

Virtual Dog Show

2009-05-05T08:47:00.000-07:00

Every year, I enter Dinah in the MB-F Virtual Dog Show just for giggles. Just think of it -- a dog show where you don't have to do hours of grooming ahead of time, change into your show clothes, or get soaked in the rain!

The Virtual Show isn't just for conformation competitions among photos, though. People can submit and vote on "fun" photos in a variety of categories. Although entries for both categories have closed by now, you can still go and vote for your favorite fun photos. Or not. I always like to go look.

Dinah Moe was the only special entered this year. My friend Maryann's puppy Sparkle took Reserve -- that little girlie should be sweeping all the kudos as she gets older. She's a NICE puppy.

Anyway, The Lovely One took Best of Breed again this year...

Group judging starts on Thursday. We had a Group 3 last year. Wonder how we'll do this year...

A Nice Surprise

2009-04-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

Our BCCC newsletter arrived in the mail yesterday. I opened it up, read the news, and whose name should I see in the conformation standings but Dinah's! It turns out that according to Dogs in Canada (January - March 2009), Dinah accumulated enough points with her two show wins last year to be the #6 Bearded Collie in all of Canada for the year 2008! What a nice surprise! Incidentally, #5 was Seamus's brother Conor.

Another Year, Another Season

2009-04-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

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 Tour

This 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 Announcements

Closing 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 YCKC

I 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.

Public Service Announcement: Handling Classes in Gorham, ME

2009-03-28T22:07:00.000-07:00

Penny Cary of PETIQUETTE Canine Education will be holding indoor handling classes at Refreshing Paws in Gorham. Classes start on April 1 and run 6 weeks, on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. Contact Penny for class prices and other information.

A Candid from Crufts

2009-03-09T12:14:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Leo (Bendale's Special Times) and his mom Anne Wilding for winning BOB at Crufts! We were cheering for him for BIS, but the judge didn't pick him for the group. Ah, well.

I hope this link stays up a while, but take a look at this CLASSIC photo taken at the show by a Reuters photographer.

A Brief w00t and a Few Shout-Outs

2009-02-24T11:33:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to announce that my article on Maine dogs at the Westminster Dog Show appears in the March issue of Downeast Dog News, and the paper's designer made the story look just fabulous. I'm deeply tickled that Holly (the editor) asked me to send her one. Thanks, Holly!

That article wouldn't even exist if it weren't for David Frei, director of communications for the Westminster Kennel Club. Because I didn't have access to a print catalog, he saved me thousands of hours of painful combing through the online results for every single AKC breed in existence by sending me the list of local competitors. I contacted a couple of them and asked them a few questions, and had the most delightful conversations. Thanks, David -- you've saved my life and helped me make my deadline. I owe you one.

Thanks too to the kind ladies who took time out of their post-show days to let me interrupt them and beg them for stories. I'm looking forward to seeing them in the ring when the snow finally leaves this latitude.

The Westminster Post-Game Show

2009-02-14T07:31:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to CH Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee (Stump), the Sussex Spaniel who took BIS at Westminster! We who love our old guys can be especially proud that 10-year-old Stump took the honors, as if to declare that our senior dogs can still show the young pups how it's done in the show ring. Those of us who have less-popular dog breeds can be cheered that for once, a Best in Show judge had the guts to choose the dog from the 145th most popular breed in AKC registrations, instead of just going for the easily-recognizable breeds or the toy dogs again and again.

I'm happy to admit that Stump was my pick for BIS. I fell in love with that beautiful brown face during the Group judging, The camera obviously loved him as much as I did. "There," I told Greg. "There's the dog I would pick for BIS, but he doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell. Just you wait -- that Best in Show judge is going to pick a Poodle or some little foo-foo dog. No one ever picks the rare breeds."

Not that I'm knocking the BIS judge at all — Sari Tietjen has been a legend in the dog-showing world for ages, and I remember as a little kid, reading her name in the AKC Gazettes that my uncle gave me back in the '60s and early '70s. Although she is known most for her involvement with Japanese Chin, I could swear she also had Pekingese at one time. (I stewarded for her sister Joy once. We didn't hit it off.)

Anyway, I was sure that this meant she'd favor the Brussels Griffon -- who was quite the little specimen in his own right. And, of course, there was a Poodle in the ring. I also loved Tiger Woods, the Scottish Deerhound -- another breed that I figured wouldn't get any respect. In short, there wasn't a loser in the bunch -- but the big question remained, Who would be the biggest winner from among the winners?

Was I tickled when Mrs. Tietjen picked Stump! "I can't believe it!" I told Greg. "She picked the best dog there, and it wasn't the Poodle!" I know this means that the Sussex Spaniel Club of America is going to have its collective paws full with people calling to buy Sussex puppies -- but the Sussex is a breed that won't end up going into manufacture to meet the demands of Flavor-of-the-Month fans.

Stump has a busy year ahead of him, as Uno did last year. As the newly crowned "America's Dog," Stump will be traveling with David Frei, Westminster KC's communications director and my current hero (more on that later), to appearances all over the country. He will assume a new role as spokesdog for all good dogs. He'll visit children and soldiers in hospitals. He'll help educate people about responsible dog ownership. I'm hoping that he'll help people to think about what it means to live with and love a dog, and to help stem the crazy, wrong-headed tide of anti-dog/animal-rights-sponsored legislation that's rising all around the country and trying to end dog ownership as we know it. It's a big job, to be sure. Miss America should have as important a mission. Although David will do a lot of the talking, Stump's gorgeous hazel eyes will also speak volumes.

20 Minutes of Fame, Up From 15

You might remember last year at about this time, when my friend Monica Collins (a.k.a. Ask Dog Lady) asked me about a certain little-discussed, but no less vital, aspect of showing at Westminster. Thanks to Monica's witty syndicated advice column of the same name, dog lovers all over the country (wherever her column appears) had the chance to -- er -- go behind the scenes at the Garden. It just figured that when my 15 minutes of fame came around, that I'd spend it discussing dog poop.

Anyway, when Monica asked me to join her and her co-host on her weekly radio show, I was just tickled to bits. (I did wonder whether I'd have to watch what I said about poop over the airwaves.) We had a delightful time chatting about Stump, and our feeling that his win was a victory for senior dogs everywhere. She asked me to explain some of the acronyms in Dinah's list of accomplishments, and we even had a caller! That was perhaps the quickest 20 minutes I've experienced in my life.

You should be able to hear our portion of the show on the Ask Dog Lady Web site once it's available. The sound experts probably have to edit out all my "um"s and "ah"s. Oh, and we didn't talk about poop. (Much.) The FCC will be proud.

Public Service Announcement: Handling Classes in Fryeburg, ME

2009-02-14T07:23:00.000-08:00

Telling Tails Training in Fryeburg is holding breed handling classes with Dayna Rousseau. The classes take place on Tuesdays from 7-8 PM. If you're in southwestern Maine or that part of eastern NH, they should be well worth the trip. I know Dayna slightly from back when I was trying to do agility with Charlie, and Dayna took some priceless pictures of Chuckles for me.

Now is a very good time to get come practice in before the show season starts in Maine. Fryeburg is a haul for me, but if you go, let me know what you think.

Dog Showing in a Nutshell

2009-02-08T12:28:00.000-08:00

A big thank-you to Szizlin Vizslas for having this article on the very basics available on their Web site. Although there are parts specific to Vs, most of the article contains information that any Dog Show Newbie can use.

The Obligatory Look Back, and Where We Go From Here

2009-01-11T10:53:00.000-08:00

At the end of every old year/start of every new year, it's customary to look back at the year you've just slogged through and try to assess what the h-e-double-hockey-sticks just happened. Top 10 lists abound, as do pleas to vote for the Best Whatever of 2008. Given the state of things these days, there are plenty of Worsts out there, as well.

I don't feel any sense of loss in saying goodbye to old 2008, though for us, it will be the Year Dinah Finally Finished, Dammit. Just for chuckles, I scanned the past year's blog posts to compile the year's statistics. We really didn't show that much in 2008, but it wasn't for lack of trying.

