Hazel's Travels

   Socialising in Slovakia – The First Slovakian Championship Show.....2007

 I do enjoy my trips to Slovakia and Czech Republic. The people are such good sports and so generous.  

Playing the tourist

I started my trip with a day in Bratislava and a night at the Opera. Whilst it might sound like a Marx Brothers scenario, let me assure you it wasn't. Bratislava has an old and historic town centre. The ConCatherdal church of St Thomas has to be one of the lesser known but maximum impact landmarks. The beauteous ecclesiastical embroideries, elegantly displayed, were superb. As a needle-worker wannabee, I greatly appreciated the work in the antique copes and mitres. 

The various chapels held impressive sculptures, but the chapel of St John was my favourite with the larger than life white marble angels contrasting with the huge gold swags. Putti peeped out from the eaves and gave a little light relief to the grandiose scene.

I spent an age sitting, standing, gazing. I thought the whole cathedral, with the sunlight making the stained glass glow, was stunning. 

The cobbled streets led through the shops to the old Opera House, an elegantly proportioned building, quite beautiful to look at. Evening saw me in a taxi on my way to the new National Opera House for a performance of La Boheme. A great male cast and a remarkably healthy looking Mimi sang beautifully and moved the audience to tears. But it is hardly an opera where you immediately stand and shout a cheerful 'Bravo'. What a sad ending. The new opera house has none of the ornamentation of the old and lacked atmosphere inside, but the seats were comfortable, the acoustics super and the modernistic exterior made up for any lack of fripperies inside. I must also mention the orchestra, whose ensemble playing made a very comfortable and whole sound.  

The next day I was collected by Mario and Josef for the journey to Skalika, on the Czech border. My thoughtful hosts had arranged a guided tour of the town for me, with a trip up the bell tower of the highest church providing us with a staggering view of the area - you could see the Czech border a very few miles away. Vineyards graced the gentle hillsides and we got to sample the produce later! A Renaissance church with huge catacombs was the next stop. Large and sadly neglected, the church is now being restored.  It had fabulous acoustics; no napping for the reluctant church goer when it is operational again. Those Slovak builders certainly know something about the science of sound. The eerie catacomb graves had glass front coverings showing the remains of past monks. Then we were off to the Franciscan church complex where we saw the medieval buildings now renovated and housing a hostelry. For a small town of 15,000, Skalika takes its religion seriously, with many churches. The Stations of the Cross and Roman remains completed my town tour.  

Finally it was off to the venue for the weekend's activities. Our home for the weekend, situated in the forest, was Chateau Amor, with many en suite bedrooms and had a bar and restaurant serving traditional food and beverages.

The Samoyed stuff …

The Samoyed Club of Slovakia was formed last December and this was to be their first major weekend event. Friday night was Barbeque, with tasty sausage and local wine providing a welcome feast.  Saturday was the 'Day of Samoyeds' this was for dogs and their primarily novice owners to have a go showing their dogs in an informal atmosphere. There was also agility, cross country running and scooter work. A display on Canistherapy was given. It was a packed day and I was to do some judging. After everything was finished, I introduced the Slovaks to the grand British tradition of the 'Best Six Legs'. This, I fear, is now a fixture in the Slovak show calendar….. 

The next day, I had the honour of judging the First Club Championship show. There were 39 entries from 4 countries and 31 present. There was a lot of quality in the dogs and bitches. My BOB and BB was C-Xamba of Azi at Yoshi&Us. A most beautifully balanced bitch with everything I was looking for. At the top of the FCI standard, she could trouble the best in countries where size is not frowned upon. Her construction was faultless, her type sublime. My Best Dog, Int. Ch. Xavier Jamamba by contrast was in the middle of the FCI standard for size.  A biscuit shaded chap who I have judged before, I would happily bring him to the UK to show. With a true 'powerful wedge shaped head', his movement would put many of our males to shame.  

