As I begin to journal here about our road trip that began June 18th I am reminded that date is the birthday of my lifelong, childhood friend, Polly. Although she has the illustrious honor of sharing the same birthdate as Paul McCartney it is Polly I wish to extend a very belated but sincere birthday greeting to!
Pippin, True, and I headed out very early in the Brittanymobile on Friday morning to meet Pam at the Topsfield Fairgrounds in Massachusetts. This was the site of a 3 day dog show cluster. Ringtime was 11 a.m. and we both arrived in plenty of time. Summer started officially with hot, humid weather. True is a wash and wear Brittany, so not much work was needed. This was his second cluster of shows, and the first time Pam would take him into the ring. I think she'd been waiting to do this since he was first born! True did well with her. He placed 2 out of 2 each day, and went in for a try at Winners Dog, and we came home with 3 red ribbons. The important thing about showing True right now is to keep it fun and enjoyable, observe where he has difficulty, and focus on the postive. Standing ringside with Linda of Triumphant Kennels I commented on the brief moments of potential that I could see as Pam gaited him. She laughed and said that is called 'glimpses of brilliance'. I like that comment, and think it applies to all that is positive as a young, inexperienced pup finds his way in the ring. No complaints on Trues performance, the judges all looked him over thoroughly and one commented 'Almost' as True tried to turn on the charm enough to persuade her to "pick me! pick me!". Pam has done a great job of show socializing True when we are there and he obeys her even if I am standing nearby them.
Pippin was freshly bathed and had been pre-show groomed but needed some time with Dawn, her other 'momma' who often puts the finishing touch on what I've done. Dawn and Pippin have come a long way together and I have to say that this weekend the Pippinator really, really turned it on in the ring for the first time and boy - what a thrill for me! Even more important to me was seeing the way Pippin interacts now with Dawn. Although I was at the end of her lead ringside, it was Dawn who Pippin looked to. There was none of the balking that she has showed in the past. On Saturday - Miss Pippin picked up one more point towards her AKC championship bench title and also won Best Opposite to Best of Breed! She simply was on ! Sunday, it was Pam who took her into the ring for me. First time with Pippin. And she handled beautiful for Pam! Pippin was the only girl entered, so there were no points availalble. However imagine our joy when she not only won Best Opposite Sex to Best of Breed but also won Best of Winners - which meant she earned the available point for the boys that day! So - we came home very happy and with 2 more points.
Pam had a very special reason to be happy that weekend! For the first time in well over a month she was reunited with her beautiful Brittany "Paris", named appropriately after Paris Hilton. She's a Brittany who looks pretty in pink but don't let her fool you - she can cut up the field like no one's business! Linda has been showing Paris and brought her to Topsfield to spend a day with Pam. I had the pleasure of accomodating the princess Brittany. I don't know who was happier, human or canine, but either way it was clear joy overflowed! Very close to finishing, Paris will be away from Pam and Sam just a little bit longer. Later that afternoon Pam's son and his friend stopped by to visit her. They brought a long a rescued little Chihuahua named Bandit whose life was not very happy prior to now. I fixed lunch for everyone and it was just so nice to see them having a good time. I spent some time ringside holding a Retriever for 'Kim' and 'Patty' who also live in Maine. Both are Golden breeders with great reputations and many successes behind them due to their beautiful animals! Ringtimes were not cooperating for them to help each other out though so I was happy to step in just for a few minutes. Patty also has a young handsome Akita and he is doing well as a puppy.
Our 'chauffeur' Mr. Steve picked Pam and I up to transport us to their nearby home for dinner. He loaded 3 crates for Paris, True, and Pippin and off we went together. Stephanie met us at their lovely home with dinner waiting. Steve took care of all the dogs for us, got them settled in and I got to see first hand what a wonderful life Starr and Nashdog have! They have their own bedroom, I'm not kidding, with freshly folded dog laundry (blankets) stacked near their crates. What blew me away completely was the J & A's Brittanys bulletin board on their bedroom wall! It was so humbling to see that there were photos of ALL of Nash and Starr's immediate 'family' as well as many other ATB pictures. Their first collars, tags, pictures of John and I and even poems and saying that we'd shared over the past few years. I was deeply moved... I took a picture.Their home is lovely, filled with photographs and precious treasures of family momentos and more through the years. Steve is a gifted craftsman and Steph has an eye for home decor, while keeping it extremely personal. And that extended to the dinner, the music, and the sharing time together. We do have a lot in common, and I saw the evidence of that. But the happiest moment was seeing the two shining stars themselves so content and well cared for and obviously loved. I always like to think my canine 'babies' remember me... and this time was no exception. After a very enjoyable dinner of fried seafood (THANK YOU!!) we took a walk over to their neighbors house with all 5 Brittanys in tow. John has a beautiful fenced in yard that he so generously 'shares' with Starr and Nash. He extended that towards us and Pam and I couldn't believe it. It was so fun and such a great outlet for the dogs who had been working hard all weekend. The Brittanys surely invaded Peabody that night!
In case you're wondering about John on Father's Day.... I surprised him with a nice little gift and card before heading out to the shows. We (meaning ATB) gave him a cute personalized mug, with a picture on it of Miss Piper with him at her 1st place Open Puppy win! I also had a sheet of US Postage stamps made with the same photo on it - John totally enjoyed and appreciated them. We have a standing comment we share with each other on Mother's or Father's Day - "I'm not YOUR mother/father so why do I have to get you a gift??!!" Of course we do a lot of little things for each other throughout the year, and do hope that our children always will remember to honor their dad on his special day. But it is just one day - and overall, they are both great kids and often show their love and appreciation in so many ways.
So on to the Central Maine Brittany Club Specialty which is this coming weekend!!! Most of us will scarcely have time to catch our breath before we jump feet first right into this event. It's going to be a busy time and I sure hope everything goes well for exhibitors, members, friends and everyone. I am especially looking forward to having Kristyn as our sweepstakes judge and I hope it is a very special time for her. Kristyn accepted this assignment with a strong sense of responsibility and accountability. She's seriously accepted this role with integrity which testifies to the professional way she is approaching her first assignment!
John took very good care of ATB while I was away. I usually ease back into my routine here after being away for a few days. It is easier on the dogs all the way around. I did get a standing ovation when I arrived back home and a nice long howl kind of greeting. I missed them all so much, and it was Treasure who found her way to my pillow last night... I happily obliged.
Will leave you with the latest SMILEBOX which is simply some highlights of this past weekend. This is an application I really enjoy using so hope you enjoy it too. I am sure I've left something/someone out of this blog - it just feels that way... But as always thank you so much for your interest in All Things Brittany - take care and God Bless you and yours... John, Ann and our canine crew
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