Show Results and Some Photos

                                   And what is so rare as a day in June?
                                 

Then, if ever, come perfect days;


Then Heaven tries earth if it be in tune,


And over it softly her warm ear lays;


Whether we look, or whether we listen,


We hear life murmur, or see it glisten...

                       ~James Russell Lowell 

In one of his books, Dr. Seuss wrote, "How did it get so late so soon?" I'm feeling like that right now as I think about how five months of 2016 are already history. How did we get to the 6th month of the year so quickly?

At least being able to look back at my blog posts I can sort of keep track of and recall some of the highlights of those five months!

Last weekend's shows were a combination of ups and downs. The ups included Kimmi taking Select Bitch and earning two more points toward her Grand Championship. She also took Best of Breed Owner-Handled each day. On Friday, she placed second in the Owner-Handled Non-Sporting Group. She placed fourth in the Group on Saturday, and did not place on Sunday. Here are some quick photos taken of Kimmi with her ribbons after we got back to the grooming set up.

Kimmi - OH Group 2

Kimmi - OH Group 4

 

The downs were a result of Kimmi deciding she did not want to show. She was such a disappointment and frustration the entire weekend. It was very disheartening to say the least. She was spooky in the ring, held her tail down, and just plain gave up on me. The fact that she placed in the Groups is, I suppose, a testimony to her conformation because she certainly did not place because of her excellent showmanship.

Another down was Greta. She was shown only on Sunday and she immediately proved that she would rather be any place but in the ring. She held her tail down when she was in the ring by herself and put it up a couple times when she was in the ring for Winners Bitch -- so perhaps there is hope!

Every once in a while a dog comes along whose job, I guess, is to make me humble. This time I have two of them working on that for me! Sheesh...

Jenna's performance was an "up." Friday was her first show. She walked around the ring with head and tail up and acted like an old pro. Saturday she knew what she was doing and charmed the judge into giving her Winners Bitch and the point. I was elated! She had just turned 6 months old on May 22.

Jenna with her ribbons

Another "up" was Riley taking Winners Bitch on Sunday. We were hoping she would win both days because then she would be a champion, so I guess you could say that Jenna's Saturday win was both an "up" and a "down." The judge told Mary he just "had taken a liking to the puppy." Riley just needs one more single point to be finished.

Once again, my thanks to my Shiba Inu friend, Jane Chapin, who helped me at ringside and took the pictures of Kimmi and Jenna.

Jane and I often travel to shows together, sometimes in her van and other times in my car. From 2000-2014 I had a series of three Impalas. They had huge trunks, and I was able to easily load all my dog show "stuff" in those trunks, often amazing passers-by as they watched me load or unload the many items I'd brought along. Then when the new model Impala's came out, the trunk capacity stayed the same but the configuration differed and, try as I might on the new Impala on the lot, I could not get all the stuff in that trunk! Darn!

The poor salesman just could not quite understand why I was so focused on the trunk! He kept trying to show me all the bells and whistles inside the car. His sale was foiled by a trunk. That probably had not happened to him before!

So I went to the Ford dealer next door and bought a Taurus -- but only after carefully examining and measuring the trunk! (He also thought that was a bit over the top, but he went along with it. Hey...anything to make a sale, right?). This all happened in 2014. I can get many things in that car's trunk. Here is the proof. Jane took photos as we packed to go home.

We had two people, four dogs in plastic crates, two suitcases, two garment bags, two make-up bags, two bags holding dog food and dishes, two gallon jugs of water (mostly empty by Sunday), two small coolers, my bag that holds my water bottles and a couple of coat conditioner spray bottles, a bag of towels and crate pads, four wire crates that fold up, two plastic storage tubs, three ringside tables, one grooming table, two stools, two fans, a bag full of three crate fans, two exercise pens, two ex-pen mats, two grooming bags full of (you guessed it) items needed for grooming, the crate trolley, a fold-up chair, a small bag with a long extension cord in it, and a bag full of bungie cords. There might have been more, but that's all I can recall at the moment.

And here are the pictures:

The almost empty trunk - holding two fans in boxes and an ex-pen mat

Most - but not quite all - of the things that had to be packed into the backseat and the trunk.

The trunk with almost everything in it. One more storage tub was added in the space to the right of the suitcase!

Passenger side back seat. Wire crate and 2 garment bags atop the dog's crate.

Driver's side back seat. Note that there is still some room atop the crates! Also note that the dogs are well secured with bungie cords.

The view from the front seat. Yes, there was still room for Jane and me.

Amazing, right?

On a different topic, if all goes as planned and if Mother Nature cooperates, we should have a new litter by the first week in August! At last!!! Keep your fingers crossed that the breedings were successful.

Life is Better When You Have A Lhasa to Love You!

Joyce