Monday, April 27, 2009

Skywatch Friday Photos--Wild wild weekend

Okay, just an update on the title as I know that these are great Skywatch photos but no need to create a new post. Have a great weekend!

skyley.blogspot.com

April 26, 2009--Tornado in Eastern Iowa

Picture heavy post--and unfortunately, start at the bottom and work your way back up to the top!













Okay, this is the cute one--see Phoenix running in from the pasture? Yeah, running for shelter!



Moose is taking a small break and will finish up with the remaining days at the Specialty later this week. But tell you what, it's not been boring around here.

This weekend was off to the Marshalltown show(Heart of Iowa) Well, not too bad. Frank took WD for two more points, now at 9 and needing one major. Dove on Sunday took the points and is now at either 4 or 5, I have to verify that with AKC first. Congrats out to Mel H and finally finishing her boy Indy. I felt so sorry for her having been in that position of needing that one single point-and chasing it for over a year. Ugh, not fun. Oh and we didn't get a chance to talk to her but got to see one of Dawn's babies. He's a charmer, that's for sure and took RWD to Frankie's WD on Saturday.

Weather at that show is either good, with no points available or crappy with points. So yes, crappy this year which leads me to my next adventure.....severe weather. OMG, the photos here will tell it all. We live in rural Linn County IA. Our home was 1 1/2 miles to 2 miles south of a tornado that hit the outskirts of Alburnett, IA, then traveled parallel to a connecting road then whiped out a camp ground at the local county park in Central City, IA. The photos tell it all and hope it's not too much to bog down your computers. It starts looking NW of the house then due north. Talk about Alec, as soon as he stuck his head out the door to see what David was looking at, it was -IN THE HOUSE, DOGS IN THE BASEMENT, FUNNEL CLOUD!!!!!!!

Then you hear David with--DEBRIS, IT'S ON THE GROUND-TORNADO!!!! TAKE COVER!!! Sirens didn't go off till about 5 mins later--even with multiple trained weather spotters in our area, it was slow.
Afterwards we did the loop to make sure the neighbors were okay and got a few pics of the damage. Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me and I think it was a lifetime chance to watch her in action. Wouldn't be anywhere but out in the country where you can see her coming!!!
So there you go, an adventure in Iowa.
Later gators.....
C

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

The Moose Report-day 7-girl's day out

Wow, the week has just flown by. It's Friday already and well let's talk about my bath. How is it that those puppies get a nice warm bath while moi gets a cold one in the booster bath at the expo center? I figured I rated way higher on the totem pole then those youngsters! But that's okay, Eddie had to deal with freezing water too. I wasn't that dirty after the sheep on Sunday but I needed to shine for the breed ring on Saturday. Mom said that she didn't expect to do a darn thing in breed but just to have fun.

I forgot to mention that Frankie passed his CGC last night. He was one tired pup after all that ring time but he managed to suck it up for a few more minutes. They giggled at him as he fell in love with Pat and climbed up in her scooter with her. He got a little ribbon too.

So up early as the little black puppy went in for her first time, first class of the morning. She acted cute, had puppy play time in the ring and wow, can she move or what? Everyone was commenting that she looked like a black version of her dad Sulley. No ribbons but she had fun and told me later she can't wait to get back in the ring later in the month.

Meredith had to get up this morning too as she was showing her Dovey girl. How did that pup rate having the kid show her? I much prefer the kid then Mom most days-she gives me more treats in the ring while Mom makes me work for them. Anyway, Dove had her A game on. I sat and watched with Mom-from a distance. Meredith told Mom to beat it so Dove wouldn't be looking for her outside the ring. Wouldn't you know it-they got a ribbon!! 4th place at that and another set of windchimes. I will say, she's a pretty little girl-okay, both of them are. I'm kind of sweet on both of them.

After our bathes and blow dries, Mom surprised us by getting our therapy dog vests on. Okay I admit, I was a little put out. I mean, when I get a bath, the whole show thing is going on, I'm supposed to be out there strutten' my stuff. But the collar with the tags and the vests mean work and I didn't sign up for that this trip. Meredith got to show us off in the ring while a really cool gal named Pat talked about what we do. We did get the biggest ribbon of the week with our names on it and all our titles. Phhtttt-I have more then Eddie right now! We also got a neat blanket embroidered with the words "unconditional love" on it. Everyone hooped and hollared for us and I tried to look the part.

