It’s been a week since we put Hazel to sleep. She was 12 years and 8 months old. It was a peaceful conclusion to a great life. We did the best we could for a dog who gave us so much. It’s hard to put in words. We are still hurting, adjusting and talking through it. At the dog show this weekend, I put up a little shrine for her every day with some photos and LED candles. It felt good to do something for her every day, even though she wasn’t physically there. I recommend this type of activity for anyone who is mourning the passing of their beloved dog. It was therapeutic.
The show must go on, sometimes literally. We were at the dog show Thursday through Monday and we found many successes and had some fun while we were at it. All of my entries, Bean, Marnie and Frankie, are Hazel’s granddaughters. So we dedicated this one to her.
Thursday at the Mile High Sporting Dog Fancier’s Association, Marnie took Best of Winners. This is her first points since April of 2014 due to a soft tissue injury. She had a summer vacation. We ended 2014 with some placements and a reserve win. The MHSDF gave out beautiful rosettes for winners which we were grateful for. Marnie is … how shall we put it … incorrigible. She likes everyone and everything but thumbs her nose at authority. I appreciate her temperament as she never tires of whatever it is you want her to do (even if she’s just sorta humoring you while she’s doing it).
Friday saw another win for Marnie, two points, giving her 11 points and both majors. We also made Fox 31 news on Friday night. Frankie was at the beginning of the news clip, with her beautiful face. Bean and I were at the end during Best of Breed. You can view the clip here if it’s still available. I love how they cut in snippits from Best In Show. I like to think of myself as a mix between Cookie Fleck and Christy Cummings. You can interpret that to whatever degree of truth you’d like.
Saturday and Sunday saw Cricket taking back-to-back wins. Cricket was bred by Christine Trujillo, and is out of our dog Gunnie. Cricket finished her championship on Sunday giving Gunnie champion number 5! Congratulations from the “baby daddy”…
Sunday was Samantha’s day to attend her first dog show. We walked right past the “no puppies” sign. Whoops. I guess Marnie may have gotten her anti-authority attitude from her human “mom”. Sam was petted, loved, cuddled and completely worn out by the end of the day. She went down a long flight of stairs, met some big hairy dogs and ended up in the photo library of many peoples’ cell phones, all with her tail up and wagging. It’s tough work being cute. Thanks to Mary and George, her loving puppy-sitters.
Monday brought snow to the region. We had an unpleasant and slushy trip to Denver. Marnie won two more points, making it 6 points for the weekend. She now only needs 2 points to finish her championship. We were all pretty tired by the end of the five days but I don’t know that Marnie got the memo. Bean who looked great this weekend, was 0:5. I guess tall and skinny only works for the catwalk in New York! Frankie handled by George, and Winnie handled by Greg also had reserve wins over the weekend.
We wrapped everything up Monday with some New Mexican food at the Jack-N-Grill down by Sports Authority Field in Denver. If you’re feeling froggy (which we weren’t) you can order their famous 7 pound burrito. http://www.jackngrill.com Until next year, Rocky Mountain Cluster…
