A few others I thought you might like to see is KC’s litter mates, Kiki and Kahula. Both are doing FABULOUS and are beyond loved with their new forever families. Of course, we also have a photo of Huggie to share. He is the king of his castle with Kiki being the queen – adorable as ever and loved unconditionally.

Another exciting update is that of Chanel who is Bubble’s sister. She didn’t get that much bigger after she let but she surly got her beautiful adult coat to come in – STUNNING!!!!

Over the weekend, I heard from Jane about her desire to bring two Chihuahuas into her family. WIth the puppies being way to young to be placed I mentioned a few of the dogs we were planning on retiring. That inspired a Sunday afternoon at our house, meeting a large majority of our dogs and falling head over heels for Huggie and Kiki. They could clearly see how much they complemented each other – He is laid back and  chilled while she is more adventurous and active. As we talked dogs and such, the two crawled right up into Jane and Paul’s laps and napped. I think the decision was made right then and there – For the humans and the dogs!

They officially are residents of the State of Rhode Island, having taken off on a flight and landed to experience temperatures they have never imagined! It was 34 degrees!!! BURRRR. Kiki was a bit unsure of the flight while Huggie slept the whole way home. With their first official airplane ride in the cabin under their belts, I am sure they will return to the land of sunshine and sand and on the next trip down south.

These two dogs are very special members of our own family but knowing they will want for nothing and live the life like that of a king and queen made the bitter sweet decision much easier. They are the DREAM forever family – I am so happy for everyone!

Hands down, the hiking trail along the river was best part for us. We brought the constant watch dog Dude so we could tire him out and the timid Huggie to expose him to a new adventure. It was almost a 2 mile hike and I don’t know who was more pooped at the end – the dogs or the humans!

Barbara with Barlos Chihuahuas has two young male, smooth coat pups that she is currently showing and with both winning their class, she needed some assistance for the Winner’s Dog and Best of Breed competitions. With Barbara on Arie and me on Poppy, she cleaned up! Poppy got Winner’s Dog and Best of Winners while Arie got Reserve Winner’s Dog! I was so honored to be a part of Poppy’s first day in the ring and to help get him his very first point!

The gang was all here this weekend and it was so nice to be able to catch up and visit with everyone.  Of course, our afternoon got cut a tad short with the intermittent rain showers but that didn’t stop us from hanging around to watch Groups! Rooting for the smooth and long coat winners has became a new tradition – I am waiting for the day one gets a placement! We need more Chi loving judges!!!!

As we packed up to head out tonight, the mere sight of me taking the dog carrier out brought Huggie into a fury of excitement. He has been packed up and taken along for over a year now and and the thought of leaving him out brought him to desperate screams and me to a broken heart. He just had to come along!

As excited as Huggie gets to head out for the show ring, once he enters the ring, his lack of self confidence is apparent with his lowered head and tail. Granted, he has come a very long way in the confidence department over the last year but he still needs to work on a boost for the ring. I figured that bringing him would give an opportunity for some additional socialization. And that’s just what he got while Teddy and my daughter to take their first turn in the ring.

It was as if the moment that lead was put around Teddy’s neck that a switch turned to on and we went into show mode. Without a stitch of bait, Alexis walked into the ring with Teddy following with a loose lead, on her left side and at a perfect pace. WOW! He is the man! And he is going to make things much easier for Alexis at the Jamboree next month. He stacks without issue or adjustments on the table but we need to de-petify one habit we have allowed him to pick up from the floor – He likes to jump up on the judge’s legs to say hello when presented. I think in the grand scheme of things, that’s an easy one to de-teach and perhaps in some cases, it would be the perfect unforgettable moment in the ring!

We were left with two options – My daughter couldn’t show today OR she entered the ring with KC. You see, as a Junior, she can only show a dog that she owns or is owned by a family member that she lives with. Since my husband was already on his way to the Fair Grounds, we couldn’t have him bring another dog from home and her true disappointment on not being able to show broke this mommy’s heart. So we had to give her AND KC a quick little lesson. Alexis has never worked with KC and she requires a bit more tender touch than Huggie.

I stood ring side biting my nails and cheering them both on. For their first time as a team, I must admit – THEY ROCKED! Alexis followed the judges instructions to a T but lacked the confidence that other kids had. Of course, using a dog you have never worked with in the ring most definitely can make one questions one’s confidence. So as far as I am concerned – They both won!

Per the catalog, we assumed that Alexis would be alone today in her Novice Intermediate class. Soon after she entered the ring, it walk a young lady with her St. Bernard. The first trip around the ring as spectacular, but it ended with a rather large pile on the mat and a good 5 minute wait for the clean up. The mere size of the St. Bernard next to tiny Huggie was an eye full but the size of the poopcident was even three times larger than the Hugster!

Alexis’ nerves got the best of her and she had a bit of difficulty following the directions given by the judge. She proudly accepted her second place ribbon and graciously congratulated her competition and thanked the judge.

We stayed until the end and boy did we all learn  a lot. This was a first for all of us, with none of us adults truly realizing all of the Junior specifics – The unique patterns, the whole “never let anything get between the judge and the dog” thing and the seemingly scarce, courtesy  turn at the end of a triangle pattern.

This is only Jillian’s second class but it was the perfect touch-up for my daughter and she looked so confident and ready! I initially had no intention of participating (hence the totally inappropriate shoes) but once the girls saw the large number of people in the class with large breed dogs, they asked me to enter the ring with them for reassurance. KC was her fabulous self and while she is still emitting the smells of her heat, she brought both Huggie and Ozzie to attention.

Stack on the floor, triangle and down & back were done perfectly and she really looked much more relaxed this morning. The fact that she is again, kicking off our second day to our back-to-back Specialty made her much more proud and confident.