We then headed back to the camp site for dinner-it was steak night!!!! I was bushed so I sacked out in the infamous blue lounge chair. Earlier in the week we found out that that particular chair eats people, especially if they have too much to drink ;0) I figured I was safe but seems the humans were picking on me--photo to come later on. Mom was waiting for Alec as he was driving in early from his FFA convention. We also were surprised last night as Connie came in a day early-she had lost her voice and couldn't teach, so decided not to sit at home but come early. Connie brought out her dolls and did some ventriliquist stuff for us-it was fun. Did I mention that the night before Aunt Sherilyn was having too much fun doing smores for us? That's a story for Mom to tell later. We had lots of visitors to our site and made lots of new friends.

Anyway, it had been such a stressful day for me, I crashed in the RV with Meredith and Nick. Mom didn't have the heart to drag me out so I slept there. Mom said that was good as she and Bekka didn't have to share the bed with me.

Tomorrow is breed and then the silent auction-one day left-kind of sad though, I wanted it to last much longer.

Moosie out!!

The Moose Report-Day 6-the main event

I guess we will call it the main event, since this was the day with most of the dogs doing something. The girls got to sleep in as they didn't have to do a thing, well other then Margie, but today was the only day she had to lift a paw.

The boys were in bred-by so that meant we got to sleep in a little. I made sure it wasn't too late by bouncing on the beds. Packed up, Mom had her tea and we headed to the RV to get bait(umm, last night's left overs!) The boys got all dolled up and headed to the ring. Frankie got his picture on the news(see Mom's earliet post) and so did Bear. Nothing in the class other then a good long look by the judge.

Then came the big events. I sat ring side for awhile and watched. Boo was showing in stud dog with Frankie and Bear. Kerri helped out and handled Frankie all afternoon. That girl is a hoot! I really like her, even though she got a few unflattering photos of me. They took 4th in the class and Uncle Rus was super happy. Next came brood bitch and Margie was, well, not happy at all. Seems she had had a long talk with her boy Alec some time ago about not having to do this "stupid" show stuff anymore. Needless to say she was torked off. Everyone agreed that she looked marvelous-that kind of perked her up some. Most of the time she's very muddy and out of coat-her preferred state. But Mom gave her a bath yesterday and she cleans up pretty good-don't let her hear that though. Anyway, Margie was shown by Uncle Rus, Ruff Ruff was shown by Mom and Frankie by Kerri. Well I'll be darned-they got 2nd in the class!!! Uncle Rus was so happy that when he hugged Mom, he lifted her feet right off the ground ;0) Mom said that wasn't too bad for an old crippled girl ike Marg and Ruff Ruff was on his A game too. They one cool set of windchimes and a big ribbon.

The evening was snack time as the humans waited to go up to the hotel for the annual meeting and awards. Meredith got an award for top Junior level junior. They won a couple things at the raffle--that darn Bekka was the lucky rabbits foot this year-needed a u-haul to bring all her stuff home. They came back to the RV to pick me up-I opted to hang out at the USS Gibson. Then back to the hotel. Tomorrow is an early day as that little shit black puppy has the first ring time of the day-grrrrr.

Moosie out!!!!

The Moose Report-Day 5-sweeps

Just a little back tracking and well shame on me for forgetting this very important part-food! Man do those campers know how to cook! Mom, Bekka and the rest of us spent lots of time this last week hanging around the USS Gibson and the Davenitch Toy Hauler. As noted before, they had lots of xpens up, grass(when it wasn't raining) and toys to play with. While we dogs amused ourselves, our humans worked on the food side.

Sunday night Kim and Kerri did burgers. I got to help too! They were sort of frozen and well, weren't grilling up as well as they should have. Of course some ended up on the ground which I took the serious job of clean up. Nothing like a good burger. Now the humans added in salad, some delicious green beans and brownies. Ummm, brownies, but I heard that the infamous butterscotch bars were headed down with Rus and Sherilyn later in the week.

Monday since it was raining, Mom sprung for Pizza. Everyone agreed, a night off from cooking was good and since it was cold and wet, we all ate in the USS Gibson. Talk about a load of dogs-we tried not to bump into anyone too much ;0)

Tuesday was left overs-not too darn bad either. A little bit from here and there. Amazing what we can pull together!

