A PSA and a Very Good Idea, Too

Because I live in Northern New England, I usually try to limit my PSAs about local handling classes and events to this area. However, this morning I received a notice in my email box with one that was too useful not to share. If you live in southern MA, RI or northeastern CT, listen up...

(snipped from the announcement of the Providence Kennel Club's upcoming shows and trials)

...We want to make this a grand event, and we would love to have you come and steward for us. We will have a stewarding clinic on Monday evening, May 14 at 7 PM at the Rocky Hill Grange on Rt 2 in East Greenwich, right off of Route 95. It is right near Ocean State Vet if you know that location. You may work with either or both OB and breed stewarding

As all of you know, capable stewards make a trial a success. SO I would be hugely grateful for your participation.

For more info, contact Jenny Dickinson.

(end snippet. I removed Jenny's phone number, but you can click her name to email her.)

All kennel clubs and obedience clubs should borrow PKC's idea and run with it! Experienced stewards are in short supply, and you'll see more and more pleading announcements on the email lists on the Thursday before a weekend of shows: "Stewards wanted. Any shape, size, or species. Breathing optional. Pleasepleaseplease!"

Time was when gas was so cheap that people would hop into the car and drive a few hours to help steward at shows, so it was easy to ask a favor and get the real stewarding diehards to respond. You'd get breakfast, lunch, and a $20 bill for gas and tolls — and then, when it was your club's turn to need help, you'd call in favors from all of the clubs you just stewarded for.

These days, you still get food and sometimes get paid, but the $20 bill just barely covers the cost of the gas you burned to get there. Show-giving clubs' budgets have shrunk, so they can't really afford to be more generous. You can still call in favors, but people are less apt to drive long distances to steward. Clubs increasingly have to rely on more local talent.

The problem is, you can't get local talent until you train the local talent. Sure, you can offer on-the-job training, but unless your ring is reasonably calm, yet diverse enough so your stewards-in-training can see a variety of different ring scenarios, they'll all be so busy focusing on one task that they'll never have a chance to observe the whole shebang. They'll need to help out with different tasks in different rings at least a few times until they've acquired enough experience to take on rings of their own. Not that this is a bad thing, but you won't get newly-minted, take-charge stewards right away. This process takes time, so you can't wait until the Thursday before the show to get started.

If you combine on-the-job training with a clinic, though, you have the time to explain all the many tasks, rules, equipment, points of etiquette, and so on that every steward should know. You can show a sample steward's book, explain how to mark it so other stewards can take over for you during rest-room breaks, and even run through some simple exercises without the stress of needing to keep things moving at all times. "Okay, I'm judging. The dog who went Winners Dog just went Best of Breed over all of the specials. What ribbons do you lay out for whom, and how many Selects do you add?" (Trick question. If a class dog goes BOB, none of the Specials get Selects.) If you're an obedience steward, you'll learn simple-sounding, but very important, concepts such as what to do with your hands when acting as a post in the Figure 8. (Not in your pockets. It might look as though you have a treat in there.)

When I was an actual newbie, my local kennel club offered the best of both types of training. The chief conformation steward from our neighboring club attended one of our meetings and gave us a lecture and demo on stewarding. She and the chief conformation steward from our club took on some apprentices (including me) for a few shows' worth of OJT... and then one day, we were turned loose to run our own rings, with experienced stewards at the tables on either side of us. It was scary, but we got through it. Both kennel clubs received educational credit, and our clubs had more warm bodies to man the rings. I was awarded my very own bag of stewards' rocks (try stewarding outdoors on a windy day, and you'll see why rocks make a valuable gift!) and welcomed into the fraternity.

This year, I'm the chief conformation steward. It's my first time wearing the big hat, but our club's chief steward is now the show chair. I have my list of local talent, thanks to my counterpart in the neighboring club. The next thing I'm going to recommend is that we borrow PKC's stewarding-clinic idea and hold one of our own. I'm going to need to start collecting rocks, too. If you're experienced and not too busy on the third weekend of May, I can offer you a very nice hot lunch, sandwiches, and a breakfast groaning board inside the club tent — plus camaraderie and the undying thanks of not one, but two kennel clubs. If you're not a club member, you'll get gas money, too.

