Such a pretty, typey girl!
Thank you judge Stewart Dankner for finding my little brown girl who can MOVE!
GCH CH Hellfires There and Back "Smoosh"
Breeder/Owner/Handled Photo by @claudiapetphotography
We are finally back in the show rings and off to a great start. For her very first show outing, the lovely "Smoosh" (Frank X Marv) went Best of Breed from the Bred-By Exhibitor class, over two GCH specials for a 5 point major! (Judge: Eva Berg)
Also happy to announce that my beloved, sweet Gwynnie, is now GCH CH Hellfires Marvelous Serendipity! (pending posting of AKC results.) #hellfiresussexspaniels #montanadogs #akcshowdogs
I tried to get the springer youngsters to sit still while wearing reindeer hats for the new Christmas Card, but this ended up as the 2022 winner.
Have a great holiday season. (Photo credit: © 2022 A Monaghan All Rights Reserved)
Despite the limited showing this year, I somehow managed to finish 4 Grand Championships:
RBISX3 MBISSX4 GCH CH Hellfires Dancing in the Dark "Bruce"
GCH CH Hellfires Cusp of Aries "Knox"
GCH CH Hellfires Serendipity is Marvelous " GG"
GCH CH Hellfire Has Faith in Me "Margery"
We said goodbye to Faith today. Like the kindly lady she was, she just went to sleep and then slipped away in my arms. She was 14. This is my first Sussex to cross the rainbow bridge...and ouch, it hurts. I will greatly miss her hourly woo woos and howling. I am so grateful she passed with peace and graciously saved me that awful, last trip to the vet clinic. She was a lovely, very thoughtful dog. She was the undisputed Queen of Couch Potatoes, the perfect house diva, and I will forever be thankful to Don Krueger for sending her to me.
Faith won 10 championship points before she had to be spayed during a csection for litter #2, which abruptly ended her show pursuits. She leaves behind 4 champion daughters, MBISS GCHB Marv, CH Rogue, CH Twinky and CH Margery (Large Marge), and 10 CH grand-puppies. Her wonderful legacy of fantastically long and luxurious ears and very sweet, gentle temperaments lives on.
Fly high and be free, Faithy! I already miss you terribly. We will meet again.
Hooray, put a fork in him, he's done! Knox finished his championship with 4 straight 4 point majors, all points over other champions, over the weekend. He also picked up 8 points toward his Grand Championship. Knox is a littermate to Bruce, my lovely puppy who went BISS from the Bred By Exhibitor class.
Knox is out of "Maverick" GCHB Sundowners Repeat Fire CD RAE RATO CGC X "Gwynnie" CH Hellfires Serendipity is Marvelous and is my 13th Hellfire bred Champion. Hoping to finishing this boys GCH in the spring, because we are definitely looking forward to less dog shows and more obedience and hunt tests!
I hauled Sussex and springers up to the Helena dog shows last weekend to have our eyes CAER screened. Montana does not have a veterinary eye specialist and field bred springers in particular are riddled with various genetic eye conditions and retinal dysplasias. When Dr Roberts from Colorado stopped coming to Montana a few years ago, he pretty much left us high and dry, with no replacement. I am very thankful that Dr Breaux, from Boise agreed to step up and will be coming back next year!
I am thrilled to report that Baby Gem (FC AFC CFC Toby X Zozzy) and Smudge (Pod X Joules 2020) became my SIXTH GENERATION to pass with normal eyes...and 20 years of OFA normals through the same line of bitches. Proud breeder moment.
Four Generations of my Sussex have been eye (and BAER hearing) screened with normal results.
We had an okay Sussex Specialty in Olympia, WA this past weekend. Gwynnie, CH Hellfires Marvelous Serendipity, came home with a Select + two Best Opposites and added 15 more points toward her Grand Championship, and then her son Bruce, Hellfires Dancing in the Dark, went Best in Show from the Bred-By Exhibitor class - what a thrill! Bruce is from my 2019 litter with GCHB Maverick x CH Gwynnie. He is my second Bred-By Specialty winner.
The highlight was showing Maverick with his two gorgeous sons in the Stud Dog Class. To see them all together meant so much to me and I hope we get to do it again! As a breeder, this kind of class is so much fun, even the judges enjoy it.
For Frank's 8th Birthday, Stewie gave him his 8th Champion offspring. Congratulations Scott, we are just thrilled for you!!
PS: There are still at least 4 Frank kids in the dog show pipeline.
It was so nice to finally go to a dog show after 18 months on the sidelines! Both Jilly (my just turned 6 month old pekingese bred by Gwenn Nash - Katerings Pekingese)) and Knox the Sussex had their very first shows in Coeur d'Alene. Both total noobs, you never know what to expect but my kids did great! Jilly went Reserve to the Major winner and beat six much older girls (Usually second place is annoying, but I was truly THRILLED!), and Knox won both his majors over 4 specials (champions, including a BISS) and won a Group 4 his first time going to groups.
Knox is being shown as a Bred By Exhibitor - he is out of GCHB Maverick X CH Gwynnie
We are off and running!