Jessi

We took off for Nationals on Nov 1 morning...so missed your Email reply. Just got back this evening, excited and exhausted at the same time.

Oct Show: Jessi took 1st of 3 on Sat and 2nd of 3 on Sun; Zane took 1st of two both days. When both went to their respective Winners group, we didn't place...mostly my ineptitude.

Pre-National Shows: Jessi took ribbons for 4th @ WCASA/Sat and 3rd @SNAC/Mon. She didn't place at the Sunday Show hosted by the San Diego club.

Zane didn't place in any of the pre-shows but ranked 5th/no ribbon on Monday under a judge that was known for "putting-up" winners that had the structure and the true "coming and going" form of the gait. The other two judges on the other two days placed more petit boned males that were "puffier."

Mary and I took turns at handling Jessi at the pre-national shows; Zane had an AZ handler that seems to have a good reputation in the community.

Jessi ranked 5th/no ribbon of ALL THE 6-9 BITCHES (60+ entries which were not broken down into red tri, blue merle etc); JUDGE WAS JOSEPH HARTNAGLE. He REALLY liked her but she got antsy and did some cartwheels when he did the last look-over. So quite a complement in my opinion.

Zane ranked 7th under the judge Sheila Polk in Open Blue Merle Dog; she is known for sticking to the breed standard on structure and gait. He had about 35 competitors in his class.

Though they didn't get a ribbon, our Aussies were right there in the cream of the crop. And, there were alot of nice looking dogs in the ring.

Jessi turned several heads of the audience as well. Our local club members who basically were not giving us the time of day had plenty of compliments for Jessi's color and clean gait. Two of them are ASCA judges; interest in her intensified after we hired a handler for her Nationals competition that was known for culling reds out of her litters. IE she is quite taken with Jessi and she asked us if she could handle her in future shows.

Coming out of the ring at one of the pre-shows, a spectator complimented Jessi and thought that she should have won (of course!)...turns out that this gal was Sharon Pollard, owner of Medallion Kennel and Flame (Jessi's father). So we talked about the attributes that Flame had passed on to Jessi; she closely resembles Flame and has a little of his strut.

Attending Nationals and the Pre-shows were exhausting but gave us a crash course in showing, aussie structure/movement, and the players in the circuit. Most of the other owner/handlers were very easy going and eager to answer our questions. Had lots of fun too. Our dogs got concentrated owner/handler attention for 8 days, so they were happy pups. Toward the end of the week, everybody (dogs and people) is fried.

There is one show left for our local club, a three-day affair called the Silver Specialty. It takes place at the end of November; there doesn't appear to be any other regional events until January. In the meantime, we are going to expose the dogs to livestock at one of the club members property. She has championed out her Foundation stud on ducks, sheep, and cattle; Bandit ranked #1 in AZ for the past three years.

Well that is it for now...we will keep working with them and hopefully gain some points over the next 6 months or so.

This past weekend was our club's 30th Annual Silver Specialty Show. Jessi was entered in the 6-9 month puppy bitch category, and took her group. Then she went on to win Winner's Bitch and Best of Winners! We didn't think she would stand up next to the more mature Dogs and Bitches in the ring, but the judge really loved her. After the show, the judge, Terri Morgan from Colorado, said she had the best neck and shoulders she had felt all day. Go figure! We are very, very excited that she got her first 5 point major at our club's biggest show of the year! And you should see the two silver platters and gigantic ribbons she brought home!

Jessi is doing great as our pet, too, and growing into a fine looking young lady. Although she still has a lot of puppy energy, she is very affectionate and loves to be near us. She can lay quietly for hours with her head on my lap or on my feet as I read or watch a movie. On car rides, she plops right down to sleep until the next stop, so she travels really well, too. Her favorite activity, besides playing keep away with Zane, is running full speed in an open field (especially if it's being irrigated)! I've never seen a dog happier to be covered with mud!

At Nationals, I had some professional pictures taken of the dogs, but they won't be available until after the first of the year. Also, there will be winner's pics from this past weekend coming at some point as well. I'll try to send you some as they become available.

Things are going well. Mary and I are still showing Jessi in conformation...no more points since last year

Still learning and polishing technique, playing what politics that we can stomach. Mary is going to restart agility lessons this January with Jessi and we have also delved into herding. Jessi has excellent instinct with sheep and cattle. She is powerful on cattle. Probably wont be able to enter her in a ASCA trial until next summer...I am the part of the team that is "lacking instinct". Herding is fun; I am going to some herding clinics featuring instructors Bob Vest and Jan Wesen, and we are practicing on weekends at a little farm about 40 minutes away.

Jessi continues to advertise for the Desert Flower kennel...her red color attracts the eye. At herding venues, her instinct/performance grabs attention. Three to four people at the last clinic of 12 asked "where did she come from." She has working ability and great conformation, an infrequent find.

So how have Jessi's siblings and half-siblings been doing? Are they shining in a particular venue? Any health problems cropping up that may be genetically determined? Jessi and Zane (OFA good) remain healthy...no epilepsy, musculoskeletal problems. Going to get both dogs "cerf-ed" early next year. No intention of breeding Jessi in the next 9-12 months. Surveying stud candidates. Keeping away from any local lines though there are some nice looking dogs that have done well in the ring BUT I have heard of health problems like epilepsy, poor bite, hip dysplasia, eye anomalies popping up in a couple of prominent kennels. Are you aware of CA Sharp's "Open List" of affected dogs that the breeders are reporting to CA Sharp? The list is horribly incomplete BUT at least some breeder/owners are trying to help the Australian Shepherd lines breed some of these problems out or to a minimal effect.

Good to hear from you. Candy looks like a very nice puppy. By the way, are you going to the ASCA Nationals at Paso Robles next Thanksgiving(2004) week? I definitely plan to be there. ASC of AZ (my club) is putting -on the first Pre-Show that week.