Stupid City Squirrellie Winner and Reader Appreciation SALE!

[Maria is getting very nervous. She is carrying her ancient, beloved squeaky jack out to the yard so that her Servant doesn't give it away!]

Congratulations to teri, of Days of Kids and K9s - you won the Stupid City Squirrellie!!!
Please email me and we'll get it on its way to the K9s!


Now, here are some collars and leads drastically discounted in our Reader Appreciation Sale:


#1. 1" martingale lead, so pretty in pink, will fit dogs with necks which measure 9" to 10.5" at the very top of the neck, just behind their ears (the smallest part)
Regularly $15 SALE $12



2. 2" martingale lead, Tally Ho. Will fit dogs with necks which measure 10" to 11.5" at the very top of the neck, just behind their ears (the smallest part)
Regularly $22 SALE $15 WOW!!! SOLD, thank you!


#3. 2" martingale lead. Perennial Posies. Will fit dogs with necks which measure 10" to 11.5" at the very top of the neck, just behind their ears (the smallest part)
Regularly $22 SALE $15 WOW!!! SOLD thank you!



#4. 2" martingale lead, Birds of a Feather. Will fit dogs with necks which measure 9" to 10.5" at the very top of the neck, just behind their ears (the smallest part)
Regularly $22 SALE $15 WOW!!! SOLD! thank you


#5. 2" Nieman Barkus martingale lead. Beautiful trim imported from France. Ooh la la!
Will fit dogs with necks which measure 10" to 11.5" at the very top of the neck, just behind their ears (the smallest part)
Regularly $40 SALE $30 OUCH!!! that's unheard of! SOLD! thank you



#6. 3/4" flat collar, molded side release. Navy Diamond.
This collar adjusts from 9" to 14".
Regularly $12, SALE ONLY $8 (I'm killing myself!)


#7. 1" flat collar, molded side release. Red Celtic Knot.
This collar adjusts from 10" to 16".
Regularly $12, SALE ONLY $8 SOLD thank you!!!


#8. 2" martingale lead, Periwinkle Polka. Will fit dogs with necks which measure 10" to 11.5" at the very top of the neck, just behind their ears (the smallest part)
Regularly $22 SALE $15 WOW!!!


#9. 2" martingale lead, Adult Beverages. Will fit dogs with necks which measure 9.5" to 11" at the very top of the neck, just behind their ears (the smallest part)
Regularly $22 SALE $15 WOW!!!





#10. 1" flat collar, molded side release. Purple Passion.
This collar adjusts from 10" to 16".
Regularly $12, SALE ONLY $8 SOLD thank you!



#11. 1" flat collar, molded side release. OINKERS.
This collar adjusts from 13" to 19".
Regularly $12, SALE ONLY $8



#12. 1" martingale collar. Fall Foliage.
Fits necks which measure 9" to 11" at the very top of the neck, just behind the ears (the smallest part)
Regularly $16, SALE PRICE $12

Shipping to the USA is $3.00, no matter how many you purchase.

Shipping to Canada or Mexico will be $9 for International Priority Mail

Shipping to the rest of the world will be $11 for International Priority Mail

If you want any of the above, simply email me! Thanks so much! There is only one of each of the sale items, so good luck!

hug your stylin' hounds

New Prize and the Tile Winner

The Winner of the Remember To Have Fun Tile is





Ben the Rotti!!! Ben's blog, From Rescue To Love, is one to visit, for sure! Ben, have your Mum email me your address and we'll get the tile on its way.



We have to admit to a second drawing today... the first one went to the spammer comment, so we redrew. I'll go erase the spam comment after I post this.



Now, we are WAY excited to post today's prize.

Maria is a'shoutin and a'roachin in excitement!

You all know how the whippets feel about Stupid City Squirrellies, right? Here are THREE LITTLE STORIES from the first month of the blog, a year ago, if you missed them.



