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Author Topic : Tell me about your then vs now!
 PicketFence Kennels
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10/9/2020 4:31:55 PM reply with quote send message to PicketFence Kennels Object to Post   

I’m a fan of nostalgia, so I thought this might be a fun topic. Mostly for the SD old timers laugh :D but anyone can chime in!

Where were you in life when you joined SD vs now?

When I joined in 2005, I was in the seventh grade. It was long enough ago that online payment wasn’t widespread, so my mom mailed money to Jeff for my SD subscription fee. Lol laugh :D I had the sweetest little dog, he was a Dachshund mix named Biscuit. We played “dog show” all. the. time. He was so patient with me, and smart as a whip too.

Now, I’ve been married almost 5 years and I work full time and have two cats. I’ve still never shown a dog, but it’s one of my dreams!

Would love to hear from all of you. happy :)

Sarah
 Vespertinus
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10/9/2020 8:37:20 PM reply with quote send message to Vespertinus Object to Post

I wasn't playing this game and I joined some months ago, but you said something about 2005 so I will try to relate laugh :D

In 2005 I think me and my family moved out from flat to house with garden and we got our first dog.
He was adopted, but he was purebred german shorthaired pointer, and in fact we were more a temporary house for him.
I was 7 years old and started going to music school, playing piano there.

Now I'm studying and I've made one of my biggest dreams come true - getting a saluki.
I'm looking for a new job, trying to work in branch of Polish Kennel Club and showing/going on coursing with Frederick.
I'm also planning getting a nice female next year :3

Here I spend a lot of nice time and I enjoy every part of the game.
However I wish it was developing more and more, because sometimes I think it might die in the future...
That would be a shame! happy :)
 Clwyd Cockers
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10/9/2020 11:16:48 PM reply with quote send message to Clwyd Cockers Object to Post

Ooh...good topic.

I joined 2 days after my 52nd birthday. I was married then and ran a Cocker Rescue. It was a Canadian Registered Charity.
Shut that down 4 yrs ago after 15 years.

What was a major challenge for me was in 2007 when I was in a MVA and sustained a brain injury. I had my source kennel going, Caulfeilds, and was source breeding American Cockers and Welsh Springers. When I became conscious enough I called my friend, who was also playing and told her to look after my dogs. This was very important to me. LOL

She did a pretty good job. Thankfully my Welshies were done ok but she screwed up my source cockers so I dumped all of them.

I am a lifer here and I still love it.
After all these years.

laugh :D

Carol
Clwyd, Rossett and Caulfeilds
 Blue Moon Collies
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10/10/2020 7:33:25 AM reply with quote send message to Blue Moon Collies Object to Post

When I joined in 2004 I was living in New Jersey in the first house I bought with my husband. This was my first kennel and I can still trace some of my dogs right back to my first source dog. I moved to Florida in 2005 and I remember going through severe withdrawals as we made the move and I couldn't get on ShowDog lol. I've stopped playing on and off, took a long break between 2008 and 2015, but have played pretty steadily since then. I miss the very active chatroom we used to have and a lot of the players I became friends with no longer play.
 Panicstation
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10/10/2020 5:04:09 PM reply with quote send message to Panicstation Object to Post

It was 2004 when I joined. I was in my final year of university and found SD while having downtime from my dissertation. Living away back then I had no pets, however ended up with a small munsterlander when I graduated in 2005. Basenji (DGK)and WFT (GreenAcre) were my main breeds, however I have been involved in SWD since they were added in 2007(?)

