Dog Shows.....

are just NOT my thing!!!

This afternoon, I got so excited when while I was in the car. We had been driving for quite a while, and a long drive usually always = FUN places. Well, not today........

As soon as mum pulled into the parking lot outside this rodeo barn, I knew this was as far from a fun place as it could.

The smell in the air, the atmosphere, the barking noise in the background, the RV's parked outside, the exercise pens, the day tents, all pointed to my one most dreaded place to be on this earth - a Dog Show!!!

Let me explain to you why I hate dog shows so much:

Mum never wanted a show dog, so even though I came from champion show parents, I was purchased on a "limited registration" contract, which meant I could not produce registrable pups and had to be spayed. I was spayed at 6 months of age and had never been to a dog show. Well that all changed in June of 2005 (I was 5.5 yrs old) when mum decided to show her friend's Bouvier, Pharoh. You see, my mum likes to try new things, so she wanted to try showing a dog. That's when I started to tag along to dog shows with mum and Pharoh.

I didn't mind at first because it was all new to me and I was curious about everything, and all the different dogs. However, it didn't take me long to realize that I was no longer the center of the attention at dog shows. Mum was tending to Pharoh most of the time while I watched her with my pitiful eyes from inside the exercise pen. Even though mum always had at least a friend with her so that somebody could be there to keep me company while she and Pharoh were in the show ring, it made no difference to me. I could careless about anybody else, I only wanted my mum!! I remember everytime mum was about to leave the grooming area with Pharoh, she would give me a fresh bone to gnaw on as to distract me from her absence. It worked for a few times, but after about the fourth time, I actually started to get "panicky" anytime (yes, at home too) I saw mum with a bone (can you believe it? I know it sounds crazy) because to me, that meant mum was leaving me AGAIN...

Of course, that st*pid Pharoh didn't help either. As you can see from his pictures, he is a gorgeous dog. So he won the breed quite often which meant he would come back to the grooming area, have a rest, and then mum would have to take him back to the ring yet again for Group judging.

This is the reason why I HATE going to dog shows so much!!

To further illustrate to you just how much I really hate the whole idea of dog show, I'm going to tell you about two little incidents involving me that happened on the show circuit:

Incident 1:

Mum, her friend, Pharoh, and I were away at a weekend show back in the summer of 2005. I had been very bored from watching all those dogs go around and around in the rings all day that mum decided maybe I would cheer up if "I" were to be allowed in the action. So she entered me in the *Sanction Match that was held at the end of the day.

*A sanction match is a competition at which only purebred dogs may compete but not for championship points. It is a training ground for the handlers and dogs. As far as practicable, set-up and procedure should follow that of approved conformation shows.

So I was entered in the match. As soon as mum slipped Pharoh's show choke collar on me, I decided that "I" wasn't gonna stand being "choked around" and refused to move. Mum's friend quickly handed her my regular flat collar, and I was ok with it. Look at how thin that choke chain is, can you imagine how uncomfortable it must feel to have that thing choked around my neck??


During breed judging, I felt a sudden urge to pee. So while I was going around the ring, I took the opportunity to "lift" my leg on one of the corner posts, and peed. Yes, I'm a girl. On my down and back to the judge, mum was baiting me with those oh so yummy beef liver jerky. However, after not getting the jerky for a little more than 2 seconds, I decided I needed to "speak" to mum in front of the judge in order to get my treat. So I basically spoke to the judge while he was trying to get a good look at my expression. That poor judge, had no choice but to put me through since I was the only Airedale...hehe.

In the Terrier Group judging, I kept trying to figure out why mum kept holding the bait in front of my nose or sometimes throwing it to the ground just a head of us, but not giving it to me. I couldn't understand why she was wasting all that yummy jerky treats to the ground. So in my quest to find the answer, I started to "sit", but no treat. A "speak", still no treat. I rolled over many many times while I was in the line up. Then I got really frustrated and just decided to "die" on my own. The judge watched while I slowly made mum's face redder and redder...... and he finally let out a chuckle when he saw me dying on my own (yes, with the groan and the wobble). I was sure with the way I behaved in the ring, that it was gonna be the end to my short lived sanction show career. Much to my surprise and dismay, he gave me Group 1, which meant I needed to wait around for other Groups to be judged, and go in for Best In Match.

Mum thinks the reason the judge kept putting me through was because he wanted to see what other stunts I was gonna pull. And well, I certainly did not disppoint him!!!

Finally, all seven groups had been judges, and the winner from each group including myself had to go in the ring one last time for the judging of Best In Match. Well, I was really getting tired of running pointlessly around the ring like an idiot and having had to try and impress a complete stranger. This is just not something a dog of my aptitude should be doing. So I wrecked my brain trying to find a way to get myself out of this ridiculous situation. I stopped responding to the jerky treats, and didn't bother with all the pieces that were thrown to the ground by my wasteful mum. My eyes surveyed the field (I made sure mum didn't see it) and finally ---- stopped at a flock of Canadian geese grazing ever so peacefully on the other end of the field ..... This was my chance! This was my chance to end it all!! So while mum was paying so much attention to keeping me in the standing up position (instead of doing my antics), I had made up my mind. I waited until it was my turn to go around the ring, and then ---- I PULLED, turned my gear to FULL speed, and TOOK OFF!! Yes out out OUT of the ring, all the way down the field, after the geese!! As you can see from the picture above, the thin show lead was no competition to my determination. Mum had no chance of holding me back.

