When I was born, my mother put me in a dog basket borrowed from a neighbor, which my grandmother had lovingly cleaned and lined with silk.  I like to think that my love of dogs originated in some lingering odor of dog that surrounded my infancy.  My uncle was a veterinarian, and dogs (as well as cats, snakes, hamsters, and other assorted creatures) were always a part of my life.  But it was not until 1987 that I was able to do what I had always wanted and get a dog to train for Obedience competition.

What breed did I choose, you ask?  When people at a show use to ask me why I got a Pomeranian and  I replied, "to do Obedience with," they would become very quiet and change the subject.  But it is my opinion that Poms are one of the best-kept secrets in the dog world.  Not only are they smart and trainable, they are also willing to just hang around doing nothing until it is time to train again.  I have enjoyed both training and living with them.

Assorted dog activities have occupied me over the years: Obedience (including judging UKC Obedience), teaching Obedience classes and private lessons, Pet Therapy, Clowning, Rescue, Agility and now Rally. I saw rally for the first time when it was demonstrated at the Reliant Dog Shows in Houston and was not impressed.  I soon discovered my mistake, however, and have been enjoying Rally for several years, showing in and judging it while it was a non-regular class, and now judging it at real trials.  I love being able to talk to my dogs in the ring; Tiffany looks at me as if I've lost my mind but she loves it.