Rabbits Rollcall

[cnq50b]

My dear Velda,
It is good that your cousin is coming. It sounds like Mel is more comfortable now. You are providing loving support to him & this will bring you tremendous peace in the future. Sending you hugs & continuing to lift you both up in prayer.
Take care,
Catherine

[Cudedog]

I sure wish I knew more about dog shows and the different terms used in showing so I could understand what Josef and you have accomplished Tina. Sounds like you both have done well, however. Congrats to you both of you.
Sandi

Good morning, Sandy.

I bred and showed Staffordshire Bull Terriers, several of my breeding to their AKC Championships.

Let me tell you, that this is a VERY Big Deal (Congrats to Tina!!!) to have gone so far as an "Owner-Handler". These days, at the AKC shows, most dogs are shown by professional handlers. These are folks that make their living showing dogs for other people, and they really know their way around a show ring. When I was first starting out, I had a professional handler show my bitch just once, hoping to make sure that she won the "points" that day, as she just needed that day's points (for her breed) to finish her AKC Championship.

And she did "finish" (meaning finish her Championship) on that very day.

Afterwards, I owner-handled her as a "Special" (a finished Champion) myself for a couple of years, to good results - I showed her to #5 Staffordshire Bull Terrier bitch in the United States one year.

This was twenty or twenty-five years ago, and at that time a professional handler charged about $100 a pop for about a 60-second stroll around the show ring. It is probably a lot more now.

The point I am trying to make is that professional handlers show dogs all day, at least three or four (or sometimes five) days a week. They know how to do it, because they "practice" (in the show ring!) for hours every show day.

Another part of it is this - generally, a professional handler will also groom the "coated" (breeds with a long coat, as are Tina's dogs) for the show ring, which is an art into itself. Tina obviously excels at this as well, or she would not be doing so much winning!!

I have no "claim to fame" in this department - Staffordshire Bull Terriers are not a coated breed, and need little more in the way of grooming than maybe a quick tooth brushing (yes, we brush our dog's teeth - after all, teeth are one of the things a judge checks!), maybe a quick nail trim (rarely needed for many Staffordshire Bull Terriers - my Joe is so active that he keeps his nails worn down - I have not trimmed his nails once in the three years that I have owned him), mostly just a quick pre-ring wipe-down with a damp washcloth, and you are done!

WOO-HOO Tina!!!

Anne

[Cudedog]

Velda, it is so difficult to know that the correct thing to say for a situation like your's and Mel's.

I don't post much these days, but know that I pray for you both each day.

Anne