Pads

Pads is a nice show run by a friendly group of people. Also there are a good seltection of classes and the dogs get quite a few runs. Roger and I had been asked to ring manage for our friend Don Nunn who was judging - this was interesting in that the ring party was made up of people given a one hour to slot to help many of whom did not turn up and I know a lot of them were there but I could nto be bothered with the hassle of chasing round after them. Yes I know their one hour slot might not have been at a good time for them but they could have come along at another time during the day....grrr moan over! So Many Thanks to some friends especially Joy and Linda who both helped loads which really made our life a lot easier.

I have made some lovely friends competing in the Medium Classes, one thing thats really nice is that we all can offer advice to each other when walking the course, have got to know each other and the dogs, can commiserate when things don't go to plan and celebrate when things do - of course we have these friends at our own clubs but these are people spread all over the country which for me is the really nice part of this. One of these nice people Mike who has a lovely Medium Blue Border Collie called Gemma has a friend called Ian who comes along to a lot of the shows and Ian has started to take photos of the dogs competing so here is one of Cads:-

My dogs did really well on the Saturday:- Cad got 2nd in Medium 3-5 Graded Agility (the Grade 5 bit) and 4th in Medium 3-5 Combined Jumping. Fleet got 5th in 3-5 Combined Jumping and a 10th in 3-5 Combined Agility and also got through a few round of the knockout running with Matt and Buddy - we only needed to get through one more round to qualify but maybe it's best that we didn't as it means that Matt can still run in the next heat with Tasha and Sue! It was really nice that the Veterans had two runs - a Veteran Jumping (Rip came 5th) and an Anysize Jumping (Rip came 5th and Fog came 8th).

We went out for a nice meal with Don and Christine on the Saturday evening at a local pub that we have been to before.

On the Sunday Cads had one messy clear in a really tricky agility - he really did not want to go back up the course and do a jump as he had spied the see-saw and really wanted to do that - cheeky little chap! The rest of my runs with Fleet and Cads had some good bits just not clear. Fog went clear in Anysize (he only does anysize now as the higher jumps in Veteran he can't manage...:(...) Rip got 7th in Anysize and 9th in Veteran Jumping.

I keep getting behind!

Oh dear I am have such good intentions and then they fall by the wayside! I will try and do a quick re-cap of what we have been up to.

Mad Weekend - it seemed like a good idea on the weekend of 17th/18th May to go to Ribble for their one day (inside!) show and then nip (haha) across to Dog Vegas for the Sunday - Roger was working on the Saturday and he wanted to compete on the Sunday and that was the only show just about within reach....phew it was a lot of driving though!

At Ribble Cads got a 2nd in 4/5 Agility and a 3rd in 1-7 Helter Skelter, Fleet got a 3rd in 5-7 Jumping and I got clears with Josie and JaiJai just out of the places (JaiJai's runs were taken very steady due to the plastic poles!) and Rip did a lovely run in a clear round only Anysize. I nearly left JaiJai behind...long story...!

Dog Vegas was ok - nice to have 4 runs with Cads however they were all 5-7 combined and small in number and the standard was very good with speedy legged G7 and Ag Ch collies there - bless him he did lovely clears in the jumpings and was 1 and 2 out of the places. Fleet came 4th in 3-5 Agility - afterwards I found out it was a Dog Vegas Qualifier and the first 4 qualify for a final in August - with shows and travelling I am not sure we can attend but its nice to qualify. Rip had a place in Anysize. Roger had no clears but his dogs did some good bits.

hmmmm Supadogs...well there has already been lots of postings on the weather/river overflowing....it is a flood plain so it was only really a matter of time and after two nights in the caravan with hardly any sleep due to rain and high winds I was actually glad to get home to walls made of bricks...much as I luv my caravan! Roger was working the first day and so I had his two to run...I got a 9th in Grade 4 Jumping with Josie and an 11th in Grade 5 Jumping with Fleet and JaiJai did an awesome run in 3/4 Agility just spoiled by going into the second weave. On the Sunday Fleet got a 20th in a large in number 4/5 Jumping. Rip and Fog had clears in Vets/Anysize.

I cancelled 2 days leave and went back to work - the weather was not that nice and I would rather save the leave to take at another time.

Phew I thinks that's it I have caught up - need to do a separate posting on Pads Show.

Tunbridge Wells

We drove each day as Roger was judging on the Sunday and I did not fancy having to pack away after he had finished judging and take the caravan back to storage on the way home.

On the Saturday Fleet had a nice clear in Grade 5 Jumping and came 6th. He also had a messy clear in the Chum Team but some of our Team mates were not clear. Fleet came 11th in the KC Novice which I was pleased about as he worked it nicely and had to wait for me to catch up on the contacts! No clears again for Roger and his two.