My best Puppy was Elfin Era of Azi Yoshi&Us. This most beautiful bitch, still with her fluffy puppy coat, has the prettiest of heads, excellent pigment and good reach of neck and with the longer leg as required by the FCI standard she presents a pleasing silhouette. Again with her balance and agile movement, she beat the ResBPIS, an impressive heavily coated male but whose ears have yet to settle. 

There were some good younger males yet to gain maturity that should have good careers in the show ring in the years to come. Overall, there were many excellent dogs and bitches. Weight is a concern with some of the bitches and should be carefully watched in case it has any health implications in the future. There were some excellent fronts - which should be preserved rigorously. Presentation is still to be addressed seriously by some, but my main winners were very well presented. The best presented dog of the day was the Veteran Bitch, an 11 year old Int. Ch who was hair perfect. Later in the day saw the Specials, such as brace and stud dog. Numbers in these will increase as the breed becomes more numerically popular in that country.  

When the show was finished I took part in another interesting job, evaluating dogs and bitches and signing that I thought they were of a calibre suitable to be either brood bitch or stud dog. 

The whole weekend had generous sponsorship from local and overseas breeders. I can't think that anyone went home without a prize of some sort. Even the class full of youngsters who arrived to see what was going on, each went home with toys. 

On Monday Jana and Mario hosted a tour of some of the lovely sights Slovakia has to offer, before going back to the airport and home. 

Slovakia has good champions for the breed in Jana Fulierova and the Slovakian Samoyed Club. Jana understands the importance of type and structure in the breed. The early introduction of performance events in the breed means that show bred stock will have chance to take part in activities for which they were bred.  

I thank the Club for giving me the honour of judging their first show and the chance to see their beautiful country. I wish them well for the future, which I foresee as very bright! 

Hazel Fitzgibbon

23 May 07

I had a wonderful time at the end of 2006 with two overseas trips to Poland and Spain.

Poland hosted the World Show for 2006. The venue was very large with rings in different halls; it was entirely possible to get wet from the rain between rings! The Samoyed judging was in two rings, fortunatley in the same building! I handled the lovely Xamba for Jana Fulierova to the CACIB and World Winner 2006 title. Thanks to Jana for letting me loose on this very typey, sound girl who has been the sort of kennel foundation we would all wish for. 

I didn't particularly  like the part of Poland I saw. People smoked far too much including in restaurants; this doesn't do my asthma any good!

Then on to Spain for the first Club Championship show for the newly formed Spanish Samoyed Association. I enjoyed this stay very much. The hospitality was great and I made many new friends. The show had a happy atmosphere although I had a little trouble with the translations. My thanks for the invitation and the honour of seeing some lovely dogs.

Valencia was a lovely city and I hope to visit again but with time for sightseeing next time.

Then early in January I visited Hamburg for a Birthday Party. A weekend not to be forgotten. Thank you for the invitation. Happy Birthday B---a ! I enjoyed Hamburg as well!

What an exciting holiday this was to be! Two National dog shows to attend in Canada and The US. Even my darling David went with me; he didn't actually stay with me, more on that later.My itinerary included 6 flights and two road trips. Would it happen? Would it all go well?

Of course it did! Firstly, the Canadian jaunt. Fly to Washington, then Vancouver, wait in the biggest immigration queue I have seen for a while, but I must say Vancouver airport is one of the most lovely airports I have visited. A lot of thought has gone into the visual impact and first impressions of visitors; it worked for this one. Then a road trip to Penticton, BC and what a glorious one it was. From almost sea level to over 4000 feet and back down again, in the space of 5 hours. From sunshine to incredibly heavy rain to above the snow line and back down to fertile fruit bearing valleys. Penticton lies between  Lakes Skaha and Okanogon and in the Okanogon Valley with mountain ranges on either side. There were 4 All breed shows and the Canadian Nationals in the space of 4 days. The All breed shows were not large, with the Samoyed entry being probably the largest on each show. Most breeds had less numbers than small Open shows in the UK. The Samoyed Nationals was over two days with the Sweeps on day one with a very knowledgeable working breeds judge. Regular Classes and BOB were the day after under another all breeds judge.