Here's what we did in 2008:

6 AKC shows, 4 BOS, 1 WB at a Regional Specialty, 2 majors

3 CKC shows, 9 CKC points, 1 WB at a National Specialty

6 eaten entries, 4 more where we pulled out before entries closed

1 broken major

3 UKC shows, 85 UKC points, 3 BOBs, 1 major, 1 Group 3

Some folks have told me that I'm a masochist for doing this, but I went back and calculated how many shows it took to finish Dinah. 30! 30 frickin' shows (if you count Saturdays and Sundays separately) -- and that doesn't count all of the ones where we ate the entries due to lack of competition! Granted, we did almost all of our early showing in places where Trav was the only other Beardie, so there were no points to be had. I probably should count them as lessons, since puppy entries were (at the time) cheaper than handling classes. However, the AKC counts them as shows, and so must I.

However, I am NOT brave enough to calculate how much money we spent getting there. I'm afraid I might cry.

You'll have to forgive me if I avert my eyes, stick my fingers in my ears, and sing "La la la la la la, I can't heeeeear you" every time I get reports of someone else finishing a puppy in three shows, going BOB or BOS over a dozen specials for a bazillion-point major every time. We never had that kind of luck. It was such a struggle for us that I just plain don't want to hear it. Congratulations. I'm glad for you, really. Now go away. I'm not bitter; I'm just tired.

Where Are They Now?

Nicole, the editor of The Show Ring Online (for which I'll be writing soon), asked me whether I've been bitten by the dog-showing bug as a result of my experience. The answer is maybe. A true dog-show addict, feeling just a tad bereft after finishing her first show dog, would probably rush right out and buy or breed the next puppy, and then start all over again. A real die-hard would also special the new champion.

It's not that Dinah and I don't have plans -- we do -- but I feel that achieving the CH is just the beginning of our adventures together, not the end. I'm just so relieved to finally get the whole frickin' thing over with that I can't even begin to think about starting over again with another show puppy at this point. I honestly think I don't have it in me to do this all again. "La la la la la la, I can't heeear you!"

So What's This Beginning Thing You Speak Of?

What's in store for Dinah and me for 2009? Kathy and I have been trying to compile our to-do list. The top of the list for me is to take Dinah back to Canada and get that last point for her CKC championship. Kathy pointed out that we should try to bring her back to the BCCC National as a special this year. Dinah would be only the second Am/Can CH in the Breaksea family, and the first bitch to sport that combination.

The joy of being a special is that you can pick and choose your shows, instead of desperately hurling money at every show within a 300-mile distance that stands even the remotest chance of attracting enough class dogs to make the trip worthwhile. With that in mind, we'll make an appearance at Ladies to support the local Beardie club's first Regional. Kathy and I both have warm spots in our hearts for the Garden State Regional, so we'll definitely want to head back there (and make plans for dinner at that Tuscan bistro) -- assuming we're home from the National in time. Since I have to show up to the BCCA National in Minneapolis anyway and the Burfitts will be there, Dinah might as well come along. At this point, Dinah's 2009 career as a special will probably be limited to those shows. We haven't the time or money -- or the need or desire -- to put Dinah out on the specials circuit every weekend. Kathy has a life, too -- and dogs of her own as well as other clients. It's Diva's turn to be at the top of the show-handling food chain.

Since the BCCC National is coming to Quebec (the closest thing we'll ever have to a local National Specialty), we'd be crazy not to go. Kathy and I would both like to show Dinah there as a special -- so we can plan on two Canadian shows this year.

There's always UKC, too. We've made it this far in one weekend, even with our pulling from the last show due to burnout. We might as well get that done.

Performance Events: Sticking With What We Know

Whatever will we do with all of the extra time and money we'll have now that we're not going to so many dog shows?! We've been enjoying our Tuesday-night agility classes with Auntie Cindy, and Dinah just keeps getting better and better. She improves by leaps and Beardie bounces. I improve by baby steps at best, but my handling is getting just the teensiest bit better. We're not ready for trialing just yet (as our performance at our first CPE trial strongly suggested), but we'll have more time to practice. With the money I'm not spending at dog shows, I can purchase some more equipment (or materials to make some) and a subscription to Clean Run.

Dinah also accompanies Seamus and me to Sunday morning rally-roo classes. I have her enrolled in Auntie Judy's Novice class, which meets just after Seamus's Advanced/Excellent class. I don't think Dinah sees the point of rally just yet -- why stop so many times when you could fly around the ring and really have some fun? -- but she does the best she can to humor me. Seamus loves to work for the sake of working, but Dinah's work ethic is a little different. She wants to know why one would bother. If you give her a good enough reason, she'll put her heart and soul into it.

Me to Charlie: Jump!
Charlie: Nah. Been there, done that. Ask one of the kids to jump.
Me to Seamus: Jump!
Seamus: Yes, ma'am!
Me to Dinah: Jump!
Dinah: Why?

I confess to being the world's laziest trainer, which partially explains why Dinah's littermate Buffy already has about 658 performance titles after her name while we have only two. Add to that my stage fright, and it's a wonder any of my dogs have ever earned titles at all. Duncan the Wonder Dog really only needed me to sign the entry checks and drive him to events; he could have done everything else without me.

But What About the Blog?

Ah, not to worry. I'll still have plenty to say in between shows. As an owner-handler, I'm still very much on the newbie end of the scale -- so there are plenty of newbie adventures to be had. Here's to 2009!

Belated Report from Bay Colony

2008-12-20T10:31:00.000-08:00

Quite a lot has happened since the Bay Colony Dog Shows on December 4-7. Since then, we've endured a couple of snowstorms (including the one currently falling out of the sky) and an ice storm that left us (and 220,000 of our neighbors) without power, heat, or Internet connectivity for five days. More on that later in my other blog.

Anyway, I did in fact make it to the Eastern Dog Club show on Sunday the 7th. Julie, owner of the PR firm for the cluster, met me in the lobby, showed me the coffee, and briefed me on the order of events. We passed quickly by the Beardie ring, only long enough for me to spot my friend Joanne and her puppy-boy Jack.

The Cluster puts on a fabulous buffet luncheon for the judges/stewards/show staff. Julie very kindly obtained a lunch ticket for me and introduced me to members of the clubs.

My task this year was to serve as MC for the Rescue Parade. Some of the local shelters and breed rescue organizations exhibit at this show, including NEOESR. The Sheepie contingent included my little buddy Denver and his mom Martine, Charley-girl, her Shih-Tzu mix roomie, and their mom Sandy, and Niles and his mom. We also had several German Shorthaired Pointers and one Wirehair, a Pom, a Lurcher, and a host of other happy dog/owner teams.

It took me a few attempts to get the microphone situated for optimum listenability (now I know why singers look as though they're swallowing the things), but Julie managed to keep me from getting too confused and tongue-tied. We offered up a couple of trivia questions for the audience (next time I'll come prepared) and handed out goodie bags to the people with correct answers.

During the parade, I read a brief biography of each dog as penned by the adopter, and people applauded as the dog/owner team took a victory lap around the ring. Some of the dogs' stories were genuinely heartbreaking, but all looked fit and happy in the ring -- and some came dressed for the occasion. We invited members of the audience to come in and meet the rescue dogs after the parade was through, and many of the dogs were surrounded by adoring fans.

We had to clear out fairly quickly so the Meet the Breeds event could set up in the same ring, but everyone left the ring happy -- and some with fans trailing behind. I hope that we can draw a good crowd for next year's parade in Providence!

The Official Real Thing!

2008-12-20T10:13:00.000-08:00

Murphy's Laws Pertaining to Dog Shows

2008-12-20T09:58:00.000-08:00

Little disclaimer here: This came from one of the dog showing email lists, and no one there knew who originally wrote it. If I ever find out, I'll post the attribution here. If you wrote it, please drop me a note so I can give you the proper credit. In the meantime, thanks to whomever came up with this in the first place!

