Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth

People have opinions. Lots of them. Some are well intention-ed; some begin well intention-ed and get carried away. Others are purely selfish or misguided. Either way, when you get a large enough group of people together, there will most certainly be head butting over these opinions.

Xander and I earned his ADCH in December. After that, I felt the need for a well deserved break after many months of a fairly heavy competition schedule. Competing had become increasingly stressful and tedious, and I'd drifted from the actual love of the game which had brought me there in the first place. I was also afraid that Xander had stubbed his toe doing the A-frame on his last run of the weekend, and I scratched him from his remaining two runs so as not to risk further injury. This was easy to do, given that we had already earned the title I so "doggedly" had sought. In the back of my mind, I wondered if I would have been so willing and able to make that sound decision if our title was still on the line. That has troubled me ever since. When Kaylee hurt her back in the summer after she earned her MACH, I was desperate to get her "fixed" so she could compete in Nationals later in the fall. We traveled back and forth to Gainesville for acupuncture and I learned massage therapy and how to use ice/heat, etc. She came back to compete, but shortly after that my domestic situation changed and we ended up taking two years off from agility. In the years following, I was never as driven to compete with her. I knew she had the potential for re-injury, but the rules had changed to allow her to jump 8 inches as opposed to the 12 inches she'd had to jump for her first 30 DQ's. After she earned her MACH 2, I basically retired her. She was so consistent that we could have earned MANY MACH titles, but what was the point? Why would I risk injuring her for something so trivial as a title? What did it really mean anyway? Would the titles still make me happy if she was limping around in pain at 11 yrs old? Certainly not. She is currently that age and is happy, spry, and quite fast for the granny of the house. She certainly still gives the youngsters a run for their money.

As far as Xander goes, he is only 4 and will turn 5 at the end of August. Technically still in the prime of his life. He has been kept in good condition; exercised, conditioned, strengthened, stretched, etc. Why do I feel as though I don't want to do agility anymore?

I think it started with a trial we tried to attend in February in Savannah, GA. I should have known better than to enter an outdoor trial in February, but it was only for Saturday, and close enough that I could drive back and forth in the same day. First of all, it was BRUTALLY cold and windy. The jump uprights were blowing over in the wind, and a huge storm appeared to be heading our way. I grumbled as I tried to suffer the cold without hiding in my car. The dogs love the cold, so I knew they wouldn't mind. We had a nice FAST run, but an uncharacteristic mistake in the send. No big deal, as the run had other nice elements. Our jumpers run hours later was a bit of a train wreck because I was too cold and miserable to concentrate. I was actually relieved though, because there was no DQ on the line, and I could go home without kicking myself for missing out on standard. This seemed silly; to drive all that way (2+ hrs), pay the entry fees (about $60) and be RELIEVED that I got to leave early. Why was I doing this? I thought maybe I was just burnt out. Then I watched a gentleman (and I use that term loosely) LITERALLY cuss his tiny Boston terrier out for making a mistake on the jumper course. My friend Anna Marie and I stood in disbelief as he repeatedly dropped the f-bomb on the poor little dog and then after putting it in the car, slamming his door, pounding his fist on the car, and basically succumbing to a temper tantrum. And this was a LARGE GROWN MAN. We actually yelled at him to chill out. I was disgusted and so sad for that poor little dog. None of them CHOOSE to do agility. They don't care about freaking titles and stupid ribbons. They just want to play with us and they do a DAMN FINE job of deciphering our sometimes confusing attempts at communication. Even a dog that can sit and down on command is amazing, because we humans are too dense to know (or too arrogant to care) what other species are trying to communicate to us.

I left the trial that day and got a report later that it had poured down icy-cold rain, and people continued to run their dogs in it. No thanks. I was halfway home when all that nonsense started and feeling quite pleased with myself for that decision.

Lately, there was an incident in the agility community where dogs were asked to run on a slippery surface. A public outcry of rage followed and accusations of abuse were thrown around. Just yesterday, well known and generally highly respected competitor Susan Garrett posted a video of her young dog wiping out in the rain. Again, people responded with outrage that the dog would be asked to run in such a condition. I have seen many people ask dogs to run that appeared lame, or ran in slippery conditions, or on less than optimal equipment. Agility is like a fever, and when you want that high, some will risk their dog and throw common sense out the window. I am not saying that's what has happened to every person in these scenarios, but it is certainly a common factor in many cases I've seen where the title or the ribbon becomes more important than the dog or the relationship. I am not immune to this impulse, and that is why I have stepped away from the sport for several months reevaluate how I feel about it. If agility is a drug, you cannot "dabble" in it and remain clear headed. You must go cold turkey.