So here we are on Wednesday. Rus, Sherilyn and the corgi gang from Winjammin arrived late Monday night-boy did that hotel room get crowded or what? The kids were getting ready for sweeps-remember that we had that mass bathing Tuesday afternoon. We'll talk more about my bath later on-brrrr. Of course that means getting up at the "butt crack of dawn". Not sure why the humans get so warped out of shape about that-I'm always game for an early morning romp. Frankie and Bear were all polished, Merlot the wild child, and Dove was being squirrelly-typical girl. Of course I had to wait in the crate until it was mostly over but thats okay, Frankie filled me in that they didn't do anything. They looked cute and had on their best set of ears. That's okay, we aren't holding it against the judges. What usually happens is you do well in one set of classes and poorly in another, so that sets up for a good showing in regular classes. It ended up being a long day with Mom and we headed back to the RV's for some social time while Meredith, Eddie and Nick went to the juniors seminar and handling clinic.

Now, with the entire gang assembled, we decided it was time for some fun. Kudos to Aunt Kathy as she spent most of the day looking for a fire pit. It got a little chilly out and about the last few nights and what better to make the party but a fire. Hum, cedar wood to burn too. Rus, Sherilyn and Mom decided to do some socializing of their very own after dinner--which back to the food--ummm, Kerri cooked the bestest pork steaks, Kim's chicken and lots of salads and of course cheese and wine. Can we talk about wine?? Heehee, Auntie Kim got Mom a whole box of wine. It was okay but Sherilyn came prepared with the official CAW stuff. She and Mom drained most of it on Wednesday night then proceeded to do what they termed as trailer hopping-going down the line of RV's and socializing. Me, well, I went trick or treating! Everyone was happy to give me a pet or two and a treat. Man I love Nationals-the food is awesome!

The weather was turning out better then it started with predictions for lots of sun on Thursday and warm temps. It was a late night on Wednesday and we all headed back to the hotel to get ready for regular dog classes, non regular classes and the annual meeting tomorrow.

Moosie out!!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Interrupting for this news break...

As I pry the keyboard from between Moose's paws, our great friend Laura with Cooper Creek Cardigans and "May Favorite People are Dogs" blog, sent us this cool link to the Topeka news station WIBW. Frankie and I made the news as well as a pretty head shot of Bear.

Here's the link:
http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/43109537.html

Now back to the Moose report. Quit slobbering on the key board dude!


Later gators....
C

The Moose Report-Day 4-Rally

So after I got a few good treats last night, now today is Eddie's turn. Rus and Sherilyn made it down last night, which meant that Mom and Bekka were sharing a bed and I had to sleep on the floor. That's not going to work for long. I have to giggle though, Bekka likes to talk in her sleep, so Mom will not get a good nights sleep unless she uses ear plugs.

We got to sleep in some but had to be there early so Mom could help out in Rally. She had so much fun. It was our judge from yesterday and the courses were easy. I got to be a demo dog in the excellant ring. This meant I had to do the honor for the first dog in the ring, then at the end Mom and I ran the course for the last dog to honor. We were awesome, even if it was on leash. I think I might just be ready for advanced, considering how wonderful I did as a demo excellant dog ;0) As we were up in the Expo Center playing, Kim and Kerri were assembly line washing dogs. Tonight is the Megan and Ruff Ruff needs to be clean, while the puppies need bathes for sweeps tomorrow. The booster bathes out by the Expo Center had COLD water only but the RV and Camper had hot, so those guys got lucky with warm bathes and blow drys.

When Mom was done with Rally, she got Eddie warmed up for his "prove it" run. See last year Eddie made a fool out of Auntie Sherilyn. No one after that thought he had enough brains to do anything then. But he went on last year to get his RN and some pretty respectable scores-high 90's. So this year was just to prove to the crowd that yes in deed the floppy blue bear can think. Some days I doubt it but hey, I live with the dork. Unfortunately, Auntie Sherilyn and Uncle Russ missed his run by a few minutes. He was awesome, but don't let him know I said it. Ended up with a 2nd place! Mom got a cool stoneware cup with CWCCA 2009 on it. One of a kind she said and it's on the trophy shelf at home. Don't think any ones going to be drinking out of that one any time soon. Oh and a big ribbon. Which I do have a beef about--did you know the rally ribbons are bigger then the obedience ones? What's up with that???