1. After trying forever to obtain that elusive second major, you have no problem getting the third major the next day.

2. The Novice people who enter every show and drive 8 hours even if you show at 8am will not show up on the day that it is exactly a major.

3. If you try to build a major, the stuffer will win.

4. Your dog needs a major to finish. You drive 12 hours to a 3-day circuit to discover the superintendent erred in the count and you are one short of a major--and of course your dog is WD. You go home, as the next 2 days are not majors. You get a call Monday morning. The super erred again. The following 2 days were majors and your dog would have probably won, as the judges were great for him.

5. The day you leave your mud boots home because it is the middle of a drought, there will be 12 inches of rain.

6. Although every dog show has dozens of vendors, the day you forget your tack box will be the day the vendors have no show leads.

7. If you go to the trouble of checking out of the hotel before you show, you will not win breed.

8. If you don't check out of the hotel before you show, you will win breed and there will be no time to go back and check out before the group.

9. Your National is always scheduled 2 days ahead of your most promising puppy's 6-month birthday.

10. Your dog will totally blow coat one week before the National, and after you have paid for hotel, airline, banquets, etc.

11. The day you say, "If Buffy doesn't do something today, off to a pet home she goes!", she wins a 5 point major. Of course she never wins another point and all the pet homes have fallen off the face of the earth.

12. And, we all know about the now neutered puppy we sold as a pet and the littermate we kept as a show prospect...

13. If your dog does better as a follower, you will always be forced to be first in line.

14. And of course, if your dog does best at the front of the line, someone will have already beaten you there.

15. The judge you didn't enter under because he hates you/your dogs/your new hair style/whatever draws an overload and your favorite judge in the entire world picks up the overload.

16. Whenever the group judge is one that adores your dog, the breed judge will be the one that told you to pet your dog out. But, if you don't enter, refer to rule 15.)

17. A particular judge always puts up the dog for Best of Winners unless YOUR dog goes Winners Dog and there is only a major in bitches.

18. When you enter a small show that normally has no Specials, 5 of the top 10 dogs in the country will be there.

19. If you do win an easy breed at PoDunk, NoWhere, you will then learn that a dozen top dogs and their handlers have flown in from the furthest corners of the country and they're all in your group.

20. If you win the Group, you will discover that the BIS judge's all time favorite dog has just won its group and the BIS judge has already given it several BIS.

Ta-Daaaaa! Sound the Trumpets!

2008-12-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

Here she is, the New Champeen Herself...

Photo by Ashbey Photography.

The look of relief on Kathy's face pretty much says it all, doesn't it?

Although we don't have the official certificate from AKC in hand just yet, she is listed on the AKC Web site as CH Breaksea November Storm, so we're free to bandy the title around when entering other AKC events and stuff now.

Her breeder's comment echoed my own thoughts when she saw this photo: "She's grown up all of a sudden, hasn't she?" Yes, our little girlie is growing up! Not so long ago she couldn't buy a glance from the judges, but this year she started to come into her own and is looking like a young Bearded Lady. It helps that she's losing the "cotton-head," too. She still looks mostly presentable between crate and ringside now, instead of looking as though she hadn't seen a brush all day.

All in all, it's a nice way to finish out the year for 2008. We traditionally hibernate from Thanksgiving until Opening Day at Fenway, so now we can spend the winter training for other things and thinking about finishing up in Canada and UKC next year.

Newbies on the Road (Again)

2008-11-29T07:53:00.000-08:00

You might remember that last year at this time, the PR firm for the Bay Colony Dog Show invited me to come down to the show for a day and blog about it. Julie, owner of the firm, put up lots of links to my blog post and invited me back to do the same honors for this year.

This year's shows run Thursday, December 4 through Sunday, December 7. Monica Collins, the Dog Lady of Ask Dog Lady fame, is the MC for the Rescue Parade on Saturday. I'll be holding the mike for Sunday's parade. Kind of a bummer that Monica and I won't be in Ring 2 together, but we're hoping people will have a good time. Bless Julie's heart -- she mentioned that we'd be on hand to meet fans! Now all I have to do is get some (grin).

A brief but thankful shout-out goes to Holly Sherburne of Downeast Dog News for including a blurb in the December issue!

If I understand correctly, the Bay Colony Shows will be leaving Boston after this year -- at least for a while -- until renovations to the Bayside Expo Center are completed. According to Julie, next year's shows will take place at the Rhode Island Convention Center on December 3-6, less than an hour from Boston (and less than 15 minutes from my home town) and with indoor parking. I had heard rumors for the past year that the shows were headed to West Springfield and the Big E, but they're staying in the east. Good news! Not that we don't have some recent good memories of the Big E, but folks from the Boston area can still conveniently drop by the shows.

The Long March

2008-11-22T18:30:00.000-08:00

South Windsor Kennel Club, 11/22/08
1st/WB/BOS, 4 points
Springfield Kennel Club, 11/23/08
BOS

It's over. The Long March is over. I still can't believe it!

Now presenting... CH Breaksea November Storm HIC CGC (AKC certification pending)!

The big event took place on Saturday in Springfield, of all places. After our heartbreaker of a weekend at this cluster last year, I wasn't sure what to expect for this year. Probably half of my older blog posts contain complaints about showing in Springfield. The Better Living Center is large and noisy, and dogs who have shown all summer at the outdoor shows sometimes need time to get used to being indoors with the acoustics, the hair dryers, and the rubber mats. Still, that's where the majors are, so that's where you have to go...

I don't mind telling you that I'd been on edge since sending in the money for this cluster. Even with Lesley's kind offer to bring two bitches, plus Deb bringing Diva, there were no guarantees that we'd have enough entries -- and if we did, that all of them would show up. You never know until you get to ringside and count noses. (Lesley is one of Trav's breeders. A while ago, she offered to help build a major by bringing one of her girls and a puppy girl who is full sister to Trav. Majors aren't that easy to come by in New Jersey these days, either.)

Fast-forward past all of the anticipation to ringside on Saturday. All 7 of the class bitches showed up! At least the problem of adequate numbers was solved. Everybody needs majors.

I spotted Karen Bowens and her sister Gail with Joel and another of the class bitches. "You guys are a long way from home," I said. "Hey, we have to go to where the majors are," replied Karen.

We had known for a while that the judge forbids the use of bait and toys in the ring to get dogs' attention. This wasn't a big deal for Dinah, who only baits when she feels like it anyway -- but the multiple signs saying "NO BAIT OR TOYS IN THIS RING" must have discouraged the habitual bait-throwers at the show. We haven't had too many real bait-hurlers in the Beardie ring when I've been there, but I've heard stories about spectators receiving flying liver surprises when passing by. Good for the judge!

Handsome Joel took Winners Dog -- no surprises there at all. Joel is just a week or so past turning 2, and he still has an adolescent coat of many colors -- but he's a beauteous boy, and Karen handles him nicely.

Deb was worried about how Diva would react at this huge, noisy indoor show. Diva was mighty unhappy at the last two outdoor shows, and made that plain when trucks rumbled by on the highway or golf carts rolled past the rings. She acquitted herself pretty well indoors, though. Aside from a little "where's Mommy?" behavior, she seemed much less nervous when she entered the ring and had a job to do. Kathy reported that she settled in a little. With time and practice, she will learn to settle in the ring -- even if she has to show indoors to avoid the motor vehicles. Diva ended up taking 2nd in 12-18, but not Reserve -- but that doesn't reflect the progress the little girlie has made. She'll get there.

The Open Bitch class was over before I knew it. Dinah showed well and didn't appear to miss the lack of bait. The judge carries a little buzzer in his pocket that he uses to get the dogs' attention, and she gave him the right reaction there, too. (I didn't hear the buzzer, but Kathy told me about it later. It didn't appear to scare any of the Beardies, even the ones with some noise issues.) The judge wasted no time in putting Dinah first. Karen, who had been showing an Open Bitch, called congratulations to me as she exited the ring.

The steward indicated Kathy and asked me, "Are you two related?" I said that we weren't, but apparently we've been showing together long enough that we've started to look alike.

