Where did that go?........

Sorry this "post" has taken so long to write, I just didn't know how .....or want to write it!

Well 10 years on ......... Red has just done her last full height competition..........From this wee small pup we picked up at 7/8 weeks old, from a sheep farm at the end of the M42 Tamworth, who was destined to fly out to Spain to become a sheep dog, but they never sent the deposit! ....more fools them I'd say, as I truly believe what ever job Red would have done she would have been good at......Thank fully she choose agility with us......Well Ian really.

She was to be Ian's first agility dog and to join Cass and I plodding along in elementary, She was mad from the moment we bought her into our home, she tore down curtains, poo'd and pee'd everywhere, ripped up cushions, bedding, barking (I would now know, how to handle this kind of dog....I think!) ..........a very difficult dog to train, she had her own ideas, a dog that over the years has taught us such a lot about dogs, training and what fun life can be. She screamed at any dog gathering, lunged, snarled and snapped, everything she did she did at 100 mph....we hadn't a clue how to help her (she was only our second collie) after almost a year of various training classes, with various people, she was almost ready to start competing and then the bomb shell........ Ian decided he couldn't cope with her and didn't want to be stood in the middle of a ring with a judge watching him being bitten by her or worse still leaving the ring to charge across and out of the ring to chase another more exciting dog in the next ring! ....Yes she did that with me too! I still have the scares to prove it........on my arms mainly! We have improved!

Her first show was in the year of the foot and mouth - 2001, was meant to be in the March but it was the end of May...can't remember where it was Tumbridge wells may be, something like that (up country) but funny enough I remember the round she got a clear in starters/novice jumping and came 15th out of 200 dogs! her second show was supadogs where she won me out of Elementary by coming second in starters agility, her fifth show she won Starters agility at Golden cap with Sally Jones judging (end of June - ish)

Picture: Starter agility win. Do you recognise anyone else in the background?

She then won her first ever run in an intermediate class, agility with Graham Partridge judging........then there was a blur of wins until she reached Advanced at the grand age of 3! ...She qualified and competed at Olympia in 2004, in the days when it was only senior dogs and you got possible two/three days up there, we where lucky enough to do the pairs and power and speed, as well as the main event, Red qualified I think twice or was it three times for Crufts, but only competed once....... due to lameness.
What a journey.......She took us to many champ finals, our highest place being a third....that was those days when you didn't even get a Rosette/trophy unless you won the class, so we have only our memories........
..........and at 10 + she's still as mad as she was in her younger days, she has calmed down enough now to play with her mates near (ish) the ring, which is lovely to see, her boyfriend list is getting longer, her first love was and is MoJo, Janet and I always laugh when we watch her trying to get him to even acknowledge that she's on this planet! She loves to chase the squirrels in the woods and any ones cat that dare ventures into our garden, she loves to roll on our freshly made bed! her favourite toy is her watering can, which she made her own many many years ago! She now loves to come up on the sofa for a cuddle.

Yes she can still do the height and yes she can still beat some of the youngsters out there, yes she did get a place at the weekend too, on a great course of Mark Laker's (I had seen who was there and decided to hold her "A" frame and Dog walk contacts) she didn't put a foot wrong, I wish Ian had been there to video it, it would have been a lovely run to re-watch. I was glad no one stopped me on the way back to the van after her last run, the tears.........but seeing her suffering in the evenings after an agility day, I feel I need to look after her as she wont look after herself, she has always been one that would rather crash a jump than put in an extra stride etc. I'm sure some of you will wonder, why I don't continue with her until I see her not coping ......I don't ever want to see her struggle or measure a jump, so watch out anysize here she comes.

So it's veteran's and anysize for her next year.......an end of an era.

What a 10 year journey we've had together....Thank you Red. I love you.

She will continue herding the leaves and fluff around the garden! guarding all the fledglings that fall from their nests, she will carry on listening for the mice in the grass. She will still be able to do bits of agility at home on flowy courses, in safe surroundings on medium and small heights. Knowing Red she will want to join in with the others, learning some new tricks over the winter too.........

.......Oh gosh, I had better go and sort her out, she has just chucked all the toys out of the toy box and is running around, with Buzz in tow trying to get the sheep out of her mouth...........no chance Buzz! Chuckle, chuckle.

Wow that went so very fast! Enjoy every moment with them guys, it's over far too soon............

...and here's the last of the video's!

It's Harry "V" Harry in a jump off.

The timing failed after his first run, so Dave Hutchinson challenged me to run it "IHO" the faster/shorter way (although he didn't try it with his Ozzy-who was winning it!)......and as I had nothing to gain from not having ago, I gave it a go! hummmm

Although I can see the bit in the middle was a shorter route, I had to nag Harry to turn him round me and come through the gap, he just seemed to spend a lot of time stationary in the air, (or that is what it felt like) then of course I wasn't in the right position (IMO) for the next bit, I hate nagging my buddy...........

So guys you tell me which you think was the better way? Maybe I just need more practise at these twister courses?

.....Tamsin has a go!

