GOAL TIME

June and July mark the only time of the year we make it to Springfield, MO for agility. I love the opportunity to run NADAC agility in the summer, on turf. I also like that we get to take the RV and camp out.

The June trial was good for us. But KK and I weren't in sync. She was having some bratty moments and I wasn't going to allow her to develop that pattern. So she got escorted off the course each time she decided not to listen. We actually left the trial early, forfeiting a few runs. KK and I just weren't working together and it was pointless to force it. So we packed up and went home.

July was a much better trial. KK and I were coming off an USDAA weekend where we had worked well together, so we were more in tune for this trial. KK ended up finishing 4 titles: Open Touch n Go, Open Weavers, Open Chances and Open Versatility. She's in all Elite now. So now I can see that NATCH in the horizon. I've already counted how many Q's we need...much to Hazel's advise against it. But once you get close, it's hard not to count. The big title will come in time. I just have to be patient and keep up our training.

 

VENUES

We have done a couple of agility trials this year. I managed to trial in 3 different venues, but have decided to only concentrate on 2. Hence, I've only set short term goals in both USDAA and NADAC. The one AKC trial we did reiterated my feelings on that venue. It's not for us right now. I'm not saying we won't be back, but I don't see it in our future anytime soon. I'm not happy at AKC trials and my feelings travel right down the leash to KK and she acts on it. It's not worth my money and even more importantly my emotional well being to compete in that venue. Agility is a fun hobby, but the fun for me is nonexistent at AKC trials.

We recently started doing NADAC trials. I have found it to be a very supportive, encouraging group of people. It is so nice to finish a run, good or bad, and people applaud or take the time to give you an encouraging word. After competing in a venue that is very competitive, it's nice to run agility without all the pressure. I have found it easier to work on KK's distance and independent skills. Some people may think NADAC is hokey, but let me tell you, that Chances is the real deal. Chances is some serious independent distance agility. And don't forget the obstacle discrimination that is thrown in too. I don't think I've ever yelled, "get out" or "walk, walk, walk" so much in my life.

As we have done more NADAC, KK has quickly rose up through the levels. That has caused me to feel pressure. As her Championship Title looms closer, I sometimes forget the fun of agility. I let the pressure of Q-ing determine how our weekend is going to go. I will go into a trial saying I need this many Q's,and then if something goes wrong, it frustrates me to no end. Hazel often has to remind me that agility is a game and to have fun. She does a great job of calming me down and helping me to refocus.

My favorite venue has always been USDAA. It makes you draw upon all of your skills to compete. Your dog has to be able to work on their own (Gamblers), you must have strategic skills (Snooker), and your dog must be able to run with another dog and both teams have to run clean (Pairs). Of course there is the self explanatory Jumpers and Standard, with its 'down' on the table. I love the versatility of USDAA.

There are the naysayers about USDAA. They complain about the jump heights, the fast course times, the height of the A frame, chute length, and the complaints go on. Here is my feeling about it. If you don't like the venue, then don't trial in it. Don't bash the venue because you don't like the rules or you don't have the skill set to compete.  It's not like AKC where you can just chip away at a MACH. In USDAA, you have to be at the top of your game. You need to be able to compete with the fastest and most precise agility dogs.

I read this somewhere and for me it says it all.
"What I love about USDAA and what distinguishes it, is that to EARN an ADCH is distinguishing yourself and your team...on specific days, you were among the best."

ADCH or NATCH. The titles may or may not happen, but we will keep playing the game in the venues we love. It's our hobby and we love the game!!

MOTHERLESS

Another Mother's Day has come and went without my mom. Holidays are still very hard on me. I try to avoid Facebook so I don't see pictures of everyone with their mom, knowing I'll never be able to do that again. This is the first year I didn't go to my mom's FB page and post. I just couldn't do it. It's too hard.

People always say time heals. Time only makes the loss more bearable. If you haven't lost your mom, you have no idea of what the feeling is like. Knowing that I can never call her and hear her voice again. Not being able to tell her about my day. Not being able to share the highs and lows of my life. Sometimes I want to call her and tell her something about the girls and I can't. I want so much for her to see me now and share this part of my life with her. But it will never happen. I get so mad at myself because I can't remember the entire last conversation I had with her. I can only remember pieces. If I had only known that was the last time I would talk to her, I would have recorded her voice.

This week my mom will celebrate another birthday in heaven. While I know she's whole and happy, I'm left here to live without her and that breaks my heart. The tears flow easily at any memory of her. I find it hard to look at pictures of her or talk about her without crying.  Sometimes I think that avoiding talking about her is unfair to her but it's the only way I can cope with losing her. Recent events in my life have really tested my strength and I wish so bad I could talk to my mom about everything. But that wasn't how my life was laid out to live. There's a reason I was given this life. And I have to dig deep to find the strength to live it.

