SHOW UPDATES

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 mesmorized...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!!

December 2009:
Over the coldest weekend we've had so far this winter, Vivi & I trekked up to St Cloud, MN December 5th-6th for the St Croix Valley Kennel Club's show.  It was a very small show (only 7 bulldogs entered...and only 6 came because one was sick), but it was nice because we showed at much later times than normal (1pm on Saturday & 1045am on Sunday)...I know it sounds silly, but showing that late is such a nice change!!  No 4am wake ups this weekend!  Yay!!

Vivian's coat wasn't in its finest form for this show though.  She had a bad allergic reaction to some shampoo I used for the Shakopee show 2 weeks ago & had gotten hives...which looked like lumps all over her body.  Those lumps/hives turned into scabs & some even bled in the week after using that shampoo!  Poor thing!  While she is still recovering & thankfully she hadn't lost any of her coat in the process of these hives, it just doesn't look that great & I wasn't even sure if I was going to show her. 

I'm glad I did because it's good experience to get her out & she did well showing for me.  I even had another bulldogger tell me that she looked "fluid" in the ring!  Many of the photos I got of the weekend showed that she was stacked very well too.  Vivi did get 1st in her class on both days...however, she was the only one in her class each day!  Ummm...I probably could have left that part out, but why?  We're all friends here right?  Plus, she still DID get a blue ribbon each day & that's a great way to end our show year!

It was a GREAT show for our friend Kim & her bully Fiona!  Fiona not only got Winner's Bitch each day, getting a total of 2 points for the weekend, but she also got Best of Winners' AND Best of Breed both days!!  How awesome!!  Vivi & I stayed on Saturday to watch them in Group & they did great!!

November 2009:
The Minneapolis Kennel Club's show was held at Cantebury Downs November 21st-22nd.  This is one of my favorite shows to attend because it was the VERY first show I had ever been to back in 2007.  This was the first year that I was the one in the ring instead of watching, so it was even more fun!  It's been 3 months since Vivian was at a show & our first day it felt pretty obvious.  I'm the first to admit I haven't worked with Vivi on her stacking like I should have the last 3 months; and while she wasn't quite the same wiggle worm as she had been at other shows this summer, she wasn't her solid, non-moving self either.

So Saturday night I spent 10 min on practicing stacking with her.  They say you shouldn't practice something with dogs for more than 10 min at a time because they'll get bored...so that's what we did & come Sunday...viola!  Less wiggly for sure!!  Yay Vivi!!  We have another show coming up in just a few weeks, so we'll for sure continuing our 10 min a day stacking exercises!

Vivi placed 3rd on Saturday, so I was able to help our friend Kim show her girl Bean for Winners Bitch because she had to show her other girl (Fiona).  Bean LOVES her momma & whenever she sees Kim in the ring she NEEDS to get to her momma NOW!!  Thankfully Kim was behind us in the ring so Bean didn't quite see her that much.  Even more thankfully, Bean got Reserve so I was glad I could help Kim out!!

Oh & Sunday, Vivi got 2nd in her class & went back in for Reserve, but her her half-sister Bailey got it!  Yay Bailey!  I was just happy Vivi did so much better in the ring on Sunday!

August 2009:
Vivian was the shows in Lake Elmo, MN August 22nd-23rd.  Such a nice outdoor show, even though it had been raining here all week.  The rings were a little muddy in spots both days, but it could have been a lot worse!  Vivi placed 2nd in her class both days.  Although we didn't take our class, I was still very happy with how Vivi showed.  Even Steve commented on how well she did.  The last show he was at was Cambridge in June & Vivi was the biggest wiggle worm ever.  He said she was like a statue this weekend.  She stacked really well & I thought she gaited well (no pulling or anything) & she paid attention to me when needed.

We had a very large entry on both Saturday's & Sunday's shows.  Over 30 bullies & on Saturday in quite close quarters at the site.  Dogs were everywhere.  Vivi even befriended a Bloodhound!  Sunday was a bit better as our ring was at the end & we had a nice area we could all sit, relax & watch/wait.  I believe there were 2 bullies that finished their championship this weekend too.  One on Saturday & one on Sunday!  How awesome is that?!

Our bullyfriend Jayda made her show debut this weekend!  Dawn, Jayda's momma, also made her show debut!  They both did GREAT & Dawn has already emailed me asking what show we should go to next!  :0) 

It was great to have Steve there both days!  It was also nice that the show was so close!  My friend Mary also came on Saturday!  So fun to have a little cheering section!

July 2009:
-Vivian stayed with Momma Sandy for almost a week while going to the Duluth, MN show July 9th-12th.  She had a great time playing with her bulldog family!  We sure missed her here though.  Sandy showed Vivi on Thursday's & Friday's shows; and I showed her on Saturday's & Sunday's shows.  I'm very happy to report that Vivi didn't pull away from any of the judges at all this weekend!!  She also stacked so well & didn't even flinch when the judge walked by...which is what she was doing at the Cambridge show in June.  Not sure if this change is due to age, practice or sheer bully attitude, but I was very happy with it!  Hopefully it's here to stay!

Vivi was consistent at this show, placing 3rd three of the four days (Thursday, Friday, & Sunday).  She placed 2nd in her class on Saturday.  On Saturday & Sunday, after we showed in conformation, we watched Sandy & Hannah in Rally.  Hannah got her Rally Advanced title this weekend!  It's fun to watch Rally.  You can tell Hannah & Sandy really have fun out there together!  At times you can see them both smiling in the ring.

There was time in between conformation & rally so Vivi & I would walk around the show, checking out the vendors or going outside by the water.  What's really great about doing this is that it allows Vivi to get a lot of experience meeting people & sometimes other dogs.  Socialization is always good for dogs.