........I remember the first time I ran a small dog a beautiful "Sheltie" called Pearl, I think really underneath it all she started my love affair with the breed, she was "full of it" what ever "It" was, she was fast and noisy. I will always be thank full to Dave for letting me run her (at club)

Which got me thinking that everyone should have the opportunity to run both small/big dogs you can learn such a lot from both sides......... Honest!

So I challenged Tamsin (who runs a very fast small terror! called Albert) to run Red in a jumping class, I picked a nice 6/7 class and this is the end result, they both did well I think, I couldn't quiet see what went on in the box, but I think they may have collided! Red did test Tamsin in not waiting at the start, but Tamsin hasn't got a good wait with Albert either and Red knew she didn't mean it! But they both came out the ring smiling.

All "Puffed" out!

What a pretty picture!
.....room for any more??










We managed to film a couple of agility runs from the weekend, for you all to dissect!

Here's Buzz and Nick having FUN.....

They are getting closer....to that clear round.

The rest I will upload later in the week, so you don't all get overload!

...and for the "Dog Agility" Folks

Harry "v" Mindy in a jump off!
They're so much FUN, these "Small" dogs!

I Love em........

Have a great weekend everyone, the sun is out.............

And, Ian is going to let me on the mower! yippeeee

For all the "Off-Roaders" amongst you.......

It's a long one - Video.

So don't bother watching it......... If your not "into" Off Roading, mud, water, oh and 4 wheel drive vehicle's, although there are a few 2 wheels and the odd three wheel machine!

John and Chris are down for the week on holiday, so Ian took John out for his first experience at "off Roading", Ian was a good boy and kept it gentle!

Mind you the "Disco" isn't kitted out or modified for any serious stuff (Off Roading) YET!

But as Ian said ..."Christmas is coming"

...See what happens when I go away!

Ian buys a sit on mower!

from EBay, thankfully we didn't have to go to far away to pick it up either only Devon!

It needed a bit of welding and a hammer in places and maybe a lick of paint later on, hopefully this should "Cut" down on my weekly mowing time of 3 hours to not long at all! We will see, but as yet Ian hasn't let me even sit on it! .......Boys and their toys!

I can't believe it's September already....where did that Summer go! ...it just mingled in with winter! It's was dark at 8.15 last night .......yes I know it was raining (fancy that!) but it was still dark.

Hopefully I will still be able to get my 7 o'clock lesson people in for another week or so.

Agility wise.

Buzz got a clear round with Aly at the weekend, wasn't smooth but hey they loved it and Aly said Buzz winked at her on the start line, before he broke his wait and was off up the course! Bless Him, I'm more relaxed watching them both now and am laughing along with them both.

Red, I'm still struggling to get our "spot on foot perfect agility partnership" back, I seem to spend the round worrying if she's okay and hoping she isn't going to hit a jump badly....It has made me think long and hard and I think I will be retiring her at the end of September to any size and veterans, I know she still can do the height and when I've seen video clips of her, she still looks good etc. I just don't want her to hurt herself, she has always been a dog that if she get her pacing wrong she will still take it, rather than put a pace in, what ever piece of equipment it is, we have had some really scary moments with tyres and spreads and even doing a loop in the tunnel and coming out with grazed eye brows where she's slid over in it and well the A frame, she has even miss judged that and hit it hard with her chin and cut her tongue!

Then at least I can still work her at home in a safer slower environment and go on long walks with her still fit and on four legs.........We will see.

Harry, well he just gets faster and stronger ever time I run him! He won a jumping class at the weekend 5-7, the medium dogs ran over the same course (higher jump heights of course) and he beat the winning collie's time!.....So I was told by two seconds, I did see her round and she did have a wider turn in one place than Harry, but we both had a long spread out run to the finish.

His agility run was still fast although I struggled to get him through a gap, so we had an "E"

I am now able to get him to play with me most of the time, before we go onto the start line and he get his treats when he has finished (outside of the ring off course!)

This time last year at the same show (a game fair, with lots of GP around, with straw seats and dogs in the ring etc.) he had left the ring to chat up the girls, so for him to stay in the ring with me was fantastic.

Mindy is ready for the ring experience now, I've entered her first KC show and a couple of other fun things, so now we wait and see when she will come into season! .....and whether she will compete this year at a KC show, otherwise it will be 2010 sometime.

Her only worrying issue, which we have been and will be continuing to work on is her "Chase" instinct! yes anything from butterfly's, flys, birds, sheep and cows (if she could) dog's doing agility! poo bags flying across in front of her etc.

So at the moment her exercising is on the long line or extendable until her recall is 100% in those environments....could take a long time, but I think people won't appreciate a small blonde thing hurtling towards them at warp speed whilst they are doing a winning round!

I think Dawn likes her ! We've just had our second lesson with Dawn, I took both the "smalls" and picked Mum up on the way (she's my video mam) cant show you any of the videos as Mum has to learn how to down load them yet! So you may get to see them one day!

we Learnt a lot and came away with lots to work on over the winter months.