Podcast: Let's Boop Snoots, episode 41

I had the pleasure of speaking with the hosts of Let's Boop Snoots last week about our trip to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and Conformation Events in general, including how we got started.

It was a fun conversation and we covered a lot of ground.

Ramen at WKC - by Ashbey Photography

As I mentioned before, this is an excellent podcast for anyone interested in adding a dog to their life, or just learning more about dog behavior.

Heidi and Vero are well-researched, fun, and engaging.

Please give them a listen... and subscribe, if you haven't already.

Dog Show: Westminster Kennel Club 2021, part 2

Now that we're home safe and sound, I can bring you up to speed on our New York Adventure.

I had the pleasure of seeing a TM friend who was kind enough to drive nearly 2-hours to be our kennel help for the weekend.

Photo Credit:  Emily Brun

Ramen had a great time and he was given an Award of Merit.  

Photo Credit: LoriSwissRanger

Pretty good for our first show in 16 months.  :-D

The Lyndhurst Estate was an absolutely gorgeous venue.  If you're ever in the area of New York City, I recommend taking the tour.  I believe they are open for these sort of things now.

Photo Credit:  Emily Brun

Photo Credit:  Emily Brun

Photo Credit:  Emily Brun

Photo Credit:  Emily Brun

It was a long 3-day drive each way from Colorado to New York.  Fortunately the weather was favorable and we had a few stops to rest and visit with friends and family along the way.

I do think that next time I'll either bring a second driver or break the trip into smaller chunks.... 10 hours of driving each day plus stops was very long for one person.

That being said, June is a beautiful time to take a road trip across the US... everything was very green.  We saw parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey.

Most of the people I met were friendly and most of the rest areas were at least partially welcoming to dogs.

There were a lot of wind turbines in IA, which I found to be quite encouraging.... 

and one of their rest areas was a monument to the history of wind energy.

Hubba and I have been exceptionally careful during the COVID-19 Global Pandemic.  Neither of us have gotten sick and we are both now fully-vaccinated,  The Westminster Kennel Club took individual safety seriously, which is why I decided to make this trip.

I was prepared to wear a mask during the entire event and wore my mask anytime I was outside of the car or hotel room along the way.

This year's event was not benched nor was it open to the public.  However, each entry was allowed to bring one person to help and all were ticketed.

Everyone in attendance completed a health screening that morning and had their temperature taken prior to being admitted to the grounds.  Vaccine status and Negative Covid Test Results were also validated.

Those who were fully-vaccinated were given a green wristband and allowed to go mask-less.  All others were expected to wear masks.  I wore mine most of the time that we were at the venue with the exception of actual competition.

You can watch the Tibetan Mastiff breed judging video here.  Either we started early, or the broadcast started late.  Tibetan Mastiffs were the first breed in our ring on Sunday and Ramen was the first dog of the day.

I'm happy that my first WKC was held in this way.  Next year will be in January, benched, and back at the Piers and Madison Square Garden, which means the crowds will also be back.  But it also means it will be much less hot.  ;-)

Fiber Arts Friday: Tour de Fleece 2021, part 1

It's nearly Tour de Fleece time again.

As usual, the Tour de Fleece runs parallel to the Tour de France, June 26 - July 18, 2021.

With moving house/farm and preparing for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, my spinning has taken a slight back seat.... so much that only now have I decided on my plans for this year.

As usual, I have joined the Chiengora Team and my goal is very simply to spin chiengora each day the Tour rides.  I have no time, length, other quantity, or achievement goals this year.

I am offering a Last A** Across the Pass award for the last place spinner in our Chiengora Group.

Currently I have Hog Island for SE2SE on the go as well as some Tibetan Mastiff (Ramen) intended for a knit cardigan.  I will wind-off the current TM single prior to the start of the TdF, so I am beginning with a blank slate.

If you enjoy spinning, are interested in improving your skills, or just gaining basic skills, please consider joining us or another team for the Tour de Fleece.  Teams are listed under Wildcard Signup.  There are teams covering many different interests, languages, and locations.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!!

Dog Show: Westminster!

Our last dog show was  February 2020, right before the Covid Pandemic began.  Our next one is Westminster!

Yes, Ramen and I are heading to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show!

This year is different due to Covid.... The show is outside, at a Mansion north of NYC, without crowds, in June.... instead of at Madison Square Garden and Piers 92/94 in NYC, packed full with people, in February.

Broadcast Schedule is here.  Sunday Groups and Best in Show will be broadcast on regular FOX, where the earlier events are FOX Cable Channels (FS1 and FS2) and breed judging is streaming at https://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/ during the day.

Tibetan Mastiffs are in Ring 2, at 9am ET, on Sunday.  

If you want to watch other breed judging and events, you can find the details in the WKC 2021 Judging Schedule as follows:

·  Friday, June 11:

o Agility

·  Saturday, June 12:

o Agility Finals

o Junior Showmanship - handlers are broken out by age and judged on their handling skills, rather than the dogs' conformation.

o Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting, and Herding Breeds during the day - - pages 10-11, 13-19

o Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting, and Herding Groups in the evening

·  Sunday, June 13:

o Obedience

o Junior Showmanship Finals

o Sporting, Working, Terrier Breeds during the day - - pages 20-21, 21-27

o Sporting, Working, Terrier Groups in the evening

o Best in Show

The program includes all of the general information as well as history of the show.  There is also more information on the Agility competition.

Context:

Westminster is the second longest, continuously-held sporting event in the US, behind the Kentucky Derby.

·  This year is the 145th WKC Dog Show.

·  This year's KY Derby was the 147th.

·  Later this year will be the 125th Boston Marathon.

The Top 5 Dogs of each breed are invited, along with each breed's National Specialty Winner.  Then entrants are accepted up to a maximum number; this year is 2500.

100% of the dogs entered this year completed their Championships ahead of entering WKC.

There are dogs entered from each of the 50 states, 2 territories, and 10 other countries.

The largest entry is Golden Retrievers at 44.