The Eukanuba Nationals 2009, a weekend to remember....

The Eukanuba Nationals was a fabulous show of the most beautiful dogs in the world. A perfect venue for a dog show, the Long Beach Convention Center was decorated in BRIGHT PINK ; flags, shirts, signs, dog bowls, anything "Eukanuba" was very visible amongst the crowds of people and dogs. Hummer, as usual, was "in his element", enjoying all of the other dogs and the attention from the public who all thought he should have won. Many people wanted to have their picture taken with Hummer, like these nice young men by the "Long Jump" Retriever Pool.The Newfoundland ring , large and blue-carpeted, held some of the most gorgeous Newfoundland Dogs in the country, most who have won Best of Breed and Best in Specialty Show wins. Hummer showed beautifully with his handler, Jeff Heim, and I was proud to watch his elegance and beauty as he was presented to Judge James Reynolds. Ch Oceano's Reflection on Sundust, a bitch bred by Kim and Gigi Griffith, was the Breed Winner, a small compact and typey bitch who has good movement and a lot of support from the judging arena, went on to compete in the Working Group. Celebrities like Shawn Johnson, the Olympic Gymnast and contestant of Dancing With The Stars, were everywhere! Followed by her entourage of cameras and microphone people as she entered the Newfoundland show ring area, Shawn enjoyed meeting some of the dogs like Hummer's good friend Bella! Maybe Bella will appear on Animal Planet when the Eukanuba show will be televised on February 6th!! Hummer and I were interviewed by a local newspaper reporter where I told them the facts of his Championship with winning 4 Majors, one at a Specialty, and completing his Championship Points in only 9 months. Watching the dogs in the Group and Best in Show Arena was a rare treat and only inspires the passion and desire to continue to promote the pure bred dog and participate in dog shows, amongst the most beautiful dogs in the world. Hummer will continue to compete in local shows in 2010, beginning with the Golden Gate Kennel Club show at the Cow Palace, San Francisco on January 30th and 31st.

Peace on Earth, and Happy Holidays for All!!

AKC National Championship 2009

On December 12th and 13th, at the Long Beach Convention Center in the Greater Los Angeles area, Top Dogs from around the country and other parts of the world, will converge for the 125th Anniversary Celebration of the American Kennel Club, for the Eukanuba National Specialty and World Challenge. Please visit http://animal.discovery.com/convergence/eukanuba/akcchampionship/akcchampionship.html for information on top dogs, dog show etiquette, past champions, spectator participation, events, etc, or just AKC.org. Hummer will be amongst 38 other Newfoundlands in the breed competition on Sunday at 2pm where the Best of Breed will appear in the Group Ring on Sunday. First in Group will go on to compete for Best in Show. The Best in Show Winner will take home the $50,000 prize and the Breeder of the Winning Dog will take home $15,000. Conditioning, handling, and grooming all play a part, but mostly, conformation to the standard and showmanship will be the most important factors in the winning decision. The breeding, which takes into consideration all of the history of the breed and health issues, the size and coat, gait and personality of the dog, essentially, all of the work that goes into forming a new puppy and future of the breed, is in the hands of the Breeder. An incredible responsibility and expense, one of the most prestigious awards of this dog show goes to the Breeder of The Year. Regardless of the competitiveness of a dog, we dog owners want a personable dog, a dog who is easy to live with and who is intelligent and healthy. We want our pure-bred dog to be able to perform tasks for which they were bred. We want our dog to have their innate instincts and to be able to hunt, guard, swim, guide, and track. Besides being a soul companion, we want our dogs to have the abilities and sensibilities that is in the blueprint of their genes. Each and every breeder who has a dog in this competition should be very proud, because they did a great job to present a dog who is recognized worldwide. Whether it is a Pointer, a Scottish Terrier, a Newfoundland, Labrador, Standard Poodle, or any other pure breed, it is because of caring and conscientious breeding that we are able to recognize not only the breed, but the behaviour of that breed to the standard within which they have been bred. Hummer and I look forward to being amongst some of the top dogs in the world, with dogs who mean the world to us.