Right, Saturday – all breed open show. Sam won Junior, Jason won Open and SARAH won Graduate! We put Sam and Sarah in different classes for the first time and Sarah won her first class ever! That’s the first time she’s not been in the same class as her brother – she’s got so many 2nds to him I thought we should start putting them in different classes where possible so we did for the first time…and that was the result! Tosca got Best Puppy in Breed, Jason BOB and Sam RBOB, then Jason won the toy group and got 3rd Best in Show!

So that was suitably wonderful 😉 But then on Sunday was a papillon club show, which was absolutely unbelievable. We had 11 dogs and placed with all of them but I’m just going to gloss over that bit because of the rest 😆 Okay *deep breath, calm!*

Solei won his class, Best Phalene Dog and Reserve Best Dog in Show!!!

Then Sarah won Junior Bitch (never got a 1st in her life then won both her classes in 2 days!), even though she’s just 2 weeks out of puppy (Junior up to 18mths) then she only went on to get Best Bitch and Reserve Best in Show!!!

I can’t believe it to be honest, absolutely over the moon with her! She beat a lot of older bitches and to get RBIS at just twelve months is an incredible feeling! Especially on top of Best Phalene Dog and Reserve Best Dog!

As I think most people know by now I had her in the first place because she wouldn’t show, and I’ve put so much into her over the last six months and worked so hard to get her going so it makes it even more special. She showed her little socks off out there today! This weekend she showed the way she did for those 3 shows she did after I got her showing the first time, before her season came along and ruined it! She moved much more smoothly (I think – can’t actually see when you’re handling!), didn’t bark once and stood beautifully, just restraining herself to one or two leaps in the air when she couldn’t possibily contain herself any longer 😆 I’m so proud of her!

With both Solei in the Best Dog lineup and Sarah in the Best Bitch lineup I could see the judge kept looking back at them, but I didn’t dare hope. They both beat some very nice dogs! A champion each and numerous dogs with RCCs and CCs.

Solei has had the most fantastic year so far actually, he’s really coming into his own at last! He’s done 8 open shows, winning his class at 3 of them along with a RBOB and Reserve Best Dog (the second actually being better, reguardless of how it sounds 😆 ) and 3 champ shows, getting a 3rd and qualifying for Crufts 08 at the first and a 2nd and qualifying for Crufts 09 at the second!

I know this can’t last forever but I’m not half enjoying it whilst it does 😉 Over the last 8-11 months or so I’ve been getting myself known, getting Solei known and sort of going through an initiation period. Now in the last couple of weeks it feels like I’ve finally cracked it! I won my first class at Exeter (which is no mean feat. The Exeter bit is significant btw, I’ve won classes before – just not there!) on the 22nd March, got my first Best of Breed (and a Best AV Toy Puppy) the next weekend on the 29th, won another class down at Exeter (two Exeter shows running!) last weekend and then the icing on the cake was the Best Phalene Dog, Reserve Best Dog in Show, Best Bitch and Reserve Best in Show at a papillon club show!

It’s the Pap Club Champ Show this Sunday so I’ll probably come down to earth with a bump and not even win a class 😉 But I know those highs will come again now, even if I have to wait a year or more! This Summer I would love for Solei to win a Limit Dog class and get his Stud Book Number, but Limit is incredibly strong at the moment so I’m not holding my breath. But who knows…. 🙂 The one thing I do know is no matter what the result I have the most wonderful time in the process!


(Click for larger image) Goodies from Sunday 🙂 Not a bad haul, and we’re missing a few trophies as well!