The judge and most spectators were not just chuckling now, they were laughing full scale. The judge asked mum if she could get me back, and I guess mum said she could try because I started hearing both mum and her friend calling my name telling me to go back to that boring place. I really didn't' want to go back, but I felt I had embarrassed mum enough for that day, so I headed back. However, I was gonna make my point clear to everyone there that I really did not enjoy dog shows. So, I trotted back towards the Best In Match ring, but I made sure I stopped just outside of the ring barrier!! Didn't matter how mum coaxed me, I was determined to not set foot inside a ring ever again! The judge then made an announcement to all the spectators, he said:

"Ladies and gentlemen, here is a true terrier for ya!!"

That was the end of my sanction show career, I was excused from the Best In Match judging...hehehehe!

After the Best In Match was awarded, the judge came over to talk to mum. He said something like "That's one heck of a terrier you've got there!", and he also mentioned something about how they should have made a video of me from the beginning to show what NOT to do in a show ring because well..... I did them all! He then tried to get me all wrought-up, but I just gave him the "Excuse me, but do I know you?" look and ignored him.....hehe.

The same judge judged Pharoh the next day, and he asked mum, "How did you get this one so well under control?". And mum, gave him an intellectual answer (in my opinion), she said, "Well, he is not a terrier!!"

I find it hard to believe that I came from show parents as I obviously did not inherit any of their showiness in the ring (yes...my definition to showiness is a little different..)!

Incident 2:

Again, I was at a dog show with mum and Pharoh. Mum's friend was very late that day, in fact, he wasn't even there when it was time for Pharoh to go in the ring. So basically, I had to stay in my 48" exercise pen while mum took Pharoh to the ring. I couldn't believe it, I mean, she left me all alone by myself, and she left with another dog!!! It was so irresponsible of her to leave me, her beloved dogter. I vowed right there and then to make mum realize what a HUGE mistake she had made by leaving me, a SuperDALE!

According to mum, while she was waiting outside the ring, she heard people talking about a loose dog. They never said what breed the dog was, so it never occurred to mum that the loose dog could be me. I have had to be confined to 36" pens before, or be gated behind 36" puppy gates at home. Never once did I tried to jump or climb or do anything to break out or get to the other side of the barrier.

Anyway, so mum was in the ring with Pharoh and 4 other Bouviers when she heard the ever so familiar clinking sound of my tags. The next thing she knew, a SuperDALE was in the Bouvier ring jumping all over her, getting Pharoh and all the other Bouviers all wrought up. Hehe.... YUP it was ME!!

I was so happy and relieved that I had finally found my mum, to see that she didn't abandon me!! Needless to say, mum pulled Pharoh that weekend, and that was the last dog show I'd ever set foot in. By the way, I kept how I got out of the 48" pen a mystery even 'til today (in case I need to pull the stunt again ya know). There was no hole under the pen, the shade cloth that was covering the top of the ex-pen was still there. The ex-pen looked the way mum had left it, minus the SuperDALE!!

After this incident, mum felt her going to dog shows really put too much stress on both me and her (apparently she worried about me too?). So she promised me that she wasn't gonna put me through any more agony, and stopped going to dog shows all together.

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So today, when I saw mum pulled into that parking lot, I thought she had broken her promise. Much to my surprise, mum stayed with me the whole time while we watched the herding breeds, and then the little "terrors" in the ring. Then mum told me that she was gonna go say hi to her old Bouvier friends first, and then......she had a SURPRISE for me!!!

Guess who my surprise was?? He was my knight in (black) shining armour, one that made this whole trip worthy! His name is "SOLO", also known as Can/Am Ch. Aerdenhout's Make It So. We used to play together at shows, and I hadn't seen him for SOOO long.

SOLO is a five year old Giant Schnauzer. He was the only pup in his litter, hence the name. He holds the record in the history of the breed for the most Best In Show wins. He just go this BIS # 56 on friday. However, I don't like him because he's a pretty show dog, in fact, I wish he isn't a show dog, because that would mean he can come to the beach to play with me and not have to worry about salt water breaking his furnishings. I like him because well....he is a looker, but not only that, he is also an excellent all around dog. Just look at him jump:

He also has the most amazing free stack that I have ever seen: (this picture was taken after a whole day of showing, and he still looked this stunning)

Look at how in love I was..... and of course, when SOLO decided he was gonna go off hunting instead of playing with me, I went and played with his mom, Janine, who is his owner, breeder, and handler!!

Oh, and did I mention, SOLO is the dog that won Best of Opposite for the last three years at Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show - the most celebrated dog show in North America.

You can see a video of SOLO at the 2006 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show here: Click on Watch Video, and watch SOLO's amazing free stack. His mom Janine is wearing bright pink.

www.westminsterkennelclub.org/2006/results/breed/giantsch.html