A Good Time Was Had By All

I am experiencing exhaustion of the most rewarding kind! A very full weekend spent with family, friends, and Brittanys can only mean one thing - FUN! It came in many varieties, beginning with Central Maine Brittany Club's annual Summer Field and Fun Day on Saturday. Our daughter Maryann loaned me her camera to take pictures and when I get them from her we will be sure to share them here. I did get some really great ones already from "Crystals mom", Julie B. which I really enjoyed because they featured her children - sporting the sweetest Brittany t-shirts I've ever seen. It takes a lot of work, months of planning, and a lot of time to put on an event like this and we know there are always things we could do better or differently. We did miss having 'free' raffle items this year - the companies that usually support us needed a little more time s0 we'll plan accordingly next year. Even so, 20 assorted raffle items were contributed by club members and friends and those who won them were very happy! OMG the FOOD!!! The club tent covered 3 table lengths of salads, desserts, hot/cold meals including beans, ribs, corn on the cob, hotdogs, and hamburgs. I think next time each dish should be accompanied by a recipe card.

There was a unique grooming challenge presented with a beautiful Brittany who had grown a very very long for some strange reason!!!! I'd say at least 3 inches worth of growth. (NO! not one of ours!) Well, John persuaded our daughter to help "Bradys" owners out by giving him a summer field clip but the task proved to be too much for even her so Julie, Pam, and I joined her efforts. With a garage full of onlooking Brittany owners, asking questions we did our very best to make Brady look like the handsome Brittany he was underneath. Our pups sire, a very handsome Ch Gibson was a model for others to see what a show groom should look like. I think our daughter has been hired by Brady's owners to keep him groomed from now on - they were so appreciative. We had hoped to have a professional groomer here for the day but due to back issues could not make it. This disappointed several owners who had come with freshly bathed Brits all hoping to learn how to properly groom them. Hopefully though the questions they asked and the answers they received were helpful!

Bob Paucek and Frank Pride both were on hand to offer gundog training tips etc. Bob offered a talk on what training tools should be on hand using our equipment as demos. There was a pigeon in a nearby crate which caught the attention of the Brittanys. Zeb, who is not used for hunting - proved to be true to his genetics when he froze and help a point over the pigeon for what seemed like an eternity.

One highlight of the day was the succesful results of the AKC CAnine Good Citizens testing! Although each owner who had their dog evaluated and tested was skeptical at first in the end they were overjoyed when their dogs passed to recieve their CGC title! We had a 100% success rate of ALL Brittanys tested - and there were 6 of them! And we're very proud to say that 5 of those dogs were from our 'line'. Karen Norteman of the Bearded Collie Club of Maine was the official Evaluator and she did an excellent job of putting owners and dogs at ease.

A lot of children attended this years Fun Day. Because of this we are going to do more for and with them next year. We want to encourage the future dog owners of America in every way possible. Folks came from Rhode Island, CT, MA, NH, and of course Maine. I could not put into words how happy my heart was to see so many friends who have our Brittanys bring them here to enjoy the day. When pups are very young - I always breathe gently upon their little faces. This imprints my 'scent' upon them at a real early age. Have ALWAYS done this. Whenever I am blessed to be with them again as adults, I carefully approach them, let them sniff my hand etc., and when I believe they will accept my presence much closer than that, I will kneel down and slowly reach for their head. Once this is accepted I'll hold their head gently, and see if they will accept my gaze or if that makes them uncomfortable. Usually they are just fine. At that point, in that second of time - I'll gently blow upon their face, muzzle, and nose as when they were very young. Most of the time I am rewarded with a flash of recognition in their eyes quickly followed by an affectionate kiss. I respect their boundaries and do not push myself on the pups who return here to visit. I know that we gave them a good start - and their homecomings are always cause for great joy.

I do want to give a shout out to Steve and Stephanie too. Although not club members, they wanted to donate to the clubs raffle and brought a couple of items. Steph actually won her own item which was a basket full of puppy toys and treats! (She makes up the most amazing gift baskets and really enjoys giving them.) She evidently had a plan in mind because Stephanie turned to Lili with the basket and presented to her on behalf of their new little puppy - MOXIE - (aka Martha!). That was very nice of you Stephanie.

I could do shout outs for everyone.... I do have another. This is for Gwenn and Gary. Thank you for all you have done for Toffee... it was so wonderful to have all three of you here. Time and distance cannot take away from something so special and so meant to be. AND!!!! You have NOTHING to worry about by way of competition with Maine cooks!

Speaking of Martha/Moxie and George/Shiloh.... They were both introduced to and held by their new owners - albeit a brief visit - it was very special. We were happy to see the big smiles on everyone faces, and I think that Sherry's was the biggest though. Pups are 5 weeks old and each day we see such amazing changes. 13 year old Madison Poulin responsibly arranged a puppy circle with several of the children later in the day. THe kids all sat on the grass with their feet touching while the pups explored and moved from one person to the next. This is actually a recognized socialization skill for young pups. Prior to that we had them out in an enclosed X-pen for a brief time for people to see and pet, and for the pups to experience yet another new thing.

John and I were greatly blessed for our daughter, son in law and 3 children attending with Boomer. The kids seem to really enjoy themselves, especially the baby! A highlight for me was a special presentation from my grandson of a beautiful flower!!! I so hope our grandchildren will one day enjoy the experience of responsible dog ownership themselves, and want to try and learn to do as much as possible with their animals. The heritage is there for sure.

I'm leaving a lot out - but not intentionally. I'm just very exhausted still - not just from Fun Day but because I did not get to bed until @ midnight Saturday, and turned around to get up Sunday morning at 5 a.m. to travel nearly 3 hours to Keene NH to attend a dog show with a 9:30 am ringtime. Julie and I showed Bullet and Pippin - both pups took a reserve win. A small show but very nice and relaxing. We took the opportunity to enjoy ourselves and relax there for the day. I was THRILLED to see Shania there and even happier when she showed Pippin on my behalf! She did a wonderful job.

So this is bits and pieces and I'm leaving so much out but all in all - it really was a great time, and we are so appreciative of everyone who takes an interest in the Brittany, the club, and in our lives. Brittanys are a way of forever having 'friendship security' because they bring people together who otherwise never would have met, and provide for very special friendships to develop over time through our own dogs and through those of the club members. We know it is ultimately all about God's plans and purposes for all our lives.... Lisa, Gunnar, Lola, Dakota, Toffee, Nash, Remi, Bullet, Sassy, Daisy, Boomer, Crystal, Morgan, Whylee, Tilly, Zeb, Gibson, Paris, Durgin, Woody, Barley, Hunter, Daisy, Brady, Zak and special guest Dinah-Mo as well as those who I am forgetting - all made this a wonderful CMBC summer fun day. We also had two new families join the club!

I am already looking forward to planning for our next Summer Field and Fun Day!

Take care and God Bless, and thank you for your interest in All Things Brittany.
Ann, John and our well loved canine crew