Dog show. Part 2. The win.

BIG news in our house.  Heck, word was spreading on the internet faster than me running to the treat jar.  OK.  Maybe not THAT fast.  But still - the word is out - the FG had a GOOD day at the dog show yesterday.  He got a Group 3 placement!!!  And a big yellow ribbon.  So for non-dog show readers, what this means is that they took all the Best of Breed winners from the Herding Group - and if my calculations are correct, there were 10 breeds competing.  And the judge awards a 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place finish from all of those dogs.  The 1st Place dog then goes on to compete in Best in Show - against all the other first place finishing dogs from the other 6 groups. Anyway - the FG got a third place finish.  Which is a pretty big deal.  My human cried.  She always does when we do well.  And she was so relieved that her bloody nose stopped before she went in the ring.  Oh and the cause of the bloody nose?!  The FG.  Yup.  Never a dull moment!

The FG went in the first time and the judge gave him his Best of Breed ribbon.  OK, he was the only Picard there - BUT I might point out that this particular judge did NOT give ribbons if she was unhappy with how a dog looked.  So, frankly, it wasn't a given that he would get a ribbon.  But he did.  While he and my human were waiting for the rest of the breeds in the group to be judged, they were hanging out at ringside.  The FG was making friends, and rolling in the Astroturf.  At one point though, he decided it was play time.  So he went to lick my human - full force in the face - and his tooth caught the lower part of her nose.  Right where your nostril meets your face.  My human didn't think anything of it.  Until a few minutes later, she felt something warm running down her face.  She put her hand to her face and realized she was bleeding.  Let me tell you, a TINY nick on a nostril bleeds A LOT.  And she shmeared blood all over her face.  She looked like she had been in battle.  When someone asked what happened, she said "these dog shows are tough competition".  She went to the washroom to get the blood off her face and hands.  And she kept trying to stop the bleeding.  At one point someone suggested using the stuff that is used to stop bleeding when you cut a dog's nail too short.  She didn't want to make a fuss - so just kept pressing a big wad of paper towel to her face.  JUST before she had to go back in the ring for the group judging, the bleeding stopped.

The FG behaved very well in the group ring.  The judge sent them around, looked them all over and then began her placements.  My human was watching the FG and the judge at the same time.  She saw the judge pick the 1st place winner.  And then the 2nd.  And then the judge pointed and said "the Picard,"  and my human just about fell over.   They have a bit of a fan club so there was a great deal of cheering.  OK, it was just four people cheering, but they were loud.  

Of course, my human had to get the official show photo taken.  She was SO thrilled.  The judge was extremely nice.  We haven't seen the  photos yet, but no doubt one will take a place of honor in the house.

So now we know the FG is good with sheep and he is handsome.  And he is starting to learn to fetch.  I just hope it doesn't start going to his head.  Nah.  It's not in his nature.  You know, it's taken a LONG time....but I actually think I'm starting to like this guy...I think I'll keep him.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!