Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Eukanuba National Championship


Well, back from Florida where we went to attend and show Thumper in the Eukanuba Naitonal Championship and the all-breed shows that preceded Eukanuba.

The first show on Wednesday turned out to be the highlight of the trip as far as ribbons go, with Thumper garnering a Select Male ribbon from Janet Nahikian (BOB went to Ch. Harmony Hills Money Talks aka Cash). The entry was 50-some dogs, mostly specials, and the entry increased daily. The Thursday and Friday judges made no cuts so hard to know if we were considered at all but we did not take any ribbons. Sunday was Eukanuba itself, and Thumper made the only cut Kenneth Buxton made before he selected his ribbon winners. Alas he was clearly lookng for something else so that was as far as we got. As always Maria handled him beautifully and I was most proud of him out there in the blue ring.

In years past Eukanuba was strictly an invitational show: a dog had to either have finished solely out of Bred By classes, or be in the top 25 for the breed for the Eukanuba year, or be a Grand Champion (a new development as the Grand Champion program only stated a couple of years ago). This year however, AKC opened the show up to allow any dog qualified to show in an AKC show. In  other words, just another all-breed show. Clearly AKC saw the huge entries of class dogs at the 'pre-shows', or all-breed shows that took place at the same venue in the 3 days leading up to the Invitational, and decided the club needed to benefit financially  from the interest in showing class dogs. Indeed the entry this year was over 3500 dogs, but I cannot say that guaranteed anything except , well, bigger entry.  So now Eukanuba is just a really big all-breed show with very expensive entries (double the typical show entry fee), held in a huge venue with expensive and distant parking and limited loading docks. Word is the show will be at the other end of the building complex next year (where it was last year), reportedly not as well-lit and harder to navigate; and will return to this year's spot in 2014. Not sure abut returning, judge-dependent I think.   But my dog showed well and has now gone on home with his handler to spend Christmas since there are ASCA shows right after Christmas and it just made more sense to let him go back with her.

Dreamer with breeder Carol Swinney


Dreamer in the Group ring with Roger Hartinger

Eukanuba show

Judge Bill Shelton on the exam

Going for his Award of Excellence.
We traveled with good friend Karryl and her GrCh Pembroke Welsh corgi Dreamer and THEY had a VERY good show. Dreamer's breeder came in from Wyoming to handle Dreamer and he rewarded her by going Select first show, Best of Breed in the Thursday show (judge Jon Cole), and ended with an Award of Excellence under judge Bill Shelton at Eukanuba itself. All in all a terrific week for Team Dream!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

ASCA Nationals Podium photos!

All of Thumper's photos

Ribbon's premier under Kerry Kirtley.
We got Thumper and Ribbon's Podium photos from ASCA Nationals---thank you to Heidi Erland for your patience in all your win photos---I watched you work every dog at length to get the best possible shots!

Monday, November 19, 2012

ASCA Nationals 2012

A passenger checks out the teeming metropolis of Seligman, AZ on the trip west.
ASCA Nationals 2012 is now in the books and it was an eventful 3 weeks in many ways.  I traveled out to Bakersfield California with Maria Neff in my E150 cargo van, towing a trailer for all the show gear and equipment, because the van was loaded with 12 occupied crates. I took Thumper and his mother Ribbon and the other 10 dogs were paying passengers for the trip out and back (and several of them were also handling clients of Maria's).

The drive out was utterly uneventful, no precipitation, no traffic tie-ups, no problems with any passengers, until 25 miles before our destination when the rookie trucker (ME) overheated the brakes going down the final looooong grade from Tehachapi into Bakersfield, As I did not know at the time that the brakes were just overheated we ended up being towed the final stretch to the hotel (we had to have the trailer available to us). All ended up fine after a check at a shop recommended by a trusted local friend-of-a-friend.

At the show we had a very busy schedule considering Maria had no class animals as client dogs, just 2 altered Specials and 2 intact specials; but for the pre-shows there was significant overlap between those very 2 groups of animals and a significant distance between the rings ). Anyway in the end we didn't have any major timing conflicts, only one close call.


Ribbon in the ring
So results: Maria handled Ribbon to a Premier Bitch win under judge Kerry Kirtley at the Peninsula ASA preshow;

Maria moves Ribbon; I doubt she looks this pretty when I move her.
And Thumper had a very good week as well.  At both the Delta and the Cascade club preshows Thumper was a Premier Dog (in fact under Glenda Stevenson he was Premier One),


In the BOB ring at one of the preshows

In the ring for the National BOB class

I didn't notice him looking over at me when I shot this but had to keep the shot
Thumper was also in the invitational for the Top 30 Merit finals, and under the 3 judges he was #5 Merit Finals,making me very proud indeed..   In the National show itself Thumper went Premier another time to wrap up a good week for him regarding ribbons.  So last Saturday we packed up right after Best of Breed and took our dozen dogs and left.
We ended up only doing a hotel stay one night on the way home, having wearied of carrying 10 crates into a motel and then back out, every night of the drives. So the first and thrid nights we drove overnight and spelled one another to get to OH at noon on Wednesday. There I unhitched the trailer and we emptied it, and I loaded everything that has to proceed with me back into the van.

On a very somber note, the day before the show ended word came out that a puppy on the faigrounds was being treated for Parvovirus and another was being evaluated. Ultimately, as of today (8 days after the end of the show and our departure), there were 2 puppy deaths (6 mo and a 13 week old) and 2 or 3 more being treated. In all cases as far as has been reported, the puppies were vaccinated to date. By the timing it is believed these puppies got the disease from the environment at the fairgrounds. It also became known that some cases of parvo were showing up in association with a pet expo up in Puyallup (and rumors of some cases associated with an AKC event somewhere else on the west coast, but I haven't seen clear confirmation on that).

