Our Irish Terriers in the Show Ring
Elena' first foray into the show ring was with our first Irish terrier,
Mullagboy Mocha on the Money. She took Mocha into the ring at the Del Monte
Kennel Club Show on July 16, 2005. Mocha got some recognition from judge Anne
Katona, taking Winners Bitch and Best Puppy. Of course, Mocha was the only class
dog in the ring. There was only one other Irish terrier entered in the show,
Linda Honey's CH Falcarragh Meg O'Rockledge, campaigned by Mr. Wood
Wornall and handled by Mr. Andrew Peel.
Elena continued to groom and handle Mocha at local events, and often encountered
Wood or Andrew with Meg in the ring. We quickly grew to admire Linda
Honey's beautiful girl and the Wornall crew's excellent grooming and
handling. We watched and learned and tried our best to understand the art of
showing dogs. And apparently Wood saw something special in Mocha. In August 2006
he asked us if we would let him take Mocha to the Montgomery shows in October.
We had no idea what "Montgomery" meant. Wood tried to explain: the
greatest Terrier-only show on earth. The Super Bowl, the Kentucky Derby, the World Cup
of terrier shows. It has been held near Philadelphia since 1929. Four days of shows,
the last held by the Montgomery County Kennel Club on Sunday. He would take
Mocha to southern California to get her ready. We would meet him in Philadelphia
and take Mocha home after the show.
So we made our first trip to the Montgomery shows in October 2006. The whole thing was
a bit overwhelming for this
inexperienced couple. We had never seen so many Irish terriers in one place before.
There were 71 entered that year. We saw dogs from all over the United States and from
Europe. We didn't know anybody and didn't understand most of what we were watching.
But we could see that showing at this level was a whole new game.
Wood handled Mocha for Winners Bitch and an Award of Merit under judge Nancy
O'Neal. Mocha's father, CH Donedaire's Army of One, took best of breed
at Montgomery that year, handled by Mr. Robert Milano.
Mocha
Winners Bitch and Award of Merit
Beautifully Handled by Wood Wornall at the
Montgomery County Kennel Club National Terrier Specialty Show, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania
October 8, 2006
Mrs. Nancy J. O'Neal, Judge
Photo by John Ashbey
Seventeen years, hundreds of shows, thousands of hours of learning, hundreds of thousands
of miles of travel, and four generations of breeding later, we are again at the
Montgomery County Kennel Club show.
This time Elena is in the ring, handling our GCHB Red Branch Arco Iris.
Wood Wornal is judging, and Iris is awarded Select Bitch.
GCHB Red Branch Arco Iris
Select Bitch
Bred, Groomed and Handled by Elena Metz
Montgomery County Kennel Club National Terrier Specialty Show, Macungie, Pennsylvania
October 8, 2023
Mr. Wood Wornall, Judge
Photo by Tom Nutting
Below, please enjoy some photos of our recent show adventures in the United States and Canada.
Click here to see photos of our Irish terriers in Brace Competition.
GCHB Red Branch Arco Iris
Best of Breed
National Owner Handled Series Finals, Orlando, Florida
December 16, 2022
Valerie Richard, Judge
Photo by Rick Meyer
GCHB Red Branch Arco Iris
Group First
Alberni Valley Kennel Club, Port Alberni, British Columbia
October 13, 2023
Dianne Ivey, Judge
Photo by DogShots Photography
GCHB Red Branch Arco Iris
Reserve Best in Show
Best Owner-Handled in Show
Lower Mainland Dog Fanciers of BC, Chilliwack, British Columbia
September 15, 2023
Mr. Mark Houston-McMillan, Judge
Photo by Graeme and Janice Ramsden Photography
Movement
Joe and GCHB Red Branch Serrano
Montgomery County Kennel Club, Macungie, Pennsylvania
October 9, 2022
Photo by Diana Han
Teamwork
Elena and GCHB Red Branch Arco Iris
Hurricane Ridge Kennel Club, Sequim, Washington
August 1, 2022
Photo by Kaitlyn Price
Click here
to see our interview with Showsight Magazine.
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