Back to the Future... or Blast from the Past?

Sorry I've been MIA this week... I've been really busy with school and life and stuff. But I'm back! Today, I'd like to talk about dog shows. :)

Me, age eleven, at my first 4-H show with my toy poodle, "Raven."



I was going through an awkward phase. Shut up. ;)

This past weekend was my local kennel club's annual fall dog show cluster. I've attended this show every year since I was eleven years old, and it has a special place in my heart. I've also done really well at those shows almost every year. :-P

For those that don't know, dog shows were basically my entire life when I was a teenager. I traveled around the country, showing in junior showmanship and breed competition, handling my own dogs (Brittanys) as well as many other dogs for other people. I had quite a bit of success, and a whole lot of fun. I made many friends, most of which I am still in contact with today.

I didn't start off that successful. My first show dog, "Madison," was a schitzoid Belgian Tervuren that was afraid of her own shadow. Through a lot of hard work and dedication, I finally got to where I could show her, but she still wasn't that into it.

Here's a photo of me as a kid and "Madison," showing at my club's dog shows:



Eventually, after struggling for a few years, I hooked up with the right people that let me get experience showing dogs that weren't afraid of the ring. I did some nice winning and it gave me the confidence to start showing in junior showmanship. Yada yada yada... I ended up with a gorgeous Brittany puppy a few years later. His name is Dante.

I went to quite a few shows as a teenager. My "main man" was Dante. Now, he lives in retirement with my parents, and is spoiled and very happy :). Dante and I were very successful together, becoming the #1 Brittany Junior Handler in the country and the #14 Brittany conformation dog in the country at the same time. Here's a photo of us at a "real" show, winning Best of Breed over more than 30 other Brittanys:



One of us showing at Westminster in NYC:



And a few years later, winning Best Adult Handler at a local match show:



I've been away from conformation showing for the past few years for a couple reasons, but mainly time and money. It's hard to travel to shows when you have real world responsibilities!

But anyways... I digress. Last weekend, I got the opportunity to show two dogs for friends at our local show. I had a great time, and even got the opportunity to show a friend's Norwegian Elkhound in the hound group! It felt great to be back in the group ring again... and we made the cut down to the top 6 one day. Not too shabby for a non-champion female in a group full of professional handlers and top 10 dogs! It was really fun to see all my old friends that I haven't been around in a long time. I'm glad they all remembered my name :)

I guess there's really not much point to this post, other than to reminisce a bit about something that meant... and still means a whole lot to me. Some people might dislike or misunderstand dog shows, but please remember that the vast majority of people involved truly love their dogs.