It's mid-May, and the weather is confused...it feels more like winter than spring. Cold. Wind. Wet. I still have not been able to get my agility equipment set up outside yet. My dog training has been sporadic, at best, as it's hard to get motivated when I can't work them outside.
We did attend 2 outdoor trials recently, in Greenfield, MA. April 24-25 weekend was chilly but dry. The next weekend it was near 90 degrees. (And now I have had to turn the heat back on in my house.) The trials were very enjoyable, it was great to see everyone again! I took some pictures of dogs in action, and was pleased with the results, even though I need to practice alot more. (I've posted a few albums online in Picasa). Token and Dandy did quite well in spite of our lack of preparation/training. Even though most of our runs were not 'qualifying' due to mostly just one error, I was very happy with how Token & Dandy were running. Token's jumping was cleaner than ever, refusals/spins minimal, weaves good. Dandy is running with more confidence than last year, which means I have to ramp up my handling cues since he is a bit faster. With these two trials, he picked up qualifications in Jumpers (1st place), Pairs Relay, Standard (3rd pl), and in Steeplechase (1st place). Token earned a qualification in Steeplechase, so he now has the two he needs to enter Nationals in October.
I'm hoping to go to the USDAA Nationals in Kentucky, since it's the first time in 10 years that Nationals will be on the East Coast. Both Token and Dandy are qualified to enter the Team event, and Token is qualified to enter Steeplechase. Token needs two qualifications in Grand Prix to enter that class. Dandy needs one more Grand Prix and one more Steeplechase. Even if we don't get the GP Q's, we will go anyway and run in everything else.
In between work & dog stuff, I've been taking lots of pictures, including my niece Becca at her horseback riding lessons, and my nephew Aaron at his baseball games. I'm loving the new camera!
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