Four months after we adopted Annie, the Newfoundland National was held in Warwick, RI. I saw a picture of the Rescue Parade on Facebook and I envisioned Annie and I doing that in the future. The following year, the National was held in Oregon and it was just too far away for us to attend. Last year it was held in Michigan. Winn and I attended for the first time, but unfortunately Annie was no longer with us. I was too broken hearted to stay and watch the parade, but this year, this was the event that I was most looking forward to. I was ringside, cheering them all on with memories of Annie in my heart.

Each dog is announced and as they enter the ring, their story about how the came into their adoptive family is read out loud. They receive a special medal, lots of attention and I must admit, more than a few happy tears are shed in their honor. To me, this is the most important event of the week. All Newfies, whether they are show dogs or not, deserve to be celebrated and recognized. I was so happy for each of these dogs and their new life because they were rescued.

Click on any of the pictures for a larger view.

Since I wasn’t able to be in a parade with Annie, Winn and I participated in the Honors Parade. This was open to all Newfies that have earned a title and there were over 100 entries. Each Dog’s name was read, oldest to youngest, and if they were present, they walked into the ring to receive a special medal.

On Thursday, the boys are judged in the ring and I watched another class that I thought was really interesting. Stud class includes not only the Sire, but two offspring. The main reason for conformation is to showcase the breed standard. What better way to judge a dog than to see how those traits are passed to the next generation? The brown dog didn’t take 1st place but I thought he and his offspring were all really beautiful.

Last year I was pretty overwhelmed by the scale of this show. Knowing better what to expect, I enjoyed myself more this year and met friends new and old. Winn’s brother Porter was also up for the week competing in several events, along with their breeder who was a tremendous support to each of us. It was fun to see Porter and Winn side by side as they both were in the Rally ring as well as Specialty Carting.

The final day of the show is when the top dogs compete for Best of Breed. It’s the big event of the show, and many people make a day trip just for this. After I checked out of the hotel room and got the car loaded up, Winn, my daughter and I sat on a blanket to take it all in. We knew a few of the dogs in the ring, Winn fell in love with one of the brown boys and did her very best flirting to get his attention, but for the most part, we just sat back and enjoyed the show.

It’s not possible for me to post a picture of everybody, but here are just a few from the final day in show ring:

I hope you’ve enjoyed this assortment of events at this years’ Newfoundland National Specialty. Of course, there is so much more to see and do including shopping the vendors tents!

Until next year…….

Tuesday and Wednesday are primarily dedicated to Obedience but Tuesday afternoon also includes the opening ceremonies. Flags from the U.S., Canada, Newfoundland, Mexico, the State of Michigan, the Newfoundland Club of America and the American Kennel Club are all paraded in before the National Anthems are played. After that, each regional club brings in their flag while their accomplishments and activities are read out loud.

Most of the clubs dressed in a theme appropriate for their area. My favorite was the Newfoundland Club of New England since they were proudly wearing the jerseys and gear of their sports teams but many of the other clubs were very creative with their outfits. Winn and I marched with our club and we all wore draft test t-shirts since our club put it together this year. ( I didn’t get any good pictures since we were in the staging area waiting for our turn.) After the ceremony, the club flags fly just outside the show area for all to see.

Wednesday was our final day of competitive events. We had been in the hotel since Sunday night and we both woke up feeling sick. I had been up most of the night with a terrible headache and nausea and Winn started the day with an upset stomach. I realized too late that I was having caffeine withdrawal because I hadn’t been drinking my normal amount of coffee each morning since we were so busy. I think Winn was suffering from stress, over stimulation, too many treats the day before or all of the above. I was contemplating pulling us out of our events and lying low in the room, but decided to try our first event. I figured I could pull out of the other two if we didn’t feel up to them.

We were one of the first dogs in the Rally ring and I didn’t expect to do well. I think I was the most calm I’ve ever been since my expectations were so low and we nailed it! To my surprise, we scored well, finished in 3rd place and Winn got her Rally Advanced title. We had so much fun I decided we would go ahead and do the next rally event. We got a perfect score! Winn was very chipper exiting the ring after we proudly took first place.

Our final event was in the Obedience ring. On Tuesday we didn’t qualify. We had been trying to finish her 3rd leg needed for her Companion Dog/Novice title and that was the 5th time we NQ’d. I had no hope that we would do better, but we played games before we went in and I decided to be as goofy as I could between exercises to keep her attention and make it fun. Apparently, that was the secret because we tied for 3rd place, she got her best score ever in that event and we finally got her title! To break the tie, we had a run-off with an additional heeling pattern which neither of us were really into. I had a hard time focusing since I was just so thrilled that we actually qualified. The other team performed better and we finished in 4th place. In addition to our placement, qualifying and titling ribbons, the trophies that day were pieces of Lenox China made for the show. What a wonder way to finish!

One of the most special highlights of the week is the Living Legends ceremony. Newfoundlands 10 years and older are honored. A huge banner with all of their faces is displayed all week just outside the main show ring. This year, over 80 dogs were celebrated. Their names are called out and those that are present and able, walk into the ring. They each receive a special medal, a booklet featuring all of the Living Legends and a special poster made with their picture in the center.

Click on any of the pictures for a larger view.

I’ll finish this post with an event I hadn’t seen before, but is definitely one of my favorites that I watched last week. Imagine trying to make two dogs move as one in the conformation ring. That is Brace class, a thing of beauty when they are in sync mixed with a few moments of mayhem in between.

I’ll wrap up this series tomorrow with a few more featured events, but there is certainly so much more to see at this show!