The Land-O-Lakes Dog Show: The Tibetan Mastiff

Meet Diablo!

Diablo was big.    VERY big.  And, completely gentle.

Nice meeting you Diablo!

The Land-O-Lakes Dog Show: Preparation is Brutal

I didn't get this dogs name.  He, or she, was just sitting there, with a sheet wrapped around her, or him, after being washed, brushed and blow dried.

That is one beautiful dog.

The Land-O-Lakes Dog Show: Mr Bond

Meet Dawn!

And here is Dawn at work with Bond, an English Sheepdog

To say Bond is relaxed, is an understatement.   I wonder if Mr. Bond had a vodka martini, shaken and not stirred.

Ah, getting to the final stages.

Rubber bands to get the whiskers shaped!

Are we done yet?

There. Just about done!

I have to say, Mr. Bond was quite relaxed and used to the routine.

Thanks Dawn!

The Land-O-Lakes Dog Show: The Select Bitch Award

Meet Suri!  Suri is 7 yrs old and was given the Select Bitch Award.   I have to admit, this was pretty strange language for me.   But, apparently, this is a big deal.

And Suri didn't look, sound, or act like a bitch!  So, being a simple male, I was a bit confused.

And meet Suri's human friend:  Gretchen!

Thanks for explaining it to me, Gretchen!   And congratulations to Suri!

The Land-O-Lakes Dog Show: The Little Dogs!

Meet Ringo!

I couldn't decide whether I liked the profile or the full face look.  So, you get them both!

And, meet Althea, Ringo's human friend!

Thanks Althea!  

The Land-O-Lakes Dog Show

Grooming time for the Golden's!

If you've never been to a dog show, it's fun to head into the back stage area where the groomers are.  They group dogs by type.  So, in this area, there were 6 Golden Retrievers all being brushed and combed and blow-dried.  They were beautiful.  And, a bit bored!

The Land-O-Lakes Dog Show: Greeting Cards

Meet Jackie!

She runs her own small business doing custom greeting cards with dogs and cats.   Check out Embellish by Jackie on line!

These are perfect gifts for any dog lover.

Lovely meeting you Jackie!  Keep up the awesome work!

The Land-O-Lakes Dog Show: It feels like Monday

I didn't get this dogs name.  But, I chuckled.   She was tired with all of the excitement.  Or bored.

Maybe she's just a dog teenager and would prefer to not be with her human parents. 

I don't think she moved for 5 minutes.  

The Land-O-Lakes Dog Show: Another Shetland Sheepdog

Meet Kell Felicity, a Champion!

And meet her human, Abby.

Kell Felicity is 8 yrs old.  And, she was still a champion!

The Land-O-Lakes Dog Show: The Shetland Sheepdog

Meet Kat (which is a very funny name for a dog, no offense Kat!).

And meet Kat's human, Sheldon!

Here they are in action!

Well done and thank you to you both!

The Land-O-Lakes Dog Show: The Irish Wolfhound

I didn't get a human in this photo.  But, I thought the dog was beautiful. 

Land-O-Lakes Dog Show:

Meet Oliver!

And meet Oliver's human, Debbie!

Oliver is just 19 months old and was thoroughly enjoying himself at the show!

Thanks Oliver, and Debbie!

The Land-O-Lakes Dog Show: The English Mastiff

Meet Hercules!

And his handler:  Skyler!

If you are curious, Hercules is just 3 yrs old and weighs in about 200 lbs.  He is a growing boy!  

Nice job, Skyler!

The Land-O-Lakes Dog Show: Purina

Meet Erika and Joanne!

They are independent consultants hired by Purina to represent Purina's Pro-Plan food line.  If memory serves me correctly, Erika is from Florida.  If you didn't know, Minnesota has been a bit chilly.   She was freezing!

It was lovely meeting you both.   Thank you!

The Land-O-Lakes Dog Show: A Wire Haired Miniature Dachhund.

Meet Gala!

And meet Sue, the person that Gala takes care of!

Gala is just 3 years old and is already a Grand Champion!    They were out having fun, today!

My sincere thanks to you both!

The Land-O-Lakes Dog Show: A Samoyed

Meet Tyrion!

And meet Patrick!

Tyrion keep track of Patrick, I think!  Tyrion was a Grand Champion.   Patrick is his co-owner and, as he described himself, the bucket bitch.  I am not exactly certain what that means.  And, I didn't ask!

My sincere thanks to you both!

The Land-O-Lakes Dog Show: A Blue Merle

Meet Picasso!

And meet Erin!   Erin belongs to Picasso!

Picasso is a Blue Merle.  They are a stunningly beautiful Australian Shepherd.  My daughter has two of them.  They are high energy.  Incredibly smart.  Loyal as can be.  And, the dogs keep trying to herd the grandsons.  It's hilarious.

Thanks Picasso and Erin!

The Land-O-Lakes Dog Show: A Pumi

It's been nearly six months that I've been off my blogging schedule.  This weekend, I finally had the energy to get out and do some photos.  I had a choice:  The Tattoo Convention....or the Land-O-Lakes Dog Show.   Since I've done the tattoo show two or three times, the dog show was the winner!

Meet Cheryl!

And meet Hurka!

Hurka is one of the new breeds at the show.  The Pumi breed is a sheet herding dog from Hungary.   Cheryl was a bit of a celebrity.  I found out she had been interviewed by Channel 11 in the cities and Hurka was able to get some screen time, too.

Cheryl,  thank you for the information about the Pumi breed.  And, Hurka was delightfully friends.

My sincere thanks to you both!

Happy Birthday Big D

I was there to take the first photo of you, about 4-5 minutes after you were born.  And, I took this one just a month ago.

You are growing up!

Have a wonderful birthday!  And, in the famous words of Red Green, "Keep your stick on the ice."

New Job

Almost exactly 6 months ago, I was let go from my position.  It wasn't about performance.  It was all about dollars.  It didn't matter that I was well under my budget YTD.  It didn't matter that I had no adverse performance issues in my file.  It was all about saving the company money so those further upstream could make their bonuses.  We weren't losing money.  We were doing well.   Just someone decided that it wasn't "well enough".

It was the first time in my life that this had happened.  And, I am still not over it.  Learning that hard work, honesty, integrity were less valued was disappointing.

The last 6 months have been fascinating and frustrating.  I have learned that everything is done on LinkedIn now.  I had to update my resume and LinkedIn profile. And, I had been far too busy to do much networking while I was working.  I learned that was a mistake.

I was fortunate enough to meet dozens of people that enjoy networking.  They were fun, creative, insightful, and helpful.

It was through networking support that I found a company that needed someone with my background.  They didn't bat an eye at my age.

Today I accepted the position they offered.   And, I am grateful.  I have one more good run left in me.  And, this looks, at least on the surface, like a good fit.

So, in spite of my Scandinavian heritage, I actually showed some emotion today.

I will, of course, continue to work hard.  I will, of course, continue to be ethical and treat my co-workers with the respect they deserve for no other reason than that they are human beings.  And I will continue to be part of the networking community.   It's people helping people, folks.

Keep safe and warm everyone.  It is a good thing we have global warming.  Think how cold it would be without that!