Merry Christmas

We here at Winjammin' wish everyone in blogger land a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for a joyous and wonderful New Year. May all your furkids stay happy and healthy. To our friends from the show rings, may you and your wonderful charges win many ribbons and prizes in the correct colors....purple and purple and gold.

Happy Holidays,

Rus, Sherilyn, Duchess, Ruby, Phantom, McDreamy, Emmy, Ransom, Bear, and Cristal

New Feature Added

To further enhance the "mood" of the Winjammin's Waves blog, we have added music. The player is at the bottom of the page, and yes, you can pause it or change songs if you so choose.

All of our dog show friends know that we are not only very big Jimmy Buffett fans, but we have a deep love of the tropics, warm breezes, sand, sun, and fun.

So, put on your flipflops (hopefully not broken on a pop top), don your shades, pour yourself a margarita (please drink responsibly), and sit back, relax and enjoy the sounds of Winjammin's Jams!

Postscript - Yes, the last song has no bearing on the tropics or Jimmy Buffett. It is Phantom's theme song, and since he started this whole wonderful dog show journey, he is entitled to add his own tune. :o)

All Dressed Up

Every winter, Ruby and Emmy lose pretty much all of their hair....well, ok, Ruby never has a lot of coat, but you get the idea. So, a couple of years ago, we got Ruby a fleece sweatshirt and a coat to wear outside and in the basement so she stays warm. We hadn't found much that worked with Emmy, so we tried again this year to see if we could find something. Sherilyn found a couple of auctions on ebay...one with a fleecy sweatshirt, and one with some t-shirts.

All of the kids were really interested in what mom got in the mail, so they had to help. And we let them! Here are the results:

Ruby, all snug as a bug in a rug with her fancy fleece sweatshirt.

Emmy, the Desperate Housedog (you pick which one!):

Duchess, the Queen of Too Many Treats:

And, finally, we have Ransom, who was such a pest during the whole thing that he was "rewarded" with a shirt of his own. Once we put it on him, he lay in one place for an hour and a half until we finally felt sorry for him and took it off. But, not without photo evidence first!!!

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Big Girls Barkday

It has been a week of barkdays for us. Yesterday was Duchess' 7th and tomorrow is Ruby's 5th. We lovingly call this pair the "challenge pair" as they each have their own challenges that we have had to work through.

Ruby was our first Cardigan. She came out right at 6 months and picked up points left and right. Then, she was jumped ringside by a Boxer at 9 months of age. She never came out of it, and she will never walk back into a show ring again. It took us years to get her to even be able to set foot inside a building where there is a dog show going on. With much work, however, she is now able to go into a show site, and walk straight as an arrow to her crate without freaking out. She pretty much ignores any other dog that is in her way. We were also fortunate enough get her International Conformation Championship and her Canine Good Citizen during her recovery process. She has had her one and only litter, the wine litter, and now spends her time exercising all of the show dogs. We take them for a walk and she sets the pace for them to follow....and MAN what a pace it is!!! She gets into her gate and goes solid for 3 miles without breaking stride. By the time they are done, the show dogs are pooped and Ruby is ready to go again. Too bad her humans aren't!! Happy 5th Ruby-Doo!!

Duchess is our rescue Pembroke and is Queen of all she surveys. We acquired her when she was 8 weeks old and has been our constant companion ever since. Ever one to tell you what she thinks and then reiterate the same opinion, just to make sure you got it the first time, she is loved by all who meet her. She also had a rough start, primarily due to her tendency for urinary tract infections. She has been on special food to combat this problem for years. Her weight ballooned up to around 30lbs. After years of hard work and cutting back her food intake, she is now down to a very svelte 24.5lbs, and looks better than she has since she was 2. Before, she would lay on the couch, grumble at the other dogs, but not do much of anything else. Although, if she got off her throne, the other dogs ran in the opposite direction, as no one wanted to feel her wrath!! Now, she is constantly on the go, playing fetch, wrestling with the younger dogs, playing chase, and generally being the wonderful Pembroke she is. None of the others still mess with her, except Ransom, but then again, we think he's either got a wire crossed upstairs or, as the saying goes, "he just ain't that bright". hehe Happy 7th Duchess!!! Long Live the Queen!!!!

By Popular Demand...

Here are the kids each at roughly a year old. Please stop back often, as we will be editing this post as we get updated photos of everyone.

Lucy (aka Shiraz):














Kiki (aka Chianti):













Cristal:












Merlot:

Wine Litter Turns One Year Old

That's right, the "Wine Litter" turns 1 today! Cristal and Merlot are "aging well" and coming right along in the show ring. Lucy (aka Shiraz), Zen (aka Zin), Porter (aka Port), and Kiki (aka Chianti) are currently charming the socks off their owners and owning the couches in their respective homes.

It's hard to believe that they are one year old already. It seems like just yesterday they looked like this:

Honor Roll and On A Roll

It's definitely been awhile since I posted, but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy. Many shows (highlights to follow), picnics (fabulous IA corgi frap and picnic), and family events (Happy 80th Grandpa!) have come and gone. No excuses, I know, but it's all I have at the moment. ;o)

I do want to pass along that it has been a fabulous year for our furkids. We (collectively) have actually finished 4 Cardis that we either own outright, or co-own with our dear friends at Foggy Bottom/Summit. So, without further ado, here is the honor roll of the new champions of 2009:

CH Camelot's Maiden Voyage aka Emmy
CH Sumjammin Changes N L'Attitude FB aka Bear
CH Sumjammin Five O'Clock Somewhere FB aka Frank
CH Sumjammin Come Monday FB aka Dove

We want to send out a huge thank you to Alec, Bekka, and Kim for finishing Dove this past weekend in Gray Summit with a 4pt major on Saturday and earning that last single by going WB/BOS on Sunday. Way to go team!!! This is the same star team that also finished Frankie earlier this summer in WI, and have been kicking some tail with the litter's older half brother Russ. They have definitely been on a roll!!!

