National Dog Bite Prevention Week

May 17–23, 2009 was National Dog Bite Prevention Week. My RR brother Argos got to go to a school with Mommy and Matthew and our vet to do a Public Service presentation. He got to play with lots of kids there. I wish that I could have gone, too. Argos is a lucky dog!

The Long Drive Home

After me and Charlotte were finished with our dog showing, Mommy decided that we should leave for home right away so that she could take me to my vet on Friday morning, just to make sure that I was really okay. Mommy sure worries about me a lot! We packed up all our stuff, and bid a sad farewell to my new friends Sundew and Catcher, and all of the grown-ups that we had met in Lansing. Then we headed for home, driving until it was really dark out and past my suppertime.

The next day we started driving again, and I got really, really carsick- sicker than I have ever gotten before. Mommy had to stop at a veterinarian's office and get me some carsick pills to make me feel better. Lucky for me, they worked, and I was able to relax and enjoy the rest of the drive home. It was after dark again by the time we finally got back to our farm. We were so happy to see Daddy and Matthew and all my canine and feline brothers and sisters again- we were gone for a very long time!

The next morning Mommy took me to see my vet, who said that I was A-okay. That was a huge relief for Mommy and she could finally stop worrying about me. She asked the vet to order me a whole box of carsick pills so that I won't get sick anymore when we go an another adventure.

12-18 Month Puppy Dog Class

On Wednesday morning we went back to try one last time in the regular 12-18 month Puppy Dog class. By that time I was feeling much better, and I even took some bait from Charlotte. Mommy was so nervous that I don't think she even watched me! I knew that I was doing pretty good again when me and Charlotte made the first cut, because there were 30 dogs entered in the class that day and they were all really, really nice. Even my little "cousin", Dusty, was entered in the class and he is such a good show dog that he has almost finished his championship already, and he is even younger than me! Mommy was especially nervous because the judge was Mrs. Paula Hartinger and she was the same judge who had been at the show in St. Paul when Mommy got so nervous and messed up and we did not win. But Mommy thinks that Mrs. Hartinger is a very good judge and she really wanted me to do well in her class, so I tried really hard.

After the judge had looked at every dog, she started moving us around. Some dogs got excused, but we got to stay! Then she looked at us all again, and moved us some more. Finally, she lined up the four dogs she liked the best, and guess what? I got picked for third place! Boy was Mommy happy about that! I don't think she could have been any happier if I had gotten picked for first place. And to top it off, my little cousin Dusty got picked for fourth place! So we both got to take home a ribbon and a race car bank! It was a great day for us Kwetu dogs!!

Mommy says that one of the very nicest things about the whole day was when me and Charlotte were going around the ring and so many people clapped for us. Mommy said that most of those people don't even know who we are, and they were clapping just 'cause they thought I was a nice looking puppy, and I think that was very nice, too. I liked it when the people clapped, even though I didn't know who they were, either.

After we finished dog showing, me and Charlotte had to go and get our picture taken with the judge. Just like last year, I had to get up on a box for the picture, but this year I wasn't even scared a little bit- I remembered how to do it from Pencilvania and I just hopped right up there on that old box, and here is my picture:

The people in the picture are Judge Mrs. Paula Hartinger, in the dark brown dress; my friend and handler Charlotte Fielder, in the green dress, and Jane Missemer, in the red dress. I am the Red Wheaten boy in the picture.

Puppy Sweepstakes

On Tuesday morning we had the Puppy Sweepstakes for the National Specialty, and guess what? I did not get to win again! This time Michael and I were dog showing and we did a great job together, but we still did not get picked to get a ribbon. Still, Mommy was happy because we at least made the first cut in every class, and this judge looked at me, too. Mommy said that she thought some of the judges must have liked me a little bit, but just not enough to get in the ribbons.

Raisin River Regional Specialty

On Monday morning we went down to the ring a little early for the Puppy Sweepstakes class. I was still a little sick, but not too sick to go in the dog show. Mommy said I looked really great and thought that Charlotte was a very good handler, but I guess the judge did not think we were so great because she did not let us win a ribbon. Then we went back after lunch to go in the ring again for the regular Puppy Dog class. Mommy said we did great again, but this judge did not let us win either. Mommy wasn't too upset though, because she said that at least both of the judges had given me a good look. Sometimes it seems like the judges hardly even looks at some of the dogs and that upsets Mommy, but not this time. Mommy said that the two classes had been a good warm up for the National Specialty.

I Meet My New Handler

When Mommy decided that we would go to the National Specialty, she said there was no way that she was going to dog show with me. She said that she is still way too nervous in the ring and she was afraid that we would not do well. She said that if we drove all the way to Lansing Michigan for the show, she wanted me to look my absolute best. Plus, she really wanted to watch while I was in the ring so she could see how I looked compared to all the other puppies. Our friend BSB helped us find someone who was willing to help us out in the regular class, and my Breeder, Michael, was willing to go in the Puppy Sweepstakes class with me, so we were all set!

After we checked into our hotel room on Sunday, Mommy went and found handler Charlotte Fielder. Charlotte came up to our room to meet me and brought some really delicious treats- yummy! I liked her right away! She played around with me a little bit so she could see how I would be when we went into the ring the next morning. Mommy had entered me in two classes for the National Specialty, one on Tuesday and one on Wednesday, and also for two classes in the Raisin River Regional Specialty on Monday.

Roommates

When Mommy made our hotel reservations for the Specialty she decided that we should share our room with some other people and their dogs. I thought that sounded like a lot of fun, so Mommy asked around until she found someone who wanted to room with us. We were supposed to have TWO roommates, but their truck broke down on their way to Lansing and in the end, only one of them made it. We were very happy when Betsy Metcalf arrived safely at the hotel with her two beautiful girl dogs, CH Calico Ridge ARR Sun Catcher RE TD JC AX AXJ NAP and ARR Sundew Rising RA, HIC, AX , AXJ JC.

I really, really liked Sundew and Catcher a LOT, and I wanted to play with them all the time. But sometimes when Betsy was not in the room she put the girls in their crates for a nap and all I could do was lie on her bed and dream of playing with my new friends.

We were lucky to have Betsy as a roommate. So far, most of the RR people we have met only show their dogs in Conformation, and Betsy is the first RR person we have met who does all kinds of Performance events with her dogs. Mommy hopes that they will be an inspiration to me!