Sunday 12th March 2017 – Gundogs everywhere

Yesterday was my hardest day yet. Even though we were staying nearby we had to park a long way from the halls so we had a good walk to start with. It was gundog day so there were Spaniels and Labradors everywhere. Before I could see what was going on I had to go and spend the morning on the stand. Buddy and I did the first part of the day and then it got very exciting. Leo arrived to join us. He had travelled from Germany to be here and is in the ring tomorrow too. He’s a stud dog in Germany, but comes from Switzerland originally and we were comparing notes on all the dogs and people we know. He’s supposed to be mating with Beija who’s my sister Tosca’s housemate. He’s a very handsome boy and was great to spend some time with.

Once I had done my bit I headed off to see what I would report for you today. There were so many people. One man stood on my paw, which I wasn’t too thrilled by. Anyway, I worked my way through the crowds to go to see the activities in the main arena. They will have the Best in Show judging there later today, but until now it has hosted everything from Heelwork to Music to Agility, Flyball and lots more. For the second time in the day I found a dogist reaction. Even though I am here as an official reporter I couldn’t get close enough to the ring to bring you photos. Mum could have gone if she had left me outside, but obviously she wasn’t going to do that and besides it was me that needed to be there. From a distance it all looked pretty cool and there was some lovely lights making it look very posh.

In case you were wondering the other point that things got a bit dogist was when Mum needed the loo and took me in with her and was told dogs were not supposed to be in there. I wasn’t doing any harm and it was funny because Mum wasn’t in the mood for arguments, so just shrugged and carried on. I was quite proud of her as she doesn’t normally like breaking rules. It wasn’t as though I was going to be going to the toilet there myself!

After all that we went to watch one of the rings of Red Setters to see how it’s all supposed to be done. It was amazing watching them move. They are really graceful when they run and I couldn’t help but wonder if I should try to run as they do, but my legs just aren’t long enough to pull it off.

We didn’t stay to the very end as Mum wanted me to have a rest before my big day today. Shadow was picked up from Kennels by Dad and given a bath ready for her trip down for the day. I can’t wait to see her and talk about our strategy in the ring. We’ll be in different classes so will get to cheer each other on. I’m so excited.

Love

Wilma

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