Stewarding is the perfect way to get a judge's-eye view of the ring. You'll get to meet some truly nice, hard-working experts in their breeds — and if they have time, they'll happily talk dogs and process with you. You'll gain experience in managing the smooth running of the show, and you'll be initiated into a special group of diehards. If you think you might want to be a judge someday, stewarding is a required part of the training you'll need to apply.

Most of all, stewarding is a great way to give back to the dog show community by taking on a demanding — but rewarding — part in making sure that everything runs smoothly. It's not glamorous — you'll meet more than your share of ungracious people, and you might have to double as in-the-ring ceanup crew — but the nice people you'll meet and the good karma you'll create will be more than worth the occasional craziness.

If your kennel club needs stewards, go to a clinic, or start one for the newbies in your club so you'll have a new "generation" of diehards to help out. That's good karma, too.

Your Feedback is Needed!

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.

• Realignment Proposal
• Tentative Realignment Judging Procedure
• Realignment Suggested Breed List
• Realignment FAQ

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.

4-6 Month Puppy Class/Open Shows

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.

I Still Freakin' Love Dog Shows

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?

New AKC Rule for 12-18 Month Class

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.

Another Year, Another Season

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.

Tempus Fudge-It

Last night I emailed back and forth with my friend Pat in Ohio. As with almost every conversation about show entries this year, ours turned to the fact that entry numbers are in the proverbial toilet. Pat's one of those real die-hards who is out there showing every single weekend, taking the old Monster Van as far as it needs to go -- even to the FCI World Show in Mexico last year. She bemoaned the fact that sometimes she'd drive hundreds of miles to find that no one else had shown up, or that judging programs would come back and the only entries would be her dogs. This in Ohio, convenient to just about every decent-sized show location between the two coasts, plus Canada!

Anyway, in talking to Pat it suddenly hit me that we haven't had a major in Beardies in the Northeast since last December's Boston shows. Small wonder the pickings seem so slim -- I'd say that going 6 months without a major would narrow down the field of possibility some.

Since my luck is my luck, of course there are majors for both dogs and bitches in Beardies over July 4th weekend, when I won't even be here. Apparently Linda was successful in recruiting a bunch of people to come to Springfield (ugh, Springfield) and show that weekend. But would they come to Maine to either of our supported entries? Nooooooo. So much for the "supported" part of "supported entry."

If You Can't Beat 'Em (Because There's No One to Beat), Steward For 'Em

BCCME's second supported entry of the year, at the Penobscot Valley KC shows, seemed like a sure thing to us. School would be out, it would be summer in Maine, the sun would shine, and the lobster would be plentiful (if not exactly cheap). We figured that the weather would be more predictable (by Maine standards, anyway) than it usually is in May. If enough people showed enthusiasm for that weekend, we might even expand to holding a regional specialty then in future years! We felt like real heroes for supporting our local kennel clubs.

In theory, it seemed like a nice idea. In practice, we ended up drawing only 4 class bitches, and Val and Pat and I were the only Mainiacs who showed up. I decided (yet again) to leave Dinah at home and go play ring steward for the weekend. At least Trav took BOB both days, which pleased Val and Pat.

After some initial confusion when the head steward assigned two stewards to the same ring, I managed to end up working a ring with Jean Fournier, who was charming, gracious to everyone, and a lot of fun to work with. After she found out that it was my second time running a ring solo, she continually encouraged me and gave me some tips to help speed things up and keep the ring running on time.

I had great fun working across the table from an experienced steward from the Vacationland club. As the day grew progressively hotter and more humid, we peeled off layers, fanned each other, and compared notes about freezing at Acton in May. We joked about the hot spaghetti, hot chowder, and hot coffee we had for lunch (but it was good, and free, and we enjoyed it thoroughly anyway). We fantasized about ice cream sundaes and trips to the beach. We hoarded hand wipes for our judges and shared the walkie-talkie. Other stewards dropped by to visit and to hand out numbers while we were busy directing ring traffic.