Penticton is a delightful holiday venue; David and I had some lovely walks round the town. It is clean and inviting with much thought going into the aesthetics of the area. I met up with Lorraine (Yorkrose) and Joanne (Kimchatka) from New Zealand and enjoyed 'chewing the cud' with these ladies. The Canadian hospitality was wonderful and it was great to be able to put faces to names I have corresponded with in the past.

 The three of us hitched a lift with Deb Fiedler and Clu Carradine to the US show in Idaho, so there we were, two Kiwis, two Americans, a Brit and a very naked Sammy bitch in a very loaded van for about 5 hours. What a laugh we had; dog people the world over can have a good sense of humour, but this mix was explosive! Just packing the van was an excercise in ingenuity and brute force coupled with much consternation and mirth!

The US Nationals is always a great time for me; I meet with old friends and make new ones. The Hotel in Post Falls, Idaho was lovely. It looked relatively new and nothing was over 3 stories high. It spread along the Spokane River where I was to have a lovely cruise on my last day. The rolling lawns were green and closely trimmed. The rings for all events were in, by comparison, a relatively small space. But this went well with the entry and the whole event had a cosy family atmosphere.

During the year, I somewhat hastily voluteered to do some stewarding and the fearless Cherie Hollenbeck had put me on the rosta. I helped with Futurity and Sweeps and also contributed to judging the Costume Parade. I also somewhat intrepidly contributed to the Breeders Evaluation for a small part of an afternoon. The whole experience added to my usual enjoyment and I thank the organisers for giving me such opportunities.

The BOB judging was done by the very able Jeannie Nonhof who came up with some cracking dogs for her final line up.

This year was unusual. I did not get fleeced at the auction, probably due to the fact I wasn't there for most of it. But I did get there for the finale when the 'State Baskets' were auctioned. These were donated by the various regions of the US and included goodies available in those states. Great thought and generosity had gone into them with the eventual winner of the state basket prize being Colorado. I personally liked the New Mexico entry which was in a Margarita bowl with the contents being two lovely glasses and the makings of a Margarita! The Colorado basket reached $1700 in the auction.

It was a lovely Nationals, friendly and intimate; it proved you don't need the largest entry in the world to have a great atmosphere.

My journey continued with two flights in very small planes from Spokane to Vancouver where I met up with my husband again. David had completed the three objectives he set himself. To catch a Salmon; he actually caught two 16 pounders. To go Whale watching; he saw a pod of Killer Whales playing! And to see Grizzly Bears; this he achieved up the WHistler Mountain, but they were in a reserve.

We then had two flights to get home to the UK. My routes all worked and we arrived home in good time. I am left with happy memories of the beautious wealth of Canada and the US and David and I would happily go back to both areas again. 

This year, my now annual pilgrimage to the Samoyed Nationals in the US was almost to be routine. I was to have no travelling companion, but be picked up from Atlanta airport by ex-pat, Audrey Lycan and transported to the host hotel in Biloxi Mississippi. The hotel was on the coast in an area known for it's recreational activities. With off shore Casinos down the coast, I expected at least to see one of these famed premises in action. Hurricanes do happen in this area, but the date of the event was put back to avoid the hurricane season.

Then, Mother Nature showed everybody that she was in charge. Hurricane Katrina was being tracked and was due for landfall over the old town of New Orleans. Biloxi was used to cleaning up after hurricanes; the host hotel did this almost as a routine. But then the hurricane changed track. We watched on TV with horror as the great storm went straight over Biloxi. The pictures on Sky TV showed reporters hotels, thought to be safe havens, being destroyed. Tales of woe and heroism came after the destruction was wrought. My own circumstance, in the cosy UK was unchanged. The floating casinos I was looking forward to seeing had been picked up by the great wind and one unceremoniously dumped on top of the host hotel. The venues and hotels were flattened; there was no way that any dog show was going to take place there. Many people in the area, members of the SCA were tracked down by friends to find that they were OK.

