I honestly do not know who is more excited about the news I am about to share! So much fabulous and exciting news and I do not even know where to begin!

My daughter Alexis has been somewhat of a lone Junior since she started a year ago. There are no other kids that attend our local Chihuahua club’s meetings and events regularly and the conformation classes that we began attending didn’t have many Juniors. Recently we have gotten more involved in Junior events and with that came a budding friendship between Alexis and Hope. They have been rooting each other on and become quite close after several shows and now conformation classes. So when she mentioned her love of Chihuahuas, thanks to Teddy’s influence, let’s just say, the ideas started flowing!

The girls are both so supportive of each other and both have the same goals and dreams of eventually having a future in the sport. Why not team up and build that future together? Both are homeschooled with moms that have are equally as passionate to help their daughters reach their dreams – It’s Perfect! That’s when the plan for today was devised.

When Alexis heard Hope’s interest in Chihuahuas, she immediately told me that she would love to have her show Spike, since she has already started working with him and he is some-what lead broken. That would allow her more time to work with Smoochie. How wonderful of a friend is that?

So today we drove out to Hope’s and brought not only Spike but also KC. Since those two are the best of buddies, I thought the transition to a new home would be easier for Spike if she came along. He is still very young and hasn’t had the exposure that KC has had so she would be the best to help him. The smiles on BOTH of the girl’s faces was priceless – Today was a huge one. Hope now own’s her very first dog and she is officially part of Team Figgy!

I made this afternoon a homeschool lesson, creating them each their own binder that included the Chihuahua Breed Standard along with the folders and supplies needed to start keeping records on their dogs, per the AKC rules. With their commitment to the breed, it was time to teach them all about the Chihuahua and one lesson that all owner/handlers should learn – What their dog’s faults are! After going through the standard, I had the girls then point out the faults on both Spike and KC. There is NO perfect dog. But knowing a dog’s faults will give the handler an advantage over many. When you know the faults and the positives, you can accentuate what’s great and bring less attention to the flaws. THAT makes a great handler! And that’s what Alexis and Hope are going to be!

After the lessons, we did a bit of socializing and getting Spike and KC a bit more comfortable with the change in environment. A cat is not something they would ever see at our home so their reaction was priceless and actually more inquisitive than anything else. As the girls walked the dogs they traded back and forth, allowing them to explore. Watching from afar, I have to say, I was rather taken by the fact that KC actually showed better for Hope and Alexis than she has for me. I have the tendency to bring a lot into the ring with me, which runs right down the lead. The girls have no past and no apprehension with KC and boy does it show! I think we may just have a new handler for our sweet KC!!!

So I am here to tell you there are a lot of very exciting changes here with the Figgy Crew and with a new member, there are going to be so many great things coming. Be on the look out for the unveiling of some fabulous ideas the girls will be teaming up. Congrats to Hope on officially joining Team Figgy! You are a perfect fit!

Chihuahua Pairs
B Match Was A Blast