LuAnne: Then and Now

LuAnne at eight weeks of age. She was our first blue merle and our smallest puppy born that has ever survived! She weighed only 2 1/2 ounces at birth! I didn't leave the whelping area for three days...every time she moved, I put her on Lexus to nurse. Luckily, she was a survivor!

We have just returned home from Georgia, having attended the 2009 ASSA National. We are delighted that the three we brought all won their classes, with Cocoa also winning her Futurity class and LuAnne an Award of Merit.

I agonized on whether to bring LuAnne. She has had success at the National level in the past (BOS 2005, AOM 2006), but I have not shown her at ASSA since she was a puppy in Chicago. Pete wanted to see me in the ring with her, so in the end she made the 2,000 km journey along with Cocoa and Stormy. Once she was there, I agonized whether or not to show her. LuAnne in the past would cut her corners, and she doesn't like slippery footing. The ring had concrete floors (slippery) however, they were matted two wide. By Friday, I was pretty much committed to giving it a go...though I didn't sleep well the night before, and was pretty anxious the day of the show.

So at two months shy of 13 years she returned to the ring for first time since 2006. She entered the ring to thunderous applause, and she had a HUGE smile on her face and was so happy! She moved well, she didn't pull, didn't slip, and had a wonderful time! Every hair stood up on my body, it was such a thrill. She won her VERY competitive class and on Saturday went back in for the Breed competition. She was a crowd favorite, and every time she moved, the place erupted in applause. It was a wonderul moment, a memory to last a lifetime. Thank you LuAnne...thank you Rachael, Diane and Julie for helping with her hair; and mostly, thank you Pete for suggesting we do this!