WOOOOO HOOOOOO!

It wasn't a jinx after all to write about what could be. It happened! Cash finished his Rally Novice title on Saturday with a first place and got a qualifying leg toward his Rally Advanced title on Sunday with a fourth place finish! He's such a good boy!

It was not without some frustration on my part. Saturday's course was challenging and sniffing once again came into play, but I was able to get his attention back in due course and get out of the ring with my sanity intact and a new title.

Sunday was another story. Being off leash in the ring was a new experience for both of us. We had practiced plenty but that first time can be trepidating to say the least. The first exercise was a jump designed to see what kind of control the handler has without the leash and Cash LOVES to jump. He came right back to heel position and performed the next sign, a halt (sit), down, sit perfectly. Next was a halt, about turn right, to a 270 right, to a serpentine that led us across the ring where I started to lose his attention at a 270 right that was by the ring gating. There were a number of exhibitors sitting with their dogs RIGHT NEXT to the gating. Although there was plenty of room for them NOT to be on top of the gating, not one of them moved back when they saw he was very interested in them. Sigh... I repeated that sign and moved to the next which was a halt, pivot 180, halt and back down the same side with all the spectators. As we s l o w l y worked our way down that side I actually said to Cash, "Can we please just finish this course and get out of here?" It was a fight at every sign on that side to get and keep his attention. He even went so far as to stick his head through the gating to get a good view of everyone. When we finally got out of the ring, I was firmly convinced our first experience in Advanced was a total bomb and an NQ. Imagine my surprise that his score was an 80 and a fourth place finish. Q's are Q's and as far as I'm concerned anything between 70 and 100 is okay. Not that we don't want to do better, but at least he didn't waste Daddy's entry fee. And as expensive as AKC entry fees are at $25 for the first class, it's nothing to sneeze at. I'm really dating myself when I remember entry fees when I started were $8.

All in all a decent weekend.

Here we go again......

I'm probably going to jinx us by even writing a blog the night before a trial, but here we go again. Cash is all bathed, trimmed, scissored, dremeled and ready to go. My friend, Darla, and her two Poms and Cash and I are going to the Council Bluffs KC show in Avoca, Iowa tomorrow and Sunday. I got smarter since our last show and decided driving back and forth (even though it's only an hour and a half drive one way) is not the way to go, so we reserved a motel in Avoca. We're looking forward to doing the town Saturday night, NOT! It's probably only a block and half long.

I have high hopes of Cash finishing his Novice rally title this weekend and with a little luck it will be tomorrow so I can move him up to Advanced for Sunday. Whether he titles or not on Saturday, I'm going to enter him in Advanced in the fun match following the Saturday show. More ring time is ALWAYS a good thing.

If he titles I plan on having the show photographer take a picture, however I may need to do a little cosmetic grooming first. See, I shaved his face, feet, tummy and tail on Monday since he is so itchy right after he's shaved and I wanted a few days for that sensation to pass. Got home from work on Tuesday and he had decided he REALLY itched, so much so that he scratched himself raw and bleeding in front of his right ear and at the base of his throat. Little snot! We've been treating with a half tablet of Benedryl once a day and topically with Neosporin Plus ointment. Looks much better tonight and with any luck his ear feathers will cover the ugly scabs.

Sunburnt at a weekend agility trial

No, Cash wasn't entered, but I worked our club's AKC agility trial. It was a long, hot weekend in Nebraska. Good thing I took my homemade, all natural bug spray. It was quite popular.

Saw some really good runs from some incredibly fast dogs and helped out as the assistant scribe on Saturday. I didn't signed up to work on Sunday, but knew they were shorthanded on help, so I took Cash with me to get an official measurement. The AKC rep was there and I got his temporary height card (Cash won't be two years old until mid June). He measured 11-7/8". Whew! Just made it to jump 12" in AKC. YAY!

The judge has miniatures poodles and spotted Cash in my lap at ringside and came to visit between classes, saying, "I just have to see that poodle!" He is normally pretty reserved with strangers but must know a poodle person when he sees one. She took him from me and he put a foot on either side of her neck and was giving chin kisses and laid his head on her shoulder with tail wagging a mile a minute. She oohed and aahhed over him and asked what I had been doing with him. I told her he had a couple of novice rally legs and was training in agility. After she gave him back to go judge the next class, I told him what a suck-up he was and I swear he winked. What a ham!

He hung out in his pop-up crate in the shade with a fan on him while I helped knock down rings and canopies and put equipment away. I had to wake him up to take him to the car for the ride home.

Stressed.....

Do you ever get that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when you are afraid something bad is going to happen, but you are hoping for the best? That's how I feel right now.

I got home last night around 5 pm. Denny was already home and had been there since mid-afternoon working from home. Keegan and Cash were their usual goofy selves, jumping all over me. "Mom, look at me!" "Mom, pet me!"

