The Weekend Report: Speed Demon!

This weekend was an agility trial given by the Blue Ridge Dog Training Club. It was a four day trial for which I only signed up for two days, and then only went for one of the days! Saturday was a gorgeous day and my  focus turned to boating instead of an indoor trial. Sunday was also a nice, albeit much hotter, day. I opted to go to the trial so I didn't burn all of my entry fee.

The day started with the Standard run. The course wasn't too tricky, getting off to a slow start with a set of jumps that formed a box, then opening up to really get you running. It was a long course at 178 yards and you had 76 seconds to get it done. Jimmy flew through the course in just 44.60 seconds, earning the 1st place ribbon, and finishing a full 16 seconds ahead of the 2nd place dog. This gave him 31 more speed points toward his PACH tally. No video as I didn't get around to handing out my camera, so I will break up my post with a photo from my last trial.....

Photo credit/copyright: Terri Kieffer

A bit later came the Jumpers run. Again, the course was not too tricky. There were a couple spots to be cautious but all in all it was flowy and fast. Everything was going along well, we were almost to the end, when I did not handle a turn very well, and Jimmy didn't read where I was headed. He took an off-course jump, something that almost never happens. It was totally my fault. I called him back over the final jump and Jimmy celebrated his run in the usual fashion, a long lick on some peanut butter. So, no double-Q for us this time. I still had a great time on some fun courses, watching friends and visiting. With our MACH title behind us, pressure gone, it is more fun than ever!

Here's another photo to share....

Photo credit/copyright: Terri Kieffer

So where's the mischief you might ask? This trial is across the mountains from me, with a long swath of countryside in between. On the way home, I decided to stop at a farm market for fresh corn and tomatoes. It was a structured place, not just a little stand. It had parking spots marked with those low cement barriers that get placed at the front of the space. In this case they were painted a bright yellow. I parked at the last one to the right and went about my business. When I was ready to leave, there was plenty of space to swing to the right and u-turn to the exit. I backed up a little bit and swung right. I forgot all about those cement barriers! Despite having backed up a bit, I did not have enough space to clear the barrier and it scraped down the lower edge of my car just under the driver's door. It was noisy and very embarrassing! I didn't get out to look, just hightailed it out there. LOL! No damage to the cement I'm sure! When I got home and stepped out of my car, there was a nice long (and wide) scratch on the rocker panel. To add insult to injury, it was also covered with bright yellow paint! GAH! Not enough damage that I will fix it, but enough to make me cringe. Plus, every time I get in my car, I will be reminded. I did use some bug-off product to remove most of the yellow paint, but I know it's there! True mischief indeed!