ACE AKC Trial - Princeton, IN

Our local agility club hosted a 3-day trial November 5th-7th. Brindi and Darby were entered on Friday and Sunday. I have classes on Saturday morning, so I am unable to participate in agility on Saturdays until Spring.

I entered Darby in Novice Standard Preferred and Novice Jumpers with Weaves Preferred. Her standard jump height is 20 inches, but she is not really happy about jumping 20 inches yet. I started her out in the Preferred classes for her first trials and then moved her to her full height. But she hasn't really developed a true LOVE for agility so I moved her back to jumping 16 inches. She is REALLY happy about jumping 16 inches. :) So, anyways she had already earned 2 legs towards her Novice Agility Preferred Title and 2 legs towards her Novice Jumpers Preferred Title. All she needed was 1 Q in each class to earn her Novice titles.
...AND she earned BOTH of them on Friday!!!! She ROCKED!! She got a 2nd place Q in Standard and a 2nd place Q in JWW!! Her first baby qq's!!
Here she is with both of the judges from the weekend. :)



I moved Darby up to the Open classes for Sunday and she had really good runs, but I messed her up. (Bad Handler). Sometimes the nerves get to me and I just mess up. I am the weakest link of both of my teams. But I'm trying to be better!

Brindi and I had some promising runs, but no qualifying scores. One thing about running with Brindi is she shows me something positive everytime (almost). I feel like we are making vast improvements in our team building. And she's a lot of fun to watch!! Which is probably why we don't Q very often. I get all caught up watching her and forget that I should be moving to the next obstacle, or at the very least try not to get lost!

Overall it was a VERY AWESOME weekend for us!! And I had a lot of fun hanging out with my agility friends and meeting some new ones too!

Border Collie National Specialty 10/21/10-10/22/10

Well, we are back from the Border Collie National Specialty but my head is still in the clouds. We had a very nice time at this event. It was held at Purina Farms in Gray Summit, Missouri. Brindi and Darby were entered in agility Thursday and Friday.

We arrived at Purina Farms Thursday morning. The agility was supposed to be held inside, but was moved outdoors at the very last minute. They had almost perfect weather for an outdoor trial, in my opinion. I would have like to have had the trial inside, but can understand why the event was moved outside. I don't really think the floor they installed is going to be any good for agility. Rumor has it that some dogs tore the pads of their feet at the trial held there prior to the BC Nationals. So, overall I am fine with the trial being held outside.



Darby is AWESOME! She earned a 3rd place Q in Standard on Thursday. They give out lots of prizes with ribbons, so she got a 3rd place ribbon, a Q ribbon, and a Border Collie ornament. Brindi had her head in the clouds Thursday and was really just out enjoying the autumn air. She did not finish a course, but had a great time.



Darby and I also got to meet up with the lady who saved Darby from the shelter. Tracy rescued Darby (known then as Fusion) from a shelter in Ohio and allowed me to adopt her. I am so thankful to Tracy for rescuing Darby. Darby is truly an AWESOME dog, she's got a drive to play and a softer side for snuggling :)

Thursday evening I attended the Rescue dinner. I had a very nice dinner and then enjoyed the evening with some fellow BC owners. They had an auction and I "won" a new bed for the dogs. Sadie has pretty much claimed the bed and I really wanted to "win" it for her. It's a Sertapedic memory foam pet bed. Super SWEET. Then I won a silent auction gift pack which included a dog bowl, a rabbit tug toy/leash, and some flea & tick medicine. It was a super fun night!

We shared a room with a fellow ACE club member and it was a lot of fun. This is the first time my girlz have shared a room with other dogs. Everyone got along very well.

Friday morning we were there bright and early. Brindi was a little bit more focused during her standard run, but just barely. We still did not finish a course. I learned a VERY valuable lesson while running Darby in her Standard run. I, as the handler, am responsible for making sure the jumps and equipment are at the correct height. Darby happened to be the first 20 inch dog in her class. The previous dog jumped 24 inches. I didn't notice that the jumps were not set correctly. Darby has been having issues jumping 20 inches and has occassionally gone around a jump and has even gone under a jump. Well, with this course she was going under ALL of the jumps. I brought her around and had her jump them after she blew the jump off. I couldn't believe that she was blowing off every jump. I was sick. Then, when she got to the table she went UNDER it! She's NEVER EVER done that before. That's when I noticed it. Wow, that table is set REALLY high. The judge was nearby and I asked her if the table was set correctly. She asked what height my dog was supposed to be jumping, I said "20 inches". She said that the course was set for a dog jumping 24 inches. I was instantly upset. I was mad that I had made Darby jump that high. I was upset that we wasted a run, as we were not given another opportunity to run the course. I was so mad at myself I could have spit nails. I felt horrible. I almost left. I am glad I stuck it out.

