Back to Judging Dogs!

Whew! It's been awhile since I've had time to update my blog. I honestly don't know where the time goes - but it sure goes FAST!

I'm finally back in the swing of things with my dog judging schedule. Just returned this afternoon from judging the Rose City Classic shows in Portland, OR. What a class act! The shows are incredibly well run, the site is wonderful and the hotel where theylodge the judges up is terrific. The weather out there was tolerably chilly - especially since SC was having record breaking lows. The first couple of days were foggy when we were taken to the show site, but the last few days were clear and the view of Mt. Hood was spectacular.

Large shows, the Rose City Classic, sponsored by Eukanuba, is comprised of the Dog Fanciers Association of Oregon, POrtland Dog Obedience Club and the Tualatin Kennel Club. The Classic attracts a big entry and quality dogs. I kicked the weekend off by judging the German Shorthaired Pointer Club of Northern Oregon's specialty on Thursday. Had a lovely entry and a great time. Judged the next four days and did a mix of sporting, toy and herding dogs. Saturday was the "Big Day" as I was judging the Herding Group that night for the Dog Fancier's Association of Oregon and it was taped to be televised on Animal Planet. I had my formal outfit all ready to go, but had to switch shoes at the last minute. My ankle started giving me problems the last few months due to arthritis, so I had to wear the flats I'd brought instead of the heels. Funny thing was, the flats no longer seemed to fit my feet. I'd lost weight and they were too big! So, I literally glued my feet into those shoes using double sided sticky tape! I got through the instructions and hope I didn't get between the cameras and the dogs too often. Naturally, the quality of the dogs in the herding group were quite high and I was very pleased to give the top award to the Bouvier. A square, rugged, stallion of a dog who I thought could handle cattle with ease. A beauty of a Belgian Sheepdog was second and the Pembroke and Cardigan Corgis couldn't be denied third and fourth. It is so much fun to judge a ring full of such beautiful dogs as I had that night.

I'm off to St. Louis in a few days to judge the St. Charles (MO) Kennel Club.