Phantom has also been on a roll of his own. He has won a few Bests of Breed this summer, and earned a Group 2 in Cedar Rapids at the end of last month. He was among some very stellar company, and was defeated by the #5 Herding Dog, a wonderful Old English Sheepdog named Mr. Winston, who went on to win Best in Show that day. We have been working hard to get Phantom into the Top 20 in the breed and earn him an invitation to Eukanuba. This would be a first for us and we are excited to be close.

As of August 31, he is #20 in Cardigans defeated, #16 in All Breed dogs defeated, and #18 in the Eukanuba standings, with the top 25 receiving invites.

As for the things to do:

Bear made his specials debut in Des Moines on Labor Day weekend, and handled all of the hubub really well. He hadn't been shown since he finished at the end of June, so he's still learning the ropes. He still has some growing up to do, both physically and mentally, but he's coming along just fine.

Cristal earned her first point in La Crosse in August, and is growing up so fast! Bekka has been at the helm from the start with her, so they are both learning the ropes together and doing a wonderful job.

We would like to have 5 champions this year, if we could ever get that last elusive major for Ransom, and not go Reserve...again...

Happy Barkday Phantom!!

We were almost bad parents and almost forgot to wish Phantom a Happpy Barkday. It's so hard to believe that he came into our lives 4 years ago.

So, in commemoration, here's a picture of him the day we brought him home:

And then here he is at the end of June in Vermillion, SD:

Vermillion, SD

We had a fantastic weekend in Vermillion, SD...probably the best show weekend we've ever had.

Saturday started off with Ransom winning WD/OS for his last single point he needed under breeder judge Candy Kramer. He now only needs that last major to finish. Then, we went to Cardis, and Merlot (co-owned with Cindy McDonald and co) was WB/BOW/BOS for her first 3pt major. Bear was RWD to Garrett's Justice. Then, Phantom won BOB and won a GROUP 1!!!! It is our first group win. He not only had his A game going, but turned it up to his A+ game in the group and the judge absolutely loved him. Unfortunately, he was a little over the top for BIS but the judge looked at him and gave him his due, but we came away empty handed. Oh well, it was a lot of fun being out there, and we both had a ball.

Sunday was just as much fun but in other ways. Ransom was WD/BOB over a nice special bitch, but unfortunately, no points. He did get to play in the group and had as good of a time as he could considering how hot it was. Bear was WD/BOW for his final major and is now a CH (pending AKC approval). He is our first BBE CH, and Phantom's first offspring to finish. He never put a foot out of place and was gaited with the 3 specials around the ring, and was able to be with them stride for stride.

The other results were Justice was WD on Saturday - Yay Garrett!! Breezy was RWB on Saturday, and did you win on Sunday too Sarah? I was busy in the back of the tent keeping the boys under control and away from the girls in season. ;o) Pepper was WB/BOS on Sunday for a 3pt major. Congrats to Rick Penkava for Pepper's first major!

Sulley won a hard earned BOB and a Group 4 on Sunday after outdueling Picasso, Phantom, Bear, and Pepper. I will also add (and others who were present can corroborate this) that the judge had one heck of a time finding her BOB winner. It was - close!! Of the 5 dogs in the ring, not one of them was totally out of the picture until she started pointing. We were gaited around the ring no fewer than 6 times, and yes we WERE counting!!! The judge was raving about the Cardi entry as we were having Bear's picture taken, and said the quality she saw was impressive, and said that she had a hard time with the BOB class, as she would have been proud to put up any of the five dogs. Way to go breeders!!!!!!

Oh, and I must not forget that Corgi wannabes (hehe) Darby and Hawk charmed the heck out of the judge (and us too!) and Hawk was BOB and made a cut in group...Yay Sarah!! See what happens when you listen to Sherri?? ;o)
Oh...puppy groups on Saturday...Mitchum (the other Corgi wannabe hehe) was G1, Darby the Valhund was G2, and Justice was G4, I believe.

Congrats to all the winners, and thanks to everyone who braved the heat and stayed and cheered us on in Group and BIS. It meant a lot to us to be able to share the wins with many of our friends.

Back to Back in the Group!!!

We had a great weekend in Moberly, MO last weekend (the show part anyway...we ALWAYS have a great time when we're not showing hehe). We went to the show hoping that Bear could pull off his last major and finish, Phantom could pull off a breed win or two, and lots of other high hopes, just like every other exhibitor. Well, the Cardis all had a great time, showed as well as we could hope for, but came up short in the points department. The best we got in the classes were class wins by Cristal and Marg, a pair of 2nds by Frank, and a pair of 3rds by Bear. Frank also was Reserve Winner's Dog yesterday, so he did his part to restore a little family pride. Phantom made Russ work to earn his Best of Breed on Saturday, and he showed just as well on Sunday, but still no purple and gold ribbon. Oh well, it's a dog show!! There's another one this coming weekend!!

Ransom was the only Pembroke entered, but boy did he ever let the world know he was there!! He kind of sleep walked through the breed judging, but since he was the only entrant, I let him relax a little and just pretty much go through the motions. It was a hot, rainy, muggy weekend, and I didn't want him tired out when he still had to show for group. Well, we got to group, and he decided to wake up and turn on the energy and personality. I lined him up behind the Sheltie, who is a top Herding dog and the #1 Sheltie. I knew that Ransom would feed off that dog's energy, and did he ever!! He turned up the energy level to new heights and showed the world that he's here to stay!! He won a Group 3 on Saturday and a Group 4 on Sunday!!!

This was the first time our dogs have ever gone back to back in the group. I know it's not a new thing for a lot of breeder/owner/handlers in either breed, and even with Phantom having 10 group placements, he had never been able to manage two placements in a weekend. Ransom did it from the classes, and already has 3 placements (a Group 2, 3, and 4) in less than a year of showing. Now if we can just find that last major to finish him....

