Just BePaws - Weekend Extrordinaire

Lots of work, lots of food, lots of fun, lots of friends, lots of dogs and some really good wins. That was the “whirlwind weekend” at the Traverse City Dog Show Father’s Day weekend. Let me tell you about it.

Several of us decided to try and build a major. As most of you know, they are few and far between these days. But…this one worked. The major was built in bitches with friends coming in from Canada for the first time, others coming from Arizona, Illinois and a few hours south in Michigan. The numbers added up to make the coveted major.

Now, to get ready.

Food was prepared in advance, the RV was spiffed up for the Canadian guests, the house was ready for sleepover guests and the dogs were almost all ready.

Friday morning dawned. Dick and I got up early to help setup at the Civic Center for the show. By the time we got home, several of our guests had arrived and moved in to their respective accommodations. So far, so good. The Canadian crew arrived late afternoon and took up residence in the RV. Thank goodness for extra bedroom space with built-in crates.

The weather even co-operated and was wonderful for most of the weekend. We could eat out in the yard looking at the lake. Good thing as my house is rather small with the eating area really small. After all, it is just Dick, dogs and me most of the time.

Saturday morning came much too early. Our ring times were also rather early. We showed at 11:00 AM on Saturday and 10:00 AM on Sun. Luckily, we are only about 20 minutes from the show-sight. We planned on leaving before 7:00 AM. Everyone agreed to the shower rotation for the morning. Somehow, it all worked at home.

Getting all those dogs ready for the show was a hectic process. It makes me more appreciative of the handlers that do this every weekend. It’s not something I could do on a regular basis. Somehow, all that worked, too.

Every dog went into the ring in beautiful condition and showed well. (That says something for my kids that are used to being groomed in the RV and not in the grooming area of the show.) Our Canadian contingency got the bitch major both days and finished that dog in the states. We got BOW both days with the crossover majors on two of our boys. Everyone was happy. The puppies entered all showed well with tails up and happy attitudes. Another positive experience for the weekend.

Dinners went well. The men did the grilling, the ladies helped serve and clean-up just seemed to happen.

The icing on the cake was the CGC/TDI testing that was also offered at the show. Remember when Rush got his CGC at the 2005 Nationals? Since then, I have been interested in testing him for the Therapy Dog International certification. This time we practiced just a little on the sits, downs and stays out in the driveway the week before the test. He passed with flying colors as did one of his daughters. So, daddy and daughter now have TDI to add to their names. By the way, daughter, Josie, belongs to Ann. She made us very proud of her, too, as Rush and I watched her go through the stations required to pass. What a wonderful thing to add to the fabulous weekend.

Sometimes, things are just meant to be. All the preparation that went into this weekend was well worth the effort. We all had a great time, the dogs got along, there were no hard feelings and friends cemented the bond in dogs that brought us together in the first place. This sport can be truly wonderful. Sometimes, you just have to make things happen and look for the good in everything. I truly enjoyed hosting several of my friends at my home enjoying the camaraderie of a terrific weekend.

Next year, come on “upnorth” to a little bit of “paradise” in Traverse City, Michigan.