We arrived in Vancouver looking forward to our trip to the National. We had been in this beautiful province two weeks before to judge at the Fraser Valley Dog Show and had made friends that we were looking forward to seeing again as well as making and renewing friendships for the Shih Tzu National. We were staying at the Best Western in Abbotsford where a block of rooms had been reserved for the Club and once arrived, quickly settled into our home for the week. Ken Septimo arrived shortly after supper with his wife and very cute little girl. Ken had thankfully loaned us equipment saving us the hardship of lugging it all with us. We had a great visit and were looking forward to the weekend. We had brought only one dog, "Mia", Winterholme American Girl, a 12 month old puppy.

Judging on the Thursday was made up of Specialty shows, both Regional and Group 6. The breed winner in Shih Tzu was Ch. Shente’s Georgia On My Mind, owned by Wendy and Neil Graves, who went on to place 2nd in the Group. During the morning, we had made plans to get together for supper and all met at our room for "Happy Hour" beforehand. Carol and Carrie Randle and Vicki Carder arrived with ‘hors d’ouevres and shortly thereafter we were joined by Maggie and Stu Barton who had just arrived. We shared great laughter at times while we waited for the Graves to return from the show site. Dinner was enjoyed at the hotel restaurant and after wards we all returned to our rooms to prepare for another day of shows.

Friday was made up of the first of the All Breed Shows and the Regional Shih Tzu Specialty. Wendy was unable to show in the morning as she was attending the CKC Judges 101 Seminar, so handling would be up to Richard. When she returned to the setup after the seminar, she was delighted to see the Best of Winners ribbon and then floored to see the Best of Breed ribbon! The Regional Specialty followed soon after and was won again by the Graves’ Ch. Shente’s Georgia On My Mind. Group judging for the All Breed Show followed and "Mia" was awarded a Group 3rd.

Ch. Shente’s Georgia On My Mind BISS CSTC Regional

The following day, Saturday, started with a Breed Seminar given by Richard and Wendy and was well attended by breeders and judges. It was well received and appreciated by those that attended.

Shortly thereafter was once again All Breed judging followed immediately by the National in the afternoon. "Mia" was once again awarded Best of Breed from the classes at the All Breed Show and then went on to win Best in Specialty at the National! Results are as follows:

Canadian Shih Tzu Club National Specialty
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Specialty Judge: Eugene Blake

Best In Specialty: Winterholme American Girl

Best Of Opposite Sex Am/Can Ch Symarun's Look N Good

Winners Male Fantasia Laverne First Edition

Reserve Winners Male Trueaires Stripes Ahoy
Winners Female Winterholme American Girl
Reserve Winners Female Mydream Maker

Richard had teased Wendy that if she did well at the National he would buy her a nice bottle of wine…..he held true to his promise and bought a lovely Chilean bottle to celebrate. Mention must be made to the Specialty committee that put on a fabulous National and Regional. They were both very well run, the trophies and goodie bags were out of this world and everyone was in great spirits. The entry consisted of quality dogs that were very well presented.

Sunday’s judging was the last of the All Breed Shows was judged by Jack Ireland. "Mia" was again awarded the Breed win and went on to finish the weekend with a Group 1st!! We were thrilled that this 12 month old puppy had outdone our hopes for the weekend! It was the last day and we said goodbye to everyone once the judging was over as most were leaving for their drives or flights home that evening. To win the Group was a thrilling end to the weekend for us and after returning to the hotel, we relaxed in the evening with room service and a trip to the hot tub to reminisce the weekend’s events.

CLICK HERE TO OUR HOLIDAY IN BRITISH COLOMBIA THE WEEK AFTER THE NATIONAL