Please Remember

Happy Memorial Day to all, and please remember all those who still serve our country, those who have served, and especially those who have given the ultimate sacrifice, so that we may have the freedoms we enjoy.

These are a couple of pictures we took at the Pearl Harbor Memorial when we were in Hawaii on December 5, 2002 (two days before the anniversary of the attack). The first is a picture of the memorial that was dedicated to the crew of the USS Arizona, and lists all 1,177 sailors and marines who lost their lives on that fateful day in 1941. Today, the Arizona still leaks oil which floats to the surface of Pearl Harbor. This is referred to by all military service members stationed at Pearl Harbor as the "Tears of the Arizona". We were able to catch a picture of the tears, and that is the second image. Lest We Forget.

One Shot Wonder Strikes Again!!

We heard throughout the night from Cindy that Phantom is again a daddy. With only one breeding, he sired a litter of 6....4 girls (finally!!) and 2 boys. The colors are all reds and brindles.

Shooter, the mom of the litter, is the littermate to Marg, who produced the Jimmy Buffett litter, again after only one breeding, that includes Frank, Dove, and our Bear.

Cindy is so happy with the fact that Boo gave her more girls this time around, that she said he has redeemed himself and is allowed over for visits anytime he wishes. The theme for the litter, due to the Memorial Day holiday is Patriotic. Check out her website for pictures and names as they grow.

Way to go "One Shot Wonder!!"

The Power of Persuation....From A Crate

Grandpa Fred is good at keeping all of the boys under control. Some days he's REAL good....then there's this episode:

Russ and Bear were both on lead at the show and socializing rather well. They are half-brothers and are very much alike in looks and attitude. They boys started wrestling and playing, like they always do, while Kim and I were chatting. Next thing I know, I look down and Bear was on his side submissing peeing on the floor. I look over at Russ, and he had done the EXACT same thing!!!! No other dogs were in sight!! It was the funniest darned thing I have ever seen!!! Kim and I both had a REAL good laugh and decided that they had seen Grandpa Fred in each other's faces, and rolled over to him!!!

Where was Fred? In a crate about 10 feet away, sound asleep!!!! Now that's the power of persuation!!!!

Adventures of Frick and Frack - The Bonehead Edition

Just when we thought these two were making great strides in not being "Frick and Frack", they have a Dumb and Dumber moment....like trying to eat a bumblebee in flight. *sigh*

Not Much Going On

I haven't been blogging recently due to the fact that there hasn't been a whole lot going on that hasn't been covered elsewhere. Frick and Frack, or Dumb and Dumber if you prefer, have actually been behaving themselves recently, other than one little incident that I'll get into in just a sec.

In a whirlwind, here's what has been going on around the house...

• Bekka has become a domestic goddess...she is re-landscaping the backyard, planting grass seed and placing stones where there once was mud
• Bekka has pulled up a shrub from the front yard that was next to our Oak tree, and is in the process of planting flowers
• Bekka is pulling up carpet in her room and re-flooring with wood-looking vinyl stuff...looks great!
• Bekka is also re-painting her room a gorgeous shade of light purple (called Elizabethan)
• Bekka finished painting the basement, rearranged all of the dog kennels, re-organized everything else down there, sorted dog supplies and have shelves for everything (labels facing forward of course!)

Yes, she has been a godsend to us for getting so much done around the house. She has a laundry list a mile long of things she wants to do. Oh, and she said that she would hire out IF...the price is right ;o) (You will have to ask her what her price is hehe)

We went to the Seward, NE show the weekend after Nationals, and were awarded with a Winner's Dog on Ransom, 2 Best of Breed wins with Phantom, 2 cuts in the group and a Group 4, and Cristal was RWB both days.

Oh...and as far as Ransom goes, the little goofball stubbed his toe pretty bad on the Tuesday before the Seward show. It was bad enough that we made a trip to the vet to make sure nothing was broken, and he was placed on Rimadyl. We promised the vet that if he was still gimpy by Saturday we wouldn't show him. Well, that wasn't the issue. By Saturday, he moved fine...the problem was with the Rimadyl...seems it really got him stoned. LOL We had him off the Rimadyl by Friday morning but he was still feeling the effects all weekend. Those who know him best can honestly vouch for the fact that he is a TOTAL cookie monster....hungry is a permanent mindset for this dog. Well, when he was "under the influence" I waved garlic roasted chicken, steak, and even his favorite snickerdoodles under his nose and got NO reaction. THEN, to top it all off....he fell asleep in the Best of Breed ring on Sunday!!! Yes, he made it through the classes and was wiped out by breed. I take him in the ring, and he stacks himself beautifully, and as I'm looking at what the judge is doing, I hear this little nasally snore. I look down and there he is...on his feet, hasn't moved a muscle, eyes closed and snoring. Greeeeeeeeeeeeat....my dog just fell asleep on the judge. Oh well, we took our single point and went home, but he was the laughing stock of the Pem entry that day. Come to find out that some dogs get this way on Rimadyl and it's just like a person's tolerance to an over the counter drug...how it affects one person may not necessarily affect another person the same way. Seems that's why they create warning labels. Now we know...no more Rimadyl for him!!

Oh and let's see...we also went to Kim and Kathy's wedding and spent the night at Foggy Bottom. We were helping dog wrangle Shaker and Music. Okay, so wrangling Music wasn't an issue, but keeping Shaker quiet and occupied was interesting to say the least. He was a good boy, but just decided he had to put in his two cents worth during the ceremony...okay so it was more like 5 bucks, but who was counting? ;o) He even got to help "give away" his moms. The pastor asked him if he was giving them away and he looked at him, barked once, and then turned around and walked away without a backward glance. Absolutely priceless.

