Seward County KC sanctioned match

I took Betty and Cash to the Seward County KC sanctioned match yesterday. Betty was entered in Adult Open and as my poodle partner in Adult Showmanship. Cash was entered in Rally Advanced and Novice Obedience.



Poor Cash never made it into the ring. I had trimmed him on Monday night and apparently gave him a clipper burn on the bottom side of his tail. All was well until I took him outside before ring time and he scooted his rear on the concrete. Big mistake. He scraped his tail raw in an instant. I didn't think it was fair for him to try to compete with a "butt burn" so I scratched him and considered his entry fees a donation to the club.



Betty was the only miniature poodle so she won BoV and the Non Sporting group. She gave a Portugese Water Dog a run for his money for Best in Match, but the PWD won it. She showed well and was very well behaved on the grooming table.



The shock of the day was in Adult Showmanship. There were probably 15 or so entrants and Betty and I won it! Even though it was just a fun match, it was a nice shot in the arm to think at least someone thinks I can handle.



Back to reality today. Betty got a bath to wash out the hairspray.

A couple of videos during Best in Match. I sure love her attitude and how she moves!

There's always another show....

Today didn't go as well as I had hoped. I showed Betty at the Keomah KC show in Des Moines, IA. She was the only Open bitch so of course won her "class". There were 7 puppies in the 9-12 month class and one Bred by Exhibitor bitch. I was thrilled with how well Betty showed. Tail up and flying around the ring. She self stacked like a pro on the floor and was very good on the table. Unfortunately we left the Winners class empty handed. The BBE took Winners with Reserve to the 9-12 month puppy.

The judge was Carolyn Herbel who was very nice in the ring, but I'm at a loss to explain why she didn't like Betty. Three things come to mind. The BBE was a leggy black bitch handled by a pro and the 9-12 was a pale cream, also handled by a pro. Either Ms. Herbel doesn't care for silvers, Betty is too petite, or the fact that I'm not a professional handler entered into the mix. I would hope the fact that I'm not a pro wasn't a consideration, but I'm not so naive as to think it couldn't be.

I can always find something good from every trip to a show. Betty showed very well after a long layoff and she didn't get carsick on our trip so there are two positives. Here are a couple of videos. The first one is Betty in Open class and the second in Winners.

Handling class

I took Betty to a conformation handling class tonight. We hadn't been there since last year before the April Seward KC show. It took a while for her to settle down and actually keep all four feet on the floor.

Once she settled and had her attention focused she was awesome. My God, can this girl MOVE! I had to RUN to keep up with her ground gobbling trot. It was a blast!

I won't even try hand stacking her on the floor. She self stacks beautifully all by herself. She was a little nervous on the table the first couple of times, but after that she was an old pro.

We'll go again next week in preparation for the Des Moines show in mid February.

And so it starts.....

After a series of unfortunate events, Betty's papers have arrived, been signed and forwarded to the AKC for her individual registration. I found out last week she is now registered and I entered her the same day in the Keomah KC show in Des Moines, Iowa on February 15th.

And so it starts, this trip to a championship. It could take awhile, it could go quickly. But in showing dogs, whether it be performance or the breed ring, it's the journey, not the destination.