Funny fun show!

Not sure if this really counts as showing but a friend and I went to a fun show Monday evening. I have started doing a few to get Fizz used to it as I wanted to take him to a Scrufts heat---that went awry this year but I might do it next year-----Anyway.........

The marquee was chock a bloc with kids hanging onto dogs and parents with buggies. Great socialisation but a tad worrying. One small person (about 3/4) had a jrt on a flexi lead, the lead was with him and the dog was the length of the lead away----thus tripping up anyone who tried to move in that area.

The people next to us took the baby's clothes off and put them on the dog for the fancy dress---leaving the baby in its nappy. Then they put the clothes back on the baby afterwards, even I flinched a bit at that.

Fizz went in best longhaired dog and the judge walked past and said---'oh he has had a rosette', so I pointed out that it was actually the first class he had been in so he got a second----whilst my friends dog which is a blue merle sheltie cross with a fab coat got nothing and the dog next to me was asked if she was in that class and when she said yes he said 'OK---you have this one then' and thrust a rosette at her!

Now I am all for spreading the rosettes around at fun shows, I do it myself when I judge---but I do think an effort should be made to disguise that you are doing it and I also think that the rosettes should mean something other than 'I entered my dog'. I usually reckon that 1st and 2nd should be legit and the rest spread around carefully and with a bit of thought.

At another one we went to this year the 'show' classes had rosettes and the classes for the rest had prize cards from a dog food company---which I thought was discrimination in a big way!

Having said that it makes for an afternoon out and is getting Etta used to various things so its fun whatever the outcome and I have to say that with all the publicity about aggressive dogs I am amazed that there aren't more kids that get bitten. The dogs all deserve rosettes for putting up with it!

rune