As a result of this disease cluster all dogs that were in attendance at the nationals are to be under basic home quarantine, not in contact with outside animals to ensure a buffer between the potentially infected dogs and the rest of the population. Thumper was entered at Columbus OH shows Thurs-Sunday and actually showed Thurs and Friday after negative Idexx  snap tests and clearance from the AKC rep but subsequently word came down from all sides that home quarantine was mandated, so Thumper was pulled from the rest of the weekend's shows.

So, this means Thumper and Ribbon get no playdates outside the family until December 10; and since this also means no dog shows for the quarantine period, I went to Ohio today and picked up Thumper for a stay here. Dog show rules also include dogs in the same household to be considered infected, so my plans to show Satin in AKC this weekend are shelved. So we'll have to wait for another show early in the new year.  Thumper will return to the ring in the Florida shows leading up to and including Eukanuba.


Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The weekend's show results




Thumper returned to work last weekend, going up to Wisconsin with Maria to show at the Rock River Valley ASC shows, where he came home with Best Opp for all 4 shows. No show counts yet but we are pleased he is winning breed points every time he goes out. 

Also, the weekend of the Buckeye shows a couple of weeks back we did a photo shoot with Thumper and Maria; these are the ones I liked, which is your favorite? Remember i=on this and every set of photos on thi blog, you can view them larger by clicking on them.

This is my favorite, I think.


Some Thumper puppies growing up

One of the puppies that went to a companion home.
 A number of people have asked about what Thumper puppies are doing. I have not seen any of the Henna litter since July when they were 9 weeks old but some pictures have come.
This is Wyatt (was Hugo)

Valerie's keeper, Livia

Livia again

One of the companion puppies.

Zoe, was Vita.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Phun Photo Session in Pennsylvania

THROW IT, dammit!!!

Satin and her BF Dreamer

Andrew and Thumper renew their friendship

Glamour shot of Dreamer

Glamour shot of Thumper

Tooomps!

Maybe my favorite shot of the day. Satin on the high wall.

Leaves

Dreamer and Thumper get a game going

I am so happy these two intact boys get along like family.

Goofy frat brothers.
Thumper was home for a short vacation this past week but Tuesday  I took him back to Ohio to resume work with Maria Neff. Can't believe we leave in less than 2 weeks for California for ASCA Nationals!  But had a photo session in the autumn leaves with Thumper's BFF and Satin's wishful-thinking BF Dreamer (who got HIS Grand Championship a few weeks ago).

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

ASCA Nationals in 3 weeks!

Aussie Times for Nov/Dec 2012

Monday, October 8, 2012

A weekend in Ohio

Satin and I went to Medina OH this past weekend to watch Thumper show prior to bringing him home for a few days' R&R..  The weeeknd had 4 ASCA shows and drew a nice entry making 5 point Majors in biches for all 4 shows. Well Satin had a good showing, going Winners Bitch for 3 of the 4 shows (and reserve in the one she didn't win). She s an auto-showdog, with amzing powers of concentration and no uncertainties about noise or strangers. So with 3 5-point major wins this weekend (and a 4 point major from several months ago at a different show) Satin became ASCA Ch. Milwin Inkwell Black Satin.
The big blue and pink rosette is a 'new title' rosette given by the hosting club. Oh we went Best Opp in one of shows as well.


At the same shows Thumper went Best of Breed 3 of 4 shows.

 

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Oh! And THIS!

Sammy, or more formally Inkwell's Imagine That RE, is now Inkwell's Imagine That RE CDX , having completed his AKC Open Obedience title with a first place win in Open A this past weekend. I believe owner Donna Johnson plans to take him into the Utility ring starting later in the fall. He will turn 3 years old at the end of October. What a GOOD boy!

Celebrating!!

The end-of-September ASCA standings have come out and Thumper is firmly at #1 in Intact Conformation, with 343 Breed points and 60+ points ahead of #2. We are hopeful that even with a limited schedule in ASCA for the next few months that we can comfortably remain in top 30 for NEXT year's Finals. This year we landed right on 30, not a point to spare!   Meanwhile we are busy finalizing plans to travel to Bakersfield for Nationals this year; we leave from Maryland late October with half a load of passenger dogs, then pick up Maria and the rest of the passengers (including Thumper of course!) and then on to Bakersfield.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Recent Group Ribbon photos and so on.

A few weeks'worth of Group placement photos. 
Thumper has another Group 4 today, in Indiana.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Weekend in Indiana

Ringside shot on Saturday on his way to  a Group 0; did a bit better under Sunday's Group judge.
Thumper Best of Breed on Saturday under judge Christine Hubbell, and Best of Breed on Sunday under Arlene Czech; then on to a Group 2 on Sunday under Saturday's breed judge.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Photos from the recent ASCA weekends; Between the 2 show weekends (totalling 14 shows) we had a BOS and 9 BOB wins.

ASCA Breeder Judge Terri Altergott at ASC-MI. One of his 4 BOB wins; he was also BOS once; up to 10 specials in the ring at these shows along with 5-point majors 2 of the days.
SBJ Shelly Hollen-Wood at ASC-MI

SBJ Flo McDaniel at ASC-MI


Betty-Ann Hale, AKC judge, at the Hoosier Working ASC show, one of his 5 BOB's to sweep the weekend.