This show was my first ever Ragdoll Congress to attend, and what a weekend! 80 ragdolls from all over the USA showed up to compete. The best of the best were there to see who would win top honors.
I was very proud to take Sweet Pickles (Indiana Jones x Lizzy My Lovely) to the event. My first plan was to take Cecilia, her sister, but Cecilia ended up being pregnant. Before deciding to attend the Congress, I allowed her to share a room with Matisse. I didn't think that anything happened, but I was wrong. :o) So, armed with Pickles, we were off to see what Denver had in store for us. Now the reason I wanted to take Cecilia is because she loves showing. She doesn't mind the loud noises, judges handling her and even plays while in the spot light. Pickles has a different idea about shows. She prefers to stay at home and never enjoys being in the spotlight. If she hadn't been so conformationally correct I would never of considered her as a cat to take. Pickles won her CFA Championship earlier this year even beating out her sister Cecilia, so I knew she was something special...even if she had an attitude about showing. (Now don't get me wrong, Pickles is a very loving, playful girl...but being around strangers isn't her cup of tea.)
Despite her lack of interaction with the judges, most saw through her shyness and placed her first in her division. In Championship, Pickles won a Top 5 placing, twice! It was really an honor just to be there and rub elbows with some of the most well known Ragdoll breeders out there. It was very HUGE honor to actually be acknowledged as a champion among these cats. Some were seasoned campaigners and of course it showed. They were all about presence and charm, and while Pickles didn't have the charm to show off that weekend, she still had the correct look. I raised Pickles, and her sister Cecilia, and Tolouse. When the litter arrived I knew I had something special, something I had never managed to produce in my cattery before. I decided to keep all 3 kittens from Lizzy's litter to see what they would mature to look like. It didn't take long for me to realize I made the right decision. All 3 were correct in every way, and each had that extra something special that makes one stand out. To be at the Congress, and to be acknowleged as one of the Champions, along side the top breeders from all over the USA was incredible. Photos of Pickles at the Congress are below.
Judge Kim Everett-Hirsch is all smiles while she is examining Pickles.
I'm not sure when we will attend another show this year. Getting our schedule together and gearing up for Christmas will take 90% of our time, so it may be awhile. Check out our kittens available page while you are here. We have some cute babies on there and will be adding photos of other kittens very soon.
Thank you!
