Many of you know that Monte had been out of competition due to a shoulder injury he suffered as he was running alongside the bicycle that my husband was riding. After many months of rest and later therapy Monte has healed from his injury. However, our main concern was how much damage the injury had caused and when can he return to his normal activities that he so enjoyed.
The long wait is now over and after more than a year, Monte has achieved full recovery . He was back in competition late last year to participate in the 2 Specialties which were part of the 5 day events scheduled in Southern California. On 11/4/2011 at the Dalmatian Club of Southern California Specialty, Monte received the award of "Select Dog" under Judge, Mrs. Carolyn Herbel. We were thrilled with how well he showed. Winning his first 5 point Major towards his new AKC Grand Championship was the icing on the cake. After the 2 Specialty shows that same day, we knew he had totally recovered physically and mentally. We went back home to Sundance and began to plan on his next year's entries on limited basis.
His comeback started in January 2012 with shows in Palm Springs, California were he again picked up points toward his Grand Championship by going "Select Dog" and picking up a 3 point and a 4 point Major in a lineup of Top 20 Specials.
The weather in Palm Springs was wonderful and the social atmosphere terrific. We all had fun and shared many wonderful stories during the 4 days that we were there. The dogs had a great time relaxing and enjoying the hours they spend at our friend's house taking advantage of the big yard to let off steam.
February 23, 2012 we headed back to Southern California to deliver Monte's sweetheart, Kamea to LAX for her flight back to Ohio where her owner, Hilary Farris was waiting her arrival. Monte and Kamea had enjoy the time together and had achieved a successful breeding.
On February 24, 2012 Monte was back in the ring at Del Mar, California. He was taking a little bit more time than usual to get refocus on the competition, but on the first day of the Dalmatian Club of San Diego Specialty he and his handler got it all together and were presented with an "Award of Merit" by Breeder/Judge, Sharon Lyons.
At the end of the 3 days of showing, Monte was holding down his competition which consisted of several Top 20 dogs and was able to captured 2 more ribbons, a "Best of Opposite Sex" and another "Award of Merit" at the All-Breed Shows.
The weekend had being very successful and now Monte and his Handler needed to get back to focusing on what lay ahead. We decided to go back to Palm Springs to enjoy the weather and wait for the next challenge.
The 29th of February we headed to Scottsdale, Arizona to participate in the Dalmatian Club of Greater Phoenix Specialty. On March 3rd Monte once again exceeded our expectations by winning "Best In Specialty Show" under Breeder/Judge, Ms. Harriet Haydon. At the end of the show Monte had taken 2 additional "Select Dog" ribbons. The magic seems to happen with Monte and his most devoted owner/handler, Tom Jones, who has also fully recovered from his most recent surgery.
We will cherish all these moments, thank you Monte we could not ask more of you!
