From the Inside - Part 2

Rounding out the show, these are mainly from the Working and Non-sporting groups, although I did sneak in a few others.


A stunning female Boxer waiting to be examined.




And an equally lovely Doberman bitch ...




A Great Dane ...




An Irish Setter ...




The multiple Working Group winner, Giant Schnauzer CH Skansen's Sir August Brigs.




The easily recognizable St. Bernard ...




And the Neapolitan Mastiff ...




Standard Poodle Ch Jaset's Satisfaction, who has multiple all breed Best in Show credits, made an impressive run as the Non-Sporting group winner.






But it was the Number One rated dog in the U.S., Smooth Fox Terrier GCh Ch J'Cobe Kemosabe Vigilante Justice - "Dodger" - who took top prize today.

From the Inside ... Part 1

This group of photos are generally in alphabetic order by breed within the Herding group, Group 7. Shelties are a part of this group, but I did not capture the Sheltie Best of Breed today, I just couldn't get a good shot, but I think I did grab some interesting moments of some of the other competitors.













The Bearded Collie was awarded the top prize in the Herding Group, allowing him to move on to Best in Show.



This next set represents the Toy Group. They may be smaller in stature than a lot of the other dogs, but they command the ring just as decisively as any other dog there!









And of course I couldn't overlook the Chihuahua ... what a little show dog this fellow was!!

On the Outside Looking In

I took Keva (Ch Chelson Satin Image) to Monroe, Michigan this past weekend for the Ann Arbor Kennel Club shows. This is a huge dog show, exceeding 1700 entries, including 26 separate supported entries (or "boosters" for specific individual breeds), 16 rings and 35 judges. While some of the breeds were fortunate enough to be judged in the air conditioned building, most were outside. By all accounts, it was another steamy weekend, but thankfully there was enough breeze to make it bearable, and the free movie-style popcorn and lemonade didn't hurt!

There was lots of time on Saturday after the shelties were judged to enjoy the bulk of the show, and I took a number of candid photos outside of the show ring of dogs who had just been judged or were waiting their turn.

This little bulldog puppy was sporting the latest in "keeping cool" wear, a cooling jacket, very lightweight with a cool interior but dry exterior. Next Top Model, for sure!




There were plenty of wading pools and fresh running water set up for drinking or for cooling off. This German Shorthair Pointer puppy knew exactly how to use his pool!





Remember that free popcorn? Doesn't that mean for Mastiff puppies, too?



Two youngsters making new friends ...



A pair of Scotties, looking like they are old friends ...



Inside the air conditioned building, a group of Maltese get ready for the ring.




This dachshund doesn't appear to be feeling the heat too badly.



And this doxie is really travelling in style.



A well deserved rest back at the motel for Keva, who earlier that day took her first American points!



I'm still working on Part 2, mostly photos of dogs inside the ring. It was a great day, and the competition was inspiring.

First Show, First Points!

One of Jolie's puppies (Am/Can Ch Shaydeechase Girl Interrupted)from her winter litter by Ch Lynphil Mirror Mask was lucky enough to find his way into the heart and home of a fabulous young lady, Victoria Brewster and her mom Debbie. They were extremely agreeable about letting me show "Oliver", and his debut was just last week, Friday and Saturday in Sarnia, Ontario. Although Friday was a little unsteady, he did really well for his first time in a totally strange situation, and at the tender age of just 6 1/2 months. By the next day, he was starting to figure things out, and we were all absolutely delighted when Oliver took Winners Dog, then Best in Winners and on to Best Puppy in Group for his very first points, at his very first show. "Anamchara A Step Ahead", aptly named by Victoria, is off and running!





Left to right, judge Robert Whitney, myself, Victoria and Deb, and of course Oliver

Canada Day

Just a few candid shots of the Canada Day festivities downtown ... it was a beautiful day, and the celebrations offered a variety of tributes to our wonderful country.