After that the girlz and I took a little drive to calm down and go to Taco Bell :)
I had a nice lunch and we were READY for our last runs of the day. Darby ran first. Darby did spectacular!! She seemed really happy to be jumping 20 inches instead of 24 inches. She ended up with a 3rd place ribbon, a Q ribbon, and another BC ornament. While I was running Darby, Pam (fellow ACE member) had a little talk to Brindi. And it WORKED!! Brindi came out rarin' to go. She ran a SUPER CLEAN Jumpers course and earned a 1st place Q!! This was her 3rd JWW leg, so she also earned her Novice Jumpers Preferred Title!!! WOO HOO!!! WAY TO GO BRINDI!! I almost got lost on the course because I was too busy watching my beautiful dog run! But, I don't think it mattered because it seemed to me Brindi knew the course. She was running full throttle. I've never seen her run a course so independently. Man she ROCKED!!

So, we went up to the Event's Center and picked up all our loot. All in all Darby earned 2 Third place ribbons, 2 Q ribbons, and 2 BC ornaments. Brindi earned a First place ribbon, a Q ribbon, a New Title ribbon, and a BC ornament. It was a GREAT trip and a WONDERFUL experience!!



As we were leaving Purina Farms they were setting up for a frisbee tournament, so we stopped to see if we knew anyone there. Me and the Girlz were members of the Indy Dog & Disc Club when we lived in Indy. We ran into quite a few IDDC members! It was nice to see them again. Darby got to play frisbee and we got to visit for a bit before we headed home. I had a 3.5 hour drive to go and it was getting late. Just a note, there is NOTHING in between St. Louis and Evansville on I-64. NO gas stations, no fast food, no COFFEE, no nothing!!!

Next weekend will be our local fall AKC trial. Really looking forward to this trial, should be a LOT of fun!! I will be moving Darby back to Novice Preferred jumping 16 inches until she develops a true love of agility. She does all that I ask for but I think jumping 16 inches will be a lot more fun for her!

Terre Haute Kennel Club trial

I signed Brindi and Darby up for the Terre Haute Kennel Club agility trial this past Sunday. The trip was a family affair as I also brought along Sadie and Cosmo. I also had a beautiful Border Collie girl with me that was beginning her transport to Michigan. "Velvet" is now at her foster home with Great Lakes Border Collie Rescue. She is going to make whoever adopts her very happy. She's a great girl, very sweet!! This pic was taken of her during her transport.



Ok, back to the trial. This was an outdoor trial, which was the first outdoor trial for Darby and maybe the 2nd outdoor trial for Brindi. This shouldn't really be a big deal because we practice agility outside. But, this was a different location for me and my girlz to do agility. And it's finally feeling like autumn here in Southern Indiana, which brings out Brindi's wild side :) Brindi didn't even notice me out on the field with her. She did the first obstacle and then went crazy running around the place. Another distraction for her was the little girls doing the leash running. Usually Brindi doesn't pay much attention to the leash runners but these girls kept trying to get her attention. Good GRIEF!! Brindi really wanted to play with these little girls. Oh, well.

Darby was more focused on me. We actually completed the courses. Albeit, she had some refusals and didn't qualify, but at least she was there with me.

Sadie and Cosmo enjoyed hanging out and getting all that fresh autumn air without the hassle of running and jumping :)

All the girlz were passed out for the entire 2 hour drive home and were still worn out that evening. Pretty sure they enjoyed having the house to themselves on Monday when I went back to work :)

Next trial is in a few weeks in at Purina Farms, near St. Louis. It's the Border Collie Specialty and Brindi and Darby are entered. Can't hardly wait for this one. It'll probably be the biggest show we've ever entered. There will be herding, agility, rally, obedience, and conformation (I think). Should be a LOT of fun!!

