My Travelling and My Dogs

Time sure does get away from you when you are busy. There is always something going on here that needs doing.  Recently though I have been travelling. Leaving the farm to go travelling is not always easy, but this time my OH stayed to keep the home fires burning and take care of everyone. I, on the other hand, was off to the USA to attend the Great Pyrenees Club of America National Specialty Show.  That is what they call Pyrenean Mountain Dogs in North America - 'Great Pyrenees'.

I had a great time talking with other breeders and seeing lots of dogs.  These trips are always useful as in my opinion if you are really interested in the welfare of a breed and being a 'best practice' breeder, you need to look internationally for information and perspective - not just confine yourself to your own backyard. This can apply as much to sheep and poultry as it does dogs. There is also plenty of good information and ideas internationally which can be applied to our small farming practices. Seeing what other people are doing is how we learn.

Of course travelling can have it's down side too. While coming home reinvigorated and with new thoughts and ideas, there are always jobs waiting when you get home. In my case I came home to the worry of a sick cockerel.  We never did quite work out exactly what the cause was, but thankfully now he is back in good health after being isolated from the others and living in a dog crate in our family room for a couple of weeks. I think he enjoyed all the attention.

Anyway, back to the show in the US.  The show was held in a big hotel in Pennsylvania at the foot of the Poconos Mountains. The show ring was set up in the ballroom of the hotel and dogs and their owners took over the place for the week, with many dogs staying in the rooms with their owners.  I like this about many places overseas - the dogs are made much more welcome in many places. As well as the show itself, there was lots ot buy and silent auctions of all sorts of treasures held every day.  My prize purchases included some lovely artwork of Pyreneans doing their job in the fields and a signed first edition copy from 1949 of Madame Harper Trois Fontaine's book 'My Travelling and My Dogs'. A wonderful book from one of the first breeders to introduce the Pyrenean breed into the UK from France with many insights into the breed and individual dogs from the pre and post WWII era, and a very special addition to my collection. You see more pictures and read more about my experiences at the show on my website.