UH -- sometimes I wonder??
For some reason I never posted my entry of Feb. 3, but left it as a draft - I didn't even know you could save a draft! Oh well, better late than never I guess.
I'm late in posting this entry as well, but four days in NY left me with a lot of catching up to do. But for those who are interested, here is my 'travel log' of my trip to NY and the Westminster dog show.
Sat. Feb. 10
We were up at 5:15 a.m. and headed for the airport by 6:15; 1 dog, 3 suitcases, 1 garment bag, 1 metal dog crate, and a dolly. Gandalf has is people well trained - our suitcases were smaller than his. As soon as we got on the airplane, Sandy made sure the flight crew knew there were dogs to be on board, so we could be told when they were loaded. Of course the easiest way to ensure that they knew Gandalf was a VIP was to show them the article in the paper. The flight attendant was so tickled with the picture of Gandalf that she wanted to show it to the flight crew in the cockpit. By the time we got to New York the whole front half of the plane was wishing us good luck. I felt like a groupie for a rock star. Gandalf traveled to New York with a Giant Schnauzer in the same cargo hold so at least he had someone to talk to.
We landed at JFK and immediately headed to the window to watch them unload the luggage - we needed to know that Gandalf had arrived safely. They unloaded the entire back hold before they unloaded the dogs. We would have been in a panic, except we saw Sandy’s dolly lying on the conveyer belt. Even so, it seemed like forever - couldn’t help but worry a little about our fuzzy white guy. Needless-to-say, he was just fine and soon we were loading 2 women, 1 dog, 3 suitcases, 1 garment bag, 1 metal dog crate and a dolly into a van type taxi headed for our Manhattan hotel. Of course before we piled everything in we had to explain that Gandalf was an American Eskimo and we were heading to Westminster. Gandalf himself was his own best explanation as he proceeded to wag his way into the taxi driver and dispatcher’s hearts.
If you go anywhere with Sandy that deals with dogs, it takes FOREVER to get through a crowd of people. She knows everyone and they all seem to love her, so, of course she stops to talk to everyone. We found our room which is very small and while we had to rearrange the furniture to get all our stuff in we managed to get it all crowded in (people suitcases stuffed into the corner - Gandalf’s crate and suitcase takes up about a third of the room).
It was quite a shock to walk into the hotel to see all the dogs. Not that this, in itself, is unusual as it’s what you find at most dog shows, but to be an a Manhattan hotel lobby with terriers in coats, spaniels in ear muffs (commonly called snoods in the dog show world), and Newfoundlands in bibs is quite a shock to the system. It’s all so exciting.
We attended a party that benefited the Canine Health Foundation. It was held at the Manhattan Ballroom and was very posh: lots of glitter and black ties and a ton of fun with all the proceeds going to help keep dogs healthy. The popcorn was served in souvenir dog dishes! There was a really good band and great munchies. After the party, Gandalf was still in need of his last walk of the evening, in 20 degree weather.
Sunday, Feb. 11
Having a dog at a dog show is always interesting when they need to go for a walk, but in Manhattan, it is even more of a challenge. We overheard one young lady asking the bellhop where the grass was to walk her dog - he just laughed! You hope your dog will adapt to the concrete to take care of its business and of course you always pick up, garbage cans are available all around the city. Responsible dog people leave a place as clean as they found it.
Sandy took me over to “the Garden” to see the set up for the dogs during the benching. They certainly are going to pack a lot of dogs into a very small space tomorrow.
Tonight was Gandalf’s bath. Into the tub he went (along with Sandy) for a scrub down. When he came out there was half a dog (nothing looks quite as pathetic as a wet American Eskimo). We had to rearrange the furniture again so Sandy could get Gandalf on the grooming table. Two hours later (more or less) Gandalf looks great. We left him in the room (with the TV on) while we dashed downstairs for a bite to eat (its 10:15 p.m.). Nervous about tomorrow - you bet, but Gandalf is looking beautiful, Sandy knows what she’s going to wear, and we’ve set three alarm clocks (just in case).
So come what may there’s nothing more to do except try to get a good night’s sleep and keep our finger’s crossed.
Monday, Feb. 12
Sandy got up really early and was at the garden by 7:00 s.m. I stumbled out of bed a little later and made it by a little after 8:00 I had to enter through the main entrance which was clear on the other side of the Garden, of course. I found Sandy and Gandalf in the grooming area after a bit of searching. If you can imaging looking for one white dog in the middle of a zillion white (and, brown, and black) dogs along with at least 2 people per dog all smashed together in a tin can, you can imagine just how crowded it was. Gandalf didn't show until 10:30 so I left Sandy putting on the finish touches and went to find a seat at ring 6. I watched a couple of breeds and talked to a lot of people. I opted to sit in the stands (good view) rather than try to fight my way to ringside which was SUPER crowded.
