Monday Round-up and Specialty Stuff

Let’s start off by congratulating Team Kiri (Sparklers) for a great weekend — Select one day and Best of Opposite the next. Kiri will be in Best of Breed at the Specialty — she will represent the family well.

Beautiful!

Beautiful!

Sparkle’s potential pregnancy has changed our Specialty plans — that and Dear Husband’s aversion to ticks.

Sparkle will stay home with Dear Husband, who gallantly agreed to avoid ticks by staying with her. Since it will just be me traveling to Minnesota, Daisy will also stay at home — she was only entered in one event and I do not want her sitting in the cabin by herself while I am out and about with the other two dogs.

And so I will be bringing just Harper and Claire — but they will be busy girls. In order to maximize our remaining training and conditioning time, I made a schedule…

Schedule.jpg

Note that in addition to my own dogs, I have included Sundance on the schedule — that is Suzanne’s lovely Tag son who got a Reserve Best in Show over the weekend! This is Suzanne’s first foray into tracking and Sundance drew a track at the Specialty — I am so excited for them and am committed to helping them be as ready as possible for that day.

Schedules help me stay focused and clear about what needs to be done — and I love checking boxes.

Have a great Monday! I have to get started on my day so I can check off all of the little boxes (actually, they are tiny clipboards) for today.

A Transition

I am struck — once again — about how life goes on with that strange mixture of sorrows and hope. I am sorry to share that Kay and Sue said good-bye to their Rock Star Ruben yesterday — how glad I am that I was able to spend time with him in November…

Ruben and me.jpg

Ruben was almost 10.5 years — a long and well-loved life but it is simply never long enough. He was a talented, sweet, and wonderful dog — the son of Cadi and Jed. I know I speak for so many when we send our heartfelt condolences to Kay and Sue.

Show Dog Life in Montana

After tracking yesterday, we had a fun dog walk/swim party. This is Sundance, Suzanne’s boy, enjoying some of the remaining snow..

Sundance easily passed his certification track and we are waiting to hear if he gets a track at the Specialty. Everything crossed.

Sundance easily passed his certification track and we are waiting to hear if he gets a track at the Specialty. Everything crossed.

That melting snow is making for some grand new ponds — hence the swim party! This is Shelby and Sundance, who belong to Suzanne, and Claire with Harper B for Back in the Corner.

Pool Party April 2019.jpg

We walked down to the Bitterroot River…

Bitterroot River April 2019.jpg

This is Harper.

Harper April 2019.jpg

Water is like a magnet to Claire.

Claire April 8, 2019.jpg

Racing back to the car after all that fun adventuring. The Life of Show Dogs when the first priority is actually the dogs and their happiness.

Clasire running.jpg

Find Happy Today — it is out there.