Well I did it, I bloody did, I drove all the way to Bath. Back-up was there by my side, though mostly asleep, but that was fine, I made it. In the past it would never have been an issue, but it's the first time since my SAH that I've driven so far. I also managed to drive the first third of the way home before having to hand over the controls. Dead proud, though my friend Barbara was greatly concerned, she is a nurse and warned me not to try and drive home. Honestly I felt fine to do it and as soon as I didn't we swapped.
I had the privilege of taking young Callan into the ring at his first Champ show. No rose-tinted glasses, he should have been first, he was paw perfect and a pleasure, but for the wrong reasons we knew we would never beat the first dog, sad but that's life!
There was only two in Orin's class, and he came home with his first red rosette. He was a handful for his handler, but she was well-equipped to deal with him. As is often the case the three young dogs were retired from the challenge as it began, but the boy did me proud.
Siska didn't do so well, she was rushed out of her crate and dragged into the ring. Her handler had told the steward she had a MPB to handle but she needed to put the males away. They didn't wait and as the call came in "Last call for MPB" I took her in. Luckily a friend came to my rescue, but he had to just take the lead and get on with it. Siska was unsettled from the beginning, wouldn't move up and down, wouldn't show her teeth and looked thoroughly pissed off. Though she'd been to the loo on the way in she was also desperate for poo part two ... and she did it in the ring! No one cares about such things, you clean it and get on with it, but maybe that was also why she had been so unsettled during her individual. A huge draw back of being on my own was that Siska had not been given the time she needed to settle as Orin was in the ring. Having been so gentle with Callan I also found the judge rough on her mouth and that has upset me, I know she will have to learn to show her teeth, but she's a baby and I'm worried now that his actions may well put her off. Despite no doubt being knackered, I will have to take her to club on Thursday and work on her mouth and her straight lines. Anyway she was third out of four in a class she should have walked, but I can understand that for the second time her behaviour blew it for her. More ring craft, the only thing is she never gets it wrong there, hopefully the penny will drop!
Siska loved my best chair, I'm happy to share it with her too! 😜
