I spent a lot today polishing more old trophies to put back into our kitchen.
I only have room for 16 the CCA top honor plaques (like above) that I've won over the years. The rest of them will continue to stay in boxes. For any Chihuahua breeder/owner/exhibitor, these were/are extremely meaningful awards.

With each new (old) thing that I put back into the newly redone kitchen, the more I now feel the kitchen is mine again. I spent a lot of time today also remembering my Chihuahuas now at the Rainbow Bridge.

Although I no longer breed nor show dogs, it was once a very important part of my life. Obviously, we were successful in what the dogs & I did. I feel that I didn't win these awards. My dogs did. They were more than just "another pretty face." I have a lot of great memories of just how special they really were. We lost our last homebred champion three years ago as an 18-year-old. Each trophy reminds me of individual, very special dogs & the time we spent together. My fondest memories, however, are not of prestigious show wins, but they are instead of the dogs as family members. Our dogs were born here and then lived out their lives as part of our family.

Today, our adopted Chihuahuas carry on the memories of my homebreds before them as part of our family. Although each dog is a distinct & very unique individual, I still can see little traits in our dogs today that bring back memories of the other Chihuahuas who shared their lives with us. My husband and I have been/and are very lucky people. Our Chihuahuas will always be family. That means more than any dog show award.

You will find photos of dogs who have touched our hearts here: https://pbase.com/britestar/chihuahua_photo_galleries