Sadly, when I joined the sport over 15yrs ago, it was a tiny group of people doing something new and unique that few had ever heard about. To get a dog to weave was an incredible achievement in and of itself. Now, many years later, dogs are being asked to do incredibly difficult and complicated things, and the standards we hold them to are much higher. Where once small victories were celebrated, now we are more likely to be hyper-critical of small mistakes and failures. I find it very sad that no longer at the center of the sport is the love of playing with your dog, rather it is the desire to become a champion and nationally recognized. I thought I wanted this once too. And of course not everyone at the highest levels has lost sight of their love for their dog, but the relationship is complicated now. Many of these top competitors would not be likely to just have a dog for the sake of enjoying their company, instead they choose their dogs carefully based on structure, drive, speed, biddability, and the potential to become a champion athlete. I actually had in the back of my mind when I got Trudy that I hoped she didn't like agility, but rather was just a happy, even-tempered, friendly little dog that I would just enjoy having around. While I won't say that she couldn't be taught to love agility, she really does prefer just to play in short sessions, cuddle, go for walks and annoy her brother. She is easy to take for walks to the beach, she loves everyone and has zero phobias, no reactivity, and is generally a doll to have around. I love Xander with all my heart, but he is reactive, phobic, and gets very stressed out in many situations. He is actually pretty laid back for his breed, but he is certainly not an "easy" dog. This is another issue, as these are the types of dogs you see more and more at shows. The focus is on dogs with drive and speed, but they come with all sorts of "side effects." Trying to navigate a crowded trial through a sea of dogs lunging at you from within their crates or on their leashes because they are so "driven" is nerve wracking. And being afraid to walk past other dogs on leash because both your own dog and those strange dogs are reactive is no fun. Waiting for hours and hours for your runs while listening to dozens of dogs stress bark in their cars and tents leaves me drained and irritated by the end of a long day.
When I think about spending hundreds of dollars, countless hours, and constantly risking the health and safety of my dogs for the pursuit of some essentially meaningless titles, I really can't justify it. I would actually love just to have a back yard big enough for some jumps to play with my dogs so I could enjoy that teamwork with them, but they are equally happy catching frisbees.

At some point, agility became like politics. There are "sides" now. Some who want to make it easier, others that want to make it harder. Some that say our dogs should never be asked to do "a" and others who say they shouldn't be asked to do "b" and others who say they should be able to do "a and b and also c." Some who say it's cruel to leave a dog crated, others who say it's cruel not to. Cliques are formed of the "highly competitive" who sometimes look down on the "casual competitor," Or perhaps the casual competitor interprets the serious competitor as being "meaner" to their dogs for holding them to a higher standard. I don't know what is right and what is wrong, or even if there IS such a thing. There is a reason I stay out of politics.

All I can say is that while I enjoy the basic premise of playing the game of agility, it has all gotten carried away. I love my dogs and just want to see them smile in that way that panting dogs do after a job well done. I don't want to be stressed out, worked up, nerve wracked, and irritated just to play a game. While there are many truly WONDERFUL people in the sport (and you know who you are), the taste of it all has gotten rather sour lately. I won't say that this can't change in the future, and I hope it does, but for now, I am just going to enjoy my dogs as best I can and see that they are as happy and healthy as I can make them without any expectations attached. Sleeping in on the weekends and having time to do laundry is also really nice.

She looks pretty happy with her "simple" life, wouldn't you say?

Never a Dull Moment

Hi everyone.

My apologies for the disappearing act, as I haven’t actually fallen off the planet. Life has been a little crazy in the last couple of months. We had an unexpected house guest that threw everything a bit out of orbit, however, I think that issue has been resolved and will hopefully not arise again.

Buster has also been insanely busy with his job in preparation for the promotion he will be receiving in the next week or so. Congrats to my amazing, endlessly hard-working husband!! His first step into management after 4 years with Pepsi, in spite of being laid off in the first year due to the bad economy. I know they are glad they hired him back!!

