16 Saber Tails Summer 2017
Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Club of America
I hope the 2017 PBGVCA Regional/National events were
as much fun for all of you as they were for me. An under-
taking such as this is definitely challenging! When it suc-
cessfully comes together it is both a relief and a pleasure.
It’s not a joke that it takes a village, and there are many
people to thank.
Top of the list is Specialty Show Chair Beverly Childs,
assisted by Pam Helmer. Bev put in years of dedicated
work to attend to the millions of details necessary. For
me, this included taking an ordinary hotel ballroom and
transforming it into a lovely setting for a show as special
as ours. Banners, plants, ringside tables, all helped to cre-
ate an inviting atmosphere. The photo set up, hand built
by Tony Childs, and decorated by Bev, included a fabu-
lous step and repeat backdrop, and a PBGV sized podium.
Speaking directly to Tony...you were a nonstop, hardwork-
ing blessing to us all, especially Bev!
A conformation show depends on competent stewards,
and I had two of the best in Anne Gallant and Sue Smyth.
They kept the rings running smoothly for both the Re-
gional and National Specialties, guiding exhibitors and
judges alike.
The lovely rosettes and fabulous trophies were the hard
work of both Sandy Bustin and Bob Morris. Sandy cre-
ated fun logo-related trophies for the Regional, and I can’t
imagine how many hours Bob spent handcrafting the
very special wooden trophies for the National. I certainly
envy all those lucky enough to win one!
It was truly a pleasure working with each of our Regional
and National judges. A huge thank you to Carol Brown
PBGVCA 2017 REGIONAL/NATIONAL
CONFORMATION REPORT
By Barbara Pepper
and Carol Doerge for their
patience with our 4-6
month future stars. Anja
Mellema and Helen Ing-
her stepped up to the task
of sorting through two
very nice Puppy/Veteran
Sweepstakes entries. Ellen
Frost and Judy Webb were
a delight, kind and patient
with every exhibitor, nov-
ice to professional. Both
ran their rings efficiently,
yet gave thorough atten-
tion to all. This was key for
us, given our scheduling
challenges.
Speaking of the latter, special thanks to all the people who
stepped in when needed, to convert carpeted conforma-
tion rings to fully matted Obedience/Rally rings, then back
to unmatted conformation, and finally making way for the
banquet/auction evening. I certainly wish PBGVCA could af-
ford to find a site that didn’t require using only one ring.
It’s a lot of moving stuff around - gating, mats, tables and
chairs, etc! Couldn’t happen without willing volunteers. I
hope Mike Williquette can be more specific with names of
those who unrolled and re-rolled all the mats. Huge thanks
to Janice Hayes, who help me with the conformation gating.
Thank you for the honor of being part of the outstanding
2017 PBGVCA Regional/National!
Barbara Pepper