Finally!

I'm a very impatient person these days and waiting for AKC to catch up does not help at all!

CH Summit Foggy Bottom Sailor's Moon - DN29196108
Conformation - Awards Processed Through 12-NOV-2011

Number of Points 16
Number Major Wins 3
Number Major Judges 3
Total Number Judges 8

Now to see where they think he stands with the GRCH points-should have 2 majors, 1 competition win. That'll be another week.

Lator gators....
C

Chicken vs the Egg

I don't think I've really gone into depth about the whole egg thing, at least here. Few of you know the sordid details but so the rest of you are in on the horrible, terrible truth, here it is.

I can't eat eggs.

I love eggs. Over easy, lightly scrambled and soft. Hard boiled. In a meatloaf. Cooking a custard is one of my or was one of my favorite things.

We have ducks laying right now that have the most enormous eggs that have dark yellowish orange yolks, rich and perfect for baking.

Chickens are going nuts too, laying in the duck nests. The Ms easily gets a 8-10 eggs a day.

I can't eat a one of them.

A fried egg makes me cringe. Pumpkin pie is off the list now. I'm searching out recipes without eggs. Make a lot of wacky cakes. Avoid angel food cakes like the plague.

3 years ago I came down with what we thought was the end all beat all case of the flu. Four days to which my lovely son asked me daily-do you need to go to the emergency room? After surviving that and swearing off ham and eggs(you know the stuff you got sick on), I was good to go. Till a year later and it was even worse. Come to find out it's not that I'm allergic to eggs, but seems my gallbladder is.

You would not believe what eggs are found in! I've been trying to be a good girl once we figured out the issue. Sort . I test my limits on occasion. I can eat cakes with eggs in them, but not brownies. I still cook my meatloaf using eggs mixed in to bind it but can't eat anything using an egg wash before it's cooked, baked or fried. Yolks are better then whites. The pumpkin pie about killed me on Thursday night but nothing a good glass or two or three of wine didn't help numb. It's more about how the egg is cooked, the ingredients it interacts with and the quantity. I'm becoming a food scientist!

If any ones interested, the Ms is selling eggs now. Free range, naturally feed. The dogs are enjoying eggs on their dinner too. But I'm still running out of room in the fridge-last night we counted 13 dozen.

So remind me why I got chickens?

Later gators....
C

Go back to bed!

Ever have one of those days when you feel like nothing is going right and best to just crawl back in bed and call it for the day?

Alec’s having one of those weeks.

His non-hurting wisdom tooth started hurting on Saturday. He’s got surgery scheduled for the 9th because he’s currently in Pennsylvania and heading to Georgia for the week.

Saturday two bolts broke on the rear tire of the big tow. Got those fixed on Sunday.

Kristine had a work change and was not able to get to our place till late yesterday. Originally supposed to leave for PA around 10ish Monday morning.

She called from North Liberty at 7:30 last night, suv is not running right. David and Alec head down where Alec will pick her up and start driving to Ohio for the first stop on the trip.

David drives suv to KCC where come to find out, tranny is gone.

My dad comes out, load up suv, take to his place and drop.

David arrives home at 11ish, too awake to sleep. No idea when he finally went to bed.

No word from Alec as of 8:30 this morning(9:30 their time)-Rebecca emails wondering if he’s still alive.

Just got a short text-sitting at Rebecca’s new house. My question? Did you make the stop in Ohio as requested?

Now we wonder what will happen on the way back?

Did I mention that I have to go to St Louis this weekend to drop off one of the girls? And that the other girl came back in season after being in earlier this fall. And that Eddie is available free to a good home if the 4am howls don’t stop. And Frank too. Not Charlie, he hasn't a clue and is actually the only one eating. Go figure!

Rounding out the day, the humans(and Pete too) in the house had eggs last night for dinner. My stomach firmly told me not to even think about it. I went and sat in the other room with my new scentsy light on.

Later gators...
C

I live with turkeys

Big ones.

The rule in the house is that there is no Christmas talk prior to Thanksgiving. I mean seriously as soon as Halloween is over, the stores skip Thanksgiving and go straight to trees, lights and ho ho ho.

I'm a no no no person.

The Ms and Hubby are a pair. Those of you who have met them, know exactly what I'm talking about. They feed off each other. I'm embarassed to be in stores with the two of them and routinely ditch them. One of their little gags is to shout out "CHRISTMAS LIGHTS" all year long, when ever they see some lit up. They are more then welcome to do it when together and I'm not around, but especially before Thanksgiving, it's banned in the truck when I'm riding along.

