Last Sunday, on Cinco de Mayo - Ryka got her PACH2 in a fabulous way by getting 3rd in standard and 28 points (she needed 4). She also got 13 points in jumpers!
The 18th is CC and her party at Total Turf in Pitman. Come join us for some snacks! This past Saturday and Sunday (3/30 and 3/31) we set out to *hopefully* finish CCs PACH. She needed 1 QQ. That was it.
The NexLevel arena was a new venue for us, their first agility trial and the place was brand new (they were still expanding the parking lot!) Crating was tight and was by exercise equipment. I should have gotten a spin cycle session in. The area was safe, so working out of your car was good peace of mind and they had a great food truck called Oink & Moo BBQ for lunch. Saturday the rings were running behind - working the kinks out of a new place. I forgot to move CC up from Excellent FAST to Masters FAST so our first run of the day was a warmup! Then Standard - Ryka was first and aced it (as she usually does). CC knocked a bar, thus ending our hopes for a QQ at about 830 am. Jumpers - Again, Ryka was awesome and Qd, CC and I had an amazing run but she knocked a bar. Sunday: The trial ran "tall to small" - meaning the big dogs go first. I got to sleep in a bit which was great. I got there with plenty of time to watch the bigger dogs run the courses and my hopes sank. The courses had elements to them that have gotten me and CC for years. Mostly due to my timing. My friend Raquel was going to come and watch *because she had a good feeling*, but her car was at the tire place for hours. I told her not to stress out because we had to get through Standard first. I had people help hold the dogs as I had the ONLY 4 inch masters dogs. CC went first this time. And we Qd in Standard. Ryka also Qd in standard! Ok, now the pressure was on. Raquel was on her way and got stuck in traffic she got to the site just in time for the 12 inch class to run. She said "you got this". I watched team after team not qualify and to say I was nervous was an understatement. My friend Stef gave me great advice how to handle the opening and she said "you can do this". I told CC she was the best dog no matter what and off we went...I reached the finish jump and I heard lots of screaming...we did it. CC got her PACH After 6.5 years of trialing starting in Novice, lots of pitfalls, lots of learning, lots of training, taking months off for puppies, deaths of family and friends, vacations, wanting to give up, swearing we would NEVER double Q at all, seeing everyones celebrations (even Rykas) and thinking this will never happen to CC because we just cannot get it together...we got our PACH. On the 17th, the mutts and I went to Long Island to play agility. A year ago on March 17, Ryka got her first PACH. I was sitting on 19 QQs for Rykas PAX2 and for CC's first PACH and PAX. It would be nice to bring home BOTH girls with new ribbons.
CC ended that early with a dropped bar in jumpers. Luckily that happened because she was so keyed up and off the rails for Standard anyway. So in 2 weeks we will try for her PACH in Flemington. Ryka, however, loves March 17th and she QQd with 2 first places for her second PAX! She still needs 149 points to get her PACH 2. We got a lovely rosette and bar from Taconic Hills KC. She also finished her MXP6 - that is 60 Qs in Masters Standard agility! Until she tells me she doesn't want to play anymore we will keep trucking. Well after our great run at SOJAC last month, CC and I were in a slump agility wise.
Then Westminster: This was the tale of "Murphy's Law" - anything that can go wrong, will. Because a cruise ship hit Piers 92/94 last year (the venue we were showing at) - no one was allowed to park on the roof like years prior. At least we got notice and I snagged a nice spot in a lot across the street. So I thought. The Piers get really crowded and I wanted time for the dogs to chill before we ran so me and my helpers Cam and Paul left at dark o clock to get to our lot. We got there, unloaded and - the owner yelled at me (and other exhibitors that prepaid) that the lot was "closed" and he wasn't honoring passes. So, I swung the van around the block to get in line for another lot a block up. I was panicking and left Cam and Paul (and our stuff) on the street corner. Not a proud moment for me, I should have taken the time to load them all up. We got into the place and luckily we had restricted crating (crating in the far back of the building away from the crowds) because it got so packed NYFD was called in for crowd control. Now, for the dogs: -Ryka got another QQ at Westminster (number 19) but was very slow so not a lot of points. We got some pretty ribbons though. -CC and I had some dumb mistakes because I was so stressed out. -Geddy Lee showed lovely at Westminster in the breed ring but came home empty handed. There were a lot of nice dogs in competition. He showed beautifully and that was what was important. He was shown by a handler so all I had to do was pick him up. A week later, I read an article about how the Piers had to be closed down due to structural unsoundness and a fashion/art show had to be cancelled. Well, at least we didn't fall into the Hudson river...its the little things. Its not all bad, we went back to trialing and at the Talcott Mountain Agiltiy Trial CC got QQ number 18!!! Ryka did not QQ but got some awesome Standard Qs which gave us a lot of points. Last weekend (3/2 and 3/3) we had awful weather that was not safe to drive in. I am not risking myself or the dogs for that. So, CC needs 2 more QQs for her PACH and PAX, plus an additional QQ for AKC Nationals in 2020. Ryka needs 1 more QQ for her PAX2, and some points for PACH2. It is only March, we got lots of time! CC is doing amazing!
