August News
Finally, the summer is over. I know most of you are going, is she crazy???? For most the summer is a time for relaxing and enjoying life. For me the summer is crazy with trips to Canada and thousands of miles driven. But when the summer circuits turn out to be as successful as this years, all the hard work and long days are worth it.
August started with me returning home from Canada trip #2 and having the first weekend off. With just a few days at home to pay bills, do laundry and clean the truck we were off and running again. Skip stayed home to work endlessly on the new runs and upkeep of the house. We now have 5 of the 8 50’ by 6’ runs completed with 3 more planned.
Rebecca, Jordan and I headed out on the 4th for Canada. Jordan had enough of the dog life and decided to stay at home once we got there!!! So it was just Becca and I heading off to Kilbride. This trip we took 8 dogs to show. The first to finish this trip was Immie (Doberman). She finished quickly in just 3 days of showing!!! Rebecca also took her into the Regional Specialty Juniors competition and won best Junior overall. There were 15 kids competing and this was the very first time that she had ever shown a Doberman. Needless to say mom was very proud!! Kilbride proved to be a very successful show with many dogs picking up points towards their Championships. From there we headed to Brockville which is on the other side of the province. This is where OhhNoo (rottweiler) completed her Championship. Jake, my Canadian rottie special, took the breed all 3 days and 2 Group placements. This weekend was incredibly hot with temperatures reaching over 100F with the humidex. The dogs were taxed but still showed well and many came out of it with more points. Next we headed to New Liskeard. This is 6 hours north of the border where the air is cool and the people are terrific. Both Artie and Saint finished their Championships up there. These shows are 2 per day over 3 days. You run like crazy but thankfully I already had a few dogs done and it wasn’t so hectic. From here we headed to our last leg of the trip, St Catherine’s. This was a 7 hour drive, overnight, with the shows starting the next day at noon!!! St Catherine’s was a very wet and soggy show. Rubber boots were the fashion and grooming was kept at a minimum!!!
All and all we came home with 4 new Canadian Champions,Immie (dobe), OhhNoo (rottie), Artie (rottie), Saint (black Russian terrier), Jake is now #5 rottweiler and Miaka is still sitting at #1 Mastiff. Rebecca had to head back home and to school and mom was left all alone.
The last weekend of August I stopped in Lexington KY on my way home. This was a 5 day show, outdoors with very hot and wet days. This was Artie’s first weekend in AKC and boy did he take off towards his AKC CH in style. Artie won 4 of the 5 days, earning 11 points with 3 majors!!! Wohoo Artie. Crystal (newf) picked up her first major going BW on Sun not bad for just getting back in the ring after maternity leave. Several others were in the ribbons and took reserve.
Back in the truck, heading home, I had time to reflect on the summer that I just finished. I’m very happy with the results and looked forward to a much slower fall ahead of me. I want to take this time to thank my husband, Skip, for keeping things together here at home and building the runs so that our client and personal dogs had a place to run and relax, and also relaying all the results to our clients. My daughter Rebecca and my son Jordan for all their help while on the road and my friends in Canada for their help at ringside when I needed them.
As I always say, my success in the ring is due to the dedication of my clients, both owners and breeders and their confidence in the dogs that they have me show. Please keep up the good work!!!
Attached to this email is my latest schedule. I’m pretty sure that this is where I will be going until the end of the year. Please pay close attention to the closing dates and let me know as soon as possible which shows you are interested in. The 1st show to close will be the International Show in Orlando. The info is not complete on the IABCA site (www.iabca.com) but I’m guessing that the show will close on Sept 24th .
Thank you again and I look forward to working with you on achieving the goals that you have for your dogs and your breeding programs.
July News
Hope this finds everyone well. It has been a very busy summer. With moving to Newnan, GA on July 1 to heading to Canada July 7th thru 28 and returning home. The Canada trip was a huge success with 6 dogs going and 5 returning with Canadian Championships!!! Our new Can CH's are Folker (rottie), Norton (rottie), Queenie (rottie), Honey (boxer) and Rip (boxer). All these dogs were in excellent condition and a pleasure to show. I also had a great run with Jake, my Canadian Rottie Special with him obtaining 6 BOB's, 2 Group 1's and 1 Group 2, in just 6 shows. This now has him placed in the #7 spot!!!
