Making Up for the Elvis Photo

OK, so I'm trying to make it up to Hawk for the Elvis photo. My friend Lori takes direction well when I manuever the dog. First thing I ask her, sooo sweetly, is, "Um, would you be interested at ALL in getting down on his level in the wet, muddy grass to get a better angle?" Or, "Hey, that rock looks good, could you climb over to the other side so the light will be better?" Well, that one didn't go over so well, but she's a good friend and when I called her this morning and asked her to bring her camera to work with her, she obliged. :-)

We have a lovely trail behind our office building, with three ponds, two waterfalls, and a nice asphalt path that makes about a 1/2 mile circle. This time of year, we also have lots of geese that rest in one of the big fields in the middle of the trail circle. Unfortunately, that means they leave lots of, uh, stuff behind. Hawk had a serious refresher course in "LEAVE IT" this afternoon.

And well, just because I am who I am...

Thank ya, Thank ya very much

OK, so I'm a terrrible mother. I just gush over how pretty and special my Hawkadoodle is, and how he's done great out showing, and is a handsome, sophisticated guy. And then, well, then I go and ruin everything by posting this...
Complete with sideburns and chest hair, I think perhaps Hawk misunderstood when I called him The King of the house. I have to say, the dog is a great sport! Mel brought that for the dogs last weekend, and Hawk's the only doggie who can barely squeeze into the Elvis Suit.

2008 - A Good Year for the Hawk Man

2008 was a great year for Hawk. I never would have expected my first Swedish Vallhund to be so successful in the show ring, so wonderful with the rest of the dogs in my home, and basically the perfect dog for the family. I still remember the first time I saw him, I just couldn't stop looking at him. And I didn't even know he was available! Then my nervousness when I decided to take him, WHAT was I doing??? Now I laugh, because Hawk walked in the front door that cold November day in 2005, and he acted like he'd lived here forever. Thanks to Bonnie for letting him come home with me, even if I do live in Missouri. ;-P

Hawk finishes 2008 ranked as the #1 Swedish Vallhund. He finished the year with a Best of Breed win at Eukanuba, and the photo came in the mail this week. It is always thrilling to see Hawk in the ring with Sherri. She just brings out his best, and it looks like Hawk just tries so hard to make Sherri proud of him. What more can I ask for? They made quite a team in 2008, and I know Hawk will be excited to see Sherri again in February.

I also finally got one of Hawk's 2008 Group Placement photos scanned in. I'm just a little behind in getting these things done! I'm pretty sure this was from sometime in October.
Hawk also sired his first "litter," even though Bitsy sadly resorbed all but one puppy. The one puppy had enough personality for an entire Litter, and we are so happy that Frankie arrived safely, and he's growing up so well. He's beautiful, sweet, busy, and happy, all at the same time.

2009 is going to be much quieter for Hawk, and he's going to be at home supervising all Corgi play. It's a very important job, and he was sorely missed during the months he lived with Sherri in Texas!

"Welcome to The Big Show"

Another "Proud Mom" moment today. Hawk won Best of Breed at the Eukanuba National Championship dog show in Long Beach, California. Sherri Hurst handles Hawk, and she shows him so well. Thanks to Susan Line for getting Hawk started in the breed ring while Sherri finished showing her Cattle Dog! Hawk loves Miss Susan.

Tonight, we went to cheer for Hawk in the group competition. These photos are about as good as I was gonna get from the stands in the dark arena. But here are a few shots from Hawk's debut in the Herding Group at the Eukanuba National Championship. The group competition will air on Animal Planet sometime in January.

If you squint, the photos may not seem so blurry. ;-)
First, Hawk had Miss Sherri and Miss Lauren do the final touches getting his coat just right.

Then the show was on...

And tonight, the big super star is totally sacked out on MY pillow at the hotel, snoring. He's so sophisticated!

The Big Yellow Envelope

I finally made it home, and my neighbor brought me all my mail. I haven't even sorted through it all yet, but I did find a big yellow envelope in the stack. It's another first for Hawk. Last year, it was his first invite to Eukanuba. I remember how exciting that was and even getting the invite this year for Eukanuba was a thrill. And this year, currently ranked as the #1 Swedish Vallhund, Hawk earned his first invitation to Westminster. While I did show him some this year, and together we earned about 1/8th of his total breed points, I have to give credit where credit is due.

First, Hawk is a handsome dude (not that I'm biased), and of course his outstanding breed type, balanced structure, his exuberance, and his showy attitude have taken him a long way this year. However, this has been a very hectic year for me with my job, and there was no way I could travel to dog shows the way I did last year. So, for small blocks of time throughout this year, Sherri Hurst has been Hawk's handler, groomer, and best friend. She has been a very good sport about having Hawk sporadically, and every time she takes him in the ring, she is dedicated to my dog. Hawk adores Sherri, and I know that he's very happy when he is with her. I can tell, because when I have the chance to catch up with my dog at a show, he is happy to see me, but he is definitely more interested in Sherri. I try to tell myself it's because she's got a pocket full of liver. Ha! I know that Hawk would never be so devoted and loyal to Sherri if he did not love being with her. He is buddies with all of her dogs, and Lauren tells me that Hawk thinks *all* the other dogs at Sherri's are *HIS* dogs. :-) That doesn't surprise me a bit and I'm pretty sure that Pearl the Pembroke is sweet on Hawk.

So, thank you to Sherri, Lauren (Hawk might love Lauren even a bit more than he loves Sherri), Susan (who showed him perfectly in the Herding Group several times), and David (for putting up with the little yapper and showing him to one of his group placements) for your team effort in showing Hawk for part of 2008. And to our friend Don, who showed Hawk to his very first group placement in January, and who has shown Hawk on several occasions right from the start, we are also grateful. Whether or not Hawk gets to go to Westminster in February, I'm proud to say the "Tailed Vallhund" is mine.