Doodle Breeders convention 2007

I'm in Florida now. Ha Ha Ha ha ha. I'm at a Doodle Breeders convention. There are about twice the number of many breeders here this year as last year. The weather is perfect and I'm having a great time. I'm rooming with Renee of Yesteryear Acres (my Lazy River Rafting Buddy from last year), and Helene of Westwood Labradoodles (Bear's breeder). We are sharing a 3 bedroom apartment at the Reunion Resort. It is so nice. There are no kids, no dogs, no husbands, no work...just sun and peace and quiet. I don't think I'll ever go back home.

Helene and I are rebels already. We were supposed to have some sort of dinner event this evening. The 3 of us (Renee, Helene, and I) went and mingled and talked to everybody. That was a blast! I loved seeing everybody in person. It was fascinating seeing who comes across as snobs in person. Anyway, after 45 minutes no one had so much as taken our drink order yet. I was tired and hungry and ready to be done rubbing elbows with the highbrows, and suggested to those two that we leave and go to McDonalds. Renee wanted to stay and Peggy (of Seaspray Labradoodles) offered to give her ride back to the room when they were done. So Helene and I skipped out, went to McDonalds (our combined total came to $11), the grocery store (we have a full kitchen), and the liquor store), then went back to the apartment and hung out and waited for Renee to come back and report everything we missed. Turns out we missed a yummy $45 each steak dinner, and some not nice comments from snobby holier-than-thou breeders. Did you know there are some breeders who breed only Australian Multigen Labradoodles who think only they could possibly be Premium breeders and those who breed the early gens are low-lives not worthy of sharing their air space? O.k., perhaps that is a slight exaggeration, but some of them are rude about it for real. It shows on some of their websites. On the other side of that, there are some F1 breeders who are totally about the hybrid vigor and think those who breed beyond F1 are doing the world a terrible injustice. There were some F1 breeders here (Renee breeds F1 and beyond), but none of them are snobs. I would absolutely loooove to tell you who the rude ones were tonight, but that wouldn't be professional of me so I won't.