But of course, it's Bulldog weekend

You know when you are getting old when the same event has happened for decades and you still don't get it. Such as this weekend, Drake Relay's happening over in the Des Moines area.  It's cold.  It's windy.  It's wet and I'm at the same darn dog show that happens, usually, on the same weekend as the Relay's.

Go figure, you'd think I would learn?  No. Why? Because it's always a good weekend for us in Marshalltown.

Saturday was way too damn early but when it's only an hour + a little, much nicer to sleep in my own bed. It was cold and I had a run in the first pair of hose I tried on.  2nd set, no run until I put my finger through them.  Reminder to self, need to buy some new hose!  Finally found a useable set, me thinkest they were the Ms as they were fairly tight--that's my story and I'm sticking to it!  Found skirt, and I dressed warm with a toasty sweater and shirt.  What I did forget was my warm coat.  Just a jacket. 

So results?  Cy BOW for another point--where are all the damn smooth collies??  Connor BOV.  Cara the pem, BOB.  Nothing in the groups-those were pretty bizarre on Saturday.  Moose, okay, that's a totally seperate paragraph.

I jumped back in the obedience ring.  No excuses, okay, I have a few.  But no cardigans to show right now-everything is finished and not ready to special Pete or Charlie right now--actually there aren't great breed counts right now so just easier to leave them at home.  Anyway, Moose needs 2 legs on his CD then he can officially find a home that wants to put his herding titles on him. I tried hard to get Liz to take him for a run at an agility title but no luck yet--I'm still working on it.  The obedience building, warm.  OMG, what luxuary it is to have a performance dog, I so forgot about that.  I see more obedience in my future, at least the next 6 mos or so till cardigan babies ready to hit the ring. 

I'm wandering here.  So off to obedience Moose and I go.  Just one day, want to really see where he's at and I had originally planned on showing Pete to Paula on Sunday, but I forgot to enter her.  We waited and waited as the judge was easily running an hour behind. We were the last team out of 6 to go.  Was I nervous, of course!   You never know what Moose will do, especially when he has a crowd to entertain!  Heel on lead, not half bad.  As usual he heels wide.  But he's consistent.  I had a few tight leashes, again, I know its an issue with him and working on it, always working on it!  Figure 8-duh, I have so not worked on those-eek.  Okay, tight lead, no sit, but 2nd half much better.  He had an "oh duh" moment and remember what we were doing.  Stand for exam-perfect-love old show dogs!  Then, our enemy, the off leash heel.

Now Moose has a decent off leash heel, but as Alec and Meredith mentioned outside the ring afterwards, he also goes a little space cadet on me and forgets I'm there.  Start, good. First left turn, good.  Halt, good(wide but sat).  Then we lost it!  Forward, right turn, he went to the moon.  Halt-ear cocks back, checks in and he's like 6 feet from me, slightly ahead and the look on his face was "oh f***, I'm pretty certain I'm in deep shit, let's walk towards her and see if dropping my head slightly and looking sheepish will help".  He did check in, I did glare at him, he did not sit, but immediately his off leash heel was perfect, tight, great about turn other then I stepped on my pant leg as it had slightly unrolled by then.  Halt-perfect sit, focus and my dog had returned from space.  Forward, right turn, fast, normal, right turn--slight moment of spaceiness, but he came back to earth in a nano second, and finished with a nice halt and yes, he sat.  

At this point, I'm just happy to have made it, alive, through the off leash heel.  Recall could be a different story as of late, he's been doing a little anticipation.  Sit, wait, leave dog, walk and praying the entire way that Snookie has stayed put.  Turn, exhale and THANK GOD!, he had stayed put and when I called it was the most awesome recall ever-fast, straight and close(we've been working on that part), but no sit.  Hey, I can live with that part.  AND, he's got the hand signal finish perfect, just a tip of my right hand to the right and he was super fast with a straight sit in the heel position!  WOO HOO, we made it after a 2 year absence.

Of course, now groups are getting ready to go in, Herding 2nd and I have to show Cara.  We did make it by the way with about 5 mins to spare.  Back in for long sits and downs-one bedlington, one golden, 3 GSD's(big ones too!) and Moose on the end.  Cut to the chase....he sat without even thinking of laying down for the world's longest minute and the down, heck that's his thing, though sorry folks, no feet in the air.  I'm happy to report it was a Q.  Only 3 of us qualified and granted the 182 sucked but I know what the issues were-tight leads and his ubber space cadet moment, but those are to be expected from him.  I think I see some work in rally advanced to fix that.

Sigh, not only did we show dogs, but made a trip over to Ames after the weird groups and traded one Ancona drake for 5 new Ancona ducklings and yes, one gosling.  White Embden.  Almost came home with some call ducks and turkeys, but I had to draw the line somewhere.

Sunday, colder, wetter, no obedience and it was beyond cold.  Did I mention cold and wet?  Yes it rained.  I don't think I've ever been that cold at a show in ages.  Cy got pulled as he decided he didn't like the concrete and limped a little.  Of course once he got home, he was fine.  Drama Queen.  Connor was BOV and while Alec was down in that ring, I got to show a lovely berner boy for Jeni and took BOW-he was a handful but it was fun.  Let's see, Alec also took in a new client puppy, Rhodesian and took BOW.  Cara easily BOB again.  I sat and watched him show a lovely blue merle rough collie girl for Leslie-not sure what the judge wanted but ended up giving the WB, BOV, which wasn't Alec's pup.  And as I sat, with blanket covering my legs.  Had to send the Ms for warm socks. Still not warm and toes, no feeling.  Guess time to do jumping jacks or run around-I debated on going into group with my privos and socks, jacket and sweatshirt, but decided to look like I actually should be in the ring.  Didn't get my anywhere-Cara did well in group but just not Roger's type.  But Connor was and another group placement- 3rd this time around.

And guess what, now it's raining.  Really raining.  Run to big tow, throw dogs in, throw grooming crap in, throw people in, crank up heater and head home.

By the time we got home I had to change into warm clothes, grab Bates, and run him down to catch is ride out to CO.  Sorry it took us so long to get down to Iowa City but can't thank Penni and Jessica enough for being able to squeeze him in-hope he wasn't too much a pain for ya! 

And with that, Moose and I are headed back to the drawing board or as Melinda and I talked yesterday, Heeling 101.  I guess Phoenix is going back there too-though he didn't recover like Moose did. 

And also,  it's naked dog season here.  Break from the shows while a few of the fourlegged kids redecorate my house in wall to wall hair.  Oh and of course, Cora x Eddie kids due at the end of the week!

Later gators....
C