:Weekend Update Photo Essay…

It’s been a weekend, a long weekend, with lots to share.

Yesterday Shellie’s Iris, affectionately known as Irith, finished her Championship in grand style, winning Best of Breed for her third major, now officially known as Ch. FFT She Tsabo For Your Eyes Only (I think that’s her registered name…).

Shellie wonder what number that was for FFT. Both Julie and I think she’s 101.  (I really need to spend some time on other parts of the website!) Funny thing, last week when Ginny and Christi were up at the shop with Ethan and Ruby, Ginny mentioned wanting Ethan to be our 100th Champion. I didn’t realize others felt a vested interest in the ‘count’. For several years, realizing the possibility was real, 100 had been a personal goal. Zena’s title was the magic # 100. That she was handled to her Championship completely by Tammy was the icing on the cake for me, representing not only our breeding but the community we’re so lucky to have.

Ginny’s Ethan is looking awesome, having matured into a dog that reminds so much of our roots. I’d told her 101 was even better than 100, as we laughed about Cruella De Ville and 101 Dalmatians. Well, Ginny if 101 is better than 100, then 102 is better than 101. You and Ethan go in Pueblo!!

I mentioned a progesterone test, but didn’t write about breeding Ponya last month. I didn’t want to jinx it. Although she hadn’t conceived prior, she represents many things to me, in spite of her age I felt a need to keep her in Gompa Plan B. She was a 4-month puppy when the Gompa group was delivered to my doorstep August 31, 2001. Not sure of the approach I was going to take with introducing the dogs to western breeders, one of the avenues I explored was exhibiting them at either UKC shows or IABCA shows. The later shows are formatted similar to European shows, where the exhibitor gets a written critique from each judge. It’s never been my intention to make the Gompas into show dogs, but written critiques from outside sources wouldn’t be a bad thing, so Ponya, Vickie and I trapsed off to an IABCA show one March weekend several years ago.

Okay. There, Vickie. I finally announced her Championship in public! I shouldn’t write this because it’s going to come back to haunt me…but Ponya lived a normal kennel life, in the girl group, allowed to romp with all the dogs. Another sidebar I considered was showing exhibitors that, given time, dogs with really good adult coat can live like dogs not show pieces. It is an issue I still struggle with; each situation, each dog is different. Ideally I prefer my show dogs to run with their packs, but that’s not always realistic. Thateus ran with the clan. Edie had to be kept separate, the other dogs thought she was a living pig’s ear.

Ponya was ultrasounded Thursday. Three puppies!!!

It’s another long story…I’ll spare the details. A chain of events starting with Bobbie (Garma and Chandra’s Bobbie) frequenting a local Farmer’s Market resulted in me reconnecting with Paldin, meeting her cousin Tenzin. Kathy joined the three of us for lunch here in the snowy beyonds Friday.

Over the weekend Karma’s new people, Rod and Olga, made the trek up from Albuquerque to pick him up. I’d given Rod the choice of driving up here or meeting him for the hand-off Saturday morning on our way to watch Nate coach. It feels a bit clandestine, a bit like sitting in the grocery parking lot selling kittens from a box, but meet, we did, in a Park-n-Ride parking lot.

After spending a few minutes…very few…neither Rick nor I miss the smell of chlorine, the hot humid environment…watching several races, seeing Nate on deck coaching at the DU Invite…

..we headed down South Broadway looking for GB Fish and Chips. When I saw this grooming shop, I couldn’t resist the photo op!

You’ll never see that in my grooming shop window! Just like you’ll never see a political sign of any kind in my grooming shop window. (Go Obama!!!) It’s a mid-west tradition, a rather wise one, not to mix religion or politics with family or business.

Somehow I managed to squeeze in a long nap late yesterday afternoon, along with sleeping almost 12 hours both Friday and Saturday night. Not sure if I’m fighting off the beginnings of a cold or if it’s sheer exhaustion. Nate, Kelly and Em are coming up this afternoon, so I’d better pick my hiney off this chair and get on with the day.

:Fernando…is The Best!

Ask us! Just ask us! How did the shows go?

Yippee!! Fernando was awarded Best In Show Saturday. Best In Show!! And, hey, we even got to celebrate because it happened Saturday!

This an achievement of a life-time. Breeder/owner/handled Best In Show dogs are few and far between.

A painting of the now-famous motel….after all, it’s where the Best In Show dog resided the weekend of his big win…

We had a blast. The young dogs – many on a ‘training trip’ did great. Ethan, Chloe, Rumor and Savion picked up a major each. Between the cameras of Melissa, Ginny, Vickie and me, there’s lots of fun photos. But, butt, where are they? Stay tuned!

Darn work anyway. It always interferes with fun.