I wonder how many “dog show people” started out just like me. I was just looking for a pet. A beloved Standard Schnauzer to help fill the lonely spot in my heart after my fur-babies, Bosco and Winston, crossed over the rainbow bridge. I searched all over Texas and the surrounding states and then reached out all the way to California looking for a Standard Schnauzer. When I finally found Zoey, I hopped on a plane as fast as I could to go get her. I was so excited that I arrived without a collar, leash, or crate. And that’s how I started our show career too – completely unprepared.
The first show I entered was the Standard Schnauzer Nationals in Houston. Our first show. The Nationals. The first dog show I’d ever attended, to say nothing of participation. In retrospect, ridiculous. Need I say that we didn’t win? The experience might have ended my interest in showing Zoey had it not been for the warm support of SS owners and handlers encouraging me to take a deep breath, get some training, and not give up.
When I started again, Zoey made Champion so quickly that I felt like I hadn’t even really had a chance to develop my talents as the human exhibiting this beautiful schnauzer. Soooo, this is what led to the decision to continue on and title her as a Grand Champion. It’s little incremental steps you take in the journey to crazy – and I’m already a ways down that road.