We then spent the night with the Foggy Bottom crew and had a wonderful Sunday morning. All 8 of our kids got to run on the farm, and we about came home two dogs short. It seems that Emmy decided that she needed to stay behind and keep Meredith in line, and rid the world of all of those evil birds, and went to the door of the house with her instead of to the truck to come home. Needless to say, she had to be CARRIED to the truck. She wasn't happy. Oh, and Meredith also took a shine to Cristal and Cristal to Meredith, and Bekka had to do some seriously fast talking to get Meredith to give up the lead. It seems a swap with Alec's dog wasn't part of the deal.

Now we're back to showing again...off to Rock Island this weekend and then Gardner, KS next weekend. Hopefully we'll come home with two new champions, as Frick and Frack both need one major to finish.

Nationals Wrap

Yes, I know I'm a lot late in getting this posted. With that being said, I'm not going to rehash any of the events, as you can easily find them on multiple blogs.

But, I will brag on my kids and tell you how we did! :o)

• Bear got his Herding Instinct Certificate
• Phantom made the cut in the Megan competition
• Phantom was 4th in Stud dog, with Bear and Frank as his progeny
• Bear's mom Marge was 2nd in Brood Bitch with Frank and Russ as her progeny
• Dove was 4th in the 9-12 month bitch class

We also had tons of rave reviews on all of the kids (even Ransom who was the group mascot), so it was a very productive and rewarding week.

On to Seward this weekend!!

First Word In From Nationals

From what we heard, it's been a rainy, miserable couple of days that were topped off by a ruined pair of shoes, waterlogged cell phone, mud, and soaking wet clothes and hair. Yup, you guessed it...it was the Herding Trial!! Combine this with last year's hail storm and I guess someone Upstairs is having a lot of fun with the herding folks!!

Poor Bekka lost a pair of shoes and isn't sure just how much longer her cell phone will work, as it was in her jacket pocket, which got soaked, hence the waterlogging. What a way to start off your first Nationals!! At least the rest of the week is indoors, so at least we'll be clean and dry!

On the Herding instinct front, Bear and Russ (of Cardi Corgi Capers fame) passed their instinct tests. Way to go boys!!!

We are leaving this afternoon for Topeka, and can't wait for the fun to begin!

See you there!!

CH Emmy and the Eventful Weekend

It was a great weekend for Winjammin' and our partners at Foggy Bottom in the cold and snow (yuck!) in De Witt, IA.

It all started with an 8am Saturday ringtime...Double YUCK!!! I don't know about all you other dog exhibitors out there and whether or not you are morning people. We all are NOT morning people. So, these god-awful early showtimes are not fun to deal with, and it's funny to say, but the dogs don't do early mornings either!

So, here we are with the Pembrokes right at 8am, and Ransom and another class dog are first in the ring. The judge greets us and then we start the showing routine. No mysteries here...around the rather large ring (which he cut in half by using a folding chair as he said Corgis don't need that much room to move) and on the table. Exam is over, and then he says, "Ok, now give me an L pattern". There were a rather large *POP* in my head as I tried to wrap my sleep-fogged brain around the fact that I had to remember how the $#@% to do an L pattern at 8 in the freakin' morning. Thank goodness the other class dog had to go first so I could watch out of the corner of my eye, as I was setting Ransom up on the table. Ok...my turn.

Exam over, Ransom was a little wiggly, but if you know Ransom, he is always wiggly ;o). Now for the pattern. Down to the corner, turn left, turn around and switch hands so the dog is on the inside of the ring, and then one last lead switch back to my left hand in the far corner to complete the pattern. This was the first time I had done an L in an actual show. I've done them in practice matches and handling seminars, but never in a show. Ransom had never done one period, and he handled it with his usual flair...looking at me for cues as I was doing the lead switches, and then smiling at the judge right after each switch to show him that yes, we did do it correctly. LOL We were told after we came out of the ring that we deserved an Awart of Merit for being the only exhibitor to correctly do the pattern. Thanks Laura!!! :o)

We go on to win Winner's Dog for a point, and then it was time for the Cardigans. Bear was the first Cardi in the ring, and he did pretty well with the strange pattern, only a few struggles with the lead changes. The judge really seemed to like him and gave us first in the class. Brother Frankie goes in for BBE and shows like a seasoned vet and wins his class. One more class dog and then it was back in the ring for Winner's Dog. The judge sat back against the exam table and just watched and watched Frank and Bear, and you could just see his mind turning, trying to decide who he liked better. Of course for Alec and I, we didn't really care who won, as we win either way since we co-own both boys. Finally, everyone was back up on the table again, and once more around the ring....and the judge points to Frankie. Bear got bored had started to act a little squirrelly so I'm sure it didn't help his case any. Then the judge pointed to Bear for Reserve. Good deal!!

The girls were the big entry for the weekend, so we all had to split the handling duties, and we were without our Ringer, as Meredith had a previous commitment and wasn't there. So, we enlisted Bekka to show Dove, as a warmup for her showing "her" dog Cristal at the National. This was Bek's first time in the ring, and she handled it like a seasoned pro. She had watched what was going on, Dove just let her take control and they made a great team. Emmy went in and showed just like she always does...always on her game and always the consummate professional. No flash, no antics, just all business. Now, some judges hate that, but this judge just loved it and awarded her Winner's Bitch for her last major and final 3 points to make her a champion. She will now and forever be known as CH Camelot's Maiden Voyage.

Now it was time for Best of Breed, and there was a lot of scrambling going on, as we had Russ, Phantom, Frank, and Emmy all in the ring at the same time. So, the roll call went out and Cindy took in Russ, Rus had Phantom, Alec had Frank,and Bekka had Emmy. Russ is getting better by the show and is really starting to come into his own. Give him a little more time to mature and get a few more shows under his belt, and he's going to be one tough customer in the breed ring!!! Phantom was at Camp Foggy Bottom all week shacking up with his girlfriend Shooter, so he had girls on the brain but still managed to pull himself together enough to make us look respectable. The class kids kept getting better the more they were in the ring, and with the other 4 specials out there, it was a large class of very nice looking dogs. I didn't envy the judge one bit. It was going to be one tough pick.