To celebrate how the whippets feel about Stupid City Squirrellies, today's prize is





A Dr. Noys Squirrellie!!! He has a squeaker in a pocket and a bushy evil tail and no stuffing, and he comes with an extra squeaker. SOOOO you can kill the squeaker and you pop an extra one in! And you can take out the squeaker and toss the thing in the washer and dryer so you can kill him over and over and over!!!!



All you have to do to enter the drawing is to leave a comment on the bottom of this post.



Good luck!



Hug your squirrel tormenting hounds

And the Second Winner is...

OK, Maria and I are both singing a Happy Song about this one!




Tim Caro photo

The winner of the Second Blog-o-docious Give Away is

drumroll....

Gus the Wire Fox Terrier and his sweet muzzer!!!

This is especially wonderful because Gussie just had some surgery yesterday, and an ice cream cone should be just the thing to perk him up! Woo-HOOO!!!

And HERE IS THE NEXT PRIZE!!!

It's a Terri Kern for Red Carpet Studio ceramic tile/trivet, with a very happy dog who looks like he's wearing footies pajama bottoms, with a crown and a banner which says, "remember to have fun"!

To enter for this FREE DRAWING, simply click to comment!

hug your happy hounds

A new dog blogger!

OK, everyone, please take a minute to welcome a new dog blogger to blogdom! His name is Henry V and he is an AWESOME Labrador, one of our heroes!

He has a brand new blog, and at the bottom, in Honor of Responsible Dog Owners Month, he posted his favorite videos and they are fun!

Go check out his BLOG and say hey we'll invite him to join Dogs With Blogs!

(And yes, the Servant hasn't forgotten that Patience-please is supposed to be a blog of dog stories, but sometimes there are Important Announcements and Mayoral Proclamations which recognize how IMPORTANT the dogs are to the citizens of Paducah, and Celebrations and PRIZES to give away and there you go. There will be more stories coming, and in the mean time, you can check out the faves on the right.)

So have patience, please... heh, heh, heh!

wags from the whippets

The iPet of the Week!

Oh, dear readers, this is a big day in these parts.

First we have a Proclamation, and now we get to announce

the iPet of the Week!!!

You've heard me talk about the bar none BEST online Community Calendar ever,

iList Paducah and the Marvelous Mary Thorsby and Nifty Nikki May who dreamed it up and produce it. (They let me do the story on why giving puppies for Christmas is a bad idea, and you dear readers supplied great photos of mass destruction for it.)

Well, we just launched a weekly feature called the iPet of the Week, which will feature one of our area's unsung and unhuman heroes! Every week!

This week features Heather, a 13 year old Scottie, who's been visiting patients at Lourdes Hospital for TEN YEARS!!!! TEN YEARS!!!

We'll feature pets like Heather, and sometimes we'll feature a very special pet from a shelter who needs to find the right home, and oh the possibilities are endless!

I just think that when folks know how many wonderful unhuman heroes are right in our area, it will be a good thing. And I'm so grateful to the sponsors and to Mary and Nikki for letting me do it!

hug your heroes

Proclamation: September is Responsible Dog Ownership Month!

Our most wonderful Mayor in the World read a PROCLAMATION in tonight's City Commissioners Meeting for all to hear.

How exciting is this?




The Mayor of Paducah, Mayor Bill Paxton, is in the center, with (L to R) Commissioner Gerald Watkins (whom I inadvertantly cut in half, sorry), Commissioner Buzz Smith, City Manager Jim Zumwalt, the Mayor, the City Clerk, Commissioner Gayle Kaler, and Commissioner Robert Coleman.





Our awesome Mayor reading





TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME:

WHEREAS, due to the increasingly important role dogs play in the lives of citizens of Paducah; and

WHEREAS, practicing responsible dog ownership is more vital than ever; and

WHEREAS, the very best way to accomplish this is through public awareness and education; and,

WHEREAS, in September, dog owners and dog lovers of Paducah and the surrounding area will join hundreds of American Kennel Club-affiliated dog clubs across the country; and

WHEREAS, in celebration of the sixth Annual AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Days, the Paducah Kennel Club will sponsor one of the more than 500 events that will be held by local organizations across the country with the goal of educating and entertaining all current and future dog owners.

