MONROE AKC AND FRANKLIN USDAA

We hit 2 trials back to back. We did 3 days of AKC in Monroe, LA. Marley had some beautiful runs but just wasn't herself this weekend. She was put back on antibiotics for her Heliobacter infection of the GI tract. By the time we finish this round of antibiotics, she will have completed 6 weeks of meds.She did add another Master Standard Q to her name with alot of PACH points.....and I still don't know what her total is.

 

 

Kalea-Kate finished her Novice Standard title, got an Open Standard leg and an Excellent JWW leg. She ran her JWW run at 5.3 yps! She's just a fantastic little agility dog.

 

 

 

After the trial Saturday night, my BFF and our training buddy, Mark went out to eat and then Mark insisted that we go by some Duck Center. I have no idea who they are, but I posed 'mean' as Mark instructed me.

 

Trialing is so much more fun when you have your friends there!!

 

We tried our hand at USDAA this past weekend. Marley had some nice runs. I only entered her in 2 events a day. No Q's but she placed in each of her runs. Unless USDAA changes their jump heights, Marley won't be competing in that venue again. It's just not fair to her little body.

 

KK had a phenomenal debut. 6 out of 10 Q's. 4 seconds and 2 firsts. She ran her jumpers run Saturday at 20.31 seconds, that's 5.76 yps! She ended up with 2 Snooker, 2 Gambler, 1 Jumpers, and 1 Pairs Q. She took off courses both days in standard and once in jumpers. I caused an E in pairs the second day. She was just a little rock star!!

 

 

 

We will try our hand at NADAC in 2 weeks. I entered KK in a ton of runs and Marley just in tunnelers. After that we will hopefully we will have a long break from agility. We need time to recover and rest!







DON'T RAIN ON MY PARADE!!

We had a great weekend in Springfield, MO last weekend running AKC agility. It was our first time running on turf but both dogs handled it well.


Marley was back to being her consistent self. She Q'd 3/4 runs and got another QQ. She wasn't nearly as fast as she usually is but the venue was a bit warm so I was just pleased she ran for me. I walked each course with Marley in mind and was proud that I didn't balk my handling of her. I just need to continue to believe in Marley and continue to believe I CAN run Marley the way she needs to be run. Marley isn't going to dazzle you with speed but she is going to put you in awe of her because she is such a happy girl and wants to make her Mommy happy!!


Miss Kalea-Kate ran like a veteran. She easily Q'd Novice Standard and I'm hopeful that we continue to do well and will finally get that Novice Standard Title. Her first time in Excellent JWW and I caused a bar by saying her name as she took off for jump and we had a few other bobbles. The second day in Excellent JWW, she ran 5 yps but took an off course at the very end. Back over in Novice Standard, her immaturity came out and well...we will get another try in Monroe this weekend. She just amazes me! She is so quiet and calm, even at the start line. Then she just explodes on the course. Off the course, she wants to tug and get a treat and she's back to being calm and cool. She is just a fantastic little dog!!

As good as the weekend felt, someone just had to rain on our parade. Some lady came over and talked to me a few times. She proceeded to tell me it took her 2 years to get through Novice, sped through Open and then spent 4 years in Excellent without ever getting a Q. So after KK ran Standard on Saturday, she felt the need to come up to me and say 'You had too many error to Q'. Really?? I don't even know her name and she didn't know mine, but she felt she could come up to me and say that?? My trainer has never had the audacity to say something like that and I pay her to be tough on me! I bit my tongue and didn't say anything. I could have been tacky and said 'I really enjoyed watching your JWW run, it was awesome how your dog took that tunnel, especially since that's the only obstacle the dog took'. But I didn't. I was the bigger and better person.

Oh, and to the person who questioned the fact that Marley got a QQ. Here ya' go!!

GOAL SETTING

I recently started re-listening to the Mental Management CD. I have been neglecting that side of our agility training lately. So I figured on my daily commute to and from work would be a good time to work on my mental game.


The chapter on goal setting was on the agenda today and I realized I've half heartedly written out goals for Marley and KK's agility this year. I've written out AKC goals for Marley and KK. I decided not to write goals for USDAA as I have only 1 trial on our schedule for this year. So if I decide to do more USDAA this year, I will write out goals. Next year I plan to add more USDAA to our schedule and will devise goals at that time. We are planning on 1 NADAC trial in July and I'm not writing goals for it either. NADAC will probably just be a one a year trial for us.....mostly so Marley can run tunnels. I'm entering KK in all of the NADAC runs because she's young and entering Marley in just tunnelers because I want to protect her body.