We went 3 for 3 again - all first places, for QQ number 17 and our second Excellent FAST leg. This also finished her MXP5 MJP5 and Masters standard and Masters Silver titles! Silver is 50 qualifying runs in both Standard and Jumpers! [WASHING Had a great trial weekend, tricky courses and the girls had some fun!
Ryka was 4 for 4 - earning 2 more QQs and only needing 2 more for her PAX2!!! CC had a great time and Got 1 standard Q each day. Still on the hunt for those last QQs! Earlier last week, Ryka and I were invited to do a Westminster Press Conference! She did an agility demonstration. I hope this rubs off on us for good luck at the trial! Look for Ryka on Westminster and AKCs social media pages! December 29-30-31 the Bayshore Companion Dog Club had its very first New Year's Eve trial at a newer site 10 minutes away!
The dogs and I had a very nice weekend. Saturday Ryka and CC double Qd and CC got her first Q in Excellent FAST! CC got all first places. Sunday was a "just one thing" type of day but the dogs and I ran beautifully. Monday - Ryka and CC QQd again! So this makes Ryka needing 4 QQs for her PAX2 and CC needing 4 QQs for her PACH!!!! The year has come and it has gone.
The last 2 dog show weekends for us were the Philadelphia Kennel Club shows (also known as the National Dog Show) and the Christmas Cluster in Allentown, PA. Geddy showed really well in Philly but was not the judges choices those days. However, Priscilla's niece, Sallie Mae won the Breed on Saturday and got a Group 2 and got to be on TV! Allentown, Geddy finished his AKC Grand Championship with another major (he only needed one point!) by going Select Dog! I am over the moon! He is maturing really well and the best is yet to come! Agility: CC and I were having a "falling apart" sort of moment. One weekend we got one Q in each, and the next she would blow me off and not listen. We went back to class, took some time off, and our last trials before NYE weekend bonanza were not Qs but it wasn't from her. I was proud of how she ran. Ryka returned to agility after having some time off (she was in season and can't run on the dirt surfaces) and got QQ number 34 towards her PAX2! Geddy will hopefully start the regular novice classes once we get those weaves down pat. Happy Holidays, and I will see you all in the new year! Thanksgiving in the USA came and went. The 17th and 18th I was at the Kennel Club of Philadelphia National Dog Shows with Kathy handling Geddy. I sometimes handle my own dog but he looks better with her and I dont have to dress up. While Geddy looked great, the judges chose other dogs that day. He still needs one point for his Grand Championship.
Thanksgiving holiday is bittersweet - I miss my mom a lot this time of year because she loved the parade, and then had to travel to retail stores on weekends as part of her job. We had a lot of adventures. Now I just try to keep myself busy. Apparently the universe or a higher power thought I needed more excitement and less money, so my car got hit pretty badly on Thanksgiving day. Luckily the hatch was still working so I could drive it to the weekend agility trials. CC was a twit in Jumpers on Saturday but got a rocking standard run 39 seconds under course time! Sunday she got stuck in the dirt and hit a bar in standard but had a lovely jumpers run. We need QQs but I will take nice runs anytime! Last week was a lot of fun! On Halloween, there was a UKI agility trial near my house that also had a costume contest. UKI agility takes many challenges and skills used in international agility venues. It is a lot of fun, and the challenging courses keep me on my toes. First up, Gamblers: CC was in Champs level Gamblers, and Geddy and Lzzy were in Novice. I honestly never did Gamblers in UKI before so I just winged it. Geddy wound up getting an awesome Q and first place! his first UKI Q! Next, was Masters Series - this is a 2 part series (agility - with all the obstacles, and jumpers - with jumps weaves and tunnels) and the dog with the fastest time plus faults (if any) wins money. Now the rule in UKI is you can't "E", that is when you take an off course obstacle. CC and I have a lot of E's under our belts LOL. Jumpers she Qd with a super fast time and WON her first masters series! I was so proud! We also won Best Duo in the costume contest! Next up, was the Staten Island Companion Dog Training Club AKC agility trials also at the same site. CC was 3 for 4 and we FINALLY broke our 13 QQ curse. We got QQ number 14 on Sunday! |
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January 2021
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