PJpupp: We had a bunch of fun Sunday, April 26, at the Lomita Obedience Training Club match. Mommy was in charge of the raffle so we got up super early so we’d be at the park at 6 a.m. to set up for the day. Mei was with us, so she got all of our crates out (and the blankies for the little dogs), while Mommy bossed people around and put out TONS of raffle prizes. Mei started selling tickets around 8 a.m. and then went off to show in conformation.

Rickie Roo: She didn’t show ME!

Gigi: Me EITHER.

PJpupp: Nope, she went off to show Ruby an Irish Red and White Setter. She won the High Jr. Handler award for her efforts, and got a trophy that was a cut crystal dog bowl that says ”spoiled” on it!

Gigi: That’s what they should have given Roo – a SPOILED bowl.

Rickie Roo: I am NOT spoiled!

Gigi: You are too. You are spoiled and NAUGHTY.

PJpupp: That’s not very nice, Gigi. You be nice to your sister.

Gigi: But she is naughty. Her crate in the car even says so. Hers says ”naughty” and mine says “nice.”

PJpupp: That’s true. But you don’t need to bark at her in that tone. I think you need to apologize to your sister.

Rickie Roo: YEAH APOLOGIZE … HA hahahaha – Gigi has to apologize, Gigi has to apologize, Gigi has to apologize to ME!

[Gigi, not caring for Roo's little song one bit, but not wanting to get in trouble with PJ, lowers her head just a bit and says nothing.]

Rickie Roo [runs around in circles]: I’m Sorry, I’m sorry, I’m waiting for an “I’m sorry.”

[Gigi has a naughty Gigi in her head saying, "Give her something to be sorry about!" The good Gigi in her head says, "Ignore her."]

Gigi: Do I have to PJ?

Rickie Roo: HA HA ha ha ha HA HA!

PJpupp: No, you don’t Gigi. Rickie Roo does not deserve an apology with that behavior. Both of you are giving me a headache.

[Gigi goes up to PJpupp and licks her teeth -- even the ones waaay in the back.]

Gigi: Sorry PJpupp …

Rickie Roo [Seeing that Gigi is getting all of the attention, joins Gigi in the lick-fest]:  Me too, PJ!

PJPupp: Stop! I do not want my teeth cleaned. I want to work on our blog! Go off and play. Now where was I? Oh yes, Mei won High Jr. Handler and got a fancy rosette and a fancy bowl. Then it was time for Mommy to show Rickie Roo in handling.

Rickie Roo: I was a show dog! I remembered all the stuff my breeder Gramma Barbie taught me when I was a tiny puppy. I stood still and got treats. I walked around the ring in a big triangle on a tiny little string. I didn’t see any jumps or tunnels to do, so I just walked around. I’m not so sure about this kind of dog showing, there is a lot of standing around.

PJpupp: Yes, Roo. In conformation, there is a lot of standing around for the dog. Because you are a small dog, mommy kneeled down to show you.

Rickie Roo: I think I like agility better. I get to run and have lots of fun. Standing still is kind of boring.

PJpupp: I can understand that,Roo. You are a busy girl and standing still isn’t easy for you. But I called your Gramma Barbie to tell her how well you did, and how someone said what a nice free stack you had. She said what looks like a nice free stack is really just good conformation. If a dog is built right it’s natural to stand like that.

Rickie Roo: What the heck does that mean?

Gigi: Dummy. That means you are built good. That all your bones, muscles and stuff naturally make you stand pretty.

Rickie Roo: Yeah. I’m build just like my daddy! His name is Who!

Gigi: Who?

Rickie Roo: My daddy.

Gigi: Who’s your daddy?

Rickie Roo: Yep, that’s right.

Gigi: I mean WHO is your daddy?

Rickie Roo: It’s Who!

Gigi: WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? WHO’S YOUR DADDY?

PJpupp: Gigi, Rickie Roo’s daddy is named Who. His fancy show name is Kisme Turn Who Are You? They call him Who.

Gigi: That’s a mouthful.

Rickie Roo: See! I told you Who’s my daddy!

Gigi: I don’t know who my daddy is… maybe Who’s my daddy, too?

PJpupp: Gigi Who is not your daddy. Who is Rickie Roo’s daddy. Your daddy came from another breeder. That breeder sold you to a family, and then the next thing anyone knows is that you were left outside a grocery store. Then you were taken to the Harbor Animal Shelter where Mommy got you. Someone said that you looked just like a Rat Terrier, so she wrote to the Rat Terrier Club of America and sent a photo. They wrote back and said that yes you were a Rat Terrier and then gave mommy some info on breeders with a suggestion of which breeder you possibly came from. Because Gigi has a long tail and front dew claws it was easy to narrow down the options. Then Mommy wrote to a specific breeder who wrote back and said that yes, Gigi was likely one of his dogs, but then Mommy never heard from him again. So we never got to find out who Gigi’s real doggy mommy and daddy were.

Rickie Roo: Who’s my daddy! My doggie mommy is Laredo! Is Who your daddy too, PJpupp?

PJpupp: Rickie Roo, Who can not be my daddy. I’m a Border Collie. Who is a Rat Terrier.

Gigi: Well who is your daddy then, PJpupp?

Rickie Roo: She just said Who was NOT her daddy Gigi, weren’t you listening?

Gigi: I was asking which dog was her daddy, Roo. Pay attention.

