Papillon National Specialty 2011

New Champion -- Lawood's Crusin' In Harms Way

(Cruiser)

Cruiser got to go to the Papillon National Specialty to participate in the Parade of Champions. This is for dogs who finished their AKC conformation championships in 2011. They get to parade in the ring solo while a brief synopsis is read about them. Very nice ... Way to go Cruiser !!!

Brooke

Brooke showed very well this week. She finished fourth in the 12 - 18 month old Puppy Sweep and made the cut in the conformation show on Thursday just out of the ribbons.

Way to go Brooke !!!

Kix

This was Kix's first REAL show. He's only barely seven months old. He's been to several shows just to get him used to the hustle and bustle and he's been in one puppy B match but that's about the extent of his ring experience. We were prepared to be happy if he just didn't try to bite the judge!!! Kix did an excellent job. He won first place in his class in puppy sweeps and got to go back in for "best puppy". He didn't get best puppy, but we were thrilled by how well he did. (Plus he won money and paid for our Prime Rib supper that night) and yes we saved him some.

It rains on our Parade .... Again

Well we're at the Papillon National Specialty in Chattanooga TN this week and we're having a super good time when Tuesday we get a call from my sister in law saying that the recent storms has blown down several trees in the yard and two huge oaks are across the drive way. Well Great !!! So we have a big clean up job to look forward to when we get back home.

Now where's my chain saw ?????

Just Checking In

Just Checking in with those of you that might be checking in. We've been laying low since the last dog show, staying home and saving some money. The next thing on our horizon is the Papillon National Specialty April 18 - 22 in Chattanooga TN. National Specialties are always fun. The hotel will be full of JUST Papillons from all over the country. Cruiser gets to strut in the Parade of Champions. We also entered Brooke and Kix. Kix will compete in Puppy Sweeps also. More Later..............

Nashville Dog Show March 10 - 13

For a change we had a short drive to the dog shows this past weekend.

We attended the Nashville Kennel Club / Tullahoma Kennel Club cluster that was held March 10 - 13. We skipped the Thursday show because we didn't think the judge would like our type of dogs. You develop a sixth sense about what these judges like after years of showing dogs. Anyway we entered Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. All three days were Majors in dogs, so Cruiser had three shots at his much needed second major win. Friday started off bad. The count Friday was barely a major anyway and due to absent dogs the major did not hold. BUMMER !!! We showed Cruiser anyway (just for the practice) and he won reserve winners dog, which was ok with us because he did not need two single points and I'm sure there were other dogs that could. On Saturday Cruiser finished out of the ribbons and didn't even make it out of his Open Class. The Open Class in dogs was huge!! This is not looking good for the Home Team !!

Sunday rolls around and it's bottom of the ninth for Cruiser. He wins first place in the open class...... So far so good..... He goes back in for winners dog (Laura's about to hyperventilate and I can't even watch !!!) All of a sudden Laura's jumping up and down screaming. I finally can stand to look up. Cruiser has won Winners Dog for a three point major !!! Cruiser is FINALLY an AKC Champion !!!

For all of you that had your fingers crossed this weekend..... Thanks.

What's been going on ????

Well let's see ... We traveled down to Camden Arkansas for a dog show last weekend. Not much of anything to report though. We ended up with a fist full of yellow third place ribbons. No points for any of the dogs. Bummer. The only major (in females) broke on Sunday, so it was pointless to even show Cruiser. Mimi could use either the major or a couple points. Brooke still needs her first points. Kix got to show for the first time in a Best Puppy B match. I suppose he's the only one that held up the family honor. He won Best Papillon Puppy and won a Group One in the toy class and got to go back in for Best in Show Puppy. He was showing his little tail off. All of the dogs showed well.

Anyway, the next stop is Franklin TN in two weeks.

We have been fostering a rescued Bishon for about two weeks now. He left this Thursday to go to his new permanent home in Baltimore MD. His new owners seem to be ecstatic about having him. Good for him !!!! One Bishon amongst our flotilla of Papillons..... Talk about standing out in a crowd.

