Finally: A Lands' End catalog photo!

See page 10-11 in the Plus Size catalog here http://s7.landsend.com/s7/brochure/flash_brochure.jsp?company=LandsEnd&sku=1811_eCatalog&config=LandsEnd/012611_V1_Core&locale=en

Yep: Those are two Ebbtide dogs: left: "Emmy" Ebbtide Wish Come True CGC owned by Pam and Harold Michalek and myself, and right, "Spencer" BBXBIS AKC/ASCA CH Ebtide Fine Fellow CD, working it for Lands' End last April. "Spencer" is owned by Judi Scherrer and myself and I was the lone dog wrangler for this gig. This vineyard was just a few miles from our house. The lovely human model was a charming woman, originally from Texas, now from NYC.

It was a hot, hot day that day and a couple rattlesnakes were seen up at the staging area. Not a single word of the 100 degree heat was heard from any models. Me, on the other hand...

We also worked two days doing more LE photo shoots out near Bodega Bay on a big ranch. "JJ" AKC/ASCA CH Ebbtide Careful What You Wish, was also an "accessory" model and had some beautiful shots taken out on the coast in a rock outcrop...I'd love to see those.


This is a shot taken by the ranch owner - Emmy and Spencer again.

It was an exciting experience and challenging work at times, doing some distance, off-leash walking with the models with 2 and 3 dogs. The sitting and cuddling shots were a piece of cake.

Hope to see more of the dogs in Lands' End fall catalogs soon! But, who knows..

YOU, TOO, CAN BE A CANINE GOOD CITIZEN!

OK, MAYBE NOT YOU, BUT YOUR DOG CAN!

That's "Emmy" Ebbtide Handful Of Wishes, on the left, and her well-dressed brother, "JJ", Ebbtide Careful What You Wish, as they posed for their Ofiicial Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Photo:

Emmy and JJ just completed a 12 week obedience class with Trainer Lissa Wall at Tails-A-Waggin' Dog Obedience School in Santa Rosa, CA . (Thanks, Lissa - It was fun!) Emmy is owned and trained by Pam Michalek. (JJ is my dog...but you might have known that). This past Monday night they performed brilliantly on the 10 Test Items, which, in upholding The Ebbtide Golden Rule, they passed with ease.

You can read all about the 10 Test Items you must perform to earn a CGC Certificate right here: http://www.akc.org/events/cgc/training_testing.cfm

You can also find an evaluator and/or class to train and take the test, by scrolling down on that site.

Personally, I think every dog should be trained for at least their CGC - And I'll add Rally Novice to that! Besides, it's fun and your dog will love you MORE for taking him/her to class and training at home. Really.

The CGC Test stresses responsible pet ownership for owners and basic good manners for dogs.

AKC awards a certificate, NOT a title for this simple test (in other words, CGC is NOT part of their registered name). CGC is a great starting point towards earning Rally, Obedience, Agility and even Herding and Tracking titles. Your veterinarian will also appreciate a dog that has passed his CGC test.

I know there are lots of Ebbtide dogs out there who started with their CGC, and I applaud you! Get yourself and your dog to a class now and join our ranks!

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!!

Click on the photo to see the details and read the caption.

Yeah. That's us - Big news in the SF Examiner! Me leading Cali (Ebbtide As You Wish) out of the 9-12 class 2nd place win, Judi and Emmy (Ebbtide Handful Of Wishes), 3rd. But really, reporter: "Owners and presenters " ? That would be HANDLERS, Ms. Reporter. sheesh. Uhmm, also check your facts: 1485 dogs entered. I guess that's nearly 2000...

And how fortuitous that my face has been cropped (thank you, very much!), Judi is BEHIND me and Sheila is in background....and, oh, dear, it looks like narcolepsy has claimed yet ANOTHER Ebbtide friend!

But what happened to those precious photos the reporter took of the incredibly photogenic Ebbtide pups and Mr. Spencer doing his famous "Pretty Please" sit up trick??? That, THAT, faithful reader, is front page stuff.

Thanks to My People #2 : Trish Maddan, and her mom & grandma, for finding, clipping and sending the pics. Yessirree: it takes a village.

Cow Palace : You Gotta Have Your People

Since the yahoos - - - I mean the enthusiastic Ebbtide dog owners excluding Ann - - (referred hereafter as My People) -- were so adamant on participating at the 2009 Cow Palace show, they were summoned by the Queen -- I mean Ann -- to attend to Her Highness and the 5 Ebbtide dogs that were entered for the weekend. To keep Her People happy, Ann had specially designed grooming smocks for everyone to wear - thanks to our friends at Gaitway, Bonnie & Mo! With the snappy EBBTIDE emblazoned on the chest and individual names for the experienced grooming staff (keep working, Cathy B!), they were a picture of The Strong, The Proud, The Competent, The ....what the...?

