Monday, August 9, 2010

On a Roll



I've discovered something profound, and I'll share it with you. It's a secret, so use your best judgement to whom you divulge it.

If you actually enter your beautiful whippets in shows, sometimes they will win! And if you never enter or go to a show, they won't.

Yes! You heard it here!!!

Over the last two years, I barely went to any dog shows. This was not very fair to Swede William's breeder (in Sweden) who gave me her pick male puppy thinking he would actually get shown. Nor was it fair to Swede William and Lindy Loo who love to show more than anything except exterminating Evil City Squirrellies. Maybe even more than that.

After moving to Paducah, I had a little adjusting to do. Dog showing back home meant an hour's drive, two at the most, stopping at Dunkin' Donuts on the way (for luck, just for luck, not for the cranberry orange muffin and Boston cream - not creme- donut) with my best friends. Laughing and talking. Taking the whole waggle along. Singing Paul Simon songs for more luck. ("Mama Pajama rolled out of bed and she ran to the police station. When the papa found out he began to shout and that started the investigation.") Laughing and talking more. Being home by lunch.

Around here, it means driving 2.5 to 6 hours each way and staying in a hotel (ick). It's too hot for the rest of the waggle to hang out in the van so they have to stay home. Oh, hey, that's not so much fun. And then with the recession and blah blah blah.

I wasn't going to many dog shows. At all.

Well, we're going to dog shows again! Lee and Dee are kind enough to go with me. It is so much nicer to be able to abuse good friends by asking them to hold the Screaming Meemees ringside. (Whichever dog isn't in the ring, wants to be. They're a bit vocal - one could say shrill - in their complaints! When Lee and Dee don't go, I have to ask Random Ringside Persons.) We call ourselves The Golden Girls.

The dogs have done great! Yesterday, Lindy Loo was Best of Breed and Swede William was Best of Opposite. What a kick! I hadn't been in the Group ring since Lindy Loo's daddy won a Group 4 under Kent Delaney. This particular show was only one hour away, oh Glory.

I didn't take Sam I Am along on Saturday, fearing the heat. Bill said that after I left, he walked the dogs. (He's a Good Man.) After that, he was upstairs in his study, writing in his journal. He thought the Tornado Siren was going off. Turned out it was Sammy, downstairs by himself, head thrown back and howling his sorrow at being left home. So I took him on Sunday. We showed at 8 AM and I tarped the van until it looked like a big tin-foil wrapped Oscar Meyer Weiner! He did fine.

William! Wait for me!!!
You can't take dog shows too seriously. You can be serious in your devotion to your dogs, but you have to remember that every show reflects just one person's opinion. Sometimes the dogs I show win. More often, I congratulate someone else on their win. And I am genuinely happy for them. I was stuck with this feeling though that these dogs might not finish their championships.


WELL DUH!!!! It wasn't that there was anything wrong with the dogs, no! You have to show to win! Hello???? You can't win if you don't go! Your dogs can't finish their championships if they aren't ever entered.



Fifty-six years old and I figured that out all by myself. Ha!








hug your hounds

11 comments:

  1. Oh, please tell Sweet William all is forgiven and Teka is so proud of him!

    And we are proud of you for figuring all that out by yourself.

    kisses
    Gussie

    pee ess...you can tell Dr.Mr.Servant that we hung him in our new house today! He is right in the front room!
    g

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  2. congratulations Lindy Loo, Swede William, and Patience!

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  3. This is so much like the writing and publishing biz! :-D -- and CONGRATS and yayys and I'm so glad you are showings!

    AND..,when are you going to write another book I can enjoy???hmmm????!!!

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  4. You're so right!! I've been debating whether to show Fudge again. He's shown twice, Best of Breed once and Winners the second time, but he misbehaved both times. He likes to show off for a crowd. I was thinking of not putting myself thru the laughter of the crowd, but this boy is beautiful and deserves to show it off.

    I think you may have convinced me to try again.

    Congratulations on your big weekend!!!

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  5. Big Congrats, Patience, to you, and your beautiful pups. And for figuring things out . . .do you suppose thats why I don't win the lottery. . .like I need to buy a ticket?

    cheers,

    Jo, Stella and Zkhat

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  6. AMAZING.....That is good advice just for living. Can't have fun if you don't show up!! Proud for you and your weekend!!

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  7. Francarrich from WWAugust 10, 2010 at 6:35 PM

    So glad you all (humans, dogs & puppy) had a good weekend, even though Bill did think the siren was activated!
    Banjo & Aida send congratulatory & impressed wags to Liny Loo & The Swede.

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  8. Congrats, Patience. You and the dogs did good. :-)

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  9. Martha,P-Doggy, and CheAugust 11, 2010 at 5:34 PM

    Clap,clap,clap! (for lack of emoticons or similies or whatever!)

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  10. Hooray, Patience! I'm glad that you are getting back to it. You know, though, sometimes, I think we all need to take a break from the stressors of life to appreciate things.

    Just think....only 10 hours or so to the whippet wranch (evil grin).

    PS: If you don't have a good friend along for the ride, download all of Wait Wait from the NPR site and just listen to it for 6 hours straight....it gets me giggling.

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  11. Oh my gosh, your dogs are beautiful! Good for you, and congratulations! It must be really nice to show a breed with a no-fuss coat.

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