Maxie's AKC Ribbons

Maxie with his OS Titling ribbons, earned in Monroe,
June 2010

Figuring out how to display ribbons we've won is a challenge.  This morning I finally figured out what to do with the Monroe trial ribbons, and here is the result.  I could not get any of my Sony cameras to work, so I used my trusty iPhone, which always seems to work even without any features such as zoom or flash.  It's great for closeups and web shots, at least.

For those who don't know, the green ribbons signify a "qualifying score" that can count towards a title.  The blue ribbons signify 1st Places, and the blue and yellow ribbon in this photo is the actual titling ribbon. 

I blogged yesterday about how we won these ribbons and acquired the caps and other parapranalia shown. Scroll down one post for that.

Maxie and his Novice Titling ribbons, earned

in April and May, 2010

Way earlier I blogged about how we won our Novice ribbons in Baton Rouge and Hattiesburg.  I've never won anything before, so you better best believe I displayed them proudly. I did this by stretching out a wire coathanger, taping the ribbons in order on that, then suspended the coat hanger across the back of a chair, against a backdrop of a hedge outside my front door (photo left). After that, I displayed them on my mantle for several weeks.  Actually, they are still there today.  Guess they'll have to come down to make way for the Christmas garland, but what's the rush?

I'll never forget being chastized by someone for displaying all these ribbons on my mantle at the club picnic, to which I replied that I had added up all the costs of my agility and obedience lessons over 2 years, equipment, weekend seminars, trial entry and hotel fees (not to mention gas) and calculated I'd spent at least $2000 to earn those flimsy little bits of cloth and I was going to darn well display them proudly! 14 ribbons--that's about $150 each. WOW! The costs sneak up on you. Yet several seasoned competitors have told me they've earned so many ribbons they don't even bother to collect them, throw boxes of them away, etc. I can't imagine!!!!!!!!!! I will ALWAYS cherish these first ribbons and these portraits of Max posing in front of them.

FYI, AKC ribbons are printed with the name of the club holding the trial, and different clubs are allowed to provide different designs and sizes depending on their tastes and budgets. But the colors are regulated by AKC. From what I've acquired so far, here's a sample of how the different clubs print their ribbons up: