The Good, the Bad, the Ugly. Attending the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship

I, along with a few other select bloggers will be blogging ringside at the show on December 16th and 17th.

I have always wanted to attend the AKC/Eukanuba Championship Dog Show ever since we became involved in the sport of dog showing. You may say it is a dream of mine as far as dog shows go.
So how can the title of this post even have the words  Bad and Ugly in it?
Well…. because it’s me and of course I can NEVER just have my cake and eat it too.

Never. Ever.

So I will break this down for you into the GOOD things about me attending the show. The BAD things about me attending this show and the UGLY things about me attending this show.

THE GOOD:

There are over 3775 champions entered at this years AKC/Eukanuba National Championship, along with the largest number of Junior Handlers entered in history with 160 participants! This is HUGE because after all Junior Handlers are the future if our sport! 

If you add in Agility and Obedience the entries are over 4,000!

To see a breakdown of the breed counts you can visit here.

FYI-there are 22 Newfs entered:))

Not only will we have access to the above events we will also have access to events that take place before and during the big show. 

-Eukanuba Breeder Stakes is a way to honor a group of unsung heroes-the purebred dog breeders-. It recognizes the best of the best and an event to honor the legacy that so many outstanding breeders have created. The Eukanuba Breeder Stakes have been designed to evaluate an overall breeding program.

 Now entering its 5th year, the Eukanuba World Challenge is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious shows in the dog show calendar. In partnership with the AKC and FCI it brings together top dogs from all over the world to compete for the highly coveted prize of Eukanuba World Challenge Champion. Eukanuba is proud to bring the best dogs in the world together.

There is a Newf from Ireland that will be competing in the World Challenge and you can see the rest of the Eukanuba World Challenge particpant photos on the Eukanuba Facebook page.

-Dock Diving! Need I say more? This is an event that I will be personally focusing on at the show.

 

Now let’s get down and dirty.

THE BAD.

I am still freaking out about Christmas and am losing 5 days of  “Christmas freak out” while I am in Florida. 

I am flying. I am flying in winter. I am flying alone. I am flying.
My family and friends have suggested that I visit my doctor and ask for some medication that will relax me.
First, I am offended! I DO NOT need medication to calm myself. I am not that much of a mess! or am I?
(Mom, call me so we can discuss this) Second, I have the power to override most medication that enters my body. It’s an inherited gift that I would rather not have.  I would love to be able to to let a medication make me relax and forgot about it all . It’s just not going to happen. I’ve tried.

THE UGLY.

While I am having a fantastic time in Florida, meeting new people, attending fun parties, sitting ringside at the BIGGEST show of the YEAR, Leroy will be back here in Cleveland competing in HIS biggest show EVER at the Cleveland Crown Classic. There are a total of 55 Newfs entered over the weekend which makes this the BIGGEST show that we have ever entered. Leroy will be trying to earn his last point needed to receive his championship title there. 

I spent last Friday night bawling my eyes out to my husband about missing this show.

What if I miss Leroy earning his title?? This is what we have been working for this whole year. We’re a team. I can’t miss this. Not to mention it breaks my heart to miss seeing all the beautiful Newfs that are going to be there. 55 Newfs all in place!! That is pure heaven!

I was so torn. That is until my husband told me that he would Skype the show to me or videotape it. That made me smile. Still not the same, and still not possible because I won’t have the capabilities to watch it, but still his effort to make me happy put a smile on my face. Then he reassured me that most likely we wouldn’t win because that’s just  how we roll. Our luck just isn’t that good. 

He’s got a point. 

So in order to better prepare myself for the events that are ahead for Leroy I have come up with a few scenarios.

Best case scenario(for me)- A huge blizzard sets up over Cleveland and the show is cancelled and postponed until after the holidays.

Middle case scenario(for me)- Leroy wins his class on Sunday and becomes a championship and goes home.

Worst case scenario(for me)- Leroy wins his class on Thursday, earns his championship and then competes in Best of Breed on Saturday and Sunday. I am in Florida bawling my eyes out because I am missing it all.

Yes….. these are all selfish scenarios, and of course I wish the best for Leroy.

Of course there is always the scenario that Leroy does nothing at the show and then I will be just as sad.

So that’s it. That is how I can turn a great thing into a mental disaster. Any questions?

A special thank you to the wonderful folks at Eukanuba for giving me this great opportunity to blog at the Eukanuba National Championships. I am truly looking forward to it!