Go, Go, Gibson!

So, it turns out that Gibson did, indeed, get his first point yesterday!

Today, we were able to watch as he went BOW for his second point (happily, the bitch points held!).  It was fun seeing him in the ring, and Kylie did a beautiful job showing him.  I also got to meet Gibson's daddy, Bogey, for the first time.  He is beautiful!

Watson went BOB over...no competition.  So we stuck around for group.  We didn't place, although I really enjoyed the judge, and it was fun watching Kylie take a Group 4 with her special, Darcy.  

My brother came with a friend to watch today, and we enjoyed grabbing a bite of lunch (even though it was just dog show food) after the breed judging.  All in all, a very nice-- and pretty low-key-- weekend!

Gibson!

While we're waiting to hear show results from Gibson's second weekend out in the big bad world of dog shows, I thought I'd catch up on recent events.

We have not done any showing during the month of August. However, Gibson made his debut last weekend in Amana, IA, with Becki & Kylie. He went RWD all 3 days. He shows, I'm told, "like a dream" and was the life of the party at the host's home, inciting approximately 25 other Field spaniels to chase after him as he was running around the yard with a toy. Completely unflappable. That's our boy!

We dropped him off last night so that Kylie could show him today at the Kenosha KC show in Wilmot, WI. Fields showed earlier this afternoon, so we are awaiting results. (I assume we'll hear something after groups finish.) Tomorrow, we'll drive down early. Kylie will show Gibson in BBE. He is the only class dog, and she has to show another dog in BOB, so I am expecting to show him in breed. Should be fun!

Mr. Watson is the only Clumber entry. We show around 11:30 and will likely stay for group, since it'll be good experience for both Watson and me.

Will post again once I have today's results, or tomorrow when we wrap up at the show...

Clumbers in Paradise

Whew!  Clumbers everywhere!!  We just returned from a margarita party chez Sharon H.-- and we had a great time (thanks, Sharon!).  When we first started this little tradition, we had only Kipper; Sharon had Rita, Mr. PJ and Goldie; and Sue R. had Jasmine and Devina (and maybe Pearlie Mae).  We had about 6 dogs between us.  We're now up to 11!!!

11 dogs in one backyard makes for a pretty rowdy time.  Wooster and grand dames Devina and Goldie wisely hang out on the deck with the people (and the food!) most of the time.  The many younger dogs--  Mr. B, Winston, Fanny, Watson, Seamus, Daphne and Gibson-- frolic in the yard.  Pearl Mae splits her time, mainly hanging near the picnic but occasionally heading to the yard to give the young guys "what for."

Sue provided the tunes (what else but Jimmy Buffet) AND an opportunity to try out her new Margaritaville margarita maker.  Loved it-- it even has its own carrying case, so it is pretty portable (albeit rather heavy).  We partook of that great traditional Mexican food, pizza-- Glass Nickel, of course-- which complemented the margaritas perfectly.

How delightful to end our too short weekend hanging out with friends, watching the dogs play and enjoying some casual drinks and conversation.  Even better is the fact that ALL of the dogs are now tired-- and (most importantly) quiet.  Wish we could do this every night!!  Truly, the Clumbers were in paradise, and the humans not far behind.

Thanks Sharon & Sue for a great evening!

Catching Up

Lots of doggie stuff has happened since I blogged last...

Watson earned another BOB at the shows in West Bend, WI at the end of June. The breed judge was WAY behind that day. Coupled with a rain storm around mid-day, we didn't finish the sporting group until around 7 pm or so. This made for a long day, but...Watson made a new friend, a 10-year-old boy who was sitting with his mom next to us at ringside. Watson "introduced" himself immediately, as he always does, and I chatted for about 15 minutes while the little boy was petting Watson, when suddenly the kid said, "I have a great new name for your dog!" I said, "What's that?" and he responded, "MegaWats!" As any of you who know Watson will know, this is, indeed, the perfect nickname for him: "MegaWats" has just about the brightest and most outgoing personality of any dog I have ever met! It also goes perfectly with his "supersuit," which is bright blue with silver stars. Only a kid would come up with this, but it is perfect and it has stuck!