NOW THEREFORE, I, William F. Paxton, Mayor of the City of Paducah, Kentucky, do hereby proclaim this September 2008 to be

“RESPONSIBLE DOG OWNERSHIP MONTH”

in the City of Paducah and call upon all responsible dog owners and lovers to participate in the events that the Paducah Kennel Club will be hosting on September 6.


Mayor Paxton gave the Proclamation to our Paducah Kennel Club President, Lee King.


Members of the Kennel Club came out for support.

It was all so exciting that I had to share! We've worked really hard to get our Dog Day Fair going, and this will really help. More on that will come, so stay tuned.

How many mayors do you know who would "call upon all responsible dog owners and lovers to participate" in anything? Go Mayor Paxton! You rock!

hug your hounds (responsibly)

And the Winner of the FABULOUS POOP CANDLE is...

Aniemother!!!! Better known as mom to the Wrigglebutts.

Now, you Dear Readers, can take heart and know that these drawings are absolutely fair and on the up and up, because now I get to ship the three dollar poop candle to NORWAY!!!! And the Whippets want it known that this lives with Anie and Bajas the pug:

and if these drawings were fixed, no C.A.T. would win anything but an invitation to LUNCH...

Naughty dogs!

Anie, please email me with your mailing address, and your poop candle will arrive via International Priority Mail!

Now for the next FREE prizes:

It's a fun little zipper bag, 5" by 3.5" with a beaded doggy charm. It's perfect to carry poop bags, or keys, or a hotel key, or charge cards and a driver's license on walks. And if you're planning ahead for the Holidays, this is a great little gift. Also to celebrate summer is an ice cream cone squeaky stuffie. It's 7" long, and won't melt, but will be great fun to destuff for FREE!!!

Maria says to enter, just Click To Comment!

(And if you are here for your first visit and are wondering what on earth is going on, we're having Reader Appreciation Days, celebration our 75,000 pageviews and 50,000 visits which you can read about HERE.)

[Actually, what Maria said was pertaining to her feelings about sending anything to a C.A.T. which I cannot repeat on this family friendly blog... MARIA!]

hug your hounds and good luck!

And the Winner is....

going to be announced after I walk the dogs!!!






Oh I am so naughty! But the next prizes will be announced then as well. Oh wow did I say "prizes" as in plural? Yes I did!





hug your hounds

Give-away, blog-o-docious thank you!

Here Ye, Hear Ye !

From the Very MOUTH OF THE SOUTH to your ears

We have some BIG THANK YOUs to share with YOU, Dear Readers.

Since 9/07/07, we have had 75,621 pageviews... OH MY HEAVENS!!! More than 75,000 pageviews for the dog poop blog!!! And 53,473 visits from more than 110 countries.

And that is because of YOU, dear readers!!! And we can't thank you enough! You have told your friends and spread the word and thank you thank you thank you.

In our first post, on September 7, 2007, we

• told a story about the dogs pooping in public,
• blamed Amy, Mary, Jeannie, and Rhonda for talking us into blogging, and
• included an excerpt from the novel

But that did not stop you from coming! Google Analytics this morning gave these exciting numbers-

The most popular story is still Mr. Mouse, with nearly 4000 pageviews, next is the Rescue, followed closely by My Dog Is Getting Old. The overheard conversation, For Dog Lovers Only, is right up there.

Some of our personal favorite stories are

• What's in a name?
• The Smile Maker
• The Difference Between Dogs and Humans
• When All is Right
• When Nine are Too Many, and finally
• Remembering

To THANK YOU, DEAR READERS, we'll be doing GIVE-AWAY DRAWINGS from now until our September 7th BLOG-O-VERSARY!!!

