Of  course we rooted for Cara, the MVP but our all time favorite was Starlight – a 5-month-old long-haired Chihuahua/Pomeranian/Lab mix. The fact that the puppies that participate in this amazing event are all rescues is what makes it an annual favorite in this house. Out of more than 80 puppies in the Puppy Bowl, only Olaf and Starlight are still searching for homes and they are both here in Central Florida. Let’s find them their perfect forever family!!!!

And since we will also be watching the Super Bowl, anticipating the Katy Perry Half-Time Show, I thought their Puppy Bowl Half-Tme performance by Katty Furry roared her way right into my heart – And I am NOT a kitty person! That was adorable!

On a personal front, I suppose it is time to share that my daughter has learning disabilities that have held her back from a lot of things her entire life. She is such a kind hearted but also determined girl that does all that she can to do her best and rise above her disabilities. After tagging along to a plethora of dogs shows and club meetings with me, the day she asked if she could give it a try, changed everything! She spoke up, asked to do something and wanted to learn as much as she could about it. It was a miracle! A request that I was going to passionately help her with, in anyway that I could.

Alexis has been attending classes and showing in Juniors for 11 months now and there is no stopping her. When she met Hope back in November, her confidence exploded and her opportunities quadrupled. Both girls have the wonder blend of personalities and abilities, forming the perfect team. Since they both wish to handle and take care of dogs when they get older, we moms see everything they are doing now as their college education! They are learning technical skills while also expanding those social skills, something a mom to a special needs child can only dream about.

With the mention of Boomer coming to live with us to be a part of our family, came the words every mother dreams of hearing, “Mom, he’s going to be my dog. I want to pay for half of him with my birthday money.” Sweet baby girl, she doesn’t have anywhere near half in b-day cash but her desire to earn the difference, melted my heart. Extra chores around the house, selling homemade dog biscuits, and a list of other tad bit crazy fundraising ideas. That’s when phase two of the life lessons we moms had planned moved up on the to-do list.

With the girls wishing to make a career out of their passion for dogs, we planned on using dog show fees, medical bills, feeding and other costs involved in owning and showing dogs as a way to teach the girls about budgets and scheduling. We kicked that up a notch and decided to build a separate website for the girls to maintain themselves. They both could sell their handmade items to held fund their future plans and also blog about their lessons and experiences while they take this journey. We moms of course will still be very hands on, even donating our own crafty creations for their cause, but all in all, this site is theres and boy do they have a lot of amazing ideas.

So I am proud to announce and unveil the girl’s website, www.figgygear.com. Please note that all of the Toy Dog Breed items that have been shared on my website have been moved over to their’s and I have many new designs on the sewing table, hoping to unveil them soon. All of our loyal Figgy Gear customers, please know that any future purchases will go to funding Alexis and Hope fulfill their dreams and any new or old Figgy Gear customers please be sure to check out their new online store regularly because these two girls have some amazing things planned!

With my daughter and I in the process of joining the WVKC so close to their most recent shows, we had already sent in our entries before we submitted our applications when they asked for volunteers at the last meeting. We signed up to help with the Sanction B Match that was held tonight. Again, for anyone new to the dog show world, a Sanction B Match is a great way to learn the show process as well as have a lot of fun!

We had our club meeting tonight and the home of a member who happens to breed Japanese Chins. After the meeting, we got to get a peek in on mom and her babies and I have to say, I have fallen hard!

I have never met a Chin that didn’t greet me with a smile and a kiss – Definitely a breed I would consider for my daughter to show in Juniors.