Sunday, July 29, 2012

This week's shows

Thumper is back with Maria Neff now and this weekend's shows have gone as follows, in Marion, OH:

Best of Breed / Group 4 on Friday, with group judge Donna Buxton against the top herding dogs in the country.

Best Opposite Saturday and Sunday (today).

So we'll see how tomorrow goes. Meanwhile I miss him very much but I think he probably is perfectly happy playing with his bud Maria for now.

Oh, the first standings for the new ASCA Year (June 1 to May 31) have Thumper at #5 in Intact Conformation. Won't last long, he won't get to large number of ASCA shows, but we hope we can make Top 30 again for 2013 since we are definitely planning to attend the 2013 ASCA Nationals in Greeley CO.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Thumper went back to Canada...

And all I got was this big ribbon.

A win picture we are most proud of. Good boy Toompers!!
After a series of setbacks and complications, through the perserverence of Maria Neff (Thumper's handler) we finally were able to meet in Tillsonburg Ontario on a very hot weekend to show at the Canadian Aussie National Specialty, held every 2nd year. I'd sent Thumper up in April with my friend Ayella Grossman where she'd finished his Canadian Championship for me in a long weekend. That way he could be shown as a finished Ch. at the National specialty in July. He had some serious competition and it was terribly hot but Maria Neff was able to coax a very good performance out of Thumper at the right moments and in the end judge Alice Brock put Thumper out in front and kept him there. So Thumper went Best of Breed at the Canadian Australian Shepherd Association National Specialty show. This makes him AKC Gr.Ch./ASCA/CKC BISS Ch. Inkwell's Tom-tom. Or something like that. And then he came home to Maryland with me for a few day's vay-cay before going back to the salt  mines  for a few more circuits.

Saturday, July 7, 2012



Kit came to visit! Kit is 13 weeks old and is Debbie's pick from Thumper's first litter, the one out of Poudre's Silk n' Satin. She is bold but very people-submissive (not fearful at all, just melting and sweet under your hands) so her 10 days here were spent learning to stand for a treat, get her rear legs out from under herself, more leash time and so on. I would not say she is ring-ready by any stretch, but she is learning.





There were multiple inversions on camera day.


Ribbon inverts. Ziva comments,

Every time a puppy enters my house I am reminded how much energy they have, endless boundless energy.

Runrunrunrunrunrunrunrun

Hottest month on record so far.

Ribbon daughters and granddaughter, all equally hot.
I'll spare everyone a stacked view as she is simply all legs at this time. Instead we can see her play a little. She had a wonderful time playing with her half-aunt Satin. Granny  Ribbon treated her as her own (including the usual discipline) and plenty of exercise was had by all.