So, with 53 days to go, the Samoyed Club of America took some very serious decisions. Firstly, there would be a Nationals this year. Secondly, the SCA pledged $10,000 to the relief of animals and people caught up in the Katrina aftermath; also they pledged half of the profits of the Nationals to these causes. Both these decisions had far reaching consequences.

So, how do you relocate an event which had taken years to plan' Sheila and Walt Hermann, the joint show chairs were just north of New Orleans with kennels devastated, no power and no telephone. But the determination of a show committee committed to their task knows no boundaries. Sheila's, Walt and Committees got to work. A venue was found. Ten days after Katrina, Sheila, by now having part time use of a generator, flew to Kentucky to sign the contracts. That major decision taken, now fitting all the trappings of a National into it started to take place. Understand at this point, this was not just a show to be relocated. The Agility Chair had to find a nearby site, equipment and even judges. The Herding Chair had to find sheep! The show Committee had to reorganise the schedule to encompass the seminars, parades, auction, awards banquet, AGM, Committee meeting, and the list goes on. Odd unexpected things happened; the sponsor of the Goody Bags (a Nationals regular treat) backed out. The parent company was bombarded by many internet regulars with mail, from pleading letters, to, well let us say not so polite mail. Several days later the head office revisited the decision of their agent and agreed to fulfil the original promise. Well done Solid Gold!

My original lift assured me that the new venue was almost the same driving time from the airport as the Biloxi one had been, so no great problems for us. We found the host hotel, booked into our various rooms and enjoyed the facilities. The hotel staff  were smashing, with nothing being too much trouble. The show was made welcome by everybody from the Congressional Senator downwards, with the event even being recorded in the US Congress!

 The week went quickly with remarkably few glitches. I enjoyed the events, got fleeced at the auction (by now, a regular event) and generally had a good time. I again saw some world class dogs and enjoyed chewing the cud about breeding and showing with my other breeder friends. In all I had a good time.

The second one of the Committees decisions, to be so generous also had far reaching ramifications. Their intention was announced at the American Kennel Club meeting of breed and show representatives and elicited matching responses from many other attendees. I think the figure that was subsequently pledged by all was around the one million dollar mark. From small acorns do large Oak trees grow.

There was nothing to be done about show goods with the original venue printed on them. However, as the Goody Bags had been late in printing, they had the original venue on them, Biloxi, crossed through and the new one Owensboro, Kentucky printed . Below the logo for the show, a Magnolia with a Samoyed head in the centre, it said;

Frankly, Katrina, we Do give a damn

I have been promising myself a trip to see Samoyeds in Australia and New Zealand for many years. When I heard that Val Freer was judging over there, the prospect of ringside heckling was just too tempting so I succumbed. An added excitement arrived with the Invitation to judge the Auckland Provincial Samoyed Club Specialty, the day after Val.

I set out with two other main objectives. Firstly, to see as many Samoyeds as I could; and secondly to purchase one, if I could if I could find what I wanted. My husband refused point blank to make the journey, especially when he heard dogs were involved.

My trip started uneventfully and I landed in Australia after a 22 hour flight. I did a little sight seeing in Sydney and then flew to Melbourne where I was met by Dawn Wilders, my hostess for this trip. On the way to Dawn?s house we stopped at the 'Mezen' Kennel of Mrs Helen Hill. My first words were 'A real kennel'! Yes, there were huge paddocks with dogs enjoying themselves in the very fresh and clean air. A kennel in Australia, it now became apparent, was quite different to most of those in the UK. At home a kennel is basically a name, an affix, even an idea. Over here it is more in it's true sense; dogs, enclosures, pens, although I understand that not all kennels are like these.

