All the dogs and bitches are in the ring. The excitement is palatable, and what a magnificent group. This is an extraordinary breed. Getting the rest to the ring. I would count them but it is too cold to take off my shoes.
Dave Rinke came by and I gave him the book I stayed up to 3:00 this morning to finish. I have to go buy another to read on the plane home, or I might just sleep.
I am amazed how many of the handler I know, probably 80%. I Bob were here, he would know most of the dogs and bitches.
And, out they go. It looks like they are all going out, and I can pick my winners as they exit the ring. Again, I must remind you, no one asked me to judge. A testament to the intelligence of our members.
I see a lot of handlers standing outside the ring. Those should be the bitches. Jack Newton's sister came to visit him one time. she forgot what he called the females, so she asked, "How are the sluts?". True story.
Karen at the entrance and Tom is working the book, checking it twice to see who is naughty or nice. Or maybe not.
Bob, (the voice of the National) isn't here, so I will take his place. As if anyone could do that. Bob has handled the announcing for 30 years. When I met Bob, we were both selling insurance. He went on to sell appliances at Sears, then to manage the Better Business Bureau. I went on to sell watches, then diamonds on the road, then law school. The years go by quickly and what a great trip it has been. And, we aren't done yet!
In case you wondered, I se few masks. I think we all have our vaccines. If not, we should know by Florida.
Karen is talking to Linda. Now they come into the ring. Karen going one by one to check them in. Linda is sitting in front of me. They keep coming in and more and more. I can't count that high. Linda is here talking to the video person and is going to announce on the streaming who it is. OMG as the kids say. What a fantastic example of our breed. I was just asked to identify the entries on the video as they are judged, so that should be interesting.
Now Karen checking with Tom and going over the notes to be sure everyone is check in. You can feel the excitement. I know I keep saying that, but you have to be here to understand. Everyone who is anyone is in the ring, except me. The footing is fine, not dust. Tom is dividing the groups and talking to Kent, and Jimmie is in the ring, but not handling. He is talking to Karin.
They seem to be grouping around and now some going out of the ring. OK, I am making an executive decision. In the first group there are eight bitches. Two groups in there, and there goes the last group. Now a conference.
Dave came by to ask how long does it take to make groups. There they go the first group, I sit corrected six in the first group. No, seven.
Individuals are done, and off they go. Now they are placed and Lacey in front. Joan Fox is here and off they go, not with Joan, but the bitches and Georgie in second. Now Olivia in third. Karin goes down the ring and runs her hand over every bitch.
Now the next group. She is moving along. Man, it is cold in here. I don' t do well with cold. A new group of six. I like her procedure, very efficient and clear what she is doing. Karin is not taking notes, and another pass.
I won't be typing as much as I am announcing the bitches on the video.
There is a real problem with the video, it keeps dropping out. I am announcing each name on the video which will be available tomorrow. Off they go and Karin looks at them. Serendipity in front. And out they go.
I am so waiting for Bob and Michelle's dog. Now the new group. I am putting the names on the professional video which was hacked, and now is going to go out tomorrow.
Here is the next six. I know Bob Gheglari is trying to get the feed to see his dog, my favorite behind Kierk, but we are doing wht we can. The kids always get the most applause.
That's the group and around they go. Sorry for the disjointed notes, I am putting the names on the video. She pulls Art out with lair De Lune. Karin is pulling one or two from each group and looks them over again and there they go while Karin walks and out they go. I see Ann Schultz walking in the handlers row. Linda Bankhead is filming it all, so it is going out somewhere. There is a refreshing cool breeze wafting through. It is cold as hell. We are not in California any more. Or as Dorothy said Kansas.
New group of seven, so maybe this is the last group. Karen walks down the group and says take them easy. And they are off. Ann's bitch in front so I see why she is here.
I got Frank Fasano to take over while I took a comfort break, and in comes the next group. Seven. The word interminable comes to mind.
She walks the group, and tells them to take a trip still dreaming of Grand Victrix. There they go, and where they stop only Karin knows. She pulls two to the front, Lindsey with Katy. And Scottie right behind her. Off they go with dreams intact.
Karin is smiling walking to this side while more bitches come into the ring. This has to be the last class. Six in all. Not one seems to care other than a few double handlers. A lot of chatting, not much dog show watching. Eight in this class. Scottie just came in with a fantastic bitch, or that is what I saw as he came in. It is Wolf Creeks Diamond in the Sky of Wonderland. She must be a move up.
This must be the end as the Veteran was there. Karin walks the ring and goes to the end. Now she says take them around and stop over here. And off they go, Diane Brown leading. Diane looks ten years younger and Karin puts Kent in front and three more, I did like Kent's bitch when I first saw her, but I can't read the number. Now she puts Lennie in second with Olivia in third and they line up and out they go.