Last night after another great riding lesson(Thanks Dana!!!!) we had to go get dog food, Charlie food and of course cat food. On the way home, they started a new game. And I might disown them both.

Instead of "CHRISTMAS LIGHTS", it's now "THANKSGIVING LIGHTS" and the other person goes, "GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE" and they explained that those people are turkey's for putting up their lights so soon.

I've had it up to hear with turkeys. We're having ham for dinner tomorrow.

Wishing all of you and your's the blessing of a thanksgiving filled with joy, hope and answererd prayers.

Later gators....

The Head Turkey

More bagel please? Oh and lots of cream cheese!

Well, I've had some requests for updates on Emmett, now 5 1/2 mos old. First off, it's dark when I leave for work, dark when I get home. He's black and white, you just don't get good photos if it's not in the daylight.

Secondly, he doesn't stop! Unless he's flat on his back in your lap, watching TV and getting his belly rubbed. I'm lucky I got photos without the blur that is usually his very waggy tail.

So here he is, during his morning ritual of demanding his bagel and cream cheese from the Ms. Not spoiled at all, is he???

FYI--he stacked himself like that. Does it all the time, perfectly.

Later gators...

C

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, oh s**t-is that snow?

I have confirmed that I am so not ready for winter. Upon arrival in MN, you could feel the humidity in the air, sense the drop in the temperature and well Charlie was more nutty then normal. I was frozen, my feet were numb and my nose still is bright red.


Hit the show site after a short night at a lovely motel. Yes, lovely. Considering our last two stays in another chain, I would much rather stay in a corporately owned motel then in a franchise. Desk clerk was a hoot and uber helpful. Got me right where I wanted to be and we settled in to watch the end of the ISU vs Okie St. Double overtime and I think when ISU won, we woke up most of the motel with our screams and yells. Totally pissed off Moose who went and slept on the floor by the door.


Easy peasy day. No cardigans to show, no wait, Moose. And man for a dog who loves to go to shows, he was pissed as heck about actually showing. That's the last he sees of the fancy show ring. Collies were too easy, Connor was BOV. Pem was 2nd in her class.


Now a small vent. I understand not being able to attend a show due to illness, etc. But what I hate is people who double enter, create points(in this case Hawkins for collies) and then don't show. I'll retract my opinion on the entry this weekend, if indeed it is found to be for a good reason, but to just not show up? It's so interesting how the different breeds work-cardigan people are good, for the most part, about working to get an entry, majors or helping out. Collie people are underhanded and willing to screw you over if need be. Just don't get it.

Mid show, we look outside and this white stuff is falling from the sky. Seriously? NO! My feet are revolting as I only have my mules. Where was my brain when I packed? I need my snow boots!!! On the way to dinner with Shelley and Dawn, it took almost 45 mins to go the short drive to the restaurant. Dawn had it worse, I think. Her drive took her longer, but she was behind snow plows.

At least I had my mittens in the big tow. Oh and the sock monkey hat was firmly planted on the Ms' head all weekend. She got a lot of comments on it, in particular, where in the world did you find that and where can I get my own. She guards it like gold.

Back to the ring.....Connor was BOV on Sunday again. Then to cardigans, where Charlie picked up his 2nd select major. It was a no brainer, how in the world can he beat Picasso? Especially when I'm dealing with a 2nd weekend of not eating while traveling. Skin and bones. Brother Chip though, no longer a tube! He looks damn good but needs some ring time as he was fruiter then his father in the beginning. RWD to Garrett's little puppy(he had the head the judge wanted) Alec got a point on the pem, talk about an excited owner! And then upstairs helped show frenchies and took select with the special.

Group was well, predictable. Only two men in the group, seems they didn't have short skirts, pony tails or blue dogs. Sigh, some judges, just can't win. Packed up, headed home. Man was I ever happy to see the state line and NO SNOW!

So we end the show year with a good show, enjoyable company and albino brain mites. Gearing up for the new year-seems the big tow will be replaced by a van in the near future. Can't fit anymore big dogs in there.

Later gators....
C

The look, the feel, the fabric of our lives....

So it’s cold now. I dug out the flannel sheets for the bed. I threw on an extra dog last night too. Unwillingly.

To set the scene, we have a king sized bed. For the last 3 years it has literally sat on the floor. Not by my choosing, but Hubby’s old dog, Hope, couldn’t get on the bed, couldn’t climb stairs, so the bed went on the floor. Also let’s add that it’s a sleep number bed.

