The Blog of the Frog

Oops, where did the last three weeks go?

I took all four dogs (Fancy, Solei and the two boys I’ve got, Wallace and Tommy) to another companion show on Saturday 14th. Fancy & Solei showed, the other two just came along for the ride! Neither of them are eligible for the pedigree classes (Tommy’s ears aren’t right and Wallace is overqualified) and I didn’t want to do any novelty classes with them, got to watch the pennies! Fancy wasn’t particularly happy, but after she’d done her cowering on the table she did actually allow the judge to go over her this time. But she was in the middle of the line and doesn’t much like having things close behind her so she wouldn’t keep her tail up. I did get it up a few times but everytime I did something happened outside the ring and down it went again! Then she was standing beautifully with her tail up and a balloon popped…it wasn’t really close but that was it then lost it completely. Still, we’ll get there in the end! There was no junior class either so she was in AV Open, where the competition was a bit stiffer.

Solei won his av non-sporting class! Nothing in BIS though, even though he looked very nice. I’d also entered him in one of the novelty classes – Best Mover – where he got a 2nd. He really should have won it, but unfortunately it was the same judge for both the pedigree and novelty classes (usually they have one for each) and I don’t think he felt he could give him another class. It was obvious he was the best mover in there though so not too bothered!

Then last Saturday I took the two older boys to a fun dog show. It wasn’t a companion show (under kennel club regs) so Wallace was able to enter, but it was still a proper judge. I put Solei in AV Non-Sporting and Matron’s Choice, Wallace in AV Open and Lucky Dip. Wallace got a 3rd in a large Open class and Solei won Non-Sporting again and then went on to beat the other class winners to get Best Pedigree!! He also got a 2nd in Matron’s Choice and Wallace won Shortest Dog in Lucky Dip (ironically the next category to come up was biggest ears which he would’ve had if he’d not just won that one!) so a good day all round

Sunday was my birthday, and it was one of my better ones in recent years! I had a quiet day but it was actually one of the better birthdays I’ve had in recent years! Didn’t really do anything because the people I really wanted to spend it with are 350 miles away which is a slight drawback  So when we go to Windsor champ show on Saturday we’re going to have a mini party back at their caravan with my two other good friends as well

The dogs gave me the best presents! Fancy decided to come into season last Tuesday. She’s sixteen and a half months and it’s her first, so along with the fact there were problems with the litter she was from due to an injection we were seriously starting to wonder if she was infertile. So that was fantastic. Though with 3 entire boys here it’s been an interesting few days!

Other than that I got mainly money which will be put towards the dogs! I’ve not had my present from S & T yet – will get that on Saturday – and I was having grooming stuff from my parents which I haven’t been able to choose yet so I haven’t actually had any actual presents yet

On Monday a friend brought her dog round because I’m showing her at Windsor but she hardly knows me and has never been with the chair before, so we thought having her a few days early so I could get some practice in would be a good idea! Luckily she’s a bitch – I think 3 boys with Fancy is enough

So much fun and 5 dogs at the moment!

…in a past life :p

Southern Counties was ok, nothing of note! Except the weather which was fantastic. Then on Sunday I took Solei, Fancy and Winston to a local companion show – the organiser has Phalenes and has actually used Solei at stud in the past, so I wanted to support it as well as get Fancy out there.

Actually I haven’t kept you in touch with my dog arrangements have I. Sarah passed with flying colours after all the work I put into her culminated with winning Best Bitch and Reserve Best In Show at the South Wales Pap Club, followed by winning her class and getting a hard look for the RCC at the Pap Club Champ Show and has now left me to go back and live with T. S has shown her a couple of times now and I feel so proud watching her – I put so much into that dog and to think how she was when I first had her and to watch her now is just incredible!

So I’ve now got a little b/w Papillon dog instead, ie Winston! He’s actually Sarah’s half-brother – same dad. Very cute, very sweet but nervous. He’s a lovely little dog and never the less has still been placing and has qualified for Crufts next year but not sure he’s cut out for the ring. He’ll be 9 months old on 16th so still very much a baby.