Ring stewards share a kind of camaraderie that's unique among groups of dog show attendees. Once you've been initiated into the club, you get to keep company with a friendly, funny gang of self-described masochists. The experienced stewards band together to help the fledglings, and come armed with a wealth of "war stories" and helpful hints. The venue may change, the hosting club may change, but the legion of stewards is always the same.

You can always spot a show that's chaired by a ring steward (Vacationland being a great example). The coolers under the ring tables are always stocked. Volunteers come by with hot and cold drinks, extra hand wipes, Band-Aids, and other necessities. Everything runs on time. If you're stewarding at such a show, it's easy to get spoiled by all the care and attention. This show wasn't such an example -- we were lucky to see a single hand wipe per judge by the time Sunday rolled around - but no matter. We survived, and Sunday's sandwiches were fantastic.

A Quick Shout-Out

Steph and Bowie of Run Bowie! fame were in my ring on Saturday at the Penobscot show! I'd been hoping to meet her for a while, and we finally ended up in the same place. The two of them worked together nicely in the ring from what I could see, and I hope they do very well at the shows this summer.

Road Trip Over Niagara Falls

This week, Dinah Moe and I get to drive out to Michigan for the Great Lakes Bearded Collie Club's regional specialty. My friend Maryann and I devised this plan last year after I set up her Web site. "Think about this, " she said. "Bring Dinah out here where we'll definitely have a major. I'll show her there, and then we can go show in Canada for the weekend."

It seems as though we've had this plan forever, but now it's actually time to make the journey. The car has been outfitted with new front brake pads (cha-ching!), and has just undergone its 150,000 mile checkup. The entries are in for the shows in both countries, and we're ready. We'll drive across New York, enter Canada right by Niagara Falls, and cross the bottom part of Ontario to reach the "thumb" of Michigan. All three shows are just a short commute from Maryann's house. Wish us luck out there!

Road Trip, Part Two - Already

Hard to believe, but we've also just started planning for the BCCC National Specialty in Gananoque in August. Kathy's coming up to show Dinah, Jake, and Diva, and we're already compiling our To-Do lists and our To-Pack lists. August seems like it's a long ways away, but July starts next week. What happened to the summer, and where was I when it started to whiz by?

Of course, I have fond memories of returning to the site of Dinah's first big win ever (Best Puppy in Show at a national specialty at her fourth show) -- but I'm also looking forward to seeing everyone again. It'll be even sweeter this time because I won't have anyone screaming at me. Seamus's breeder will be there with one of his sisters. Moxie's breeder always throws a margarita party in her hotel room, and maybe the lovely Miss Moxie herself will be there. Pat's coming up from Ohio with Merlin (her English import) and a couple of puppy entries. Val and Trav are coming along to split the expenses and share the fun, and we're hoping for a better journey than the one we took to National Capital. (I intend to rent a van from a more reliable rental company. Enterprise had its chance and failed miserably.) If we're very lucky, Dinah will step into the ring with a few Canadian points already to her credit. Trav will enter a show as a class dog for the first time since he finished.

Here's hoping we do well, eh?

Flying Solo and My Bag of Rocks

Vacationland Dog Club, 5/17/08

Something strange is afoot in the universe. The world has tilted on its axis, and the stars are aligned in curious configurations. The weather at Vacationland this weekend is absolutely gorgeous, and it poured mercilessly on the York County shows. In a normal year, Vacationland is six inches underwater, and the mud in the rings has been known to pull shoes from exhibitors' feet. Apart from the Great Monsoon of 2005 (about which the club old-timers still speak in hoarse whispers), the YCKC shows generally take place in halfway decent weather. This year, everything turned upside down.