Karin and Tom go to the table to discuss what they are going to have for lunch. Kent is yelling to Maria to TAKE THAT BITCH. The handlers are more excited than the audience. There seems to be a break while they organize who comes back in, and who is relegated to National Hell. Pending that, I am going to take a break.
The show stopped. I don't know why, but here come some bitches. With my long history of dog shows, I will assume it is the first group.
Karin walks down the group giving everyone a good look, Do you care? She says take them around slow and easy and stop over there, walk. Lacey in front. Karin gives everyone a good look and she says keep going. Harper rose is second. My eyes are shot, so don't listen to me. And they stop. They pose, she looks. Karin goes up to them and they take yet another pass. Some applause now. Karin stops them and takes the last two out to dream of next year, She brings in the next group, Bill Basu is second and Auttum is in front with Sarendipity.That is an Ann-Isle bitch by Promise Keeper, one of my favorite dogs.
And another pass and everyone gets a good look. She moves one to third and another pass. It does me good to know I never have to try to do that anymore. She pulls out five and sends two home for the year. And yet another group led by Art with Clair De Lune. That bitch is showing off. Karin walks the line, not unlike Johnny Cash.
The dogs need to be in shape, not to mention the handlers. It is very quiet here. She takes the last bitch and puts her in next to last. Karin says take them easy and off they go. How long can adrenaline last? She is about to pick but waits for the rest of the class. Keeps five and lets two get out. Now another group. I think so far she has let eight or do go. You can go back and see what I said, or just wait to see what happens,. leading the group is Mercedes. What is the sound of one hand clapping?
And take them again. I do remember when all I wanted was to make the first cut. She moves Gomez to third, and Karin walks the line and says take them again, and slow them down. It is so quiet here, you could hear a guider drop. And again, she keeps two. At least she is consistent.
Another group, Led by Scott then Lindsay. No, Lindsay is in front with someone I can't find. She will stay, so does it matter?
Karin gives them a good look and off they go again. In the front is Katy. She could go all the way. Seven in the group. A CHANGE, there are three leaving the ring. And in another group comes. I may just take a nap. But Karin is efficient, and gives everyone a good look. It is just I am tired. I stayed up until 3:00 to finish a book I was reading to give it to Dave Rinke. In first place is a number I can't read. A bit late, but now they are all there. Lennie is in second. and the first bitch is half a ring in front of the rest.
There are a lot of bitches in there and in the last groups. Karin gives everyone a good look, she says slow them down and take them around.
I take back everything I have ever said, or done. She excuses some and seems to have kept four, but I can't be sure. I have lost any semblance or understanding. A whole lot of bitches come into the ring. There are ten in there.
Karin knows what she is doing, but hasn't told me. Lacey in front. Then a bunch more. I don't know what these ten represent. The Shadow knows. There is a bread between the first five and the last four. Maybe an accident. Now they all go around together. Karin goes to the front, stops at the second bitch, and does the same on each entry. The break is now between eight and nine. Confusing to me. Are these her Selects? If so I must have missed something. OK, I give up. I just asked Dave if he knew what was going on. She takes some out of the ring, and brings in some more, another nine, with Art in front. Bill Petersen is blocking his number it is Clair De Lune. Karin does some arranging. And off they go.
She kept six and told four to leave, but they all left the ring, and in come more. There seems to be some confusion in the ring, and Karin eight. Katy is in front. She kept five and let three leave for the week.
Then there were seventeen. She divides them into two groups. First is three. Now is another four. So, that would be four. There go four more. Four more. and the rest of them. Some of her firsts are back in the pack. Now she picks and has made this exciting by pulling all but six. So she has eleven aside. There go her six losers, I think. Karin pulls ;out two and tells four she appreciate what they did, but has no further use for them.
Karin looks them all over, and I suspect these are her Selects. She moves Lennie up, and looks over the rest. She takes around her last three,a nd gives them a good look, and they stack and Karin looks them over She moves her last botch up and lets two go. And then there were Nine little indians. And the crowd is wild. And Karin brings them to line up in the ring. No, Eleven. She moves Lennie up to fifth. and Off they go again. That's it.
Grand Victrix is Ch Kenlyn's Lacey
Select Two is Ch Signature's Harper Rose
Select Three is Ch Riverrocks Serindipity V Annne-Isle
Select Four is Ch Bark Hills Sunshine of Baskerville
Select Five is GCH Kimerlite's My Cherie Amour
Select Six is Ch Jimeni's Gala Of Clayfield-Malibar
Select Seven is Ch Covy-Tucker Hills Clair De Lune
Select Eight is Ch Hylock's Hemera V Tripphill
Select Nine is Ch Kaleef's Mercedes
Select Ten is GCh Woodside's Arabella
Select Eleven is Ch Winsome's She's my Everberything
Not an easy job to bring this to you, but thanks for reading
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