On the Sunday I had three early runs - Rip had Veteran Jumping and came 6th, Foggy had a clear in Anysize, and Fleets Team were drawn quite early in the Crufts Team and we all went clear - Pia and Maisie, Sue and Millie, Nigel and Shaya and Me and Fleet. We kept popping back to see how far we had been knocked down and we hadn't the class was closed and we had won the Crufts Team - wow so pleased and off to Crufts we go - March 2009 seems a loooong way away!

Fleet did a stunning run in Grade 5 Jumping - even having to do 6 weaves on the other side which is not his strong point and if he is clear I don't tend to try but the course meant you really had to so we gave it a go. My wow and amazement continued as he went into the lead and stayed there - 1st. Yay what a Superstar Fleety- I was very proud of him :) To bring us down to earth Fleet had a messy clear in 3-5 Jumping stopping dead in his tracks at one point cos I was trying to switch behind and came 22nd! Fleet had a Grade 5 Agility which I decided not to do - I had done almost the same course with Cad for the KC Medium and the ring was like half as wide again as a normal ring - just the sort of course to make Fleet spin/bark/come back to me.

Cad missed the weaves in the Kc Medium - it was a hard entry and I thought I would let him see if he could find it and he missed out a jump in the 4-5 Jumping.

Here is a photo of Fleet with his trophies from Tunbridge and also Shrewsbury - I really tried to get a close up of the Shrewsbury one which was sooo cool and had a dog weaving inside the block of crystal.


Roger had a small breakthough in that for a change he was entered in Agility with Josie he has been on and off trying to re-train her contacts as they were so awful - she had a nice clear in Grade 4 Agility - the contacts were a little too slow ofr a place but at least she got them and he worked them well to the floor and praised her before releasing.

Vyne

Just a short post on Vyne - still trying to catch up on the last few weeks!

It was lovely to be back running Cads but I feel a bit rusty with him. Bless him he did three clear rounds - a messy 1-7 KC, a messy 5-6 Agility and a nice clear on a flowing 4-5 Jumping - he was just out of the places in the Jumping and here is a photo kindly taken by Arthur of Cad in the jumping


Fleet did a clear on a nice Grade 5 Jumping but it was a rather up and down course and he was just out of the places. He did a lovely run on 3-5 Jumping and I got 3 reverses in that I did not think I could so was well pleased with that and then we had the last pole down. He was a goon in his Grade 5 Agility.

It was Rips Birthday - he was 12 and he got placed in the Anysize and Foggy also went clear.


Roger had some nice runs including a messy clear with Josie but no places.

Shrewsbury

Fiona kindly saved me a camping space as I had Cad at the Vets in the morning and I was worried I would get there late and be parked in the back of beyond, I had a good journey there and it was a nice spot to camp with only a short walk to the rings - Ta Fiona :)

This was Cads first show back after the ear-ole issues....well even though the Vet said he was fine I ran him like a pansy in the first run thinking oh gawd if I whizz him through the weaves or anywhere and he knocks his ear I will feel awful....so he ran a nice steady clear round looking at me a bit bemused on the way round and was just out of the places. In the next run I thought lets just try and run as normal and he was whizzing round and then .....he got blown off the dog walk! He landed on his feet and seemed fine - thank gawd! He did a lovely run in the KC Medium Class till jump 18....and an E in a jumping class and the pairs. It was nice to be back running him again though :)

Now a funny story about Ruby - Kaisers Mum - due to van trouble Mark was not at the show but Ruby was due to do pairs with Sue and Merc so Marie brought her along but as she was judging that day so kindly said I could run her - Mark had said he was not 100% sure she would go with me but it was worth a try as she is always seems pleased to see me - I had 6/7 Agility first and she did jump 1, 2 and then ran away! Luckily only down to the side of the ring where Marie was judging. We did chuckle that an Ag Ch that loves agility really does love her Dad more than agility...but she did run nicely with Marie on the Sunday :)

Fleet was a star in 5-7 Graded Agility for some reason he whizzed round without looking back once and I released him as soon as he stopped on the contacts and then thought I would check my time only to find he was in the lead....argh anyone who knows me knows that I really done want Fleet Senior/Grade 6 as his handler is much too dippy and also he seems to get easily confused on stuff thats too tricky. It was a Graded Class with the grades running in order 5..6..7 and the 7's had started to run and he was still in the lead....eeek....luckily a Grade 5 then came along and beat him phew! We were very pleased to be 2nd :)

Fleet had the Adams Derby to compete in and it really was not power and speed and was renamed by me as power and pull through.....I can become a bit determined sometimes and think I will not let this darn course beat me.....one of the pull throughs was not pretty but I was very pleased to come 3rd and Qualify for the Adams Derby Final in July.