So now with that done and the stuff all cleaned up and put away, Mom's rushing down to the RV to change into her formal dress for the Megan. Wooo weee, does she clean up good. It was Ruff Ruff's turn to shine and he was a little nervous. Luckily the evil people that try to spook him at the home shows weren't there and he was on his game. He looked good-I got to sit in a chair ring side to watch him and Boo. But alas as it always is, he's just not big enough for the judges. Now granted I'm a big whale of a dog and yes, I admit I'm too big, but my buddy Russ is right in the middle of our breed standard. He is what they call a moderate dog and most of the breeders Mom and Auntie Kim talked to this weekend think he's perfectly sized. Shame that people keep showing oversized and dogs that are too big, can't move and have horrible fronts to the regular show judges. Can that boy move or what! He's got sweeping movement that the judge from last year's sweeps commented on. Just gotta look past the size thing is all. I guess what's a judge to do when all he sees is crap then a good dog comes along-not sure what to do with him.


During the break we went back to the RV's and had dinner. Kerri and Auntie Kim are awesome cooks. Since I'm the well behaved dog, I get to sit out with the humans-I even get my own chair. Sometimes I go and hang out in the RV with Music though. Back down to the Expo Center to watch. Well none of our crew did a darn thing so we all headed back to our beds for a good nights sleep. It would be an early morning on Wednesday with sweeps and then juniors stuff.

Moosie out!

The Moose Report-Day 3-Obedience

After everyone had a nice warm shower, clean sheets and dry clothes, they all seemed in a much better mood on Monday morning. Once again, we loaded up and went over to see Kim's crew at the RV. Mom warned me it was another working day for me but it would still be fun.

About mid day we wandered over to the Expo center and watched some agility, got the grooming area cleaned up and organized. Kim and Ruff Ruff did a run in rally, that unfortunately ended with an NQ and some sort of threat on his boy areas from his mom. Something about a clothespin and/or duct tape. Tell you what, I had a chat with him and said "Kid, you better watch out-those girls mean business!"

Mom had me entered in Novice B obedience and suggested that I get my head wrapped around the idea of not creating my own heeling patterns. What's a guy gotta do to get some respect around here? The only reason I did it before was because my adoring fans wanted something beyond the standard boring stuff. Go figure that Mom didn't think that was cute. I know Rus and Sherilyn did ;0) So with a threat against it being a very very long day if I did't cooperate, or as Mom said, chasing those ghosts of bad runs away, we headed to the ring. Oh and might I add that earlier in the day they left me in the truck rather then allowing me to go in the RV. I got bored, pulled out my brand new braided obedience lead and had a snack on the handle. Guess that wasn't the right thing to do-Mom was beyond pissed. Figured it was in my best interest to have a good run and behave the rest of the day.

And the ghosts, they went bye bye!! I played it cool though, didn't want Mom to get too big a head about it all. I was a little sniffy on my on-leash pattern, little lag on the figure 8, then Mom with a huge sigh, turned the leash over to the steward and asked me to stand. Perfect if I don't say so myself! But I think the sigh was for the next part-off leash pattern. I got a little cocky-it was better then on leash and yes, I did what the judge asked and not what I thought I should do. Mom was pretty proud and she and the judge chatted before the recall about it. He said that I did exactly what he asked me to do and giggled. So to bring Mom back to reality, on the recall-I pretended I didn't hear her-turned my head and looked at someone coming in the door. Mom yelled, yes, yelled my name to get my attention, then come. I slowly turned looked at her and said, if you say so. Heehee, man was there worry on her face. I came, decided not to sit in front until the last moment, then finished perfectly. I like to throw her for a loop on occasion, keeps her on her toes. So out of the ring with a Q so far.

We went and relaxed then it's call back for long sits and downs. Once again, something about chasing a ghost of failed sits. Hey, give a guy a break, on those two occasions, I was tired and heck since I hadn't Q'd, why no just quit while you are ahead? But in an effort to perk up Mom's spirits after the failed goat thingy, I decided to freeze in place. Auntie Kim said that I didn't even blink for 1 minute. The relief on Mom's face was very evident and then we did the long down. Now I kind of like to show boat with that one and do the classic Moose manoveur-roll over on my side of back and freeze with my back leg in the air. Kind of hard to hold for 3 minutes, but I do it for the fun of it. Mom said that between me and the dog next to me(both of us on our backs) the crowd had a good giggle. And when Mom came back she was so happy-glad I could make it up after snacking on my lead, she earned it! We ended up getting 3rd in our class, my first CD leg and to top it off, Mom said I was on good graces again-we won a brand spankin' new leash and it's a nice one too!