And in the midst of all this I somehow aquired another one as well. Her name is Fancy, she’s 16 months old and a red sable Phalene. She’s never been shown because she’s on the larger side but quite rangy which makes her look much bigger than she is. However we were thinking we might like to show her a little bit and we were also hoping a move might bring her into season – hasn’t worked btw! – as she hasn’t even had her first yet. Due to one thing and another conspiring against us even though I’ve had her a few weeks now she’s only been to ringcraft once. I’ve discovered we’ve got a problem with people! She’s fairly happy to be in close proximity as long as she’s ignored, but the moment any attention is paid to her the tail goes down and she backs away – she’ll pull to the end of the lead and dig her heels in. Which is obviously far from ideal when showing as well – she’s fantastic on the floor but on the table as soon as the judge comes up to put their hands on her she cowers and would fall off the table if I wasn’t holding her.

So that’s my set up at the moment! Solei, Winston, Fancy and of course Vale.

Now, as I was saying! Companion show last Sunday. I entered Winston in AV Puppy, Fancy in AV Junior, Solei in AV Non-Sporting and also Fancy & Solei in the Brace and Solei in the special Grand Open class. Winston was ok and got a 4th (showed about the same as he showed on Saturday – actually he got a 4th then too!) out of quite a few so was pleased with that and Fancy didn’t place which was expected because she wouldn’t actually allow the judge to go over her. By the time it was Solei’s class it was raining so he looked a mess…I’d groomed him before I went in but by the time he went up on the table (having already had to stand on the floor) his ears were soaking and looked really awful – all straggly – and his tummy, bib and the feathering on his legs were all wet too. Still got a 3rd, but he was the only dog who looked wet! All the others had repellent coats so though they must have been wet they didn’t actually look it. Got him dry for the Brace/Team but it wasn’t a proper thing – she just went round talking to all the dogs, and the main reason I’d entered them was because they look fantastic moving together. So nothing there. Then Solei went into Grand Open which was a large class. I went in and got a good position, then this young boy came and slotted in behind me with a Golden Retriever. We’d already seen the dog drag him across the ring in a previous class so I knew he didn’t have control over him and he was pulling only an inch or so from Solei…so I thought uh oh, here we go! Solei actually is now pretty good with all other dogs but there are limits, and obviously if you’ve got a large dog up your bum you want to turn around and look! But then when the judge started the class she said she was going to split them, and it turned out she wanted to move all the dogs so split them into large and small. Can’t tell you how happy I was to hear that – partly because Solei was away from the Retriever, and also because he moves like a dream and if she was going to judge on that…and he did win it! So that was a great end to the day.

Since then it’s been hectic….my grandmother was diagnosed with alzheimer’s and vascular dementia about two years ago, and all of a sudden she got much worse. She went into a rehab place where it turned out she had another UTI (she gets them frequently and they always make her so confused) which they treated, as well as rehydrating her because she hadn’t been drinking at home so was very dehydrated. We went to look at a couple of care homes whilst she was there because grandad is really struggling to cope and we thought it may be needed in the not too distant future.

So she came home last Wednesday and things weren’t too bad….until we got a phone call early Saturday (yesterday) morning from an ambulance man to say grandad had chest pains and they were taking him to hospital – needed mum to go round and sit with granny because she’s not safe to be left alone. Grandad had a triple heart bypass about 15 years ago so obviously anything like that is even more of a worry.

So panic stations, we tried to see if they’d take her back into the rehab place she’d only left a couple of days before (timing!) but they didn’t have any beds, so she’s now in one of the care homes we looked at for a couple of weeks, which is only about 5-10 minutes walk from home so very convenient for us. Meanwhile grandad will be in hospital for at least a few days and has either had a mild heart attack or a severe angina attack.

Everyone’s been under such pressure over the last few weeks, I’m so stressed! I’d go mad without my dogs.

S & T are away now until the end of June, so I’m completely out of routine as well. They’ve taken Winston with them and I’ve got two of their other boys here instead so at least I’ve got something to occupy me. I’ll be picking up a friends girl in a couple of weeks as well, because I’m showing her for them but I’ve never even taken her on a lead before so I’m having her for about a week so she can get used to me and chair!

