Vacation Report - May 2008

Jim had a week off work.
It was filled with this that and the other thing. :)

Go here for stuff that Jim did. Van work, garden work and such like.

Go here for our trip to the zoo. Warning this is fairly picture laden.

We also spent the weekend attending as volunteers at the Regionals trials for the Agility Association of Canada. We had a lot of fun. Saw a lot of dogs run. Some really good, some well... some that needed to do some more work on handling skills and/or focus. As volunteers we were treated well, though I found not as many messages of appreciation thrown my way as last year, thought that a bit odd. But hey, I did my job as best I could and had fun doing it. I stewarded, Jim ring crewed on Saturday. Sunday morning we listened to a sermon on the radio, and both of us ring crewed for the duration of the day. Jim received a Starbucks card for his help, I picked up a shirt and some pretty candles for helping out. OH! and in the Saturday raffle I won a new chair! Cool eh? Justin and Sassy stayed at gramma's house.

This morning Jim left at 700 a.m. to go the banner of truth Trust conference that he attends annually. He took a fellow pastor from town down with him.

So that's it. Justin and I will hold down the fort here this week. Jim will hopefully recoup some energies and life continues under God's good graces.

Cheers all!

hmm...a new pet sport??

Laughter

My boy made me laugh.

After a busy three days of volunteering at the nationals for the AAC (boy I had fun). I saw some really, really good runs. I saw some.... okay...this run is not so .... well... not so good. :) I heard comments of... but "AH!!!! My dog is 9.5 years old and has never been a tunnel suck! Why is she a tunnel suck today?!!!!!" and "I'm really happy with how he ran that course" (handler talking about her dog) and "nice run". Comments of "thank you for volunteering" where much appreciated as well.

Anyways, I stopped in at my parents to pick up Justin. As we were getting ready to go home, I asked Justin if there was anything he wanted to bring with him.

He immediately responded with "Oma, Oma coming?"

Made all three of us adults just laugh.

You'd almost thing this boyo had a good time at his Papa's and Oma's house. :)

AAC Nationals 2007

I am leaving Jim alone at home with our two dogs and other critters.

My boyo is going to visit Papa and Oma (my parents) for the weekend.

I am going to go play with other dogs and their people. Sassy would be SO jealous if she knew. :) I am staying with friends in Guelph overnight.

Held in Halton Hills, the agility association of Canada is having the 2007 national championships.

if you live in the area, feel free to drop by. It's a lot of fun, watching dogs having fun! :)

My schedule:

Your scheduled activities and shifts are:
· Friday August 17th, 2007
  · 8:00 AM to 10:30 AM: Ring Crew - Ring 6
  · 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM: Ring Crew - Ring 5
  · 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM: Ring Crew - Ring 5
· Saturday August 18th, 2007
  · 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM: Gate Steward - Ring 1
  · 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM: Gate Steward - Ring 1
  · 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM: Gate Steward - Ring 1
· Sunday August 19th, 2007
  · 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM: Steeplechase Final Ring Crew
So I will be kept busy.  :)
I am SO looking forward to it.  

I get to watch good dogs run!  :)  

Highlight of the weekend will be steeplechase finale.

I know this dog! Fouine!

I love doing agility. I also love getting to know some of the dogs and handlers in agility.

This fellow who runs this dog is a class act. His Fouine is a nice dog too.

Anyways, he had his final gamblers run with Fouine taped. Go here to see it. :) They did a difficult gamblers course rather well. I am thrilled for them.

Agility - I'm really not so crazy....

I found this funny. There are pictures to be found on the web-site, but this is the text. Made me think, I'm really not so crazy after-all! :)

It was one for the record books -- the Merrimac DTC Agility Trial on April 7, 2007, in Gloucester, Va. Who knew that Mother Nature would provide 4 inches of snow on Easter weekend!

Exhibitors looked over the snow covered fields at 7 a.m. Saturday shaking their heads, knowing the trial couldn't possibly go on and would have to be canceled. The decision was made to postpone the trial for two hours, until 10 a.m., to see if conditions would improve. A group of dedicated volunteers (Linda Amrein, Sam Banks, Holly Boyd, Jean Conroy, Laurene Galgano, Eleanor Hawkins, Denise McDonald, Brad Mykins, Candy Stephens, Karen Stewart, John Taylor, Lynn Ward) stormed the field determined to show that a little snow wouldn't stop the trial.

