First of all, this is a Blue Card. It is a precious thing. You see those numbers with 17on the side that are all equal or less than 17.4″? Those numbers mean that Banksy is an 18″ dog. At least until she’s 3, in which case, one more measure. Or if I want to go to akc. In which case, 2 more times. Poor Banksy.

When it’s time to measure, she flops over onto the ground, upside down, and looks like she wants to die. I have to reach down and pick her up and plop her onto the table and hang on to her shaking and my friend Karla shovels very excellent things like gizzards down her gullet while the judge waits for her to stand still. She really thinks she’s going to die.

Why this is a big deal, terrifying Banksy with this measuring, is that if she can stay at this size forever, low a-frame for Banksy. I actually kind of like her jumping better at 22″. But lower jumps and lower a-frame seem like the makings of a nice long time of jumping and climbing for Banksy.

It was hard to measure her. She needs a judge with the patience of a saint. Thanks, all patient judges. We did it, she didn’t die, and she’s short. I can never, ever lose that Blue Card.

Another trip out to Turlock, just for a day. Some Q’s, Banksy’s first Steeplechase Q. Her Grand Prix run was beautiful, except that run included her first missed dogwalk contact. Probably not her last. Her running dogwalk is a little messed up. She hit all the rest of them the rest of the day, that was a happy thing. I mucked up a couple things handling-wise, but did some good things, too. Banksy loves dog shows. Now I want to go to more! She is still in Starters, the run I mucked up? Starters Standard.

I would like to muck up less. True fact. How do I do that?

Gustavo just ran Steeplechase. And he ran it good, we were at Turlock and this is a hard place for him. Poor Gooey. That’s all I entered him in. He tried hard, and he ran fast. Thanks, Gooey!

Ruby and Otterpop came, of course. Ruby has decided she will go EVERYWHERE with us, so everywhere she comes. Even though she wants to nap in the car the entire day. It was a dark o’clock day, and Ruby is still right there at the door, first in the car. And as if I’d ever go anywhere without Otterpop. The team stands together.

This is Maira Kalman. Maybe that’s not a big deal to you, it was a big deal to me. This photo doesn’t match anything, it’s a total fan photo. That’s how big a deal it was to me, that I save a plain old fan photo here. But how cool was it to talk to Maira Kalman and listen to her talk? She’s just a regular New York lady, now whenever I think about her, I’ll know this. Usually when you meet an idol, that’s how it turns out to be.

I tried to bring Otterpop, but she wouldn’t sit in a purse. Otterpop might have to practice that and channel some inner chihuahua. You can’t just shove a dog in a backpack when you’re wearing nicer shoes. Even if they’re clogs. It was disturbing that most of the crowd at the lecture looked like that big head in the photo. Very old and gray. Weird.