Yeah, well, I was just hoping...Instead, left to right: Susan looking a little stressed; Trish, hmm - just there; Judi, wildly excited; and CathyB, who it looks like forgot her narcolepsy meds. PEOPLE! Can we just smile nicely for the camera??!!

Just like the dogs, it took my appearance to get things in order:

There. Maybe CathyB was too tired from all that ironing the day before? But...I'd say overall we look quite professional, don't you? Yeah, go ahead and hold that thought. Because this is the Real Team Ebbtide:

PEOPLE! Show some respect...(glad CathyB's meds kicked in)...I have to admit: I promised My People we would "go and have fun" at the Cow Palace. They like fun, My People. So do I. After almost 39 years showing dogs, I have to have fun when I go to shows...why go if you can't have fun??!! It certainly helped pass the time on the bench from 10 am to 5:30 pm on Saturday...especially since the colorful ribbons we won did not include those all important colors of blue or purple or purple/gold. But we happily applaud our more successful Aussie friends in their endeavors that day. We met lots of new people, including this young girl, who could easily qualify for membership on the Ebbtide team (see photo above for reference).

But look how nicely behaved those 4 eleven month old puppies are?!?! Good dogs. And of course, Mr. Spencer being an impeccable role model.

Interestingly, this weekend My People were heard grumbling that I "spoil Mr. Perfect JJ". Apparently, even though I am constantly picking up the pieces of Dog Owners With Good Intentions But Shoddy Disciplining Skills (ahem), I am not allowed even a little slack with JJ...here is incriminating evidence of #1 Assistant Judi caught in the act of taking JJ's toy away from him...

You are so busted, #1.

Later, My People were delirious with joy that JJ could show like the trooper I knew he was and come home with WINNERS DOG and that crazy 4-point major (read: Big Deal). Not to be outdone, CH Spencer CD, was then handed over to his owner, Mean Judi (above), to show in the Best of Breed class. With my impeccable instructions ("Just don't screw him up, Judi"), I sent them into the Best of Breed ring:

Judi: See how the person in front of you is SHOWING NECK??!!

I then continued to show JJ in Best of Breed. Things got a little blurry here...but check it out:

I'm thinking here "Wow - she's nice! How are we gonna beat HER??" (We didn't ;-) Congrats to Melissa and her Puppy Group 1 win, too! Yowza!

To our delight, Spencer & Judi were awarded the coveted purple & gold ribbon for BEST OF BREED ! Wow! My People were over the top!

Thanks to My People's great grooming skills, the balance of our dogs won :

Cali (Ebbtide As You Wish) was 2nd place both days;

Emmy (Ebbtide Handful of Wishes) was 3rd and 4th;

Beau (Ebbtide Wish On A Rainbeau) was 4th on Saturday

Way to go, puppies!!

Since Spencer was the Best of Breed winner, he advanced to the HERDING GROUP (with Ann handling) and showed beautifully to a 4th PLACE in the HERDING GROUP!! Thanks, GGKC, for the classy AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD sign in the group! Here's a fuzzy pic of Spencer & I out in the Group ring, free stacking to the judge, who is off to the left:

That nice silver bowl on the table? Not ours. It was won by the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Which reminds me of a funny moment: Susan and I listening to a well dressed, elegant woman tell us a story about a "Gorki". I was very good and didn't laugh - mostly because I thought it sounded like a great breed of Russian dogs. After the second time she said it, I had to say "Corgi - I think you mean Corgi". I couldn't let her sound silly all day...

Anyway, I'm seriously considering retiring from dog shows this week: Sunday's wins are going to be a hard act to follow...!

And for the record: We DID have fun. And not just because we won - maybe later I'll write about all that.

Or not...But just so you know: (1) You Gotta Have Your People and (2) You Gotta Have Fun.

Extreme Makeover - The Dog Show Episode

Imagine, if you will, a dog show person who is slightly addicted to HGTV. You know: Home and Garden TV channel? Although the lack of Garden is a crime and fodder for a future post.....but I digress...HGTV is home to endless home design, remodel, makeover and decorating shows. So it's not hard to imagine just what one slightly addicted frustrated home decorator dog show/gardener person might do in the slow gardening days of winter....

Here is the BEFORE shot of where we will display our dogs for the weekend of the Golden Gate Kennel Club (affectionately known as "The Cow Palace Show"):


What?!!?! Dark, dull AND dreary, you say??? hohohohoho - do not fear - Dog Show Bench Decorator is here!

All it takes is a little imagination and effort.

And a well-worn "Cow Palace" file, with detailed dimensions, calculations and secret website addresses. And about $400 (if my husband is reading this - $100). At least 5 shopping trips. At home. At least 1 more while I'm in San Francisco. Perhaps a shipment of fabric from Montana. Or two. And can you Rush that order? Frequent email exchanges between the Ebbtide Design Team. And design meetings. A sewing day . Photo shoots. Arriving one, maybe two days before the show starts. Did I say $400??? snort. Omigod. This woman is possessed.


