I’d entered Solei for UK Toy last Saturday because I really wanted him to go under this judge, but I couldn’t go so he was going with S and T. Everything was ok (after all we’ve done it before) until S woke up on Saturday morning and was too ill to go. So T had to take the dogs on her own. Long story short it was a disaster 😆

It’s one of the two shows where we have separate dog & bitch rings, but T had only taken 1 bitch….and of course she had to be in the ring with her when Solei’s class was called. So he missed half of it (they knew he was coming) whilst T finished that class and then she had to grab him and dash….now you know Solei is a very…er….special 😛 dog to show anyway and although he’s used to T I can’t remember the last time T showed him (2+ years ago probably?) and with the rush as well the chemistry just wasn’t there that day and he was dropping his tail and not showing well at all! Add to this the fact it was after he came back from the last show he went to with S&T that he started showing so badly (I’m sure coincidence but it didn’t make it any better!) and you can imagine how I was feeling 😆 Especially as I’d just got him showing better than ever.

Then to really rub salt into the wound we went to an open show on Sunday and I hadn’t entered him because the entries closed in that one week just before Crufts when he was being *really* stupid (I took Solei anyway, he comes to all the open shows even if he’s not showing)….of course there were hardly any dogs entered, the judge likes (has) Phalenes and he would stood a very good chance at BOB. Though I didn’t take him round an empty ring or anything walking round he felt so good on the end of the lead still so hopefully Saturday hasn’t done any damage….though it made me wish he was entered even more 😛 I took Jeanie as well, again not showing but I wanted her to get the experience.

We had a match at ringcraft last Tuesday and I entered all three of my lot. Jeanie didn’t show too badly (improved on the weekend before last) but the tail still wasn’t really there and she was knocked out by a Pom. (Quick explanation of match system – all numbers are put into a hat and randomly drawn, 2 dogs (or occasionally 3 if there’s an extra and they don’t bye them) then compete against each other with one going through to the next round and the other being knocked out) Darwin ended up against Tyler who knocked him out and then went on to get Best Puppy in Match. Solei ended up against a Pointer in the first round who went on to win the whole thing! Every match he’s done he’s ended up being drawn against the eventual winner in only the first or second round….that’s the flaw with the match system, you could potentially have the two best dogs competing against each other in the first round and of course one of them has to be knocked out.

Then today we had an open show. None of mine were entered bue T was staying behind to bath for tomorrow (breed club show) and S had 7 dogs going so I went along to give a hand. There were only two dogs showing – Tyler and Sarah – and I got to show Sarah. She won her class 🙂 But didn’t get Best of Breed. I’m scared to show her anymore actually, every single time I’ve shown her since last April she’s won her class 😆 It was Tyler’s first real show and he got Best Puppy in Breed and then won the Toy Puppy Group!! What a debut 😆

So tomorrow we do it all again. All three of mine are entered plus Tyler, Jason, Dilly, Sarah, Tosca and Topsy so it’ll be interesting!