As Lanny Bassham says, "Find a dream worth trading your life for". My 'big' dream is for Marley to earn her PACH. It would just be the icing on the cake for me. It would prove to all those who thought Marley was 'too much dog for me', that they were so wrong. I don't know if I can keep Marley healthy enough to push her to try to earn her PACH, but it is a dream for me. So the PACH will be my big dream. I have made AKC goals for Marley this year and will strive for those.


"Don't let caution keep you from experiencing life". I'm the type of person who likes to fly under the radar. I don't like being watched or judged as it makes me feel self conscious. Weird for someone who participates in a sport that is judged and usually has an audience of your peers and the public. I have learned when I go out and 'walk Marley's course' and 'run Marley's course' that I feel better about myself and we usually run well. I have to let go off the feelings that I'm not like everyone else running their fast BC. I run Marley, who likes to run with me. She runs a pretty consistent 3.5-4.0 yps. She doesn't do sends well, likes me onside weaves, and likes running contacts. So I just need to shake off the negative thoughts that get into my head and just RUN Marley. And by running Marley, we can achieve our goals together!

TULSA ROUNDUP

Over the Memorial weekend, we went to Tulsa, OK for 3 days of agility at the MCKC Tulsa Roundup. Marley and I previously attended that trial in 2011 and did obedience, rally and agility. That was the first time I had run Marley in agility in 2 months. As some of you remember, Marley and I were butting heads earlier that year and Austin stepped in and ran Marley in 2 trials for me. This is also the same trial where we were unfairly treated and DQ'd in Novice Obedience and I reported that judge to the AKC. To my knowledge, that judge no longer judges and the AKC sent me a letter saying "the matter has been dealt with to the betterment of the sport".

This was the first trial for Marley since early March. She had been on rest for a strained neck and then for a large mass that appeared on her shoulder. I felt so lucky just to be able to step to the start line with Marley. You never know when it's your last run together. The first day, happy, wild Marley showed up at the trial. My training friends know that I never know which Marley I will be running each day. It varies from wild to walking. I never know!

The first day, Marley was so happy to be running again. She blew her DW contact and had some spins in JWW but I didn't care. I got to run with Marley again! The second day another blown DW contact got us in standard. When I was walking JWW with my bestie, we discussed how I often balk my handling with Marley and that I need to walk/run Marley. Run Marley's course. Walk it and handle it for Marley.....something my trainer often tells me. So I went out and ran Marley on HER course and she got a Master JWW Q!

 

 

 

Day 3, Marley had trouble with her weave entries but I was so pleased that she still wanted to work for me. She was back to being dependable Marley. All in all, it was a great trial comeback for her!

 

Miss Kalea-Kate had a great time in Tulsa. Day 1 in standard she tried to refuse contacts so it took us 2 attempts at each contact. I sent her off course once and she went off course herself once. In Open JWW, she got a HARD weave entry that Master's dogs were having trouble with. We were fast and clean and then.......I said her name as she went over the second to last jump and...she dropped the bar. Totally my fault. GRRRRR.

 

Day 2, standard again found us doing the contacts twice. But she was doing them! She nailed JWW and Q'd. Day 3, she Q'd and earned her title in Open JWW!  She was great with a long lead out and a hard off side send to weaves, but she popped out at pole 10 and we had to repeat. She watches my body so close that I started pulling towards the next jump so she popped out and came with me. She is teaching me to be a better handler each and every run.

 

I was on a high from the JWW run and had to immediately walk Standard, by myself as walk thrus happened while I was in JWW ring. KK had to sit with the gate steward while I walked. I was still trying to gather myself and didn't have time for the 'contact' doubts to creep into my head. Standard started with a tunnel which I just hate with a fast dog. It was a perfect run! A run you dream about. She was fast, hit each and every contact the first time, held her contact criteria, went out to the weaves, was ahead of me and listening. She smoked that course in 37.99 seconds! 1/Q!!

 

 

 

 

She was the fastest Open JWW dog both days that I got to check results and was the fastest Novice Standard dog by alot on Monday. I'm so proud of how far she's come in just the 2 months she has been trialing. From Novice to Excellent in 2 months and 4 trials. We have alot of work to do together to be more of a team, but so far the ride has been exhilerating!

 

I can't wait to see where this crazy sport takes all 3 of us.

