This tradition was started by my dad when he found himself with access to more cable channels. Yes, the man was born to surf with a remote in his hand. His surfing (and those cable channels) led us to interesting places. He exposed us to travel shows, nature shows, Japanese monster movies, anime, shows about history, shows about science, and of course THE WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB DOG SHOW.
We love dogs. We've had many in our lives - and many breeds. Dad started off with an Irish setter. My mom had a collection of mutts that ended up on their farm (the most infamous being Rambler who was born, of course, in a Dodge Rambler - back seat). As children, we shared our lives with a schnauzer, a doberman/rottweiller mix, a border collie, a sheltie, a cockapoo, a pomapoo, a maltypoo, and an American eskimo dog. We adored them all.
Watching the dog show became a tradition. Once we left the nest, my dedicated dad would avail
himself of his phone services and call us. "The dog show is on!" It was a call to arms. We'd tune in, then discuss our observations later. We all had certain dogs and breeds we rooted for. It was fun to share this bonding activity when we were so far apart. When my parents relocated by us (a grandchild is quite a temptation), the traditions continued. Sometimes we watched together. Sometimes we watched separately. Regardless, that phone call always came like clockwork - "The dog show is on!"
My dad passed away over ten years ago. The call from him doesn't come anymore, but we will still join together. "The dog show is on!" Now we not only enjoy the dogs and the show, we also remember our dad and all those memories we shared. Traditions are pretty cool.
Hey Dad - what do you think?
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