Kayla's year so far

Well I guess it is about time I got this blog started! We didn't have a great start to our year, mostly due to me losing my nerve about the idea of showing.

Our first shows ............ Or not!

I eventually decided to get back on the horse to to speak so planned 2 shows for February. However I then pulled out thinking Kayla was having a silent season.

Kayla's First Race .......... Or not!

We then turned our attention to racing and decided that we would make the Scottish Husky Club Race meet at Quithel Kayla's first race. We trained hard and took her out training with friends in preparation. Quithel is the last race of the season so we thought it would be a great way to see how much work was needed to start racing in earnest next year. Madam Kayla however had other ideas and decided to come into season, ever the awkward little girl! We kept fingers crossed that Kayla would have a textbook season and finish in time for her big race.

Well you guessed it no textbook season, we held on till the day before the meet before making the decision to pull out of the race. We were gutted all that work and even the effort of getting a caravan so that high maintenence mum would agree to camp out and sample the Quithel meet party atmosphere. We decided to salvage the weekend by taing the caravan to Aberlour and testing it out to see if it was worth buying for the next rally season.

So I guess you are probably thinking at this point nothing else could go wrong? We all enjoy our night in the caravan (the girls love this being allowed up on the sofa for cuddles idea) but Kayla decides the gas fire is really interesting and would be nice to cuddle. Disaster we now have a husky with a singed coat all down one side and our first show is in 2 weeks cue hysterical mam!

Kayla's First Show arrives at last!

April 4th comes and we send Kayla to the groomers hoping her coat can be sorted and she won't come out clipped like a poodle! Thankfully the groomer does a great job, she has managed to brush out all of Kayla's dead hair (including most of the singed hair) and thankfully she doesn't look like a poodle although she does smell a bit like an old lady who visited the salon.

April 5th ............. Scottish Siberian Husky Open Show

We arrive and bump straight into our breeders who are delighted with how Kayla has grown up and tell us that she is looking stunning and is going home with them after the show! Our aim for this show was to improve my confidence by me not embarassing myself and to hopefully at least get placed. Our breeder gives me some great tips for standing Kayla better and a kind friend of theirs lends us a better show lead.

We are in the ring and I recognise some of the breeders I always see in the placings for all the Scottish shows so it's stiff competition! I do my best to keep calm and pray that Kayla behaves. Well she was an absolute angel and show off, she was alert, stood reasonably well (look I am a perfectionist if a leg is even a millimetre out of place I stress), she moved beautifully (so I am told) and she behaved for the judge - no sitting or acting up while she is going over her. Well much to my shock she gets 1st in her class Junior Bitch. Us and her breeders are overjoyed and her little brother also takes 1st in Junior dog.

So the day wears on and we anxiously await our first time ever having to compete against other winners - its Best Bitch in Show time. I wasn't expecting much from this was just chuffed to be in that line up. Our breeders Champion Bitch took Best Bitch in Show (no surprise there she is a one off and wins everything she goes in!). Well you could have knocked me over with a feather when the judge gave Kayla Reserve Best Bitch in Show! I had to do my best not to burst into tears or pass out. Our breeder and us were so proud and at this point I thought I coudl just chill out and enjoy watching the end of the show......

Unsurprisingly our breeder won Best in Show so imagine my surprise when my breeder grabs hold of me and shouts back in the ring! The rotten so and so's hadn't dare tell me that if they won I had to go back in the ring in case I had a nervous breakdown lol. The losing dog won Reserve Best in Show but Kayla loved one last chance at showing off!

Needless to say it was roast chicken dinner all round on Sunday night and Kayla is pleased as punch with herself.

Anyway apologies for the long rambling post but I am on cloud nine right now. Next stop SKC in May.