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To Sharon....
I am deeply grateful to my dear friend and mentor, Sharon Thomas,
for the
wonderful times we shared together beginning in 1993 and on up to this
past
summer. A mutual friend (Kelli Marshall) introduced us, as I needed a
handler for Mysti, our first Saluki. I had two back operations and
was not
sure-footed enough then to show Mysti. Sharon and I first met at the
Huntingdon Valley KC dog show in early June. Sharon and Mysti made
friends
easily, then sped off around the ring together. Once in the ring,
though,
Mysti wasn't too sure about this - it was cold and rainy, and she
missed her
warm bed at home. Sharon played with her while in the ring, tickling
her
tummy and back. Mysti's eyes were like saucers!
Lo, and
behold!
Mysti won her first point that day.
The next day was a 3-point major. Mysti's breeder, Lisa Bunting,
agreed
to show her, which was pre-arranged and was just as well, since
Sharon's
schedule conflicted with the Salukis. My hubby, Bob, was sitting
ringside to
watch his little Saluki girl. Mysti gave Lisa a terrible time, and I
got a
distress call from out in the middle of the ring: "Linda! you're
going to
have to take her back in - she won't show for me!" Here, Mysti had
won her
class, and was to go back in for Winners' Bitch selection.
Out of the clear blue, this booming voice behind and above me
asked,
"Linda, do you need Sharon?" It was Don, Sharon's hubby, watching
over us!
There I was frantically trying to put running shoes on. Don yelled to
Sharon
halfway down to the other end of the tent, and told her that she was
needed -
quickly! Sharon came running up, grabbed Mysti's lead, and took her
into the
ring for selection of Winners' Bitch (and BOS to her brother's BOB).
Lo, and
behold! Mysti won her first 3-point major that day.
Two weeks later at Bryn Mawr KC, Sharon and I were futilely
devising ways
to keep Mysti's feet on terra firma, as she was going
BOING-BOING-BOING!
around the ring. I hid so that Mysti would concentrate on Sharon and
forget
about me. Sharon is tall, and there were many spectators standing
ringside,
but there was Mysti, boinging her way above everyone's heads,
searching for
You-Know-Who! The judge that day was Mary Ellen Gorske, who wrote a
lovely
critique about Mysti, but that was not a day for points.
Our first extended trip was to the Nango Shows in the Bainbridge,
NY,
area. We stayed at the Algonqin. My son and his family lived in
Liverpool,
NY, and I planned a visit with them one afternoon. However, due to a
death
in the family, my trip to NY was delayed until after the services. On
arriving in Bainbridge, Sharon told me, "I just want you to know that
YOUR
MYSTI won her second 3-point major today!" You could have swept me up
off
the floor - which, by the way, is where I slept that night. The
mattress was
too soft and felt like a hammock, so Mysti slept in bed, and I on the
floor.
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