Club Barbet Canada Versatility Award

Club Barbet Canada held their Annual General Meeting on Saturday August 24th.  I'm pleased to share that our special girl Summer received the François Ménard Versatility Award and trophy in recognition of her performance titles and championship.  

URO1 UKC/CKC CH Nuphar's Soak Up The Sun RN PCD CGN

I really can't thank Summer's breeders, Anne Plomp and Miska Aksular enough for this terrific Barbet who means the world to us.  

My thanks to CBC for recognizing the talents of our versatile breed in offering this award.  The late François Ménard earned several titles on his dog Bosch (Neigenuveaux's Gambit) as they participated in CKC, AKC and UKC events positively promoting the breed wherever they went. It is in recognition of their participation in multiple venues that this perpetual trophy, donated to the club by longtime breeder Michel Raymond of Barbugaulois, bears his name. It was a wonderful weekend and a great opportunity to see so many nice Barbet and to visit with their owners.   

Barbet Josie in the Club Barbet Canada booth

Josie and the CBC booth. Josie is Northrock's Black Seal from the Chmurnik x Sophie litter. 

I am back home again after spending the weekend in London, Ontario attending the 2014 Purina National™ dog show which was hosted by the Elgin County Kennel Club.  Club Barbet Canada (The National Club for the Barbet) had a breed booth in the Breeders’ Village all weekend long and that’s where I was stationed.  The Purina National is a large, prestigious dog show that attracts many exhibitors and offers over $40,000.00 in prize money.  This show took place in conjunction with the 2nd Annual London Pet Show and attracted a lot of visitors.  

Josie with Brian and JoAnne who stopped by to visit the booth on Saturday and help meet with the public and hand out brochures.

I like to keep my dogs at home when one of them is pregnant or if there are puppies on the ground.  With Sophie’s puppies due at the beginning of November, Brian and JoAnne were kind enough to let me borrow their Barbet Josie for the weekend.  I had a great time hanging out with “Josie the Wonder-Dog” as her family affectionately calls her.  Josie is such a sweet Barbet and she did a great job all weekend long meeting and greeting with the public.  She was a wonderful ambassador for the breed.  

Derek Duguay who travelled all the way from Quebec with his family and his two Barbets, Pearl and Winston as well as Myself and Josie.

Throughout the entire weekend a large number of visitors who had never heard of the Barbet before stopped by to say hello and to get to know the breed. Myself along with the other club members who volunteered in the booth handed out close to 150 brochures during the weekend long event.  It was a great weekend of breed promotion and education and I look forward to doing it again in the future.

The Barbet at PawsWay Toronto

This past weekend myself and a bunch of Club Barbet Canada members and their dogs spent the day at the PawsWay which is located on Toronto's waterfront.  It was a gorgeous day with blue skies and sunshine.  The PawsWay held the event in order to show the public a variety of puppies, what they will look like as an adult, and to give educational information that will help them to make an informed, responsible decision about which breed would be a good match for their needs.  It was an excellent opportunity to promote the Barbet, and demonstrate the predictability and advantages of purebred dogs. All of the dogs were very well behaved and wonderful ambassadors of the breed. We all had a great time chatting with the public.  It was obvious to everyone how much we love the Barbet!  

 

Club Members Brian, JoAnne, Anna, Stephanie and Gene with Barbets Josie, Cooper and Bentley

Barbet puppies Josie and Cooper

Club Member Daniela with Napoleon

Zoey (owned by club member Stephanie and her hubby Russell) and Bentley

What made the day extra special for me was that it was also a reunion of sorts for Northrock families who have puppies from the Dougy x Coco litter (Zoey, Napoleon & Bentley) as well as the from the Chmurnik x Sophie litter (Josie & Cooper).  I feel so blessed that these puppies are in such loving and wonderful homes.  I am also very appreciative that their owners were excited to come down and volunteer their time to support the Club and the PawsWay and help to promote the breed.