Thanks to both my son and daughter, this was a successful and smooth trip. Rebecca, my daughter, put the finishing points on both Norton and Queenie. Not bad for a 14 year old!!! Jordan was the set-up and breakdown man which gave Rebecca and I more time to get the dogs settled in.
August is going to be another busy month with the 3rd trip to Canada happening between Aug 4-24. We have 8 dogs booked for this trip with 17 shows being held over a 17 day period. Many shows have 2 shows per day. The weather has been very good, minus a few rainy days, and the show venues good. I am very excited about this final trip with some excellent judging panels and great dogs to show. More news to come soon!
Again I want to thank all my clients for doing an excellent job of preparing their dogs for me to show. It is your dedication to your dogs and your breeding programs that make this all a success!!!
May/June News
To all my friends and family,
I hope this letter finds all well. Many changes have been going on in the Bittner household which has made for a very busy few months.
May started out with the International Shows in Orlando where we came home with 4 new International Champions, Casey (bouvier); Norton (rottweiler); Treasure (rough collie) and Bentley (boxer) plus 2 International Puppy Champions, Campion and Bingo (rough collies). Congratulations to all.
After a much needed weekend off we geared up again for a month long trip to Canada. This trip was a huge success with Maggie (rottweiler), Hummer (boxer), and Miaka (mastiff) all coming home as New Canadian Champions. Miaka was also very successful in the Breed and Group ring picking up 6 Breeds and 3 Group placements and a Best of Opposite in Specialty at the Canadian Nationals. She is now ranked as #1 Mastiff in Canada!!! Honey (boxer) now has 7 points and OhhNoo (rottweiler) has 3 with a Best Senior in the All-Breed Sweeps. Both of these girls are just puppies and showed very well considering their ages. Also while I was up there I had the pleasure of showing my favorite boy, Jake (rottweiler). Jake is the lovely boy that I went Best of Opposite at the Canadian Nationals with last year. Jake and I played in the ring one weekend, won all the BOB's and picked up a Group 2. He is currently ranked #6 rottweiler, also being shown by his Canadian stand in, and I look forward to showing him more in my upcoming trips. All and all I was very happy with how all my dogs performed and their successes in the ring. Everyone seemed to enjoy their trip away and were happy to be avoiding all the rain that we were having back here in Florida.
Back in the US I headed south with a short stop in Newnan, GA to sign the paperwork for our new home. Yes we are moving!!! We have a lovely 4 bedroom, 3 bath brick home in the middle of 11 wonderful acres just 5 minutes from the town of Newnan. I am so excited to be moving north a bit and giving the dogs the space to run. We are going to be relocating there on June 30th. Our new address will be 898 Boone Rd Newnan, GA 30263. The phone number will stay the same.
Back here in Florida I attended the Orlando shows where Casey (bouvier) picked up another WD and 1 point and both Dreamer and OhhNoo (rottweilers) went RWB at two separate shows.
Congratulations to all my clients. As I always say it is your dedication to your dogs and their success that makes my job easier. Keep up the great work!!!
Please find attached my updated schedule. As you will see I have made a few changes and added another trip back to Canada. I've had such demand for these shows and success that I thought it might be a good idea to head back up again!!! Please let me know if you are interested in sending your dogs on either of the trips. I have a few openings and am still excepting deposits to hold a spot. Also notice on the schedule that I've added an FCI show in Nov. At these shows you will have an opportunity to bring home both a Puerto Rican and Latin American Championship. What's better than more titles!!! Please let me know if this interests you as space is limited for these shows.
I also want to let everyone know that we are willing to drive and pick up client dogs in Florida. Just because we have relocated to Newnan does not mean that we will be out of touch. If any of the shows interest you please just let me know and we will make arrangements to get your dogs to us. We also would like to mention that effective immediately, all dogs in our care are completely insured. With the relocation to Newnan, I have been able to negotiate with our insurance company to get excellent coverage for all my dogs while in our care either at the kennel or on the road.
