We headed to Bermagui for a week of relaxation and holidays with a couple of shows thrown in for the dogs.
As i had to take them all with me, i'd entered all 4 but knowing i couldnt run them all, Mel Scriven from Lempo Kennels came to the rescue claiming Titan months ago for the weekend.
The first day Summer took a nice 13 point Best of Breed, Titan took Reserve Dog to the 4 year old Challenge winner which was just a thrill and Mischa took Neuter in Group. I should've called it quits then as we didnt do nearly as well the rest of the weekend and Titan found the whole thing rather tiring backing up a late evening show with an early morning start. He wasnt impressed but perked up after a big sleep.

Mischa was the true star of the weekend showing all 4 shows plus competing in two Rally Trials.
The first one, she was a superstar, but i made too many mistakes and the second trial we qualified with a 93/100.
We are so thrilled and just knew she could do it. We've now been bitten by the bug and will be seeking out more Rally Trials to enter.

We finished the month with the Canberra Royal Show. Titan and Summer again were entered and Summer was a little crazy and excited to be out and have other Lappies at the show. Titan was a regular little trooper and showed so well for me so soon after Bermagui. Nothing exciting to report but it was lovely to see Jacqualine Lincoln up here with her gorgeous boy Louis and the lovely Emmi taking out Best of Breed and Runner Up.

January 11 was my birthday and we had a local show. So i took the day off work and entered Summer and Titan. At the last minute Mel Scriven decided to come up with Quinn to help me celebrate my birthday.
It was such a warm day and the show entry which was already small, was significantly reduced by the heat.
We decided to brave it as the weekends shows were cancelled and we thought it would be a very quick show.
Imagine our surprise when within 4 minutes of the show commencing they were calling Finnish Lapphunds. Fortunately the Border Collies showed up and bought us an extra few minutes of frantic grooming.
Summer and Titan were both little stars on the day with Summer taking Best of Breed. In a surprise twist Titan took Runner Up Best of Breed and i was pretty proud of the way they handled themselves. Whilst still too immature to be in contention for the Best in Group line up i was impressed with how Summer went and then the judge  (Ms D Puttock (NSW)) awarded her Puppy in Group! I'm absolutely thrilled with this gorgeous girl.
Waiting around for General Specials i wasnt disappointed when the judge complimented Summer on being such a beautiful and well structured girl. However, i wasnt surprised that Puppy in Show went to a lovely little Schnauzer who has already been doing a lot of winning. Summer did so well in the heat though and truthfully i dont think she really noticed it. She came home and did race tracks around the yard.

Two weeks later Summer took another couple of Best of Breeds and was again complimented by the judge, just missing out on Junior in Group. Considering she had just turned one i was thrilled that she was even in contention.

We set off for Victoria this weekend to attend the FLCV Open Show. Really it was just an excuse to catch up with friends and introduce the new kids on the block to a lot of Lappies.
Titan and Summer behaved really well considering all the new experiences for them both. This was Summers first show in Australia and she really did remarkably well. Titan took the whole thing in his stride, he is such a cool puppy. Nothing really bothers him at all.
Titan was awarded Opposite Minor Puppy in Show after being beaten by the bitch in the Class run-offs.
Summer was awarded 2nd in her class to a lovely puppy bitch from Kalevi Kennels.
The FLCV ran some novelty classes afterwards and here we did even better. First Mel insisted on taking Titan in for the waggiest tail class. Of course, Titan was in there, wagging his tail like crazy and generally enjoying himself. He laps up all the attention and i cheered when he won the class. Such a delightful puppy.
Summer had been seeking attention by barking most of the day so we thought we'd put her in for Noisiest Lappie. I was surprised when she didnt make a sound at first, but eventually she grew tired of being ignored by the other dogs in the ring and thought she'd make sure everyone knew she was there. I don't know that i was as excited to win that class. Hopefully we never repeat it.
Then Glen took Mischa in for the Best Trick competition and Mischa put on a sequence of tricks to impress the judge. It worked, and Mischa won the 'Best Trick' Class and some chews. Mischa will do anything for treats and likes to show off her tricks so she really enjoyed this class.
After catching up with everyone, we had a quiet night and drove home the next morning. I can hardly wait to do it all again in another 6 months.

6/10/2012 Today was Day 2 at Cooma with Veikko (Armahani Diamond Dansut (AI)), Mischa and Dolce entered. Arriving to mud pools we all huddled in the gazebo trying to keep ourselves and the dogs mostly dry. Dolce - Reserve Dog Challenge, Veikko - Minor of Breed and Mischa - Neuter of Breed. Really it was just an excuse to pick up Veikko as i had an important exchange to make.
Shell was on her way down from Sydney with very precious cargo onboard. Titan was finally free from quarantine. He met me in the driveway with a helicopter tail and lots of jumping and kisses.
He played for hours with Veikko and i'd like to thank Shell for helping exhaust him as he slept like a baby that night and i havent heard a peep from him any night since.

24/10/2012 - Summer (Lecibsin Sametti) touched down this morning in Sydney. Sometimes things just fall into place and we were very lucky Steph Betts was working that day at the QANTAS Airport and was able to take a photo and let us know she was ok. Mel Scriven arrives tonight and tomorrow we're off to Sydney to see my new girl.

25/10/2012 - My poor sweet girl is looking a little confused about being in quarantine. No doubt she misses her friends in the UK and wants a bit of peace and quiet away from the noisy pomeranian next door. She may also be a bit shy because of the celebrity dog 2 rows down. AJ is currently serving his time in quarantine. He was rescued from a dog fighting ring by Australian soldiers on a patrol in Afghanistan and with the help of the Australian public has made it to our shores. His owner was visiting at the time and it seems Summer liked him as she barked at him to get his attention. The first noise she'd made since we got there.
They'd also had the Bondi Vet in shooting something for his TV show. The fun never stops at Eastern Creek.
Summer finally got to try Devon. I looked for it in the UK but it wasnt to be found. She loved it and so i stuffed some in a Kong for her and she settled down for pats and a tasty treat.
I've enlisted the services of DogWalks to visit with Summer as i just cant get there enough to see her. Theyve assured me they'll take good care of her and better still, will post photos onto Facebook. She has more photos on Facebook than half the people i know. And why not? She's so photogenic

28/10/2012 -Shows Shows Shows!
We had a 3 day weekend for dog shows about an hour away at Tarago. We met with Shell and the lovely Veikko (half sister to Dolce). Mel had Quinn (another half sister of Dolce) up for the weekend.
I was showing Mischa and it was the young Titan's first shows. Each day we arrived with minutes to spare to get in the ring for Baby Puppy Sweepstakes. The first day Titan was delighted to see so many puppies and had a great time barking at them, trying to attract their attention.
As the judge approached for the exam i told them this was his first show so they'd take it easier on him but i needn't have worried. He stood there happily, wagging his tail and not bothered at all about having his teeth checked or the judge going over him. He even gaited in the ring in front of the other babies, like he'd been doing it forever. He didnt win anything but he's hardly at the cute and fluffy stage anymore. He's a very solid boy but right now he's a whole lot of legs with a wavy stripe down his back as his adult coat comes in. He was such a little star the whole weekend. Not a problem in the world. Happy to be in the trolley or in the ring and happily handled by others. I think Titan and I will be having a whole lot of fun together.
Quinn took out Best of Breed all 3 days and 2 Junior in Groups. Mischa surprised me by winning 2 Neuter in Groups. I hope she can do it again as she was a little surprised at having to go into the ring again and was a little flat. i think she needs more practice winning.