Woo hoo, another point for Hardy

Hardy got his second point today. Another handler's mom did the videotaping for us, which was very nice. That way we could hide behind a tree and watch Hardy. I did snap some stills. Here are the stills and a video. I put the full Best of Breed video on Youtube, but this video-mix is pretty much centered around Hardy. (Well of course! Isn't this blog all about Hardy?)

Our Visit to Solvang

Here are some shots of our little trip out to Solvang for lunch, to celebrate Hardy's first point.

Stills from the first day at Lompoc

Here are stills from July 26th, Hardy's first day at Lompoc. I'll put up a separate post for our visit to Solvang for lunch.

Hardy's First Point

Hardy won his first point today. Ra ra ra. Here is the video. His "class" video isn't there, because David missed it; he was busy talking to a lady standing near him. Hardy did very well, and I do have a bunch of stills from class, but I can't get them off the camera until tomorrow, when I'm home.

Hardy spotted us while he was in the ring, so now we will have to hide.

We are going to Solvang for lunch today. There are dog-friendly outdoor restaurants there, so Hardy gets to go, too. Guess we'll bring a towel for him to lie down on under the table, so we don't get in trouble with Anna by getting him dirty :)

Marie Griffith (another professional handler) held my hand during the whole thing. She was very nice and said Hardy has a beautiful side gait.

Hardy Does Oxnard

We had a fun weekend. He's learning and having fun. So are we. We stayed overnight for Friday and Saturday nights, so we could be leisurely.

We had really good food Saturday night, at the recommendation of the front desk. It was a place called Pollo Nortena. Mmmmmm.... I ran out and got it, and we ate in so Hardy wouldn't be lonely. There was also a big market next door that had crazy silly prices, and I bought tons of fruit.

Here's some shots from the weekend, and also two videos of the first day and the second day.

Hardy and the Hot Day

Hot day today, so Hardy and David spent time outside playing with the faucet and water bowl. Hardy doesn't like to drink out of that plastic water bowl - just likes to play with it.

Meadow's New Spot

A mixed blog today. Meadow has finally found the perfect place to get away from that puppy who likes to herd her around and bat at her with his paw. She likes it up there. Took her a whole year to find out she could get up there, but now that she has, she hangs out there a lot. I have to keep my computer shoved against the back of the desk or she uses it as a landing pad.

The Esplanade and a Merry-go-round

Hardy and I took a long walk on the Esplanade at Redondo Beach this morning. Dogs aren't allowed on the beach itself, so we walked along the ridge above the beach. We met lots of nice doggies and dog-lovers. Hardy took a looooooooooong nap when we got home, but was ready to go play with Sunny after dinner.

Last night Sunny and Hardy jumped into Ira and Mary's fountain, and I didn't have the camera. I was much smarter tonight, and brought the Flip with me so I could record the fun times in the fountain. Ira and Mary are the best neighbors anyone could want. Last night the dogs were running so hard and fast that Hardy snapped off a sprinkler pipe! And they let us come back today anyway :)

Hardy's Third Show Day

OK, I will admit I'm tired :) Up early again and off we went. Hardy, on the other hand, wasn't tired at all, and stood in his crate for most of the drive. Anna had a ring conflict so her new assistant, Jessica, took Hardy through the Puppy Class, since he was the only one in the class. He didn't perform quite as well for Jessica, but he still looked very nice out there.

Anna made it for Winners Dog, and when the dogs were lined up, the judge looked at him for a long time. He ended up choosing the same two dogs that got winner and reserve (in the opposite order from yesterday) but I was happy that he looked at Hardy. It was a fun weekend.

Oh, Hardy is the last one on the right. His handler, Anna, is in the orangish-reddish top.

Ventura Show Day 2

Today was fun, too. He was the only one in his class, so got his blue ribbon, but got the chance to compete for Winners Dog again. He was "pulled out" along with 2 other dogs, from a pool of 5 dogs, for consideration for Winners Dog. He didn't win, but it was very exciting to have him get pulled out. So we are excited for Hardy (and Anna) that he beat 2 other dogs. You go, Hardy! and thank you, Anna!

Because David came along, we have wonderful stills along with the movie.

Not stressful, but tiring nonetheless

Ha ha. I've been lazing around on the sofa all afternoon, and here is how Hardy is handling the aftermath of our exciting morning.

Hardy's First Show

So it was fun. Hardy and I left at 5:15 this morning, in another rented Ford Edge (nice car, awful mpg!) We dropped him off at Anna's trailer 2 hours before show time as she requested. I hung out with a very nice breeder I met named Cindy Fleenor. She was kind enough to let me hang out with her in her trailer while her handler was getting her dog ready.

I was happy that the morning wasn't stressful. I'm posting here the movie of his show debut. He was the only one in his class, so he got his blue ribbon (like a participation trophy at all those soccer tournaments!). Anna was happy with how he did for a first time out, and felt the judge did like and gave him some consideration during the Winner's Class - which is where he competed against the 3 other dogs that were winners of the other Boy classes. I was just happy that Anna was happy, and that Hardy seemed happy, too.

He drank a whole bottle of water before we hopped back in the truck for the trip back, and is now crashed out under a table in the family room. He looks none the worse for wear. We go back tomorrow, so I'm glad he managed this first time without complaint.

Enjoy the movie.