The time came. This was it. Our first real AKC conformation show! Initially, we had planned to attend both Saturday and Sunday; however, we ended up having to skip Saturday for family obligations.
We traveled the 5 hours from home, landing ourselves in a cheap (pro) hotel at 11 pm (con) on Saturday evening. We wish we could say that the hotel made it easy for us to relax and unwind, but lessons have been learned, and as much as we value a good deal, there is something about not having mold in your bathroom and holes punched into drywall that just makes your traveling experience that much better… Not to mention, Cedric was on high alert with the noise we could hear from outside and neighboring rooms. Can’t say we were off to a great start.
We arrived at the Summit County Fairgrounds in Tallmadge, Ohio, on Sunday morning, tired and stressed. Sleep was not plentiful, Cedric refused to go to the bathroom, and we lacked sufficient coffee. Thankfully, there were fellow “corgi people” who helped make us feel welcome as we set up.
We were not sure what we were doing, not really. The biggest obstacle we faced was simply having enough time for Cedric to adjust and feel comfortable. We knew this was going to be a challenge, but we also knew that our nerves were feeding into his responses, too.
We had entered 3 different classes, and we did win all 3, but the truth is, we were unopposed! While it was a good experience to have had, we definitely wish we had entered classes that would have competed against others to provide us with more insight.
As a whole, the experience behind the scenes was intense. Breeders and handlers congratulating each other to their face, then turning around to talk to others about their dog’s faults or a judge’s favoritism. It felt like we were in high school all over again, witnessing cliques of mean girls and backhanded compliments.
That said, there were good eggs mixed into the bunch, too. We did meet lovely people who had wonderful animals, who did seem genuine and were there for the right reasons. What are those reasons? Because they love their dog, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi breed, and want to go the distance.
At the end of the day, these shows are what you make them. We took away what we needed, including a banana bed for Cedric. Someone we met there put it best – at the conclusion of the show, everyone goes home with the best dog. We wholeheartedly agree.