Taylor went on his first plane ride to the Vizsla Nationals November 10th. Jackie & Taylor flew with friends Joan, Linda & Miss Luna (who he shared cargo space with!) on Continental Airlines to Phoenix, AZ for this yearly event, where Vizslas & their people come from around the country to show their stuff. As usual the folks at Continental made us feel very special, handled us with kid gloves, despite a bit of ground delay in Phoenix coming home, & basically kept us safe & sound. We all drove together to our hotel destination in Tucson where we got acquainted with our rooms and the great grassy areas where we were able to stretch our legs & say hi to lots of really nice people & their Vizslas. It was a VERY long day…
Tuesday was the first full day of Nationals starting with Mr Clay Cody judging the Sweepstakes. Taylor was entered in the 15 to under 18mo dog class, handled by his breeder & co-owner Britt Jung. The weather was warm & sunny (compared to NY), which was great since the judging was outdoors on the hotel property (we all seemed to have missed this on the premium!). There were 9 dogs in Taylor’s class & he showed like a star, winning the class!
Taylor’s cousin Rocky (Kyllburg’s OP1 Rocket’s Red Glare) & our friend (Rocky’s mom & owner) Adrienne Freyer won the 15-under 18mo Junior Bitches class & went on to win Best in Sweepstakes!! We are so proud & happy for them!! We had a nice celebration that night with lots of Vizslas friends!
Regular classes started on Wednesday with Judge Mr James Reynolds. Taylor was entered in the largest class, Bred By Exhibitor Dogs. There were 14 entries in his class & the competition was fierce! Britt handled him to win a well deserved 2nd place, beating some very nice dogs. Taylor earned some nice compliments by Mr Reynolds, especially about his beautiful head & expression, while they were getting their pictures taken together by the show photographer.
After the classes finished up we were treated to a ton of fun at the local Gene C. Reid off leash dog park, a few minutes from the hotel by car. Taylor met lots of new friends & got to run off lead with his Vizsla friends Luna & Rocky, as well as his mom Indie. Taylor was the new kid in town & made sure to say hello to all the regulars!!
On Thursday the Best of Breed took the ring for a very competitive day. With 68 entries Mr Reynolds methodically divided the dogs & bitches up in to smaller groups for easier viewing. It was a beautiful showing for all, there were Specials from all over the country. Britt showed Indie (Ch Opus One Featuring Indie JH TDI CGC, Taylor’s mom & Dillon’s daughter), like the champion that she is, winning a prestigious Award of Merit. Indie was also entered in the Nationals Agility Events, Novice A Standard, held at the Gene C. Reid Park & handled by Britt, Indie qualified, got a 100 as well as a 1st place!! We are so proud of Indie & Britt, they continue to show us how versatile this breed is!!
By the end of the week we all were exhausted, anxious to get home, but sad to say good-bye to our friends from afar. The weather was becoming increasingly beautiful (80′ when we left Friday morning), Taylor & I were envious of those who were going on to more shows in Pima Co. that weekend. We arrived home many hours later & immediately were mauled with love & kisses from the rest of the family, Dillon, Marley & of course Eddie, reassuring us that there’s no place like home…