He also directed a disc golf tournament which basically hijacked his life for several weeks, and an entire weekend. On top of all that, he was out of town for a week to visit family back in NY, which led to a perfect storm of crazy for me. My good friend Lara also got the job she’s wanted for many, many months, which required a week of training in California. This just happened to coincide with Buster being gone, and given that I had promised her my house and dog sitting services, left me in the care of eight dogs between two houses, with one corgi who does not play nicely with others. This resulted in me shuffling the collies back and forth between houses, feeding and pottying dogs between the two places, sleeping in one place and running to the other before and after work, etc. It was interesting to say the least. And on top of THAT, my good friend Amanda came to visit for a couple of days during the same week! I also volunteered my services to pick up and drop off people at the airport, so between Lara, Buster, and Amanda, the airport was my second home. There were also terrible delays due to weather, which left poor Amanda stuck traveling for 30hrs straight, and Lara waiting hours for luggage. I spent LOTS of time in the courtesy waiting lot. All in all, everyone survived and got where they were supposed to go, Trudy and Xander had a BLAST with their buddies at Aunt Lara’s house, and I finally got to sleep when Lara and Buster came home.

The very next weekend, Buster’s old, dear friend Jeff came to visit from Boston. In order to show him a great time, Lara got dog sitting duty for the weekend and we took off for a short but fun filled trip to Universal Studios. It was nearly two years since Buster had proposed to me there, so Mardi Gras was again in full swing. We saw Pat Benatar this time, and I must say, that old gal still rocks it out! She was celebrating her 31^st wedding anniversary with her guitarist husband, which is inspirational for anyone, let alone a rock star.

We drank, rode coasters, ate good food, watched some March Madness, and overall had a great time. And then we were BACK at the airport to drop him off on Sunday evening. I hope I am done with airports for  a while....And poor Buster will finally have a weekend off this weekend after a long stretch of work, family, traveling, entertaining, and tournament directing! I know I will be happy to have a little more calm around the house, although with Trudy around, that is a joke.

Speaking of Trudy, she has decided she loves anything plastic, which is a great thing when it comes to catching a Frisbee, but not so great when we leave things on counters, etc. She is a holy terror when it comes to counter surfing, but she has really turned onto the disc and is showing some amazing style! She drives the other dogs (and sometimes us) nuts, but she’s just so damn cute, it is impossible to be annoyed with her for long. She is now about 8.5 months old and close to 30lbs. She ended up growing more than we expected, and is actually within an inch or two of Xander, although she is 8-10lbs lighter. She’s is as acrobatic as a cat and loves to perch on the back of furniture, and can jump to about my eye level! Crazy girl. Xander seems so calm now in comparison….

I must finally admit that I came to a point around the middle of February when I felt BURNT OUT on agility. I actually skipped a couple of trials (including my own home trial) and did not miss it. I think the combination of craziness that was going on all conspired to this, but it is nice to step away and take a break sometimes. I think we will continue to save money and rest for a few months, and look at how we feel in the fall. I am very satisfied with Xander’s ADCH, and at the moment don’t feel a driving need to compete. I know myself though, and that will not last forever…

Wait, what did I say about Xander being calm? Through Trudy, he has discovered an old toy that has been ignored for years, a blue football that makes incredibly loud and annoying noises. He is currently OBSESSED with it. I have not seen him this way with anything other than a disc. As we speak, he is throwing it at me again, and has been doing so since I came home several hours ago. Trudy, meanwhile, is shredding the shrubbery she managed to drag through the dog door and barking at Kaylee whenever the poor old girl shows a passing interest in one of the leaves. Never a dull moment around here...

So Far, So Good

After the incredible awesomeness that was my 2012, I had an irrational fear that 2013 would be proportionately bad. I know that makes no sense (hence the irrational part), but it felt like I would need to balance the scales, so to speak. After something hit my windshield and caused a 3ft long crack, I thought my fears had been validated. Thankfully though, I live in Florida, and that meant a new windshield from my insurance with no deductible. Whew! Safelite came out one Saturday morning, replaced the windshield in less than an hour, and viola! good as new. Actually better than new, since the new windshield has more tinting along the top and blocks the sun better.

Other than that, January has been filled with entertaining Trudy, going to work, and doing lots of agility. We started a different class on Wednesday nights which I have enjoyed, especially since we get home before 9 (we go to bed early around here). We went to one of my favorite trials, Dog On It, and enjoyed the fact that we didn't "need" to Q in anything, since we'd already gotten our ADCH. Funny thing is; it took us almost a year (albiet a limited number of competitions) to get three standard legs. Since then, we have gotten the last four all in a row! The mind does funny things when there is pressure to perform.