I’m digressing here. Moose gets made when you leave him at home and he knows that you’re going somewhere he should be going. One weekend, he decided to chew the cord on the remote to the pump for the bed. Making it nearly impossible to either raise or lower the bed.

So back the bed-so the remote, after the Moose incident and all my hard work plus the roll of electrical tape, crapped out a while ago and so only one side of the bed can be raised or lowered. No biggy, we work around it. And well, there’s a slow leak in the one tube, somewhere, so the person with the remote is good, but the other person sinks into the abyss. Then you have to switch the tubing, and hope that the dogs don’t bounce on the other side of the bed and accidently deflate it quicker. Now you might be asking yourself, why don’t they get it fixed. Sleep Number in their great wisdom, won’t just fix a part. NOOOO, you have to buy the whole assembly. $500 bucks worth. I’m searching Craigslist and Ebay for a cheap spare. Maybe even two to make it easier.

Oh and the part about adding another dog to the bed? When you are laying cuddled up watching TV at night, there’s usually the assorted mess-Emmett, Turner, Moose, Phoebe, maybe Pete though she’s usually bouncing on the bed with Emmett. Frank, Dove? No Eddie as he lays on your head. Or Max, who you just give the entire side of the bed for his own.

But when you go to bed at night, it’s a race to see if you can get your spot before the dogs take over. We sleep with Tuli, Phoebe, Fred and Moose in bed. Tuli actually sleeps under the dresser, growling at anyone that dare disturb her. Phoebe, on your feet or right in between Hubby and I. Moose slams his body on my side of the bed, velcroing himself to my legs. This would be after Hubby has unceremoniously kicked him off his side of the bed, where he had laid claim to his pillow and is staring at me. Fred, well, once he gets done licking the floor in some out of the way area, crawls up next to Hubby and in effect, makes him a hostage to the blankets.

Last night, not only were the flannel sheets on, but I had just washed my flannel pj’s. I crawl into bed, Moose already transplanted from the other side and taking up residence, not a long side me but kitty corner on my side. I curl my feet up in an attempt to shove them under him, didn’t work. Next thing I know Phoebe is laying across my feet and Hubby’s at the bottom of the bed. Then the weirdness continues as Tuli is up on the bed, staring at Hubby. She never sleeps in bed with us. It’s beyond creepy. Sherilyn, it’s even worse than Edweirdo!

Not only does Tuli stare at him, but when I acknowledge her presence with a “oh shit, the chic is out of her cave”, then she drags herself over the top of Hubby and plants herself between us! Fred takes the opportunity to jump up next to Hubby and settle in for the night. If you had to go pee, it was not going to happen till morning. You were sandbagged down for the duration of the night. One thing you do not do is disturb Tuli once she’s in her spot.

Oh and remember those flannel sheets and pj’s? Yeap, it’s like Velcro under the covers. My legs on my pj’s migrated firmly up my thighs, effectively cutting off circulation to my toes. Should have worn shorts. Then the heat of four extra dogs makes me sweat. Then of all things, because I’m on the side of the bed that is slightly deflated and in a weird position due to Moose laying kitty corner, I get a cramp in my butt. Then I have to pee-damn cup of tea!

Any attempt to dethrone a dog is not going to happen. You need leverage of some sort, which I have none. Flannel to flannel, deep in a hole, cramp in tush, I start wiggling my way up the bed. That in turn pulls the pj’s firmly up around my thighs, down to their usual length, but the more I wiggle, the more I realize that I’m wiggling right out of my bottoms!

I gave up, finished getting out of bed, bottoms still attached to the sheets. I seriously thought about going to the bathroom, then returning and slipping right back in them as they lay-I knew it would work. But I also knew that would make it nearly impossible to move further during the night. Dug out the bottoms, went pee, came back, sighed with hands on hips. Then I walked back to the bathroom as the cramp in my tush was not gone yet.

When I did come back I did manage to kick Moose off the bed. Quickly, slid into bed, spread out and Tuli looked up and glared at me. Phoebe in the meantime, jumped off for a drink, hacked her way to the dog bed and plopped down. I could stretch out my legs!

When I woke up this morning, Tuli was back in her cave. Fred was upside down in Hubby's spot(he was in the shower) Moose was snoring on the floor and Phoebe was back on my feet. My bottoms were back up at my thighs, having again cut off circulation to my feet. And yes I was still in the divot in the bed.

Ah I love my flannel !