Love LOL Dogs :)

Saw this and had to share :)

I'm back and I'll try harder

I've really let this blog thing go. I'm going to try and keep up with it from here on out.

Let's see. This weekend we were entered in our local club's NADAC trial. Brindi and Darby ran this weekend. Cosmo is experiencing stress while practicing agility and shows major stress at trials so she is on hiatus from agility. We are working with having fun!!

This was Darby's first NADAC trial and she did GREAT. She and Brindi ran in Touch and Go on Saturday, and ran Touch and Go, Regular Agility Round 1 and Round 2, and Tunnelers on Sunday. Brindi did pretty AWESOME too this weekend. :)


Darby won 3rd place in Touch and Go Saturday!! Then on Sunday she won another 3rd place in Touch and Go, a 4th place in Round 1 of Regular, and a 3rd place in Round 2 of Regular. She had a nice Tunnelers run, but we (I) are too slow. :)
So all in all Darby did a great job this weekend. No qualifying scores, but I'm sure she'll get them next time :)


Brindi did GREAT this weekend and is showing more confidence in her agility ability every run. She is doing great at working away and taking the obstacles in front of her and if I could get over watching her and start running we might get some Q's :)
I really enjoy watching Brindi run, she amazes me. I end up watching her and then I get lost. So sad about Brindi's handler :) She did have some interesting things happen during her runs this weekend, that I'm not sure we could train for. In her Round 1 Regular agility run the first 3 obstacles were hoop, weaves, jump. As Brindi was weaving, the bar on the next jump fell. It kind of spooked her a little (me too), but I looked back at the judge and he waved me on. So as we were heading for the jump, the barsetter decided he should fix the bar. So we're heading for the jump and the barsetter is heading for the jump. Brindi got super excited about this guy coming towards her. Usually(mostly) the barsetters wait until the dog is past the obstacle before they head out on the course. So Brindi is jumping up and is super excited about meeting this person. I look back at the judge and he tells me that I can try again. So we waited until the end of her height class and gave it another go. She did a lot better this time.

We had yet another interesting experience in tunnelers. This trial is held at a 4-H pole barn, with a dirt floor. Typically there are mice and birds in the building. So, as Brindi is heading for the 3rd tunnel a mouse took off running from the tunnel and headed off the course. What could Brindi do? She went after it! I was able to call her off and we finished the course, but did not place or Q. Still, I am very proud of Brindi. She is so much fun to run with!!


Saturday my sister, Amanda, and my niece, Alix came to hang out with me and watch the show. It was very nice to spend time with them. Alix really enjoyed watching all the dogs run and she is pretty sure that she could do it too. I hope to get her running agility as she grows up :)

Wow, what a weekend!!

We were entered in a 3-day agility trial in our hometown this past weekend. I entered Darby all 3 days, Cosmo was entered Friday and Saturday, and Brindi was entered Saturday and Sunday. I split them up for a couple of reasons. #1 - I don't feel like Brindi and Cosmo are that into the idea of a 3-day trial. Darby is driven enough that I felt like she could handle it. #2 - I am not ready for a 3-day trial. Well, I'm not ready for a 3-day trial running 3 dogs! OMD!! I ran all 3 of them on Saturday, and they totally rocked, but it was hard on me.



So, here is our weekend recap. I'm still up in the clouds!!

Well, me and my girlz had one of those once in a lifetime weekends at the EOC trial this weekend. I am still suffering from a very big head!!
On Friday I ran Cosmo and Darby. Cosmo earned 2nd Novice leg in Jumpers with a 1st place Q.



On Saturday, I ran all 3 girlz in Novice.
Cosmo earned her NAP title with a 2nd place Q (she placed 2nd to Darby :)). And then earned her NJP title with a 1st place Q!!! WOW!!!
Then Brindi earned her NAP title with a 2nd place Q. And earned her 2nd leg in Novice jumpers with a 1st place Q!!
And then, Darby earned her 2nd leg in Standard with a 1st place Q!
My girlz Q'd 5 out of 6 runs on Saturday!!! I am so proud of them!!



On Sunday I ran Brindi and Darby.
Brindi was entered in her first round of Open Standard. She did pretty good, but did pause halfway through the weave poles and looked at me as if to say that she was pretty sure she already did 6 poles. Open has 12 weave poles instead of 6, that are in Novice.

