Our wins through 7/28/2008

January 2008

Here is our regular schedule nowadays: every day Reeney gets up before six and gets on treadmill for 30 min. After that I go to work and she goes back to bed. I come back from wor at 6pm and :

Monday evening we rent a place to train for obedience
Tuesday we practice at home
Wednesday evening we are in Utility class
Thursday we groom and pack
Friday we leave for the weekend at a show

I will have to find strength to survive this marathon for as long as I can. I hope we will be successful this year in obedience and conformation rings. We'll see..

October 2007

October 27, 2007
Oh my goodness! We took Award of Merit at the Nationals!!!!!! Reeney and I were 4th in place to receive AOM and the first color dog in line. It was surreal and felt like I was watching a movie most of the time. I do think I was on auto-pilot more than not. It was our second time in the ring together and trust me, if it looks easy - it is not! There were very nice people in the audience who would whisper to me very loudly: "Look at the judge! Look at the judge! He is moving you up!" I probably would have missed it and respected judge Mr. Lowell Davis would have tired of waving his hands at me and would have pulled out somebody else :-) Whoever you are, thank you!
I have to give Reeney credit. She was all business! I was so surprised that she had energy to last this long. We were in the ring for cuts many times and it felt that we were there for more then 3 hours. I think that deep inside she felt all my excitement and adrenaline and answered me in her bursts of energy just at the right time. I love that dog! I just do!

October 20, 2007
We showed at The Great Dane Nationals in Lancaster, PA. Reeney took 3rd in Novice B with the score of 195, or a "5" as it is said in professional obedience competitors language :-) She also finished her Rally Advance B title. I am happy and proud.

June to August

From June to August Reeney earned 15 qualifying legs in Novice A with 9 First placements, each at an all-breed show. It was a hot summer and some of the shows were really tough on both Reeney and myself. I am not fond of the heat and you probably know what 90 degrees in direct sunlight does to a black coat. We got through it, it was an interesting experiment but neither of us thinks we are cut out for an all-season campaigning.

June 2007

We are glad to announce the Reeney received her CD title!!!! So far we got 7 legs in a row with five 1st placements and 2 second placements.

From the bottom of our hearts thank you to Linda and Mike MacDonald with Hy-Bar Training Center and Gayle Smith and Tilly! We could not have done this without you.

Sincere gratitude to judges (in alphabetical order):

Mr. James Ashton
Mr. Anthony Cherubini
Ms. Sharon Crossman
Mr. Harold Doan
Mrs. Rose Doan
Mr. Robert Janek
Ms. Nancy Withers

2006 was a great year!

Our girl of many names, Reeney, Corina,Pink or Pinkie Puppy, depending on who you are talking to, became a Champion. She made her Mom, Alana, and Grandma Tootie and Jay, and Grandpa Joe and Dave very very proud.

As a warm-up in early 2006, Reeney took multiple Best Puppy and Best in Sweeps. Even being that young Pinkie already showed the refined and elegant build, gliding movement and the stunning head and neck of a Longo.

Beleive it or not, Reeney's first AKC points were in obedience. First two legs were appointed to Reeney at the Butler Dog Training Association's all-breed Rally trial by judge Ms. Deborah Cecotti. Pinkie even placed 4th among other breeds on April 29th, at just 13 months! Everybody could tell she had a blast in the ring and applauded and cheered when we were done. Not often you see such an energetic and agile Dane puppy in the ring!

To start off Reeney's confirmation career, Judge Mr. Mark E. Van Alstyne graciously awarded her Best of Winners at the Ohio Specialty and gave us our first 3-point major.

Mr. Charles L. Olvis, while withstanding sweltering heat of Belvidere Illinois in July, awarded Reeney her second major, this time 4 points. This was also the show when she received her final leg for Rally Novice title from judge Ms. Arlene G King.

While taking a break from competition, Pinkie passed with flying colors Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog International tests. She will begin her therapy work in late Spring of 2007. Not many dogs in this world enjoy human company more than Reeney does. She will do well spreading her never-ending and ever-contagious happiness among those who are in need.

And to finish the year off, Reeney won 3 days in a row at the IX shows in December. We would like to thank three gracious judges that made it all possible:

Mr. Lester R. Mapes - 2 points, Thursday, December 14
Mrs. Mary Ann Alston - 2 points, Friday, December 15
Mr. Jon R. Cole - 4 points, Saturday, December 16

Thank you, Tootie and Joe, for another incredible Dane. Thank you Jay and Dave for a cherished puppy