After two solid hours of back-breaking work to remove the snow from the Standard ring, the snow was rolled off the field into huge snow balls and scooped into buckets by hand. As it became apparent that there was hope of a trial, more exhibitors joined in the snow removal effort. The Trial Committee met, approved the conditions as safe to run and brought our judge, Rhonda Crane, out to inspect the fields. Once approved, it was decided that all classes would be held in the Standard ring, and the start time was set for 11 a.m.

Again, volunteers went to work and swarmed the JWW ring, headed up by Jim Smotrel, Tracy Fletcher and Brad Mykins, who worked tirelessly through the EXC STD class. The JWW ring was cleared in time to run Jumpers classes after the Open STD had finished.

Without everyone's help, not only would the Saturday trial been canceled but the trial on Sunday would have been so muddy that it would have been miserable and treacherous for handlers and dogs. Well done.

...and the trial went on! Four-inches of snow was no match for agility aficionados who worked diligently and creatively to clear the courses in time for the trial to proceed.

Just back

Okay.. just back from our weekend away. Boy...did I have fun.

Granted it was mixed with concern for my parents and how my dad was doing, but being surrounded by dogs and dog people all weekend was just a lot of fun. :)

Watched some totally amazing runs. Met some people that are just "the thing" in the world of dog agility and learned that even though I don't have a booming voice, I too, can be an effective gate steward. It was good.

My parents and Marisa took excellent care of Justin, but he's just totally wiped because he was totally off routine, didn't eat very well, and well....it was a stressful house. He did an excellent job of helping my dad smile throughout this pain-filled weekend. When I asked my mom how things went, she smiled and said "he's all boy, just so ALL boy". :) She enjoyed getting to know him a bit better so that was a blessing for them I think.

Anyways, my dad.
Still in a lot of pain. Getting a wee bit better from the infection. But the meds make him feel ill so all he does is feel icky all through. They are going to the doctor this afternoon (Monday) who did the surgery to see what he thinks about it all. They are not sure if he will need to continue the IV antibiotics or not.

It's my mom's birthday today. 70 years old! She's a great lady. Loves the Lord God deeply. This birthday is turning out to be "less fun" than planned. So feel free to email her and wish her a happy birthday. tinholt (at) porchlight (dot) com It just might make her smile. :)

Our weekend Plans

This is where Jim and I will be this weekend. We are both volunteering.

Justin will be at Mom and Dad's (my parents) for the weekend.

The dogs will be at Mom's (Jim's parent) for the weekend. Eva will probably laugh when she sees Sassy. And that's okay. :)

I have to admit I"m rather nervous. They've asked me to gate steward most of the day on Saturday. Me... little old me, who has only gated for SMALL trials and who knows how "stressed out" people can get about this that and the other thing and that makes the gate steward a prime target. Ah well..... Hopefully I'll have fun anyways, if not... I can quit! (yeah right).

Why isn't Sassy participating you might ask?

1. They also compete on Sundays and with the regionals you pay for all the runs whether you play or not. And since I won't play on Sundays it would be wasted cash, and I'm just not big into that for some strange reason. :)
2. This year wasn't even an option as Sassy has been limping off and on her left back leg. Mind you after clipping her down....that might have been a hair problem....not sure. Will continue monitoring her.

Anyways, Jim got home safe and sound last night. He was very quiet.

I didn't sleep well because of the heat and someone took away the fan....have NO idea where it went...into the guest room perhaps? (Jim????) Happened while I was sleeping but I did wake up to ...huh? the fan? Ah well... hope he slept better than I did.

Anyways, need to go be productive. I tried doing my devotions but nothing is sticking in this tried brain OTHER THAN that fact that yesterday I made a booboo. Revelations 1 doesn't talk about the seven churches, it's Revelations 2 and 3 that do that. So my apologies for the error.

Recent Big Discussion

As you know, I like to do agility with my dog Sassy.

I LOVE doing agility. Do I do it as often as I would like? no.

1. can't afford it
2. don't have time as I've an active toddler
3. it's winter and cold outside, so practicing outside doesn't happen so much
4. life is just life....