Gandalf didn't win, Juneau did (of course). There is a lot of politics behind his winning which only sounds like sour grapes but honestly, the dog was up on something! In the three years that I have watched that dog, he has NEVER been that animated. He was all over the place. He did show well and in this particular instance did deserve the win, but boy does that dog need to retire! Hopefully, he will after the National in March. Ruth said he was, but we've heard that before! The dog that got the Award of Merit was a strange choice. Not once did he raise his ears, he was cow hocked in the rear, however, (I was told) he has fantastic motion. To be fair, Gandalf was pulling and he had a sore foot, so maybe he didn't show as well, but I hate it when a dog who won't even get his ears up wins. They just don't look good to me. OH well, it was fun.
After breed we had to be benched until 8:00 pm. GOD what a long hot day! Gandalf was the perfect ambassador for the breed however, and really did well in convincing everyone that Eskies were the world's best dogs. He was incredible! I don't think I have ever seen so many people packed into such a small space, you couldn't even move. I managed to escape back to the hotel for a brief moment to grab some lunch for Sandy and I and was not anxious to get back into the crowd. I did get to watch a few more breeds but by about 6:00 I thought by back was going to break and I was so claustrophobic I really needed to get out of there so I went back to the hotel and waited for Sandy and Gandalf to come at 8:00. We grabbed a quick diner in the hotel and watched the groups from our rooms. To be honest, I was so damn tired, the thought of walking back to the Garden was a real downer. The reality is we saw more from watching the TV than we would have from our nosebleed seats in the stands. Being not very nice people we were quite happy that Juneau didn't get a placement - sour grapes, I know, but sometime you just have to admit to being a bad sport.
The trip was wonderful, I enjoyed every single minute of dogs and more dogs. I'm becoming a bit more secure in the dog world and learn so much every time I go with Sandy. It was definitely one of the goals of my life to be able to attend Westminster and to be a part of the "backstage" was a dream of a lifetime. I really do love dogs and it sure was good to get home to my three miscreants.
I'm late in posting this entry as well, but four days in NY left me with a lot of catching up to do. But for those who are interested, here is my 'travel log' of my trip to NY and the Westminster dog show.
Sat. Feb. 10
We were up at 5:15 a.m. and headed for the airport by 6:15; 1 dog, 3 suitcases, 1 garment bag, 1 metal dog crate, and a dolly. Gandalf has is people well trained - our suitcases were smaller than his. As soon as we got on the airplane, Sandy made sure the flight crew knew there were dogs to be on board, so we could be told when they were loaded. Of course the easiest way to ensure that they knew Gandalf was a VIP was to show them the article in the paper. The flight attendant was so tickled with the picture of Gandalf that she wanted to show it to the flight crew in the cockpit. By the time we got to New York the whole front half of the plane was wishing us good luck. I felt like a groupie for a rock star. Gandalf traveled to New York with a Giant Schnauzer in the same cargo hold so at least he had someone to talk to.
We landed at JFK and immediately headed to the window to watch them unload the luggage - we needed to know that Gandalf had arrived safely. They unloaded the entire back hold before they unloaded the dogs. We would have been in a panic, except we saw Sandy’s dolly lying on the conveyer belt. Even so, it seemed like forever - couldn’t help but worry a little about our fuzzy white guy. Needless-to-say, he was just fine and soon we were loading 2 women, 1 dog, 3 suitcases, 1 garment bag, 1 metal dog crate and a dolly into a van type taxi headed for our Manhattan hotel. Of course before we piled everything in we had to explain that Gandalf was an American Eskimo and we were heading to Westminster. Gandalf himself was his own best explanation as he proceeded to wag his way into the taxi driver and dispatcher’s hearts.
If you go anywhere with Sandy that deals with dogs, it takes FOREVER to get through a crowd of people. She knows everyone and they all seem to love her, so, of course she stops to talk to everyone. We found our room which is very small and while we had to rearrange the furniture to get all our stuff in we managed to get it all crowded in (people suitcases stuffed into the corner - Gandalf’s crate and suitcase takes up about a third of the room).
