Shivers down your spine....Update!

I heard today that a dog trainer in Bradford had her van and dogs stolen last night while she was locking the gates at Bierley Communtiy Centre Bradford BD4 after a training session. As you might imagine, she is beside herself with worry for her dogs, one of which is quite elderly.

So, if you see a white Vauxhall Vivaro van with paw prints on the doors and reg letters T14PAW, call the police!!

The dogs are pictured above - both had collars on and they are both microchipped.

Please keep your eyes open when you are out and about - the van could be anywhere by now, so they dogs could also be anywhere. Call 07866212047 if you see the dogs or know where they are.

News flash!! Both dogs have been found - minus their collars and tags - not far from where they were stolen. They are now back home with their delighted owner!!!!

Harrogate Agility Training Society Show

This is just a nice little unaffiliated show run at the NAWS venue by HATS to raise some funds for their club. There were about 110 dogs in all, with classes in agility and jumping for all grades and pre-competition too.

My day started on a dodgy note - straight in the ring with Bryn for Grade 3 large Jumping - now you can't go straight into the ring with him; you have to potter about the rings for about half an hour to get him over his excitement of being at a show with all these potential friends to play with.... So, after he had lapped the ring four times (yes, really!) he was ready to focus on some work. Unfortunately, I had stepped into a shaft of sunlight, blinded myself, and triggered the migraine I had been controlling all week. So we set off on the mostly left handed course, with me unable to see anything on my left side! Not surprisingly he knocked down a pole. Second run at jumping - same thing again, just I could see even less, and it was a different pole. And he was trying to work well on a very nice course.

Next up was Amber in Grade 6/7 small/medium jumping. Luckily I could see by now! A good Grade 6 type course, with some handling early and middling, but a huge run on a straight line down the centre to finish, and Amber doesn't usually like straight lines, so my hopes were not too high. First run - a pole down early, so we went into training mode, with lots of sits and restarts, breaking the course down into sections - then the cloth tunnel came unpegged as she went through it, so we got a re-run! This time she rolled a pole later in the course, so more training from there on, but we were both a lot better. Then for our second (well, by now, third) run - and it was almost perfection - no poles down, better handling, good lines - I was well chuffed!! AND she did the run for home every time without a look backwards! WE WON THE CLASS!!!!

Didn't run Amber in the agility as she had already done 3 long runs, so it was back to Bryn again for Grade 3 large Agility. First run, I pushed him quite hard but still made sure he nailed his contacts and saw the weave entry, and he got a reasonable clear round, and was lying second at the end of run 1. The second run, I pushed him still harder, instant release contacts, beautiful independent weaves, and he was definitely going faster and shaping better into his tuns, until he took out a pole on a curve, after which I began holding his contacts etc. I think he spotted his lead which the lead-person had dropped at the side of the course rather than put on the table like before, because as we came back round the same bit for the finish, he shot off to grab it. Never mind - he still came THIRD!!

I always feel guilty about Corker at shows, but once I had done my stint scribing I took him out for some walks and ball throwing in the sunshine. It was a really warm, sunny Spring day with most of us in tee shirts, and we both enjoyed wandering around the fields looking at the horses. Let's hope the rest of the summer lives up to this early promise.

What an Easter Weekend!

Eventful, to say the least! Before going I'd had to borrow a battery charger as the engine on the camper was dead - despite all my efforts over the winter to keep it topped up.
Arriving at Winterton for the Dog Vegas Easter Show I discovered that the gas regulator was also dead - so no hot water, fridge, heating, cooking......... luckily brilliant friends looked after me and when Bob Scott heard on Sunday he leant me his spare regulator straight away. That hot shower was wonderful!!!
Then on the way home, just as I was cruising at 70mph on the M62 and musing about what a fabulous show it had been, the camper suddenly became possessed and careered all over the 3 lanes and the hard shoulder - several times. It took me about 2 seconds - or a lifetime as it felt - to realise that a rear tyre had blown, and I was really lucky that there was no-one beside or behind me at the time as the road was quite busy. I managed to remember not to try to brake, and to steer lightly because of the power steering, but I daren't take a hand off the wheel to use the gears to slow it further. Anyway, we finally came to a straight and calm halt on the hard shoulder, and about 40 minutes later a breakdown van arrived to change the tyre for me (I was still shaking too much to do it myself) and 10 minutes later all was over. No-one, no dogs and not even the camper was harmed or hurt - but I never want to go through that again!
Yet, despite all these things, and the drizzly weather and chilly wind, my remaining impression of the show is that it was wonderful. So many of my friends, and people who I have trained, got superb results (see the White Rose Blog http://whiteroseagility.blogspot.com/) and almost everyone seemed in such a good mood - first camping show of the new season. Bryn and Amber only managed a clear round each - not fast enough sadly, but with places only to First in Amber's classes, there wasn't going to be much hope of points for a nine year old dog. Bryn bogged off twice, but I think I know the reasons for that and can, I hope, avoid it happening in future. He dropped a few poles when I turned too sharply (Amber-turns) so I must stop doing that! But so many people including judges commented positively on his contacts and weaves - good stuff little man! And we managed to measure 35 dogs over the weekend, mostly first-timers, so it looks like there will be quite a few new human and canine faces around this season.
So, today I'm replacing tyres and regulators...... :((
PS Dad update - he's feeling fine but movement to a Community Hospital for the next stage has been delayed as he now has MRSA and cellulitis. He didn't have either when he entered hospital.....

Sunny Scunny

Sunny Scunny lived up to its nick-name - only a few minutes of drizzle early in the morning, then the sun shone - chilly wind to be sure, but it's near the Humber, isn't it?
I always enjoy judging, though I wasn't 100% sure about the courses for this show. They were ones I used about 10 years ago - at the same show! - though tweaked a bit to try to take account of the changes in handling styles.
The Pedigree Trek Pairs qualifier started with a long fast outrun round two sides of the ring, then through the weaves into a technical box-ish bit, where the handler's spatial awareness was important, then a spread and a hurdle to finish/changeover. The three top pairs were phenomenal - driving the dogs but never letting up on the control. It was great to watch.
The Graded 6 & 7 Jumping took the opposite route - first a technical section, then the weaves, then a fast run around the outside to the finish, so, hopefully, there was something for all dogs somewhere on the course. Again, the winners were amazing to watch. My heart was in my mouth, willing the dogs to drive on to the finish after completing all the rest. Quite a few handlers got a bit too focused on the early pull past, and took their eyes off their dogs for a split second - which you can't afford to do at this level of competiton.
It was nice to hear so many positive comments about the courses, both before and after the classes. I always worry about my courses, there's always something I might change with hindsight, and these kind words are so reassuring. I was especially pleased with the number of people who said it was so good to have some courses that you had to think about and work on, that were not just running courses for fast dogs and handlers - like me, they said that they hadn't worked and trained to get their dogs to Grades 6 & 7 just to run straight courses, but to show off their agility skills.
One of the relaxing features of the day for me was knowing that my dogs were being well looked after by some friends while I was judging. In fact, the dogs were so well exercised, that they fell asleep as soon as they got home, and didn't wake up until this morning! Many thanks!!!
Back to Winterton again next weekend for the Dog Vegas Easter Show. This time I'll have to get my skates on and run Amber and Bryn, and it will be me that's exhausted, I think!
PS To everyone who has asked about my Dad, thank you for your interest and concern. He is making steady progress now, and has begun physio and occupational therapy to get him walking again. It's going to be some time yet before he's back home and fending for himself, but there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel.