My Girlie ROCKS!!!!

The trial: Jumping for Joy Trial in Maryhill, Ontario.

The date: July 1, 2006

The judge: Billie Mclean

The organizing body: Agility Association of Canada (AAC)

The events entered: Advanced Standard, Advanced Gamblers, Advanced Jumpers.

MY GIRLIE ROCKS!!!!!  

Yes indeedy!   A hot day, camping with fireworks.  Nervous girlie.  Had a hard time settling, wouldn't eat her supper or her breakfast (needed to bribed of all things with BACON!!)   She ROCKS!!!

The night before: dropped Riley (actually on thursday night at my hubbie's mom), dropped our son at my parents (on Friday).   Headed up to the trial site.  Camped.   There were fireworks.  Sassy was unimpressed.  One of the participants drove onto a stump, that caused a kerfluffle, Sassy was unimpressed.

First the standard run.    Sassy was one of the last dogs to run.  NO OTHER DOG completed the course clean and under time.  I got a tad bit nervous at that point.  The standard course time was 67 seconds, Sassy squeaked...literally squeaked through at 66.70 seconds!   WOW... call that cutting it close.   Wouldn't have been so close if the weaves hadn't freaked her out a bit.  Took three attempts to get it right, (she kept missing a pole here and there).  BUT she did it.  She got those poles completed, she picked up some speed, and we squeaked it through!!!  YEAH FOR MY GIRLIE!!!!

Then we had the gamble.   For some reason, I like doing the gambles but I find them somewhat nervewracking trying to figure out what I think is best to do for me and Sassy.    BUT Sassy did EXACTLY what I asked her to do, at a rather pokey speed, but everything that I asked, I had planned a bit more in case she wasn't pokey, but that would have just been gravy.... She sended with 64 points!  Yeah for Sassy.
She did the gamble!!!   She was one of I think two dogs that completed the gamble.  Comments overheard afterwards: "Nice gamble by that dog", "Good run!"

She started to relax....good dog!   :)  Ate some food!   Yeah for stressors leaving! 

The Jumpers course.   Looked challenging, proven to be in some ways to almost everyone out there.   I was conflicted about how to do the opening, to I run on one side knowing that would draw her to the wrong side of a tunnel farther down OR do I risk a harder opening and know that, that wrong tunnel will be less attractive?  I chose the latter.   So....Sassy unfortunately got a refusal at a tunnel because I didn't clearly indicate it enough thinking it was just a straight run.  BAD HANDLER!   BUT!!!!!   She still came in first!!!!!!   :)  She had 3.23 time faults and 5 faults for the refusal.   She gave it an honest try...just had a really sucky handler!     Didn't help at all that we had taken the trailer down so we could get going as soon as possible after the trial was done so she was all stressed that we were leaving and she wasn't allowed in the van.  She is such a silly dog sometimes.

Would I trial under Billie again?  Yes, I like her open courses.

Would I trial at Jumping for Joy again?  yes.  I would love to not have quite so many mosquitos, but it was a good trial.  Well run.  Met lots of nice people.   Calm, relaxed atmosphere.  They treat their volunteers decent.  Good place to exercise your dogs close by.   Just very nice place.