Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Off the Deep End

It's official, I've become a dog show whore. Today I ordered chalk and mousse for my dog - those are hair products.

January starts the winter showing season and Georgia and I will be out quite a bit. We are showing 3 days next week in Fredericksburg, VA. One day at the end of January in Doswell, VA. The first weekend in February we are journeying to Atlanta for a weekend of shows. It just goes on and on.

In order to do all these shows you need a boatload of equipment (or a Yacht-load, as that is what my mini van is known as - the Dawg Yacht). Tables, blow dryers, combs, brushes, collars, leads, crates, crate pads - it goes on and on. Then there is the "product." Shampoo, bodifier, Wella Kolestral, chalk. I don't use this much product in my own hair!

We won't even talk about what all this costs in entry fees, gas, hotels, etc. Anyone who thinks you can make money showing and breeding dogs is nuts. What you can do is make great friends, learn to win graciously, accept defeat gracefully and spend time with some of the best and sweetest animals on the planet.

I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

9 comments:

  1. Ha Ha Ha! My hair stylist loves me to regale her tales of my dog product purchases. Her favorite is Plush Puppy Puffy Dog! You are doomed :-)

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  2. Amen sister!! I think I personally own a bottle or two of hair spray. My dogs on the other hand own dozen's of bottles. Most are made for humans and cost a fortune. When we don't tow the travel trailer to shows with us it is interesting to see how everything fits in the vehicles.

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  3. And I thought *I* was high maintenance....

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  4. As I look at my "correct" coated Dewi compared to Puff Daddy Jon, I am mystified at this. Wow; all that for a "correct" coat? I am so naive about conformation.

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  5. As I explained to UHM - think of it like getting ready for a cocktail party. Of course you're going to spend a little more time on your hair and makeup. To which she replied - "I'm usually not being graded or judged at a cocktail party."

    My hair dresser loves it when I tell her I trimmed my own bangs but I used the dogs' scissors because they are sharper.

    I looked at Chris Christensen brushes today and nearly had heart failure. I just hope some of Georgia's product can be used on me too!

    Elizabeth - you might consider having Jon shaved for the summer. We keep his half-brother, Bogey, shaved and it makes dealing w/the fluff so much easier. If you do it, tell them to take him down to 1". That leaves him some protection from the sun and cold. We have B done 2x a year.

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  6. Do you come down i-75 to ATL? If so, you must stop by and see the Ocho! And the rest of us, of course. And as a bonus, I will let you scrounge through my dog show bag, which has every product ever sold that might fluff, pouf, straighten, shine, or otherwise be just what might be needed. This stuff will go bad before I ever use it.

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  7. I appreciate UHM's comment about not being judged or graded. I guess that depends on the cocktail party (especially the judged part) - which is why I don't go to many of those, either :)

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  8. Darn it! Captain Compass (aka UHM) says we'll be going down 85, not 75. We are on the wrong side of the mountain for 75. I really would have liked to see the Ocho and scrounge through the bag. Janet, do you want to meet us in Atlanta for dinner one night? UHM keeps talking about a Mexican place called Uncle Julio's (in Buckhead). She says they have the best margaritas in the state.

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  9. Good luck to Miss Georgia this weekend!

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