After wrapping our first show, we knew we wanted to continue doing as much as we could. Before we had that experience, we were admittedly nervous and unsure if this was going to be what we wanted to pursue. Sometimes, we have such a skilled way of getting into our own heads.
We were definitely slightly put off by the two-faced nature of some competitors, but we did not want to let that spoil what we had set out to do. In a weird way, it motivates us to keep going and campaign that much more for ourselves and our animals.
So, we did what anyone on this journey should do – signed up for another show! This time, we signed up for the Ohio Valley Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club‘s Specialty.
In between shows, we worked on some of the weaknesses that we felt we had during our first show in Tallmadge. Honestly, it was more of us working on ourselves and trying our best to be more confident in ourselves.
There was obviously some work on stacking time, positioning, showing bite, etc. All of the normal things that we think other folks probably do. We watched countless videos of Pembroke Welsh Corgis being judged at all the major shows. Why? It is a great way to work on and evaluate your own timing. More than that, it was reassuring to see that even professionals may have an off day when they have a lovely dog.
We were excited. We felt like nothing could stop us from marching into that specialty and taking it by storm (okay, maybe not that dramatic), but then we heard…a cough.
Over the course of the weeks between shows, we regularly attend open obedience classes with one of our local clubs. Nothing super fancy, but a place to practice with other animals and work on focus amongst distractions.
We believe that someone brought a sick dog to practice, hopefully unknowingly. As a result, every dog within our household ended up with a case of Canine Influenza. 3 days before our show, we wrote the show secretary and let them know we cancelled our trip and to be on the lookout for any potential cases from our area.
It was so incredibly frustrating, knowing that we wanted and needed this experience, and that we simply couldn’t have it. We know we did the responsible thing, we know we were correct in pulling our entry, but we’re still less than thrilled that we can’t be out there. We suppose this gives us more time to enroll in shows, so there is a bright side at least!