I am also considering the option of either PayPal or Google CheckOut to make paying your accounts easier. Please let me know if you think that you would be interested in this form of payment.
I hope everyone has an enjoyable summer.
April News
To all my clients, friends and family,
I hope this finds all well. April went by a little too easy. No blown tires on the truck or trailer and no major repair bills. Scary to think what May might have to hold for us. Instead of Spring...I think this season should be called "In-season". It seems like everyones girls were in heat including everyone at my house. The boys handled it well though and all the girls performed dispite their condition!!!
April has given us 2 New Champions. The first was our own Ginny (rottie) who had to constantly sit in the back while waiting for an opening in the Open bitch class. She completed her championship in style going breed and Group 2 for a 5 point major!! She finished the weekend in PR off with 3 more Breeds, 2 Group 2's and a Group 3. That's my girl. She is now pregnant with Norton babies, big as a house and due in 2 weeks. The second champion of the month was Lorelei (briard). Lorelei's championship was extra special as she was the first champion for her mom and dad. Congrats!!!
As I mentioned I took a trip to PR to show. It is very stressful showing in the tropics with having to walk your dogs on the beach and listening to the surf all night...LOL. I took Rip (boxer) to PR along with Ginny. Rip went WD 3 out of the 4 shows and came home with 3 majors. Rip was rippin' it up in PR!
The following weekend was Perry, GA. These shows are always hectic with 3-4 buildings going at the same time. I call it the Perry weight loss plan as all you seem to do is run from one building to another. Vixen (Amstaff) started out the weekend with a BOB over specials for a 3 point major and Rip went RWD to the 5 point major. All of the dogs were in the ribbons and performed to their best.
Zolfo was were Lorelei finished her Championship. She did this in style by going BOB for a 3 point major both days.Oh did I mention that she is a natural earred Import. Miaka (Mastiff) was back at the shows after a couple of weekends rest and picked up another BOB. She is now ranked #18 Mastiff as of Mar 31st. Rip went WD/BW for 1 point.
The month ended off with the Vero Beach shows. You sure had to hold onto your hat and I'm sure the little dogs as the wind was whistling though the rings. Grooming was a test in futility and done more for show than actual purpose.Rip picked up another point there and now just needs 2 points to complete his championship. Vixen took the breed again for a point and Petey went WD/BOS for 1 point. Winnie (boxer) made her parents very proud by going WB/BW/BOS for her very first point. Winnie's mom and dad are Lacey and Ben. They are the two people that keep my life sane and smooth at the shows these days. Thanks again you too for all that you do.
I want to congratulate all the winners and new champions. All my clients are doing a fantastic job with keeping their dogs in optimum condition. It is with this dedication to your dogs success that makes my work easy. I enjoy working with each and everyone of you in achieving your goals. Keep up the good work.
May finds me heading to Canada for my first set of shows. ATT seems to think that they should finance their retirement plans with my phone bill so I will not be answering up while I'm up there. Please feel free to call me still as I will be checking messages frequently and replying when I can reach a pay phone or my mom's phone. I will also check my emails frequently so do not think that I've fallen off the face of the earth just because I do not reply right away. The Orlando shows close while I'm away. Please let me know as soon as possible if you are interested in these shows so that I can be prepared and not overbook.
I've done a little updating on my schedule. The shows pretty much finish up in Florida over the summer so I have to look elsewhere for shows to do. I have one week with a ???? please let me know if you have any suggestions. I also have a weekend that has 3 possible shows. Please let me know which interests you and I will decide based on a majority interest. I will also be heading to Canada again in August. This trip will be much shorter in days than this first one but with more shows. 16 shows over 18 days. Spots are starting to get reserved so please contact me if you are interested.
I have been updating my handling site with pictures as I get them. Please send me your recent pictures so that I may include your dogs on the pages. The latest schedule is also up so don't worry if you happen to misplace the one that I email you!!!
Take care, keep cool and keep up the great work!!!
March News
Well another month has passed us by, I'm halfway through April and just getting to my March newsletter. I guess alot can be said for being busy!!!
