After three straight days of dog shows – and showing Pugs at that –  This morning’s Chihuahua specialty was left without the proper preparation or attention. WE ARE TIRED! With that being said the focus just isn’t where it should be. Then of course, we have worked with the Pugs over the last three months, leaving KC to loving life on the couch. She was NOT prepared to be back in the same building that freaked her out last year. I actually showed her in this very Specialty last year and she balked at the far diagonal corner, big time! Take all of that and add the fact that Alexis does have the tendency to not apply lessons accurately (meaning a lesson she learns on one dog isn’t automatically applied to other dogs) and you have want we call the mess of the morning!

The Juniors kicked off the Speciality with a grand total of three entries, all in the same class. I was asked to photograph the entire event for our club’s new breed magazine (coming out next month by the way) and I wasn’t paying attention when I started snapping the photos of the kids in the ring. All of the individual shots were not in focus – ALL 100 of them!!! Oh my gawd! So enjoy the ONE I was able to capture. But that one clear photo captures the mess for sure. Here’s a play by play that led up to it…

KC did horrible on her down but wonderful on her back. She freaked out in the exact same spot she did last year, pulling and balking and looking around for a way to make it all stop. Leave it to calm and assertive Alexis! She worked her though it and got her to finish her trip around the ring, never stopping “working” KC. It was after that she seemed to just unplug. She started by getting her to self stack and then seemed to suddenly realize that everyone else was on the ground stacking their dogs,  JUST as the judge walked over. Horrible timing! She then had such a firm grip on KC that they both looked stressed! All of the lessons learned on kneeling at an angle to the side of the dog and bending  towards the front with a light grip on the lead? NO WHERE TO BE FOUND! I kinda chuckled and tossed it up to begin exhausted. She said the same thing after she walked out of the ring. “I totally screwed up mom!” It’s all good though because she still had fun.

Day Three Was Interesting
Bless Her and Her Patience