It started with the arrival of my friends Hiram who is here for the weekend. Showing his amazing pek Lukas, any time spent with him is a treat. To watch them win a Group 1 and then Best in Show? PRICELESS!!!

I also got to hang with Karen and the girls, watching Emma with Breezy rock it in juniors!! Seeing our sweet girl recognize me with major hugs and kisses was of course amazing.

For me, winning a Select with TIno in Breed was of course awesome but the icing on the cake was the amazing Group 4 in the Owner- Handler ring. The judge had us all FLIPPING OUT! He called in the opposite order so the whole room, including myself, thought I got a G1 but honesty it’s ok – any placement is a true honor and Tino showed his butt off big time. He earned it for sure!

We ended the night going to the WVKC fundraiser dinner. I was asked to bring my photo booth to the event so of course, I was honored to. We had a tad bit of fun posing and of course enjoying the pizza and salad dinner. Yum-Mee!

We do not have a Chihuahua that could possibly stay focused long enough to race anything but to bring our two best specimens and spectate? OMG YES!! We had to! We packed up Tino and Georgie (both varieties had to be represented of course) and head down to Winter Park.

It was a blast! So many Chihuahuas and their adoring families! They had the streets blocked off and a race area set up with astroturf. I will not lie – I didn’t see many “successful” runs, but it was too much fun to watch. A tad hot for my liking – and for the dog’s – but the timing was perfect – Everything was wrapped but by 1 pm. And the t-shirts they sold were too cool to not buy. LOVE IT! Can’t wait for next year! Perhaps we should start training the boys to compete?

This was our fifth year designing and running the booth and I cannot tell you how fun it is to see So many people comeback year after year to visit us. Of course Paul and Jane traveled from Rhode Island to watch the Championships and Specialty, but they also took in the booth this afternoon. So many other family members and friends came to the booth. Dr. Mario Took in the fun of the weekend and stop by to show his love of the breed. You also got to catch up with Rita and little Cupie. Rita has done an amazing job keeping her happy and as healthy as possible- all things considered. We definitely missed having Alexis there on Saturday. Our little girl is growing up, and of course making us very proud!

Tino was the main man and he received a ton of attention as well as socialization! As our example of a long coat Chihuahua puppy, he was also and a lot of our Photo Booth snapshots. He truly seemed to soak it all in and love every ounce of attention. Boy, I cannot wait to show him in 2017! He’s going to be one very confident boy!

Georgie on the other hand got a tad bit overwhelmed with so many hands reaching down to pet him. I swear, until the day he crosses over the rainbow bridge, he has every right in the world to be head shy. Having been picked up by a hawk, can you blame them? Last year he was the king of this puppy pen. Clearly he had no problem handing that title over to Tino!

I cannot wait to come back next year and share the love of the Chihuahua with all those that stop by and visit. I have to say, I loved manning the photo booth and I think it was a big hit! See you next year!

This afternoon Barbara, Kenny and I got to put up new Meet the Breeds booth setup for this weekend. With us being busy all day tomorrow with the Specialty the canc. to setup early is a true gift. I LOVE the new design – and this year we have also added a photo booth! Can’t wait for the crowds to see and enjoy it all!

In 5 hours, there were over 30 dogs brought in for a bath and dry, generating well over $1000.00 – Over $10,000.00 raised in total from the events across the country.  The pet and animal communities stepped up and went above and beyond.

I have attended this special event for the last 4 years. The first year was with KC, the second with Bubbles and Dream, the third with Tipsy and of course, Georgie, this year. Unfortunately I have seen a drop in the entries each year and have also never made it past the 1st place in our class or Best of Breed. That was until this year!

Georgie and I were the only smooth coat entry but we truly enjoyed rooting for our friends in the long coat variety as well as the other breeds that were entered. The event is one of my favorite of the year so sticking around for Groups was my pleasure. Cheering Stephanie while she was in with her long coat female puppy, I was beyond thrilled to watch her get a Group 4. Georgie and I went in for the Adult Groups – now that our little man turned 1 yearly last weekend – I never thought we would get beyond his Best of Breed. Boy was aI wrong!

