Speaking of specialties down south, one thing on my **wish list** would be for the Piedmont LRC and Greater Atlanta LRC to make their dates a bit closer together. As it stands now, they are spread a bit too far apart to make staying down there and doing both specialties feasible. That and the 11- 14 hr drive to get down there, means that I have to usually choose just one of them. If there were just a wee bit closer together, it would be fun to do one, then kick around and enjoy the nice warm weather for a few days, hit the other specialty, and then head back up to the frozen north.

Whatta think guys???? ;-) ;-)

-Jill

Sounds like a plan to me ! Now who do we talk to that makes that decision ? It's a real long drive, but if one could do them both it would be great fun !

Jill setting dates for a specialty is really not as easy as it sounds. Not only do you have to take into consideration other Labrador specialties but also conflicts with All Breed. In addition who have to find a suitable show site that will be available on the particular week-end. When the dates for the GALRC show was originally set, we would have preferred a little more distance between Piedmont and ours but taking all the other things into consideration plus being at a time when our dogs were in coat (our window is much shorter in the South, avoiding the January weather problems and satisfying the AKC conflict rules, the present W/E that the show is held was only choice we ended up with.
I can assure you the dates were looked at and discussed at length. We felt, even if we could get passed the AKC obstacles, being closer to the Piedmont Specialty would create a conflict with those of us that could not miss work or travel two W/E in a row. The other issue was a discussion with the Piedmont Club in order not to create any ill will bumping them so close as to hurt entries in either show. We wanted a W/E toward the end of February into the second week of April but due to the conflict problem, that W/E was it.

With the distance involved it is a choice of one or the other. Few of us can stay over during a week so even if they were closer together in dates it would still be a choice.
Both show sites are lovely and have good parking so the decision comes down to the judges chosen to be on the panel.

I agree. If they were one weekend apart I would never be able to do both like I do now. Some of us cannot stay the entire week. It's hard enough to be able to do the long weekends.

We (GALRC) will be changing locations for 2008, really a better location. It should keep us out of the mud when it does rain.

Oh no! I love the horse show site.

Gregg, can you tell us where it's moving?

Jim Miller Park right outside of Marietta in Smyrna. Honestly it's a much nicer site. It is the same location as our Supported Entry is held at.

Gregg -
The supported entry I have been to in Atlanta (Oct.) was held outside. Will the Specialty be inside?

At Jim Miller Park there is a covered arena that will be used for the Specialty.

Wonderful! You still get the feel of being outside without the mud . Any ideas yet on the host hotel? Not sure you could top the accomodations we had this year at the Hyatt Place, but understand that was only due to circumstances with the contract already in place before they made the changes. None of us wanted to go home!