Recently I described how exciting it is to watch
one's puppies experience snow for the first time - but for me, nothing can
beat taking one's home bred baby puppy to his/her very first
show.
Manon (SheepRiver's Chardon Bleu) is
just six months old - and she was entered for Saturday and Sunday - this
past weekend in the Red Deer Show, a drive of about three hours from home. So
Friday was bath day - no problem for this happy and confident pup - but to my
dismay, her lovely, dense but flat puppy coat puffed up to enormous
proportions while drying, nomatter how I battled it! Now she looked like a huge
samoyed puppy with the wrong ears! In the afternoon I took her to the office
with me (so she would stay clean) - and several of my colleagues remarked upon
how fat she was - and indeed she looked enormous with that huge coat. Great
start to a show career, I mused.
Bright and early on Saurday morning we set
out. The other eight pyrs had been fed and watered, but Manon's food was
witheld because of the long journey. However, she did manage to barf quite a
quantity of grass and tree bark en route, which she must have substituted
for breakfast, having been deprived of regular rations! The remainder of
the drive was uneventful and we arrived at the show building with lots
of time to spare. A quick clean up - and wet towels draped over her back and
enormous rear end, were the order of the day, until it was time for the pyrs.
Manon showed like a pro in the ring (those handling classes really
work!) - she stacked and gaited like a seasoned showdog - but all the time with
an expression on her face which I swore looked like she was thinking "I am doing
this soley for God and Country".
With ribbons collected and goodbye's
said, little did I know that our adventure had just begun.We left the building
for the long journey home, only to find that the storm which had been
predicted for overnight had already arrived with howling winds and blowing
snow. This was the most frightening drive of my life. The wet snow was
turning into thick black ice on contact with the road - and the strong gusty
wind caused absolute white out conditions. The windows of the van iced
up all around - and the wipers became frozen in place. I could not stop for fear
of being run in to with almost zero visibility - and the ditches were littered
with vehicles which had skidded off the road. Afterwards, sadly, I learned
of several fatalities. Soon we encounterd a road block - and learned that all
highways had been closed until further notice. We were escorted into the nearest
little town by the Mounties - and spent the night cuddled together in the
van listening to Beethoven - and sitting in a coffee shop sipping hot chocolate.
I think Manon loved every minute - and how everyone loved her! At 4.00am, a
Mountie popped his head into the cafe and announced that the roads had been
reopened. There had been such a sense of camaraderie in the little cafe
during the night that there was a feeling of regret as we bade goodbye to
our new found friends. Arriving home at 5.30 am, I decided no more dog shows for
this weekend! Manon and I had had enough adventures.
By the way - Manon did win her first
championship point!
Geraldine
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