The final tally was CH Turnkey's Little Big Man for BOB (and later a Group 3), CH Bendi's Little Piece of Heaven for BOS and Frank was BOW for the major.

Then it was off to Kim's and Gibson Ranch for the Italian feast and lots of wine and conversation. After way too much wonderful food, Sherilyn's awesome unknown cheesecake, more wine, after dinner cocktails, and did I mention the wine? We had a great time, and even the dogs seemed to sense the party mood and everyone had a WONDERFUL time. Eventually the early morning caught up with us all and everyone was off to bed at a decent time....well at least for us.

The next morning greeted us with snow and sleet on the gorund which made for a slower drive to the show. Thank goodness for later ring times!!!

Ransom was first up again, and unfortunately, the other exhibitor was not feeling up to snuff, so she stayed home (probably smarter than we were!). So Ransom won Winner's Dog by default, and then won Best of Opposite Sex to the special.

Bear repeated his performance with a Reserve again, only this time to Connie's Levi. We moved Emmy up to Best of Breed, so we had no girls to show, but Meredith was back and showed Dove so well that they were awarded Winner's Bitch for Dove's first points and major. The whole audience exploded with applause and a stunned Meredith collected her ribbon. I think she finally smiled a little bit when she got back to her mom and got a hearty pat on the back from everyone.

Then it was time for Best of Breed. Alec went in with Russ, Rus had Phantom, Cindy took in Emmy, and Meredith had Dove. Russ is still coming on strong and showed well. Phantom took the breath away of several people with his movement, and many a "Oh my!! How pretty!" were heard. Cindy and Emmy were quite the team as well....all business all professional....all the time. Meredith and Dove also kept getting better and better, and I don't think either one of them had a foot out of place all day.

Phantom was pulled out for comparison with the eventual Best of Breed and Opposite Sex winners, but got nothing in the end. Sonja's Maggie was BOB with Chelsea on the lead, the Turnkey dog was BOS, and Meredith and Dove were BOW.

Then it was time to pack up and load down Kim's Suburban with all of the show gear, which she is most graciously taking with her to Nationals.

All in all....3 major wins on 3 different dogs, one new CH, 2 Reserves (one to a major), and 3 WD wins on two different dogs. That's a pretty good weekend in my book!!

On to Kansas and Chasing Rainbows!!!

Foggy Bottom Visit

Cindy and Alec came for a short visit and to do a doggie swap on Saturday morning. Boo went back to Cedar Rapids with them so he could go visit the FB girls for the week, while Grandpa Fred stayed behind to keep order, and the boys in line. It was a fun time and Cindy and Alec even brought along a few hitchhikers, in the form of Moose, Merlot, Shooter, and Turner. Turner decided he'd much rather stay out by the truck, so he camped out outside, while the other three (four counting Fred) came in to say hi to the Corgi 9.


Shooter was content to roam the back yard and take in all of the good "city smells". Moose and Merlot came through the door like they've lived here for years, instead of being frequent visitors. Moose planted himself on the couch after a brief "hello" with his best buddy Boo. Merlot was promptly pounced upon by Chianti and Cristal and the frap was on!! All of the other dogs frantically scrambled to get out of their way as they rolled, chased and nipped each other, and anyone else who got in their way (mostly Bear).


By the time the girls got their running out of the way, they were a little winded and actually stopped long enough to compare the length of their tongues. We're not sure who they decided had the longer tongue, but we'll let you, our faithful readers, vote. So, here they are...from left to right: Chianti, Cristal, Merlot

Doin' It Ransom Style!!!

Ransom decided that last weekend's Dubuque, IA dog show was a fine time for a coming out party. And boy did he ever do it with style!!!

He was Winner's Dog, Best of Winners and Best of Breed for 1 more championship point under judge Carl Gene Liepmann on Saturday. We were very proud of the little man, as he is now truly figuring out the show thing, and realizes that he gets the "good cookies" at the shows. This day, the mystery "good cookies" were beef and chicken fajita meat.

He was so into the bait that by the time we got to the group ring, he was positively humming with anticipation. As the "short dogs" in the Herding Group, the Corgis are last in line, and he loves being the last of the last in line. When it became time for him to show to the judge, he just had to do it "Ransom style".

His bunny butt was just wiggling all over the place when the judge walked up to examine him on the table. She said, "My, we have the wiggles today!" She sweet talked him into holding still for exactly 7.5 seconds (not really), so she could examine him, before allowing him to get one more wiggle in.

Then it was off the table, straighten any mussed fur (there wasn't any), hike up the collar and off we went. The arena absolutely exploded with cheers and applause, as he went for his down and back. He was flying right along and just ate up the cheers. We get back to the judge, he turns so his whole judging side is facing the judge, plants his feet better than I could ever do it, and just stands there, rock solid....not moving a muscle. There was this VERY audible "OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH and AAAAAAHHHHHHH" that came from the crowd as the judge walked a 360 degree circle around him. This specific moment in time is, in the dog showing world, called a "Kodak Moment" because the dog is letter perfect. It only happens once in maybe 100 shows for a dog but you really know when it happens. Well, this was Ransom's Kodak Moment.

The judge told us to go ahead and move back to our position in line, and right after I spun him around to go back to our spot, he turns his head to the judge, bats his eyes, and gives her this HUGE grin that said, "You GOTTA love me!!" and off we went to another thunderous applause. Onlookers swear the judge melted at that look.

Now we are stacked and ready for the judge to do her final look around. Again, Ransom is feeling it and is letter perfect, and not moving. Then the judge is walking past us and looking, looking, looking. Ransom looks over at her, acknowledges her presence, and then looks back at the cookie. Then she turns and walks away towards the front of the line. I slip Ransom a little treat, quickly pull my hand back and count my fingers. Yep...all there.

Now the judge is pulling what we call her "laundry list" or some people call it the "short list". She goes all the way down the line pulling out what will eventually become her top 6, of which 4 will get a placement. She points at us!!! WHOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!

