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To Sharon....
Page Two
 For four fun-filled months, Sharon and I traveled around the area.
I
helped feed, water, and exercise the dogs, groom, clip nails and hold
them
ringside. I even showed the small ones for her when needed. I saw
firsthand
how she treated all the dogs, not just hers or mine. Every dog was as
comfortable and attached to Sharon as if it belonged to her, or
vice-versa.
One night, there was almost a dog fight over who was going to sleep on
TOP of
her! I must admit that one of the two contenders was Mysti, who by
then
loved Sharon enough to want to claim her.
This was the way our summer
went;
a wonderful diversion for me, since Bob was handicapped and required a
lot of
care, and I had been laid off from work. For the first time in years,
I took
time to enjoy life and do something just a little different than the
normal
mundane routine. The trips were planned so that Bob was always
comfortable,
and I was never farther away than 5 or 6 hours. He could care for
himself,
his daughter lived nearby, so my trips gave him a feeling of being "on
his
own" and provided a little independence for him too.
 That fall, Sharon hurt her back and was unable to show dogs for
about a
month. Mysti was now up to 14 points with both majors, and entered in
several shows. I showed her a few times, and had help from a few
others -
all the while scared to death that they or I would put that last point
on
Mysti and take the finish from Sharon. Not to worry - it didn't
happen. We
had a dry spell; either we weren't entered, or another pretty Saluki
bitch
was the judge's choice that day. Then Christmas and the long winter
was upon
us.
 The next show was the Empire Specialty Cluster on the NY piers.
Sharon
and I decided to enter; she was going for the Pug Specialty. I wanted
to
attend the Saluki Specialty just for the sheer joy of going, having
fun, and
giving Mysti the exposure to all the judges and spectators at
ringside. We
originally planned for Lisa to show Mysti, but there was a horrific
ice storm
which froze Lisa to her homestead. Sharon and I debated that morning
whether
to attempt driving to NY or not, until she yelled, "We're GOING!
We're
putting the dogs in the van, and we're driving to NY. If we aren't
there in
three hours, then we will turn around and come home, but we're GOING!"
We
arrived in NY with time to spare! Sharon and I wished each other Good
Luck!
and headed for our respective rings.
Karen Wagner, a long-time friend from my Afghan Hound days, said
she
would show Mysti for me. However, just before our ring time, Karen
told me
she had to be in two other rings at the same time, and couldn't show
Mysti.
I told her, "No problem! Don't worry, go have fun. I'm not looking
for a
point today, we're just here for the fun and exposure; I'll take her
in!".
In the ring, Mysti looked up at my face, saw that it was MOM showing
her, and
she smiled at me. Mysti won the Open Bitch class and went Winners'
Bitch for
a 4-point major that day - and became a Champion!
I found Sharon at the Pug area, and introduced Mysti to her as
"CHAMPION
Raszuli's Mystique of Arel". We fell on each other, laughing and
crying. On
our way home that night, we laughed and cried all the way. The van
didn't
use any gas on that trip - we were FLYING HIGH from the thrill of it
all. We
mused at how 14 points were gained in the first 4 months of showing
Mysti,
with 4 barren months, and then the 4-point excitement of Empire. We
both
believed that we should have *known* that would be her day - but we
know
nothing in advance. Every day, every bend in the road, every turn we
make or
thing we do leads us toward the next unknown step or path in Life.
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