The dog show our Shetland Sheepdog Maggie was entered in was in Flourtown, PA. The weatherman predicted heat, and as I said, it was. Although forewarned, it knocked me out. I spent most of the day at the show simply sitting in a chair, trying (for the most part unsuccessfully) to maintain some semblance of normalcy in the oppressive weather. Not to perseverate too much on this topic, let me just say when we left the park where the show was held, the temperature was a searing 97 degrees...and that was in the shade. Driving home, it had risen to an alarming 101 degrees.

Now, I gotta admit my mind wasn't too much set on taking any great pictures. But, I did manage to snap a few. Granted they aren't the usual award-winning quality I'm wont to take, but they reflect some of the day's activities.

Here's a shot of Maggie on a table, getting set up by the Presto Dog bride prior to the judge's inspection:

Maggie Gettin' Ready

As previously noted, with temperatures hovering in the 100 degree vacinity all day, drinking fluids was the order of the day for canine and human alike. Here the Presto Dog bride takes a refreshment break:

Water Time

As I'm writing this brief post, I'm still recovering from the tremendous heat we were subject to earlier today. Let me close by saying all dogs that were present at the show today (and here are just a few of them):

Shelties Keepin' Cool

... were properly cared for, with water, shade and plain ol' TLC availalbe in tremendous quantities.

Here are Lyric and Declan, mother & son respectively, trying to stay cool at the show:

Lyric & Decaln

Oh, and by the way, our alpha dog, Declan, earned his Canine Good Citizenship (CGC) designation at the show today! Here's a picture of the litttle fellow while he's on the last leg of the test, waiting for the Presto Dog bride for a seemingly never-ending three minutes with a stranger (!) while she's required to stay out of his sight:

Declan: CGC

Good boy, Declan!

As a faithful visitor (and hopefuly, reader) of this here Presto Dog web site, you're probably a dog owner. Sure, that's an assumption that might not be true, but I'm gona bet that 99% of our readers are here because of a profound interest in our canine companions. And if you're an owner, you invariably need to establish an understanding between you and your dog concerning what she or he can and can't do. Putting this another way,

Another weekend is upon us. And now that it's summer time, temperatures can rise...sometimes to dangerous levels. As a metter of fact, when we returned to the Presto Dog Phunny Pharm after peforming a few errands earlier this afternoon, the temperature outside reached a phenomenal 98 degrees! Now, that's hot! And tomorrow, 6/8/08, we've entered our li'l Maggie in a dog show.

Now, not to be worried about her welfare. We always bring gallons of water with us, she'll be groomed in the shade under large tents that are set up just for this purpose, and we're quite aware of the weather conditions that are projected for our area. The fact that Maggie's a little crazy, apt to run around her property at her home with her tongue practically hanging out down to the ground, is warning enough to us to be mindful of her health.

She'll only be in the ring (actually out in the sun) for minutes at a time, so we don't anticipate her falling to the ills of the weather. But as responsible pet owners, we'll certainly be mindful of the serious nature that ol' yellow orb up in the sky can perpetrate upon our charges.

And for the readers of this humble site, please be aware of your relatives, neighbors and pets during this extremely hot weather. For preparations and measures you can take, simply turn on the tube as it's broadcasting over & over what to do as we collectively bake.

Be cool.