8:22 PM
| Sunrise at | 3:49 AM | in direction | 28° | North-northeast |  |
| Sunset at | 11:50 PM | in direction | 333° | North-northwest |  |
Civil Twilight all day
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| JayJay taking Winners Bitch, Best of Winners, and Best of Breed in March |
This weekend is the dog show sponsored by our local kennel club, Tanana Valley Kennel Club. I acted as ring steward for the herding dog ring this morning - Australian Shepherds, Shetlands, German Shepherds and so on. At first I managed the arm bands and then since a new steward came in to help, I took over calling people into the ring for showing. Keeping people aware that they are next, calling them in the right order, telling them if they need to come back is surprisingly tasking.
I was not at peek form in any case. I didn't sleep well last night because I was worried I would oversleep and not be at ringside early enough. The light encouraged me in this belief. At one point I woke up sure it was dawn - which it in fact was. But the twilight of dawn followed straight on the heels of dusk, brightening ever so slightly at 2:00 or so in the morning, which is when I looked at the clock the first time.
Still, the dogs and their humans made the ring very pleasant and very different from the working dog ring. It could be my imagination, but it seems to me, now that I compare the two rings, working dogs have an edge about them. All dogs want to work and are very focused on their owners wishes, especially with the added inducement of food, but there is a kinetic energy in working dogs that almost insists on activity. Of course I say that as two of my workers lie here on the bed with me, passing the time in Dreamsvile.
JayJay is entered all three days and took Winners Bitch for 3 more points. Ten down, three to go for her Championship. We are especially pleased, but not too surprised, that she beat the bitch that Michelle is showing this weekend. Michelle's bitch is fine, so that isn't the issue; JayJay is in top form right now and has a good attitude about it all. Michelle wanted Leslie, my handler and a friend of Michelle's, to show her male when we went back in the ring for Best of Breed, and other honors. That was so he could get a major by taking Best of Winners, which he did.
We would have liked JayJay to take one of those honors, but Michelle has continued to send us very worthy dogs up here - something other breeders would not do. So, I am fine with it. The thing I wonder is how well Jay Bird would do if she were in the lower 48. Would she be kicking butt like she is here with a lot more competition? I suspect she would. She emanates a lovely, beautiful aura right now and her sass actually adds to the mix rather than take a way from it.
We show again Sunday and Monday and it is possible that we could win each day and she will be finished by Monday at 11:00. That is not likely, but possible because Leslie is doing a great job with her and JayJay cooperates fully. She looks good. We should be able to finish her this year and then Gary and I need to think about whether we want to continue to show her as a special.
Once we left the ring and knew JayJay would not be going into Working Dog group competition as Best of Breed for Dobermans, we were quick to gather up our things and leave for home. I'd scheduled a cardio exam at 1:30, but one of the attendees of the show had a heart attack (who they were able to get breathing again), and everything slipped and we did not go into the ring until 1:15. I received a call from them asking if I wanted to take one of the afternoon appointments, which I did, so JayJay and I returned to the fairgrounds. She was full of rambunctious energy. But sweet girl that she is, settled right in when I wanted her to hold still for the exam. The vet told me she won Best Dog award for her behavior. She is such a sweet girl; why does she insist on sporadically tearing up cushions?
After that, the lack of sleep caught up with me and I came home and napped. Life is good.
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