This past weekend, we returned to the world of AKC for a trial in Daytona. We drove back and forth both days, since it is close by, and that always makes me happy. I will avoid staying in a hotel if I can! The weather was gorgeous, and even a bit too warm, especially for January, but more than pleasant under cover. The club offered both games each day, and it was a surprisingly small entry, so we had four runs and were still home before 4pm both days! Very unlike most AKC trials, I wish they were all like that. The courses were generally boring; reminding me again of the stark contrast between AKC and USDAA. However, they allowed for distance and speed, and Xander enjoyed opening up and extending, sometimes a bit too much. Funny enough, we went off course in Time 2 Beat both days on what looked to be very easy courses, but I just could not keep up. Then we were having weird weave pole issues because of the lighting. The arena's patches of bright light and dark shadows, coupled with the fencing, created an optical illusion which caused countless dogs to miss entries or pop out early, Xander included. That was our only fault in standard Saturday, as that was the only ring affected. We had a gorgeous JWW run and won the class, and had a decent FAST run and won that class as well. On Sunday, we had a hideous standard run, but somehow managed not to NQ, and then redeemed ourselves with another win in JWW to earn a double Q, which brings the total to five. We also earned MXF leg number six with a first place, and then had a train wreck in Time 2 Beat. Overall, it was a fun weekend hanging out with friends and enjoying many runs and short days.

This coming weekend we will be at our home trial, so hooray for more agility within staying at home range. It is AKC again, and I will admit that since we have our ADCH, I am thinking about a MACH, and probably will enter more trials. Although we do have a schedule still filled with USDAA throughout February and March. Why not keep working on that Bronze ADCH too?!

Buster just reminded me that my birthday is coming up. Didn't I just have one of those?

2012 Officially My Best Year

Turns out there was some magic left after all! We went into the weekend needing to Q both days in Standard, which was not probable considering our recent track record in that class. In spite of that, we conquered two very tricky courses (with a first place yesterday and a fifth place today) to earn our ADCh! I am so grateful to Buster for his support, my friends and various teammates along the way, Jerri Carter for rescuing border collies, and especially Kelly Rossi for surprising me by getting it on film without me even asking. AND she cheered the loudest! :)

Thank you also to the nice photographer who was set up to do portraits but was willing to take our picture anyway and then just emailed it to me for nothing. Kevin Cartwright is super swell, be sure to check him out at future trials!

(Xander looks tortured, as usual, to have his picture taken ;)

Perry certainly holds magic for me, as that was the place where Kaylee earned her first MACH when she Double Q'd four days in a row back in 2005. This is so special to me because Xander is my first border collie, this was my first ADCh, and he is just the sweetest, goofiest, loving-est dog ever. I am so proud of my big mush and so happy I adopted that loud-mouthed, snuggly puppy four years ago. Thanks for the ride buddy!

For This I Am Grateful

Wow, what a year.

 

In light of the tragedies and difficulties that many people have faced (and some continue to face) in 2012, I almost feel guilty saying that this has been the best year of my life. However, I have faced my own share of difficulties in the past, so I will simply express the joy and gratitude that I feel for my own experience this year.

 

While not every moment of the year has been rainbows and unicorns, overall 2012 has been a steady stream of new and exciting events. Here’s a brief play-by-play:

 

February- We moved into our new rental. A townhouse with a small backyard, a full size garage, and roughly twice as much room as we had in our small apartment of the previous two years.

 

May-I married my best friend and the love of my life. It was beautiful, perfect, and story-like. We then celebrated for a week in the near paradise of Cozumel, Mexico. It was my first time out of the country (not counting our brief trip into Canada to visit Niagra Falls back in 2010)

 

June- We traded in Buster’s Mazda to get the new Odyssey van (aka perfect dog-mobile) of my dreams! I also equipped it with super-safe Ruff Tough kennels to give my pups the best form of transportation I can. The van is a luxurious ride and holds everything I need, and then some. Buster is also thrilled with driving the Element, which can haul everything he needs as well.

 

July-Through Buster’s networking; I landed a new job in the field I have pursued, and make almost 10k more a year. Best part: no more making copies!

 

September- I brought home our precious baby girl Trudy! She has been a nonstop source of love, humor, and excitement. I can’t remember what life was like before her! She has been a blast to train, has become best buddies with Xander (who FINALLY has a wrestling partner), and is just as sweet as can be. She is everything I could have hoped for.