 I had the honour of seeing a 6 week old litter and being allowed to play with them. Samoyed puppies the world over have a charm that no other breed can hope to come near to!

After tea and talk at Helen's, it was off to Dawn's house. Dawn Wilders and I have been corresponding for quite some time and she stayed with me when the Wilders visited the UK for the first time. The Wilders property is an expansive bungalow set in 5 acres of land. As was the case with 'Mezen', Snerzok was set in a basically people free area and surrounded by lots of land and included a brick built kennel block.

The following morning, John and Dawn set to preparing 10 dogs for the show. As water supply is a problem in that area, seeing recycled water being used with fresh water made me realise how lucky we are in the UK.

The night before Val was due to judge, the Samoyed Club of Victoria invited Val, Derek and myself to dinner at a Japanese restaurant. What a fabulous meal we had. I can confirm that dog people in Australia talk as much as dog people in the UK! We had a wonderful evening, despite Dawn's attempt to show me some of the sights of Melbourne being thwarted by a traffic jam. The evening also showed that when you contract Val to judge a show, you get a 'free gift', in that you get Derek too! His comments had everybody in fits of laughter.

The Samoyed Club of Victoria Ch. show was a model of organisation and hospitality. A good sized ring was run by a steward that I as an exhibitor would never complain about, and as a judge, is just the sort of person you need -  totally in control but with a sense of humour. I do like the idea of a collecting ring for classes; it certainly made the show run on time, which was essential given the huge entry. Val will no doubt report on that show but I saw some dogs that I really coveted. Lunch and after show nibbles were provided by the show management and jolly good it was too. We were treated royally.

The following days were punctuated by further kennel visits. Firstly to Kalaska, where I saw my only kookaburras of the trip, along with a flock of white parakeets. The impressive Kennel of Denise Klaysen would be hankered after by many and we enjoyed much dog talk. Aldonza, where the indomitable Fay Tucker and I had deep and meaningful discussions about dogs; and finally I was pleased to meet Kylie Hill of Anaky  whose forthright comments made an impression on me. In all places the depth of quality of the dogs was staggering. Would that we had such choice over here. I must thank these ladies for letting me see and examine their dogs with 'no holds barred' It was an education.

Next stop New Zealand and this is where the 'glamour' of foreign trips certainly is called into question.

We landed in Wellington and spent the first evening in what was probably the only gay Seafood restaurant in town. Dawn and I felt safe but John looked decidedly uncomfortable! Good food again though. I don't think I ever had a bad meal over there.

We started North the next morning in a hire car.

Passing through some rural towns and villages, I made the ill advised comment that I would like to see this 'Foxton Beach' which had signposts everywhere. Little did I know what was to come. We left the car and took a picture of the Toilet block which had a huge mural on it. We walked the ten yards or so to the beach and took photos of the forest of white trees that had been washed up on the shoreline. It looked quite other worldly. We returned to the car; in all we were gone perhaps 10 minutes and were never far away.

So on we drove to the next petrol pump which was where we found our handbags had been stolen from the back seat of the car whilst it had been parked at the Beach. Frantic phone calls and a return to the beach where we found a very nice policeman who had already searched the area. There had been several thefts from Foxton Beach before, it seems. The next hour was more calls; cancelling credit cards; trying to remember what was in our bags and generally trying not to panic. Our saviour at this point was John who still had his wallet and cards. I was literally fed and housed at his expense until the end of my trip, for which I am humbly grateful. I found that the Consulate in Wellington, by now far to the South of us, was very efficient and managed to provide me with a replacement passport in 48 hours.

Our few days sojourn at Lake Taupo was interrupted when the Police managed to recover some of Dawn's property and we dashed down country again to retrieve it. However we managed some sight seeing with a trip to the Craters of the Moon, or a 'smelly mud hole' in John's parlance and the Hauku Falls which were most impressive.

