THOSE WERE THE DAYS MY FRIEND, we thought they'd never end when we packed the kids, dogs and grandma along with a huge picnic lunch into the van and headed to the dog show, and had a grand family day.

I remember those days well!!!

The kids belonged to a friend and they showed in junior showmanship, and actually got points in the breed of their choice. Little Kathryn age 13 won BOW at the nationals with her 6 month old Keeshond pup beating all the top people in the breed; she is in her 30's now, has 2 kids and doesn't even own a dog. Her brother, who showed an Irish Setter, is now involved in the aquarium down in Charleston and he and his wife own a rescue greyhound and have no kids. They go to dog shows once in a while and attend a lot of meet and greet's with the rescue group.

Then there is another kid who showed the top Pharos around the east coast... she went to college, met a lawyer, had a bunch of kids, home schools and has 1 dog .. some kind of herding off brand not registered kind of dog that actually tends the sheep on her small farm.

Then there were the thirteen 4-H'ers I had back in Virginia.. I hear from a few of them once in a while. Only one still has a dog at all. These kids were the top in 4-H competitions...two were state winners, one a national winner, and they have all seemed to learn a lesson I have not managed to learn.

THEY WALKED AWAY!

Oh yes, college and marriage and kids seem to interfere with the dog world...but they are statistics now...

They walked away...

The AKC says the average time one spends in the dog world is 5 years...

I guess that makes me an idiot since I have been at this since 1965.  I guess all these years of teaching novices what it is all about, teaching them to groom and breed correctly, watching them become successful and then watching them become disenchanted and WALK away makes me a full time IDIOT...

What am I beating my head against the wall for?

Another AKC Champion, which means what? It simply means my dog beat enough other dogs enough times to get 15 points and AKC mails me a piece of paper that says my dog is duly recorded as a CHAMPION and that piece of paper cost me thousands of dollars!!  THOUSANDS!!!

Yep.. I AM an IDIOT....!!! 20 times over!!!!

Are you?