We had a good weekend at the dog show.  Freighter was Winners Dog on Saturday and earned 2 more points toward his Championship.  That brings him to 10 points.  He already has the two major wins that are required to earn his Championship, so he just needs 5 more points to finish.

Sunday he was Reserve Winners Dog so no more points to add, but he was a good dog in the ring and even let the judge inspect his bite without squirming.

I was not ringside on Saturday, but I was there taking pictures on Sunday.

Here are a few:

Freighter Waiting Ringside
Freighter Waiting Ringside
Almost Ready To Enter The Ring
Almost Ready To Enter The Ring
Freighter Says The Judge Looks Like A Famous Actor
Freighter Thinks The Judge Looks Like A Famous Actor
Stacked And Ready
Stacked And Ready
The Judge Is Checking Freighter's Bite
The Judge Is Checking Freighter’s Bite-Freighter Is Not Squirming
Down And Back
Down And Back
Going Around The Ring
Going Around The Ring
Rounding A Corner
Rounding A Corner
Freighter With His Ribbons From The Weekend
Freighter With His Ribbons From The Weekend

So where was I while Freighter was in the ring on Saturday?

I was at a couple of health clinics with Thunder.  At some of the larger shows the club putting on the show will also sponsor health screening clinics.  These clinics are great because generally the screening tests are offered at a nice discount, sort of like a group price.  At this particular show they offered eye screening exams, cardiac screening, patella screening and a reproduction clinic for collection and freezing of semen.  You do not have to be entered in the show to take advantage of these clinics.  Sometimes you have to make and appointment and sometimes it is walk-up.  These clinics are an easy way to obtain some clearances at a discount.

Thunder had an appointment to have his semen evaluated.  You see when you have a stud dog, especially if they are getting older, you need to have them checked now and again just to make sure they still have “it”.  I will explain more about what they look for when they do the evaluation in tomorrow’s post as part of my Health Screening Series, but to make a long story short, Thunder still has “it”.  🙂

Thunder also had his eyes checked.  Again it has been a few years since he has had it done so it was time to have them checked.  To do this exam drops are put in the dog’s eyes to dilate them just like is done for people.

My Eyes, My Eyes
My Eyes Are As Big As Saucers

The eye clinic was very busy.  It is first come, first serve and we were at the back of the line.  I think we waited about an hour for the exam.  When you stand around for an hour, you tend to strike up conversations with the people around you.  At least I do.  I spoke to a Sheltie breeder who was there to have some tiny puppies’ eyes screened.  The breeder told me that they screen eyes starting at 6 weeks!

A girl about 9 or 10 came over to ask if she could pet Thunder.  She was adorable.  Thunder has always been good with kids and he just let her pet him without getting all wild or excited.  The girl told me that she was there with her Mom and Dad and their “hunting dog” to have its eyes screened.

Finally it was our turn for the exam.  The exam itself takes less than 5 minutes.  I am happy to report that Thunder’s eyes were normal.

Between Freighter’s points and Thunder’s results, it was indeed a good weekend!

28 thoughts on “A Good Weekend

  1. That is a GREAT weekend! Congratulations to Freighter for the points and to Thunder for still having swimmers and crystal clear peepers!

    1. Thanks. Saturday was a great day but boy was that show packed! There was no way I could wade my way through the crowd to catch Freighter in the ring. That was the only bummer.

  2. I’m glad Thunder got good news and he still is The Thunder what belongs to every storm :o) Congrats Freighter it was a pleasure to watch you and I wish you could help me out at the next show… but probably the judge would see that you are not me, huh? btw: I first thought your judge is Morgan Freeman :o)

  3. Congrats to Freighter, I think the look on his face in the second photo tells it all 🙂 Glad to know the health screening went well, that’s a pretty neat idea, I haven’t been to one of those. And glad to know Thunder’s still got “it.”

  4. Go Freighter! Congratulations on the win and fingers crossed that Thunder still has it:) I know how that goes! We are keeping our fingers crossed that Sherman still has the goods too 🙂

  5. Freighter looked content doing the go round, quite a handsome duo! Very professional. And the amazing Thunder, the “old” guy is staying fit and healthy. It’s a dog’s life! Thanks to their humans, Living with the G’s is not too shabby!

  6. Congratulations and good job sweet Freighter! Good news on sweet Thunder’s eyes those were some mighty big dilated eyes. 🙂 Happy to hear you had a nice weekend. Hugs and nose kisses

  7. Congratulations all the way around! Freighter sure does look like he loves the ring! It’s great the shows are offering health screenings.

  8. Congratulations on the points and the lovely ribbons! Whoohoo – Thunder still has “it”! 🙂 That’s great that they have those exams and screenings there available for folks!

  9. Oh, Thunder, those pupils are waaaaay dilated. Did you have to wear those super attractive throwaway sunglasses on the way home? 😉 Happy to hear that the screenings went well, and congratulations to Freighter on his success!

  10. Great job Freighter, you were looking good at practice and carried that to the show ring. Congratulations on winning Saturday and getting more points. And on the great results from Thunders checks ups:)

  11. Congratulations on all the wins, both in the ring and in the medical clinic! So glad to hear Thunder is in good form and Freighter is quite the show dog! Wonderful news. 🙂

  12. Freighter is really looking good in the ring! I’m so glad you had a good weekend all around!

  13. Hi hi hi! Ojo here! You are very handsome! Look at you in the ring! You deserve those ribbons for sure!

  14. I saw the post on Facebook, way to go Freighter and I’m sure his handler deserves some credit too. 🙂 I agree though, the judge does look like a famous actor.

    Yeah for Thunder and having ‘it.’ As for the dilating, I’m wondering if it’s as uncomfortable for dogs as it is for people.

    1. He didn’t seem to be squinting, but when he was finally finished I put him away in his crate to chill.

Comments are closed.