It was Puusti the Dog's big day on the stage, and he didn't disappoint. Well, my wife was disappointed, even though she said prior that she wasn't expecting to win something. As I said, Puusti is not a show dog, but the breeder wanted to put him into a show. Obviously it is good for her to get evaluations and ribbons and the like for the dogs she breeds, and since this show wasn't far from our home, it was fine.
I wasn't expecting it to be such a big show, but the carpark was full and a tent village had been set up in the centre of a horse racing track. There were all kinds of dogs, but only one type of people.
I am not judging (yes I am) but the people who go to these shows are crazy, and they take them so seriously. They are set up with their tables and their dog strollers, and of course their tents and camper chairs and all kinds of grooming equipment (depending on the breed of dog and owner), and spend their time fussing about, but not really talking to the competition. I got the impression that I shouldn't go and talk to or pat any of the other dachshunds.
This fellow above is Mauri. He won stuff today.
We were asked to get there a couple hours early so that Puusti could get used to the surroundings, since he is a bit of a handful at the best of times. In the end, Puusti's "show" was about an hour late and the breeder had three dogs in different categories. Both the other two won things.
There were only two dogs in Puusti's - including Puusti.
He won nothing.
But I don't think the other dog won anything either. However, Puusti got the highest quality rating for his age, so that can go into his paper or something. There was also the negative of having a "strong will" which means, stubborn as fuck. When he was being walked around the ring, he decided a couple times he wasn't having a bar of this nonsense and just laid down.
They say that people resemble their dogs, and I reckon it is probably true, because there were a lot of dogs there and sometimes it was hard to know who was owner, and who was pet. I didn't take photos of them, for obvious reasons. Yet, there was definitely a general type of person who were willing to show their dogs like this.
Fair enough - whatever gives you jollies I guess. And there are far worse things people could be doing and at least from the appearances, these dogs are well treated and loved by their owners and families. And, whilst it really seemed that the vast majority of those presenting were women, their husbands and partners were there in support, lugging around the copious amounts of baggage required.
I am sure they have a lot of hidden baggage too.
And well, this final picture sums up Puusti as a show dog.
Enthusiastic, but not cut from the winner circle cloth.
Taraz
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