BUT I do like to get out and be involved at least 4-6 times per year. I love it when Sassy does well and will crow about her until the cows come home. :)

Anyways, that's not what this post is about. I'm part of the AgilCan yahoo group. it is the message board of the Agility Association of Canada. Here after called AAC. Right now they are having a huge discussion on the fact that it used to take 300 points to qualify for the nationals (at the regional event), and in 2008 it will take 400 points to do the same thing.

I can understand their reasoning. Too many people were qualifying for the nationals. The nationals are our "prestigious event". Too many people, too many dogs, too hard to find a good location, too hard to find enough volunteers, which all leads too hard to find people to host it.

There are times when I think the AAC needs to switch from being a volunteer run organization to a paid position organization. But that's another topic.

People are mad because they as "members" weren't consulted. They are all offended that this seems a surprise decision (and Yes, I do have to concede that fact it caught me off guard), but more that this surprise decision was made without having everyone vote on it first. Seems a bit silly to me.

If you have everyone vote on this issue, where do you draw the line? It's an issue like every other issue. Let the board handle it. We have a board. We elected them. We have to trust that they will use their brains, their statistics and such like in order to come to a good decision.

Yes, 100 points is huge jump. BUT we have 1.7 years to prepare! The best dogs should be able to get 400 points. That's not requiring 6 clean rounds, that's 3 clear rounds and at least one pretty decent run. Over two days, most dogs should be able to do that just fine.

Would I have liked to see an incremental increase? yes. Would have been easy enough to implement. say 350 this year, and then 400 the following year. People probably would have been less upset with that.

It will cut out some dogs. Guess what? That's the nature of having a competitive sport.
It doesn't stop people from entering. You can still go and say you ran at the regionals, AND if perhaps you happen to qualify for the nationals WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Maj0r party time, and if you can make it to the nationals and have another good weekend...well then just rock on!!!!

If not, like thousands of other competitors out there....go .... ah well... it was another learning experience and we had fun trying.

So why else are people upset?
1. It's not fair (is a huge complaint)
2. We weren't notified
3. Agility is supposed to be all inclusive. 400 points will exclude me or my best friends dog therefore I'm not coming cause you really don't want to include me
4. Should have differences for the size of dog involved. ie. the really small dogs should only have to shoot for 300 points, and everyone else for 400 points.
5. offering alternatives. Like...let everyone run and only let the top X% percent go to the nationals.

My answers to the upset reasons
1. STOP WHINING! Trust your board to make good decisions.
2. STOP WHINING! Trust your board to make good decisions.
3. GET OVER IT! These are the top levels of competition for our organizations. Not everyone can be top dog. you have all year to run around with your best friend and your dogs. do that. Know that this is competition at it's best. we can't all be the best. and who knows, you can come you can try and perhaps you and your dog (or your best friends and their dog) might have a totally rocking weekend and you just might qualify. It's happened before. (it's called being the dark horse of the competition) (or dark dog as the case might be)
4. I can see some merit to this idea, but then more cries of unfairness will happen. Some small dogs can totally knock the socks of some of the good big dogs out there. So... if there are a few less that can do it, guess what...it's YOUR choice in dog and breeding. Live and love your dog that you chose to live and love. Don't whine about it. I can see doing small dogs at 350 points. Not 300, but then a small dog course should be set up with all the challenges that larger dogs have to face. Make for an interesting challenge that would! :)
5. I can see the merit the having only the top x% go on to the nationals. It would really limit the number of dogs going. Make for a smaller nationals. Would be easier to put on. How do you choose the percentage numbers? What if some in the top percentages don't want to go to nationals (life, $$, etc interfere) would you do down the list and say okay, dog number 3 can't go so let's see if dog number 23 wants to? That might be insulting... You'd want to make sure enough dogs go to the nationals to afford putting them on. So there's lots of things to consider with that scenario as well.


I would love to go the regionals with my dog. It would be a complete hoot!
I won't because
1. it runs over a Sunday. And Sunday is a day of rest and worship... for the whole tribe!
2. I don't think my Sassy dog would cope well. She gets tired at one day trials. By the end of the day she is just shot. Too many dogs, too much noise and not enough just me time. Two days would wipe her out, and day two would probably be a complete waste of time for her. And I'm NOT spending $90 to trial for just one day. Just not doing it. :)

So what do I do instead? I volunteer. I am SO looking forward to it this year. The regionals AND the nationals are close to home! I get to volunteer at both of them!!!!!!!! Isn't that great or what!?!?!?! :)