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Puppies & Valentines at the Maryland Kennel Club

2/15/2020

Monique Hetterscheidt and Yeti after winning first place in the Herding Dog category.

West Friendship, Md., Feb. 15, 2020—Well-groomed and well-behaved, they arrived in SUVs, campers, and motor homes. There was Abby, Benjie, Declan, Firefly, Maestro, Marley, Mattie, Spicey, Theo, Yeti, and others. Some were from Maryland, plus towns in Delaware, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and New England states. Was this a soccer or basketball game? A political convention? None of the above.

This was the Maryland Kennel Club, hosting an All Breeds Dog Show at the Howard County Fairgrounds over Valentine’s weekend.

And touch our hearts they did, regardless of size, markings, or performance. Some with big, bright eyes, while others had eyes hidden by long fur. Some waited in their crates, while others enjoyed last-minute salon touch ups.

When I arrived, the Basset Hounds were lined up in the ring, ready to be judged. American Kennel Club standards for each breed are applied to individual dogs, evaluating such traits as the dog’s head size and proportion, its muzzle and teeth, neck, eyes, ears, forequarters, hindquarters, tail (if the breed has one), hair length and color, and gait. To me, just an observer, they were all adorable.

The dogs were organized into seven groups: Toys, Terriers, Sporting, Working, Non-Sporting, Hound, and Herding. Strolling around, I met Australian Shepherds, Border Collies, Boxers, Irish Setters, Dachshunds, English Springer Spaniels, French Poodles, German Shepherds, King Charles Cavalier Spaniels, Mastiffs, Newfoundlands, and Terriers. Other breeds included Borzois (Russian Wolf Hounds), Pointers, and Salukis. With more than 1,500 dogs entered on Saturday alone, I may have missed a few breeds.

Dr. Cheryl Stiehl, a veterinarian from Pasadena, Md., showed a beautiful pair of Irish setters, and another vet, Dr. Kate Bremser from Rougemont, near Durham, N.C, showed Firefly, her English Springer Spaniel. I spent some time with dog breeder/trainer Monique Hetterscheidt and her Australian Shepherd named Yeti, from Ruther Glen, Va., who won first place for the owner-handler competition for herding dogs and Best in Show.

Regardless of whether a dog placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or further down, a treat awaited each contestant at the end. The top four in each ring received ribbons and a china trophy with the Maryland Kennel Club logo. The Best in Show received an impressive black and gold ribbon mounted in a shadowbox for display.

To encourage the sport of dog shows with the younger generation, this club provides the junior showmanship event for no fee, setting it apart from other clubs.

If you have a chance to attend a dog show, go and enjoy it.

The American Kennel Club website includes a calendar of events, some probably near you: https://www.apps.akc.org/apps/event_calendar/.

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Groundhog's Day at Great Falls National Park

2/4/2020

02/02/2020 -- Groundhog's Day.

There's a long tradition in the little town of Punxsutawney in west-central Pennsylvania, where people in 18th century black top hats and black coats wait for the groundhog to emerge from his burrow. According to Stormfax.com, "when German settlers (Pennsylvania Dutch) arrived in the 1700s, they brought a tradition known as Candlemas Day, which has an early origin in the pagan celebration of Imbolc. It came at the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox."

The long-awaited prediction this year is for an early spring, as Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow and decided to venture further outdoors on Sunday.

In northern Virginia, the temperature was in the high 40s/lower 50s, sunny with a light breeze. Not one to spend a beautiful day inside, I decided to venture over to Great Falls National Park in Maryland, about 10 miles north of the Maryland/DC line. The good weather was enough to bring other humans out of their dens, too. Despite the previous day's rain, the ground was very walkable. And, it led to a fast flowing Potomac River.

The video below captures a little of my experience that day. I hope it inspires you to get out there and visit a nearby park. Enjoy!

Puppies & Valentines at the Maryland Kennel Club

Groundhog's Day at Great Falls National Park

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