Fast forward 15yrs and I've played SD on and off (currently here for 2yrs). Still in the profession I studied at uni, but in a senior role, own my own home and currently have 2 small munsterlanders and a Bavarian Mountain Hound. My BMH, now 10.5yrs has had success in the showring and is a champion of Agility Steeplechase. I also own/breed show type mice.
 Meadowly
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10/10/2020 8:29:34 PM reply with quote send message to Meadowly Object to Post

I joined in 2011 I believe- I was 11 years old at the time, and I remember trying to convince everyone in the chat room that I was an adult. No one bought it, of course! I bred Salukis and I only played for about a year. My strategy was kind of off I think, and I couldn't handle losing LOL. I was absolutely obsessed with Salukis/Afghans and dog shows. Everyone at my middle school knew me as the weird dog girl! What you said about playing "dog show" with your mixed breed dog really resonates with me! My little sister and I used to take our rescue pups out in the backyard and pretend we were at Westminster.

I got into Afghan Hounds in real life when I was about 13 I think? I met my mentor at a show and she let me show her dogs for her. I was a freshman in high school, and I used to go to handling class after school on Tuesdays and on Saturday mornings to practice. I instantly knew it was my calling. It was the most fulfilling thing I'd ever experienced! I got the most stunning Afghan puppy for my 15th birthday, a black masked cream bitch I called "Fawn"- she was her breeder's pick of the litter but somehow I was allowed to have her. It felt like all my dreams had come true. It was such a wonderful feeling to be trusted at such a young age by these breeders whom I respected so much. Unfortunately, I ran into some health issues that lead to hospitalization and my little Fawn had to go back to her breeder. I was devastated. I still am, years later!

My involvement with real life dog shows has slowed a lot. I help from time to time as an extra hand to take dogs in the ring or to come over and help with my mentor's dogs every once in a while, but I'm now 20 years old and a full time student with no time to dedicate to raising a new puppy or going to shows every weekend. It's always felt like a little piece is missing, though. It truly broke my heart to have to give up on my dream, which is what drove me to come back to Showdog! My virtual Salukis and Afghans allow me to kind of live out the fantasy until I can have a show dog of my own again. happy :)
 Clwyd Cockers
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10/10/2020 10:37:31 PM reply with quote send message to Clwyd Cockers Object to Post

Meadowly,

You had a good start as a junior handler, it seems.

I hope one day you can get back to your dream.

laugh :D
 gaylanstudio
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10/12/2020 1:35:14 PM reply with quote send message to gaylanstudio Object to Post

Meadowly:

As Clwyd said. Once you get your education done and your (real)career established I'm sure you will at some point get back to the real live shows. As Clwyd I'm sure would agree, showing dogs, especially coated ones like Afghans and Am Cockers can be very time consuming and expensive - expensive regardless of breed!

Good luck with everything.
 residential
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10/13/2020 6:10:57 AM reply with quote send message to residential Object to Post

I joined first in 2003, though I no longer have that account--I had a spat with Jeff at one point and the account was "frozen."

I was in my 4th year of college. I got my first (of two) show dogs that year. He was a Labrador and bred by my mentor. He was my HEART. He passed away in 2014 just after my son was born.

I was in a relationship with a serial cheater, so shortly after I moved back in with my parents. I left and rejoined many times over the years.
 WishMaker
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10/23/2020 9:01:48 AM reply with quote send message to WishMaker Object to Post

When I started playing this game in 2005 we had just sold our house. I only had one Samoyed and a cat at that time as we had just lost one Samoyed. We had bought an RV and were traveling around. One day at a RV campground I was bored and stumbled upon ShowDog. I was hooked ever since. Shortly after I started playing I got interested in Source dogs and breeding my own line. Been doing that ever since. Now we live on acreage with 3 Samoyeds and a cat. I now do a lot of activities with them that I had never done before joining ShowDog. I do Rally Obedience, Lure coursing, scootering, and even Conformation with my youngest dog. I never in my life thought I would ever show a dog in real life. When I got my youngest Samoyed the breeder said he's a really nice dog and would love it if I showed him. It wasn't a requirement but I had a friend show him for awhile. Then I thought, I can do this. So now I'm out there having fun showing. So a lot has changed since I joined back in 2005.

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Did you know?
The third obedience title is a UD, or "Utility Dog", which is earned through competition in the Utility obedience class