Our Day At EOE

Capturing the first 4 but not yet placed. The second dog in this photo was the class winner. Orin was second, the 4th dog was third ... 

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Ready to get some sleep I was in bed by 10pm on Friday, but as ever the night before a Champ show, sleep didn't come. Why is it when you need it the most your brain just can't switch off? Why do you think about the stupidest of things? Like how should I pack the cool bag? What should I put at the bottom? OMG I've been packing cool bags for 30 years! 

So no sleep at all. I watched the minutes tick away to 3.30am .. and I was off. Steve went to the loo, the house was silent, I went to the loo, the house was silent ... I picked up my tooth brush and immediately Kaiah started to scream, a scream that is only associated with show days. Ross joined in and the "show team" were soon in full voice. Orin started to bark, but he had no idea why ... I let Kaiah out and her excitement was on another level, Orin joined in but I still think he had no idea what was going on. As I've said before anyone who thinks dogs don't like shows should be here at silly O'clock on a show day! By 4am we were hitting the road .. and the cottage on the hill fell silent again. 

When entering the show Peterborough is very "dooable," but as the day comes nearer it always seems so bloody far away! Anyway we did it in 4hrs and 10 mins and that was with 2 x 5 min breaks, one to load up the Cofi and lovely Bella and the other to swap drivers and give the guys their breakfast. 

It was already boiling hot at the show ground and it took two trips to get everything to the ring. Thank god these days we have trolleys and gazebos as that heat would have been far too much for me and the dogs. 

As is always the case, dogs are in first, followed by bitches. Sarah took Orin away from me about 10 min before the class. His vocal obsession with me needs curbing and with past experiences with Mikey we figured this was the only way. Ian was armed with the camera and Kaiah and I disappeared to a quiet shady spot where we could just see the class in progress. 

Junior dog was full of lockdown puppies, hats off to them all for doing so well. I watch with honesty, pray for a first but in that company I would be happy to be in the first three. Woohooo Orin is placed second behind a "Toro" son. Yes I'm chuffed, the first and third were without doubt our competition. Whist writing his critique the judge tells Sarah that O needs to learn to move on a loose lead... no, I've taught him to "GO" most judges will want that drive from him, the boy did as he was trained.

The judging was going well, we could see what he was doing, what he wanted, well until limit dog anyway. God knows what happened, but after that he seem to loose the plot. There are two very different "types" of  GSD in the show ring, the international (Germanic) type which we have and the English type. (based these days on American lines) The types are like chalk and cheese, our type is longer in leg with a harder topline, the English is shorter in leg, longer in body and has a dippy overline. Every breed has a "Standard"  and it's then down to the judge's interpretation of that standard to judge accordingly. These dogs are so different that in the ring together no judge could place one first and one second if they considered there were decent dogs of the type they consider correct there. In your mind one has to be correct, the other simply can't be. Yesterday, both were correct, Dog CC was Germanic, Bitch CC was English. Just shouldn't happen and following the limit dog class the judging become a lottery. 

I try and always be honest, the first three in Orin's class were quality dogs, but poor Kaiah was robbed. In Sarah hands she looked amazing, but again she has powerful movement and drive .. he didn't want that! I'll try not to dwell on it but it is sometimes so hard to take! Isla was also in the same position as Kaiah, she showed well considering she is too a lockdown pup. We did have a tender moment when I asked her if she was the "pup pup." Her head tilted on one side and she gave me a kiss, recognition I do believe. 

Ian was showing Bella, (Loki's sister) she was in open bitch and managed a credible 4th, she looked so well, the best I've see her look in the ring in a long time. Again her drive would have gone against her under this judge, he really seemed to want a plodder not a mover. 

Anyway, the day was done, somehow we all came away with a card. I'm blessed with a wide circle of friends, and it was wonderful to see everyone. The best dogs as ever went back in our van and came home with us at the end of the day.

As usual a huge welcome came my way from the family when I got home. I've never seen Zeus like that with me before, he was completely OTT, but it's what I expect from the others so why not him? Ivylene (Sarah's mum) is desperate to see him and pleaded with me to enter him at SWGSD next month where there are L/C classes ... hmmm he's had no training and I'd kind of hoped to take Sammi there too ... so that's the van full! I'll give it thought!