Next thing we knew, Dinah had taken Winners Bitch. Lesley's girl Fanny took Reserve. "We were cheering for you!", she told us.

Could it be over that quickly? Did Dinah really take the 4-point major? Gail came up behind me, put her arm around my shoulders, and told me that the major had held and that Dinah was finished. Dinah took BOS to Sparky and Joel took BOW, so Joel benefited from the 4 points in bitches and finished too. There were many hugs and high-fives all around. "She even looks different now that she's a champion," Karen told me.

Deb remarked to Kathy that I didn't look particularly excited that Dinah had finished after all this time. The truth of it was that I couldn't get over the shock -- we've been trying, and trying, and trying for ages now. The first emotion I felt was relief, and the second one was joy. Both came long after plain and simple amazement, though.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't have any idea that Dinah might finish at that show. I had a bottle of champagne and some plastic cups in my backseat, but didn't bring them into the building for fear I'd have to carry them back out untouched. Dinah got her reward for a great performance, though -- she got to wrestle with Her Trav. We opened up the champagne, and followed that with wine and lunch at the tavern on the grounds of the Big E. Greg, who had a half-bottle of champagne at home, toasted the new champion over the phone.

The only disappointment of the whole day was that Val, who has been a constant with help and encouragement throughout the Long March, couldn't be there. She'd dropped a tile on her foot, bruising it pretty badly, and didn't feel quite right hobbling around the show wearing one shoe and one slipper. (Yeah, excuses, excuses!) Pat and Trav came on their own and set up with Lesley and Sue, so he had some prep help -- but Val didn't get to see the Princess finish. Pat called her right away to tell her the news, and she called me and posted the news to the BCCME email list.

My friend Elizabeth emailed me to congratulate me and added, "And she finished in her natal month. Now she can be Breaksea November Champion."

Newbie Tricks

Kathy has a new client now, sort of. She showed Lucy the Cavalier in Fitchburg, and reported that Lucy squeaked for her mommy the whole time she was in the ring. Her owner got her groomed with Kathy's help, and handled her herself. While Kathy, Deb, and I were watching Cavaliers, a Great Dane owner Kathy knew came up to us and mentioned that for practice, she had entered her bitch in Novice, Am Bred, AND Open classes in all three days' worth of shows. Talk about getting some handling practice! Of all of the newbie things we've done and heard about, that has to be one of the newbie-est!

Nose Count, Redux

After Dinah finished, some of the owners of the other bitches came over to ask me whether I would keep Dinah in the class the next day or move her up to BOB. This is another one of those situations where you're damned no matter what you do: either you stay in the classes and risk taking another major away from someone else who still actually needs one, or you move up to Breed. If one other bitch doesn't show up, then you've broken the major for the remaining bitches.

Our friend Kandis was planning to show one of her bitches on Sunday, so the number of class bitches remained constant even after Deb and Diva headed home. Kathy checked with her to make sure that she was still planning to come, and then we decided to move Dinah up to Breed early on Sunday morning. We still had 6 bitches for a major, and Dinah was out of the way.

Lesley and her puppy Callie took the points on Sunday, so the little girlie is off to a good start. Callie isn't a flashy bitch, but she's nicely put together and moves beautifully.

We Were That Close (Again)

In her debut as a special, Dinah very nearly got the breed. She showed the best she has ever shown, possibly. The judge realllllly liked her, enough so that he took Kathy aside later and told her that he thought Dinah was absolutely gorgeous, and would have given her the breed if he hadn't liked Sparky's front just a little better. Kathy was very satisfied in knowing that she got to make Cliff sweat a little in front of Sparky's owner. :-)

The part of the show that Dinah liked best was getting to play with Her Trav. No matter where we were at the show, the second she glimpsed him, she HAD to go see Trav! I asked him if he had anything to say and he told me "Arrrrrrr."

Shortly after the Beardie judging was over, I ran into Barb Rimoshytus and Rio. She congratulated me on Dinah's finish, and reported that Rio was still chasing his one last major. He had gone Reserve that day, and she'd been hoping for those last 3 points. They'll come. Rio's a beautiful boy, and he will shortly live up to his registered name of Brookfield's Slam Dunk. Just you wait!

All Right... I Said I Wouldn't, But...

2008-11-16T12:22:00.000-08:00

Charlie thinks a Beardie would make a great First Dog!

It's been almost two weeks since President-Elect Obama's public Election-Night promise to his daughters to get them a puppy, and the swell of opinion on the subject shows no sign of lessening. Every dog blogger and his littermate has had to weigh in on the subject -- not to mention all the journalists, political bloggers, armchair politicians, and practically anyone else with a mouth and an opinion. The Ambassador from Peru has offered a Peruvian Inca Dog (hairless) to the soon-to-be First Family. I'm sure that hundreds -- thousands -- of other people have been offering up candidates for First Dog. The offers range from people promoting shelter dog adoptions to fans of some of the other dog breeds who have already graced the White House. Enough, already!

I really thought I would just keep my mouth shut and blog about something else, but I've even been receiving emails from people I know, and whom I don't know, asking whether I could find a rescue Beardie for the White House.

On the plus side, Beardies do have hair rather than fur, and they thus produce a lower level of dander than many other breeds. I wouldn't go so far as to call them hypoallergenic, but a well-kept Beardie has played less havoc with most of my dog-allergic friends and acquaintances than have other dogs.

Does this class them with other dogs rumored to be better for allergic individuals, such as Poodles, Bichons, Soft-Coated Wheatens, and even (may the heavens rain down fury on those "breeders'" heads) Labradoodles? I don't really know. Only Malia Obama, her parents, and her allergist will know for sure.

Even the hairless breeds, such as the Chinese Crested, Peruvian Inca Orchid, Xoloitzcuintle (don't ask me to pronounce that! -- otherwise known as the Mexican Hairless) -- produce saliva. If there are allergens in saliva, then very sensitive individuals might not suffer all that much less with a naked breed. Please forgive me, all of you who own them, but they're just not all that much to look at.

One thing is definite: In order to have a Beardie in the White House, you must be possessed of one hell of a sense of humor, and lots of cleaning supplies besides. Imagine a happy, muddy hairball bouncing all over visiting dignitaries, counter-surfing at state banquets, and leaving miles of muddy pawprint trails through the Lincoln Bedroom, down the halls, and onto the papers on the desk in the Oval Office. Only the British Royal Family, with the Queen's pack of Corgis, would really appreciate the humor.

Not that a First Beardie wouldn't make a great asset. The dumbass TV presenter who got a chunk taken out of his hand by Barney the Scottie (smartest and most articulate member of the Bush family) deserved everything he got by swooping down on the dog, but had there been a Beardie on the scene, the talking head would simply have been covered with mud and had his microphone slurped off instead.

If I had to make a choice for First Breed, I'd recommend a Standard Poodle. They're intelligent, athletic, very trainable, and can be great with kids when bred, raised, and trained properly. They're also not yappy. Their coats are classed among the less allergenic, which means that they might be suitable for Malia.

All the same, I have to smile when I think of what the White House would be like with, say, half a dozen Old English Sheepdogs barreling down the halls.

Proud All Over Again

2008-10-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

I've been sitting at home, feeling sorry for myself because everyone else is out at the BCCA National in California, drinking Sonoma County cabernet and having a grand old time -- while I'm freezing here in New England. It isn't the first, or fifth, or fifteenth, or fiftieth time I've wished that I'd had the available cash to take Dinah out there and show her to Wendy Hines. Bess and Travis will just have to uphold the family honor for us.

The one bright spot is if I hadn't been stuck home this week, I wouldn't have been here to pull the latest issue of the Bearded Colleague (the BCCC's quarterly magazine) out of the mailbox. This was the Specialty issue, so it brought back some nice memories of August in Gananoque all over again. I'd taken out a nice little black-and-white brag ad for Dinah's two Canadian wins this year, and Lois (the editor, who also owns Seamus's litter sister Kyla) did a fabulous job with it.