Yes. Yes. Maybe I am...

And did I mention the generous folks of Golden Gate Kennel Club have now made the Bench Decorations a (shriek) Competition. One Hundred Dollars awarded to BEST DECORATED BENCH IN SHOW!!!!! ok - so maybe you're noticing the irony here, too...

Be that as it may, I have A Plan. And I will not be stopped. Even when Head Seamstress and Fabric Design Consultant Pam Michalek is sidelined due to a family emergency. nononono..... I will not be stopped. Even when #1 Assistant, Judi Scherrer, bails out of decorating day, citing some crazy-talk-thing : job-winery-website-deadline-its-our-paycheck-blahblahblah (sheesh - She needs to get her priorities straight!). I will not be deterred from creating the Benching Of My Dreams.

My Theme, you ask? Ah, thank you: Vintage Cowgirl. That's right CowGIRL. That's an important detail. But, wait, there's more. Old West Vintage Cowgirl. And it has to be comfy. "Comfy Old West Vintage Cowgirl"... yeah...yeah....

I arrive late Thursday with RV and a few materials (harhar). Slight glitch: where the bleep is my iron? ok - maybe we should just keep that our little secret.....but, to the rescue: Cathy Baird, owner of Ebbtide Wish On A Rainbeau "Beau" (and "Teka"). Armed with a cute dog, an iron, a bag of various cutting devices and her good humor, Cathy (hopefully not to her dismay) volunteers to "help" me on Friday set up the bench. And so we begin:


Cathy's skills at ironing press-on seam tape reach amazing heights. Ann performs magic with twine - yes, twine! Judi The Responsible Adult (zzzzzz) designs legendary posters. Even when the Evil Vendor tries to Thwart Our Plan by running over our ironing board, we persevere: We. Will. Not. Be. Stopped. We will give the Cow Palace the Mother Of All Dog Show Benches.

Yes we can.




A table for a photo album perhaps?


Just add 5 perfectly Western dogs to complete the room, err, I mean bench:


Left to right above: JJ, Emmy, Cali, Spencer and Beau.
Divine. Simply Divine.
Here's a closeup (below) of one of the Vintage Cowgirl Pillows. Oh yeah - and isn't that Emmy cute, too?


Big Beau gets the Big Pillow:


And this, faithful reader, is the last vignette of the Bench Of My Dreams, come true:

Cali, Emmy and JJ (age 11 months) are the perfect accessory to the Comfy Old West Vintage Cowgirl Bench.


Results? Results of the dog SHOW?? That's a whole 'nuther story.....stay tuned...





With apologies to Candace Olson, Karen McAloon and Barack Obama.

'til The Cows Come Home

If you were expecting this post to be about herding cows....sorry to disappoint. If you knew I was talking about San Francisco's Golden Gate Kennel Club's annual benched AKC dog show, you qualify for the Einstein Award. Yes sirreee folks: it's Cow Palace time!

How to start the love/hate relationship with this show? Although many of us love the only benched show in California (one of 2 on the West Coast!), it doesn't come easy: Two days of sitting from 10 am to 5 pm with your dogs un-crated; meeting and greeting thousands of spectators attending one of San Francisco's most loved winter events; the answering for the 10, 761st time "It's an Australian Shepherd". Even though your sign says: Ebbtide AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERDS. sigh. And remember to do it with a smile every time.


Truly the ultimate test in patience and graciousness. How did I do with that? Mostly good...I think.


If only I was as affable and obliging as my dogs. Ebbtide dogs have always believed all those people come to the Cow Palace to see THEM - no - to PET them. And so we go.


This show has traditionally been an entries limited show. Entries close waaayyy back in October. Right AFTER we got back from the ASCA Nationals in Las Vegas. Since we had so much fun in Vegas, the Team insisted we "take the puppies". The puppies being from the Famous ;-) Ebbtide Wish Litter : CH Tri-Ivory Make A Big Wish x CH Ebbtide Fern. ok. great. Four eleven month-old pups on the bench. yahoo. (For the record: Yes. Yes I am nuts.) And, of course, Ch. Ebbtide Fine Fellow CD "Spencer" would go, too.



To be a role model to the youngsters.....
SO, what puppies are going?
1. Ebbtide Careful What You Wish "JJ" black tri male
2. Ebbtide As You Wish "Cali" blue merle female, owned by Judi Scherrer and Ann Atkinson
3. Ebbtide Wish On A Rainbeau "Beau" blue merle male, owned by Cathy & Dave Baird & Ann Atkinson
4. Ebbtide Handful Of Wishes "Emmy" blue merle female, owned by Pam Michalek and Ann Atkinson (below)

All the pups are entered in the 9-12 month puppy class, except Cali will be shown in Bred By Exhibitor class on Saturday.


But it's not quite that simple.....first, you must decorate...