I enjoyed seeing old friends and hundreds of Great Danes all in one venue. Many individuals from GDCA's South Central Division knocked themselves out to make sure this year's event went smoothly. They are probably still exhausted from all the work, but they should take pride in their many accomplishments. Despite the unseasonable Texas heat wave that made everyone – the dogs, the handlers and the audience – pretty uncomfortable at times, the show went on without a hitch.

Congratulations to all the winners! For a complete listing of who won what, please visit the GDCA's results page.

I had a good time at my booth. Being in the hotel lobby had one great advantage – I avoided all the heat. I want to thank everyone who stopped by to say hello. (Especially those who bought something!) My favorite activity was photographing all the splendid Danes, many of whom you will be seeing right here on DaDane of DaWeek.

Meet Quincy
Pictured above is Paula Stebbin's 11-month-old Quincy (Rojon's Believe in Magic) who started working on her championship a few weeks ago. She already has four points. Quincy didn't win any awards at this year's National, but she showed well and had a good time. She joined several of her littermates in the Futurity ring, and later, the Open Class. (She clearly loves being in the ring with her handler, Paige McCarver.) I saw a lot of Quincy at the Nationals because I roomed with Paula. I was impressed with her maturity and overall intelligence, as well as her obvious beauty. Nothing seemed to bother Quincy, except perhaps, the confounding problem of a hidden squeaky toy. When Quincy is determined to find something, she doesn't give up. She was particularly taken with the Wiggly Giggly ball given to me by Suzzane Kelleher-Duckett. I finally had to pack it away in my suitcase to keep it safe. After I got home, with great fanfare I presented the Wiggly Giggly ball to Merlin. He looked up at me with his old white face and said, "You've got to be kidding. Get this thing off my bed right now!" And he hasn't given it a second look. Go figure.

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