Big D - Disapointing Day 3

Yes, today was a big disappointment.  A real bummer of a Fourth of July.  But now that the pouting is over there is hope for tomorrow (as Scarlett O'Hara would say), and I do have a sweet story to share.  So, all is not lost.

It was up very early this morning for the first doggie walk and then ring time was 8:00 a.m.  I felt Bentley looked fairly good and we were ready to maybe have a win.  There were three dogs in his class, all creams.  In fact, there were 6 creams showing today which I've never seen before, but what fun to see them all together! 

But as soon as we walked into the ring everything just seemed wrong.  He didn't want to walk right, which happens a lot.  The first thing that frazzled me was that as I put him on the table to stack I realized that somehow he had picked up a piece of what looked like masking tape on his under carriage.  Oh no, my thoughts were that he had walked around the ring in front of the judge with that stuck on him!  I was so shook up that the judge asked me if I was nervous!  Well, yes I am now that I've realized I've got this dog that had a piece of masking tape stuck on him up here and now he doesn't want to stand here like he is supposed to.  Am I nervous?  Oh, just a little was my polite reply.  She gave us third place out of three dogs.  I wanted to cry.

So I pouted all day, felt sorry for myself, frustrated that I don't know what I'm doing, pout, pout, pout.  But we stayed at the show pretty much all day.  I shopped a little at the many vendors and consoled myself with purchasing a new top that is a bright pink color.  I bought Bentley a bag of chicken strip treats made by Pro Plan to console him (ha ha), but in truth they smelled good and had good ingredients in them.  He liked the sample, so we quickly opened our bag so he could have another piece.

Now that the disappointment has ebbed I've remembered some of the adages I've always heard and used at times like this. 
That's the way the cookie crumbles.
When life gives you scraps make quilts or if it's lemons then make lemonade.
This is a hard pill to swallow.

But while watching some of the group competition this afternoon I remembered Winston Churchill's famous advice to never, ever give up.  I've determined to use this as a turning point.  We may not do any better tomorrow, but that doesn't mean we will quit and go home.  There's something here in this "dog show thing" that calls to me and I'm determined to stay with it.  And, I am a woman who puts her mind to doing what she determines to do!

Now, here's the sweet story.  During the early afternoon Bentley and I were relaxing in our decorated grooming space.  I was knitting and he was in the crate, supposed to be resting, when a young couple and a boy about 11 or 12 years old walked by.  The woman was carrying a small crate and all three were just beaming.  Ah, I thought they have come to pick up a puppy!  Now, I do have to note that the show expressly prohibits selling puppies at the show and exhibitors at these shows follow all rules scrupulously. So, I suspect that this family had already selected and paid for the puppy and were picking it up now that it was ready for its forever home.   I saw them reach a lady at the end of the row and there was hand shaking and smiles on both sides.  Then a little later I noticed the seller cuddling what looked like a Maltese puppy, probably just about 3 months old.  I wondered why they would choose a Maltese and if they had had another one that was dearly loved and had passed on recently. Some time later they walked back by, still beaming but now their expressions had changed from anticipation to celebration.  The man was carrying the carrier with the little white fur ball inside.  The lady had a bag of puppy food and the boy had a little blanket and a goody bag.  I had to smile as they walked by with their new family member!  How hard for that little baby to leave the only human he/she had known and his secure little world, but I could tell that he/she would quickly be enveloped in a loving human family.