We quickly move to the end of the shorter line but have to wait behind the Sheltie for everyone else to clear the ring!!! I start to sweat at this point, as some judges won't wait and keep going, which never bodes well for the dogs in the back of the line. But, this judge just stands there, and waits patiently for the ring to clear and then for us to get in place on the mat and get stacked up. Then she sends everyone around one at a time. We go trucking right along, and as he goes past the judge, yep, you guessed it, he looks right at the judge and SMILES!!!! That little snot!!! In the same motion, he turns his head back and keeps right on going.

We get back to our place in the back of the line, again the judge waiting on us to get set, and then she starts picking....Old English Sheepdog....what's this??? She's coming right at us, and POINTS!!!!! Oh my Dog!!!!! She puts us in the 2nd slot, and then points to the Briard and the Sheltie. Then she points 1-2-3-4!!! The place erupts again!!! You could have bowled me over with a feather!!

We then go to get our picture taken and her comment to me was, "He's an onery little snit, isn't he?!" I replied, "Yes he is....every day, but we love it." She chuckled and said, "So do I".

Thank you Mrs. Edna K. (Katie) Gammill for putting up our 12 month old puppy for a truly wonderful win!!

Sunday rolls around and Ransom is a total slug first thing in the morning. We think he's tired from all of the excitement of yesterday. He finally wakes up right as he walks into the ring, as he remembers the fajita smell from yesterday and immediately tries to eat my fingers instead of the bait. Yep, they're still all there...but just barely. He's still a little flat as we go around the ring, but still manage to hold on to win Winner's Dog, Best of Winners, and Best of Breed under Mrs. Gammill, for one more point.

We put him in his kennel to rest and by the time I had his lead put away, he was on his back and unconscious....snoring....LOUDLY. Great....this'll be fun later.

We roust him up about 45 minutes before group starts to see just how tired he really is. Yep...pretty darned tired and he still has to survive the group ring. Cindy makes a hasty run to the local Irish tea shop for some honey straws. We need sugar....well, HE needs sugar!! While Sherilyn is grooming him, Alec is sitting nearby keeping Ransom company, eating some of his mom's homemade snickerdoodles. He waves it in front of Ransom's nose and he about flies off the table. HEY!! New bait!!! So, our mystery cookie for this day is Snickerdoodles. I break up two cookies, and hold a small piece of chicken breast in my pocket for emergency reserve. We're ready to go!

For the most of group, it's a repeat of the day before. He's wiggly on the table, thunderous applause, and a big smile for the judge after a SECOND Kodak Moment, that again, elicited many oooohhhhs and aaaaahhhhhs. We make the cut again!!!! But, unfortunately, we didn't get pointed at for the big ribbons, but that's ok!!! He was in the top 6 for the second time in as many days.

What a weekend!!! Holy smokes!!

Oh, and as far as the rest of the crew goes, Ransom's partner in crime, Bear, won Winner's Dog and Best of Winners on Saturday for two more points, and little sister Cristal finished second in her class behind littermate Merlot (aka LS) at the fun match.

Columbia, MO show

We went to the Columbia, MO show last weekend and had a real fun time with the folks down there. Everyone had their dogs out getting them ready for the National, so we had a large entry, with lots of nice dogs.

Our own kids represented us very well on Saturday. Bear was Winner's Dog out of the Bred-By Exhibitor class and went on to win Best of Winners for a crossover 5 point major!! He showed his heart out for us and acted VERY pleased with himself the rest of the day, and yes, he had Outback steak as part of his dinner. Phantom was Best of Breed both days over 3 nice specials (there were 4 on Sunday after Dave and Cathy Porter moved their just finished Zoey up). He also got pulled in group. Emmy was her little professional self as always, but was 2nd in her class. Ransom also won his class but went no farther.

Sunday wasn't as good, but were still very pleased with the results. Bear was still able to win Reserve Winner's Dog after being spooked by the slamming doors that sounded like gunshots going off while he was showing. I'm not sure if he ever put his ears up while he was in the ring. Emmy was 2nd in her class again, and Ransom was also 2nd in his class.

It was good to see the MO crowd again, and touch base with those who we hadn't seen since the last National. We can't wait to see everyone again next month at the National. It hardly seems possible.

Here are the results, and congrats to all the winners:
Sat -
BOB - Phantom
BOS - Marion Johnson's Lilly
WD/BOW - Bear
WB - Dave and Cathy Porter's Zoey (congrats on finishing her!!)

Sun -
BOB - Phantom
BOS - Marion's Lilly
WB/BOW - Don and Jacque's Lilly (I know, confusing, right? ;o) )
WD - Dona Caldwell's BBE boy (Notzmo Motley Blue)

P.S. - Hey Dave, so much for Zoey not listening to you while Cathy was showing another dog, huh?? ;o) Congrats again to you both!!

P.P.S. - Hey Sarah...you better make sure you know where your little Valhund baby is next time we're at a show together!! ;o) She's ADORABLE!!!!!!! Are we going to see her again at Nationals???

They Got Even

This blog has been primarily for Frick and Frack, also known in our house as Dumb and Dumber after the Collie weekend, and all of their misadventures. Well, that doesn't mean that the older kids have ceased to live it up. Hence today's entry.

Last night, I think even the dogs realized it was Monday. Or they have cabin fever...not sure which. They decided to take out all of their frustrations on us all at once.

We usually let the big kids out first when we get home from work at night, so they can have the run of upstairs while we let the pups run under supervision. So, the order is: Phantom, Ruby and Duchess go first. Then Emmy and Dream, followed by Frick and Frack. Finally the puppies are let out, and Frick and Frack are asked to babysit in the house while we change clothes and do whatever is needed in the office, before we go make dinner. Usually this arrangement works out pretty well, other than some pretty rowdy puppy play once in awhile.