The first Give-away, never before offered for free ...

[drumroll.......]

the ever popular POOP CANDLE!!! Great for birthday parties, barkday pawties, hostess gifts, powder rooms, oh the possibilities are endless!

Simply leave a comment, by scrolling down a little bit and clicking on "click here to comment" or on "post a comment". We will draw from the comments and if we draw you, you WIN!!!

Thank you. Sweet Maria, at thirteen and a half, is worn out from all this excitement. She says, "Sweet dog dreams" to you and yours.

Hugs to you, and to your hounds

When the Olympics were...

fun.





I think "she's" taken up swimming this year!


hug your steroid-free hounds

A Moment with a Very Old Dog

[Giacomino - pronounced jocka-MEEno - is fourteen and a half. We rescued him, starved and sick, from a for profit breeder who had sold two of his littermates, at five and one half weeks of age, to a pet store. We thought we could find him a home. He was in our house for about ten minutes when we realized something. He was home.]





Very Old Dog has been my shadow for over fourteen years. Even though I learned, long ago, never to step backwards without looking, I have still stepped on him 459 times. When I shower, he curls up on the bath mat. When I type, my chair ends up scooted in too far under the computer desk, because he has sprawled out beyond the edges of his bed, and if I move back I'll run over his sweet nose. Right now, in bed as I type on my newly repaired and once again functional laptop, his head is on my right foot.





The dogs all went to bed last night a little past nine, (lobbying for their snacks early) but I finished some sewing. I came in the bedroom an hour later. Very Old Dog was sound asleep on the foot of our bed, (I lift him up and he gets his snack there) where he has his own pillow and blankets. I brushed my teeth, and when I climbed in bed, my Very Old Dog got up - no simple task these days and nights - and moved up to the top to rest his head on my arm. His coat is so soft. And though most of his brindle patch has faded to white, his ears are still black. They often stand straight up now, straining, because they don't hear much anymore. But they feel as silken and soothing as they ever did.





He looked at me, and sighed, and snuggled in and then even with my limited human understanding, I realized something. Very Old Dog always used to lie next to me on the couch, or climb in my lap in a chair, and lately he hasn't been. It dawned on me that it isn't because he doesn't want to, which is what I thought. He can't. He can't get up on a couch. My heart broke a little bit.





Today, I picked him up and held him in my lap whenever I could. Even extra for lost time. And I will tomorrow and every day I can.





Hug your hounds

Happy Birthday to YOUUUUUUUUUUU!

Dearest Elijah, Simmer, Katie, Topper, Emmett, Rexie, Nearly, and Lindy Loo

I can't believe you are already two!

I hope you enjoy your special day,

Your family and I just want to say:





hug your hounds and give them some ice cream to celebrate!

Book Excerpt!!!

For you, dear readers.
I am finishing up the first rough draft of my novel. I believe giving birth to my son was easier and much less painful!
I hope you enjoy this little excerpt, in which puppy Hope goes with her Uncle Zack to her first Obedience Class with their Woman.
I am not too proud to ask for encouragement. At this point in the writing, I am so full of self doubt and oh, yikes.

When the Woman got the two whippets out of the van, Zack was a little excited, too, though he was staid compared to Hope. She was bouncing around on her lead, wagging her tail, and grinning at the Woman. Fun! This looked like fun! They walked on the grass outside a large building, and Hope could smell all sorts of different dogs.

“HOLY SCHMOLY what the heck is that hairy monster?” Little Hope felt every hair along her back prickle to full attention, and she heard herself sound the alarm. “Danger! Danger! Hairy MONSTER!” she barked. She had never in her young life seen such a big, hairy dog. The Woman told her it was all right, it was only a Malamute, whatever the heck that was, but good grief, what did the Woman know about danger?

