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.