On the Sunday Tom Hadaway was judging and kindly said I could run his dog Panic as she is not registered in his name - I have never run her before and she was fab - she is Grade 4 but knocking on the door to win out with jumping wins - we came 5th in Grade 4-5 Combined Jumping and then scarily had to run in Tom's Graded 4-5 Jumping - she was awesome and flew round until one jump to go and I thought she was with me but she flew ahead over the start instead of going over the finish doh!

Roger had no JaiJai clears but he did nice bits in some. Josie got a 7th in Grade 4 Jumping and a 6th in Grade 4-5 Combined Jumping (ooops I beat him with Panic!)

Some photos taken by Mike Fairlamb on Sues camera - Oi Mike none of My Dogs! I have included one of Sues Pixie(dora) as she won Grade 4-5 Combined Agility so up to Grade 5 they went.

Catching up....again!

Ok I have been a bad blogger (again!) there just do not seem to be enough hours in the day and each time I think ah I must update the blog my brain is tired!

I will do a little re-cap fo what we have been up to.......

WBSDS another little show of 12 rings! Still no Cads to run and I do miss running the little furry chap. Fleet did some lovely runs on some well thought out courses with just a 5r (Fran Walton and David Isbisters courses), Fleet did have a nice clear on a course I did not think I could do (Ian Balchins) it was just one part that I thought I could not do and yippee we managed it - hard to describe but a snake that you came at with the handler left behind (or rather me left behind some faster on their legs peeps got in front!) and there was a pull through at the end of the snake - Fleet had a run off which he won and came 8th. Fog and Rip had fun in the clear round only anysize classes.....it's a good job I luv those pesky old things as with Wallingford and WBSDS it worked out £15 on 6 clear round only classes for them - I know they don't care if there are no rosettes on offer but I prefer it! Roger got a 2nd with Josie in 4-5 Graded Jumping - it was an erm...interesting course so it suited them well.

Cads ear....well things seem to be doing ok, he was sedated to have the stitches out and he was so happy to finally have the bucket off his head! I think the ear is still a bit tender but the Vet said that is to be expected but fingers crossed the Op has worked.

Kaiser is loving going to shows and has got to meet some of this brothers and sisters, seen his Mum Ruby and big half bro Puck and big half sister too.

Shrewsbury, Vyne and Tunbridge to follow and hopefully some photos!

Wallingford and a Cadders update....

Well Saturday at Wallingford was very very cold and seemed to go on forever!

Roger was on call for work and managed to do his 5 individual runs before he got called away to work - only leaving the Team where Josie and JaiJai both had to run in the same team - bless him Bill had a go at running JaiJai never having run him before and he did one jump and then came to me and Josie, Josie was actually a bit mad and took the wrong jump! Roger did manage one messy clear with Josie prior to going to work and got 12th in 3/4 Jumping.

Fleet decided all weekend that he would just go clear in Teams and pairs :) Lovely clear in the pairs knockout but our partner had a pole down - really we were quite unlucky to go out with 5 faults as people ahead of us were getting through with loads of faults including E's. Fleet also did a lovely clear in his Team but a couple of others had faults. He had faults in his Grade 5 Agility and Jumping - some me and some him - it's nice to share :) On Sunday Fleets only run was Large/Medium pairs - again a lovely clear then our partner did go clear but had a long deviation which put us just out of the places. Roger with Josie was due to run in this class with Cad but he got a surrogate partner and they came 9th. JaiJai and little Jaf shared the faults of 5 each. Jaf had a clear in his Team on Saturday and a clear in 4/5 Jumping on Sunday.

Ripley had a lovely clear in Anysize and Fog had the first pole down - it was a clear round only class which is not my favourite but the boys don't mind!

I did miss running Cadbury - on the dryer warmer Sunday he did have a walk round the rings at lunchtime. Funny that a few people thought his dressing was some kind of fashion statement!

Cadbury of course had his first Op and then a week later a middle part of his wound was not mending as well as it should so he had a 2nd Op and this was when they wrapped his head in a trendy bandage! He had that on for 5 days and is now just back to wearing the bucket which he hates but he really must as he could rip his ear so easily with a back claw. I must say it's been truly awful - 2 operations and such a sad Cadders and he still has stitches in his ear - hopefully these will be out next Tuesday. Also trying to ensure a rather bouncy Kelpie pup does not leap about near him has been hard work!

A couple of photos fo the trnedy bandage!