January 1-2, 2005
IABCA International Shows, Hutto, TX

We had an enjoyable weekend at the IABCA shows this weekend in Hutto. This was actually the inaugural showing of Silken Windhounds at these shows as this was the first event in which they were eligible to be shown.

I took four of our Silkens and on a whim decided to take little (ok…not so little) Solo who is now 4 1/2 months of age. He has taken everything else in stride in his 3 trips away from home (a lure course, trip to the vet for his rabies vac, and a playday training at WindyGlen) – so I wanted to see how he would do on a longer trip and hanging out in a building that has a bit of an echo and would be filled with dog show noises and non-sighthound breeds.

Well – no worries on his part . He was doing so well, that I ended up entering him in the 3rd show in which John Rowton (of Kenai Borzoi) was judging. I wanted a bit of practice since there is a puppy match this coming weekend at the shows in Stephenville – and admittedly I have not worked on stacking or ring-gaiting with this boy . Geez – you never would have known!! He was a bit wiggly on stacking when it came time to stand still for his critique, but he did well gaiting – he was an instant
leashbreak at the lure course his first time out (I was pleasantly surprised). When we were called back in for Best Puppy, he stacked and stayed, then gaited well (with a small gallop in one corner) and then was put up over an older bitch – hooray!

A friend in Borzoi, Sandy Simmons, ended up taking him in for the Puppy Hound group when I had
had to go to the restroom to compose myself after a nasty spill when showing Tyler in the Bred-By Hound group. He acted like a little pro and then won the Puppy Hound Group and also the Bred-By Puppy Hound Group!! There was a lovely older Afghan Puppy present that had done very well in the previous shows. Solo just kept behaving better and better each time!

It came time for Best Bred-By Puppy in Show, and we were in a line-up with a Spinone, a gorgeous Husky (from a very successful breeder/exhibitor in the area), a Coton, a Shiloh Shepherd, and a working breed that escapes me. This was judged by a pair of judges, John Rowton and Frank Alhino. I was just ecstatic when he was awarded the Best! He then went on to also win Best Puppy in Show!! I can’t wait for the pictures – he even stepped up onto the platform and stacked up easily for his picture –
nothing seems to faze this baby!

Another cherry on top for the weekend was seeing my sweet white/gold Silken treasure, Tyler (handled by Sandy Simmons since I was “excused for lameness” by the judges – they were afraid that my almost crushing him in the group would affect his performance) win Best Rare Breed in Show, which was a feature of the 3rd show. The Silken classes had been judged by Michele Rowton, who had also judged a Silken Specialty on the west coast in 2004.