6 TITLES AND A TUMBLE

We went to Terrell, Texas last weekend for a NADAC trial. We left the RV at home and stayed in a hotel. I forgot how much trouble it is to haul all your stuff into the hotel and then you have to get up early on Sunday to haul it all back to the car. I forgot to bring my Clorox wipes to clean the room, so then I was paranoid about touching anything. I hate having to check under the furniture for pills or dropped food before the girls can come into the room. I don't like leaving the girls in the hotel room while we go out to eat. I always worry about them, especially since Marley can open doors. So that means we have to haul a crate into the hotel too. Then you have to listen to people in the halls and in the rooms beside us. Ugh. I missed my clean, homey RV!!

KK had a great trial, going 9/11 Q's. She also earned 6 titles: Novice Chances, Novice Touch & Go, Novice Versatility, Open Jumpers, Elite Tunnelers and Elite Standard. KK dropped a bar in Novice Chances when I yelled her name as she was jumping. She also had a scary fall from the dogwalk on Sunday during Elite Standard. She was running well and doing her distance work. She exited the tunnel and started up the DW fast. She was nearing the descent and I was already saying 'easy' for her to hit her contacts when all of a sudden she was in the air and then she was on the ground in front of me. I was shocked as KK has never bailed or fallen before. After making sure she was not hurt, I put her back on the DW and she performed the DW flawlessly and finished the run. After reviewing the video, it is apparent she was blown off the DW by a gust of wind. You can see the fan blades speed up while KK was running. KK was undeterred and finished her Elite Standard Title the next run.

Marley got to run one run. She Q'd in her favorite event, tunnelers. Just the fact that I get to run with her again is priceless. I never thought it would happen, but it did. Even if Marley only runs a tunnelers run every so often, it doesn't matter. What does matter is I got to run with her again.You never know when your last run with your best friend will be, so cherish each and every run. I know I do.

MEMPHIS AKC

We went to Memphis last weekend and ran AKC agility. We haven't run agility since the first weekend in December. Since December, I have had shoulder surgery, dental surgery and had a part of a toenail removed. I had the toenail surgery just a week before the agility trial. Needless to say, KK hasn't had much practice. Just some jump grids and a few times over the contacts and of course Miss KK had to weave. She loves to weave!!

So I entered her in the trial with two goals. The first was to earn her Time to Beat Title and the other goal was to work on her distance work. We achieved both. She earned her Time to Beat on her first run with the second fastest time. During standard I had some handling errors and KK missed her entry on weaves during jumpers. The missed weave entry was surprising but I was late telling her where to go. On Sunday she added another T2B Q to her resume. Standard was just fun as she showed off that she's an immature 4 year old, but she did some great distance and discrimination work. She added another Master Jumpers Q on a fun, fast course.

Each day on each course, I set a goal or two for that course. Those goals didn't include Q-ing. My goals were to work on our distance and handling. My goals might have been to not go past a certain obstacle but to send KK on her own or the goal might have been to send her through a pinwheel on her own. The only way to push KK and myself is to try and see what we can do. And KK can do some pretty good distance work. We will continue working on our distance and hopefully everyone will stay healthy this spring!

2015 AGILITY YEAR IN REVIEW

A little late in posting, but here it is. We started our agility season at the February 4 PAWS trial in Holly Springs. KK was a good little girl, earning her Advanced Pairs Title and a Master Jumpers Q at 6.5 yps. We did a couple of AKC agility trials and she earned her Master Jumper Title and several other Q's.

We went to Shreveport USDAA in April and she was a little rock star. She went 7/8 Q's, winning Steeplechase and winning a Grand Prix bye. The judge was great and went out of his way to compliment KK. He asked me how old she was and said he thought she was young and that he liked my little dog. A simple compliment can really build you up. I think I held my head up a little higher and it felt like KK and I were becoming a real team that weekend.

The very next weekend we went to Garland, TX and once again KK proved her 3 year old little self. She went 6/9 Q's and earned 4 titles: Advanced Agility Dog, Advanced Standard, Advanced Snooker and Master Jumpers. She was a little girl on fire with almost all of her Q's were 1st places. It was at this trial that I started feeling sick. We chalked it up to the warm weather, but it wasn't going to be that simple.

Over Mother's Day weekend we did another USDAA trial and while she had a fairly good trial, I was under the weather and KK was also a little under the weather.