Then it was off to Auckland where I was to judge the Auckland Specialty the next day. We found the hotel where I was to be incarcerated for the night. Sadly it was a bit dusty and by the next morning my allergies started to erupt, calling for a plentiful supply of paper tissues. Val and I were not allowed to meet the night before, which, as we are friends but travelling seperately, was a bit strange. It seems that as she was judging the night before me, I should not be compromised by her results. As neither Val nor I knew either exhibitors or dogs, we found this a little hard to understand, but, hey ho, we went along with the request.

The next day I enjoyed seeing the dogs and judging . My results and write up can be found elsewhere. It was a bit odd to have to stop judging whilst the Samoyed classes in an Open show being run at the same venue, were judged. I also had to face the other direction so I couldn't see what the other judge had done! Over here, of course, a Championship show would always take precedence.

That evening we had a lovely repast at a Restaurant called 'Pasta and Opera'; yes, there was live opera singing whilst we ate. For those that don't know me, this can be fatal; my vocal talents (or lack of them) are known in New Zealand as well now!

Next morning found me packing and getting ready to fly back to Sydney. I had to pay to get out of the airport; a good job Dawn had thrust some money on me before I left!

From Sydney I had to fly back the UK. And here the 'glamour' theory falls down again. Virgin check out was not working. All boarding cards had to be written by hand. It was a very full 737. Thus we had queues all the way around the surprisingly small airport. Then the baggage ; 'You are 5 kg overweight; it is $61 per kg' Oops, no money, no credit cards. I had the joy of sitting on the floor of Sydney airport trying to divest myself of 5 kilos of unwanted clothes and toileteries. They had let me bring 30 kg in, so why couldn't I take it out? 'Must have been a mistake' says they. Thus I came back with no smalls and minus various other bits of clothes I decided I could do without.

In spite of the jettisoned laundry, I had a super time. The hospitality in Australia couldn't have been better and the chance to judge in New Zealand was and honour and really exciting. I have many new people to correspond with across the Antipodeas

Did you fulfil your second objective? I hear you ask. All I can say at this point is;

'Watch This Space??..'

Kansas was a place had never visited so I was confused when the first thing that happened when meeting old friends were the apologies. 'Sorry it's only Kansas' I heard quite often.

As my travelling companion on this year's trip was Amanda Jeffreys, a newcomer to the American Experience, I had assured her that the hotel was bound to have several fast food outlets surrounding it. All American hotels do! And sure enough the Expo Plaza was surrounded..by car dealerships! By the time I had absorbed this deviation from the norm, I saw what my friends meant. Cars and Gun shows are what Topeka seems to offer. Those, and incredibly friendly people who really go out of their way to help you!

This, I with my limited knowledge of the US dog scene must surmise, was the best Dog Show Hotel and Venue that I have ever visited. The Hotel had internal walkways to the rooms around a huge Atrium with glass sided lifts delivering people and dogs to their rooms. Some of the dogs were a little put out by this but I had a grand time on the last morning waving to people from my bit if balcony, as they descended in the lifts to wend their ways home. There was a water feature that formed part of the bar and was looked down on from the Restaurant which was slightly raised. It is more like the Atrium of a Cruise Ship! The Staff were ready to help at any time and we were even delivered to the nearest Wal-mart on request! (OK I must admit it; we Brits have a morbid fascination with Wal-Mart; don't ask why.)

The Samoyed Fraternity's answer to Martha Stewart, the inextinguishable Karen McFarlane had outstripped most other Nationals with her Wizard of Oz theme. However, as the previous venues didn't have a Judy Garland film to go along with them, this was perhaps not very hard to do!

Organising any dog show is a big task; organising the Nationals is an enormous task, a point brought home by the lack of proposals by future potential hosts.

