Happy Holidays

What a way to end our show year!

We decided this fall that we wanted to take a week long vacation to celebrate finishing our degrees. Of course we planned on bringing the dogs with, so I looked for a few locations that I'd like to go to and also possibilities for dog shows or trials. Low-and-behold, there were double CACIB shows in Wels, Austria, only 2 hours from Vienna. Even better, there was a lovely Wine and Spa hotel, that I had seen on CNN about 2 years ago as one of the top wine destinations in Europe, only an hour and a half away. We've been wanting to visit Austria for the past couple of years, but never made the 8 hour trek to Vienna. So after I finished my degree in October, the first thing I did was to book hotels and sign up for the dog shows.

Well, I have to say, our last dog shows of the year paid off! After a disappointing weekend in Geneva in November, in which Baxter received the Excellent 1, but the CAC was withheld, this was a great pick me up. Not only did Baxter receive Excellent 1 with CACA (Champion certificate in Austria) on Saturday, but he repeated the win on Sunday and, in addition, picked up another CACA and a reserve CACIB! The CACIB is given to the best male, so our little guy was picked as 2nd best male dog.

There were over 30 dachshunds from all over Europe there this weekend, so we were very happy about our first wins in Austria. Now we have at least 1 year to collect at least 2 more CACAs. :)

Not only did we have a nice time and, of course, had some nice wins, but we finally met the breeder of Freddie's father Kobeddus Effendi, Caroline, in person! We have been Facebook friends and emailing back an forth for years now, so it was nice to finally meet and chat.

Now Simon, the dogs and I are having our vacation. We explored Linz a bit and visited the Christmas market and had great views of the city, even though the weather was a bit crappy. Now we are settled in for the night at our fantastic fancy hotel. It is the best graduation present that I could have at the moment. :)

So with our wins, we are ending our show season. It has been an amazing year and I couldn't ask for more from the dogs. They have both done amazing and been incredibly successful this year. I can only hope that 2014 will be as fruitful as 2013!

Reasons to be Thankful

Being a born and bred American, I'm still a fan and proponent of Thanksgiving. For the past 4 years I have hosted Thanksgiving dinners for our friends. They may not be necessarily exactly on Thanksgiving (usually they are 1 to 2 weeks later), but they are always a warm atmosphere of camaraderie and a feeling of the season. My tiny Swiss oven (with the help/recruitment of at least 2 other ovens) has managed to feed up to 30 people, though I'm still wondering how we managed to get them all in the house!

Although this is a few days late, I felt that it still deserved a posting.

This year I have a lot to be thankful for:

First of all my friends! Through thick and thin I have had a lot of great friends. Here are just a smattering of pictures from the past couple years, but they are all fantastic, wonderful people and I am thankful to have them in my life.  

On a stroll in Luxembourg

Hiking in Basel

 

Playing with the Wii at one of many parties

Second, is our breed mentors, who are also Baxter's breeders and our close friends Markku and Salla (Kennel Barbwired). They have always been supportive and encouraging and always push us to be the best we can. I have missed them a lot since they moved back to Finland two years ago, but having the dog connection, they are never more than a phone call away. I would be lying if I didn't say I was excited to be a bit closer to them for the next few years.

On a trip to Croatia with Baxter's 1/2 sister & brother, Aura and Arnold, and mom Iiris

Third is my ADORABLE goddaughter Emma. She is the daughter of Markku and Salla and she is the happiest baby that I know! She is a heartbreaker and I love spoiling her. She is really starting to have a wonderful personality and I look forward to watching her grow up.

Fourth of course is my boys!! They are clowns, they are my footwarmers, and they are the monsters that I struggle with every evening when I go to bed and find a dackel shaped lump on my side of the bed. They have taught me so much about the breed and what these little dogs are capable of. They have made me feel more integrated into the community and forced me to really learn more of the language (though I still need to practice a LOT). They are extremely successful dogs in their own right and I look forward to a lot more wonderful years with the two of them. They have also really got me thinking about dog breeding and I have begun my search for a nice female. I don't know how long this will take... a few month or a few years, we will see, but I have a good idea of what I am looking for and when the right pup comes along, I'll know it.

After a spurlaut practice in 2012

Freddie in his element

Baxter in his chair

Fifth is Simon. He has been my rock and has been there for me through a very difficult last couple of years. In addition, he agreed to dive into the dackel world with me and has been a companion, partner in crime, and interpreter. Together we made a house and lives for ourselves and soon we will go through the process of moving and starting over in a new country. Thanks for being part of the adventure!

Sixth is for my family. Being back in the USA for Thanksgiving made me realize that sometimes it is just really nice to have family close to you. Laughing uncontrollably over stupid jokes, playing games, chatting over dinner or a drink, just everything is nicer in person. Although we don't always agree on things, they have always been supportive... even when I moved 5000 miles away.

The final thing I am thankful for is finding a place to live in our soon-to-be homeland. It is a townhouse instead of a house, but the location is totally ideal. It is near a huge green space, a 2 minute walk to the seaside, 5 minutes into town and shopping, and a direct bus line to Simon's work. I'm still in the process of looking for a job, but I am hoping that the next 2 months bring some success. Here are a couple pictures of Malmö, which we can see from our section of seaside near the house. Of course I forgot to take pictures when actually touring the apartment!

The sea off Malmö

in Malmö

Panorama of the seashore in Malmö

As 2013 comes to a close, I am hoping that 2014 brings great things. A lot will change and I am sure it will be challenging, but it will definitely be an interesting adventure!