PJpupp: No one knows, Gigi. My mommy was a dog that showed up at vets Dr. Rudy and Dr. Judy’s house and had puppies in the rain. I was one of 9 puppies. Mommy picked me out and a few weeks later took me home.

Gigi: So I’m not the only one that doesn’t know their daddy’s name?

PJpupp: No you aren’t Gigi.

Rickie Roo: Who’s MY Daddy.

PJpupp: We know that, Roo. Anyway … Rickie Roo’s daddy is a top conformation show dog. And Rickie Roo’s sister is a top conformation show dog, too.

Gigi: How come Rickie Roo is an agility dog then?

Rickie Roo: Cause I’m naughty! Naughty as can be! Even my teeth are NAUGHTY!

PJpupp [laughs as only a doggie can]: That’s right, Rickie Roo. You were kept by your Gramma Barbie to be a conformation dog too, but when you were six months old your teeth went the tiniest bit crooked, so Gramma Barbie decided to let you be an agility dog with Mommy. Mommy was so happy! She says that Roo is the best birthday present she ever got.

Gigi: Ever?

PJpupp: That’s what she says.

Rickie Roo: Wow. That’s a LOT of birthdays. I might have been a birthday present, but I was a conformation dog yesterday! I can be both!

PJpupp: Yes, Rickie Roo. You were a conformation dog yesterday. Our club had a match and since Mommy is in the club, she helped the club at the match. Usually you are at an agility trial since Mommy is an agility trainer, so when you came to live with us you became an agility dog instead. There is only one mommy and she can’t be at two kinds of shows at the same time. You did very well and earned a first place and a Best of Opposite Sex.

Rickie Roo: What does that mean?

PJpupp: That means that a boy dog beat you for best of breed but that you were the best girl at the show.

Rickie Roo: GRRRRRRRRRRRRR! I don’t want a boy to beat me!

PJpupp: Even if it’s Chili Dog?

Rickie Roo: YEP! Even if it’s Chili Dog! I wanna WIN!

Gigi: But you got the prettier ribbon, Rickie Roo! Yours was pink, Chili dog got a purple ribbon.

Rickie Roo: Pink Sucks. I want Purple.

PJpupp: That’s not a good attitude to have, Rickie Roo. Part of being a show dog is having good sportsmanship. For both the handlers and the dogs. Plus, Chili Dog is your brother now and Mei’s dog. Mei and Chili Dog earned that purple ribbon together, do you want to take the ribbon away from Mei?

Rickie Roo: No! Not from Mei. But from Chili Dog I do!

PJpupp: They come as a team. Kind of like in agility– it takes two to compete in a dog show. If you take that ribbon from Chili Dog you take it from Mei too.

Gigi [trying to change the subject a bit]: I got a ribbon, too. A red one. Our friend Jean, Gremmie the Berner’s mommy, showed me.

Rickie Roo: Yeah, how come I got stuck with Mommy as a handler? At least Jean knew what she was doing in the conformation ring!

PJpupp: ROO! That’s not nice at all. Mommy did her best with you. She can’t help it if she’s better at agility than in conformation.

Rickie Roo: I bet if Jean had shown me I would have gotten the purple ribbon. Gigi stole my handler! GRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Gigi: I did not. She was assigned to me. I was sad that Mommy was showing you. Next year, you wanna trade?

Rickie Roo: OK! Hey, maybe next year we should give Chili Dog to Mommy so both of us beat him! Then both of us can have a purple ribbon.

PJpupp: Rickie, only one dog per breed gets that purple ribbon. So both of you can’t get it. Once you earn the purple ribbon at the show you move on to the group. For your breed it was the Terrier group. Chili dog did his best, but he got second in the group. A Cairn Terrier beat him.

Gigi: I bet it was because that Cairn Terrier’s mom had a dog comb in her hair and Mei didn’t. Everyone knows the top handlers have dog combs sticking out of their pony tails, and hairbrushes sticking out of their back pockets. If Mei had a comb sticking out of her head then maybe Chili would have won the group and maybe even Best in Match!

Rickie Roo: Yeah. I bet that’s what it was. That darn comb. I’ll tell Mei to do that next year.

PJpupp: But girls, Rat Terriers don’t need combs to be groomed. You get soft little brushes. It wouldn’t make sense for a Rat Terrier handler to have a comb sticking out of her hairdo unless she was showing a breed that needed a comb.

Rickie Roo: SO WHAT??? I’m gonna make my handler wear a comb in her hair EVERY time I do conformation!

Gigi: We only do it once a year, Roo – you’ll forget by then.

Rickie Roo: No, I won’t.

Gigi: Yes, you will.

Rickie Roo: No, I won’t.

PJpupp: Either way girls, all of you Rat Terriers were there so your little friend Courage would have other Rat Terriers in the ring with her. She’s only six months old and did great! And all of us got massages from Earlene right at the dog show!

Gigi: I’m just glad all those raffle prizes went to other peoples’ houses. We were out of room.

Rickie Roo: Yeah! It’s terrible having all sorts of yummy things in packages sitting just out of reach. I’m glad they all went home with someone else, too!

Gigi: Hey, Roo! I just remembered we won some cookies in the raffle. Lets go have a snack.

Rickie Roo: COOKIES?

PJPupp: COOKIES! Sure! Let’s go. I’m done with our blog anyway!