by Mary O., Fun Match Chair
The weather was glorious (thanks to Mary Donovan), the hounds were gorgeous, and a fun time was had by all. Except maybe Bob Brehl, who had the misfortune to swallow a bee! He's recovered, thank heaven, so I think we can safely say there was no permanent damage done by the Fun Match. Good thing!!!
I want to thank the many volunteers who made this event run itself: Shelley Camm for judging conformation; Mary Donovan and Maura for letting us take over their front yard, Dee Van Nest (food coordinator); Dee Brehl (raffle/boutique coordinator); the Brehls, the Hartneys, the Luthers, the O'Malleys (setup and cleanup); Karen Malone and Jeanette Luther (trophies); Beth Flierl (grooming demo); Jim Gill and Sile Barber (conformation stewards); Meaghan and Johnny O'Malley (obedience stewards); Melanie Marshall (entries); Kathy O'Malley (pictures); Jodi Jeweler (who sat near the ring entrance to catch any attempted escapees before they got to the street); and a special thanks to Karen, Diane and Jeanette for all their advice and support! I'm sure I've left someone out just because so many people pitched in where needed, so for everyone else who helped out - THANKS!!! We couldn't have done it without all of you.
Back to the dogs: highlights from the Match are below, and full results and additional pictures are available through links in each section. Click on any picture to see a larger version.
Shortcuts for the hurried viewer:
Our first event was the Obedience Obstacle Course, which was fun for the spectators and the participants. We made the rules pretty lax, so every dog entered completed the course successfully and received a bag of doggie treats and a certificate of completion. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of this event yet (hint to anyone who has some), but I do have a list of the qualifying times. Next year I expect even more participants; it's fun, it's cheap entertainment, and you are virtually guaranteed to come home with a prize. How many events can you say that about?
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Next up was our basic grooming demo, ably conducted by Beth Flierl. Blaithin, the demo puppy (thanks Melanie!), decided that she was not in the mood to hold still. But we had several other willing volunteers. You can see by the picture that Beth's clients were pleased by her attentions. I think their owners were, too, as Beth spent much of her afternoon demonstrating grooming techniques and tools to interested Fun Match attendees. |
| More Grooming Pictures |
We were fortunate to have Shelley Camm come all the way from Canada to judge our Match this year, we had a great turnout, and some lovely hounds in the ring. You can see in this picture
that people and hounds still remembered to relax, even during the "serious" part of the Match.
On to the important stuff: who won? Here are the highlights:
Some of the socializing didn't even focus on the dogs. The picture above is some of our dedicated Washington Redskins' fans whose cheers or expressions of dismay kept us all abreast of the team's progress as the afternoon wore on.
Of course there was lots to eat (this was a PVIWC event, after all), good things to buy at the boutique, a raffle of IW items, and an auction of a bottle of Jeanette Luther's famous homemade Irish cream. That is now sitting in my refrigerator, as my husband was quite determined to obtain this item, regardless of price. Good thing it was for a good cause!
At the end of the day, I think we all felt like this:
Tired but happy!
Regular Classes Best Puppy: Jesseans Emir of Erin
Best Junior: Merefield Anikem O'Beltane
Best Adult: Jesseans Fiona of Erin
Non-Regular Classes Best Gait: Enterprise Dudley of Eagle
Best Head: Hannah
Longest Tail: Enterprise Dudley of Eagle
Non-Regular Class Pictures