Segue to last night. The first two groups were let out and then let upstairs to run off some excess energy while puppies were let out. Well, evidently they weren't too happy with having to wait for mom and dad to come back upstairs. So, they decided to create their own entertainment. They broke into the dremel case and found the package containing the extra barrels. Well, they decided that carrying the package and throwing it through the house wasn't fun enough, so they finished tearing it open and strung all the barrels out on the floor.

My, what tasty goodies these are!! Yup, you guessed it....they had sandpaper chewies!! By this time, I get back upstairs and see them all chewing on something. I yell, "Drop it" and "It's MINE", and they scatter. When the Big Dog barks, they ALL run.

I didn't think at the time to count how many barrels I found on the floor, but I'm pretty sure they were all accounted for. They all got a stern talking to, and needless to say, it was VERY quiet in the house for quite awhile last night....GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Adventures of Frick and Frack - They Have A New Nickname!

I must preface this episode by saying that Lace, the Smooth Collie, was a saint all weekend and did nothing to instigate any of the antics described below.

We had several houseguests this last weekend for the dog show, like we do every year. This year, I think we strained the seams of the house, as we had 8 humans and 19 dogs under the same roof. The great thing is that everydog got along well and rotation was the word of the day. The breed list went something like this: 1 Pomeranian, 1 Smooth Collie, 2 Pembrokes, and 15 Cardigans (four 4 month olds, four 8 month olds, and 7 adults). At times it looked like a 3 ring circus, which is pretty much what it was, and it was REALLY fun seeing how our kids, who don't regularly interact with Collies and Poms except when they go visit Aunt Cindy, handled having them on their turf.

Phantom and Ransom thought Lace was all that, AND a bag of chips. They both thought they could breed her, even though she wasn't in season. Phantom spent most of the weekend following Lace and listening to her grumble about him. The few times she turned around to give him a piece of her mind, he thought it was foreplay, and she would grumble some more and walk away. And the humor only got better!!!

Ransom for his part, loved Lace as well. This poor girl!! He also tried to breed her, but when she would turn around, he would jump and push his front feet off her side, and then run in front of her, throw himself on his back, belly up, with the look of, "Don't Eat Me!" Lace completely ignored him, would step over or around him, and keep walking. Ransom would then jump up, run to get two steps in front of her, and throw himself on the floor in front of her again. He repeated this every time she was pacing in the living room, which was often. Comedy had arrived.

Bear on the other hand, took one look at Lace, and thought he was in trouble. His eyebrows went to the top of his head, eyes the size of dinner plates, and stayed at least 3 feet away from her with the look of, "OMG!! IT'S YOU!!!" I'm not sure what he did at Cindy's to merit the looks he gave Lace, but it must've been good. He did everything he could to stay away from her all weekend. Lace saw this as a way to get even, and provide herself with a little humor, Collie style. Every time she would see Bear on the couch behaving himself or laying on the floor with a bone, she would saunter over towards him. Most of the time he never saw her until she was within a foot of him, which I'm not sure how one misses a blue merle Smooth Collie walking in a sea of Corgis. He would then practically kill himself to get away from her, to include trying to climb up the back of the couch. Lace would then just sit down and watch him squirm. Eventually she would get tired of the whole thing and wander off, only to have Ransom pull his antics, or Phantom try to get her to be his girlfriend.

Now, we have the Pomeranian, Tango. She also lives with the Corgis, and very much takes care of herself and lets the others know what's what. She spent the weekend with whomever was out and running around. Ransom thought she was grand fun. He tried to push her over on her side with his front feet. She told him off. He came back for more, his little bunny butt going as fast as it could. She'd chase him through the house, running as fast as her little legs could go (and boy is she fast!!), and Ransom would still circle behind her, and snap his jaws at her heels, she'd spin around, and he'd be off. I think he called this game "Spin the Pom". This would go on for at least an hour, before we felt sorry for poor Tango and put Ransom in his crate.

Cristal and Chianti got to play with Port and Merlot (aka Little Sh#t) again, and they haven't slept that good in a LONG time. The girls had an absolute blast chasing their littermates all over the house.

Needless to say we had controlled chaos at our house, but it was a lot of fun. And during this whole Collie episode, Frick and Frack received a new nickname.....Dumb and Dumber. If you could have witnessed the weekend, you would have believed it.

Adventures of Frick and Frack - Westminster Edition

So we settled in last night to watch Westminster on the big screen. The big kids were out with us and settled in across laps and pillows with their favorite chewing toys. Everyone was happy, which considering the mud bowl that is our yard prevented anyone from getting their lunchtime romp, is a miracle. I digress...

The Hound Group comes in the ring and no one notices. That is, until a Beagle starts baying. Yup, it's all over. Bear and Ransom are right up nose to nose with the tv barking their fool heads off. After much yelling and lots of squirts from the listerine squirt bottle, they settle down again. This time, however, they are watchful of those big bad doggies on tv. Then, the Borzoi starts it's down and back. Obviously it was going to come through the tv and eat everyone (NOT!). Yup, there those two go again. And when they start to bark, so does everyone else in the house.

Finally we were able to quiet everyone and the boys both started to watch again...Ransom with a bored expression, but Bear was rather interested. We told him that he needed to learn how to show like all those big dogs. He looked at us, looked at the tv, looked at us again, sighed, laid his head back onto the pillow and watched.

By the time the Herding Group was on, he was on his back, sound asleep, with his feet waving in the air. He was obviously not absorbing the lessons...

Sherilyn Made It Into The Ring

Yes folks...you read the headline correctly. Sherilyn actually ventured into the ring, and not just the "Reserve Ring" as she is so proud of mentioning. She claims to be the "Reserve Queen", and only goes in for the Reserves. Not this weekend.

