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!!!