 



 



TIME DOES NOT HELP

People tell you after a loved one dies, that time will help with the loss. They lie. It does not help. My mom died almost 20 months ago and never does a day go by that I don't cry. It still hurts as much today as it did 20 months ago. I try my best to pretend that I'm ok, but the heartache is always present.


 I still cannot go to the cemetary without crying. We had my mom's headstone placed about a month ago. It felt like a dagger went through my heart when I stood at her grave 2 weeks ago and saw her name engraved in granite. My mom's baby brother died exactly 19 months to the day my mom died and being at his funeral was like reliving my mom's death all over again. It was all I could do to sit through the service. I bolted for the door as soon as I could. I felt like I could just scream from the pain and loss.


Sometimes I sit and look at my girls and wish my mom could see them again. To see how well they are. She would be on cloud 9 telling people about how Marley is the #1 dog in AR. She loved her grand dogs so much. She used to call to check and see if Molly was out on 'patrol' or if Missy was window watching. She would have loved Kalea-Kate....she's just so full of life!


Time does not help.

BUBBLE WRAP

We are 5 days from the MCKC agility trial in Tulsa. Marley has been healthy lately and I am so hopeful she stays that way. I feel like I need to wrap her in bubble wrap to keep her well until the trial.She is getting absolutely no free time in the front yard, as she tends to play hard and is more apt to hurt herself.

I have not gotten Marley's needle aspirate results yet. They told me they would call me when they come in and I have been patient and not called the vet.....it has been hard for me not to call everyday. I check the mass every day and it has not changed in size or density.

I took Marley with me to a private agility lesson last week. Marley surprised me as that it was getting warm and she worked really well for me. She was moving, listening, and actually trying. Marley is a 'gamer'. Doesn't do well in class but usually does well in trials. Miss Kalea-Kate was great as well.

Kalea-Kate and I went to a fun run yesterday at the LRDTC. KK did phenomenal! We ran an Excellent level course and she rocked it. Ran it fast and clean. She blows my mind sometimes. I have been paying those contacts like crazy so hopefully she will do her contacts this weekend!

GENTLE SOUL

You often hear people refer to one of their dogs as their 'heart dog'. I have a heart dog in Molly and Missy and Kalea-Kate hold very special places in my heart. But Marley is different. She is my 'soul' dog. We have such a special relationship. I adopted her as a 10 week old puppy with an unknown background. She appeared healthy except for a wound to her head that thankfully did not penetrate her skull. A few years later, I found out that Marley was found in a ditch outside of a semi-truck mechanic shop. That explains alot. She is afraid of large men, semi truck motors, motorcycles, children, snarky dogs and the list goes on.


Marley and I have been through so much together. She has had so many illnesses and injuries in her short 5 years. Through Marley, I have had the privilege of visiting 2 vet schools in 2 different states for various illnesses. We have been to multiple vets and a few vet clinics. I could not even begin to count how many appointments we have had and don't dare to think of how much money I have spent.


 As I sit here writing, we are again in another holding pattern. Waiting to see what the mass on Marley's side is. Hoping for the best but trying to prepare myself if the news isn't good. She may have to have surgery to have the mass excised. Hoping we will know more tomorrow.


 I also have to prepare myself that this may put Marley into agility retirement. If this does end her career, I know that I have so many memories of us running together. She has amassed many titles in her short career but the titles don't mean alot. I honestly do not know how many Master JWW and Master Standard Q's we have. I don't keep track of her MACH points. Although I did look them up the other day when a friend and I were talking. People crack me up when they go on about it's a game, we do it for fun and then they whine about not Qing and can quote exactly how many MACH points they have.What does mean alot to me is we got to run together. We got to spend so much time together. I will forever cherish ever run I've had with her and I hope we get to have many more.


We went through alot during her early training and I had to make decisions about the best place for us to train and had to make a hard decision to leave one trainer for another. I found our agility home and I don't regret anything (except I wish I had left the old trainer sooner).


Marley is my 'soul dog'. I get her. She gets me. Even after everything we have been through, all the tears I've shed and everything else, I would still pick Marley. Knowing how much we would go through and all the heartache, I would still pick Marley. I'm a better person for having Marley in my life. I've said this before and will say it again. Marley has few people she trusts and lets into her heart. If you are lucky to be loved by Marley, you too will be a better person for knowing and loving Marley. My mom was one of those lucky people. Marley loved her Grandma and she loved her back.


As I look into Marley's gorgeous eyes, I feel so blessed to be her mom. Marley is my 'soul'.