Wow…talk about a hectic two weeks! Two weeks ago I was frantically trying to get ready for vacation: dog grooming & bathing; laundry & packing; instructions repeated ad nauseam for my husband (poor man!) I left Illinois in the wee morning hours of the 16th to catch a flight to Ft. Lauderdale. I returned home on the 20th, after spending a delightful time in Miami with our daughter who moved there a year ago. Back home, I played catch up at work and at home, especially since I was preparing to leave again for a 3-day dog show in Waukesha, WI! (You guessed it: more grooming, bathing, laundry, packing, and repeated instructions. My husband is a saint to put up with me!)
Friday I left home at midnight and my friend and I, along with 7 dogs (Lhasas and Shibas) made it safely to Waukesha early enough to find a place to set up our grooming area. Since the show is an outdoor show, we were lucky the weather for the weekend was the mildest at that show in 30 years – something that dogs and handlers (and I'm sure spectators) all appreciated. Because I was showing Mira, who is black, I was very glad for the lower than usual temperatures.
The Good: Mira showed two of the three days and took Winners Bitch both days. She earned 3 more points toward her championship and now has all the single points she needs, plus one of the two required majors. I pulled her entry on Sunday since there was no possibility of a major win that day. Now she sits at home for a few weeks while we wait for a chance at majors at an upcoming 4-day specialty and all-breed show in MN.
The Bad: Belle was entered only on Saturday and she was her usual stubborn self. When I finally coaxed her into walking a few steps, the ringside crowd clapped for us. These Lhasas keep me humble.
The Ugly: My male, Joyslyn's Heart Breaker, certainly lived up to his name on Friday! He loves to go to shows; it is just that lately he has decided the shows are fine – except for the going in the ring and showing part! That attitude was not helped on Friday when, just as he was about to enter the ring, an older woman with an unattractive voice and a faulty sound system chose that moment to announce the class placements in the Great Dane ring next to ours. Oh my… many Lhasas at ringside totally lost it then, including Breaker. He freaked out. He was skittish as he went around the ring, tail down, looking behind him, weaving from side to side, just sure "something" was going to get him. On the table, he hesitatedd to stand for examination and was shaking and pulling away. I was mortified and, of course, so concerned that the entire weekend was going to be a repeat performance.
While others had the opportunity to settle their dogs down, I did not as Breaker was the only dog in his class and we were in the ring when it happened. It was not pretty, and neither he nor I had any fun in the ring that day. Saturday and Sunday were better days for him so I'm hopeful he'll bounce back. He took 2nd out of 3 both days and on Sunday took Reserve. He is going to be a challenge that I hope I am up to meeting. I'll keep you posted.
Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you!
Joyce
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