Let's see... what else .... Ohh, we (kindof spur of the moment) ran across a good deal on a SUV (Chevy Trailblazer) that we've both been lusting after for some time. Like I said it was one of those unplanned deals that you just run across. We traded the old 1994 Scooby Van. We'll have some much needed extra room on the dog show trips now.

Stay tuned for Franklin TN Dog Show results.... It's majors Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Cross your fingers for Cruiser.

Lake Saint Louis Dog Show -- Results

We'll the dogs and us made it home from St Louis this weekend. Cruiser won Reserve winners dog both Saturday and Sunday. Mimi won Reserve winners bitch on Saturday. In other words NO POINTS !!! Bummer.Bummer. Bummer ...

The show was held in a horse arena on dirt. (well we'll call it dirt) The whole place reeked.

Outside you could tell that just that much farther north that it had been much colder there. All of the lakes and ponds were frozen over and the ground was frozen. It was warmer on Saturday and the ground had thawed up a little bit by afternoon and had heaved up this clay/mud stuff about 1 inch deep that was the consistency of chocolate puding. It got all over our shoes and stuff. By Sunday afternoon you could tell that it was about to start snowing again and they were predicting another winter storm. We bugged out and headed south before we got stuck in St Louis.

We had a fun trip none the less.

Lake Saint Louis Dog Show

Well we're leaving right after work this Friday to travel north to the first dog show of the 2011 season. We'll be going to Lake Saint Louis MO. We're taking Cruiser, Mimi and Brooke. Kix is going too just for the ride and to get him used to the hustle and bustle of the whole dog show thing. Kix will be old enough to show after the end of February. Can you believe that !!!

Wish us luck. Both Saturday and Sunday is a three point major in Bitches and Mimi needs her second major win. Brooke needs any points that she can get. Also "IF" Cruiser could manage to go Winners Dog and then get Best of Winners he'll score his second major and finally be a FINISHED champion. All fingers and toes crossed.

Stay tuned for the results next week. I'm sure there'll be a story to tell.... :)

Kix (Latest Pics)

Hello all, we woke up to snow on the ground this morning. Not enough to take a snow day from work though. It was just enough to make driving in to work very interesting.

Anyway, here's some new Kix pictures (taken by our good friend Mary). He's growing up fast and changing quite a bit. You'll have to excuse him a little bit, he's entering into that gangly stage where they start to grow some ear fringes and go through what I call the "Phyllis Diller" stage. Can't wait till we can get him into the show ring. He's going to be a hoot.

Hello all

Well we've got Chistmas and New Year's behind us now and it's almost time to start showing dogs again. It won't be long now !!!

We're meeting up with a bunch of our dog show friends this weekend to just eat good food and hang out. We're taking Kix along so he can play with a bunch of other Pap pups his own age. He need's the extra socialization from other dogs and other people since he's from a single pup litter. (can you call a single puppy a litter ???) hmmmm

Anyway, I plan to take my camera (if I still remember how to use it) so check back soon and maybe I'll have those pictures that I've been promising.

December is here !!!

Well December is here and it's starting to get cold. I really don't like winter. It's like being locked up for three or four months and we all (including the dogs) get a severe case of Cabin Fever before spring arrives. Plus I'm soooo ready to go back to the mountains.

First off, it's Happy Birthday to Cruiser, Harbor, and Maggie. They were born on Pearl Harbor day. They're three years old now !!!

Cruiser went to Bellville IL last weekend trying to get his last elusive Major win. The show was not a major, but "IF" he managed to go Best of Breed over the three specials entered, it would have gotten him a major. I know, it was a long shot but we're very optimistic at Lawood Paps and you just never know...

He won Reserve Winners Dog on Saturday... soooo..... The chase continues.

I've been meaning to get some new pictures of Kix to post on the Blog. It's been a while !!! He's doing fine and growing bunches. He's going to be a real character and should be a lot of fun to show. (hopefully) It's hard to believe that he'll be old enough for the 6 - 9 puppy class by March and sooner than that if we can find a puppy match somewhere.

Stay tuned.... More later........