“Get back! Get away from us! I’m a very important protector of my Human, who doesn’t have the sense to get us back in the van, obviously. Hey, Uncle, a little help here?” The terrified puppy glanced sideways at Zack, who was totally unfazed by the Hairy Monster. Maybe he hadn’t heard her.

“Look Out. Warning. Danger. Back OFF, Hairy Monster, you don’t want me to have to get physical!” Her little body bounced with each bark, legs stick straight, tail up, neck stretched taught as a high wire to make herself look as big and imposing as a nine month old, skinny little Whippet puppy could look. The Malamute, (a very large, husky/wolf looking breed developed to pull heavy loads on a sled) waved his huge tail over his back and acted friendly and non-threatening. Hope could not believe what she heard the Woman say next.

“Could my puppy meet your dog? She’s never seen a Malamute.”

“Are you completely wacko, Woman?” Hope gave a token woof, but got smaller as her Woman actually approached the Monster. Zack, on the other hand, had apparently taken total leave of his senses and seemed to be actually pleased to see this mutant beast. The two dogs wagged tails, and sniffed noses and privates, while Hope did her best to become invisible behind her insane Woman. She tried to sneak a sniff at all that hair, but darted back when the hair noticed her. After a while, as the humans rattled on in their inane spoken language, the Monster assured Hope that he was, after all, a Good and Honorable Dog, and she gambled a sniff, survived that, and met him properly. He didn’t eat her, and he smelled so interesting, and she was glad to make his honorable acquaintance. But she still kept a wary eye on him. Sort of like you might be friendly to a warty troll, but you wouldn’t turn your back on him.

After everyone was pottied they went into the building. So many dogs, and such a racket Hope had never heard indoors. But since she had been lure coursing, which had been even louder and oh so much fun, she wasn’t too scared. Although there were certainly stranger looking dogs here than there had been at the field trials. There were short, midget dogs, and big fat dogs and poor dogs whose faces were mashed in and lordy so many of them had way too much hair. There weren’t any other whippets in sight, although there was a Giant. She had seen them at the coursing events, and heard them called “greyhounds.” Hope felt a great deal of pain coming from this one, a Queen, who had suffered terribly, and not too long ago. She was surrounded by the sick yellow color of fear, with streaks of jagged red panic. Hope pulled toward the greyhound; she said to the Woman, “We need to help her.” And for once the Human seemed to hear her, and headed towards the greyhound.

“This sounds like the races. Are there shocks here? Are they taking me back? Don’t let them take me back. Oh don’t let them take me back!” The poor greyhound was panting and frantic.

“Back to what, Your Majesty?” asked Hope.

“The track, the track, the track,” panted the grey. She was just shy of hysterical and the whippet puppy couldn’t understand.

Zack said, “No, I don’t think they’ll take you back.” He stood tall and calm and kind. “It’s good here. A little silly, but it’s a great place for teaching the Humans. Do you have a good One now?”

“Back to the track, taking me back to the track, backtrack, oh!”

The poor grey’s eyes were wide and blind with terror.

“Do you have a good human NOW?” Zack licked the grey’s muzzle.

“What? Oh, yes, this one is very good. He doesn’t ignore me. I sleep in his bed, and he cares. There’s no shocking. No loneliness.” She looked up at her Human and her great, long tail wagged, even through her panic. “Yes, he’s a good Human and I love him. But I’ve loved other humans and they used cattle prods on me and I never slept in a bed and I hurt and they didn’t ever care. They just didn’t ever care. Am I back there? Is this the track? It’s loud. It’s so loud.”

“I don’t know a track,” said Zack calmly. “But this is not a bad place. Look at your Human and teach him. He can hear you better here than just about anywhere. You are safe here. It will quiet down. You are safe. You are safe. You are safe. Listen to my heart. You are the Queen of all dogs. You are safe.”

The greyhound relaxed, her panic passed. Hope wondered what misery such a thing as a “track” was, that could cause such horrid yellow fear even in the Royalty of dogs. She wagged a worshipful tail at the grey, and even gave a submissive lick, which was of course ignored.

