Show Results and Some Photos

Walker on the move. I love this picture!

Early, early (like 3:30) Friday morning, Raven, Breaker, and I pulled out of the driveway and began our nearly 5-hour trip to Waukesha, WI, for 3 days of dog shows. The Waukesha show site is outdoors, under tents, which makes it the only outdoor show we go to. Each year I ask myself why! Don't they know it's darn hot at the end of July? Don't I know it's hot at the end of July? Yet I keep returning.

This year the heat was exceptional. OMG…I thought I was going to keel over. Friday was not so bad as we showed at 10:00 AM. Saturday and Sunday, however, we did not get into the ring until 2:00 or so. The tent provided about 4 feet of shade, and the judges tried to keep us in the shade as much as possible but dogs and people were crowded in those instances, bumping against each other, tripping over the gate (yes, that would be me), and stepping on each other (or each other's dogs—I'm not naming any names here!)

One reason I return each year is that the Greater Milwaukee Lhasa Apso Club hosts an annual specialty at the Waukesha show. It is not so much the specialty itself as it is the enjoyment at seeing the club members and other Lhasa exhibitors who attend from other states. A nice surprise on Saturday was a visit from Barbara, Tom, and their Lhasa Daisy. Daisy (the Lhasa formerly known at our house as Desi) went to Barbara and Tom when she was 9 months old. They live nearby and drove to Waukesha to watch us show. I was so glad to see Daisy. She could not have cared less about me though. She loves being spoiled by Barbara and Tom! Tom calls her the "PP" – Perfect Puppy.

Breaker was shown all three days, taking Best Opposite Sex each day and earning more points toward his Grand Champion title. If I have added correctly, he needs only 4 more. Each time I show him I get more disappointed because he is not showing to his potential. He likes being at the shows. He likes being outside the ring waiting to go in. It seems he has a problem with the ring itself and I'm starting to think he wants only female judges! I keep telling myself he has to learn all over again because it's been nearly 2 years since he has been in the ring. I thought some maturity would get him past his antsy and sometimes skittish behavior. I guess I need more patience.

Raven was shown on Saturday and Sunday. I did not show her Friday because I was trying an experiment to see if part of Breaker's problem was me leaving him at ringside, often with a total stranger, to take Raven in the ring, and then running back in a hurry to quickly switch armbands and grab him to get back in the ring for the Best of Breed judging. I think that may be part of the problem because he showed his best on Friday and by Sunday he was awful.

Anyway, experiment aside, Raven did an excellent job both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday she not only won a 4-point major by taking Winners Bitch but she also took the Best of Winners ribbon! On Sunday, she again won her class and got a really close look for winners. The ribbon and the major went to the Open Bitch. Raven took Reserve. (Like the Miss America runner-up, Reserve is a good thing when, for some reason, the winner is disqualified.)

Now, just a paragraph to brag about Raven: First, she is a very lovely black. Second, she has a gorgeous outline, a pretty face, a tight reverse scissors bite, and eye-catching movement. Third, she is chalking up wins quickly. She won her first two points from the 6-9 month old class in Iowa City when she and Maggie were the only two females entered. (Okay, no big deal there!) We then went to the West Bend, WI, specialty on July 2nd. She was shown in the 6-9 month class and won the 5-point major. The two shows in Waukesha were her fourth and fifth shows, this time in the 9-12 months class. By the end of the weekend she had 11 points total, including both of her majors. For those readers who do not show their dogs, you need to understand what a huge relief it is for an owner when a dog gets both majors out of the way early. Majors can sometimes be hard to come by, not only to win but also to find! 

Also, for those of you who do not show, I apologize for using dog show jargon. If you don't understand what I mean, let me know so I can explain. I'll start with what I mean when I talk about a "major."

Points at a dog show are determined by AKC based on the number of entries in a breed for each sex. The United States is divided into regions and each year in April or early May, AKC publishes the new points scale for each breed in each region. The most points a dog can win at a show are 5. It takes 15 points for a dog to earn his/her championship; however, within those 15 points two of the wins have to be "Major Wins," wins of three, four, or five points. In other words, a dog cannot go to 15 shows, win a point at each show and become a champion!

Here is an example of a point scale for Lhasas in Region 5 (Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana):

Dogs (Males) - two must be entered for there to be 1 point awarded; three must be entered for 2 points; four for 3 points (a major); five for 4 points (a major), and seven for five points (a major).

Bitches (Females) – two must be entered for there to be 1 point; four for 2 points; six for 3 points (a major); seven for 4 points (a major), and ten for 5 points (a major).

The Lhasa's point scale in the other regions will be different.

By the way, the 1- and 2-point wins are referred to as "singles." Thus, you might hear someone tell a friend, "Fluffy just needs 3 singles to finish." Translated, that means that Fluffy has at least two majors and needs three 1-point wins or a 1-point and 2-point win to earn her championship. That owner is breathing easy. Another might say, "Bubba still needs both majors to finish," meaning that Bubba has accumulated 9 single points (1- and 2-point wins) and now needs two 3-point majors to earn his championship. That owner is wondering how many shows he'll have to enter and not be able to show in because too few dogs were entered for there to be a major.

Okay, enough of that!

Dreamer leaves us this weekend. She's been waiting a few weeks while her new owners go on vacation. That leaves Raven and Maggie as our only puppies – and they are growing up fast, already 9 months old. Some have inquired about our next litters.  We have plans for two litters, but Dancer and Belle probably will not be bred until September or October, so puppies will not be ready until after the first of the year.

Zach. Such a pretty face!

We've decided to offer Zach for sale. He is a young male, not quite 2 years old yet. He still has his pretty coat and he is a sweet as can be. One reason we are offering him for sale is that he longs to be an only dog. He loves being with people and is one of the few Lhasas we've had in all these years that is a lap sitter. He sits in the recliner with Lynn and watches TV. He has a great sense of humor and can be active but is mostly content just to be with his people. Although he is a champion, we are selling him at pet price on a neuter contract, just as we do with the puppies. Such decisions are always difficult but we have to do what we think is best for our dogs.

Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you!

Joyce