Winner of the Silly Cardi Award....

Here are a couple more shots of Norman from Nationals. It is possible that he could have won the silly Cardigan in the ring award, if such an award existed! Please note in the first picture that he spotted me and became a total ham! We had a good time, and it was a great experience for all of us. I have about 2000 photos from Nationals (conformation movement and candids) that can be viewed and/or purchased at www.ashotinthebark.net/cwcca2011 . I have prints, digital downloads, and other merchandise (like mousepads) available. Even if you were not there, please just enjoy taking a look at all the dogs.

There will be a new and exciting announcement coming in the next couple of days! Stay tuned!

A Fun Day at the CWCCA Nationals

Sarah and Emily got to take Norman around the ring today at Nationals in the Parade of Titleholders. It was fun for the three of us, and it made everybody smile! Check out my photos of Nationals on my website at www.aShotintheBark.net. You can view and purchase photos, file downloads,  and all sorts of other neat stuff like tees and mugs and other cool stuff. I am uploading as fast as I can....if you order prints they will be color corrected in the pro lab. Enter code CWCCA for a 25 percent discount on any order. I will be blogging a little more about our trip next week!

A visit to the relatives'

Hello, this is Norman. We went to Tennessee to see puppies on Wednesday. They belong to my half-sister Jill and some dog names Ferris. Nobody paid much attention to me, but I got to see the puppies, my mom Katie (who growled at me when I got too close to her bone) and several more of my relatives. The puppies are really cute. My little girls were really fond of them! I hope to see all of you in Houston. Stop by and pet me and I will give you a big kiss...

My mom made some pictures of the puppies and she also has a new website for her photography: www.aShotintheBark.net. Maybe you would like to look at her website and all the puppy pictures HERE. And if you scroll down to the bottom of this page there is a youtube video (it WILL view in HD if you select it) of our visit too. I make several very brief appearances.

Please don't eat the scissors.

Dear Norman,

Please don't eat the scissors.

thanks,

the management

Mail call again...

The Saturday Bath and the $600 Cat

Well it's Saturday, so I told Norman he needed a Saturday Bath. He was not impressed, but relatively compliant. It's not such a bad deal Norman...you haven't had a bath in about three weeks.

Now to the topic of the cat. The cat pictured above (Smokey) that I found in the woods this past summer (feral) wound up with a $600 vet bill. We had just had him neutered and microchipped and all that jazz when he disappeared on Valentine's Day (or if you prefer...the last day of Westminster...) He was gone for about a week, then he reappeared and it became evident something was wrong. Terribly wrong. He spent about 6 days in kitty ICU at the vet getting pumped with steroids and IVs. The vet determined that he had suffered a very serious head injury that caused his brain to swell. At one point he was totally blind. The photo above was taken today and it was his first adventure into the great outdoors in about 3 weeks. Smokey is really a sweet kitty. They told us he is a Maine Coon mix...which means he will probably be HUGE! He is doing great and we are thankful.

The mailman brought something today...

That was really fast. It's only been a week. And thanks to the photog for letting me pay online. I rarely write checks anymore!

Meet CH Lyberty D-Day at Normandy!

Norman finished his Championship today in Greenville going WD for a 3pt major. We are thrilled! And he brought home a very pretty ribbon too! Since we didn't get to go, the girls got out their drawing equipment and provided some artistic renditions. Emily told Sarah that her drawings of the Judge (Duerksen) and Ms. Cheryl made them look like vampires. lol. We have been battling the stomach bug since Wed. here....both girls have had it and they are WIPED OUT. I fear I may fall victim within the next few hours...ug.

Norm won't get to rest on his laurels much as tomorrow night is obedience class at the Atlanta Obedience Club. (Provided someone in the family is well-enough to get him there!)

We extend a BIG BIG thanks to Norm's handler Cheryl Mika and to his breeder and co-owner Laura Prosser for letting us enjoy this sweet boy!!

Everybody Have Fun Tonight (Everybody Wang Chung Tonight)

We had a super time at Janet's puppy party Saturday just over the state line in TN! We all enjoyed playing with and admiring Scout and Chase's beautiful babies. Here is a video of Norman and Scout playing a little in the front yard at Janet's. Scout was such a good sport to the intruder (Norman) don't you think? For puppy pictures, visit Janet's page HERE. Daddy Chase's website can be found HERE. Oh yeah...forgot to say I got me an iphone 4. Super-awesome. This video was shot with the phone and edited in-phone with a free app. Pretty cool.

Back in the Saddle Again.

 Feb. Atlanta Shows...2 RWD, 1 Dump....lots of silliness. On to Greenville, where hopefully everyone shows  to maintain majors in dogs all 3 days. I did not even get to go to the shows till Sunday due to sick young'uns. Thankfully Sarah only has an ear infection (bad enough) but at least it's not strep or flu!  I made some good photography contacts on Sunday. That was encouraging, since I would love to actually get paid for this dog/pet photography thing at some point. It is much more fun than weddings. If you have a Facebook Account, you can view pictures of the Cardigans on Sunday in Atlanta here.

Norman is always happy to play with Sarah and Emily after he is done showing!