Agility Days of May

We were pretty busy in May. On May 14, we did just one day of an AKC trial hosted by Port Chester OTC, held in FDR Park in Yorktown Heights, NY. Dandy knocked on bar in Excellent JWW and my handler error caused an off-course in Excellent Standard. So no Q’s but he ran really well. Tempo made his AKC debut. He had one bar down in Novice JWW but he qualified in Novice Standard with one refusal and a score of 95 and 2nd place. His brother Quid took 1st!

May 21-22, we were back to USDAA at the Contact Agility Club trial in Dover Plains, NY. In Starters Standard, Tempo had 2 bars down on Saturday, and a wrong course on Sunday. His only other class was Starters Pairs Relay, which he did earn a Q in with a 1st place. On Saturday, Dandy’s only Q was in Master Jumpers, but besides being 1st place in  26”, he also posted the fastest time of ALL jump heights, 149 yards in 22.49 seconds. On Sunday, Dandy went 3 for 3! He qualified in Masters Standard with 2nd place, Masters Snooker with 4th place, and Masters Jumpers with another 1st place. A good day for Dandy

May 28-29, we were in Saratoga Springs, NY, for the Y Agility trial. Tempo was only entered in Starters Standard both days. He qualified on Saturday with a 1st place for his first Standard leg. Sunday was not so successful . My main objective for Dandy this weekend was to qualify in Team for this year’s nationals, which we did, with a Silver Medal to boot! Dandy had great teammates with Jeanne & Zeke, and Terri & Rise, and we won the Team Relay class.  Individually, Dandy placed 2nd in Team Snooker, Team Gamblers and Team Standard, and was the highest scoring 26” dog. He also earned another Q and 1st place in Masters Jumpers. Very proud of my Dandy!

Tempo is a work in progress and we still have many skills to work on together. I’m in no hurry to get titles on him, continuing to enter just one class a day, for the most part. A little experience & mileage mixed in with his training, so hopefully next year he’ll be ready for primetime.

Summer weather has arrived and in between trials & training, the boys are enjoying their swims at the lake.

Let May begin!

After a rainy and snowy April, we hope that May will bring us more pleasant weather!

We closed out April and welcomed May with a USDAA trial hosted by High Octane in Bethlehem, PA. Dandy qualified in Master Pairs Relay, Master Standard with 3rd place, Master Gamblers with 3rd place and Master Jumpers with 2nd place, which finished his JCH title (Jumpers Champion). He had one bar down in Steeplechase and got hung up in the weaves, so we did not make the cut to qualify. He had a beautiful Grand Prix run but missed his A-Frame contact so we did not qualify. I think that was the first time he actually missed an A-Frame…so it’s summer school for Dandy <g>. He seems to think he should join the trend to do running A-Frames but I disagree

Tempo made his debut in Starters Standard. On Saturday, the dogwalk was the 2nd obstacle and he lost his balance across the top and had to bail. He landed gracefully on his feet, so we continued on and he was fine with the A-Frame and Seesaw, and also did great weaves. Tempo has only been on a full-height dogwalk about 4 times, and he’s never been on one outside. So our running in Standard is primarily to expose him to different equipment and to habituate to new environments. On Sunday, he was fine with the dogwalk as well as everything else, but he knocked one bar, so again we did not qualify. But I was very happy with his focus and how well he acclimated to all the new experiences. He did qualify in Starters Gamblers with a 1st place, he did a beautiful job with that class!

This weekend, we finally got outside to do some training. Next weekend, just one day of an AKC trial…Dandy in Excellent B, and Tempo making his AKC debut in Novice. Then we’ll be back to USDAA for the next several weeks.

So On We Go…

I have not updated the blog since my post about Token. My heart has a huge hole in it, but I know that every day with Dandy & Tempo is precious. So we are back to competing and honoring Token’s legacy.

February 19-20, we went to Fitchburg, MA, for flyball. It was very hard to be there, Token would have finished his ONYX title there. Tempo raced fulltime and finished his FDCH. The awards ceremony was too emotional, but it was a big hurdle to get past.

March 5-6, we went to York, PA, for more flyball. Tempo earned his FDCH-Silver title, with a personal best time of 4.39 racing in the 2nd position. Dandy continued to race well with the Multi team. But I felt disconnected, I did not feel that my heart was into the racing. I’m not sure when or if we will do flyball again.

March 26-27, we went to our first Agility trial of 2011. The trial was in Barto, where we were for our last trial, back in November…the last place that Token competed, where he qualified for 2011 Nationals Team. Checking in at the gate, the first time I had to check-in Dandy, but not Token also…another difficult ‘first’ to get over. More tears, more baby steps. Dandy ran well but we were a bit rusty & out of sync as far as timing. He did qualify in Steeplechase with a 2nd place, his 2nd Q for 2011 Nationals. Tempo made his debut, running in Starters Gamblers and Jumpers. He didn’t qualify but did fairly well for his first time “away from home”. I had not planned to trial him this year so I have been lax in training him. But it’s time to get him started.

