FOR THE LOVE OF (BULL)DOG!
July 2010
June 2010
July 2010: July 15th-18th we had a 4-day Specialty show in Norwood, Iowa for the combined Iowa, St Paul/Minneapolis & Division 6 Bulldog Club's specialty shows! It was such an amazing experience. There were a lot of bulldogs/breeders there as far away as Texas!! Vivi showed well, but we didn't win or place. Which is totally ok because there was a lot of great competition & I was just happy we both showed our best! I even had one man tell me afterward, "you were really on a mission to win out there!!" Heck yeah I was! Every show I'm on a mission to win!! The judge sometimes is just on a different mission at some shows! Hahaha! As someone who hasn't been showing long, it's very nice to hear feedback on how I do in the ring...both positive & what I can work on. After all, how else will I do Vivi justice in the ring, if I'm not doing the best I can? :0) June 2010: Vivi received her first point at the Anoka County Kennel Club show in Cambridge, MN on Friday, June 25th. She took WB & BOW! Her half-sister Bailey took WB on Thursday, June 24th! What a great start to the show weekend! On Saturday, Vivi got her second point at the Cambridge show! What a fun weekend! The 4-day show proved to be quite a rush! While I do enjoy showing as a whole, I'm not going to lie, getting that first point was way more fun than not winning!! :0) I was surprised & thrilled that Vivi got her second point the following day!!
SHOW UPDATES
This show wrapped up our show month & now our show season will taper off a bit. We have our club's 4-day combined specialty in mid-July & we're very much looking forward to that...I mean it's at a casino!! Woo hoo!! After that we have a few shows coming up, but I haven't decided which we'll do yet.
The weekend of June 5th-6th, Vivi and I took a road trip to Fargo, ND to start off the June set of shows!! Vivi really does travel well & that's nice because some dogs (like Doc) don't like it when the car starts to move...and that can make for a very long road trip for the dog! North Dakota is in a different AKC division than Minnesota & therefore have a different points schedule for shows. Usually it takes fewer dogs to make a major show (3 or more points) in North/South Dakota than in Minnesota & because of this, these shows usually draw bigger numbers & have more points at stake. This weekend was no exception. Girls had 5 points (the most possible) on both Saturday & Sunday!! The class Vivi was entered in (Open), had the largest entry for the entire breed with 8. On Saturday, Vivi came in 4th..which normally wouldn't be great, but since it was such a large entry I was pleased...considering she was being a bit difficult at times...stinker!! On Sunday, we didn't place at all, but Vivi's half-sister Bailey did take the class! Yay Bailey!! May 2010: Ok, the big summer show push started Memorial Weekend up here! It started at the Key City Kennel Club in St. Peter, MN. It was a beautiful weekend, pretty warm for 8am, but it didn't rain so that was good! It was an outdoor show & the rings were in pretty tight quarters...but even though there were a lot of dogs all over the place in such a small area, Vivi did great. Vivi took 2nd in her class both Saturday & Sunday & was able to go in for Reserve both days as well (because the dog that came in 1st took Winner's Bitch both days). It was nice to go in for another look & more ring practice for both of us! June brings on even more shows...it's gonna be a busy, show month!! April 2010: Vivi & I celebrated our 1 year of showing anniversary at the Indianhead Kennel Club show in Eau Claire, WI the weekend of April 17th & 18th. She placed both days in her class (3rd on Saturday & 2nd on Sunday). We stayed overnight on Saturday since both days were 8am shows. Vivi wasn't sure what to do in the hotel room. She wouldn't come out of her kennel until I finally convinced her it was ok. She was such a good girl. We won't have another show until the end of May & then quite a few in June so watch for more updates & photos!!
January 2010:
Land O' Lakes Kennel Club's show was January 9th-10th at the Roy Jones Auditorium (near the Xcel Center) in St Paul, MN. This show is one of my favorites to attend as a spectator because it's so close & there is so much fun shopping to be had!! This year was the first time I was not just a spectator, but also an exhibitor. Vivian did really well in the ring. Never once backing up from the judge, or sitting when she should be standing & paying attention to me or those spectators eating something yummy...like mini-doughnuts!! She heard the krinkle of the bag & was mesmerized...she wanted some!
Vivi placed both days in her class (2nd on Saturday & 3rd on Sunday). On Saturday, I stayed to watch my friend Mary do Rally Obedience with her Toller, Henry later in the morning. So Vivi & I went shopping for a bit while we waited. She likes to browse the selection of leads & dog beds just like me! She did great! She met so many new friends this weekend, some who even came to see her show on Sunday. I walked in on Sunday & someone said, "there's Vivian!"
Showing is so much fun! Seeing people who have the same passion as you do & who would talk Bullies forever is comforting to know I'm not alone. So thank you to everyone who came to the show, everyone we met for the first time & everyone who came up to us to say "hi"! Bully people love to talk bulldogs, so if you see any at a show, be sure to say hi!!
