The Hottest Show Time of the Year

I can't believe how busy August is going to be! This weekend is the Beartrap Summer Festival up on Casper Mountain. It's a great line up, and should be fun! I will probably be bringing Sniper with me to hang out and socialize. He needs a little bit of Mama time.

The weekend after that is the dog show at the Scottish Festival and Rocky Mountain Highland Games. Athletic and broadchested men in kilts - YUM!

Then we have the Greeley Kennel Club Show, a weekend off, then the Cheyenne Kennel Club Show, and a weekend off and THEN a friend's wedding deep in the heart of Texas. And THEN dear readers the Rocky Mountain Rat Terrier Club hosts its first show ever in Glendale, CO. Craziness! Ah well, if I weren't busy I wouldn't know what to do with myself.

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High Toes

Sometimes I get into discussions with people about dog structure and really, really, it makes me want to beat my head against a wall. However, those always make me publish those words and pictures that have been rattling around in my head for a while. Case in point – someone posted on a board that they thought that a high toe on a dog was a “cosmetic fault.” My opinion on this is fairly solid – NO! A high toe is a STRUCTUAL fault. Someone then posted that they wanted “proof.” Ah, here we go. The boondoggle of proof! Studies! Someone, somewhere, somehow agreeing or disagreeing with my point! The unfortunate thing is that it really isn’t to be found. Our Proof wanter found a website in which a couple had a Staffordshire Terrier with a high toe, and they readily admitted that the high toe caused issues with her gait, but then concluded that it was just a cosmetic issue. Hmm, really? The document can be found here , you can look at the pictures and read it for yourself. (Don't use the ...

Brindle and the Rat Terrier

It seems like every once in a while the topic of brindle comes up in the Rat Terrier world. Teeth are gnashed and garments are rendered because brindle is not an acceptable pattern in our breed, and the standard says that brindle is a disqualification. The standard probably won’t change any time soon, and I certainly hope that it will NEVER include brindle! Why? The UKC standard says, in the very beginning, that “These terriers probably included crosses between the Smooth Fox Terrier, the Manchester Terrier and the now extinct white English Terrier… Some of these dogs were crossed with Whippets or Italian Greyhounds (for speed) and Beagles (for hunting ability).” Let’s take a look at the ancestors of the Rat Terrier and how their standards treat brindle: Smooth Fox Terrier UKC : Serious Fault AKC: Objectionable Manchester Terrier: UKC: Disqualification AKC: Disqualification Whippet: UKC: Any color/pattern accepted. AKC: Any color/pattern accepted. Italian Greyhounds: UKC: Disqualif...

May Happenings

The last few weeks have been very busy lately! Three of the crew came with me to Burlington, Colorado where a new project started up. We’ve been busy going to dog shows and exploring the area for places to run and play. Last weekend, Tracey of K2 and I went to Tulsa, Oklahoma to enjoy the show put on by Performance Events Trials and Shows. The site was fantastic with soft matting all over! Fritz won 3 of the 4 Best of Breed awards that were offered, as well as two Group 3 wins and a Group 4 win! He is now a United Kennel Club Show Champion. Miss Jada took 2 Best of Breed awards and two Group 2s, securing her place for now in the Top Ten race. It was a fabulous show, and I loved meeting so many fun new people as well as seeing old friends! This morning I went with Sue, a fellow landman and a fantastic friend to the South Republican River Wilderness Area to let the dogs run and stretch their legs and so that I could use Tracey’s fancy camera that she accidently left behind i...

Hurricane Deck

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