April 9-10, another USDAA Agility trial in High Falls, NY. Dandy qualified in Masters Standard with a 2nd place, finishing his SACH title (Standard Agility Champion). He also qualified in the all-important Grand Prix for his 2nd Q for 2011, so he is now qualified for Nationals in Grand Prix and Steeplechase. His GP run was 1st place which also earned him another bye into the Finals at a Regional event. He qualified in Steeplechase, with a 2nd place in the Finals. Tempo ran in Starters Jumpers both days, qualifying in both.

April 16-17, I entered Dandy only in a local AKC trial. On Saturday, Dandy qualified in Excellent A Standard, 1st place, to finish is AX title. On Sunday, we ran for Token in honor of what would have been his 8th birthday. Dandy ran like a champ, taking 1st place in Excellent B Standard and 4th place in Excellent B JWW earning his very first double Q along with 57 MACH points. A sad day but Dandy made me so very proud…I cherish every run, every moment.

April 23-24, back to USDAA at K9Logix in Greenfield, MA. Saturday was miserable…it was snowing in the morning, ground was slick, contacts were icy, temperatures in the 30s. The snow changed to rain but it was still frigid. Cold, wet, miserable. Dandy managed to qualify in Masters Standard with a 4th place, despite my poor handling. And he qualified in Steeplechase finishing 2nd in Round 1. Tempo’s Gamblers run was in the snow, so I didn’t let him do the dogwalk or seesaw, they were too slick, and he knocked the first bar in the Gamble. Sunday was a much better day, wore a tee shirt instead of 3 layers of fleece! Dandy ran well, but we didn’t manage to run clean. But we did run clean in Steeplechase Finals to take First Place! Tempo ran in Starters Jumpers and ran beautifully, qualifying for his 3rd Q in Jumpers to finish his Starters Jumpers title!

My plan for Tempo is to continue to enter just one class a day at trials, maybe two on occasion. I’m taking it slow as he still needs more training with obstacle performance, and he needs more skills. I’m hoping that we will be able to train outside SOON. This has been the winter that never ends!

I still miss Token every day, but I am so grateful to have Dandy & Tempo in my life. I am determined to enjoy every day I have with them both. Token has given me two beautiful gifts, his legacy lives on.

My Beloved Token

Merlynn Eclipse – April 17, 2003–January 14, 2011

Friday, January 14th, 2011…my heart was broken. My sweet Token passed away suddenly and unexpectedly.

When I arrived home from work, just before 5pm on Friday, Token welcomed me home as always…I invited him up into my arms for a hug and a kiss, and he gave me his usual sweet greeting. Minutes later, as I was getting prepared to give the dogs their supper, Token was standing still in the kitchen, as if in a daze. I spoke his name but he didn’t look up. He wandered into the bedroom where he laid down and lost continence. He then walked to the living room, laid down with a thud, and I grabbed the phone to call my veterinarian. It was just past 5pm, and I was referred to a 24 hour hospital. I called there to get directions, it was a 45 minute drive. By then Token’s breathing became labored and  his gums were white. He could not get up at all, he was totally limp; I clumsily picked him up and placed him in the front seat of my car, where he could be close to me. The drive to the hospital in Newton was excruciating…Friday night traffic, no passing zones, red lights… I stroked Token’s head and spoke to him as I drove…at some point, he seemed to no longer be moving. By the time I arrived at the hospital at 6pm, he was gone. I was certain it was a really bad dream, it just could NOT be real. But it was.

I requested a necropsy and what they found was a mass on his spleen that had ruptured and was bleeding internally. It all happened so fast, it was surreal. My only comfort is that he did not suffer…he went very quickly…and he did not appear to be in pain…he seemed to just go to sleep. But I am devastated and sad and numb, and I miss him terribly.

Token was a very special dog. He was sweet and loving, every person he ever met was his friend, including kids; he was bomb-proof, nothing ever seemed to worry him. He was athletic and talented, though I struggled with learning the proper way to handle him in Agility. He taught me so much as he needed very precise information from me, and if I didn’t give it to him, he would ask me to please be more specific! He was a natural at Flyball and he introduced me to a whole new sport that we had fun with in between agility trials.

He was always fun to run in both Agility and Flyball, he had a presence about him that could not be denied. But there was something special about him that had nothing to do with his performance…it had everything to do with his spirit and his heart. The best things that were ever said about Token came from spectators who knew little about the sport they were watching. Token seemed to get their attention just with his aura.  Years ago, a woman who ran a therapy dog program saw him in the waiting room of a veterinary office and she kept looking at him; she finally came up to me and told me that I had to do therapy work with him as he was “special”. Once at a flyball tournament in New Hampshire, a spectator told me he was “the coolest” thing she had seen all day. I replied that there were MANY Border Collies there that were really good, but she saw something unique in Token’s expression. I will never forget running him at an Agility Trial in Saratoga Springs…we didn’t run clean but that didn’t matter…a woman who had been watching came up to me and said “He is really special, isn’t he? I can just tell.” It wasn’t that he was “the best” or “the fastest”. It was something else altogether…and those of us who saw that in Token are all the better for it.