Later gators...
C

It's like pullin' teeth

Literally!

Dear old Tall Kid has to have all his wisdom teeth pulled. And it's not going to be easy. Two are still in the bone, all four are impacted and one is riding on top of a molar that's causing a cyst. He's a mess, but the wonders of modern medicine are keeping him happy for now. So while he's on vacation, I'll be slaving away, stocking up on pudding, soups and filling what little freezer space I have with ice cream, that way when he does get them pulled, I'm prepared.

And speaking of pulling teeth, I no longer have an excuse to avoid the obedience and rally ring. See a couple years ago, I did a lot of obedience entries plus showing conformation. We always had conflicts. I donated so many entries to the clubs, I finally gave up. Said when I have nothing to show in big ring, I'll then concentrate on the performance ring. Charlie will officially start his obedience training after this weekend. Goal is to be ready for the January shows. Pete-that's the Ms' department as she's her new obedience dog. Moose-we will get those CD legs and then it's official couch retirement. Goal is titles by the end of February on those three!

Now is it "heel" and step out with the right or left foot?

Later gators....
C

Kalamazoo, zoo, zoo, zoo.....

I gotta gal in ......Kalamazoo! Ever had a song run through your head to the point of madness???

I love Glenn Miller. Have tons of the cd's and listen to them, really loud, when I'm cleaning house, cooking, etc.

But man, this song is stuck in my head. And only because my first trip there was so much fun!!

We headed out on Friday to the Kalamazoo/Grand Rapids shows. Nice drive, long, lots of vineyards lining the roads. Couple wrong turns, one missed exit and finally, road construction. But we made it!

Saturday we went over to the show site to meet up with our favorite collie breeder, Rebecca. Then it was brush, spritz, brush and more spritzing in the cold. Did you know you can hold a pin brush with mittens and do a darn good job of grooming. The scissors are a little harder to hold though. And chalk-it blows every where. Swirling mini tornado's of chalk, very interesting.

So what happened on Saturday? Connor was BOV. Charlie was WD for his final points! And a major to boot! Tegan was select in roughs and one of the tri boys was WD. All in all, not a bad day. We spent the rest of the day boarded up in the RV watching a "24" marathon, munching on spinach dip, marinated chicken, mashed potatoes and manwich.

Merlot also came along for the weekend as she was headed to her new home in Ohio. Tracy and Kathy got baptism by fire-holding rough collies for us ring side at their very first dog show! Thanks for all the wonderful help and even more thanks for giving Merlot a wonderful retirement home! We'll toast to her this next weekend.

Sunday-we showed late and totally had no motivation to get up. RV was just too darn toasty. But the temps outside, other then dealing with wind, were great! Connor took variety again, nothing in roughs and we waited and waited and waited some more for cardigans. I think Rebecca was in Ohio before we showed! Charlie became a show dawg-he gaited great, had a happy outlook on life, gave great ears to the judge--who played with him too. Of course the happy got a little out of hand, as we bounced on the last go 'round, but oh well. Select for 2 points and a competition win. And that folks, is more then likely all he'll get towards his grand. Off to rally and obedience Charle's of the many voices, we go!

So my guy in Kalamazoo, zoo, zoo, zoo is our 3rd official bred by champion, 5th unofficial(as some of Moose and Russ' points were from the puppy classes) and 5th generation "weiner"! Oh and Connor is 24 points away from his Silver Grand Championship!!!!

Now to figure out where my shoes are in the big tow!

Later gators....
C

Woolly bears

Susan over at Chickens in the Road was commenting about the state of the woolly bears this fall. They seem to be saying a horrible, long, cold, snowy winter. I think mine say the same!

I don't see any brown bands in the middle, do you? Looks pretty solid to me.

Close up for the biggest woolly bear in the pasture-Glory. They have very thick winter coats already. Even Mooman, who at 32 or so, looks great. He chose not to have his photo taken this morning.

Later gators...
C

What's all the stink about?

Lovely windy weekend. I'm not a person that likes windy days, until last night when the wind died down.

Last round of potty runs for the dogs and they came in smelling non-heavenly. Yes folks, time to drain the pits and inject in the field next door. For those non farm folks, we live near a large hog farm. They also own/rent a lot of the land around us. In the fall, they drain the manure pits and run huge hoses to the fields and run a special plow that injects the liquid into the soil.

You can see the roller that all the hose sits on and the one long one stretched over the hill.

The tractor to the right is the one with the injector on it. In the center is the pump. They must have 10 miles or more of hose, gotta be 1' diameter, all over the place.