The greyhound was busy telling her Human that she liked this Zack very much, and that she remembered that he was a good Human, and perhaps they should go home now.

(c) 2008 Patience C. Renzulli
all rights reserved

hug your hounds

BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"What's the buzz, tell me what's a-happenin'
What's the buzz, tell me what's a-happenin'
What's the buzz?"

Jesus Christ, Superstar





The joys of August. The hum of summer tree frogs. The peepers who chirp us to sleep. Honey bees who visit the potted plants on our porch, and Lindy Loo's manic snapping jaws, trying to put a crushing end to the striped guests.

The giant, hairy, stupid flies who dart in the open back door as a dog is going in or out, and cause a tsunami wave of whippets crashing over lamps, end tables, vases and chairs to catch and kill the seemingly blind devils, which bump drunkenly into walls and ceilings, careening from room to room.

The lustful night bird who serenades his wife from 3:30 to 4:30 AM. I was mightily annoyed with him during my first summer here. In fact, dear readers, I'm embarrassed to admit to opening my window and yelling at the top of my croaky, sleep deprived lungs at him to, "For the love of Everything Holy Shut the F*** UP!!!" Yes, I am ashamed of that bad behavior now that I mostly sleep through his song, only smiling to myself as I turn over, remove Very Old Dog's foot from my nether parts, fix my pillow, and drift back to sleep to the strains of his lovely, loud lullaby.

August in this southern city brings a symphony of sounds. The First Chair belongs to the Cicadas. The locusts. Click HERE to hear a mating call. HERE it is in MP3. (Both recordings from The University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
Insect Division )

As we walk, we find their discarded shells like autumn leaves on the sidewalks. And there is no greater delight for the whippets than finding a whole bug. No, I misspoke. Finding a whole dead Cicada is cause for instant pouncing, crunching, and swallowing. And they they do crunch. Louder than Fritos, or Rice Crispies or pork rinds. Empty-mouthed whippets eye the lucky muncher with envy.



But. Let a hapless live locust be innocently sunning on the sidewalk, and suddenly I am not walking sweet civilized whippets. I am leashed to Whippets of Mass Destruction. One whippet snatches up the bug, which immediately sounds his alarm call. Well that just sets the whole crew in a fit! The locustless whippets swarm the mouth of the lucky hunter, who spins away trying not to lose the prey, which is buzzing louder and louder trying to scare the mouth which holds it into opening.
No such luck. BUZZ! Swarm. Swoop. Dodge. BUZZ! Spin. Pounce. Duck. BUZZ!!
Chomp.
Bzz..
Crunch.
b..
Gulp.
Wag, wag, wag, gloat! (the victor)
Gag. (me)
Hunt. (the whippets)


Life is good.


Hug your hounds

Fancy Fannies Panties SALE!!!

Welcome to the First EVER Fancy Fannies Whippet Panties SALE!!!

Fancy Fannies Whippet Panties are for keeping things neat and tidy when things are seasonally challenged, and for older ladies who might be a little leaky.

They are machine washable, made from 100% premium cotton fabric, with oh so soft 100% cotton flannel lining.

They will fit other dogs besides whippets, and I do make custom made panties.

Just click on the button above and go to the "other stuff" page.

But the SALE PANTIES are:

***SOLD***

****Leaf Me Alone is SOLD***

***SOLD***

***Bunnies Bunnies is SOLD***

****Watercolors is SOLD***

If you want any of the above, simply EMAIL ME!

and thanks for looking!

hug your horny, leaky hounds

Dog Show

Welcome to one of the biggest dog shows in the United States. In recent years there have been as many as 5600 dogs entered in this show, but with the economy and the price of gas, this year there were only 3409 entries. There were 134 whippet entries because it's our Midwest Specialty Show.