After looking at the vendors and chatting with lots of our friends, we headed back to the RV. I got to hang out with Music instead of the kids and Mom along with Kim, Kathy, Kerri, Bekka, Tom, Cindy F and lots and lots of new friends-Charlie, Kathryn and so many names I don't remember, partied into the night.

So the working vacation is going well. The sun is supposed to come out later in the week for us-so on Monday we did a little sun dance hoping it would warm up tomorrow. And I guess tomorrow the kid's get bathes, it's the Megan and my day off! Eddie's chance tomorrow to prove he can really do something with his brain.

Moosie out!

The Moose Report-day 2-RAIN!!!!

Now this is where the whole "vacation" thing turned horribly wrong. I'm a sensible kind of guy-easy to get along with, will do most things you ask me and I love to play. But for some odd reason my mother said, nope, not play but work today. Gotta get those silly little titles at the end of my name. That part I just don't get.

With Bekka, Kim and Ruff Ruff in tow, we got up at the butt crack of dawn, in the rain and followed Kerri, Tom and Jessie to Salina, KS where they were holding the herding trials. Now, again, I'm game for just about anything, but man, it rained and it blew and I went, "Mom, are you sure this is Kansas? Seems more like Louisiana and a hurricane to me!" She assured me that yes, we are still in Kansas but that was through chattering teeth.

I chose to hang out in the car while Mom watched some awesome herding runs. Of course I offered to help out in ducks but Tom had that handled-he was helping wrangle ducks with the judge. The cows were cool and it was fun to watch the cardigans work them. Gave me some ideas for when I get home. The sheep were a little goofy-liked to run, alot. Then came those goats. RRRRR, goats, don't like those at all.

This is where the working vacation comes in. Mom had entered me in the herding test part and they were using goats. Most of the other dogs and people there decided afterwards that the performance dinner would offer roast goat as an option-I totally agreed. Even though I tried my fool head off, attempting to get those darn ugly things off the gate, they didn't budge. One even head butted me! They had figured out that the gate was the safe zone and neither of us in HT could get them too far off the fence. Bugger as I know Mom really wanted on leg on that HT for me. Back to lessons with Wendy and try again in May at Kerri's club's trial.

Afterwards the kids did their instinct tests. Both Frankie, Marg and Merlot showed lots of good skills but they too didn't like the goats-they just don't move. Ruff Ruff on the other hand, well, he didn't care, that boy's a little nuts if you ask me-he got so excited that Kim couldn't catch him!!! Bear did good too and little Dove needs some confidence after her bad experience getting kicked. Might I add, by the time this little event happened it was a downpour and windy. The humans all ran to the warmed up Tahoe(with all Mom's silent auction loot) and made us dogs pant as they had the heat up on high trying to warm up and dry off on the two hour trip back to Topeka. Drop Kim and Ruff Ruff at the RV, then we all headed back to the hotel for a hot shower for the humans and a warm dry towel for me. Mom and Bekka called it for the night and we all crashed hard.

So ends the first official day of my so called vacation. I was wet, dirty and Mom wasn't much better. I voted for sun and sand but some how mud and rain were subsituted. Like Ruff Ruff asked--I don't get it!

Now for the fun part..... performance events!!!

Moosie out!

The Moose Report-day 1

Hey guys--Moose here. Man, my mother takes the cake. We've been on "vacation" or so she said when she stuck me in the truck-with 7 other dogs!! I swear, vacation means fun, sun and relaxation but NOOOO, we had to make this a working vacation. Figure since she's buried under piles of paper at work, I need to fill you guys in on the details from the so called "vacation".

Actually, we spent the last week in Topeka, KS at the Cardigan Welsh Corgi National Specialty. I've been be for but it was the first time for Frankie, Dove, Bear, Merlot and Chrissy. Marg came along too but she said-been there done that, borrrrring. So we started off on Saturday morning and drove to Des Moines to pick up Bekka, Bear and Chrissy. I got to flirt with the girls at Rus and Sherilyn's and then we packed the last spare inch of the Tahoe with more crap and started down to Topeka. They made me ride in the back-how humiliating-that darn Bekka had my reserved spot.