We got into a little bit of a bind this weekend at the St. Joseph, MO shows. My normal handler backups, Cindy, Alec, and Meredith,all decided to stay home and conserve money for Nationals later this spring. My other backups, Linda and M'Kayla were busy in other rings showing their client dogs. So, what happens? Bear decides that he LIKES to show with Dad (good thing, right?), and goes out and wins Winner's Dog two out of the three days. Friday, Linda ekes out just enough time to help us out, but Bear isn't liking this turn of events, and becomes a little butt (bad thing). Saturday, everyone is busy. So...we have a Winner's Dog and no handler, as I am showing Phantom in Best of Breed.

Sherilyn takes Bear in the ring, trying not to puke due to her nervousness, and tries to get Bear to listen. Yeah, right. Dad and Doggy Dad are in the ring having a good time and he VERY MUCH wants to be a part of it. Bear is hearing me give Boo commands and Boo's counter-barking talking back at me and bouncing all over the ring. He kept turning around and paying attention to me instead of her.

I then hear something along the lines of, "Rus, what do I do? He won't listen to me and he keeps turning around." I tell her to wave the food under his nose (He's 7 months old and lives to eat), cinch up the collar, and the other usual handler stuff. Our friend Paul is standing right in front of her with his special, and so helpfully chimes in, "Just kick him...he'll pay attention then!" LOL We all start laughing, and Bear promptly parks his rear end right on Sherilyn's shoe.

By this time, as anyone who handles a dog on a regular basis but can remember those terrifying first few trips to the ring, time has seemingly stood positively still for the last month, but you're moving like you're late for work. Thoughts are slow in coming and reactions are very quick. Sherilyn realizes that if she turns Bear around so that he can comfortably see Dad and Boo, that maybe he'll behave. So she executes a gorgeous spin and places Bear facing us at an angle, which beautifully showed off his front. Bear plants his feet perfectly....ears up, neck arched, and all focus is on Dad. She says, "Where's dad?" Yup..it's a winner!! Bear gets picked for Best of Winners, and another handler is born.

99 Things

Jinnie over at Solstice Kennels passed this along, so thought I would give it a try....why don't you, too?? It's interesting to see just how much our friends have accomplished! :)

Copy and paste, then bold the things you’ve done and unbold the things you haven’t done. Have fun with it! I agree with Jinnie...there are SO many things on here I'd love to do, or need to do! Sherilyn

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charitity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child (when my ex adopted my daughter, I acutally had to adopt her, too)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (not a real cruise, but a dinner cruise in Hawaii, so I'm going to count it until Rus takes me on a REAL cruise!)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (does my Grandma's house count where my aunt was born??)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (well, my teachers in school tried to teach me, but I learned more Spanish when I lived in South Texas...and too many of the bad words! hehe)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (used to fish when I was a kid)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Cleaning Up After The Weekend

Ok....who forgot their dog after last weekend?!?!?!?!

Wordless Wednesday

A Night of Nights

Wow, I sure don't know what karma or whatever we had against us last night, but man, we can sure do without that again!! Not sure what I mean? Well, let me give you a rundown of our evening...

We were to meet Henrey and Kristy (our junior handlers) at our house at 5:30 last night so they could pick up a computer for their mom's birthday that they had purchased from me. It was to be a surprise for her, so her mom had no knowledge of this. I had everything ready to go for them when they got to our house, except for the monitor (a Sony 19" CRT, or the tv looking ones), which was in the basement. I asked Henrey to go get the monitor and showed him which one he could have. For those of you who don't know, I work in IT and have several computers and monitors at home. So, Henrey grabs the monitor and carries it upstairs. I ask him if he was ok carrying it, and he said, sure, no problem.

So, his sister goes out of the house ahead of us to open the doors of the car, Henrey right on her heels with the monitor, and me right behind them with the tower. All of a sudden I hear this HUGE crash and I get into the garage, and Henrey is laying on the floor next to the monitor, not moving his hand. It turns out that he went into the garage, cut the corner too sharp, somehow tripped on a cooler and fell, dropping the monitor on his hand. We all thought he had broken fingers (which we later found out that nothing was broken, just mashed like you do when you shut them in a car door). So, we got him back into the house, did some quick first aid, had the kids call their mom and head home (with the present).

After they left, we let the little girls out for a quick run around to stretch their legs and family time. We picked them up to carry them downstairs so they could eat their dinner. Sherilyn was leading the way with a puppy in one arm and the baby gate in the other. Next thing I hear was ANOTHER huge crash and a loud moan. I run to the top of the stairs, and Sherilyn is laying against the wall in a heap, (to use Kim's expression) like a bad yard sale. After making sure that Sherilyn was conscious, I see the puppy off in the corner shaking, so I go to her and pick her up to check her out. She was fine....scared but fine. We think that when Sherilyn fell, she moved the puppy out from under her arm, so her body would cushion the fall for her, as she landed on her opposite side. I quickly reassured her and locked her in her crate. Then, being the outspoken puppy she is, complained about being locked up...go figure.

I then began the process of assessing what Sherilyn had done to herself. Her glasses had smashed against her face and were bent pretty bad. She had also cleared one side wall of pictures on her way down. Then the big damage was a hole in the drywall at the bottom of the stairs the size of a seedless watermelon (it's not really that big as you can see from the picture). As I looked over her head and shoulder, I think that it was her head that went through the drywall, and was DARNED lucky that she didn't break her neck in the fall.

The bad thing is that we now have to fix the hole in the wall and maybe replace her glasses frames. Not sure about that until she takes them in to get un-bent. She also has lots of carpet burns on her side, a cut by her eye from the glasses hinge, and a pretty healthy shiner. The good news is that she has no broken bones, only a very slight concussion, and the puppy is fine and dandy. The tongue in cheek good news is that we found out that she does indeed bounce when she falls. :o)

The cause: She has a bad back which causes her siatic nerve to play havoc with her left leg. Near as we can tell, her leg went numb and gave out when she put her weight on it, and down she went.

We were very fortunate that everyone was ok and only suffered minor injuries. Oh, and the time span from start to finish....35 minutes combined for both episodes. I think I'd rather watch tv...