Woof.....Is That a Belgian Sheep Dog or a Bear??

 

Recently, Tim and I spent a weekend in Dallas. It was one of those rare occasions where the parents get a couple of romantic days alone. Concurrently, the American Kennel Association was in town with a three day dog show event. Well, how could we two dog lovers pass this up? We found ourselves totally captivated by the magic of this event......We were excited to go, but had no idea we would be so entranced and caught up in the event.
Our first day there, I actually found myself sitting next to a brown and white show dog.....a Whippet to be exact. Now, I had never seen a whippet except in photographs.......This animal was quite large, but as thin as one could imagine....the skinniest dog I had ever seen, with a pointy nose and angular face as well. I found myself looking straight into this oddly beautiful animal's eyes, the whole time marveling at his composure and confidence.He totally mastered his space.....he belonged here; this was his kingly realm and I was privileged to be sitting to his immediate right. The experience was so unexpected and unique for me that I won't soon erase the image from my thoughts. Now, the whippet was only one of hundreds of show dogs that had qualified for this regal display. Dogs of every imaginable breed were represented at the three day event. Leashed canines followed their masters/trainers from one end of Dallas Market Hall to the other. Sporting dogs, hounds, toys dogs, non-sporting dogs, terriers, you name it....they were all there, immaculately groomed to look their absolute best......Not only did they look sparkling, they were so well behaved that that their owners appeared to require more disciplining than than their obedient four legged prodigy. I admit I was quite impressed with this air of dog civility, and after only a short while, found myself comfortable in this strange world where the dogs were the center of attention far outdistancing the humans in beauty and grace....