I swear I smell as I sit here at my desk this morning. It takes about a week for it go away.

Later gators....

C

Welcome to Chateau Quack!

It finally made it to it's permanent spot! After a month of waiting for the "landscapers" to come and remove the corn, pulling fence posts, and waiting for it to dry up some, Hubby hooked up the log chains and drug it into the pasture. Got it almost perfect the first time, took four of us and some rollers to move it 1 foot sideways but it's there.

The poultry yard is currently in a state of disarry with all the construction. Next project is to install PVC fence posts on the south end, new fencing, move the corner post, move the gate, well you know, rearrange it all!

With the addition of the new building, the yard is now about 15 wider and easily 30 foot deeper. Notice everyone inspecting the area.
And of course a butt shot. We need to do some remodeling inside-remove the roosts and nesting boxes-those go to the Chick Chalet. And of course my agility equipment needs to be moved to storage for the winter--that's tonight's project.

Later gators...
C

Forgot-weekend in review

My brain is in a fog-coming down with something, not sure what, but honestly forgot about a short update on last weekend's Halloween Trail events.

As usual, Camp Hitaga puts on a darn good show. The Hitaga Archery club loans out their targets for the event so as we drive in we pass a huge cobra or two, some assorted dinosaurs, a bobcat, grinning bear and oh, the bats hanging from the trees. Jack-o-lanterns lined the roads and trails. Everyone was done up in their best fright gear. The Mad Scientist Lab, Haunted House and Craft Lodge were all a buzz with activity.

Friday night there were about 125 kids. Lace, Moose and Emmet did an outstanding job teaching dog safety. Lace is the ever great-why you don't pet a dog on the head-demonstrator. Moose did his greatest trick ever-death roll corgi and got umpteen belly rubs for it. Emmet got his first taste of creep costumes, bouncing kids(didn't really like that part) and tons of pets and scratches, under the chin of course.

Saturday we had 4 more hours of the trail, but first we trooped to Monticello to visit my favorite JT Hadderway's, then down the block to the hardward store where time has stopped. I mean seriously, I saw things in there that were genuine antiques with 30 yr old price tags on them. Then over to the antique store, Thesien's and home. Quick lunch/dinner of pizza and off we went, loaded with a few extra dogs this time.

Merlot and Pete were added to the mix as 4 hours of teaching does a dog in. Lace was getting bored and Moose had started herding the kids with the best smelling treat bags, into a corner.

Merlot LOVES doing these events. We did work a lot on sit stays, but she did a great job of subbing for Lace on the head petting part. Pete-this little girl amazes me more and more. A mini-Moose, she adores kids, rest her heads in laps and none of the costumes, masks or noise ever bother her. Emmet played cute and adorable and got better with each group of kids.

I think we had about 400 kids through on this trip and that's 400 more kids that understand how to behave around stray dogs, how to pet and introduce themselves to dogs and a few that aren't as scared of them as they used to be. Good job Canine Ambassadors!!!!

We ended up at home, tired, slightly chilled and ready for bed. And Sunday, that's exactly what we did. Slept in and not much else for the day--of a migraine, which totally explains why I'm feeling worse each day this week--darn bug.

Later gators....
C

Happiness is....

Being curled up with an cup of hot chocolate, under a down blanket with an almost blind, senior small dog that snorts a lot(in your face typically) and forgetting about the troubles of the day.



Then Emmett comes by, grabs the blanket, spills the hot chocolate and pisses of the small dog.



Later gators...
C

Since I'm on a roll....

I’ve had some down time recently, so been digging my hands into making cookies, and more importantly kneading bread. My mind tends to wander while I’m doing that and more so after I get done talking to a friend of mine on their way back from a show.

So what is it with people getting gung ho on breeding dogs. Especially young dogs. Is it that all mighty important to have puppies, be a breeder that you need to push young dogs? And I’m not talking 2-3 yr old dogs, but bitches who are 16-18 mos old, or stud dogs who are only 14 mos old.

If it can’t win, let’s breed it. Or even better, if it finishes as a puppy, well then it must be good enough to breed as a puppy. I think what I’m more astonished at is one particular person who’s only been in the breed a short time, throwing claims around about studying the breed, bloodlines and getting their hands on all the dogs they can. Funny though to see them throw their own dogs into the mix as being perfect examples of the breed, when long time breeders and mentors have more than once pointed the faults in the dogs. It does nothing more than show that they really have a lack of overall concern and knowledge, not only in the breed but for the well-being of their dogs. It’s more about it being the “in” thing to do. Same person talks a mean talk, is “seen” in all the right places and throws around names like money.

