ALAC Specialty Week
Wednesday, October 12:
Up at 5:20, Marsha and I exercised and fed the dogs, got ourselves ready, jumped in the van, and headed to Los Lunas for the agility trial. Marsha had Twist (Zach's sire) entered in the trial. I, being incapable of training an agility dog – not that I have tried, but I know myself) did not have a dog entered but went along for moral support, as well as to help with the set-up and do whatever else anyone needed me to do at the trial. I really enjoy watching the agility trials so it was a pleasure to go for that reason alone.
The morning was brisk. Nope, it was darn cold. And the grass (nice green grass) was wet from dew. Nevertheless, the intrepid early morning bunch that showed up to build the course got to work quickly and with few comments. (It was too cold to talk.) Debby and I learned that if you have to move a tunnel, it is easier to do if you scrunch it up and put a pole in it, then carry it using the pole. We only had to move two tunnels, both of which turned out to be too short for the course layout, before someone took pity on us and gave us that hint. We were able to move the third one with less effort. (It was still darn heavy!)
I then got lucky (or perhaps someone else took pity on my lack of knowledge). I was assigned to follow Melissa around carrying an armful of poles and to place the poles where she told me to place them. This I could easily handle!
Later, courses built, gloves and shoes/socks soaked with dew, we were all grateful to see Barbara and Bobbie show up with coffee, hot chocolate, and donuts!
I'm always amazed by agility Lhasas and the partnership that exists between them and their owners. Many dogs had beautiful and fast runs. Others goofed off a little, some a lot!! All owners took the disappointments in stride and all the dogs left the course happy.
I was fortunate again to get a job I could handle during the trial. I was assigned to be the leash runner, which involved picking up the dog's leash at the entrance to the course and taking it to the exit so it could be put back on the dog before he/she exited the course. Mind you, some of the dogs ran the course so fast that I often had to hustle between entrance and exit just to get there on time!
Just as the morning was warming up, it was time for me to head back to Albuquerque to begin the next phase of my day. I caught a ride with Barbara and Bobbie as they left.
The message light was blinking on the phone in the hotel room. Checking it, I learned that my good friend, Diane, formerly from Bloomington, Illinois, and now living in Las Cruses, was on her way to Albuquerque to see me! She'd read my blog and various Facebook postings about the specialty and decided to surprise me. That made my day!
As past Chairperson of the Breeder Education Committee, I was asked by the current Chair if I would host the Breeder Education Seminar since she was unable to attend the specialty. I agreed. Since I had a couple of hours before the seminar started, I decided I should bathe Raven again so she'd look decent for Thursday's show. Having complained about the lack of water pressure from the showerhead, I was rescued by a friend who said I could use her shower which had a hand-held sprayer attached. I eagerly accepted the offer! Raven was bathed, dried, and I was dressed up and ready a half hour before the seminar was scheduled to begin.
Afraid that we were not going to get much of a crowd at the seminar, I rounded up some people who were hanging around the ballroom and grooming area and encouraged them to attend and to spread the word. By 2:30, when the seminar was to begin, the presenter arrived and the room began to fill with people. The presenter was Dr. Donny MacDougall, a veterinarian from Albuquerque who has many dog show people as clients. His topic was anatomy, and his focus for the hour presentation was common skeletal defects. He specifically addressed Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease, Patellar Luxation, and Hip Dysplasia. He offered his audience an option to OFA by introducing us to the PennHip screening procedure for hip dysplasia. I've attached scanned copies of the brochure he gave us so you can read about the process. Click each photo to enlarge it so the print is readable.
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Seminar over, I presented Dr. MacDougall his check and made it outside to the patio area just in time for the beginning of ALAC's first Cut Down Sweepstakes. Fourteen Lhasas were entered. They were all in various stages of "clipped down," some clipped quite closely, others with cute little hair cuts and leg fringes. It was great to see structure and movement without all the coat normally seen in the show ring. Everyone had a good time and it seems likely this sweepstakes will become a part of our specialty week. There were murmurings about how close the coat needs to be cut, so I anticipate some rules might be forthcoming regarding that issue. The photo shows Ron Crowder with Zorro (Ch. Takashi's Codename Zebra), Raven's grandsire, during the Cut Down Sweepstakes. In the meantime, in the ballroom the obedience and rally events were about to begin, so after the winners were chosen for the Cut Down Sweepstakes, I wandered into the ballroom to sit, relax a while, and watch rally. That is where Diane found me when she arrived. We spent a pleasant time chatting and catching up on each other's lives until she and her friend decided it was time for them to find a restaurant.
Wednesday evening's event was the Futurity, judged by Ms. Debbie Burke. The Futurity provides a showcase for Lhasas between 6 – 18 months. Only those dogs that are nominated for the Futurity within 90 days of birth are allowed to participate in the event. This year's participants were born between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011. I had nothing entered in the Futurity and was happy to be able to sit and watch the judging. Best Puppy and Grand Futurity Winner was Westgate Monogram Bob Hope, from the 9-12 Puppy Dog Class. The Best Adult was awarded to Ch. Hi Tide Sea Shell-y.
Was that the end? By no means! I still had to bathe and dry Walker! Again, the use of my friend's hand-held showerhead came in quite handy, and I was grateful for her offer to use it. A couple hours later, Walker was bathed, dried and ready for Thursday's show. I was ready for a drink and had a margarita-flavored wine cooler. We popped popcorn in the microwave, relaxed, and chatted about the events of the day.
Relaxation…what a concept!
Two days remained of Specialty Week. ALAC's Midwestern Regional Specialty was held on Thursday, and the ALAC National Specialty was held on Friday. Both days held some exciting and surprising events for me!
More to come…
Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you.
Joyce
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