A Steep Learning Curve: At this point (February, 2003) Solo had not even earned his championship and I had rarely shown in conformation, usually only when someone was short a handler and always on the dog that wasn’t expected to win. My experiences in the conformation rings was therefore not based on a background of success. My focus has been on the performance events-Agility, Herding, Obedience and Flyball, and in those venues, I’ve done well with the other Malinois we have (please see their pages). Solo was strictly a pet of another friend of ours, Jim Wood, and had rarely been shown, or even on a leash, although he accompanied Jim everywhere he went as a steady friend. Jim was surprised when we went to him and said “we’re going to try to take Solo to this really big dog show in December, do you mind?” and I know he had no idea of all the work it would entail, or how often we would take him from his side.

The only thing I can say about finishing Solo is that he did it entirely on his own merits, because I sure didn’t help him any as a handler! He managed to complete his Championship while I was so green I didn’t know when to take him into the ring, or when to leave it. Carole would stand on the sidelines and push me in or wave me out as necessary. About the only thing I did right, at this point in time, was make a vow that whenever we took BOB, I would stay and show in the Herding Group. Holy Cow! That’s a melee of craziness for a novice handler to try to navigate…but my experiences there helped polish the skills Carole was teaching me at our weekly conformation classes. I’ll be forever grateful to the professionals and judges who were kind to me, or gave me an encouraging word or smile, since there were definitely times when I felt like quiting. Our official AKC standings on August 28, 2003 had Solo ranked #10 Malinois by All-Breed points and #13 for the Eukanuba Cup, so we went ahead and made our hotel reservations for the Cup. My personal highlight this year was when Solo took his first herding group placement-a 3rd at the Richmond show at Dixon, CA. What a long way we had come since our first time in the group ring, where we were the last dog to enter after the Corgis, because I wanted to watch what everyone else did! (FYI-The Corgis move a LOT slower then the Malinois and I was tripping over them!)

Joy and Sorrow, and Joy: The Eukanuba Cup was not our only goal in 2003. My husband, Michael, and I were delighted to discovered we were pregnant with our first child, with a due date in October 2003. Pregnancy put some detours into my plans for showing Solo. For one thing, after our first group placement when I was 7 months pregnant, I was simply too large to run fast enough to show him any longer. Fortunately, my friends stepped in to help keep him up in the points. Then we all suffered a terrible tragedy two days after our baby's birth. Jim Wood, Solo's owner and our friend, died suddenly. Solo was with Jim when he died, and came to live at our house after his death and has been here ever since. The Eukanuba Cup was the first show we went to after our son was delivered by ceaserian, and to honor Jim I wore a black armband. Jim would have been absolutely amazed to see his dog on TV!  When Judge Gladstone pointed at us for Best of Breed, I swear, I couldn't believe it-after all the work, money, time, morning sickness and heartbreak, to have it happen was like getting a bright and shiny new gift- it was so wonderful! We were mobbed by people asking us questions when we left the ring, thankfully Carole came over and fielded the questions until I could get my head together, and later that night, our comments with a mention to Jim were repeated on national television. At the Meet the Breed Booth we met hundreds of people, and started the begining of the legend of Solo's steady temperament, as he willingly greeted the public all that day, then showed on television at 10:30 that night, and continued our winning streak unbroken throughout the Holiday Classic shows in Long Beach-5 days of BOB, and me with a 6-week-old baby I was trying to nurse, nap and change diapers-it was crazy, it was wonderful, it was exhuasting!

Eukanuba Invitational, Part II: In 2006 Carole said to me "Hey Steph, the Championship is back in Long Beach this year" and several of our friends in our dog group decided it would be fun if we all went to the Invitational together, so off we went again, trying to earn an invitation.  In some ways it was easier because now Solo and I knew what we were doing in the ring, I wasn't hampered by pregnancy or nursing, and I was smarter about what we needed to do to qualify. It was also harder because Solo was 8 years old (young) and you won't see many dogs of that age at the Invitational, (or any show) and a toddler in tow is a challenge for any parent. We made the cut and went to the show, where I was pleased we received an Award of Excellence, along with another invitation to Crufts, from judge Mrs. Robert D. Smith.  It was a competitive entry and extremely fun to go to that show with a group of my local friends.  Along with showing Solo, I co-chaired the Malinois Meet the Breed booth for the ABMC, which was awarded a 4th place ribbon, and Solo and Whoopi (my son's Malinois) were integeral parts of the booth.  We met some wonderful people while at the event, and it formed the basis for us to begin the following year's plans for Eukanuba MTB.

Eukanuba Invitational, Part III: Instead of pursuing another invitation to Eukanuba in 2007, I coordinated the Meet the Breed Booths for all three Belgian breeds, and this year, our combined effort won us a third place ribbon. Although we didn't compete in the ring, our dogs' friendly natures and confident demeanors are popular for the public appearances and demonstrations, and our son dearly loves to "share" his dogs with everyone!  Increasingly, people had been asking me about Solo as a stud, and I started to realise that if I wanted to have one of his puppies, I was going to have to do something about it. Additionally, it was long past time that I resolved Solo's official ownership, which had never been clarified since Jim's untimely death in 2003.  This was not an easy process-tracking down the legal owners, obtaining their permissions, completing the correct papers and NOT losing them in the mail (the value of FedEx and tracking slips cannot be overstressed!) all took time and required patience, but to finally hold Solo's AKC registration, with my name as his legal owner upon it, made it all worthwhile!

Going Forward: Solo is a retired Champion, but is shown on request, so it may be that you might see him at some show or specialty.  My desire is to begin some performance events with him, (once my schedule settles down!) so more likely look for us around the Agility, Rally or Obedience rings.   I continue to do MTB at shows whenever I can, because I feel strongly that the public needs to meet and know more about the Belgian breeds, and Malinois Rescue as an alternative to these wonderful, active dogs ending up in inappropriate homes.  I am looking forward to having one of his puppies, (really, to having a Terra Grandpuppy-she was such a character!) However, the reason we went (and why we go to any dog show) is still the same-to have fun, meet people, show off our dogs, and enjoy a great show. Look for us under the "superfastdogs" canopy, or where the laughter is loudest, and please be sure to stop by and say "hi" to us at any show-we'll be around, having fun and goofing off as usual! 

Please see our color advertisement in June, 2006 Herding issue of Showsight magazine.

and certainly not least…

Michael Bunch: The best husband, fellow agility competitor and website designer in the whole world www.agilitywebdesign.com I simply couldn’t do this without your support. It’s more than I ever hoped for, and means more than I can say. Thanks for the hefting, hauling, toting and carrying of all those crates, canopies, pens and carts, and all the baby items too. Thanks for your tolerance and help with the dogs that rotate in and out, the housebreaking and house taming, and your strong arms to throw balls, carry injured beasts, and hug me when I win or lose. You’re the best thing in my life, even ahead of the dogs!