Throwback Thursday the CCA National specialty part 3

If I'm not wrong the judging on Friday began with progenygroups, and it was different then we are used to here in the Netherlands, but it was very well put up.
Each Bitch or studdog went on first, then his progeny would enter the ring, just one by one, so you could really see the resemblance.

What is also very nice, but strange to us, is that there are smooths and roughs in those classes at the same time, in the USA it is not forbidden to interbreed those variaties.
Over here it the smooth and rough are 2 different breeds, but over there they are just 2 variaties, that can be bred to each other.

Also this day the talking went on and there was another auction going on, so for the last day I placed my bid on some books, and I did win again!!!!
The judging of the smooths was very beautifull, we where starting on the normal benches, as we did not want to spend al of our time in the mentoring seats.

It was very moving to see that the Judge had tears in her eyes when she picked out her winners. I was getting emotional myself. In my own humble opinion I never saw this kind of love for our breed here in the Netherlands. And now I felt this love the whole day, the whole time I was there.

Afterwards there was a training for the juniorhandlers, but I see many handlers here in Holland, I loaned some of my dogs for juniorhandling, so I was not impressed by what those kids where doing.
I couldn't help it, but after a while I stepped up into the ring and told them how we do handling at home, and how things could get better. It was pretty cool they really liked my view and we got into nice conversation, they understood my point, but afterwards I must say I understood their point also!!

In the evening we had a lovely buffet by the quarter century collie group. I was so nice we where again meeting up with new people.
On this evening they talked about the great things the collie rescue had done to take out more then 100 collies from a hoarder, and how they are trying to keep this person from getting new dogs. Tears where filling my eyes, and other peoples eyes aswel.
Also on this evening they showed a movie and told a great story about Elisabeth Brownings Tokalon kennel. Wow what a story, and there was a special award for dokter Bill Broken the breeder of the Foremost kennel.
I got so many info on that night, and again such nice people I was overwhelmed again!!!

Most of the people got to their hotels ealy that evening because the Saturday was the most important day of the whole show. Specials where coming up and best of variatie and best of breed.

The last day of our trip will be coming up soon .........

Throwback thursday The CCA Nationals part 2

Finally it was Wednesday, the first day of show! First the National anthem was sung and A really nice doggydance perfomance was given before they could start the show.
They where starting with smooth collies, and I tought I wasn't really interested in the smooths, but I was encouraged to watch them. When you atented the seminar on Tuesday you could get free mentoring on all four days of the specialty. So I was in the mentoring area with a really nice lady/Judge/breeder/friend who told me what to watch for,  and how to look at the collie. And it was very usefull, on the smooth there is ofcourse no coat that can hide anything, so it makes it a lot more easy to watch their conformation and stucture.

Ofcourse I could not sit down the whole day in the mentoring area, I had to move around and go look for people and browse around.
Also during the morning they had a silent auction and the money went to the Collie Health foundation. As I am a huge fan of Albert Payson Terhune I could really be happy, many many people who are into collies in the USA are a fan of him!!!! So in the silent auction there where several books of him. I was so happy that I won a few of them!!

Prosper doing a dogdance act

 

Also rough youngsters where shown that day!! wow they where really stunning and then this was only the start because the more mature classes had to come yet.
Every now and then I went back to the mentoring area to learn, it was so nice that those people really took the time to really discuss the shape of a collie head, or how a great shoulder should be and on and on.
During this day I met so many nice people, I really felt at home on this show.

Later I learned that on the evening there was an invitational, and we missed it. That was really sad, because that is a special evening where they present the collies who where in a kind of nomination, and they where presented extra, while their owners where all dressed in very nice gowns.
I must not forget to go to this invitational when I go again.

 

On Thursday there where more rough collies being shown, so I was even more exited then I was the day before. We enjoyed our day. Such beautifull collies, and all groomed to perfection.
It was also very nice and funny we had a  little morning chat with a man we only knew for a few days and now felt as if he was a friend for a long while! On all 4 days of this show we started of with coffee and a chat with him.

Ofcourse this day was also an auction, and I couldn't behave myself so I won a few books again, yay!!!
And at the end of the day there was a big Auction held by the collie health foundation, with a nice buffet with it.
My dad and I ended up on a table with my English friend, the sweet Judge from the USA (the one who judged my dogs in Denmark) another sweet lady from America, and 2 great people from Sweden!! We had the most wonderfull time, most of the time I was listening to their successtories, but I also could share my tales. On that evening  I learned a lot and it gave me new insights in how a collie is suposed to look and on more subjects. The food was great, we didn't have normal food for days, and we loved it!!! Meanwhile the great trained collie Prosper was getting money from people, if you said "Prosper Money" whe would come over, grab your dollar and then put the money in a basket that his owner was carying!!
There where some wonderfull items on the auction, but I didn't have so much money that I could bid myself. But it was very nice to see that people bid so high and the Collie Health foundation got such a big sum of money, that can be spend on resources for diseases in collies.
After a long day of collies and chatting, we went back to the hotel. I was advised to really go watch the smooths again on Friday, this where the best of the best and I could learn.

I had such an amazing time on the show and the auction, I saw really beautifull collies and I made great new friendships. I couldn't wait for the next day to come.

More to come the next time

Double succes for Star at int. Dogshow Antwerpen

This weekend we went to the double int. dogshow in Antwerpen. And with big succes. On Saturday Star got excellent 1 CAC/CACIB and BOB Antwerp Winner, by Judge ms S Radziuk
And that was her last point to become a Belgian Champion.

But today on Sunday she managed a great excellent 1 CAC/CACIB and BOS Brabo Winner, by Judge mr M De Geeter.

I'm extremely proud that Star managed to get such high rewards 2 days in a row.