Bentley and I headed north early Saturday morning, really early to a dog show; he had an 8 a.m. show time. We pulled out of the garage a little before 6 a.m. and arrived in Austin exactly an hour and a half later. There was almost no traffic and we drove peacefully along in the darkness; I enjoyed watching the sunrise as we neared Austin.
This was our first show since July and I decided that rather than being nervous that we would just consider it as a practice type show. I had debated with myself all the week before and continued as I drove along about why I'm still trying to show him. It is expensive. There are the entry fees, travel expenses, and if it is overnight then I have to board the other 3 dogs and pay for our hotel. Plus it takes time to really prepare a dog for showing. But I love the dogs and enjoy the shows. For some reason I just can't give this up. After Saturday I made up my mind to really give this a serious try. That means dedication on my part to exercise him every day and to work on my grooming skills. I think it is my feeble attempt at grooming that is hurting him. He does good in the ring and I think with a little serious practice he'll be perfect. I can't go to every single show (I have to work to support the doxie crowd at my house and pay our mortgage), but I'm going to get to the ones I can.
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| Hey, Mom, did I win this blue ribbon? |
There were 17 long haired dachshunds entered and I think only 2 or 3 didn't show up. There were 11 male dogs competing in different classes and I was surprised to see so many crèmes. I enjoyed talking to several of the other handlers as they were a friendly group. Turned out one of them had the Isle of Dog booth and I went down to see her. She was super nice plus she lives in Louisiana and is very familiar with Kelly and Splendor Farms where all my babies came from! I picked up a large bag of the Isle of Dog products and will be sharing the results. Here's the link to her online store:
https://squareup.com/market/isle-of-dogsla
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| Mom and I are tailgating today! Whoopee! |
I've learned from experience to pack a cooler with at least a light lunch and some things like granola bars to munch on. Concession lines can be long and sometimes the choices are either nachos or a hot dog. The day was warming up and before we headed home Bentley and I shared lunch. Well, he had treats and I had lunch!