I walked into the grooming/computer/junk room to look down and find some very small pieces of chewed electrical cord from my old Oster clipper. On the grooming table was a larger chunk of chewed cord. Apparently around 4 pm Denny saw the larger piece on the floor and picked it up and put it on the grooming table.

WHAT?!?!? Did he think we have rats that chew clipper cords???? Not a word said to me. No phone call. Nothing. Thank God the damned thing wasn't plugged in. Although at that point we would have been able to determine FOR SURE who chewed it, from the singed hair and glazed eyes. My money is on Cash. When questioned, he looked at me like, "What? I have no idea what you're talking about. Let's go play!"

After close questioning of the DH, I believe the cord was chewed either the night before or yesterday afternoon when Denny was home, but he didn't SEE it happen. I am still totally amazed either one of them would do this, but am still thanking my lucky stars that it wasn't plugged in.

So now I have become a poopologist. Studying excrement for signs of tiny copper wire or black plastic. So far, nothing. They are both acting totally normal, racing around this morning in their usual fashion, eating breakfast, laying on the bed while we got ready for work.

We asked a neighbor to come check on them a couple of times today and if either is in distress to race them to our vet and call us. This day can't end soon enough for me.

Postscript:
All is well at home. Apparently my fears were for nothing. Poops are still normal, behavior is still goofy. My guess is that once the copper wire stuck whoever was chewing on the cord, that piece was spit out and none was ingested. Thank God!

Second show, second rally novice leg

As I said, I entered Cash in novice rally at the Seward County Kennel Club show this weekend. First show, first leg on Saturday with a score of 83 (it was a cheap leg, but a leg nonetheless). I thought for sure he had NQ'd as he was sniffing something terrible (tracking, anyone?) I know sniffing can be a sign of stress, but frankly, I think he is just nosy and interested in EVERYTHING. Apparently it's not against the AKC rules to slap the floor to get a dog's attention (I had already done everything else I could think of). It didn't scare him and when he looked at me, I said, "Hi, how bout we quit making the nice judge wait?" in a cheery voice. He completed the rest of the course well enough to qualify. Whew!

Today we had one more dog in competition than on Saturday and I decided to pick up my pace to see if the faster motion would eliminate the sniffing. It really helped and going to the second to last sign, we had a score of 98 going, but then disaster struck. At the moving down sign, he sat down to scratch. I just said "Aggghhh" and was joined by the audience and the judge! He finished the final sign perfectly, of course. One lousy little bobble and poof there goes first place. He ended up in second place with a score of 88 and his second leg in two shows so I guess I can't complain too much.

The only minor down side was I picked Cash up in the ring after the ribbons were awarded because we were between a Dalmatian and a smooth Collie who were both eyeing him like he was a fluffy squeak toy, and his personality is to eye them right back. Discretion is the better part of valor and since I didn't want him to leave the ring with holes in him, I grabbed him. Two of my instructors told me later that was a no-no in AKC. I told them I understand, but no way was I letting him get hurt because of what I consider a stupid rule, and if they took back the score and the leg so be it. I talked to the judge afterward and she didn't mention it, so I must have skated that one. I'll just have to be more careful in the future and stay off to the side with him when we go back in for ribbons.

My friend, Loretta, the Boxer owner called me last night and asked if I would mind if she showed Echo today. Mind? Heck, no! I couldn't understand why she asked me to show her yesterday. Loretta has finished two conformation champions in the past, but apparently came down with a nasty case of ring nerves. Anyway, she is entering Echo in several shows I can't go to due to prior commitments, and she needs to get back in the ring.

One leg down, two to go

Yay! Cash got his first rally leg today in novice. In AKC, to earn a Rally Novice title, a dog must acquire three "legs" under three different judges (maybe two judges, I'll have to check that.) To earn a leg the dog must get a qualifying score or "Q" with a score of 70 or above (100 is perfect). He didn't get a placement in the class, fourth place had a score of 95, but a leg is a leg.

In the Boxer ring, Echo won her class (and beat out the professional handler who used to handle her), but lost WB to her litter sister. Loretta was happy with how she showed so we go back again tomorrow.

4:30 this morning came awfully early (as it will tomorrow) and I'm going to hit the rack early tonight.

No turning back now.....

Cash is all bathed, dried, trimmed, nails dremeled and sacked out under my computer desk storing up energy for his rally trial debut tomorrow. We did have a VERY SHORT (it lasted 4 jumps with no start line stay) foray into novice jumpers at a NADAC agility trial in January. I'm thinking I at least have a shot at success since he's on leash in rally. I'm also showing a friend's Boxer bitch in the breed ring. First time back into conformation in ummmm, yeah, 30 years.

We're asking for fingers and paws crossed for attention, focus and a little luck. We'll let you know how it goes.