I'm happy to hear you had fun and 3rd place is pretty darn good. I don't want to scare you with my comment as there are soooo many really nice people who attend the USRC and AIRK shows but like anything else there are those who just can't stand to lose. It's big business to some and they have a lot of time and usually way too much money invested to go and finish 3rd or 4th place. When they don't even place it can get pretty ugly especially here in the NorthEast
. I guess they figure that if they get a first place somewhere along the line it is just going to be that way always. Some of them can get pretty viscious with their comments and accusations. Just remember this .... the dogs pretty much speak for themselves out there. Like you said, the people at these shows are not ignorant, they know a good dog when they see one.
Congrats again on your finish !
