09/06/2026
Wow, what a day for National Specialties yesterday!
The Evergreen Colorado Kennel Club was the backdrop for 5 different Nationals yesterday and Rhea and I were lucky enough to cover 4 of them: Dogue de Bordeaux, German Pinscher, Berger Picard and Irish Red & White Setters.
One of the great things that a National Specialty brings is the depth and quality in dogs for any given Breed that you normally wouldn’t see at an All Breed Show. And with so many historically low entry Breeds having their National this year in Greeley, as a fan of the Sport and as a spectator, it’s been a real treat to see many of these Breeds shine bright at their National.
Over the years, as you can imagine, I’ve seen my fair share of dogs running around in a left handed circle. And because of that, I’ve developed ‘an eye’ for what Judges see and might not see at times. When the Veteran Dogs walked into Sweepstakes for the Irish Red & White Setter one particular dog grabbed my eye. It was a heavier marker 8 year old male and what appeared to be his proud owner handler, who some might also refer to as a veteran in her own right. The two of them glided through the grass with such ease, the top line not once moving and the foot timing at full extension. Sure enough, he won Best Veteran In Sweeps and I thought, hopefully Judge Faulkner would use him in the Breed Ring.
Methodically, Michael Faulkner went through each class and dwindled the entry down to a handful. And there were two dogs in the Final Cut that I thought deserved it equally. Come to find out from the owners, they came from the same pedigree. At the end of the day, the 8 year old Veteran named Hamilton came out on top with the purple and gold ribbon to match. The Veteran Dog wasn’t the only bright spot as the depth in quality was quite deep that the other dog I thought would be in it, missed out on a ribbon.
It’s incredible to see how far the four breeds that we photographed at their National has come. When I first started 15 years ago all 4 Breeds were a bit skittish in temperament with questionable conformation. And now, there’s an abundance of quality that good dogs walk out of the ring as there might’ve been a better dog on that day.
We finish off National Weekend with Bedlington Terriers, another Breed I’ve had the great fortune of photographing multiple times at their National. Hoping to get to more of the requests as well today and tomorrow.
Continued best of luck to ALL! And keep hydrated!
Day 3 - Evergreen Colorado Kennel Club
Congrats to ALL the Winners!
//please tag and share the link//
TODAY’S ALBUM:
https://norcalbulldogger.shootproof.com/gallery/aa38080b-5f96-47f3-a639-4d07dcc91d61/
ALL PHOTOS CAN BE FOUND HERE: www.norcalbulldogger.com
Signup link to make your request for photos can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCevhdSjTDDDcqk3e2xpxVVf3VaqxLYySP6fsN5IkPNw2LAA/viewform?usp=header
BREEDS PHOTOGRAPHED (Evergreen)
Saturday:
Camera 1:
Bernese Mountain Dog
Saluki
Borzoi
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Golden Retriever
Pomeranian
Weimaraner
Spinoni Italiano
Camera 2:
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
•BERGER PICARD CLUB OF AMERICA NATIONAL SPECIALTY
•DOGUE DE BORDEAUX SOCIETY OF AMERICA NATIONAL SPECIALTY
•GERMAN PINSCHER CLUB OF AMERICA NATIONAL SPECIALTY
•IRISH RED & WHITE SETTER ASSOC OF AMERICA NATIONAL SPECIALTY
•REGULAR GROUP & BIS