Dinah's BCCC win photo (photo by Kathleen Schaffer of Pup Art):

The part that I've been waiting for is the judge's commentary on her various placements. Here's what she had to say about Dinah:

Breaksea November Storm: 1st in Open Bitch. Quality bitch of the style I like, beautiful feminine head and expression, she is completely balanced combining strength with quality, shown in good coat and condition, her free flowing movement impressed me, I felt she was worthy of Winners Bitch.

Another sweet and completely unexpected surprise was the note of congratulations that Seamus's breeders added to his mom Maxine's ad in the Colleague. Not only did they congratulate Conor for his BOW/AOM at the Specialty, but they also congratulated Seamus for completing his APDT Rally Level 1 championship (RL1X) back in September. I have to admit to getting a little choked up. We expect Dinah Moe to get the glory when she does well, but it was genuinely touching for Seamus to get some too.

Up Close and Personal

2008-10-27T18:47:00.001-07:00

Our show photos from the Harvest Cluster arrived in the mail today. The Lovely One has never looked lovelier. Ta- daaaaa!

Here's the photo from Saturday's show. Judge: Vincent Grosso. Photo by JC Photography.

And here's Sunday's appropriately seasonal photo with judge Larry Stein. Photo by Perry Phillips.

This Just In: Lightning Does Strike Twice

2008-10-13T11:58:00.001-07:00

Palisades Kennel Club, 10/11/08
Winners Bitch, 3 points, First Major

Garden State Bearded Collie Clan/Ramapo Kennel Club, 10/12/08
Winners Bitch, 2 points

Kathy said it first, but I was thinking it. Neither of us could shake the feeling of deja vu, the sense that we'd been somewhere before.

When we went to Canada for the BCCC Specialty in August, I was convinced that Dinah wouldn't win the show for a second time. It wasn't due to any lack of confidence in The Lovely One or in Kathy's handling -- only that the odds of her winning twice at the same show seemed pretty remote -- and at a national specialty, even less likely. Was I surprised to be proven wrong!

Likewise, Dinah went WB at the Garden State Bearded Collie Clan's Regional Specialty last year. (Blog post is here.) It was a beautiful Indian Summer day, we had a great time, and I'd already found a soft spot in my hard little heart for that show. When the time came to enter for this year, I not only wanted to go right back to the GSBCC Regional, but I was psyched to enter on that Saturday and make a weekend of it this time.

Even though the GSBCC Regional didn't have enough bitch entries for a major, the Saturday Palisades show did. I tried not to care about that part too much. Majors have a way of breaking your heart if you let them, after all.

We had a good crew coming: Jake (as a special this year) and Diva, plus Kathy's Newfie Casey and client Newfie Clarence. Kathy recruited Joanne (one of the juniors who helped us out at that show last year) to come back and lend a hand. Sadly, Jake had forgotten to bring most of his coat, so Deb and Kathy agreed to pull him from the show and let him serve as a cheering section for the grrrls.

After our embarrassing loss at Westchester, I asked Val (who is an animal communicator) what Dinah was thinking. Dinah replied that she wanted to have fun at the shows, and that she didn't enjoy showing when everyone was too serious. With that in mind, we let Dinah goof around with her buddy Jake as much as she wanted to. She didn't care to pal around with the Newfies, though -- she only had eyes for the Beardie boys.

Saturday: Strike One

On Saturday, Diva was entered in Sweeps before the regular Beardie classes. While Kathy took Diva into the ring, Joanne and I readied Dinah for later on that morning. (Well, Joanne worked on Dinah. I just kept her standing up.) This means I didn't have a chance to watch Diva show, so forgive me if I get her placements wrong. I'll correct them once the results are posted.

Anyway, Kathy, Deb, and Diva returned with a third-place ribbon, a puppy toy, and a check for something like $5.27. Now Deb can answer "Yes" the next time that anyone asks her, "Have you ever won money at dog shows?" Diva can take that $5 and change and parlay that into a little shopping spree for puppy toys.

Thanks to Joanne's expert grooming, Dinah looked her loveliest for the regular classes that day. She was one of two Open Bitches, and took First... and then before I could draw breath again, she took... Winners Bitch!

I didn't even dare react. Everyone under the grooming tent was asking the same question: Did the major hold? In New Jersey, you need 7 bitches for a major.

When the ring steward (who was quite a character -- ask Kathy!) verified that yes indeed, the major had held, I was still too surprised to react. After all this time, expense, and heartache... could Dinah really have picked up her first major? Weren't majors something other people's dogs got and not ours? Surely there was some mistake. People must think I'm the coolest character at ringside, but I'm not. I'm just holding my breath the whole time, and for so long that I forget to let it out again.

Woohoo! It was indeed Dinah's first major. My friends under the tent congratulated me, including Karen Bowens, who has handled Dinah in the past and who had the other Open Bitch. I told her that I was sorry that Dinah didn't cooperate for her at Westchester, but it makes for a good war story. Dinah didn't get BOW, but we didn't care. We had our major anyway. We took our picture with the judge, and returned to our grooming area happy.

Dinah won some pretty decent swag, too: an engraved cast pewter medallion from the Palisades KC, plus a dog toy and a decoupaged treat jar from GSBCC.

It was a pretty good day in Newfie-land later on, too. Kathy's boy Casey, who has been waiting to grow up a bit, took BOW and the available 2 points. He really looked wonderful out there, and behaved nicely for Kathy.

Clarence acquitted himself nicely for Joanne, considering that it was his first show. Kathy and Joanne had raised blisters on their scissoring fingers trying to find a show dog under all that hair -- and they succeeded. Although Clarence was a tad dubious about this weird new sport, he behaved well enough to take his class and go Reserve to Casey.

Kathy, Deb, Joanne, and I held our post-show celebration at a Tuscan bistro not far from our hotel. If you're ever in or near Newton, NJ and are looking for some amazing Italian food, go to the Tuscan Bistro on Route 206. We raved about the place all during and after the meal. If we show there again next year, we are definitely going back there for an encore dinner!

Sunday Classes: Strike Two

Maybe it's because I've had a lot of practice at not getting my hopes up, but I had long been convinced that Dinah wouldn't be the judge's type. Larry is one of Traveler's breeders, and Trav is a very different type of Beardie from Dinah. (This is why Val didn't enter the shows. Both Bob, the sweeps judge, and Larry are two of Traveler's breeders.) Larry has never met Dinah or Kathy, even though his wife Angela has.

We've known since the entries closed that the show wouldn't have a major for bitches, but if Dinah went BOW, she could get the major from the boys' entry. The odds weren't really in our favor, but it made for a nice dream. Imagine finishing out there among friends, in the Indian Summer sunshine?!

Diva took Second in Sweeps, but was not happy with the golf carts trundling past the ring. Deb worked on desensitizing her to the ambient noise of dog shows by having her stay by the ring for a while, getting used to the various sights and sounds.

I barely remember the class judging, perhaps due to oxygen starvation brought on by forgetting to breathe again. Angela took photos at ringside. I had my camera, but forgot to use it.

Everything I'd assumed about Larry's likes and dislikes were wrong, wrong, wrong. He picked Dinah for WB! He also picked handsome Joel, a distant relative of Dinah's from the Breaksea/Balidorn side of the family, for WD. Karen handles Joel, and I've liked that dog from the minute I saw him. He's not a British import, but he's the son of two British imports -- both beautiful dogs.

Sunday BOB: Strike Three

When Best of Breed finally came around, I could barely stand the suspense. I could barely stand up! If Larry picked Dinah for BOW, lightning might as well strike me on the spot. Nothing more fantastic, or unlikely, would happen that weekend. He gave both dogs a look that seemed to last weeks, and for an infinite minute there I thought he'd pick her for BOW. He did end up picking Joel, but we were that close. People came by later to say "We were rooting for you" -- including Karen. She showed Joel well and he looked great. Except that I'm biased, I might have picked him too.

