It’s been such a weird couple of months. Apologies for slightly fragmented post – lots of separate bits to catch up on over the last couple of weeks.

Until last weekend Elton and I had had a lousy time in the show ring so far this year. At the start of the year when the judges were good he messed around and threw opportunities away, then as his behaviour (sort of) improved he wasn’t to the judges tastes. Phalenes and open shows are rather a crap shot anyway, it often doesn’t turn out well!

At the end of January we had the indignity of the judge stopping at the dog before Elton and not bothering to look, moving every single dog in the class for a second time – except Elton – and then finally when placing as he got down to the last two dogs, having difficulty deciding if he should place Elton above the other (Pap) with her tail down. Hmm….! (In the end he decided even he couldn’t put a Pap with their tail down above Elton.)

Two weeks later we had a similar situation – Elton was on the end of the line again and the judge stopped looking at the dog before him. This time he was actually thrown out, which is so unusual and really shouldn’t have happened.

I’m still struggling with him (especially on the move) at times, but he’s not as horrendous as he was at the end of last year/beginning of this!

Two and a half weeks ago I thought my face felt a bit funny….I ended up with the most enormous abscess and I was really poorly for a bit. I even missed a show – that’s how bad it was! 😆 The antibiotics the doctor gave me made me sick, and I almost ended up in hospital. I’m still recovering but feeling much better and almost back to normal activity levels now!

Fern is settling down….she’s been here three weeks now. I’ve had my doubts at times, but things are better than when Darwin was here. The main problem is Elton is still determined to rape her 😛 Urgh, teenagers! He will settle down eventually, I just hope it’s soon! Solei is fine, not bothered – just Solei!

On Saturday we went up to Solihull for the Papillon Club’s open show. I had mixed feelings about this – I’d decided to enter, but for me it’s one of “those” shows. The show where dogs beat my dogs that never beat them anywhere else (and shouldn’t) and where I never seem to do anything. We all seem to have them, the parent breed club is mine!

Upon waking on Saturday morning I didn’t feel great and I was so tempted to just not go, but as well as Elton I had Fern and S had entered Sarah for me, and I’d also said I’d help her – so thought I had to go, really!

Fern had a 2nd in Puppy Bitch, she actually went much better than I thought she would so I was pleased with her. Sarah is very out of practice having not shown for about a year, but didn’t go badly – however, not to the judge’s taste and was thrown out!

Elton was in Post Graduate Dog – I’d decided against Yearling and then wondered if I’d done the right thing! – and Open Phalene Dog, plus the Special Open Dog welfare class at the end of the day. He went in that ring and wow….I can’t remember the last time he showed that well! He went really beautifully, and he won the Post Graduate Dog class! Back in the ring a bit later for Phalene Dog, and he won that as well! He let himself down rather in the challenge for Best Dog, but I’m very happy with winning both his classes! After that I opted not to take him in for the welfare class, because I didn’t want to risk spoiling a good day.

At the end they do a Best Fringes in Show which I decided to enter Elton for because he’s growing lovely fringing….and he won it! So hopefully that’s the jinx lifted and the Papillon Club and I now have a better relationship 😉

Thanks to this show, I’ve also worked out what our problem is – bitches! At an all breed open show the classes are mixed sex and so there have been lots of bitches in the ring, but at the club show with dogs on first when he did the classes, as I say he was brilliant. Then they did the dog challenge after all the bitches, and he was a nightmare, I totally lost him.

So that’s our problem – teenage hormones! Hopefully he’ll exchange them back for his brain at some point before too long 😛 Good news is hopefully that means he’ll be better at champ shows….bad news is Crufts is carpeted rings and there are three days worth of bitches before us!

Yes, Crufts – less than two weeks to go now. Eep!