How did you get your start in the world of competitive dogs?
Mine began after I read an article about Empty Nest Syndrome. I'd never heard of such a thing, much less worried about it until I read the article. After reading it, I realized our youngest was about to graduate from high school and that day would be here before I knew it.
We'd always had pet dogs but at the time we were down to one senior chihauha we'd raised by hand from the age of two weeks. Her mom, (a neighbors dog) had run out of milk and my husband had brought her home in his shirt pocket. I'd always wanted a "show dog", but involvement in raising our 3 daughters had been my top priority until then.
I made up my mind then and there that before the empty nest syndrome could catch up with me, I was going to have a show dog and a hobby to keep me busy after the girls left home. Little did I know what I was getting into!
Choosing the breed was pretty simple since we were a family who enjoyed being out of doors. I wanted a show dog with short hair and hubby wanted a bird dog; so we researched the German Shorthaired Pointer. Research wasn't done online in 1974. It was all done in person, hours of phone calls, meeting breeders and competitors and attending club meetings, shows and field trials.
Before we'd even finished the championships on the first two we were hooked!
The versatility of the breed was amazing and before we knew it our lives and those of our kids and grandkids revolved around dog related activities.
Obedience classes, dog shows, training sessions, field trials and club meetings took the place of former activities such as Girl Scout leader, PTA meetings, room mother etc. Scooping poop, bathing dogs, whelping schedules, and pouring over pedigrees replaced; changing diapers, bedtime baths, writing notes to the teachers and signing report cards.
33 years later I can look back and say I wouldn't have traded the experience for anything!
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