Meeting and Greeting with Mona the Barbet

"Mona" relaxing at the PawsWay

Yesterday Mona and I represented  Club Barbet Canada at the Purina PawsWay’s “Celebration of French Breeds” event in downtown Toronto’s Harbourfront.   The PawsWay is a wonderful pet friendly venue.  The public is welcome to stroll through the Purina Animal Hall of Fame and read the amazing stories and see photos of the pets and service animals that have been recognized as heros.  There is a reference area with books and materials on dog and cat care and crafts for children to do.  You’ll find a store selling pet products and what I really like, an indoor pet friendly café where you can get something to eat and drink and sit at a table with your dog right beside you.  The indoor Pet Park at Toronto’s PawsWay is where they hold a variety of events and classes to educate and enlighten the public about responsible pet ownership. 

Club Barbet Canada was pleased to have been invited to participate in the Celebration of French Breeds and Mona was in her element meeting and greeting the public for hours on end.  She is such a happy and friendly girl and she loves attention.  Of all the people who walked through the doors no one had heard of a Barbet except for one lady and another woman who came through with her 11 week old Barbet puppy Merlow from RoVer Barbets!  That was a special treat for us as this adorable puppy is a nephew to Mona on her sire’s side. 

Since it was a beautiful day and we got there a little bit early we made sure we took a bit of time to walk around and enjoy the waterfront. If you are in ever in Toronto and looking for something to do with your dog, check out the Harbourfront area. It's lovely and very pet friendly.

19th Annual All About Pets Show

Over the Easter weekend there is a large event that takes place at the International Center in Toronto, Ontario. The All About Pets Show  has been running for 19 years.  It is considered to be Canada’s largest premier pet showcase.  It has many vendors of pet products who participate yearly, breeders and breed clubs, kennel clubs and recue organizations are also present.  There are birds, cats, reptiles and other pets available on display for the public to meet and greet.  So many people pass through their doors that their website claims that “over the last 18 years, the attendance has averaged 27,500 visitors.”  Wow!

Club Barbet Canada was there to promote the breed and to allow the public an opportunity to meet our dogs and learn more about the Barbet.  Most people had never heard of the breed before.  I was there with one of my dogs each day of the show along with fellow Club members!  We all had a wonderful time.  Our dogs did a great job representing the breed and we were all very pleased with how many people enjoyed petting the dogs and chatting with us about what the Barbet is all about.  You can read more about our National Club’s participation in the event here .

Here is a photo of Coco and I from the weekend!

The Purina National

Janet Black Evans (Treebeard Barbets), Myself and Coco

We are back into our regular routine after a long weekend spent exhibiting at the Canadian Kennel Club’s Purina National.  This is Canada’s largest dog show and draws a large entry with exhibitors competing for Best in Show and a prize of $10,000.00!  This CKC charity event is always well attended and our National breed club, Club Barbet Canada sponsored a booster on the Saturday and had a booth in the Breeder’s Village.  It’s a great opportunity for the public to meet and greet the dogs and for our Club to share information about the Barbet.  

The day of our booster, Saturday saw the largest entry to date of Barbets for a dog show in Ontario at 15 Barbets!   Coco took Winner’s Female and it was a thrill to be able to strut our stuff in the ring with all the specials!  It was such an incredible feeling to see so many of our beloved breed gathered together.  You can read more about the weekend on our Club website at www.barbetclub.ca  

Coco did well on Sunday and was awarded Best of Winners under Japanese judge Mrs. Sumiko Ikeda for a 3 point major so that was very nice!

Michel Raymond (Barbu Gaulois) and Chocovan - photo VINCE TALOTTA/TORONTO STAR

Another highlight of the weekend was that Michel Raymond and his Barbet Chocovan were featured in the Toronto Star Toronto Star on Sunday March 11^th which also gave our breed some good publicity.  All in all it was an awsome weekend and we are all looking forward to our next big gathering in August for the National Specialty.

2012 Club Barbet Canada Calendar - Available Now!

Hey Everyone!  The 2012 Club Barbet Canada Calendar is available now.  It's filled with wonderful photos of our beloved Barbets that were sent in by club members.  The calendar is bilingual and you can order yours by going to the club website  http://www.barbetclub.ca/en