We went to Lawrenceville, GA for the Lake Lanier Cluster. Json was entered Saturday and Sunday in Open and was an absolute rockstar! Json earned 3 more points towards his championship this weekend! Saturday was wild with some intense thunderstorms rolling over the metal building we were in just before our ringtime. J handled all the noise and the ring starting to flood like a pro. After a break for some playtime and a nap we were back for OH groups. Json was tired but showed beautifully! He tried his heart out for me and I couldn't be more proud! Sunday was a beautiful day and J was still a hint tired but showed wonderfully! We are really coming together as a team and I'm excited for our next time in the ring!

What a weekend! We went out to Springfield, MO with Fable needing 4pts and a major to finish. Saturday Fable was reserve to the major. The major broke with WD finishing his CH, but the major in girls held. Today Fable went WD/BOW/BOBOH for a 4pt major to finish his championship! Json also did his best and was RWD on Sunday! Fable is my first show dog and first Field Champion. Now he’s also my first Champion and Dual Champion! Pending AKC Fable is now:

*CH* *DC* Kamars Free Your Mind TKA SC ACT1 RN BCAT NW1 FCh JSR ATT VC

I am so incredibly thankful for all the folks who have helped us on this journey! We couldn’t have done it without all their help, support, and friendship! It was great to be able to reach this milestone in some great company this weekend! It’s been quite the journey but I am so glad I stayed the course! I’ve done all of Fable’s training and have handled him every moment in the ring. We have learned a lot. Many thanks to judge June Penta for our final major and points today and to all the judges who found and awarded my best moose baby!

We went to the Ibizan Hound Nationals again this year! We did a little bit of everything: Lure Coursing, Conformation, Rally, and Triathlon. We started our week on Tuesday with AKC Lure Coursing. Fable finished 3rd in his specials stake and Json finished 5th in his specials stake after getting run over in his finals run. After Lure Coursing Fable had the conformation portion of the Triathlon. On to Wednesday where Fable started the day by placing second in Rally Intermediate with a score of 90. Then we went on to ASFA Lure Coursing. Fable placed second in the specials stake and Json placed just out of the ribbons in his open stake. On to Thursday, the day of the National! Fable showed beautifully for me and won his class! He showed wonderfully in Winners Dog as well and earned some hoots and hollers from his antics! Friday was the supported hound show and both Fable and Json won their classes! Fable got a good look for WD, but didn't quite make the cut. Saturday was the open show and Json won his class again! 

We had a great time and can't wait to go back next year!

We drove over to South Carolina for the Foothills Cluster in Greenville. The boys showed Saturday and Sunday. I wanted to test something with the boys and organized a friend to help me. She's a talented junior and I like how she handles her dogs. On Saturday Fable went WD for another point towards his championship (2-2-1-3) and Json was RWD. On Sunday Json, being piloted by my friend, went WD/BOW/BOB for a 4pt major (2-2-1-2) for his first major! We got to play in the group ring and gain experience. We had a bit of car trouble but made it home safely.

I'm so proud of my boys and looking forward to getting them back in the ring next month!

 Fable participated in his first ever UKC show! We went to Autuagaville, AL and showed in all four shows. Fable also competed in Rally during the 'morning' show each day as well. Fable walked away with two Sighthound Group 4s, a Sighthound Group 2, and a Sighthound Group 1! Fable also earned a Total Dog award which is awarded to dogs that have qualified in a dog sport and have earned a conformation win (with a dog defeat) in the same show. I'm so proud of how he handled himself!

Json made his 'big boy' debut at the Tri-Star Kennel Club dog shows in Lebanon, TN. There were lots of new sights, sounds, and smells, and he handled everything so well! Json showed well both days and was even handled by a stranger when we went back in for Winners Dog (WD) both days. Saturday he lost WD to Fable but on Sunday Json earned his very first point by beating Fable for WD! He showed beautifully in the Best of Breed ring, especially for how long of a weekend it had been for him. We got lots of compliments on his confidence and how he nailed his free stacks on Sunday! I'm so excited to see how far we can go together!

The boys and I went on a road trip to Purina Farms in Gray Summit, MO for the Ibizan Hound National Specialty! ​We have never been to any specialty dog show before, much less the National Specialty, so I was pretty nervous. While the specialty/supported entries started on Tuesday with Agility, Rally, and Scentwork, I chose to keep my entries to a minimum to help avoid too much stress on me and the boys. Fable was entered in conformation on Thursday (the National Specialty) and Friday (supported entry), as well as both AKC (Friday) and ASFA (Saturday) Lure Coursing. Json was entered in just conformation for the National Specialty in the 4-6 month Beginner Puppy (BPUP) competition since he wasn't 6 months old yet. 

Thursday: Json showed first in BPUP and did very well! He took everything in stride and was very good for the exam and gaiting. I need to remember to ease him into gaiting due to his age and size at the moment. While he didn't win, he did come in 3rd (if I'm remembering correctly). I'm very proud of how well he handled his first 'real' show! Fable was several classes later in Open Smooth Dogs (the coat types aren't normally split, but they were for the specialty and supported entry on Friday). Fable showed SO well and won his class! Fable moved so well and was a gentleman for the exam. He didn't take Winners Dog (WD) so no points, but I'm happy that he was so happy in the ring! I ended up showing a friend's wire special bitch, Kitty, in several classes as well and learned a lot from that (though my feet were less happy about the extra running!)

Friday: Fable was entered in the supported entry (again in Open Smooth Dog) and placed 3rd in his class. He showed very well and handled the environment and waiting so well! Waiting to go into the ring has been a long standing struggle for Fable so having him be able to wait and keep his brain cell was awesome! I also showed Kitty again in the Best Of Breed (BOB) ring and she did well! After showing we RAN over to where they were doing health testing to get Fable's Auscultation done before Lure Coursing (we had a 45 minute window!). Thankfully, we were able to get Fable in pretty quickly and he passed with flying colors! One more health test down! Once Fable was done with his heart exam I did a camping quick change, pottied Json, loaded the car, and zipped off to Lure Coursing. Thankfully the field wasn't too hard to find, though we were parked farther away than is ideal for Fable (he is a handful to take to the line). There were enough Open dogs to split the stake into 3, 5pt major stakes. Fable came in 2nd and earned another 3 points. Fable just needs one major to finish his AKC Field Championship title!

Saturday: Today we only had ASFA Lure Coursing with Fable, but since the trial wouldn't start until after conformation, I watched the breed competition. Unfortunately, my foot was done with the extra running and I wasn't able to show Kitty. Thankfully, with so many wonderful Beezer folks around, Kitty found a new handler easily! Once breed was done, we went back down to the coursing field. We were just 3 dogs shy of being able to split the open stake so had 17 dogs competing for the 4 point earning placements! Fable ran well and again took 2nd for 30 points and another competition win! He is a little over halfway to his ASFA Field Championship and needs a first place with competition and points. Fable also won the Performance Stake, which is an extra class for dogs who have titles outside of Lure Coursing titles. Fable needed the highest score of the dogs entered in the Performance Stake to win! I'm very proud of how well he did considering the field. Json also had the opportunity to do a puppy run and had a blast! He shows a ton of promise as a coursing dog!

Overall, we had a fantastic time and had so much fun meeting so many Ibizan Hound folks! Fable and especially Json did SO incredibly well with everything going on and the massive change in routine! They both took everything in stride! One of my favorite non-dog parts was the sticker exchange we did. It was a fun testament to how much everyone loves the breed! I am excited to go back next year, even if my wallet isn't!