Oh well, at least I get to see them on Tuesday.

Well Bath Champ Show is notorious for always being wet! Ironic given the place name, or maybe it’s because of the name!

This year they’ve got a fantastic new layout. They’ve adopted the “in out” system where half the ring is covered (along with the benching) and the other half is open, so if it’s nice you can use the whole ring (or just the uncovered part as our judge was doing, though even just that bit was a nice size ring) and if it’s wet or too hot you can go undercover, removing all the problems of if it starts raining very lightly wondering if you should stay outside or go in and whichever you do will be wrong! It’s a big upheaval to move rings in the middle of judging so not a decision to be taken lightly and impossible to keep moving between the two.

The weather actually wasn’t too bad for the first half of the day. It got very warm at one point with incredibly bright sunshine and during Limit & Open dog people waiting to be seen were seeking refuge under the covered area! In the afternoon we had some incredibly heavy showers. I didn’t go with any expectations because this judge has openly said he doesn’t know how to judge Phalenes, and indeed Solei wasn’t placed. The other dogs all were though – Sam won Junior Dog, Jason 4th in Open Dog and Tosca was 3rd in Minor Puppy Bitch.

I’d also entered Solei in the Special Beginners Stakes for the first time (only at champ shows and not all have them) and he got 4th out of 24(!) dogs! He was absolutely nuts whilst we were waiting (obviously a lot of waiting with that many dogs in the class) and started flirting with the Pug next door (it was toy/terrier and 20 of the dogs were terriers but I managed to get him in between two of the other three toys!) Then he was showing off, playing about…it was hilarious to watch. I was glad the marquee had been put up before it started raining though, because he was crouching down on the grass rubbing his bib and whole underneath over it! If there had been any moisture in it he would’ve been absolutely filthy. She cut the class first and I was absolutely ecstatic to get into the cut never mind place.

The only thing was that in the line up the Smooth Fox Terrier actually went for him…and meant it. Luckily the owner had him on a short lead and Solei was quick and darted under my chair so he didn’t get anything more than hair, and even though Solei is the biggest wus in the world with things like that apparently he’s braver so luckily he bounced back….could’ve been very nasty though. Apparently the SFT had been standing next to another SFT in the class and they’d spent the whole time eyeballing each other so evidently not a nice dog!

Southern Counties next Saturday….now we’re in the main part of the season and it’ll just be bam bam bam for the next few months!

Oops, a bit longer since I’ve last posted than I intended! I’ve been meaning to start writing for a couple of weeks, but everytime I go to start something happens that distracts me!

So, 26th April – WELKS. I really enjoyed it, though there was someone I wanted to talk to and I was trying to pluck up courage all day…finally managed it just before we left and then didn’t have time to ask them what I wanted to! I was so irritated with myself, I probably won’t be seeing them for almost a year now so I still am.

As for results….Tosca got a 2nd in Minor Puppy, Mac and Jason were chucked, Sam won Junior Dog (seriously, you’ll have to pick me up off the floor the day that dog gets anything other than 1st or 2nd!) and Solei got a 4th in Limit Dog! It was a strong class and his first time in Limit (moved up from Post Graduate) so to get in the cards was brilliant! Morris won Limit so that was great as well.

Solei has got people talking now…people are coming up and making comments about him and so many people have said (not to me) he should be doing better than he is, and after we were placed M (who owns Morris) said two diferent champ show judges (ie the highest judging level) commented on Solei’s movement, and S was watching ringside with another champ show judge who said she thought Solei should have been 2nd or 3rd. It would be amazing if he can have a good year I don’t like to hope but (touch wood!) signs are good!