Organising the Topeka Extravaganza was a mammoth operation spearheaded by the aforesaid lady and her energetic team. Some of this team seems to re- appear in several disguises as the Nationals moves around the country. The ones who spring to mind are Karen Brooks, with her ever beaming smile, Pam Barbe always so helpful and infomrative, Lori Elvira who seems to look younger year by year, Bob S. so patient with the newcomers at the Weight pull, Gary G. the Acquiring Auctioneer whose gavel no one can deny, Larry M and his lovely wife who do the Judges Ed so successfully,

My ringside friends know who they are and will not mind being missed from this list, but the Knowledgeable Ringside is ever present. Those I have missed know their contributions great and small to this event, but the inspiration must surely be the indomitable and sleep deprived Mrs Mac!

Highlights for me during this year's event were; the Top Ten with 'Toto' delivering the name of the Judges in a very Sammy way. After all jumps were meant to be circumvented! America must be very proud of the quality of their dogs that the Top Twenty Sams should consist of such wonderful animals. Also there was the Champion who arrived with his weight pull harness still on from the event running in parallel outside. We have such a multi faceted breed.

And exhibitor-ship, but the Card School which went on for two or three days during judging at Ringside must be opened up to outsiders in future years and provided with their own venue; perhaps we should supply them with a Trophy too. They will feel very 'at home' in Biloxi!

The Herding this year had the added attraction of sheep doing agility; or were they not meant to jump over the ringside barrier' I missed Obedience and Agility, mainly due to a cold I had contracted courtesy of Virgin Airways, so don't know what went on there. Timing at the Nationals always means you miss something and frankly without a major over haul of the Schedule, there is little you can do about it.

The Annual Meeting failed to meet the requisite quorum so no business could be finalised. The quorum, it seems, could have been reached if some people had moved their drinks from the Bar to the Meeting Room. However, your unflappable President and supporting Committee members delivered the Annual Report. The results of two previous ballots were read out and these will no doubt be discussed on other pages of this publication.

The Awards Banquet was held in the 'Emerald Palace' with a wonderful stage backdrop and green lighting; various serving staff had agreed to dress up in Wizard of Oz costumes so the whole had a wonderful effect. Glenda the Good Witch, in the guise of Karen's grand daughter, delivered the results of the Top Ten Contest and made a very pretty sight.

I have returned home with a wealth of wonderful memories, not the least of which is the 'Doug and Bo partnership' comparing of the Awards Banquet. Yes, 'A Queer Eye for the Straight Dog Handler', would be a wonderful programme!

HF 2004 

It was a great idea. I wanted to go to the US again to visit the yearly celebration of Samoyeds otherwise known as 'The Nationals' and as my hubbie ( dear David) had his fill last time (David doesn't like dog shows), my good friend Daphne agreed to go with me.

I made the arrangements. Fly to Philadelphia, pick up hire car, stay night, drive to Carlisle, Penn. and then book into our hotel and spend a week with dogs and dog people.

Oh yeah.

Got to plane OK, took off and landed OK and even managed to pick up hire car. Slight problem here with the steering wheel on the wrong side, so we did a couple of circuits around the car park so Daph got used to it. We even found the hand brake''. Our map did not account for the one way system around Philadelphia airport so the route to Holiday Inn was a bit circuitous; but we were to get used to this. When we reached the hotel we were both relieved when the Porter offered to park the car. It was a very smart car but after a long flight, getting lost on a supposedly one mile journey and generally feeling wrecked, we were glad of such small mercies!

Next day, we thought 'easy' get on the highway and drive. I am sure the Boon docks of Philadelphia were not on the itinerary, but we found them anyway.

To cut a long drive short, we got to the right town and the right hotel. We have never had to deal with Turnpikes with Tolls before and they always had the booths on the wrong side!

The town was not a tourist trap but not far away were such delights as Hershey Park and the Amish Country which we delighted in finding. The week seemed to fly by.

We went to Weight Pull, cheering on Samoyeds whose determination at pulling along a trailer loaded with sacks of dog food, was awe inspiring.

