Long Island...

The trip to the Garden Association Specialties is one that Mom and I look forward to every year. They're usually held in Secaucus, New Jersey. This year there were some complications and the show was moved to Nassau Coliseum - home of the NY Islanders.

We had been very worried about the drive as the weatherman kept mentioning snow storms but the roads and skies were clear. Both Frost and Lucy went with us and were very well behaved in the van. This could possibly have been due to eating lots and lots of Timbits and then sinking into a sugar induced coma. The drive took us just over 9 hours so it is a long trip for both two and four footers.

People often ask if we ever have problems travelling across the border with the dogs. Not usually. I make sure I always have every one's vaccination certificates with me and it usually is not a problem. I admit to worrying heavily that someone is going to growl at a customs agent one of these days and we'll have an issue but so far so good.

We usually stay at a Red Roof Inn on the water in Secaucus. Red Roof Inns are great - very dog friendly, clean, and comfortable. This time the host hotel was a Marriott. I admit to being hesitant when I made our reservations. I've stayed in Marriott's before and while they are always exquisitely nice hotels - they aren't where you would normally stay with a dog and indeed most don't allow pets. They're a little more upscale shall we say. But as a favour the Marriott had opened its doors to our shows and their sudden change of venue and I cannot thank them enough. They were absolutely fantastic. Staff were great - offering to help haul crates, holding doors, and just being extremely nice and courteous. The room was great - all the little things - lots of pillows, cozy duvet, fancy soaps and shampoos, etc. - that make staying in an upscale hotel so enjoyable.

One of the best things about being involved with dogs and dog shows has been all the wonderful people we've met over the years. I now know people from one end of the world to the other and what binds us together is our love of animals. The nice thing about these shows is that they are very big and I often get a chance to reconnect with friends from all over the US and sometimes further abroad. This weekend was no exception. We got extra lucky as Christine from Australia was also there. As you can imagine, we don't get to see Christine in the flesh very often so this was an especially nice treat.

When you go to specialties, it is not about winning or losing (although don't let anyone ever tell you they don't want to win). It is about getting a chance to see what other breeders are producing and showing off what you've worked so hard to produce. Feedback is always wanted although not always graciously accepted. The opinion that matters most in the end is not the judges but that of your peers. Mind you, I've never seen anyone complain that the judge really liked their dog lol

So, it is with tremendous pride that I enjoyed the various compliments about our dogs, particularly Miss Lucy. We had the only solid liver dogs there with the exception of one day when there was a very nice solid liver special (ie champion) also entered. I was not adverse to the judges' compliments either :)

Nuthatch Results:

Friday: German Shorthaired Pointer Club of America Regional Specialty

Best of Opposite Sex in Sweepstakes:
Nuthatch's Edenstar Aurora (Bug x Jammer) - bred by us and owned by a wonderful mother and daughter in NY

2nd in the 12-18 month bitch class:
Nuthatch's Awakenings (Lucy - Delceg x Kaylee)

Saturday: Long Island German Shorthaired Pointer Club Specialty

Reserve Winners Bitch:
Nuthatch's Edenstar Aurora (see above)

1st in the 12-18 month bitch class:
Nuthatch's Edenstar Aurora

3rd in the 12-18 month bitch class:
Nuthatch's Awakenings

3rd in the Open Bitch Class:
Nuthatch's Unforgettable (Buffy - Kenny x Jeannie)

Sunday: Sleepy Hollow German Shorthaired Pointer Specialty
Best of Opposite Sex in Sweepstakes:
Nuthatch's Awakenings

Reserve Winners Bitch:
Nuthatch's Unforgettable

1st in the 12-18 month bitch class:
Nuthatch's Awakenings

I also want to thank those of you who offered to purchase Miss Lucy. I was very flattered. It reinforced my pride in her and tickled my ego something fierce. She is staying at Nuthatch although we may yet be co-owning her with some close friends.

I also like to scout for potential stud dogs that will compliment our lines when I am at specialties. Photos are nice but it is always a good idea to see a dog in the flesh. To that end, I did see a few dogs I really liked that will bear more investigating. One dog in particular caught my eye and I think he will be Bug's next beau.

Now on to some pictures:

I took some of the dogs in the ring but my little camera doesn't do well in areas with that kind of lighting so the pictures all came out too dark. I did get some of Frost & Lucy in the hotel rooms:

Frost (Becca x Delceg)





Lucy (Delceg x Kaylee)




and this nice one of my Mom (ie Grandama, on the right) and our good friend Sherri G. Sherri had an excellent weekend as well. Diva - BIS/BISS Am Can Ch Flwr Creek Marquis Going For Gold - won the entire specialty on Sunday!!