There were several different events being held at the fairgrounds this weekend and one had the traffic patterns all kinds of backed up. Like it took 40 minutes for us and it should have only taken 15 minutes! We finally parked and then RAN to the ring! We literally put our stuff down, ringside at exactly 9:30am. With only 5 dogs ahead of us, we only had a couple of minutes to get Pistol and Tino ready. To say we were rushed would be an understatement.

I am here to tell you that Tino was on point from the moment he stepped foot in the ring and I couldn’t have been more proud. Not only at how well showed but by the fact that one of themes respected breeder judges EVER picked our sweet Tino as Best of Breed! Seriously round! And the pride didn’t end there!

We did go back to the room to nap since groups didn’t started until after 3pm. Thank goodness! Perhaps we both got much deserved rest because Tino was on point and the some in the Owner-Handler ring. His confidence was rewarded with a Group 4!!!! A great way to start our adventure here in Raleigh – Can’t wait to see what the next three days bring!

In addition to Tino’s amazing accomplishments, Georgie came along for the adventure to help get him back into show gear for next month. He slept the majority of the day – He got more rest than ANY of us! Clearly he has become show site bomb proof!

The other awesome part of this trip is getting to hang with Rayna again. I love that woman to pieces and any time I get to spend with her is a gift. It looks like we will be getting to bring Margie home with us next month – YAHOOOO!!! I don’t know who is more excited!

I went to the mailbox and inside I found a very large envelope from the AKC. I fully anticipated the official certificate stating that Tino is a Champion. But this envelope was thicker – Bulkier – It was heavy! When I opened it, out came the medallion. The Bred-By Medallion. Tino is our first official Champion bred by me.

The AKC has a special Bred-By class that breeder/owner/handlers can enter their dogs in and if you you earn all of the necessary points toward a champion title from that class, you earn a bred-by medallion. Tino is our first and oh so deserving! He has made this journey so amazing for me. And I hope he is the first of many!  He is the start to my program’s success.

Having been here for two days with proudly earned Reserve placements today was a designated Specialty at the Metairie Kennel Club for the Pontchertrain Chihuahua Fanciers. Another day of 5 point majors for both males and females, in both Varieties and Tino was on FIRE! This illustrious honor will forever go down as one of my proudest moments ever! My first two ever Figgy born Chihuahuas titled at a Speciality! Thank you so much Judge Merle Taylor for this amazing win!

To top off my own amazing accomplishment I got to experience the amazing achievements of friends new and old! Lana and Chelsea winning Breed for our varieties and then Hiram win a second Best in Show for the weekend. A perfect way to end a perfect day – Oh that and a great Thai dinner too! Thanks Rick and Dolly 😀

Even though Tino started out been scared by his first judge, by today he actually walked around the ring and looked quite amazing! Too bad we don’t have any photos but I swear he looked awesome!

Alexis showed Stella again today. She truly does show a lot better for her than for me. Stella balked on her way back to the judge but after that, it was the quickest recovery so far. We took both of our second-place ribbons with pride. This was a truly awesome weekend. I couldn’t have asked for more for my two little ones.

We brought Breezy for Alexis to show in juniors this weekend. We’ve learned our lesson and wish sure to bring a ton of deer to keep her warm. Man oh man ws it extremely cold this morning! Breezy war jammies, a jacket and two blankets to keep warm while she waited for her ring time. So many layers is what It took to keep her warm. She was a happy camper in the ring.

My greatest parts of showing is the amazing relationships you build. And when they’re on the road finding fabulous places together and have fun is a bonus! Murphy’s Oyster Bar in Ocala is the favorite for many of us. We had awesome night new friends and old filled with tons of happy memories!

With Alexis taking in Tino, decided to take Stella into the ring. Changing things up might kick up her confidence too. She actually walked to the entire ring with your tail up until one point at the very end. She came within feet of the judge and she actually did very well on the table. We’ve made huge progress. What more can I ask for?