Above: Julie Harris showing J & A's Sassafras Rose Harris
And a good time was had by all! The Second Annual New England Sporting Group Association (NESGA) Dog Show this past weekend in Fitchburg was a testimony to the versatility of all sporting breeds, to the exceptional breeding behind the dogs in New England, and also a whole lot of fun! Julie drove down with J & A’s Sassafras Rose Harris (Sassy – who is out of Molly and Pride & Joy’s White Smoke ’06 litter and also a titled Flyball champion). John was grillmeister for us while we finished grooming the dogs and cooked up a stack of mouth watering steaks! J & A’s Soaring White Sequoia (Scooby!), Sassy, Julie and I headed out early Saturday morning and hit light snow/freezing rain so the driving was a little tricky at first. We did feel like all we needed to do was add a rocking chair to the top of my van as we were all packed up just the Clampets of Beverly Hillbillies! We were loaded with every imaginable piece of dog paraphernalia, coolers of food, our show clothes, plus two dog crates. We arrived in time to get the dogs and ourselves ready for the ring. This show was exclusively for sporting dogs. Scooby showed well both days in the puppy sweepstakes and the puppy dog regular classes for his age group. Already at 10 months Scooby is at the top of the Brittany standard for size and his markings and color are not typical so Scooby’s show ‘career’ may be quite brief! But I was very proud to show him regardless because he is Timberdoodles pup. It was a wonderful socialization experience for Scooby.
I was also quite proud to watch another J & A’s Brittany in the ring as Sassy was shown by Julie in the Gun Dog classes both days! Because Sassy won first place in “Amateur Walking Puppy” field trial last fall, she qualified to be shown in the Gun Dog class – open to spayed/neutered dogs. She placed second on Saturday, and first on Sunday – and represented the Brittany breed in the Best Gun Dog in Show!!! What an experience for Julie and Sassy – never having been in a dog show before and ended up competing at that level! And I can only say I had tears in my eyes, a lump in my throat as I watched a special friend show her special J & A’s pup joyfully and proudly.
The Central Maine Brittany Club was represented by Julie (our newest director) Pam (VP of Show) and me which was quite fun. Pam, with more experience, is always happy to help us out. Her dog “Gibson” is a handsome male and he won his classes on both days too, showing very well. Gibby is the star of the wonderful movie “The 12 Dogs of Christmas” so we always like to remind people that there is a movie star in our midst when he is around. Perhaps the most fun was had back in our hotel room where all 6 of us enjoyed an evening of good food, good fun, and lots of laughter! We’ve decided to do this again together in the near future ;o).
When Julie and I got back to Acton late Sunday night, John had a nice New England Boiled Dinner all cooked and waiting for us – it was delicious. Our 33rd anniversary is today – St. Patrick’s Day – so we’ll continue to celebrate this evening by going out to dinner! Julie headed out early this morning with Sassy to return to Bangor. And I am enjoying the reunion here with all things Brittany – especially the one with John. Personally, I thank God for the many years we have spent together, raising our family and now raising the dogs. He’s a wonderful man, that one in a million guy so many hope for. I am blessed in a multitude of ways. God Bless, Ann, John and All Things Brittany PS I'll put up more pictures as they become available. My camera was not cooperative but Julie took some on hers too.