 

November- My lucky scratch-off lottery ticket at a work holiday party scored me $1,000. I am now known throughout the office as “that girl who won $1,000.” No one believed that is was actually possible to win a real amount of money on a scratch-off (myself included), so I am now somewhat of a celebrity. So far I have paid for trips to the vet and bought a meat grinder, but we are mostly saving it toward a down-payment on a house.

 

I have also earned a bunch of titles lately with the incredible Xan-Man, began the adventure of making my own raw dog food, and done a variety of other things, but these were the highlights.

 

I am looking forward to spending Christmas with family, and then traveling to Perry, Ga to close out the year at the reportedly fun Sirius USDAA trial. We only need two standard legs for our ADCH, so we’ll see if there is any magic left in my 2012. If not, I certainly can’t complain, and it will leave something to look forward to in 2013!

 

Happy holidays to everyone. For those of you who have enjoyed 2012, I celebrate with you. For everyone else, I hope that 2013 brings you great happiness!

What's for Dinner?

It's official. I have taken the plunge.

I have toyed with the idea of "going raw" for years now actually, but the thought of it was too daunting and a bit scary. What if I don't do it right? What if I make my dogs sick or leave something important out? I read books about the BARF diet as far back as 5 years ago (and remember my friend Chris teasing me about the title of my book), but it never seemed like something I could realistically do. Frankly, given my previous financial situation, it would have been out of the question. However, years later, I have found myself in the position to give it a try, and so I have.

Part of what has given me the confidence to embark on this adventure is the book "Dr. Becker's Real Food for Dogs and Cats." I did some research and decided that I agreed with many of the good doctor's philosophies. I ordered the book, read it cover to cover twice, and have since made it my dog food bible. While Dr. Becker may not be the end all and be all in canine nutrition, the information made sense, and was presented in recipes and formulas that I could follow and reproduce.

The next step was to buy equipment. This included a food scale, freezable plastic containers, labels, a slew of vitamins, supplements, and bone meal, and most importantly: the food processor. Items still on my wishlist include a freezer chest and a grinder. Right now, I am purchasing boneless meats, chopping them into peices small enough to grind in the processor, and then adding bone meal for calcium. The most cost effective means to make food would be to purchase whole chickens and turkeys and then grind them, bone and all. As of now, I am paying more for the boneless meat and for the bone meal supplement, but given that a quality grinder is hundreds of dollars, and will need some place to live in the kitchen, I am compromising for now.

The first time I made a batch of food it took HOURS. Of course I am not used to buying organ meat, and so spent time looking for the ingredients: chicken livers, gizzards, beef heart (which I have yet to find) and beef liver. Also, I had to consider the fat content of the products I was purchasing, since these recipes call for 90-93% lean meat. I also looked for the variety of fruits and vegetables that make up a 25% of the diet, and weighing these items to procure the appropriate amounts. The next time I made a trip to the store, I knew better what I was looking for, where to find it, and how much to buy.

The prep time was a bit daunting, as I started from scratch and made 30lbs of meat (chicken, turkey, and beef mixes, as variety is important), and another 8lbs or so of vegetable/fruit puree. The fruits and veggies have to be chopped into peices small enough to fit in the processor and pureed into a soft enough blend that the dogs' bodies can process. The meat also had to be chopped and grinded and mixed with the organs, which is very messy work. Given that the processor can only handle about 2-2.5 cups at a time, this is a long process. Also, heat and air are enemies to raw meat, so the meat you are handling has to remain cold and the processor and other equipment have to be cleaned periodically during the process. I am also vigilant to the fact that I am dealing with raw poultry, so for the safety of the humans in the house, I bleached everything from the counters to the handles of the fridge and freezer. In the end though, I had a freezer full of 2lb containers of raw meat blends and veggie/fruit purees. We have just enough space to handle about a 10-12 day supply without much room for anything else. Hence the desire for an additional freezer.

At any rate, the dogs had been making the transition to raw food already, via the use of Nature's Variety Instinct Raw, which I was buying in 2lb chubs and feeding for the last month. I had started by mixing their kibble in with this until we transitioned just to the raw. I think this made it much easier for both them and I to make the switch to a homemade diet. I was already in the routine of weighing food and handling raw, but without all the prep.

