Cook Inlet Dog Show, Sunday 8-8, Part 1

As most of you know, I'm not much for going to dog shows, but it is fun every now and then, especially when you're going to see cute little furry faces like Kharma, above, who belongs to a friend.

We'd barely made the fairgrounds before Pat was off searching out puppies to cuddle, this one a Sibe. I've forgotten the guy's name, bad me, I was sure I'd remember, but he does have Iditarod connections and may be a familiar face to some who work at the hotel during the race. That's Rosemary, right, who was there in support of Kharma and our friend Sarah. Most of the following are captionless, sorry, but it's a bit of a sensory overload, so as your eye darts here and there, that's a bit of how I was feeling.

Wayne Curtis, left, looking a bit more dapper than we usually see him on the sled runners! He's showing Grissom.

I never made it around to talk to Wayne when he was out of the arena, but Peg verified that the dog he was showing is Grissom for me.

The lure of the Shelties across the way was too strong, so I meandered that way.

But, no matter what breed you fancy, there was surely something for everyone. This line-up gave me a chuckle.

I swear, if this was my dog, I'd be afraid to sneeze for fear it'd break one of those tiny, tiny little leg. Italian Greyhound, I think.

Not that great a shot, but it does show why the papillion breed is sometimes known as "Butterfly Dogs". Check out those ears!

They come in all colors, even tri-color.

In the ring behind the "toy" Papillions, the big guys were strutting their stuff.

This is Kharma, the little girl we were there to watch.

I didn't catch the last name, but (left) Kharma is not only owned by a Sarah, her handler's name is Sarah, too.

Kharma, shown here with owner Sarah Armstrong, took her class.

And I was off to see what other breeds I could find.

The Portugese Water Dogs, the same breed as the Obama's Bo. This was the first time I'd seen one of these dogs in real life, so kinda cool. Larger than I had thought.

It was interesting watching them set up for the winner's photos. These are not free to the dog's owner, btw.

While photos were being taken in one ring, the showing would continue in others.

Any ideas I had of thinking it'd be fun to be the official photographer for a show disappeared as I saw the equipment these guys have to tote around. Nope, nevermind. I'll just continue to occasionally hang out, thank you.

I had some sympathy for this guy as it was windy and my hair kept getting in my eyes, too!

Part 2 will follow, hopefully just below this set.