Joanne came by with the armload of trophy-type stuff that Dinah had won: a papier-mache box, a hand-painted Lenox plate that just happened to be Val's work, and the First and Winners rosettes. Kathy handed me Dinah's leash. "Here. Let's make her happy; you can take her back to the tent." Larry had a pile of breeds to judge before we could get a photo, so our objective was to keep Dinah happy, clean, and cool.

GSBCC throws a terrific catered luncheon feast for exhibitors at its regional specialty. Karen's sister Gail was this year's host/chair. I fully intend to steal this idea for BCCME's regional, if we ever get around to throwing one. Kathy and Joanne had to eat and run to get the Newfies ready for judging and Deb needed to tend to Jake and Diva, so I ended up alone at the table about midway through my sandwich. I migrated to Lucy's table and started chatting with Joanne Williamson about regionals, nationals, and other scary subjects appropriate for Hallowe'en. Joanne's gorgeous puppy-boy Jack not only took Best Puppy at the regional, but he also ended up taking a Puppy Group 1 later in the day. I don't know how he fared in Best Puppy in Show.

Later on in the afternoon, it was the Newfies' turn to shine at their supported entry. Clarence looked and behaved even better on Sunday than he had on Saturday. Casey took WD and his very first major! Both boys won pottery, dog toys, and heaps of other goodies along with their rosettes. The weekend turned out to be a pretty good one for Kathy, as far as majors are concerned -- and she even got to bring one of them home with her dog! Woohoo! If I'm not mistaken, this brings Casey up to 7 points with one major. Dinah now has 21 points and one major.

Eventually, we took our pictures, packed our equipment and our swag, and headed for home. Unlike last year's trip home, we didn't end up stuck on I-84 for hours behind a traffic accident that closed the road. I'd like to think that the rest of this year's shows, like our ride home, are nothing but smooth sailing ahead.

More Belated Shout-Outs

We haven't posted anything to this blog since Westchester, but Barb Rimoshytus sent me this photo of Rio's BOW win from last month. He now only needs one more major to finish, just like The Lovely One.

Barb also reported that her Golden, Tazzy, completed his RN at the Golden Retriever Club of America's national specialty in RI. I reported this along with Seamus's rally-roo news on my other blog, but Barb and our cheering section visit this one. Tazzy finished the title with a perfect score and a second-place finish out of 65-odd Goldens entered.

Congratulations to Barb and both boys!

Voila -- the BCCC Show Photo!

2008-09-09T10:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Kathleen Shaffer of Pup Art for this screen-rez image. Kathleen took a gazillion really great shots of The Princess, and it was hard to decide which one to pick to send to everybody. I can't wait to get the prints into people's hands!

You can see all of the photos -- candids as well as wins -- on her Web site.

No Joy in Mudville, But Plenty of Mud

2008-09-07T17:54:00.000-07:00

Time for another chorus of that old song: Why, oh why, do we do this, again?

Of course we can't win them all. Ask most exhibitors and they'll probably say that their dogs lose more often than they win. Still, Dinah's been "pointed out" since last June, and we still just can't seem to get those gawdforsaken majors done. This means that aside from the Canadian and UKC shows, every single show we've entered since then has been a failed attempt at trying to get those majors. Every single one. Even when we've won, we've lost: someone doesn't bring a bitch entry, the major breaks, and we've taken two points from someone else who could really have used them.

We gave it another shot this weekend. I drove through friggin' Tropical Storm Hanna to the Red Roof Inn in Milford, CT on a day when I would much rather have stayed home with my sweetie and all my dogs, watching our Netflix rentals and making popcorn. But noooooo. There I was on friggin' I-95 in Providence, half-blinded and half-deafened by the rain pounding on my car, trying to get to the hotel so I wouldn't have to drive five hours to a show on show day. I got stuck in traffic behind one car crash, and passed a couple of others.

Not that we're afraid of a little rain, or even a lot of it. Dinah thrives in crappy weather. She loves showing in mud, and she doesn't care if her feet get wet. Maybe it's the British heritage thing.

We did have mud at the show. The rings were actually pretty dry, but there were some major mud grooves cut into the fields where vehicles sank a little getting into and out of the parking areas. We brought Dinah to the ring in boots.

All six bitches were in the Open class at the Tarrytown show, even the ones who were being shown by their breeders. It was a massively competitive class, with nary a bad one in the bunch. The usual "big hats" were there, plus a couple of the top breeder/owner/handlers. Every single entry was beautiful, impeccably groomed, and worthy of the major. The judge placed Dinah fifth out of the six. He wasn't grossly confused like the last judge we faced last time we tried for a major. It simply wasn't her day. Again.

Dinah just wasn't "on" today, and when you're faced with a lineup like the one we faced, it isn't enough just to go in there and look pretty good. You really have to shine -- but she didn't shine, and so she ended up in the penultimate spot in the pack.

There's no shame in being beaten by a lineup like that, but I just can't help but wonder if it will ever be our turn. I have a friend who finally just spayed her bitch at age 8 after failing to get her majors and finish her. She's a beautiful girl who just doesn't happen to like showing very much -- which is generally not Dinah's problem. I just can't see myself still trying to get those same majors for five or six more years, when a single show entry will be above $50 and entries will be down so low that it will take two male Beardies to make a major -- but the AKC will keep the number of bitches at six just to keep things interesting.

When I talked to Greg on the phone afterward, he asked me whether it might not be time to just give up. I couldn't give him an answer.

We're approaching the part of the year when we can pretty much count the number of shows we're entering between now and New Year's (probably two). Because winter comes early and stays late in this latitude, the new year won't start up for us again until next April. Come spring, we'll have a whole new crop of hot competitors to face. They'll all finish in 3-4 shows and we'll still be plugging along.

Kathy's trying to help strategize by creating the perfect conditions for Dinah to win. The show is preferably outdoors, not too hot, and she gets to play with at least one of her buddies. Of course we'll have Great Bait there, and we won't have shown her every day of a three-day weekend.

We have to keep hoping that day will come (actually, "those days", since we still need two majors) -- but when?

Here's the Princess!

2008-09-05T14:50:00.000-07:00

Isn't she pretty? Not 30 seconds after she came home from the groomer's, she was outside in the backyard looking to expand on Charlie's Big Dig. Fortunately, we caught her before she could get started. We might have to show in the mud on Sunday, but I'd rather she stay clean for just a little while longer...

Oh Canada! Part Quatre

2008-08-30T07:49:00.000-07:00

Bearded Collie Club of Canada National Specialty, 8/20/08
Winners Bitch, 5 CKC points

Kathy and The Lovely One. Photo by Shane Peters.

My friend Val (Trav's mom) and I always have a great time traveling together. She's always laid-back and agreeable, and experienced at keeping drivers' attention during long drives. I'm generally happy as long as I can stop for coffee from time to time. It's a good thing we're compatible road buddies, since we've had our share of Bogus Journeys together -- but even then, we can never say we didn't have any fun.

After Boobyprize Rent-a-Car screwed us badly on the National Capital trip last year, we learned our lesson for this trip. I rented a Chevy Uplander from another rental company, and they actually had a vehicle available when we needed one. Although the previous renters had spilled fruit punch Kool-Aid all over the rear carpeting, the vehicle was spacious, quiet to drive, and not as greedy for gasoline as I'd feared it might be. Even the faint odor of fruit punch wasn't unpleasant.

Trav is used to having the entire middle floor area of a Ford Econoline van to himself. Dinah likes to sleep on her back in her crate in the back of a Subaru Forester. Even though neither dog exactly got his/her wish for traveling accommodations, we managed to get them, all their gear, and all of our gear into the vehicle with a few cubic inches to spare. Luckily for us, Kathy planned to bring her grooming table and EZ-Up. If we'd needed to stow Dinah's table in our van, we'd have been doomed.

Val had caught one of those vicious summer colds, and her ears popped every time we drove over a hill. She came armed with a battery of medications and great determination not to let a little thing like being sick prevent her from going on this adventure.

