the dark side, the brown side

Regular readers are probably thinking this is going to be one of those TMI posts. Fear not. This is not a post about that kind of brown. No, we're talking brown dogs here. Sussex spaniels, for a change.

I spent the afternoon handling Sussex at a judges' clinic, where judges go to learn about breeds they are not yet approved to judge from breed experts. I'm just a volunteer but a little face time with judges never hurts.

The dog I was given, Hughie, was adorable. He's a two year old and still a baby by Sussex standards, since the boys don't really come into their own until 4 or sometimes even 5. He's on the small side, though within the standard for the breed. He even has a good bite, which is somewhat rare for Sussex. Best of all, he has my favorite Sussex attitude.

I have mentioned JT before. She has two brown dogs. Widgeon, who cannot stand to be outside of her oxygen and PG, who loves everyone, even me, and especially loves children. Hughie reminds me of PG and has the pedigree to confirm it. In short, I want this boy badly. He's perfect for us. I want to show a little bit, maybe once or twice every two months, as I ease my way back into showing. He's not ready for a serious campaign, but showing here and there would not be bad for him. I could also play with him in the hunt and tracking fields if he likes that sort of thing.

The stumbling block is CD. He likes Clumbers a lot. So do I. A Sussex would be fun but will never supplant the Clumbers in our house. CD hasn't spent time with Sussex so I think it's just that he doesn't know what they are like. They are smaller, goofier Clumbers. The other problem is that anything that is my idea tends to be discounted. I don't have a good strategy for solving this problem but I have a few weeks to work on it. Wish me luck.