The sun was shining for a little while, then the clouds started rolling in. Not a good sign considering we were planning on going herding the next day. But without too many hitches, we made it there. What a long drive but not nearly as long as to KY last year. We found our motel, unpacked-I picked out my bed for the week and then over to find Kim, Kathy, Nick, Meredith, Ruff Ruff, Music, Shaker Baby and the cute little Ella puppy. They were RV'ing it at the Expo Center. Meredith rode down a day early with the Gibson Clan and boy was I happy to see that she made it there okay. Other then the humans sticking me in an expen with the babies, all was looking good.

Now Sunday, that's another post--ewwwwwww!

Moosie out!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

3 days and counting

This day is finally over. Man, Monday flew by but today just dragged. Could it be that I had tons to do so the day added an extra few minutes so that I could get it done?

I've got most everything packed for the trip to the National Specialty next week. Now it's time to put it all in the tahoe. I've got a few special things going along, but mostly just the essentials.

Did anyone guess what those feathery little things are in a previous post? How about Thanksgiving Dinner?? Yeap, turkeys. Stupid birds, amusing as hell and very tasty. Just waiting for my ducks and geese to arrive after we return from Kansas.

Let's see, oh the ducks, goodness the ducks are laying eggs like the world will end. It's actually great, so we have lots and lots of large eggs. I'm boiling them to take down for Easter at the specialty. WIll have two dozen to do tomorrow and that's just less then a weeks worth of eggs.

Horses are well. Toast will be getting a select few days outside. Not much as the hoof still isn't completely healed yet, but soon.

Lastly, it's been fun watching the antics of the neighbor's new calves. Honestly, I don't miss having those. I grew up with hogs and cattle. Someone else can deal with those beasties, but in the spring, the cows bellering for the wayward calf, who of course is out mock fighting with his buddies, is always fun. Not only are the calves fun but we have a pair of herons nesting at the creek and have been watching them fly over and around the last week.

It's a little of this and that post, I've got something fun to talk about next, but for now it's working on dog show stuff for CRKA, updating the website--yes yes I know, my assistant is pumping me for updates and then more packing.

Later gators...
C

Saturday, April 4, 2009

horse n'around




David was attempting to take a few landscape photos the other day and had help. Honestly, I think these are as good as the landscape ones.




Later gators....


C

The immigrants are arriving...


Finally, a few now arrivals at the homestead. Alec's state fair project for this year. Still no idea on sex. So guys, what are they??


Oh and did you know those old galvanized wash tubs are the perfect brooders? I was gifted with them and thought about doing plantings in them this spring, but for the ducks, we have added in a nice removable mesh base so the waste can just be washed out the bottom into a 5 gal bucket, via the drain hose. PSSSTTT---anyone come upon any in their travels, let me know! I could use a few more of those things.


Lator gators....
C

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Couldn't have said it better

Moose smells, some days he just reaks. No he doesn't need a bath. He's just spoiled rotten, per my son. And the boy has every right to be. I couldn't ask for a better dog or a better breed ambasador. He's a champion, has performance titles and is a therapy dog. Plus he's always got a stupid grin on his face. One of his favorite past times is going to dog shows. Ask Rus about his adventures in the Megan ring at last year's National Specialty. Moose in his usual manner, entertained the crowd by showing how spoiled cardigans take it easy in the ring-on their back, feet waving in the air and snoring.

As a breed ambassador, he's perfect. He adores little kids. The smaller the better and he really likes to crawl into strollers and clean faces. Most Saturdays when we aren't showing, we go to Petsmart and he plants himself in the main aisle, all ready for tummy rubs.

At the show, he pouts until you put him out on the grooming table. Such a well trained dog, he never thinks about jumping off, knows down/stay and waits for "his" adoring crowds to pass by and offer up pets or tummy rubs.

That's what a dog show should be about. The following article is reprinted with permission from my dear friend Scot Northern. It talks all about being an "ambassador" and welcoming the public into our world. One comment that he shares is perception is reality. Too true. If we always look like we are sucking on a lemon, are gruff and well, not inviting, the public not only takes that as your persona, but also what most dog show people are like.