The trip out was mostly uneventful, aside from a stretch of driving through pounding rain while the sun shone brightly. We stopped for coffee and biology breaks, and yakked with Kathy and our respective family members. As Val and I usually do on long trips, we managed to figure out a scheme to save the world and made huge progress toward proving the Unified Field Theory. (I told you we travel well together.)

As we turned north at Syracuse to head toward Canada, Kathy called. "You never told me we had to drive over so many bridges!" Kathy and I have something in common: We're both a bit scared of heights, and neither of us likes to drive over really high bridges with views that go a long way down. Since I drove to Gananoque at night two years ago, I didn't see the long way down from either of the bridges. Kathy and Deb cursed me roundly for sending them on that route, and when it came time for Val and me to drive over those same bridges, I cursed myself. Val is not keen on crossing bridges high over water. She probably felt like cursing, too.

Since Kathy and Debbie arrived in Gananoque a couple of hours ahead of us, they set up camp for us behind the club tent near ringside. Their timing couldn't have been better, since the skies opened and rain pounded down just after they finished. Val and I ended up driving into Gananoque in the deluge, but managed to find our room next to Kathy and Deb and to get settled in.

After the long drive, Dinah and Trav were in the mood to do just about anything but settle in. They wrestled and bounced and played most of the evening. Now that Trav is an honest-to-goodness studmuffin, he tried getting a little fresh with Dinah in spite of Val's admonishments of "No butts!". It wasn't really Trav's fault, though. Dinah loves to lead him on, and kept getting him into trouble with his mom. Dinah also flirted with Jake right under Trav's nose. I tried to tell Trav that the Princess was a coquette, but all he said was "Arrrrr."

The next day was Sweeps Day. Since Fee was too young to come along on the trip, neither Val nor I had to show that day. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, lingered over coffee and tea, and negotiated the swampy ground as best we could to keep our dogs' and our feet as clean as possible. I'm a BCCC member, so I felt I had to open my big mouth in the club tent. "I'm not busy today. Do you need me to do anything?"

Next thing I knew, I was helping steward for the rally ring. That was fine with me -- I've never done CKC rally, but have done AKC and APDT for a while. The OB/rally judge, Michel Calhoun, is a hoot in the ring and just as much fun to steward for as he is to show under. The rally trial -- two of them, actually -- took many hours longer than anyone expected, and we ended up having to vacate the ring for Sweepstakes. In spite of the marathon, we had a good time. We handed out trophies and rosettes, swapped signs and reset courses, hunted for rocks to hold the signs down in the breeze, and kept traffic running as smoothly as we could. Rupert, Bliss, and Pippa (whom I think is Seamus's niece) all qualified twice. I forget whether Pippa finished her Novice title there. Her mom Ann and I have been threatening to enter a couple of CARO rally trials with Pippa and Seamus, just for the fun of it.

Meanwhile, back at our little base camp, Kathy showed Diva in Sweeps and didn't have much to say about it. I was just sorry that I didn't get to watch Lucy judging in the Sweeps ring. Sparkle Puppy, handled by her dad Jack, took 4th in the Junior Puppy Sweeps. Dinah snoozed on her back in her crate and didn't even miss me. She enjoyed having to run the Excellent course for the one Excellent entry during the Honor exercise. She doesn't really know anything about Rally just yet, but she knew what to do with the panel jumps.

The next day, Val and Kathy took the boys into the regular classes in the morning while I bathed and dried Dinah's "tidy whities." Val and I had given The Princess the famous four-step treatment before leaving Maine, so she just needed a touch-up on her face and feet. Dinah tolerated the bath well -- even though it came out of a cold-water hose -- but was less pleased about having to endure the blow dryer.

In Open Dogs, Trav made the cut and Jake took 2nd. Seamus's litter brother Conor took Winners Dog. Val had been recovering from her head cold, but the lack of oxygen while running around the ring made her feel faint. She said that she'd barely held it together while showing Trav, and that Trav had sensed it and started to act up a bit at the end. She ended up needing to get to a chair in the club tent, and some attentive folks put Trav back into his crate. Val recovered after sitting a bit, but regretted that her feeling faint out there might have cost Trav a placement.

The weekend was not entirely lost for Val and Trav, though. Quite a few people came by to talk to Val about Trav, and he already has at least a couple of potential dream dates lined up for this fall. Sometimes being seen is almost good enough.

Maryann and Cowboy, who will always be Cowboy Francis now that I know his middle name, had a wonderful time in the ring -- and looked it. I didn't know then that they had also earned a leg toward a Canadian CD on the previous day.

As I said in my post about the Great Lakes Regional, one of the games that all exhibitors play at ringside is Guess the Judge's Pattern. One of the major frustrations with the Great Lakes judge is that her judging was all over the place, and no one could figure out what the heck she was thinking. Anyway, our judge at the BCCC National was so consistent that she picked at least three pairs of littermates for her placements in various classes.

In the Junior Puppy Bitch (6-9) class, Maryann's Sparkle came in 2nd to her litter sister -- and the 3rd and 4th-place puppy girls were also littermates to each other. Maryann also showed Zoe in Bred-By and took 2nd -- so there was rejoicing to be had over in the After Dark/Cameron camp, too.

Deb had been feeling a little let down since Diva hadn't done anything in Puppy Sweeps the day before. I reassured her that Dinah hadn't done anything in Puppy Sweeps back in 2006, and look what happened to her in the regular classes! Anyway, Diva and her litter sister Hannah both placed in their class in Senior Puppy Bitch (9-12). Hannah took 3rd, and Diva took 4th.

In the meantime, Team Dinah sprang into action. It really does take a village to show a Beardie girl. Val stripped some extra coat from around Dinah's neck and shoulders to smooth her outline. Kathy worked on Dinah's head. I held the princess to keep her from sitting down. The scene reminded me vaguely of the beauty shop where the ladies flock around Dorothy before her audience with the Great and Powerful Oz.

Kathy wasn't thrilled about having to be first in line in the Open class. The first dog/handler team in line always has less time to get set up before showing than do the other teams. Still, Dinah was in a good mood and was willing to set up quickly. I made sure she could see me while in the ring so she wouldn't spend her showing time bending herself into a pretzel looking for me.

The Open class was as competitive a class as I think I've ever seen anywhere, with the possible exception of the Bred-By class at the same show. There were 13 Open entries, but only 11 actually made it into the ring. Some were finished AKC champions, and some (like Dinah) were works in progress. Still, there wasn't a one in the ring who didn't look beautiful and show wonderfully. It must have been a hard decision for the judge to make.

I took up a spot at ringside next to my friend Lois, who co-breeds with Seamus's breeder and who owns one of his litter sisters. Cathy, Seamus's breeder, sat in the screen tent behind us with Elaine, who owns brother Conor. "Oooh," Cathy breathed as the bitch judging progressed. "She really likes Dinah." The exhibitors showed individually, then went around the ring together. "She really likes Dinah."

The judge pointed to Dinah so quickly that I couldn't even react. I'm a delayed-reaction type anyway, and my only thought right at that moment was to help Kathy by taking the stuff she'd just been awarded off her hands. I crossed the spectator area to collect the first-place rosette, trophy, and bag of Royal Canin dog food. Maryann gave me a huge hug and said, "It must have been the Great Bait." She was semi-kidding, but I think it actually did help. Thus far, Great Bait is the only bait that Dinah considers worthy, and for which she'll actually self-stack in the ring.

Other helpful folks, in order to help Dinah stay interested long enough to get through Winners Bitch before taking a mental vacation, offered Kathy pieces of everything from homemade beef jerky to roasted chicken breast. Kathy quickly tried each one and kept the ones that Dinah seemed interested in.

Finally, it was time for the Winners Bitch lineup. Since Dinah was the Open Bitch, she remained at the head of the line, and the judge quickly went over the other class winners. They did one circuit, then another, then another. You could almost see the thought bubble over Dinah's head: "If they think I'm going around this ring ONE MORE TIME, they have another think coming." You could also almost see the corresponding thought bubble over Kathy's head: "Just a little longer. Just a little longer."

