Thanksgiving weekend show in Yuma

Gracie was entered in four days of dog shows starting the day after Thanksgiving. So Thanksgiving day found us on the road to Yuma, Arizona. We put a turkey breast in the crock pot, using a recipe that would make the turkey, gravy and stuffing all together, and had that cooking as we traveled down the road.

Once we got to the Yuma Fairgrounds where the show was being held and got ourselves set up for the weekend, the turkey feast was ready to go.

As for the show, we had a great time. Our friends Tish and Orville were there and we had fun getting to know some other Norwich exhibitors better.

We showed Gracie the first day and she was second in her class. The next day, she took first in her class and then went Winner's "female dog" which means she got points towards her championship. It takes 15 points to become a champion and the number of points a dog earns at each show is determined by the number of dogs competing in that breed. Among the 15 points, you have to earn two "major wins" of 3 - 5 points (5 being the max available at any show no matter how many dogs are entered). So once you get to 9 points without any majors, the dog is said to be "singled out" meaning it needs majors now to finish its championship. 1 or 2 point wins won't help. After Saturday's win, Gracie is now singled out. Now we need to find shows with a big enough entry for major wins. So we didn't show Sunday or Monday. If she had won the points, it wouldn't help her and it would take points away from another dog who could use them. Plus, if truth be told, we had early morning ring times on Sunday and Monday and I'm not a fan of early.

Our next show will be Palm Springs in early January and we're hoping for a big entry there.