This month Tim will tell us about their feisty lad, Tiger:

Tiger comes from one of the very best breeders of conformation mini schnauzers to ever work the breed. Anne Lockney of Edmond, OK was the Grand Dame of Ruedesheim. When we lost our last bitch, Muffin, MJ decided to try to beg a top breeder into giving us an off breeding puppy or whatever she could wrangle. She started calling and trying to talk to 4 of the big shots.

She didn’t get very far as most didn’t return her calls. She did get to talk with Anne who told her to write her a letter explaining why we should have Ruedesheim dog. After much begging and crying on the phone she got a commitment for a puppy. I will never forget the day she told me she had been talking with Anne Lockney. I said “THE Anne Lockney?” MJ had no idea who she was or the fact she was a world renowned breeder. Never say never to Mary Jane.

That entire litter died two weeks before scheduled delivery and again we were childless. Anne then said we would just have to take a dog as she could not possibly give us a bitch. She had a trial breeding going with one of her two top stud dogs (13 champions of record) and an untried bitch with a fabulous Ch. filled pedigree of her own. There was an uncommitted 4 week old dog available.

We agreed to the dog at Anne’s insistence that once we owned one of her lads, we would never again want a bitch. Tiger was born on Valentine’s Day 2007. He came home to live with us at 8 weeks. See photo of his custom built home designed and constructed by yours truly.

Very little time passed before we realized he was an exceptional dog. We decided to learn to show this young man ourselves. That story is too long to tell but it was two years of absolute fun sprinkled with harsh reality of the conformation racket but we loved every minute and every mile we traveled with Tiger. Sherell and her Bouvier’s were on the road with us many a weekend. We became fast friends as we tried to finish Big Black and Little Black.

Things worked out and Tiger became a champion in Garden City, Kansas in March of 2010. Then came the fun stuff. Agility. Mary Jane had found out a little about the local agility folks being friends with Shella and Mary Lou. We also knew Vern and Dana and had been following instructions from Joanne Neal for over 30 years. She taught our first puppy class in 1977 as best we recall. MJ drug Tiger out to Teresa’s a few times as we were chasing his last major and when he was done, we headed into our first class.

The rest, as they say, is history. Tiger loved it from day one and we loved all the people. Well, actually we were a little afraid of Joanne but I have since overcome that fear. “Just the facts, maam”. SPOTC is a great family. We were amazed at the difference in Agility and Conformation. We loved the trials from our very first outing in Clovis. I can honestly say I have not had a bad experience with anyone anywhere. We always got help when we needed it and advice aplenty. We were REALLY green all over again after being the dummies in conformation , we started all over again as newbies to agility.

I spent the first 4 trials following Lynn from Amarillo and her two mini girls around. She just happened to be where I was with Tiger and she looked like she knew what she was doing so I followed her and tried to do what she did. It didn’t take long for us to become friends and I consider the Amarillo Club all good buddies.

We have made dozens of friends this year. Tiger quickly finished his Novice titles in just two or three trials. He had a learning curve of two trials moving up to Open but then moved right through those also. My favorite was the FAST and I still really love it because we just RUN. Open FAST hit us with new obstacles and longer sends so we are back to learning more before we tackle it. WE also need speed, drive and impulsion. I get it at home and I get it at some trials, early. You just never know. We hope we can get Tiger increasingly more confident and driven to run. Only time and togetherness will tell.

Our favorite Agility pictures are attached along with our favorite Conformation portraits made the month after he finished his CH. We are absolutely certain that the blood is the secret to great dogs. Good breeding, good upbringing, give you great life companions. We love the Tiger man to death and hope to be able to arrange a breeding when the time is right for us to take on one of his sons.

We are proud to be a part of the crazy family of “Dog People” as we call them. We are a different breed ourselves and hopefully the guardians of these great dogs we love. Thank you to all of you who have and continue to help us learn and enjoy our dog.