In addition to the amount of  raw meat and veggies, they also get eggs and sardines added on alernating days for one meal each day. They also receive bone meal, as I mentioned earlier, fatty acid supplements in the form of krill oil capsules, and a mix of vitamins that I grind up in large supplies and keep in a mason jar. They also continue to receive Cosequin chews.

The feeding process has now gone from less than five minutes spent scooping kibble and watching them inhale it, to a fifteen minute process of measuring everything out, mixing it up, and watching them actually chew it for five minutes. As much work as it is, I feel very satisfied that they are receiving the best diet I can give them, and they have suffered no ill effects (ie diarrhea or vomiting). Their coats are looking fabulous, their energy is through the roof, and so far I am happy. It may cost me time and money, but if I can keep them happy and healthy into their teen years, it will be well worth it. Thankfully I have a husband who not only accepts my crazy obsession, but also encourages me in this endeavor. Thank you Buster for letting me fill the freezer with animal guts.

In agility news, we competed in our home AKC trial a couple of weekends ago with Xander Q'ing 5 out of 6 runs, earning his fourth DQ and his MXJ title. Considering we have only done three AKC trials this year, he is doing well! Add that to the Q's he earned from the one day of USDAA we had done the weekend before, and he earned 9 out of 10. I will take a 90% Q rate any day! We will be at our very favorite trial next weekend, Dog-On-It near Orlando, and hopefully chip away at the few remaining Q's we need for his ADCH. Also, there will be a special gamblers run involving Buster, so stay tuned for video.

Finally, I had a nice week of work last week, in which I taught two days of classes. The site we have been working at is "going live" tomorrow, so this week should prove more exciting than usual as well. Then the following week is Thanksgiving. Where did this year go?! It has been a good one, that's for sure. Married, new job, new van, new puppy (who is pricelessly adorable and precociously wonderful, as well as four months old now!). What more could a girl ask for?

Until next time, eat up!

Happy Times

Sorry I have been lax about updating. Again, I cannot access this site at work, which is terribly frustrating since that is prime blogging time; and at home, I am kept thoroughly occupied with Trudy.

We are having such a blast with her. She finds new ways to crack us up almost every day, as she lives with such joy and reckless abondon. Ah, to be a puppy. She and Xander also made friends the other day, and have spent their evenings engaged in play. This makes ALL of us happy, as it both occupies and exhausts the two most demanding members of the household. Evening the fun-police (aka Kaylee) has ceased to interuppt their games, as they play so quietly and with perfect contentment. She amazes me with her confidence and coordination at such a young age as well. Xander was such a floppy muppet with long legs and seemingly no awareness of the back ones, such that I didn't feel confident doing very much with him until he was considerably older. Trudy already can leap amazing distances and land like a cat, although we would prefer that she not leap from the stairwell to the back of the couch, often on Buster's head. She can push a skateboard, put at least three feet in a bowl at this point, and can perch effortlessly on a balance disk placed ON TOP of an upside down BOSU ball. This was not intentionally set up for her to do, she just decided to offer it as I stood gape mouthed watching her. She can also stand and take a few steps on her rear legs, demonstrating without any doubt that she is aware of how to use all of her legs, although she is not necessarily practical in her application of this skill.

Other than being early to bed and early to rise, which suits Buster's schedule but not mine, she has settled into a good routine with us. She is happy to ride in the car for as long as it takes without crying, as she knows we will be going somewhere fun. She gets in her pen for meals and goes in her crate for her bedtime cookie. She knows sit, down, shake each paw, hand touch, and we are working on wait. She is making progress on potty training, and has mastered the dog door at top speeds. Her new favorite trick is to make a high speed lap of our small backyard, come flying through the dog door, onto the couch (and usually in my lap or on my computer) and then go tearing through the door again. This is amusing unless you happen to be holding a mug of coffee or something similarly unfortunate.

On the agility front, she spectated at her first trial a couple of weeks ago in Charleston, NC at the Low Country USDAA show. I had never been there before, but thoroughly enjoyed it and plan to go back. It was a small, one ring trial with a friendly, laid back atmosphere and MANY people to engage in pass-the-puppy socialization exercises. She happily made many new friends, both human and canine, and met each new person bravely with a wagging tail. Much to my joy and surprise, she was quiet as a field mouse in her crate all day and was not bothered by all the noise and pedestrian traffic passing her by. Our friend Stacey let us hang out in her tent ring side, which was great fun, as we were able to watch everyone's runs in the comfort of our little space.