Up in St Paul this winter, we had an end grooming spot. I love those and try for those most times. Puppy Russ after his little oops in the rally ring, redeemed himself by being the most outgoing, loveable kid magnet of the day. I think Moose was a little jealous to be honest. Russ is really a great dog and in his element, which oddly enough is out in the public, he's exactly the dog everyone wants to have. Moose and Eddie are the same way. But I digress to the human aspect. Remember it's our responsiblity to be open, offer to answer questions and definately not be rude. Our breed, our hobby and our registry-the AKC, needs that now more then ever.

Enjoy the article and at the end is the link to it on Scot's website. The article in a shortend form is in the Dogs In Review magazine. And yes, Scot asks you to please pass this on as it's very important!

Perception Is Reality – How we are shooting ourselves in the foot with the public

When I worked for GE Commercial Finance, I had a boss that loved to say “Perception is reality.” He used it in nearly every team meeting we had, and even sent out surveys to our own internal customers asking them for feedback on how our team, and team members, were perceived. Since I’m a computer programmer, the bar is set pretty low
for inter-personal skills, but I’d like to think of myself as the exception to that rule, and always went out of my way to be very social with the departments I wrote applications for, and to explain to the users what the programs did. (Lets face it; most computer programmers would prefer a dark basement, some Star Trek DVDs, and a couple of slices
of pizza to the thought of having a conversation with a “real” person.) For over a year, nearly all of my surveys came back with glowing reviews, but then I got one with very low scores, and the comment “Scot gave me exactly what I needed, and it works perfectly, but he consistently talked down to me, and made me feel stupid.” I didn’t give it much thought, but my boss printed the comment and taped it next to my computer. He explained his actions by saying, “9 out of 10 people may love you, but that 10th person will spread their negative opinion more strongly to others who don’t know you than the other 9 combined. Perception is reality.” When you think about it, it makes sense. The last time you had a good meal at a restaurant, how many people did you tell? Probably a couple. But, I bet the last time you had a terrible dining experience, you told everyone you knew that could possible ever eat there. If this meal was during a dog show weekend, you probably told everyone near your set up, your fellow exhibitors, and maybe a couple of judges too.

Right about now you are thinking, “What does this have to do with dog shows?” Good question. The answer is EVERYTHING! If you haven’t noticed, the AKC is in a Public Relations battle with not only PETA, but dozens of other dog registries, and many high powered state/local politicians. Right or wrong, the perception the general public has of
us is their reality. You can’t talk Public Relations, without using the word PUBLIC. (I have a feeling that “Public Relations” will be quite the buzz word to the new Board of Directors, as it should be.) This PR battle begins and ends on the front line. A front line that isn’t in a far away country or on Capitol Hill, but one that is found at every dog show, next to every ring, all over the United States. The problem is that, as dog show participants, we stand on BOTH sides of this line…and John Q. Public is caught in the middle. “Can I pet your dog?”…“Is that dog fast?”…“Is this a Greyhound?”…“My brother has a Golden Retriever that looks just like this.”…”Do you ever put a Sherlock Homes hat on the bloodhound, and fake pipe in its mouth?”…”If your dog were a football player, what position would he play?”…”Guess how much I can bench press.” Without a doubt, we have all heard questions and statements like that from a well meaning spectator at a dog show. Our reply is what will either win us the PR war, or lose us everything we hold dear about showing dogs. Unfortunately, by the time this article is printed, both Westminster and the Chicago International Kennel Club shows will be over, and thousands of people will have either left with a positive experience, or a negative one. Those that left feeling good will tell a couple of people about the cute dogs they
saw, or the Saint Bernard they got to touch. But, those that left having a negative experience will tell everyone they know about the “snobby dog show elitists”, they will NOT care when the AKC comes under fire, they will NOT care when BSL laws are passed, or when PETA compares us to the KKK. The John Q Publics of the world will sit back and watch as laws are passed which limit our ability to own dogs, and they won’t just watch, they will probably feel good about it…all because of a bad experience.

The challenge we all face, from big time handler to long time breeder to owner handler, is to provide the public a positive experience, to share with the public everything we love about showing dogs. Why do we do this? Why do we have the breeds we do? What is it about those breeds that we adore? Why do we like showing dogs? It only takes 2
minutes to influence their opinion…for the better or for the worse. Judging from the decline in entries, kennel club membership, and new exhibitors, we need to get a lot better.

