Welcome to Luponooshka Alaskan Malamutes

The May Day Bank Holiday, was a busy one for Team Luponooshka. With James and Selene in The Lakes, completing their first Working Pack Dog Advanced (WPDA) leg, I took Mina and Lucien to 3 shows.

Newark & Notts Agricultural Society

The first show was at The Showground, Newark, for Newark and Notts Agricultural Society, under judge Trace Coyne. We left home at 5.30am arriving at the showground just after 8am. I showed Mina in Post Graduate, she moved easily on the uneven ground of the paddock but Mina being Mina was in a playful mood, wanting to dance and sing for her treats. She is so much fun to show though and i would rather have her enjoying herself than bored. She even sang for the judge when she was giving her a critique on her dictafone!

Lucien was shown by our good friend Charliee Bowden (Staggan), where he took 1st in Open. He wasn't his usual settled self though and was a little bouncy, which we blamed on the wind and his first show outside since September 2011.

Lucien and Mina were then in the challenge together with a puppy from Junior. Mina just wanted to chase her brother and was having a lot of fun doing so. Lucien settled just enough for the judge to give him Best of Breed. Mina just missed out on Reserve Best of Breed, which went to the puppy who also took Best puppy and Working Puppy Group 1. Unfortunately Lucien didn't get anything in the adult working group, which is a shame as he genuinely looked like one of the best dogs there, but with an idiot handler with a Rottweiler who kept on putting his dogs face in Lucien's, meant Lucien was off his game and wanted to get away from this dog.

Witney & DCS

On Sunday, we headed to Witney Show just outside of Oxford. We had stayed in a Travelodge the night before so we were all fully rested after the early start the previous day. Our judge was Di Butler. Again Mina took 1st in Post Graduate and Lucien 1st in Open. This was de ja vu from the Tunbridge show a few weeks before, instead of Selene though, Mina was challenging her brother for Best of Breed. Mina pushed Lucien hard and a few times the judge swayed Mina's way, but after what seemed like 5 minutes, the judge gave Best of Breed to Lucien and Reserve Best of Breed to Mina.

Marlborough & DCS

Monday saw our 3rd and final show for the weekend. Both Charliee and I were exhausted but at least we'd had a good nights sleep in another Traveloge. This show saw the biggest entry of the weekend with about 14 dogs entered and all in attendance (except Selene). There was also a change of judge and Steve Beaumont had stepped up to take the place of our scheduled judge. Junior was judged first, where the 1st two dogs placed were not of our "type" we weren't expecting the results we had been used to so far that weekend. Mina was up next in Post Graduate, again Mina's movement was faultless, she has so much drive and purpose, but she is so light on the end of the lead, i hardly felt her move. She pushed the other dogs hard, and won 1st place in her class.

Lucien's class was the biggest of the day, seeing 5 in Open including dogs with Reserve CC's and dogs with their JW and/or ShCM or those dogs at least close to achieving these titles. It was a tough class. Charliee handled Lucien well, showing off his powerful but efficient drive, giving him a little run on the lead. Like Mina he pushed the class hard, and the judge seemed to spend ages choosing who he was going to place 1st. To my complete amazement he pointed at Lucien, and Lucien knowing he had done well, danced for Charliee bouncing up at her.

This meant that Lucien and Mina were back in the challenge again, with a puppy from Junior class. Mina's movement was the best in the class by far, but she lacks the size of the boys she was up against. Lucien and the puppy were really neck and neck, two very different types and each with their own qualities. Lucien performed with maturity and the judge walked towards him handing Charliee the BOB rosette! RBOB and Best puppy went to the dog from Junior.

Lucien also took Working Group 3, bringing our remaining points needed for his ShCM down to 5! We're so close now.

This weekend's collection of show results brings this years total of wins up to 4 best of breeds and 2 reserve best of breeds and 10 1st place rosettes... not bad in just 5 shows so far in 2012!

This weekend, the Allerton Park Weight Pull Season came to an end in dramatic style. After a fantastic season of highs and lows, the dogs just kept getting better and better.

The final weight pull of the season started off dry and bright and was set to be a dramatic day, with many dogs pulling personal bests, such as Campbell & Elliot’s “Mountain Home Twins”, Leader and Twisp, each pulling personal bests of 1600lbs and little Lucie Blaney also giving it her all, pulling a personal best of 1800lbs gaining her first WWPDX leg and coming 2nd in her class on the day. Also in the 61-80lbs class was Indy Horsman-Phoenix, who won the class and and also pulled her 4th WWPDX leg and won highest percentage pulled on the day pulling over 24 x her body weight, just one more WWPDX leg to go for her title.

Mina was back in competition after taking some time out, weighing the heaviest she has ever been at 98lbs, Mina managed to pull 1300lbs before being her usual Mina self and turning her back on me in the chute and not wanting to pull. It was nice for her to have a day out though and she enjoyed seeing her friends again. Also in competition was Selene (Slink). Slink needed to pull 1200lbs to gain her 3rd leg (of 4) for her WWPD title. Slink managed to pull this, again in her own way by not concentrating on what she is doing and too busy looking at the sky for birds or watching everyone watching her. She has come such a long way since she started weight pulling in October; we just now need to get her to concentrate! The winner of the 81-100lbs class was Womble Sheehan, pulling 2200lbs.