So as you all know by now Leroy had a pretty nice show weekend.
He earned his second major, which is awesome.
For those of you who are not familiar with dog shows, I will explain why this is a good thing:
To earn an AKC Championship title a dog needs a total of 15 points. 2 sets of those points needs to be a major. (Leroy currently has 9 points)
A major is 3 points or more (points are based on the entry of dogs) A dog needs at least 2 majors under different judges in order to become a champion.
Majors are not easy to come by lately. Dog show entries have dropped over the past few years, which leaves less people attending shows, which means less dogs, which means less points.
Are you still with me?
Take Sherman for instance. With Sherman we got all of the small points out of the way early but then we were left with only needing the “dreaded” majors. We would enter shows hoping that enough dogs would enter to make it a major. We threw a lot of money away on entry fees when a show would not turn into a major. We did this for almost a year. It sucked. Finally we got got the major but it wasn’t without a lot of waiting and wasted money.
So now with Leroy having both majors done and out of the way we can enter any show and not be sitting by the computer waiting for the entry numbers to be posted and then sobbing when it wasn’t enough!
Now….with all that being said, I have a goal. Or a mission.
Whatever you want to call it.
I have had this goal sitting in my head since Sunday. Afraid to say it out loud….because if I say it out loud I will jinx myself and it won’t happen (and yes I believe in that shit because it happens to me all the time!)
My goal is……….
to have Leroy finished by his birthday which is June 30th.
That is 42 days from now. 4 or 5 shows…maybe less, but that is reaching.
Right now we are entered in 3 shows, 1 left in May and 2 so far in June. My goal is to just keep showing so that Leroy does not lose his groove or before he blows his coat anymore than he already has.
Sure…. I am going to go broke. I already know this. As I have said before our money tree is already bare and I will have to rob Peter to pay Paul…..but if we hit our goal it will soooooo be worth it!
So there. It’s out. I said it, and gosh darn it we are going to do it!
(I just hope Leroy cooperates!)
Miss Kodee
Friday 20th of May 2011
Thanks for explaining that so nicely! I do go to a few dog shows but sometimes get lost in the translation of what all is happening. Congratulations! Wishing you well you meet your June 30th goal!
Benny and Lily
Friday 20th of May 2011
sounds very exciting.. we will keep our paws crossed for youBenny & Lily
Lori @ According to Gus
Friday 20th of May 2011
Thanks for explaining the point system - showing is something entirely new to me, so I'm happy to learn more.You guys can do it! I'm just sure of it. Plus, you have all of us cheering you on. :D
Amanda
Thursday 19th of May 2011
I'm thinking people really need to start working together more. You might want to check Yahoo Groups to see if there is a Show Newf group out there. I belong to a Yahoo Group of show people and we work together to build majors and there are a few people in various regions that are known as the resident "major builders". It saves a lot of guessing and helps make majors where there otherwise may not have been. Those kinds of contacts are huge for me just starting out - I would hope they do similar things in other breeds. Of course, I plan to show Mendel for as long as I can, so finishing fast isn't really a priority for me. (Showing in the classes is usually more fun that in breed, anyway) :)
Elyse and Riley
Thursday 19th of May 2011
I knew a little bit about the points system, but am glad you explained it so I can fully understand it! Hopefully Leroy will cooperate and will be able to get the rest of his points before his birthday! It would be cool if he won some more majors! Are you planning on breeding Leroy or do you just like conformation?Hopefully he'll have some coat left by June 30th! Riley has been shedding an ungodly amount of fur and has been blowing her coat in chunks! Will it ever end?!?!? :)Elyse and Riley