Folks come from all over. There were around thirty-five rings like this one, and hundreds of motorhomes, campers, and even tents. All of the hotels for miles were full.

if you click to enlarge, you will see one tiny area of RV's

We were fortunate enough to be invited to stay with Crystal in her pop-up. (That's the Crystal who went to Sweden with us.) I took Swede William and Lindy Loo, and Crystal took her lovely champion, Lavender, and Sidney the girl puppy, and Mallory joined us with Luther, whom Crystal bred. The pop-up had tons of room, and Swede William and Lindy Loo felt right at home.

Lavender and Sydney in their crates on Crystal's king sized bed

William and Lindy Loo enjoyed the fact that their bed overlooked the dining table!

click to see some of the cool stuff, use your back button to return

Every dog show has vendors. Cool stuff that you can't find anywhere else. My poor dogs. All I bought this year was two battery operated crate fans. I have twelve battery operated crate fans. At home. In the van. Also in the van were my dog show chairs, my spare emergency pantyhose, my Pepto-bismal, my x-pens (collapsible fencing for temporary yards), and my mind. I should not travel to a dog show without my Warburton Whippet Wagon. No, I should not.

At most dog shows, you can get your dog's health testing done,

including, heart, ears (for congenital deafness), and eyes, all by board certified specialists, and you can get a reduced fee for microchipping. You can also get your dog's Canine Good Citizen award, and even get certified as a Therapy Dog.

Being at a dog show is a little like being at a twelve step program meeting. No one questions your addiction. You don't have to apologize for having a baggy of dog poo in your hand, in fact, you can be proud of it for being a Human Good Citizen. Not a single soul will ask where your dogs sleep; it's a given. They sleep in the middle of the bed, sprawled out in luxury, as you cling for dear life to the very edge.

The only difference between a dog show crowd and a twelve step program meeting is that no one is looking for a cure.

The camper folks get together and share meals, and fun. The Labrador fancy had a slightly scary karaoke thing going one tent over. We whippet lovers had the annual POOP TOSSING CONTEST, and this year Crystal WON the whole thing, getting her name forever on the plaque. (It's fake poop.) Adult beverages are rumored to be involved.

Everyone entered in a dog show thinks their dog is the best. The three winners in every breed (Best of Breed, Winners Dog and Winners Bitch) think the judging was outstanding, the rest think the judge was a blind, senile, crooked, farting, stupid idiot. (That's a bit overstated. Maybe.)

Some of the whippet bitch champions line up for the judge

The winners get their pictures taken with the judge and flowers and fanciness, and get congratulated.

You see lots and lots of things at a dog show that you won't see anywhere else on earth. Every imaginable breed of dog. Looking at the smallest chihuahua and the giant Irish Wolfhounds side by side gives you a great smack of the power of selective breeding.

Oh and there are dog fashions

And human fashions!!! Where else could you win a beauty contest, wearing a gorgeous stylin' teal linen suit, accented with black sneakers and white athletic socks? And win they did! That's our roomie, Luther, with his super talented handler Lesley, who won the five point major on Sunday. Woo-HOO for Luther, Lesley, Mallory and Crystal!!!

This year was our year to congratulate others. The Midwest Specialty has been really lucky for us. Last year Swede William won the Sweepstakes one day and won his class in the Specialty. Lindy Loo's daddy won Winners Dog and an Award of Merit, and his daddy was Best of Breed and won the Hound Group. Very Old Dog won his obedience class there way back when, and well, we've just always come home with a pile o'ribbons.

But this year was our turn to say, "Good for you!!!" Lindy and William could not have shown any better, and they were STELLAR little travellers, so I have no complaints. We got to see our dear friends Carolyn and Greg and that by itself was worth the trip. It was hard for Carolyn, who has always shown her own dogs, but is unable to because of the stinkin' cancer. She had to watch other folks do it. We were both a little teary saying goodbye, and when we made the "L" for Looser sign with our thumbs and forefingers on our foreheads we laughed, and that was good.

There will always be more dog shows.

It's the friends that are precious.

hug your hounds