The agility packed weekend started with class on Thursday evening where we worked on knowing when to go and get your dog, when to send, and where to be when they come blasting out of a tunnel. Good times. Many good dog walk contacts and weaves. Friday morning started with the luxury of sleeping in until 8am, probably the latest I have slept in weeks, and most likely the latest I will sleep for a while to come. After doing some chores and packing our bags, Xander and I hit the road about 9:30am. Our trip was fairly uneventful until we passed Daytona on I-95 and hit what I like to call “The Plague of Love Bugs.” Apparently some people also call them June Bugs, but whatever you call them, I have hated them since childhood. We would be playing in the yard, minding our own business when BAM, love bugs in your face, and your hair, and if not careful, your mouth as well. They are too stupid to even try and preserve their own lives, too caught up in copulation to care if you swat them to the ground and stomp on them. I gained an even greater disgust for these little pests after driving through a dark cloud that left a massacre of splattered bodies on my windshield and grill that was so thick I couldn’t see to drive. I found myself still an hour and a half from Vero Beach at a gas station with an assortment of fellow victims. We all tried futilely to use the station’s complimentary windshield cleaner to scrub enough of the carcasses from our field of vision to accommodate safe driving. I was appalled by the sheer volume of dead insects that had affixed themselves to every square inch of my Honda Element. Given that my vehicle is essentially a box on wheels, there was no way that the bugs could avoid the wall traveling at 80 mph. After a pitiful attempt to clear them away and a fresh tank of gold, I mean gas, we hit the road again. I tried to get behind vehicles larger than my own, trucks and the like, to help shield me from the impact of more idiotically suicidal swarms, but was only partially successful. When we finally arrived at the site of the show, I was trying to see through a thick grime of bug innards.
The pitiful state of my poor vehicle was quickly forgotten as I turned to setting up camp. The trial site is under cover at the Vero Beach Fairgrounds, but one has to be selective in the choice of crating location. In the morning, the sun comes in strongly on one side of the arena, and in the afternoon, it creeps into the other side. Down south, a little direct sunlight can make a huge difference in the muggy heat (although strangely we were freezing on Sunday morning. Only in Florida). Thanks to my friend and student Pam, we selected a spot that was far enough into the arena that we would be protected from both the morning and afternoon sunlight. It would also shield us from the rain that came in on Sunday morning.
Those of us who have spent many weekends camped out at an agility trial know how important it is to have the correct gear. One needs a mat to protect your belongings from the clay and dirt of the ground, although by Sunday afternoon everything will be covered in a layer of orange grit that will remain in your car and belongings for the next several months in spite of all your efforts to clean it. One also needs a comfortable chair, although most of the hours will be spent walking dogs, walking courses, walking to the bathroom, and pacing nervously waiting for walkthroughs, scores, and a turn to run the course. One will also need a camera to film the mistakes you will make so you can obsess over them later, some snacks and drinks that will help you make it through the many hours of the day, prior to your healthy and nutritious dinner of Wendy’s or McDonald’s that will be eaten on your hotel bed. Your dog’s comfort is paramount however, so they require an expensive crate, a cooling crate mat, an expensive battery operated fan, a special fleece lined harness and monogrammed tug leash, an assortment of motivational toys, special treats, and a personal cooler of ice chilled water. They will then proceed to beg to be let out of the crate, chew on the stick they find in the bushes nearby, drink the dirty water in the community kiddie pool, and eat some unknown, probably dead-lizard substance from the ground.
Anyway, after setting up, we had a fun time learning the rules of Time 2 Beat, AKC’s new game that is strikingly similar to USDAA’s Steeplechase, one of my favorite classes. We won the demo with the fastest time, and earned an extra toy. We also participated in the B-Match, which allowed use of a toy in the ring. We got beautiful dog walk, A-frame, and teeter contacts, all with a lovely stop and verbal release. We got one more dog walk stop on Saturday, but that was it. Oh well.