On the last circuit, the judge pointed to Kathy and Dinah. Kathy couldn't help a little jump in the air and a whoop. "Wow!" exclaimed Cathy from behind me. "Congratulations -- she really did like her!" Other folks called congratulations as I made my way -- still too amazed to react -- over to help Kathy. "I didn't do anything, " I replied. "All I did was give her a ride."

The judge chose Linda Teplin's Arwen for Reserve. Arwen had taken 2nd place in Open. There was much hugging and hooting and pounding of backs and shoulders. My friend Pat stopped by to praise Dinah and to offer congratulations. I'm sure I babbled out plenty of thanks, but it really is all a blur to me. All I could think about was keeping Dinah clean for photos and texting Gill Burfitt to let her know the news.

All the class winners from the day's showing lined up under the show tent for their turns with the judge and photographer. "Ohmygod," Val said when we entered the tent and took our place in line. "Do you get that, too?" She indicated the big honkin' trophy for Winners Bitch, a decorated silver cup atop a wooden pedestal that was (if possible) even bigger than the Stanley Pup that we'd won in 2006. I think all I said was, "Wow."

The photos are here, under Wednesday Ribbons, at the top of page 3. Ours are on order. Shane came over to congratulate everyone, and mentioned that he had some very nice photos, too -- some truly gorgeous shots of the Princess and Kathy at work.

Here's one he took of the two of them in the Open class:

Finally, I had the chance to give Dinah some water, and I was able to send an email to Gill and Jana and a post to Twitter. Gill must have immediately phoned Alan on the road, because thirty seconds later, I received a text message from him: "Do I hear that congratulations are in order?" An email arrived a few minutes later from Jana, and then pokes from my Facebook buddies who were also on the Beardie list and who had seen Gill's email or my Twitter update.

Dinah picked up 5 points as a result of going WB, which brings her CKC point total to 9. We need just one more point under one more judge to finish her in Canada. If only finishing in AKC were half this easy!

We also won two lovely wood-burned trophies that displayed some beautiful graphics of Beardies. When I spied the initials on the back, I sent a message to another Facebook buddy. She's a sculptor, so I knew she worked primarily in clay. "Yes, " she replied. "And they're clay, not wood. I just love the spirit of wood." Amazing! Honestly, I have the two trophies right here in the office, and there is no way I could have told that they hadn't come from a tree. The wood even has grain! Every time I pick one of them up, I'm impressed all over again. Clay! Wow! These are the trophies that we get to keep.

Because I joined the BCCC back when Dinah went Best Puppy in 2006, I had the member's privilege to take home the big honkin' trophy that Dinah had just won and to display it for a year, then return it before the following year's Specialty. This involved retrieving the trophy's packing box and all the padding, so I hoisted the trophy onto one shoulder and set out across the resort in search of the seminar room, where the trophies were stored. The news hadn't entirely sunk into my shocked little brain then, so I must have looked bizarre, wandering around in a daze with a ton of walnut and silver on one shoulder.

I ran into Maryann on the way. "Sucks to be you," she said. "Having to take home all those extra trophies and stuff." She had a small cache of loot from Sparkle's and Zoe's placements and Cowboy's CD leg and 3rd place, so she didn't go home empty-handed either.

The results and an online marked catalog are available on the BCCC Web site.

We decided that we needed to go out to celebrate, and we chose an Italian place not too far from the hotel. I had wanted to order a round of champagne, or something sparkling, for our toast to all of our winners, but we picked the one place that had nothing sparkling on the menu. (Maybe I should have ordered a round of Sprite, or something.) Other Beardie people streamed into the restaurant, including Debbie and Richard (Moxie and Rowdy's parents) and Jack and Maryann. They all kept trying to convince the waitress that I was paying for dinner, and when that didn't work, they tried to get her to believe that I was buying the drinks.

Val and I had thought we'd start the long drive home right after breakfast the next day. Since Dinah was WB, however, we needed to stay the next day for Best of Breed. Dinah had also planned to go home on Friday morning, it seems. She showed pretty well, but her mind wasn't completely in the game, and it showed. Seamus's handsome brother Conor ended up going BOW, and received an Award of Merit besides! We like to think that we're keeping things in the family. Sister Windy had been entered in breed, but Cathy had opted to come dogless to the show. Sister Kyla also remained at home.

Quite a few Beardies we know were there in the BOB ring, including Dexter, Chase, Rebel, Biff, Merlin, and Hart. Denzel, the handsome brownie who is Cocoa's and Qi's dad, took BOB. Rebel got an AOM, which was nice to see. His dad Ian was last year's show chair and had worked his tail off. This year, the two of them came all the way out from BC to show, only a few weeks after Ian had had surgery. The two of them looked great and deserved the kudos.

The drive back home was long, long, long -- but that too passed in a daze. We'd had to juggle some things around to fit in Dinah's crate so that she could sleep in it, plus leave some floor space for Trav -- oh, and fit in all of the loot that Dinah took home. We didn't see much of Dinah, and not only because the van was filled from floor to ceiling with stuff. She welcomed the chance to crash after the show, and slept all the way to Maine aside from the stops for biology breaks. We played with the radio, chattered, and stopped for caffeine and Mickey D's Plasticburgers. In spite of the long hours, the rain, the mud, the head cold, and everything else, we declared this trip to have been an Excellent Adventure.

Into each Excellent Adventure a little Bogus Journey must fall. Pat came down to our house to pick up Val, Trav, and all their gear. Greg followed me to the airport in my car to drop off the rental van. When I reached the drive to the airport, I saw that he hadn't made it through the traffic light at the end of the exit ramp. I waited, and waited. The cell phone rang. It turned out that the car had died right at the traffic light, and Greg had seen smoke pour out from under the hood. The fire department came, and determined that the smoke was actually steam. The car had probably blown a hose.

There we were at almost 1 freakin' AM after 8+ hours of driving, in the freakin' dark, at the end of a Turnpike exit ramp nowhere near anything but the far end of the airport, with a freakin' dead car. AAA towed it back to our local garage for us, and we took the rental home for one more night. It turned out that the car had a cracked radiator that just spontaneously gave out at the traffic light. So much for the convenient -- and much cheaper -- hose theory. I had to catch a plane to Minneapolis in about 14 hours, and I still had the rental that was due back in only 8 hours. Journeys just don't get much more Bogus than that.

Things did work out eventually. We returned the van. I made my plane. My car was fixed. I unpacked almost half of the stuff we'd brought home, including the Big Honkin' Trophy. Even my bag, which had traveled home from Minneapolis without me (more on my other blog later), turned up where expected and made it home safely.

It's really only dawned on me just how well Dinah did at the show when I had to explain the whole adventure to Greg while unveiling the Big Honkin' Trophy and giving it pride of place in the living room. Next year's show is likely to take place someplace in Quebec, which is about as close to right next door as it can be and still be on the Canadian side of the border. Val's already talking about going next year. I haven't broached the subject to Kathy yet. Before I do, I'll have to make sure we don't have to drive over any big old bridges.

Some Quick Shout-Outs

Congratulations to everyone who came to the BCCC National and brought something home! I hope a good time was had by all -- even the show committee. See you all in Quebec!

A Brittany friend from YCKC reported to me that Steph and Bowie of Run Bowie! fame finished Bowie's championship a couple of weeks ago. Congratulations to CH Bowie, who had to beat a bunch of his half-siblings for that first major. Steph, update your blog and tell us about the finish!!

Greetings too to Barb Rimoshytus and Rio the Papillon. Barb reports that she's feeling great after facing some health issues earlier this year. Rio hasn't been in as many shows this year as he has last year just because work, family, and life have managed to take priority -- but we hope to run into Barb and Rio sometime this fall.

My friend Monica of Ask Dog Lady wrote to report that she now has a weekly radio show! You can listen to a replay on her Web site, or catch her live on the radio in the Boston area on WCAP, 980 AM, on Wednesdays from 1-3 PM. Best of luck with the show! You guys really should consider doing a remote at the Boston shows this year. I'll be there to blog again for the show's PR firm. We can make a party of it!