March was another terrific month with many successful trips to the shows. The month started out in West Palm with Miaka (mastiff) picking up 2 more BOB's!!! She is now ranked, as of Mar 31, #18 Mastiff with very limited specialling in 2009!!!
Petey, the sweetest Amstaf in the world, picked up a Best Puppy in Group and a RWD at the Terrier Specialty.
The following weekend we attended the IABCA shows in Atlanta. Facing freezing temps and constant rain, our dogs still performed. We came home with 9 New Int. CH's and 1 Jr Int CH with many group placements including Maggie's 2 Group 1's, Gonzo and Dancer also won Group 1's. Campion and Annie picked up multiple BOB and Group placements. Tina came home with a reserve Best Puppy in Show!!
Congratulations to the following New Int CH. Gonzo (rottie), Dancer (rottie), Maggie (rottie), Dreamer (rottie), Annie (rough collie), Willow (boxer), Rip (boxer), Jersey (boxer), Trina (boxer) and Puppy Champion Tina (boxer).
Bahamas was a blast. Skip and I enjoyed a relaxing fun-filled weekend on the sunny island of Nassau. The show is held at the botanical gardens 5 minutes from our hotel. The hosts are wonderful with the grill going and mohito's in the cooler!!! We had a terrific time coming home with 3 new Bahamian Champions, Norton (rottie), Willow (boxer) and Dealer (rottie). In addition to her championship Dealer decided that she should be greedy and took home both BEST IN SHOWS!!!!
The shows in St Pete completed the month with Miaka again taking BOB both days!!!
Congratulations to all my clients. Again it's because of your dedication to your dogs that we are so successful.
The Canada shows are closing soon, April 28th. I still have a few openings if you are interested in sending your dog. Please find attached a copy of my schedule up til the end of June. I will be updating it and adding the revision to my Handling Webpage, www.jenbittnerhandling.webs.com , please let me know what shows you are interested in and if you have any suggestions for the month of July.
February News
To All My friends and family,
Well February has passed us by very quickly. It was a very busy month with 15 days of shows!!! It has taken me until now to just get caught up on life here at home with being away so much. February started out quiet with us having the first weekend off. The new 4 day cluster in Lakeland was a success with my mastiff special, Miaka, winning 3 of the 4 shows and making the cut in the group one day. Dreamer (rottie) went WB for 2 points and Casey (bouvier) went WD all 4 days for 5 more points towards his championship. With just 3 days off in between I headed out on the Panhandle Cluster of shows. This cluster is affectionately dubbed "The Death March" as we have 11 days of shows in 6 different locations, starting in Valdosta and ending in Pensacola. As tiring as this circuit can be, this year it was a very successful one for my clients. We came home this year with 2 New Champions. Congratulations to Scout (rottie) and Boolie (rottie) on completing their championships. Rip (boxer), Jersey (boxer) , Petey (AmStaff) and Deja (rottie) all won points on this circuit. The circuit was cut short by 2 days with me spraining my ankle and having to return home on Fri after we showed. Thanks goes out to Kay, Alice, Brad, Charlie and Jocelyn for jumping in and showing my dogs for me on the last day. I'm on the mend now thanks to the brace that Skip had waiting for me when I got home.
Please find attached my schedule that goes until the end of June. I have AKC, International, FCI and Canada shows scheduled during this timeframe. The closing dates come up fast so please let me know which shows you are interested in and when you've made your entries. Also attached is the Canada info for the May/June shows. The reservations for this trip are starting to come in . Please let me know if you are interested in sending your dog and I will be sure to make space for you. If you have any questions feel free to contact me either via phone or email.
I also would like to invite you to visit my new handling website, www.jenbittnerhandling.webs.com . It is still a work in progress and something that I'm doing myself. I welcome any pictures that you would like added to the site. Any input is welcomed also.
I look forward to working with each and everyone of you to achieve the goals that you have set for you dogs. It is with team work that we will achieve those goals. It is the continuous dedication that all my clients have to their breeding programs and their dogs that make all of this a success. Keep up the good work!!!
I would like to take another quick moment to thank Lacey and Ben for all their help. You make my days run smoothly and your a definite asset to the team. Thank you.