You’re knee-jerk reaction is most likely: “They should know better!” or “Why isn’t the show giving club making announcement?” When the general public is at a dog show, they are in sensory overload, they are seeing dogs they have never been exposed to, they are seeing that their Cocker at home doesn’t quite look like the Cockers at the show, and much like the masses walking through a mall at Christmas time, they are just there in body, and might have checked their head at the door. After all, this is their family day together at a dog show. As far as announcements go, well, most of the time, the announcement is muffled or too quiet, and sounds much like Charlie Brown’s teacher
“Wah wah wah wah, wah, wah, wah.”

“Behavior is the mirror in which everyone shows their image” - Goethe As I sat at the St Paul shows, the first weekend of Jan, and watched the general public meander through the show building I was appalled at how they were treated. The treatment ranged from slight disgust, to a reaction that seemed to be a cross of nausea and a bad allergic reaction to shell fish. If you’re a professional handler reading this, you’re thinking that you have a string of dogs to show, or groom, or exercise, and you don’t have time for “them”. Although, I’m pretty sure that if you’re able to text on your “Crackberry”, while clipping the PWD, all while listening to your Ipod….you’re able to answer a few simple questions…or at least smile politely. I realize that there isn’t anything worse than having someone come up to as you are rushing to the ring to ask you questions, most likely it’s a small child with a half melted chocolate ice cream cone and you just groomed your Samoyed. But, all it would take to give you peace is: “I’m about to go in the ring, catch me later today when I’m done showing.” That answer resolves your issue of sticky fingers on nicely quaffed fur, but also gives John Q Public the perception that they will eventually get 30 seconds of your time.

Last year at the International, my wife (a professional handler) gave me the job of “handling the public.” Once we were done for the day, while she exercised the dogs, I pulled the Saint Bernard out of his crate, put him on the grooming table, and let everyone and their brother take pictures or pet him, or just look at him. (He had a temperament which fit that task, and his owner actually took pride that Harvey was our ambassador to the public.) It was a small, simple action, which drew quite a crowd, and hopefully gave them all a fun end to their day at the dog show. You know what questions they are going to ask you. What’s his name? What kind of dog is it? Does he eat a lot? Being a professional handler is a lot of work, it’s incredibly tiring, both mentally and physically…but try to remember, that to these people, to the people asking you these questions, you and your dog are the most fascinating thing in their world at that moment. You may have just finished 3rd out of 2…but to the child asking to pet your dog…your dog is the most beautiful animal in their world. You may be tired, cranky, and no longer have an “indoor voice”…but to them…you will be remembered for your actions. If you’re a breeder, or owner handler, you should love the fact that someone is taking an interest in your breed or the dog you are showing. After all, that’s how you got started, right? At some point, you too were the “public” asking all kinds of silly questions, and hoping someone would answer them for you.

I look back on how I got started in dogs. Just some guy who had never shown before, looking for a Vizsla, and lucky enough to talk with Betty Anderson (She’s got top ranked Vizslas!), taking lessons from the late judge, Lenny Schulman(Holy cow, a judge!), and from Michael Canalizo(I think he showed at Westminster!), watching my dog finish with Ron and Tigger Hahn(Real life professional handlers!). I was wide-eyed, and in awe of these people. They all shared one thing. They all had patience, knowledge, and a pure love for not only what they did, but for sharing their experiences. Thankfully, about 10 years ago, when I was “the public,” those people gave me a positive
dog world experience. There isn’t a show that goes by that I don’t think about some lesson that I learned from one of them, or the countless other folks that took the time to work with me. If, we, as a dog show community are perceived as dog show snobs. If the general public looks at us, and perceives us to be rude, arrogant, and unwilling to answer their questions…then that is THEIR reality. When enough of the public have that same shared reality, then OUR reality will become one that does NOT include the AKC or dog shows at all, because at a time when we needed to win the PR battle…we were too busy to answer a few questions…we were too proud to let the “public” pet our dog…and we
were too rude to care….that is… until it was too late. Just remember, the next time John Q. Public asks you if your Whippet is a greyhound, or if they can pet your dog…take the time to give them a good experience. After all, a little
kindness goes a long way.

Scot Northern is a Sr. Software Engineer living in North Liberty, Iowa with his wife Kate. He actively shows and breeds Whippets under the kennel name Angelic Whippets and is a past 2 term president for the Cedar Rapids Kennel Association.

http://www.angelicwhippets.com/MarchDIR2009.pdf

So the next time you are at a show, remember how you got started and remember - perception is reality. What you look and act like to the general public, reflects on all of us.

Later gators....
C