It wasn't because of the weather that I didn't enter Dinah in Vacationland this year. The chances of there being enough Beardies for a major -- or even one point -- hovered between zero and negative infinity. My friend Nancy, one of the deans of the local ring steward SWAT team, recruited me to join their ranks at Vacationland for my first solo adventure in stewarding.

Between them, Nancy and Susan (another long-time veteran ring steward) trained me to steward last summer. Nancy brought her famous "Ring Stewarding 101" class to one of our local kennel club's meetings, and then I observed Susan at the Topsfield shows after Beardie judging was done. I worked the ring with Susan and another trainee at the Lakes Region shows last July, and then worked my own ring at our club's fall B match. Nancy and Susan agreed that I'd served enough of an apprenticeship, and that it was time for me to run a ring of my very own. While standing in line to use a ladies' room at a function in Augusta this past winter, Nancy asked me to work a ring at Vacationland -- so the initiation began, and I received my ritual bag of rocks.

Nearly everyone who sees Nancy or Susan working a show ring remarks upon the cute bone-shaped stone paperweights they use to keep the various ribbons, armbands, books, programs, and other articles from flying off the table when the occasional breeze kicks up. Occasionally Susan has had to reclaim one of her paperweights from a judge who mistook them for trophies and was about to award them to a winner. Anyway, Nancy awarded me my very own bag of bone-shaped rocks as part of my stewarding kit. She arranged her stewards so that my ring would be next to Susan's in the event I needed expert help.

My very first judge was Ruth Zimmerman, who was unfailingly kind and encouraging to newbie stewards and exhibitors alike. Some of our breeds -- especially the toys -- had multiple dogs entered under one owner or handler, and we gave the exhibitors a chance to breathe between frantic dashes from the ring to switch dogs. Mrs. Zimmerman frequently gave me encouraging comments along the way: "You're really catching on," and "You're doing great at this." The show committee members came past frequently, offering up hot cups of Tim Horton's coffee and donuts. I owe Nancy one for pairing me with a patient and kindly judge for my first trip out -- and for making me my very own set of Official Stewards' Rocks.

After our duties were completed and our ring disassembled for Groups, I caught up with Val, Pat, and Traveler back at their booth. Val reported that Trav had seen me going back and forth to my ring, and had been concerned that I hadn't come in to see him. (Trav and I have a special relationship. We like to wrestle and talk like pirates together: "Arrrrrr. Arrrrrrr. Arrrrr.") I visited with Trav and reviewed his favorite letter of the alphabet ("Arrrrrr") before he went into the group ring. He made the first cut, but not the Final Four. I'm hoping he does better in Groups today.

I didn't have a lot of time to socialize yesterday, but Vacationland was just a nice, fun, intimate show with some very nice vendors. The show committee switched things up a bit by putting the show itself in the area where the parking had been in previous years, and putting parking where the show had been (and which we affectionately called "the swamp"). The rearrangement suited the show well, I think. The weather wasn't an issue this year and the swamp wasn't swampy, but the new layout worked nicely. I hope the club decides to stick with it for future shows if they go back to that venue. (Actually, I'm really hoping they'll cluster with our club at our site, but that remains to be discussed.)

Shout-Outs and Stuff

A quick shout-out to Steph and Bowie the Brittany: Did you guys make it to the show? I only saw two of my Brittany buddies there, but I was busy in my ring right up until the time Groups started.

Another shout-out to Barb Rimoshytus and Rio, whom I ran into just as Dinah and I were leaving the St. Hubert show in CT. Barb's been going through some stuff, so think good thoughts for her. Rio did magnificently -- I'm bad at quoting people, but I think he had at least one group placement that weekend. (Dinah got 2nd, not even Reserve. She was very, very uninterested in showing that weekend. Since she'd been showing the two weekends previous, she was feeling a little burnt-out. We had a nice little reunion with Auntie Kathy, Auntie Deb, Jake, and puppy grrrrl Diva, but that was about it. Dinah's never going to be one of those dogs on the dog show circuit, and that's fine with me.)