Friday afternoon, we traveled to the nearby area of Fort Pierce where our La Quinta was located. The only reason I choose this hotel over my customary Motel 6 was that I stayed free using my La Quinta Returns points. Otherwise the room would have been out of my price range. It was probably the nicest hotel I’ve stayed in excluding two resort experiences. We had a huge king size bed, flat screen tv, computer desk, fridge and microwave, massive bathroom, and view of the pool. Unfortunately, I made the lazy decision to leave Xander’s crate set up at the trial and experimented with letting him sleep on the bed. He barked at every door closing and person speaking. I had to leave the tv on to help drown out the noise. Neither one of us slept that night.
Saturday morning came early as we piled back in the car and made the 40 minute drive back to the show site. Our first experience in Open Fast was a great one, with a perfect score of 80pts and a 1st place Q. Standard would have been a Q except I did some crack brained maneuver from the tunnel under the dog walk to dog walk, and we ended up doing a couple extra tunnels. Learning experience. The rest of the run was beautiful, although we only got a true stop on our dog walk. By the afternoon, I had forgotten all my brilliant speech from the previous blog and was tired and out of sorts. Although I was enjoying hanging out with friends, I was missing Buster who had to stay home on this venture, and did not approach our run with the correct mindset. I broke the cardinal rule of appreciating the experience, and our jumpers run was a bit of a train wreck. ENTIRELY my fault for not having a connection with Xander from the start. Since the big dogs ran first, we were done by about 2pm, and decide to head back for some R&R.
After cleaning up and letting Xander take a nap on the bed, we headed back out to explore. We found that Fort Pierce is rather run down overall, but there was a nice little riverwalk area with a cool sculpture that Xander took a picture in front of. The wind was whipping as we watched many large boats cruise by and the palm trees sway in the breeze. A large storm was just south of us another up north. After returning to the hotel with dinner, we spent the evening listening to the rain and rewatching “How to Train Your Dragon” on HBO. I love that movie. Safe and secure in his crate that I made sure to bring, Xander slept quietly through the night.
After checking out and nabbing more free breakfast, another perk of the La Quinta, we headed back for our final day of fun. I got cocky in Open Fast, and although we easily nailed the send, we got hung up trying to weave. The poles were set up straight into the fence, with only about 5 feet from the end of the poles to the ring fencing. After watching the video, I knew that it was my body language not supporting the weaves, and to my poor dog who had never seen this setup before, it was too much. We ended the run with too few points after missing this 10pt obstacle and being over time from our several attempts.
Excellent Standard and JWW were two of the trickiest courses I had seen in a while in AKC, so I didn’t have much hope given the rest of our weekend. The weaves were again set up to make it difficult for dogs to get through them. In JWW, they were in the exact same spot as in Fast. I watched many very experienced dogs pull out on the 10th pole. Having had a better night’s rest, I went to the line in Standard and finally remembered to SMILE. With a broad, genuine smile, and having told Xander I loved him on the line, we set off and had a great run. We were wide between the jump and table due to a very tempting off course tunnel and some confusion, so we lost a second or two there. In spite of this, we finished within a fraction of a second from our idols Gabrielle and Zing. This was our second Exc A Q with 1st place in Standard. One more to go! Jumpers was at the end of a long day, but we had gone for a walk and played Frisbee, and I was still high from our great run in Standard. I approached the course with the only objective being successfully weaving into the fence. And he did it perfectly!! Then we went off course two jumps later. Haha. So close, but again, a great learning experience. We now need one leg each of Standard and JWW in Exc A before we can move into Exc B!
Although the big dogs ran last on Sunday, we still left by about 2:30, and thanks to my lead foot tendencies, made it home by about 5:30. Buster helped me wash most of the massacre from the front of my car using our crappy apartment car wash, a bottle of baby shampoo, and some Bounce dryer sheets. Trust me, as strange as it sounds, those dryer sheets do help. Thanks Laurie! It still needs work, but at least I can now see to drive. We ate burgers from the grill and tater tots before watching the finale of Survivor. Yay for the winner, Boston Rob! Finally after trying ten years, he walks away with the title. I suppose there is a lesson in that as well. Patience and persistence pays off. Our next trial is in Palmetto on Memorial Day weekend. I can’t wait.
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