Shame that the dogs are the ones who suffer.

Later gators....
C

Straddling the fence

Boy it still amazes me the types of people who are involved in dog shows. Recent occurrences at a big show really cemented my feelings that there are a lot of people who not only shouldn’t be involved in dog shows but also shouldn’t own a dog.

And once again, I go back to me rant on misrepresenting once self and full disclosure.

So this someone out there is showing their dog in what is now called Amateur owner handler class. It’s for those that own their own dog, but aren’t professional handlers. So what is the definition of a professional handler? Right from the Rules Applying to Dog Shows from AKC:

Professional handlers are defined as any person that belongs or has belonged to a professional handlers’ organization, distributed rate cards, or otherwise advertised or represented themselves as handling dogs for pay.

AKC further goes on to mention that payment isn’t defined by cash, but can be a payment in kind-winnings kept, trophies and prizes kept, puppy out of a litter, or even a lease on a bitch and being able to keep puppies out of it to sell.

So this person is out showing dogs for someone else. Further eyebrows raised as not only is she showing them but also parading sub-par breed specimens around as her own! When asked a direct question, it’s well uh, I’m handling the dog for the owner who will then let me lease the bitch(can’t lease a dog). I know I know, gray area, but honestly, can this not be more obvious? This person wants to lease the bitch, so in exchange, is handling the dog for the owner. This same person a few years ago bragged on their website about being the handler for a dog for someone else and the exchange was that the dog would be allowed to be used at stud to one of their bitches.

You can only ride the fence for so long. Yes I know the grass is always greener on the other side, but man, straddling the fence really hurts ya after a while, if ya know what I mean.

Later gators....
C

Primary vs Secondary

Recent post on another one of my many chat groups had an interesting perspective on judging conformation dogs. Here’s the link to the poster’s original blog post:
http://carrodarsonlit.blogspot.com/2011/06/when-judges-judge-standard.html

I think it’s important as not only breeders but owners and exhibitors, that we do take a long hard look at our dogs for the primary characteristics vs the secondary ones when evaluating. I've seen way too many people-particularly judges of recent, get hung up on one particular secondary item and can’t get past it to see the overall virtues of a dog. For most breeds, the first paragraph of the written AKC standard is the best place to start for that primary look, where in the secondary can conflict with the first but also it adds to what is said. Ie, your first impression of a dog should fulfill the description in that first paragraph.

So here I go, taking from the very first paragraph of the Cardigan Welsh Corgi Standard:

General Appearance: Low set with moderately heavy bone and deep chest. Overall silhouette long in proportion to height, culminating in a low tail set and fox-like brush. General Impression-A handsome, powerful, small dog, capable of both speed and endurance, intelligent, sturdily built but not coarse.


Low set-to me that means a dog with short pasterns, low set on the hocks, excess leg will make the dog too tall.
Moderately heavy bone-not so heavy as to make clumsy when moving but with enough to appear substantial and not fragile.
Deep chest-as defined later on, it should sit well within the crevice created by the front legs-not up in the elbows but also not extending beyond the pasterns.
Long in proportion to height-so a rectangular dog that appears longer then tall.
Low tail set—okay folks, let’s remember what a tail SET is vs tail CARRIAGE. Too many judges do not understand that carriage does not equal set-an excited dog will carry its tail higher vs a scared dog who does not raise its tail off the ground.
Fox, brush like tail-not like a Labrador but also not like a golden with flowing feathering.

A handsome(pleasing to the eye), powerful(able to a variety of tasks during a normal long work day), small dog(within the suggested standard of size and weight), capable of both speed and endurance(structure allows for correct movement), intelligent(smart and easy to teach), sturdily built but not coarse(not too light as to appear breakable, but not too much bone to be clumsy, unable to move or unable to work efficiently).

So how did I do? Love your comments as I can always learn more and change my newbie opinion.

What I do find most frustrating is when judges form an opinion of a breed that is contradictory to the written standard? The even bigger issue is that when this is brought to light, many are “old school” judges or “untouchables” and even suggesting that they are wrong in their evaluations, won’t get you anywhere. Set in their ways and exhibitors that win under those types of judges, will continue to show and even finish dogs that are not meeting the primary characteristics of the breed and continue to breed more of the like!

Soooo....what do you think?

Later gators....
C