About a week after that, on July 3, Gibson came home! (No, I'm not changing the name of my blog just because he's a Field Spaniel.) He is pretty darn adorable! (Check him out at : http://clmbrlvr.googlepages.com/gibson%27spage. Even more pics and info at: http://www.calicofieldspaniels.com/See_Field_Spaniels_files/Gibson.htm.)

The next day, he had his "well puppy" exam, and everything looked fine. Hours later, we were at the e-vet with a suspected UTI or bladder stone. Still not sure exactly what happened, but suffice it to say that he is fine now AND has been added to our doggie health insurance (I thought surely doing that within a few days would have been fine, but apparently not; next time, I will add the dog before they get to our house!).

Gibson has been fitting in well. He is much quicker than the Clumbers, so Watson has taken to sitting in the middle of the room wating for Gibson to zoom by and then swatting him with one huge paw. Even Wooster has been playing nicely with puppy (closely supervised, of course). The big dogs only get a little cranky when Gibson gets TOO enthusiastic, and sometimes they do have to "tell" him to stop chewing on their ears, or things like that. Overall, however, everyone is getting along well, and we couldn't be happier with the way the "pack" is shaping up!

We have finally worked out the logistics of going to the dog park (with more dogs than leash holders) too, and have been enjoying the occasional trip. I'm impressed that Gibson already has a GREAT recall. Even though the park is completely fenced and he does range a bit further than the Clumbers usually do, it's great that he usually keeps us in sight and comes back at a run when called (well, sometimes we need to call more than once, but not usually).

Gibson is a very enthusiastic little guy, and we're delighted to have him. You can look for him in the show ring soon, shown in BBE by Kylie Hirschy-Sievert of Calico (one of Gibson's co-owners). He is also training for the field and making good progress with retrieves and quartering drills. He is going to be dynamite, just like his daddy, Bogey!

Last weekend, we had a little health scare with Wooster. Doggie health insurance may sound silly, but those e-vet bills add up, folks! Happily, after spending lots of time at the e-vet (Michael stayed there w/ him on Sunday night), our vet advised that there seems to be a GI bug going around, so that's probably what he had (funny how the e-vet didn't mention it...). He seems like his old self again, which is a great relief.

Michael & Woo continue training for Wooster's Master Hunter title. Look for them in the field very soon!

Watson Wins the Breed

I am thrilled to report that our Watson went BOB today at the Badger KC show in Madison, WI for his first breed win (other than 2 group placements in puppy matches). It was an exciting way to cap off our National Specialty week, and I was glad we were home in time to show since I have joined the Badger KC.

We didn't do anything in the Group, though we had a good time showing. I felt Watson showed pretty well, especially considering he is not used to waiting so long (as is the case in a large group). He was a little antsy by the time the judge went over him, but not too bad. I was also pleased with my handling, in that I made several conscious choices in the ring that I might not have had the presence of mind to make a few months ago. So, progress is being made.

Thanks Sue and Sharon for coming out to cheer today (and for the bday cards). A very special thanks to the other member of "Team Watson," Michael, for his help, support and love and for being such wonderful unpaid kennel help! Last, but not least, thanks to Watson, who personifies "happy" during his every waking moment, for such a nice early bday present!

Long Time No Blog-- National Recap

Today seems like a great day to blog... Why? Well, we just returned from a terrific week in the Poconos, on the shore of the Delaware River, at the Clumber Spaniel National Specialty!

We had a VERY enjoyable week. I drove out last Saturday and Sunday, starting out from Wisconsin Saturday, staying at my folks' on Saturday, hooking up with Roe and Gordie in Michigan and driving the rest of the way behind them on Sunday. This made the trip a little easier and meant good company on the rest stops! We arrived late Sunday at the Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort. Monday offered some nice "down time." Tuesday, I showed Wooster for the first time ever in the Veteran Sweeps. We didn't win, but we did have a great time! Wooster was a trooper-- he just kept looking at me as if to say, "I don't know what we're doing, but I'll do whatever you want." Truly, this is a day I had been looking forward to since Wooster came to us in 2003!!