It was quite a shock to walk into the hotel to see all the dogs. Not that this, in itself, is unusual as it’s what you find at most dog shows, but to be an a Manhattan hotel lobby with terriers in coats, spaniels in ear muffs (commonly called snoods in the dog show world), and Newfoundlands in bibs is quite a shock to the system. It’s all so exciting.
We attended a party that benefited the Canine Health Foundation. It was held at the Manhattan Ballroom and was very posh: lots of glitter and black ties and a ton of fun with all the proceeds going to help keep dogs healthy. The popcorn was served in souvenir dog dishes! There was a really good band and great munchies. After the party, Gandalf was still in need of his last walk of the evening, in 20 degree weather.
Sunday, Feb. 11
Having a dog at a dog show is always interesting when they need to go for a walk, but in Manhattan, it is even more of a challenge. We overheard one young lady asking the bellhop where the grass was to walk her dog - he just laughed! You hope your dog will adapt to the concrete to take care of its business and of course you always pick up, garbage cans are available all around the city. Responsible dog people leave a place as clean as they found it.
Sandy took me over to “the Garden” to see the set up for the dogs during the benching. They certainly are going to pack a lot of dogs into a very small space tomorrow.
Tonight was Gandalf’s bath. Into the tub he went (along with Sandy) for a scrub down. When he came out there was half a dog (nothing looks quite as pathetic as a wet American Eskimo). We had to rearrange the furniture again so Sandy could get Gandalf on the grooming table. Two hours later (more or less) Gandalf looks great. We left him in the room (with the TV on) while we dashed downstairs for a bite to eat (its 10:15 p.m.). Nervous about tomorrow - you bet, but Gandalf is looking beautiful, Sandy knows what she’s going to wear, and we’ve set three alarm clocks (just in case).
So come what may there’s nothing more to do except try to get a good night’s sleep and keep our finger’s crossed.
Monday, Feb. 12
Sandy got up really early and was at the garden by 7:00 s.m. I stumbled out of bed a little later and made it by a little after 8:00 I had to enter through the main entrance which was clear on the other side of the Garden, of course. I found Sandy and Gandalf in the grooming area after a bit of searching. If you can imaging looking for one white dog in the middle of a zillion white (and, brown, and black) dogs along with at least 2 people per dog all smashed together in a tin can, you can imagine just how crowded it was. Gandalf didn't show until 10:30 so I left Sandy putting on the finish touches and went to find a seat at ring 6. I watched a couple of breeds and talked to a lot of people. I opted to sit in the stands (good view) rather than try to fight my way to ringside which was SUPER crowded.
Gandalf didn't win, Juneau did (of course). There is a lot of politics behind his winning which only sounds like sour grapes but honestly, the dog was up on something! In the three years that I have watched that dog, he has NEVER been that animated. He was all over the place. He did show well and in this particular instance did deserve the win, but boy does that dog need to retire! Hopefully, he will after the National in March. Ruth said he was, but we've heard that before! The dog that got the Award of Merit was a strange choice. Not once did he raise his ears, he was cow hocked in the rear, however, (I was told) he has fantastic motion. To be fair, Gandalf was pulling and he had a sore foot, so maybe he didn't show as well, but I hate it when a dog who won't even get his ears up wins. They just don't look good to me. OH well, it was fun.
After breed we had to be benched until 8:00 pm. GOD what a long hot day! Gandalf was the perfect ambassador for the breed however, and really did well in convincing everyone that Eskies were the world's best dogs. He was incredible! I don't think I have ever seen so many people packed into such a small space, you couldn't even move. I managed to escape back to the hotel for a brief moment to grab some lunch for Sandy and I and was not anxious to get back into the crowd. I did get to watch a few more breeds but by about 6:00 I thought by back was going to break and I was so claustrophobic I really needed to get out of there so I went back to the hotel and waited for Sandy and Gandalf to come at 8:00. We grabbed a quick diner in the hotel and watched the groups from our rooms. To be honest, I was so damn tired, the thought of walking back to the Garden was a real downer. The reality is we saw more from watching the TV than we would have from our nosebleed seats in the stands. Being not very nice people we were quite happy that Juneau didn't get a placement - sour grapes, I know, but sometime you just have to admit to being a bad sport.
The trip was wonderful, I enjoyed every single minute of dogs and more dogs. I'm becoming a bit more secure in the dog world and learn so much every time I go with Sandy. It was definitely one of the goals of my life to be able to attend Westminster and to be a part of the "backstage" was a dream of a lifetime. I really do love dogs and it sure was good to get home to my three miscreants.