I Hear Queen Playing in the Background & I Don't Know Why

OK, maybe I do know. This past Sunday, under Judge Judith Goodin at the Lake Shore KC shows in Crete, IL, Watson finished his championship, becoming CH. Shogun's The Good Doctor. (Ruth - this occurred despite us having left the super suit at home. Honest, I meant to pack it, but when we got home, it was waiting by the door where I'd left it.) All points owner-handled by me - can you tell I'm proud of myself?

We had a fairly relaxing weekend. Although we had to get up early on Saturday to drive the 3 hours to Crete and still be there in time to set up and groom, we did get to sleep in on Sunday, since we didn't show until after 2. Saturday did not go as planned for Watson's camp. (Way to go Subway, though!) So when the judge pointed at us on Sunday, there was much rejoicing. Once again, I want to thank Helen and Otto, without whom there would be no Watson, and Jim Fankhauser, who has provided support and encouragement along the way. Thanks also to the many new friends that we've gotten to know while showing. OK, I know this isn't the Oscars or anything...I'm just still high as a kite! Oh, the excitement of it all!

Watson's 2nd birthday is coming up, so we'll give him at least a couple of weeks off while we busily arrange hip/elbow xrays and other health clearances. (Yes, I know they don't all have to wait until age 2, but we've been a little busy: moving, showing, finding tenants, hunting, and finishing up the title!) We'll let him savor the taste of victory for a while before we put him back to work.

Meanwhile, Michael & Woo are planning to get "back on the wagon" for hunt training as soon as the holidays are over with.

Thanksgiving Day

We've had a lovely Thanksgiving Day. Lots of family at our house. Michael's parents brought their dog, Copper, a handsome young Golden. He and Watson have had a great time playing outside together in the snow (yes, SNOW!) but get a little too rambunctious inside. Getting dinner on was a relatively low-stress event, all things considered. The Moms very kindly helped, while Michael put together the new bed so my parents would have somplace to sleep. The workload seemed unexpectedly light, despite the need for an unanticipated trip to the grocery store first thing this am.

I even made a new dog biscuit recipe after dinner, with ground beef. The dogs seem quite enamored of the new biscuits, and hopefully they will work well as bait for Watson at this weekend's event. Also did a bit of grooming. Watson really enjoyed having an audience (some folks came downstairs to chat while I groomed). Unfortunately, his enjoyment translates into a lot of shimmying around on the table, making for a none too effective grooming session, but when it's just the two of us, he's usually very good these days. Actually, I did end up making a good effort on ears and nails, though, so not a total loss.

We're looking forward to a possible trip to the dog park tomorrow, getting everyone a little exercise. Hope the weather will cooperate. Saturday the family will go our separate ways again. For now, I'm just thankful to have had a mostly relaxing day with the relatives and dogs.

So much for NaBloPoMo

Well, I'm out. Completely forgot to blog yesterday. If I were more organized-- like if I had set a reminder in Outlook every day during November telling me to blog-- this might have worked. Still fun, though, and I'll keep trying (in the spirit of NaBloPoMo) for the rest of the month, anyway.

Tomorrow we are doing the UKC show in Ixonia. I obtained temporary registration numbers for the boys last week to allow us to participate. All I had to do was fax in names, genders and breeds, and the numbers came back the next day. Not sure how I feel about the fact that they didn't require me to provide a pedigree (though I know that would be required, along with proof of registration on another registry since the boys' parents aren't UKC reg'd), but it sure was quick and easy.

So today is prep day. Watson has had his bath and is in his "super suit." Wooster is getting his bath as I write this in preparation for his "debut" tomorrow. Then he'll get to wear his new super suit-- thanks Gramma!-- for the first time.

I'm looking at this as a practice match, so very low pressure. I'm told I can dress down. Should be fun. I'm sure I'll be posting results tomorrow!

The Big Bad Bill

Well, I have spent a good chunk of the evening drafting correspondence to WI legislators regarding the proposed "Dog Purchaser Protection Act." After speaking with a legislative aide last month, who had assured me this bill would be amended for the better before being introduced, I was later contacted and informed that, actually, the bill was being introduced as is, with all of its many flaws.

Although I do not currently breed dogs, I know many people who I consider to be quality hobby breeders. The regulations that would be imposed by this bill are singularly unnecessary with respect to these hobby breeders and would impose burdensome requirements on them in the event something goes wrong. For example, under certain circumstances, such a breeder would be required to replace a puppy within 10 days with another dog of "equivalent value." As many of you know, this is completely unworkable for a hobby breeder who does not maintain an "inventory" of puppies for the buyer to choose from. And what does "equivalent value" mean anyway? Does it mean the hobbyist would have to replace a "pet" puppy with this or her pick puppy, if this was the only puppy the breeder still had from the litter?

One of many problems with this bill.

While protecting dogs and consumers from puppy millers is an admirable goal, this law would actually diminish the choices available to Wisconsinites, as reputable breeders, being unable to meet the requirements of the new law, fall away from breeding. Ultimately, it will be a detriment to consumers. I understand that resuce organization have concerns about being caught by this bill as well. Frankly, for those reasons and others, it seems unlikely to benefit the dogs much either.

Long Day, Sweet Dreams

Woke up early this am...around 4. Way too early for my taste, especially when the alarm is set for 6. Never got back to sleep until around 5. I was brooding about Wisconsin's new proposed "puppy lemon law" and about a hearing I had coming up this Friday. Every time I started to drift off again, one of the boys would start snoring. And not that gentle soothing snore they do, either. More like an entire sawmill. Life with Clumbers, eh?

Long day at work. Only improved by productive discussions with employer and cancellation of the aforementioned Friday hearing. Vegged all evening (a rarity)...remembered to blog...off to bed. (Hopefully tonight, any snoring will be only in my dreams!)

One Good Thing

The only good thing about today is that I figured out, in my dog handling class, that if the bait is homemade (and has nothing raw in it), I don't mind putting it in my mouth. This is like discovering I have a 3rd hand. I'm very pleased with myself. Happily, Watson seems to adore my homemade peanut butter treats, so we appear to be all set!

OK, one other good thing happened today. Watson was cuddling up while I typed this. Makes typing difficult but it was nice...until he turned his head and gooped me good with all the water he saved up from his big drink a minute ago.

Ahh...life with Clumbers.

Back in the Saddle

Wow, I almost forgot to blog--it's early in the NaBloPoMo game to be doing that!

We (Watson & I, that is) are entered for the Lakeshore KC dog show Thanksgiving weekend. Should be a fun time. It will have been almost 2 months since our last show at the end of September. Since that time, it has been thistle season. Not good for coats! So we will have to work on that between now and then, as much as possible. And start gaiting again, maybe even go to class! We've slacked off quite a bit since September.

We may even be doing a UKC show for practice in the next couple of weeks. They seem to hold them pretty routinely around here, and they are supposed to be somewhat more laid back than AKC events, so I thought it would at least be good practice. Plus, Wooster can participate in the "altered" class. Now there's a descriptive term for my dear Woo!

Michael suggests a future blog topic should be "unreasonable husbands and the women who love them." D'ya suppose he means me?