Towards the end of June we did a NADAC trial and KK was on fire! She went 11/12 Q's, all 1st places! And she finished 3 titles: Novice Standard, Novice Jumpers and Novice Tunnelers. We did an AKC trial in West Monroe at the end of the month. Jumper, FAST and T2B Q's.

July found us at Purina Farms for USDAA. I was very sick that weekend and we managed to lock ourselves out of our RV and were stuck outside until after 11PM the second night. Despite the odds, KK earned her first Master Snooker Q!! We also did another NADAC trial and once again KK was great.  She went 7/10 and earned her Novice Weavers and Open Tunnelers Titles.

August we did our last AKC trial. More Fast and T2B Q's. After this trial, I decided to not run AKC for awhile. We just don't have fun and I feel the pressure there. Too much negativity. As soon as we get there, I'm ready to leave and that doesn't make for a fun weekend. My time and money is better spent on other venues.

We did one last USDAA trial in Shreveport in September. I was still not well but KK managed Q's in Master Snooker and Jumpers.

Knowing my shoulder surgery was on the horizon, we decided to do one last NADAC trial in Terrell, TX. KK was her usual steady self, Qing 8/11 runs and earning her Open Standard Title and Outstanding Open Standard Title. She really enjoyed the freedom NADAC courses allow. I love letting her run like she can and believing in her. It was at this trial that I got to run Marley again after 2 1/2 years. She ran Novice Weavers (never again, says Marley) and Open Tunnelers. After not being in the ring for so long, and actually being a little spooky, she ran! And she Q'd in Tunnelers. There is no words to describe the feeling of getting to run Marley again.

2015 was a great year. Although there were many lows, the highs far out rank the lows. It was a great agility year. 12 titles and a GP bye!! Not bad for a 3y/o who competed just 7 months last year. My little champ!

RUN AS ONE

I knew I wouldn’t be able to run agility again until April so I convinced Hazel to go with me to Terrell, TX for the Run as One NADAC agility trial early in December. I’ve always heard great things about this club and the opportunity presented itself at the right time. I took a huge chance and entered Marley in 3 runs. Marley hasn’t run agility in about 2 ½ years. I had recently started doing some low jump grids, low A-frames and just some basic conditioning with her. I didn’t know what to expect from her.

The club members were so friendly and welcoming to us. It was their Christmas trial and they had it all decorated for Christmas. I, of course had to take the opportunity for some pictures! 

     

It was a long day before the 2 events I had entered Marley came up. I entered her in Novice Weavers….something I will never do again. It was apparent that Marley still hates to weave. She appeared to be confused on the start line. She hadn’t been on a start line in so long, she appeared almost overwhelmed. The run went ok. She tried on her weaves and we finished the course, but way over time. Then we ran Open Tunnelers. She was so happy! Running and bounding in true Marley fashion. No Q due to time but that doesn’t matter. She ran!

 Just the opportunity to run with Marley again is a feeling I can’t describe. I never thought it would happen. I dreamt and prayed about it, but to have that dream come to fruition is a feeling I can’t explain. I had many dreams for Marley in agility…big titles and ribbons. But my big dreams didn’t happen. But what did happen is I found my Soul Dog. She is me. Marley and I are connected like none of my other dogs. I love all my dogs, but there is just something about Marley. If you have been blessed to have met Marley and she has let you into her life, you can’t but help to love her. The precious tilt of her head, the way she lays her head on your knee, the way she ‘praises the Lord’, makes her Marley. And you can’t help but smile when you see Marley.

The next morning the first event was Tunnelers and Marley was on fire! She ran a happy and fun Open Tunnelers run and she Q’d/2. Just to see her so happy was worth everything we have endured. And we have endured a lot. I’m not sure of what I will do with Marley agility wise. She has a few Q’s left in AKC that I would like to finish, but I’m taking a break from AKC for a while. I’m planning on more NADAC trials because their trials are so positive and everyone is happy for everyone regardless of how their run went.

Not to leave her out, Miss Kalea-Kate was a little rock star. She Q’d 6/11 runs. A dropped bar in Jumpers and Chances…my fault. Note to self, don’t yell “Kate” as she’s jumping. It causes the bar to come down. She did her own thing during Touch n Go and Chances. I totally forgot the Weavers course, so she weaved a lot…! KK loved the opportunity to do her distance work. I am looking forward to running her more in NADAC and USDAA in 2016.

 Once I get healthy and everyone gets conditioned and back into some training, we will be on the road in the RV. I’m so looking forward to traveling and bonding with my girls and spending time with Hazel. I just have to be patient and let my body heal. Then I can Run As One with my girls.