When the judge pointed at me for the Group Four, I think my face was probably plastered with a look of pure shock. WOW!!! Our teenager got a G4!!!!!! While waiting for our photos the judge pulled me aside to make note that she recognized he was still young but said to not give up on him. That once he learned to chill  and stay focused on me while on the lead he is going to be an amazing show dog. That his movement is stunning and she can’t wait to watch for him in the future. Yes, I teared up! SO proud of our miracle boy – SO PROUD!!!

This year that had some amazing speakers to wok wit the kids. Frank Sabella presented The Art of Handling Show Dogs, giving some very cool tips and techniques. We parents got to sit in on the presentations and Frank’s was one I was very excited about.  His best advice? Don’t be a copycat, be an original! Watch and learn from others – but take it and make it your own.

After his presentation the kids got to show their dogs and he picked his 1st through 4th handlers – Alexis and Harry got 3rd!!!!!

The second was on Canine Anatomy and Health presented by Dr. Samantha Nye. Alexis enjoyed this presentation, relaxing she really needs to learner about canine structure.

The final presentation was given by Lorna Hastings Menaker and it was so unique and cool! IT was about Image and Etiquette. She explained to the kids how important it is to present themselves. She discussed how the things they say and the images they post online should represent their image – a GOOD image! Such an import lesson that we moms to teenagers try to teach all of the time. Having it come from someone else as well as with a focus on the handling of dogs? PRICELESS!

After their lunch, the second have provided the kids a chance to handle and be guided by six different professional handlers giving one-on-one tips and techniques. They were all so awesome with the kids – something I think they appreciated more than anything. Learning how to handle their dogs to the best of their ability is a lesson that is beyond priceless.

The handlers had just minor tweaks for Alexis on her handling of Harry – This team impressed them actually. We learned a few things that coudl only be taught in a ring filled with Juniors….  First, he is a sloooooow walker. If you go too fast, he has the most adorable little hop! Second, he doesn’t seem too keen about large breed dogs. Hesitant would be the word I will use. He definitely knows where each one is at every moment!

When we heard that the Kristie with As The Tails Wags was helping organize a Dog Wash, Alexis immediately said she wanted to help. Be sure to check out pawsforpulse.com to find a participating grooming near you. And if you are close, Alexis and I will be at As the Tail Wags in Oviedo from 10 a to 3 pm on July 3rd.

With graduations being held across the street at the Ocean Center, it took almost an hour to get a parking spot. Well worth every second! We could feel the excitement in the air as we registered and got our numbers. Quite the improvement from last year’s paper plates! And quite a few more vendors too.

Last year the record wasn’t broken because it wasn’t video recorded. We found out after the fact but this year they totally hooked us p. We were divided into color groups and counted that way. After that we did the costume contest, a tad different than last year. I wasn’t exactly prepared….

…You see, after our fittings yesterday, we did a switcharoo of the costumes and the boys flip-flopped. The Pauly D wig fit Georgie much better but the MJ wig has quite a bit more “umph” to it. The wait for the counting for the World Record took a bit longer than I think verne expected and the heat of the day was pretty intense. In the 90’s! Without a cloud in sight and standing still in the direct rays of the sun for almost 30 minutes paid it’s toll and all of the dogs were panting. I eventually took off the wigs to cool them off. I didn’t have enough time – or enough hands – to get the wigs back on once they had us proceed to the parade , which is where they voting for the costume contest! They were a fan fave in the crowd – but those that did the voting never got to see them in all their wigged wonder. I suppose we need to pack them up to save for next year- and work hard on keeping their dogs on and of course, nice and cool. It looks like we need to bring Boomer’s gear!

The 2nd Annual Chihuahua de Mayo was a complete success. We actually broke the Guinness World Record for the number of costumed Chihuahuas – 190 in total participated! We ended the afternoon having lunch with everyone at Bubba Gumps. Totally Yummage! Totally awesome day!