Overall, we both had a great time this weekend!  Special thanks to Betsy & Deb for coming to the show!  Not sure that I have any good photos from this weekend, but if I get some I'll be sure to post.

June 2009:
-Vivian joined her Uncle Otto at the Souix Falls/Vermillion Kennel Clubs show June 27th-28th.  Vermillion, SD is nearly 5 1/2 hours from here & I wasn't sure how Vivi would do in that long of a ride.  Thankfully, she had no issues at all & was completely content the entire trip...errr scratch that...she did get car sick twice...but I HAD just fed her both times, so I finally got smart & stopped feeding her right before a car ride & she was fine after that.

This was Vivi's first out-of-state/sleepover trip!  We stayed in a hotel room & she loved it.  She really wanted to play with Otto & he let her try for awhile, but then he would just go in his soft crate to get away!!  Then she'd decide she wanted to cuddle with me instead...awww...

South & North Dakota are in a different division of the AKC & therefore have a different point structure for bullies.  It takes less bullies to make a major show (3 or more points) in the Dakotas than in Minnesota; therefore, many people enter the shows.  This show was no different, bullies had the highest entry (44) of all the breeds...you don't see that much here in Minnesota.  It's always fun to see so many bullies in one place!

Vivi placed 2nd her in class in both Saturday's & Sunday's shows.  On Saturday, the puppy that took 1st in Vivi's class won Winner's Bitch!!  That's awesome for a puppy!!  Since Vivi came in 2nd, we got to go in for reserve (basically 2nd place--but no points value), which she hasn't done yet so that was fun!

She did really well this weekend.  She was much more comfortable on the ramp with the judges & while she did still pull away a little bit, it was nothing like the last show.  The judges were so great with her too...when she started to pull back, they spoke to her gently & the judge on Saturday even went so far as to get so close to her face, if she wanted, Vivi could have kissed him (although, with her long tongue I guess that's nothing special)!

This was an outdoor show & I wasn't sure how Vivi would do in the grass.  I mean, normally grass is for pottying or playing, not showing.  She did gait a little fast at first, but she eventually understood what I needed her to do & she did it.  Overall, we had a great trip & we had our own cheering section on Saturday because my cousin who lives in SD came to watch & brought her friend!  Thanks Afton & Allie!

I have added photos named Vermillion below.



-Vivian showed at the Cambridge/Anoka County Kennel Clubs shows June 19th-21st.  The show was actually Thursday-Sunday, but decided to only do Friday-Sunday because taking time off work & expense.  While it is cheaper to enter a puppy than an older dog in a show (usually only a few dollars difference), 3 days of shows is still plenty for a puppy!!

Bulldogs are usually one of the first breeds to show each day.  This weekend, we showed at 8am everyday.  That's early, but thankfully 1) Bullies don't require hours to groom the day of the show, I do most of the grooming the night before & 2) the show site was less than 1 hour away from our house!

Vivi was a wiggle worm on Friday...guess I hadn't worked w/her since the last show...and it showed!  Ha!  Saturday, she seemed to be spooked by the oddest things...the dog coming up the ramp after she was already off, the judge walking by, the judge wanting to look her over...or touch her...you know the things the judge was supposed to do.  It certainly wasn't like her, but maybe she was just having an off day??  Maybe she's going into heat??  Maybe she just didn't want to show that day??  Sunday she did a little better, didn't seem to be spooked too much, but she still have a little bit of an issue (kept backing away) whenever the judge wanted to touch her head/face/jaw??  She was better when the judge wanted to touch her body.  I'll have to work on that w/her by using treats & commands.

She did place everyday, well because there was only 3 or 4 dogs in her class each day...but shhhhh don't tell anyone!!  Hahaha!  She was 2nd on Friday, 4th on Saturday & 2nd on Sunday.  We are going to another show this upcoming weekend, so we'll see if she's a little less of a wiggle worm or not!!  Below are some photos from the Cambridge show!


May 2009:
-Vivian showed in her first bulldog specialty show hosted by St Paul/Minneapolis Bulldog Club May 8th-10th 2009.  It was a great experience & a fantastic weekend for Bodanna bulldogs!!  I had only ever attended one other specialty show, so showing in one was quite different than attending.  Vivi was in Sweeps on both Friday & Saturday, as well as the regular class shows Friday, Saturday & Sunday. 

On Friday, she took second in sweeps & first in her regular class (6-9 mo).  I was so proud of her and personally, what a rush!  I mean, what a great way to start at a specialty show!  For her class win she got a trophy and a ribbon.  Saturday, she took third in sweeps & third in her class.  Sunday she took second in her class.

On Friday, Bodanna's Outlaw Otto was Reserve Dog & on Saturday, Otto's brother/Vivi's daddy Bodanna's Yeah It's a Hemi got Winners Dog & finished his championship!  It was a very exciting day!

One of Vivi's littermates, Ozzie, came down from North Dakota and he took third in his class on Saturday & first on Sunday!!  I have a few new photos of Ozzie now!  He's quite the big boy!!  What a handsome Hemi son!!

Two more of Hemi's babies were also in the ring this weekend.  Bailey & Bean, sisters & littermates that each placed first in their classes at least once!

It was fun to see all the bullies & bulldoggers!  I learn something new from every show I go to!  Special thanks to my parents, my in-laws, Destin, Teresa, Avery, my husband, Mary & Dawn for coming to the shows & cheering me on.  It really meant a lot to have you guys there!

Our next show will be in June.  I decided against doing the 2nd show I was planning on doing in May simply because it was such a long weekend for Vivi, thought it would be good to skip it this once.  Plenty of other shows coming up for experience.