There are a lot of outfits to select for 5 days of dog showing. Today's fashion look was called Top European Handler. It included a skort and my souvenir Czech Republic shirt. I'm pretty sure that's what they're all wearing over there in Europe. Except I bet they wear ruffled socks. And eyeliner. I have no proof of this, but it's just what I imagine.
Today's dog show highlight was when Otterpop got the really hard gamble. Really hard. Ask anyone that was there. They'll nod and go, oh yeah. That was REALLY hard. It's one we've put in her database and she remembered after I yelled OUT about 20 times. The whole 20 times meant the buzzer went off right as she was taking off for the last jump which means it didn't count. But I could care less. Because she can DO it.
Otterpop ran around great. A few stinky moments, but overall fast running and lots of Q's. She did manage to curse yet another pairs partner. Otterpop is lacking this one stupid pairs Q, because she curses her partners so that she runs clean, but her partners don't. So I never ran enough pairs or else I got extra useless Q's with the same people who were non cursed. Now that I've let that little cat out of the bag, we'll never find anyone to Q with. Be the one to break the curse. Help out Otterpop!
Gustavo had some Q's, and some Moments. A wonderful pairs run with our friend and her very fast little corgi. A stunning We Are Still In Advanced Standard run (think Table! Poles! Rubber!) until the moment at the very end where he missed his running dogwalk contact. Uh oh. And the weave pole meltdown Moment in Steeplechase. Very melty. No Steeplechase finals for Gustavo. The really hard gamble was really hard for him, but he had a great opening run.
I was very proud of him in Snooker. Neither dog got a SuperQ, but the seven point thing was a combo that included the teeter totter which meant many teeter totters in a row with tricky direction changes. Did I lose you non-dog agility friends? Just remember my Snookers life revolves around sevens and only sevens. Remember that movie, Seven? Very disturbing and creepy and uber art directed. With Brad Pitt and cheery Nine Inch Nails tunes. Just like that. Gustavo teetered over and over again like a champ until the final closing Moment, where he bailed like the old days, and tomorrow will show us whether this was just a Moment, or I completely destroyed his teeter. I am voting for Moment.
Hobbes had a table Moment. I thought maybe between my Top European Handler outfit and the new rubbertop table, we had a chance. A teensy, tiny, outside chance of him laying down on the table. But he is not budging on his position, which is to stand there and stare at me and then if I stare back, he just looks away. It kills me. I tried something new, just told him how disappointed I was and ended his run right there. He looked very sad. I was very sad. We sad faced back to his xpen. I don't think I can do that again. If he doesn't lay down, he doesn't lay down. He is still my favorite big dog in the world.
It was a good day. And best of all, we get to do it all over again tomorow! I could get used to this going to the whole dog show thing!
5 comments:
WTG Otterpop! You are a gambling queen.
I'm sure you looked totally Euro in your Czech shirt and skort. I'm also sure the girls in Slovenia did not notice the lack of eyeliner.
Wisp and I celebrated 2 years in Novice Standard today by Wisp actually doing the table. Can world team be far behind? I think not!
Isn't this agility stuff with dogs and friends we love just a blast?
Hooray for Wisp!
A blast. Blast!
Congrats to Otterpop! Looking forward to some video if you've got it.
Also, I spent the weekend at an agility trial here in Maryland and for the first time EVER saw a skort! Live! In agility! Alas, it was worn not by a handler but by the judge, who was from Truckee. Is this a Cali thing? Couldn't help but note the lack of pockets (or at least ones large enough to hold sticks of cheese and other unmentionables). I'm a Bay Area transplant myself, but think I will have to stick with my cargo shorts...
Team Low Drive, you can find skorts across the US at agility venues everywhere ;-) If you need pockets, golf skorts are the way to go. As we say in the Midwest...Skorts are shorts without the thighs. What more could a girl ask for?
It was a very hard gamble indeed! Only 3 out of 80 masters dogs got it. Or some incredible number like that.
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