SPEECHLESS

Although you may find it hard to believe, I was left totally speechless. No kidding, no exaggeration. I was unable to speak. Or do anything else much.

Yesterday was WELKS Championship Show in the Malvern Hills, a lovely venue when the weather is nice, as it was yesterday. I went with Micah and Whitney.


Micah went unplaced and I did not mind as I felt the judge was judging dogs and not people.Of course I'd rather he would have won or be placed but I paid for her opinion and I got it.

Whitney won her Junior class and I was pleased with that. Later she had to go in with the winners of all the other bitch classes to compete for best bitch. In the lower classes, one knows one won't win so it is a bit of a chore to have to go in for this.

I was kneeling down, talking to Whitney, and thinking to myself that I wish the judge would hurry up and give out the CC (challenge Certificate) to the best bitch so I could get out and go home.

I heard a scream and that made me look up to see the judge standing in front of me holding her hand out.

'S**T!!!!!!' is precisely what I said before I was struck dumb.

I felt quite ill from then on and acted like a tit in a trance. Literally. I zoned out completely. I felt confused and just totally stunned.

If you haven't figured it out, Whitney was awarded the Challenge Certificate and therefore Best Bitch. (If this happens twice more, she is a Champion.) After this she had to go in again and compete for Best of Breed against the best male. SHE WON! She beat an entry of 119 Lhasa Apso.

Friends helped me gather my stuff and move me off to the Group judging ring where Whitney was then competing with all the other Best Of Breeds in the Utility Group. She was unplaced but was in the final cut of 7. Quite something.

I didn't really react to all this until this morning. I was talking to my long time dog friends, Ken and Thelma and found myself crying when talking about Whitney and how as a very young puppy I just knew she was special.

Two other friends phoned me today and they said the cheers and applause for Whitney was deafening. I heard nothing. Like I said I was out of it. Weird how even for something this good, I disassociated.

Dawn, a non dog show friend, said when I spoke to her on the phone, she could tell I was shaking cos of my voice. I don't recall speaking to her.

It was excellent to be able to tell my fiend Linda who bred Whitney of her fantastic win. She was of course thrilled. Life is very odd at times. Linda can no longer keep and show Lhasa Apso because she has the same condition as I have but hers has progressed to the point she can no longer groom. I wanted something of a different family to breed with and so Linda let me have my pick of the litter she had. I chose Whitney.