The View From Cloud 9

It's been one helluva fun ride this year with Capri. From the first photos Nancy sent of a little fuzz-butt strutting her stuff through the puppy pen, to the wild child who arrived at the Calgary International Airport ... the first few ASCA baby shows, and then her exciting premiere in the CKC show ring at 6 months of age.

Multi Best of Breed wins, multiple Group placements, and an incredible seven wins in the Puppy Group ... this past weekend in our hometown at the Calgary Kennel & Obedience Club, our final show of the year and Capri's last as a puppy ... Team Capri did it! Under Mr. Jack Ireland she won Best Puppy In Show! To say this was a dream come true, a thrill of a lifetime, doesn't even begin to touch on the emotion and pride that I'm filled with.

I questioned myself the last couple of weeks, wondering whether I was doing a good enough job with this little girl. Am I the handler to take her to her next big win? Is she a dog who should be out with a professional handler? Do a little bit of ringside nerves sometimes get the best of us? Thanks to encouraging words from Nancy and some dear friends, I realized that I am the other half of Team Capri, and I am the only one I want to see at the end of the lead. The confidence this young bitch has instilled in me, the fun we have together, is something that is ours and ours alone.

I've received so many wonderful compliments on Capri from the judges we've shown to, and from so many others in the fancy who stop by our set-up to tell me how much they admire her in the ring. How can I not be encouraged to shoot for the stars?

And shoot we did! Right down to the last minute, her last show as a puppy, and she pulled out all the stops. Standing outside the ring watching the Best In Show competition, thinking about the next round, Best Puppy in Show, I knew I could only be proud of what we've accomplished together this first year. I could tell Capri was feeling it, too ... her usual bratty but focused self, giving me beautiful free-stacks, not feeling any nerves or tension from me, just a calm, determined feeling of "let's get 'er done". Win or not, I was still taking the best dog home. Setting her up, hand-stacking, down n'back, and gaiting on the go-round ... this is it, baby. To look up and see Mr. Ireland extend his palm toward and us and say those words I've been dying to hear, "The Australian Shepherd", there are no words to capture the excitement I feel. But WHOOOPEEEEEEE does come close!

Happy Trails ... Theresa

and from Waco to the North Pole

Hard to accept that just a month ago, I was sweltering in 100 degree heat in Texas. It's a miserable morning in southern Alberta and hasn't really stopped snowing in 3 days. Light snow, on and off, but blowing and drifting and just plain awful.

The arrival of Ol' Man Winter always changes things up for the dogs. Niki and Hannah aren't really crazy about being outside, so quickly do their potty business and then usually hang out with me. Niki's getting arthritic and less stable on her feet than in her younger years and really prefers a cozy spot on the floor in my office. Capri LOVES it outside and I almost have to drag her in a couple of times a day just to thaw out in her crate. Bridger and Gracin are usually right out there with her. The others, Belle and Paisley, are in and out and in and out all day. Newt and Deets, no real preference, usually just wherever I'm at and when it's this cold and windy, I'm inside!

Winter and winter road conditions also bring about a new set of worries as there are still shows we attend; fortunately, everything close to home now. Two more sets of shows before Capri ages out of the puppy class with Lethbridge this weekend and Calgary next and then that's it for a month or so. One more thing I have to remember to pack into the van, boots, parka, toque, snow scraper.

I have a wonderful group of puppy owners who keep me updated with news of their Aussie furkids, and frequently share photos. And this incredible shot, I have to share with you.


I think Wendy captured the true spirit of this incredible breed ... their zest for life, abundance of energy, loyalty and companionship whether with humans or their canine buddy, and love for the great outdoors, even in the winter.

Happy Trails ... Theresa

The Road To Waco ... and back again

It's already been 2 weeks since our return home from The Big Trip, and time to update y'all. I left here on Saturday October 16, and went as far as Regina to spend the night with Kelly of Risk N'Hope Australian Shepherds. Kelly and I convoyed south from her place, getting an early start on Sunday morning. It was cold and dreary and a little rainy, and without any Tim Horton's in sight after the first 2 hours, I was worried it would be a looooong trip. The border crossing was relatively uneventful though they did have us both pull over to go through our coolers, ensuring we weren't smuggling any of that nasty Canadian beef. Just as we were departing, the inspector said to me, "you've really got a long trip ahead of you". Thanks, cuz I hadn't already thought of that.

