Dear Friends... I’m trying to think of a good excuse this time, but to be honest we have been very busy again. We have had some visitors from Finland, we have both been working and there has been just too many things going on all the time! The fact that updating the website takes about an hour doesn’t help either.

 

We went to the show in Staffordshire in October, and although Miihkali didn’t do well in his class he showed beautifully and I was very happy with him. A couple of people came to me after the show and said that he should have won his class, but then again all judges have different opinions and they like different things, so I can’t see any point in arguing about that. I had entered him to the open class as there wasn’t too many to choose from and no junior available. Two or three dogs in that class were show champions... I just don’t know which class to choose, as under FCI everything is so much clearer and easier! But never mind, I’m very pleased with him as he moved and behaved beautifully. When I left him benched while I had a look around the showground, he just sat there waiting for me all quiet and calm. This was the first time he was benched and again he had no problem with that whatsoever.

 

We stayed in Holiday Inn with Noora and Sasha, as leonbergers were judged on sunday and curlies on saturday. It took a while to get them settled, but finally we managed to get them to chill out and sleep. They get on so well and just want to play all the time! Sasha did well and was second in her large class so she is qualified to enter Crufts next year. Well done!

 

We left the dogs in the car for about half an hour while we did some serious doggy shopping after the show. When we came back, Miihkali had destroyed pretty much everything he could get his teeth into! Our lunchbox was torn in pieces, and all jaffa cakes, crisps and galaxy bars were all over the place. Funnily enough he hadn’t eaten any of the food, just wanted to destroy the box and all the wrappings. He had also chewed up my brand new rucksack, which I only noticed when Noora dropped us off at the train station and I tried to lift the rucksack up. Both of the straps were chewed in pieces so I had to drag the heavy bag along all the way to the train.

 

I just don’t get it. We had been travelling for hours, stayed two nights in strange and new places, spent two days in a very busy dog show and taken the dogs out for long walks and run several times. Miihkali must have met hundreds of dogs and people and got to see all these new and strange places, but still he would be full of energy and will to destroy given a chance. I know he will never change, never. He will be unreliable like this for the rest of his life and I am really happy he is mine, because I just can’t think of anyone else who would put up with it this long!

 

He doesn’t suffer from separation anxiety and can be fine for weeks or even months. Then suddenly, with no reason whatsoever he will just do something like that. I would understand if there was a trigger, like a doorbell or a postman when he is left alone, or if he was sick or if he didn’t get exercise and so on. But it is nothing like that. I have known dogs like this, and somehow each one of them has been a gundog...