ASTC National Report

Sunday, April 17, 2006

We had an uneventful flight into Dulles, Washington airport and met up with Wendy Howard from Newfoundland, who had decided at the last minute to attend. It felt strange to be traveling to the National without dogs as Richard was judging. He was quite excited about the entry which included 47 Dogs which would be judged by friend Jon Ferrante followed by 43 Bitches, 10 Male Specials and 6 Bitch Specials by Richard all to be judged on Thursday. This would be preceded by a the Sweepstakes entry of 38 to be judged by breeder Janet Danner on Wednesday. A regional specialty sponsored by the host club, the Shih Tzu Fanciers of Greater Baltimore would be held on Friday with an entry of 75 under judge Patsy Scagliotti. The National was a week full of events including numerous seminars, awards dinner, agility and obedience....something for everyone.

We rented a car and enjoyed the pleasant hour drive through the picturesque countryside on our way to the host hotel, the Holiday Inn Holidome and Conference Center in Frederick, Maryland. We were greeted in the lobby by show chairperson Lorraine DeSalvo who was busily putting the final touches on every aspect of the show. We unpacked and were pleasantly surprised with an awesome gift from friend Wendy Howard. She had painted a beautiful portrait of "Woody" which brought a tear to Wendy's eye. Wendy H. also painted a beautiful portrait of two puppies for the 'Auction" to be held at the Awards Dinner.

It was then off to the quaint downtown area for a relaxing dinner. We choose an authentic Mexican and Spanish food restaurant called The Cacique. We devoured heaping plates of mouthwatering delicacies including fresh jumbo shrimp, scallops and steak all done 'Cacique' style. We washed this down with a couple of pitches of 'sangria'.....a great start to what would be a super week.

"Woody" handpainted by artist Wendy Howard

Monday, April 18, 2006

Today was to be a lazy day as we slept in and started the day with a power breakfast in bed before venturing out, checking out hotel facilities, watching some Agility and off for some shopping in the nearby malls and stores. We spent most of the afternoon in the spa area of the hotel, relaxing in the pool and hot tub before a quick dinner in the hotel dining room. The Specialty participants enjoyed a seminar on nutrition hosted by Royal Canin the Specialty sponsor, in the hotel 'Courtyard'. This was followed by some excellent hospitality and an opportunity for the members to mingle, meet and greet. It was to bed early as we wanted to venture into Washington, DC to see the sights.

Tuesday, April 19, 2006

We were off to sightsee in Washington and enjoyed a leisurely drive to the city along the scenic Potomac river on a magnificent sunny day. The walking tour around 'The Mall' area of the 'District' with all of the historical sites associated with the "Capitol " was quite fascinating. It was then back to the hotel for an informative seminar, presented by Brian Beninger of Ben Baron Saints. The 'Breeders Secret Codebook" was an entertaining multimedia production by Brian and gave the attendees a great insight into a wide variety of topics including genetics 101, pedigrees and breeding strategies.

Wednesday, April 20, 2006

Today started out bright and early on a day which would be the culmination of a year’s hard work by the breeders, handlers, owners, show officials and many others involved in Shih Tzu. The ballroom was alive with energy, as Janet Danner would be judging an entry of 38 puppies in the Sweepstakes.

Lorraine DeSalvo and her show committee are to be commended for all their hard work as all “the little extras” such as name badges, truffles and keepsakes were available at the entrance to the ballroom as well as her constant smile and cheery nature. The raffle and auction tables were overflowing with a myriad of everything “Shih Tzu” for the anxious bidders and ticket holders, all generously donated by the members of the Club.

The Sweepstakes ended with Janet choosing Ultra’s Kiss Your Heart Goodbye, owned and bred by Eileen Nicholas for Best in Sweepstakes and Carol and Carrie Randle’s bitch Symarun’s Just Never Mind for Best of Opposite.

The evening was filled with the Judges Education Seminar presented by Wendy. The judges enjoyed a thorough Power Point presentation describing the various nuances of the Shih Tzu standard as well as learning to see “beneath the coat” and effective examination methods. The seminar also offered “Learn What the Judges Learn”, an opportunity for others not involved in judging to audit the discussion.

It was then off to bed for a good night’s rest in preparation for the next day’s event.

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