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Then last weekend we were at South Western Toy Dog Club. Seven dogs – Topsy, Winston, Sam, Mac, Solei, Storm and Jason – and I showed Winston, Solei and Storm. Winston won his class and Best Puppy Dog (but he was the only one  ), Sam won his class but again the only one. Solei got a 2nd in Post Grad and Mac 3rd, Jason won Open and Storm 2nd. Topsy 2nd in Novice and then Jason got Best of Breed….then Winston got a 2nd in AV Minor Puppy and Topsy won AV Puppy. Jason made the cut in the group/BIS (toy breeds only so the same thing) but nada. The judge really liked Solei Kept looking at him in the class and then came up afterwards and said she really wanted to give him the class. Always perplexes me when judges say that – makes you think so why didn’t you!

SWTDC was the first show I “showed” (if you can call it that!) at a year ago so it’ll always be special. It’s also my blue show I think…when I showed there last year I got a 2nd with Toola. This year I got a 1st with Winston when I couldn’t have got anything else, then 2nds with Solei, Winston and Storm (all with more than 2 in the class)! Funny how some shows seem to be lucky, unlucky or always plentiful of a certain placing.

That’s about it I think!

Last Sunday saw us travelling up to Coventry for the Papillon (Butterfly Dog) Club’s Championship Show. The entry was massive, even for Paps, with just over 300 dogs entered!

For boys we had Winston, Sam, Mac, Storm, Jason, Wallace, Igor and Solei, and girls Tosca, Sarah and Sally.

Winston got a 2nd in a large Minor Puppy class with 16 present, Sam 2nd in a large Junior Dog class with 15 present, Mac nothing in Post Grad Dog (20!) and Storm nothing in Limit Dog (23!) but he did make the cut. Jason & Wallace nothing in Open Dog and Igor beat Solei into 2nd in the Phalene class. Solei wasn’t showing as well as usual but not enough to cost him the class, I wasn’t necessarily expecting Solei to win it but it should’ve been between him and Thackery (who was 3rd) not Igor!

Sally nothing in Open Bitch (missing tooth), Tosca won Phalene Bitch and my little Sarah only went and continued her streak by winning Maiden Bitch! I think she was seriously considered for the RCC as well, the judge seemed very interested in her and asked her age (not usually done at that point and I think I was the only one she asked), then once she found out she was only 12 months stopped looking at her! I will be surprised if Sarah doesn’t do *something* this year, she really should Igor beat Tosca for Best Phalene in Show (I was handling Igor whilst S had Tosca and I thought she had it in the bag!)

In other news we have puppies! Five born early this morning, two days early, three boys and two girls.

Solei is marking worse than he ever has at the moment, it’s driving me mad! I did wonder if he could have a UTI but the chances aren’t that likely (especially being a boy) and he’s fine except for peeing in the house. He’s so subtle as well, always seems to do it when I’m not looking even when I’m watching him like a hawk! However, I’m aware of him going in the house three times since yesterday evening and I’ve caught him 2/3 times and told him off so hopefully he’ll stop soon. It’s getting very wearing! I had Storm here for two and a half weeks and this started a couple of days after he went back home so I think maybe Solei’s insecure and trying to stamp his mark on his territory! You’d have thought he’d have been doing it whilst he was here though :rolleyes: I mean they were marking a bit whilst Storm was here but not like this – it’s partly where he’s going which is the problem – ie up the curtains and up the side of my quilt! Of course right now he’s curled up on my arm fast asleep looking as if butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth.

It’s been a really long week, times drags so much. I wish I had more energy! Things that don’t seem much to ask…are. I got my first “proper” DS game (ie need to use the buttons to move around) this week and I’m really struggling with the controls. I know with the GBA you could get a thing that clipped over and had a joystick instead of the pad, wonder if there’s anything like that for the DS?

A week today I’ll be watching the Papillon judging at WELKS though I’m really looking forward to that, I just hope Solei goes better than he did last weekend! We’ve only got Sam, Mac, Solei, Jason and Tosca going so it’ll be quite a quiet day and our classes will be over comparatively quickly (dogs judged before bitches and the only bitch we’ve got is Tosca who is in Minor Puppy which is the first bitch class).

I’ve just upgraded WordPress as well so let’s hope everything works properly! It’s a bit of a shock to the system, the admin panel is very different!

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!