Her first night in the hotel was fabulous. She took everything in stride and thought it was a grand adventure. As we had woken at 4am to make the drive Saturday morning, by 7:30 that evening we were all asleep. Xander on the pillow next to my head, Trudy in her crate next to the bed, and me enjoying the comfortable mattress. That was the best night sleep I have had in weeks, even though we were all awake by 4:30 the next morning. Although the trial did not yield any Q's, we enjoyed the challenging course and had many close calls. The friends we saw and the experience we enjoyed far outweighed the lack of results, and I found myself so happy with Trudy's company, that I didn't mind it in the least!

Fast forward a couple of weeks to yesterday, which found us up early again for a day trip to Fort White, and the home of Rachel Flately. Here we competed in just one day of the Pawsitively Fun USDAA trial. We were off to a good start before we even had our first run, as Rachel gave a bag of Zuke's treats to the first five entries she had received. We were number four.

Soon enough, we were running Standard. This was also a small, one ring trial with a great atmosphere, and we felt almost as though we were running at our own practice field. This seemed to work for us as we FINALLY got the third leg we needed for Xander's Master Agility Dog title!! What a great way to start the morning. It was also cool that we got first place, and were the only dog to qualify. Stuart was there with Ares, as were a number of other quality competitors, so I must admit that felt a little good. I keep replaying it in my mind, as it felt so good while we were running.

Apparently we were on the same page yesterday, as the streak continued. We've had horrible luck in pairs, so I've basically let go of any hopes to Q consistently in that class, as it just seems to be one thing or another. However, when Travis Wall and Krazy Kali stepped to the line, they were solid and allowed us to knock the last bar and still earn 1st place. That girl is krazy fast for sure! We also had an amazing save on the weave poles. Actually, we had three somewhat miraculous weave entries yesterday, which I must attribute to Susan Garret's 2x2 method and all the time we've spent practicing wacky angled entries. Thanks Susan!

Snooker was next up. After two HEARTBREAKING rounds at Low Country, where we racked up tons of points in the opening only to have me mess him up in the closing, I decided to follow the advice I had gotten from several people. Be conservative, get through the closing, and the Super Q's will come. I didn't really believe it, especially after I watched Stuart and Ares clean up. However, we had the same plan as Lori and Moxie, and although I had one of those miraculous saves, but time-costly call offs before the weave poles, we made it through the closing. I thought there was no way we would get a Super Q with the small size of the trial, but as I watched many others fail to make it through to the end, I maintained a glimmer of hope. I finally checked the scoresheet and stared in disbelief as I saw Xander with a third place and the last Super Q for the 22in class! Now we only need ONE MORE for our title!! Hooray!

By the time Jumpers came around, I was on such a high that I felt nothing could bring me down. We enjoyed chatting with friends and playing with Trudy in a new place, on top of our three Q's already. (I didn't enter Gamblers, as we already have that title. When someone asked, I told them we were on the ADCh chase budget plan). A Q in Jumpers would just be icing on the cake. It was a lovely course I thought, and something that we could do, so we stepped to the line and did it! As we crossed the last jump, I had such a big smile and so much pride for my goofy boy who tries so hard. We were speaking the same language yesterday, and he listened so well, I was successful in a number of handling moves that had previously resulted in a fault. It's amazing what a bit of practice will do!

I was not at all sad that I had only entered Saturday, as there was no way we could top that performance on Sunday. And even if we could, I like being able to have fun one day and still have time to do responsible things the next day, like clean up the puppy inflicted disaster zone that is my house. And to write this blog. Which I haven't done in such a while.

At any rate, the agility filled month of October will conclude next weekend with our home trial at the equestrian center, which is nice, even though it is ACK. However, we will get to arrive late on Sunday since I am taking a break from course building and the multitude of little dogs will be running first. Ah, what a novelty it will be to arrive after 9am!

In parting, I would like to wish my amazing, patient, loving, generous, smart, funny, wonderful husband a happy 33rd birthday this coming Tuesday! He took Kirby with him while he played disc golf yesterday and while the collies were with me. It was such a wonderful, thoughtful and kind thing to do for the little crazy dog that doesn't play well with our dogs, but loves everyone else on the planet. Kaylee meanwhile sat at home alone either enjoying the quiet, or more likely, disrupted it with her incessant alarm barking. Sorry neighbors. Anyway, happy birthday again Buster, and I look forward to celebrating many more!