Wednesday I attended the International Symposium, including presentations by Dr. Keller of OFA and Pat Craige Trotter. Dr. Keller was very informative on the subjects of hips and elbows, and both speakers offered a great deal of food for thought. I skipped out on most of the afternoon presentations to help out with blood draws for the DNA Bank and PDP1 testing. Very productive for the Clumber Spaniel Health Foundation, as we banked nearly 20 more dogs. Thank you to all who participated-- your participation in this important project not only takes care of health testing that-- hopefully-- you would do anyway, but also can help other Clumbers down the road by making your dogs' DNA available for research purposes.

I picked Michael up at the Allentown airport on Wednesday. We ended up having a very enjoyable dinner with Cindy and Bill. Then Michael started washing dogs. Poor Woo was the first victim on Wednesday night, in preparation for the National Specialty on Thursday.

Thursday, the dog washing (and grooming!) continued. I showed Roe and Gordie's Tess in a large Open Bitch class. We didn't place, but I thought we showed well. Wooster and I again had a good time showing in the Veterans' class, and Watson enjoyed himself in the Breed ring-- apparently, I was just along for the ride.

A particular highlight for me of Thursday night's banquet was watching Michael collect Wooster's award from the club for his Senior Hunter title, earned in Fall 2007. They both worked SO hard for this award and make such a great team that I had really been looking forward to that moment! We enjoyed seeing all of the other new titleholders honored as well. Another highlight was the arrival of Chris Paige, in the guise of the Duke of Newcastle (as seen in Francis Wheatley's painting "Return from Shooting") who toured the banquet hall with two of Patty's Lothian Clumbers.

Friday we enjoyed another day's showing. Unfortunately, we found no more success than earlier in the week but once again had fun trying. While I prepped for the show, Michael earned a new title of his own: "Champion Packer." I had procured 2 additional crates (and crate pads) earlier in the week, and we also had his luggage, which was not in the car for the trip out. He may never let me travel unsupervised again!

We finally left the hotel late Friday afternoon. I can say with confidence that I would highly recommend the Shawnee Inn for a future vacation (or as a dog show site!). It is by far the most beautiful location we've been to yet for one of these events.

Most importantly, we saw many old friends and made some new ones, human and canine, during this week. This is truly a highlight of my year, and I look forward to this one chance to converse face-to-face with so many people that I only "see" via email for the rest of the year. We were told, courtesy of Club stalwart and founding member Bryant Freeman, that this was the largest EVER gathering of Clumber spaniels. I can easily believe it. I filled a great portion of the week meeting and greeting the people and the gorgeous dogs, and I am already looking forward to next year!

What to do on the coldest day of the year?

We've decided to stay in. Does anyone disagree that this is a wise course of action when the mercury is below 0 and the wind chill is even colder? I doubt it...

We had a wonderful dinner out last night to celebrate Michael's birthday. Thanks to Sue, Sharon & Bob for celebrating with us. We now highly recommend Brasserie V. The food was French-themed and awesome. Sampling my Tagliatelle Bolognaise, not only was the pasta NOT overcooked (a frequent problem when I order pasta out), but the sauce was flavored and cooked perfectly. I couldn't have asked for a better meal on a chilly night. Michael reported he enjoyed his Steak Frites very much, and our friends seemed to enjoy their meals (Moules et Frites and Pork Tenderloin) also.

Tonight we'll be supping on some short ribs that I found in the freezer this morning when the "we aren't going anywhere today" mood struck. Thanks again, Mom & Dad, for keeping the freezer stocked with beef that we enjoy throughout the year! Keep it coming! It was especially nice not to have to run out to the store in this weather even though I didn't have anything special planned for dinner in advance.

We are so thankful today for the fenced-in backyard, where we are able to let the dogs out to run. Even with their fur coats, they're not staying out too long!

Stay warm!!