Token would often press his muzzle against my face. It was just one of the ways that he touched me both physically and emotionally. And that is what I’m remembering today. Not all the titles and ribbons that he won, nor the titles and ribbons we never did get…but the heart and soul of a very special dog that I was blessed to have in my life.

It hurts so much, he was taken way too soon. But I am blessed again to have two of Token’s sons. Dandy & Tempo are not carbon copies of Token, there was only ONE Token. But there are pieces of Token to be found in both of them, and they are my pride and joy, my heart and soul.

Thank you, Lynn, for bringing Token to my life. Thank you, Terri, for seeing Token’s aura, and thus bringing Dandy & Tempo into my life through Meg. Thank you, Cindy, for also carrying on Token’s legacy through Cass and Blur.

Dear Token, I adored you from the first moment I saw you and I will adore you forever.

Tempo’s Flyball Debut

Tempo made his debut in Flyball at the Jet Set tournament in York PA, December 4-5, 2010. At 14 months of age, I am still in shock...he maintained his boxturn all weekend!!! And he never faulted! He only raced 2 heats of 2 races on Saturday (5/5 format). He had ONE warm-up run before his first official heat. In his first heat, he dropped the ball at the box, it rolled all over, but he got it & brought it back over the jumps (no fault)...I was so impressed that he figured out to get back in the lane....and the correct lane, no less!!! His first race was in the Right Lane, which is hardest for him since he turns Left. Tempo was in the Right Lane for most of his races, and he never once crossed over to the other lane.

On Sunday, he ran all 5 heats in 3 of our 4 races. I didn't want to jeopardize the team's "wins" by running Tempo but even with Tempo running, we maintained our times, running in the 18's on Sunday, and were winning races! Tempo averaged 4.8 with the (semi-wide) pass, but he did post one decent time of 4.59. I did early-pass him once (MY fault), when he got a 4.4; but what impressed me was that he stayed in the lane with the early pass, so he wasn't too intimidated. :) He is not yet driving full-speed, he seems to be thinking about it all, but I'm thrilled with his consistency. He only bobbled the ball that ONE time, first heat. And the team he was on jumps 11", so that was another factor in the challenge for a baby dog. He ran anchor so he has yet to have a dog pass him on his way back, but that will be the next thing to try at practice this winter.

Tempo earned his FD (Flyball Dog) and FDX (Flyball Dog Excellent, 100 pts), with 341 points for the whole weekend. And his team placed First in Regular Division 2! A great way to earn his very first ribbons!

Setting the standard for Tempo to aspire to, Dandy raced well all weekend, his only faults being MY early passes. He earned 635 points and he finished his FMX title! (10,000 pts, Flyball Master Excellent). Dandy’s team was undefeated, placing First in Multi-Breed Division 1!

Token raced on our Regular Division 3 team, which placed 2nd out of 9 teams! He earned 675 points, benefiting from the 5/5 format. Dandy covered for him in a few heats as he twice decided to come back without the ball. I don’t know what was going on, but I pulled him and had Dandy finish those 2 races. Token is less than 500 points away from his ONYX title (20,000 points), so hopefully we will finish that title at the next tournament in February.

An exhausting weekend, but lots of fun. No events now until February, time to take a break

Last Agility Trial of the year….

November 20-21, 2010 – Kinetic Dog USDAA Tournament Only Trial

Dandy & Token both ran in the Team event as well as Grand Prix.

Token E’d with an off-course in Team Standard but he did well in the other classes…always on the edge, but hanging on!!! He took 1st place in Team Jumpers, 5th place in Team Snooker with 47 points, and 4th place in Team Gamblers. He was the 4th highest-scoring 26” dog overall. His team qualified in 7th place, so Token is now qualified for the Team event at the 2011 Nationals.

Dandy's team didn't qualify, but individually Dandy did great...we did suffer 1 off-course in Jumpers, but he took 1st place in Team Standard, 2nd place in Snooker with 50 points, and 2nd place in Gamblers (& just 1 refusal in Relay). Dandy was the highest-scoring 26" dog overall! :-)

We did not qualify in Grand Prix but we’ll try again in the spring!

November 13-14, 2010– Back to Flyball!

We had a super-fun weekend at Revolution Flyball's tournament in PA! Our club Infurno helped out all weekend by staffing one of the 2 rings with box judges, line judges and score table people. We were non-stop busy but still managed to race our 3 teams nicely.

Dandy raced really well as anchor for Multi 1, which took 2nd pl. Token was start dog for our Reg.3 team which took 4th...he had some good races, but I had to pull him from 2 races on Sunday as he was thinking with his wrong brain...

Tempo did Single Dog Racing on Friday night. His boxturn fell apart as we had to borrow one from another team and it was quite different than what he's been trained on. BUT he completed all 5 heats, last one from 45' back with his best time of 4.59 (with a really bad boxturn). Even when he bobbled the ball & it went rolling, he got it & found his own way back into the lane without missing any jumps. I have no idea how he knew to do that, considering he's only done a 'full run' once before! Hoping to give him a shot in a real race in December.

Game Time Photography took some nice pictures:

http://seegametimephotos.com/p920572607/e210313e0

http://seegametimephotos.com/p633593838/e2f84e002