We spent the first night in Fargo, North Dakota at a Motel 6, the shangri-la of dog-friendly accommodations ... some not so shangri-la as others. With the first 513 miles down, we headed out the next morning and went as far as Kansas City, MO, another nearly 600 miles, and more Motel 6. More grey, drizzly, chilly weather too. Sheesh, we're heading south, where's the sunshine? After a further 513 miles that day, we finally arrived around suppertime in the pretty little town of Denton, TX ... sunshine, heat, and our first stop at Target! We had a really nice supper at a pizza/pasta buffet restaurant, then chatted with multiple other dog-owning guests at our now favorite Motel 6. Due to meet Shelley's flight into Dallas Fort Worth airport at 1 PM, and only 45 minutes away from there, we were able to enjoy a slow morning packing up the vehicles and then hitting the local Walmart, Target, Payless, and one of my favorites, Chick-Fil-A, for lunch. Shelley arrived on time, we met up with her easily, and off we headed to complete the final leg of our journey a further few hours south to Waco.

Upon arriving in Waco, we realized we didn't have the actual street address for the fairgrounds. There were a couple of locals working under the hood of a pick-up truck so I pulled over and made Shelley get out to ask directions. You go, no you go, okay I'll go. She got directions no problem, but the feller had to inform her through missing teeth, "the faaaair aaaaiiiin't ooohhhnnn". We had a few good laughs over that one. Pulling into the fair grounds, we were right away greeted by my sweet little friend Katherine, whose mother owns Capri's dad, Austin. We found our reserved stalls and got busy setting up and decorating a' la Canuck.

Pre-shows started right away the next morning with both Capri and Finn in their respective puppy classes, both at the EXACT same time. Grooming like crazy, trying to get them both ready, rushing over to the conformation building, just to hurry up and wait. I had my friend Brent Kindred take Finn in the ring as I didn't want to miss Katherine in with Capri. Finn placed Fourth out of 7 puppies and did so well with Brent, filling these 2 grannies with pride.

Not only did Team Capri make me proud, they made me cry as Capri won FIRST out of a very competitive class of fifteen 9-12 month bitches. Into the ring later in the day for Belle, but no love for our pretty blue girl. A repeat in the 2nd pre-show with another FIRST for Capri and Fourth for Finn, and with Katherine at the helm, also a Fourth for Belle. Tally at the end of the week, Capri FIRST x2 and Fourth x2 (including Puppy Sweeps), for Finn Fourth x4 (including puppy sweeps), and a Fourth for Belle in the pre-show.

With Belle somehow re-injuring her chronic iliopsoas (lower back/groin) muscle strain, coming into season, and feeling just plain crappy due to her intolerance of the heat, Nancy and I made the decision to pull her from the next 2 shows. My poor little girl just wasn't herself. Capri also ended up falling victim to the dreaded "dog show crud", didn't eat for 3 days, and puked and pooped her way through the remainder of the trip.


All in all, we had a very enjoyable trip with wonderful results from our 2nd ASCA Nationals. Shelley and I pledged that we were going to "eat our way across Texas", and I think we made a pretty darn good effort. Mexican cuisine most nights, a margarita or two, and even chicken fried steak for breakfast, we certainly enjoyed ourselves.

Looking at this collection of beautiful rosettes, I'd say the Casselcreek/Buff Cap kids held their own in the breed ring, too.

Packing up and getting ready to leave wasn't as nearly as big a job as I'd anticipated, though saying our good-byes to special people is never easy. Once again, my dear friend and mentor, Nancy Gagnon of Buff Cap, made the week just that much more special, and I hope we made you proud. It was our pleasure to meet the lovely Francine (Katherine's mom, Austin's owner), to reconnect with Brent Kindred, and make new friends in so many others.

Of course, attending an ASCA Nationals isn't only about the serious dog show stuff (note, tongue in cheek) and the week was topped off with a fun-filled banquet, including a little chicken dance. That's all I'm gonna say ... what happens in Waco, stays in Waco (right, Shelley?)

Happy Trails ... Theresa