Darby earned her 2nd NAP leg with a 1st place Q.



What a weekend!! I am so very proud of my girlz!!!

Another GREAT weekend!!

This past weekend we went to Buckner, Kentucky for the Derby City Agility trial. We were entered Friday and Saturday. It's a 3-day trial, but I don't feel like we're ready for 3 full days of agility yet.

Friday started off great with Darby earning her 2nd Jumpers leg with a 3rd place Q!



Saturday Cosmo earned her first Jumpers leg with a 2nd place Q!! She did great! She came pretty close to earning her 3rd leg in Standard on Saturday, but came up short. She did great this weekend. She's been having allergy issues and hasn't really been herself for a very long time.




Saturday was great for Brindi also. She earned her 2nd Standard leg with a 1st place Q!! She was great!! And it was a tough run for her. It was thundering during her run and trying to get her to down on the table during a thunderstorm was difficult. She's not usually scared of thunder, but it's not something she's used to hearing while running agility. She did AWESOME!!



Darby had some very good runs both days. Her handler really needs some work. :) She might have done better if I would have been able to handle her better. I'm learning though :)

I'm so proud of my girlz!!

They were ready to go home on Saturday though!

Brindi's 1st AKC Q!

Brindi, Darby, and I had a great time this weekend. This was Darby's second trial and she did her best to make it memorable. :) She tried to weave through the jump wings. Not once, but twice. She pulled the wing on her the 2nd time. She ran the rest of the JWW course fine, except she didn't "see" the weaves. Darby did a good job all weekend and I'm having a lot of fun with her right off the bat.

Brindi was very good this weekend. She ran well for me Saturday in Jumpers and did really well in Standard, up until she had to do the teeter. She's not for sure about the new teeter. Sunday was a different story for her. She started off with a great Jumpers run. She was a victim of tunnel suck though, it got her twice in a row. After that though she ran a great course. Her Standard run was absolutely AWESOME!! She did the teeter (still with hesitation) and did great throughout the rest of the course. Well, until her handler did something weird right at the broad jump. So she ended up having to take the broad jump again, this time correctly. (Poor dog, shame about her handler :)). And after all was said and done she had earned a 2nd place and her 1st ever AKC Q!!!! We took 2nd to John & Monet (who also got their first AKC Q!)

Check her out, doesn't she look very proud of herself? What a girl!!

This first pic is of Brindi, Judge Rob, and me.



This second pic is of Brindi in our back yard.


It was a lot of fun this weekend!!!

Um, well except the heat!!!

Darby's Mother's Day gift

Mother's Day was Darby's first agility trial. She did GREAT!! Her first run was the standard agility course. She came very close to qualifying. We got a little tripped up in the weave poles. Those are tricky :)

Her second run was Jumpers with Weaves and she did AWESOME!!! She got a little tripped up in the weave poles, but we got through them. I was truly amazed at how well she did. Ended up she got a 1st place and her first AKC Q (qualifying score)!!! Wow!

Check her out!!




Brindi and Cosmo also ran on Sunday, but didn't have as good a turn out. Both girlz had moments of brilliance and I know they are very close to earning their Q's too. Poor little Cosmo was very distracted during her runs. Her allergies are pretty bad and she's now on steroids in conjunction with her allergy shots. Poor little girl!

Next trial will be our local agility club's AKC trial in Princeton next weekend. Can't hardly wait!!

Really HEAVY cookie!

I bought this Harry Potter cookie at the Vanderburgh Humane Society Dinner and Auction. Before I ate it I had Darby hold it for me.



Oh, and as you can tell Darby and I cut the grass that evening too :)

Never Welch on a Bet

That's Darby's AKC registered name. I applied for her Purebread Alternative Listing (PAL) number and her application was approved. She's a Border Collie. Of course! She's neurotic about balls, frisbee, and loves to try and herd just about anything! She's a great dog and lots of fun. This listing means that she can compete in AKC agility trials. Cool! So, I will have 3 novice agility dogs, Wow!

Finished product - Finally!

With a lot of help from my knitting friends I have finally finished this stocking!!! Wooo hoo!! I began this project almost 3 years ago. The bad news is that there is only one stocking and I have 4 dogs. I think they'll be happy enough to share. :) Cause, I doubt that I'll be making any more.

It so great to have friend to help you through projects. Thanks Chris!!