We watched agility where the bond between Samoyed and owner brought tears to the eyes. The dogs loved doing the work and the owners loved the dogs.

We didn't see much obedience or any herding as the herding venue was a long way to travel.

I always think that if you participate in any event, you get more out of it, so participate we did.

We went to the Buffet and Rescue Parade and took pictures, talked to people and saw the finished Rescue Quilt to which I contribute a part each year; this year I did the Quilt bag.

We went to the two 'Breeders Lectures' which were very interesting especially with one being on genetics.

We went to the Auction, bid on a couple of things and Daph was successful in re-importing a piece of Royal Doulton! We tried to get the Rocking Samoyed but backed out at $550''.

We did two days on the Judges Education, one half day of lectures and the BIS day at the ringside with Mentors, who we rotated between. You get hands on experience of about 25 dogs so it really is worth doing.

We were treated to lunch by the Potomac Valley Samoyed Club which was very pleasant. We had lunch in a Truckers Diner, which was an experience. We ate at all the Fast food outlets you can imagine and others as well. We had dinner with some of the rescue people. We met with friends old and new, some from the US and others from Canada and elsewhere. We had drinks with any number of people, some of whose names we have forgotten for obvious reasons.

In the Judges Ed, Daphne found a chap whose brother was the GP in the village next to hers in Wiltshire. Small world. We also found a great all rounder, Joan, who took us shopping for a day when we were on our return journey. But I anticipate.

The last day is the Best in Show day; all Champions are allowed to compete for BIS, plus the winners from the regular dog and bitch classes from previous days. This means a very full ring. Something like 140 dogs were in the ring all at the same time; then the judged marked his catalogue to say they were present and dismissed them all, leaving just 12 in the ring. He made a cut of these and dismissed them all, bringing his chosen ones back into the ring at the end. Then he kept enough to give Award of Merit to; this is like a Res CC for 10% of the entry. Then he Declares BD, BB and BIS.

To get to the dogs; yes, they are in many cases different. However, do not forget that the Americans breed to a different standard with different heights and proportions, so why on earth would you expect to see exactly the same sort of dog? They put their emphasis on movement rather than looks.

There were some stars for us in every class; they were often not picked in the line ups because the Judges were looking for different things from what we usually look for. For instance, coat is not the be all and end all of an animal. Some Samoyeds were shown totally devoid of coat!

However, when talking to individual breeders, it is amazing how close their ideas of what a  Samoyed should be are to ours in the UK. Larry Mackai ,the chap who took the Judges Education and I agreed. A good Samoyed is a good Samoyed whatever part of the world it is in!

Our return road trip took us through Amish Country and more shopping Malls which we explored. Our final hotel was just South of Philadelphia. We tried to get to the shopping Mall over the road the next morning and went the wrong way; a very wrong way as we ended up going over a five mile bridge and in another state; New Jersey. Daph threw a Uey and we went back again. That was a morning gone.

We did find a fascinating Horticultural Gardens specialising in Chrysanthemums and also a great Caf' there where people queued up for the Desert of the Day. Cobbler. And it was worth waiting for!

The next day saw us trying to get back to the airport. I say 'trying' advisedly. We missed the turn for the car hire facility and ended up in downtown Philadelphia during rush hour on a Wednesday. We nearly saw all the tourist sights of Philly, the Liberty Bell, etc but just managed to miss them all, ending up at the coast and nearly doing a Thelma and Louise off the end of Pen's Landing. We were truly lost this time. And it was getting late.

'Find a Wall Mart' says I; there is always a Police Man there! And there was, and he put us on the right route and we returned the car.

Must say a word about the lovely chap in the car hire place; he took us to the terminal in the bus, and unloaded our bags onto British Airways Executive service desk that processed us immediate even though we weren't Execs!

Well, it was an experience. Lots of lovely people and dogs. Lots of places to see. Lots of food eaten.

But would we ever do it again? You bet your sweet bippy! We have already booked for this year.