I've Made It Official

 We had given things a lot of thought and want to let his mates know that Ross is now well and truly retired from the show ring. As beautiful as we think our dogs are, and he is, we have to realise that not every dog can be a show dog. Not every dog has the right character to be in the ring, and we have to put their needs before the hope of a red card. Don't get me wrong, Ross loved going to shows, loved the socialising but when it came to going in the ring, well he wasn't that keen. My dogs happiness come before any show success so whilst some of his mates will still be going off to shows, the brown clown will be staying home to supervise any gardening or DIY that goes on at home. 

Of course blog followers knew this a couple of months ago but after seeing a couple of stressed out dogs at Crufts I thought it was the appropriate time to make it official on Facebook and see if the penny drops with other owners. Mainly it's the same dogs from show to show losing the plot in the ring, and crated and covered like a parrot outside the ring. In the ring I honestly fear the lead breaking or the handler falling, this is a terrifying accident waiting to happen. 

Ross was never aggressive in the ring, well Ross is never aggressive full stop, he was just bored. He made no effort on the move and stood as if the world was at an end. After a break over covid I tried to show him twice last year, once with Sarah handling and once handling him myself, it was worse than ever, the break did not do him any good. So what is the point wasting £30 entry fee when the dog makes it obvious that he doesn't want to do it?