Montana Shows - the final report

Staying in cut-rate hotels, we were not fortunate enough to have access to computers for the duration of the trip, so the blog did not get updated as planned. Here is a quick report on the rest of the trip.

As often happens in dog shows, things didn’t necessarily go the way we had hoped, but we still had fun and the dogs were good travelers!

We came back with a whopping six points (I think) and two majors – one on Mandy’s India and the other on Mandy and Jessie’s Rebel (both India and Rebel are grand-pups of Ecko's dad Kilo). I entered six-month old Ecko in Bred-by, because I am hoping to finish her from that class and was amazed at how well she showed, ending the circuit with 3 major reserves.

Galley is one of the most irrepressible PWDs I have ever seen! Her energy is unflagging and that tail never stops.

India showed well for the majority of the trip. She is super easy to travel with and basically turned into a big couch potato each evening when we hit the hotel. She adores Jessie and would try to drag me around after her any time we had them all out on leash together.

Rebel showed well but obviously prefers agility to conformation. He is happy but not over-the-top enthusiastic in the conformation ring, whereas in agility he is a real fireball.

I am ever so proud of our Stokie. She got several class placements along the way and lots of looks from the judges, but never made it past the other girls for the points. Lack of time, money and patience probably mean that Stoker, like her mama Chili, will not finish her AKC CH, but she is still a winner in our eyes.

It is always encouraging when the next generation is better than the preceding one, and I am very encouraged with our chances with Ecko. Hopefully she continues to fulfill the potential that several of the judges saw in her.

Yesterday was spent unloading the van, washing crate pads and laundry and giving puppy Ecko a shorter trim for the near future. Tomorrow morning will see Galley getting a new short 'do before hitting the road for the return trip to Sandy and Jim.