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!