So a certain Australian Shepherd club that may or may not be located in the state of Oklahoma has been behind the curve on scheduling ASCA shows this year. Their grand total has been… zero.In fact, of all the ASCA clubs surrounding me, there has only been one show since Brando came of legal showing age that has been within 3.5 hours of me, and I went to that one. I spent twice as long driving as I did at the show. But, as of today, this ASCA club has scheduled a show… four shows to be exact. That is to say, four shows in two days; one super long, super fun weekend. Four chances to try to get a point or two on this boy of mine.
Brando has been to two shows and a handful of matches, but this is the first show I’ll be taking him to where I will actually expect him to be competition. I don’t necessarily expect to win, he still looks very beaky and puppy, but he’s not going to be a throw away either. Well, that is if my awful handling skills don’t get in the way.
The show is scheduled for the first week in Sept so it’s really not that far away. I have to get a little weight on him between now and then. I’ve kept him on the thin side so as not to ruin him by too fast growth, but the judges might not appreciate feeling his ribs. Then we just have to get it in his head that galloping and climbing in the judge’s lap is unacceptable, and we’ll be good to go. Ha! If that doesn’t work out we’ll be meeting up with his breeder the next month at Nationals, and as she so subtley put it, she will “kick his red butt.”
Here is a picture of the big show dog to be after he got a much needed ear trim by someone who knows a lot more about grooming than I do. (I choose black and white because I almost never do B&W, but I know some people go bananas for it. It does add a special touch of nostalgia, but I just really like color in my life. So for all you black and white lovers, this one’s for you!)
Bona Dea Australian Shepherds 