The Weekend Report: It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This!

Blogging truly seems to have fallen by the wayside. I have lost all urges to keep this space going and that makes me sad. I blame FaceBook and its easy instant gratification! Post something there and you instantly start getting those silly "likes" that feed the ego. BUT! Something so worthy of a post and my storyline here happened on Monday that I can't let myself be lazy!

First let me build up to it....

As you all know, Jimmy and I have been getting ever closer to our big PACH2 title (Preferred Agility Champion, second time!). I reported on the first try here. We also had another try this past Friday the 13th. It was at that great farm I love so much. Alas, this time the weather did not cooperate. It was cloudy and damp almost the whole day. I was uninspired when it came to photos and took not one. The agility went well but we did not earn the 20th double-Q we needed to finish our PACH2. One bar was knocked down and with it the QQ. But really, I wasn't too upset. I knew I had another two day trial coming up after the weekend, and it was one where earning the big title would be truly special!

This past Monday and Tuesday, the Cardigan Welsh Corgi Club of America held it's first mixed-breed agility trial. They have held all-Cardi trials as part of their National Specialty, but never a stand-alone all dogs trial. Despite it being a long drive from my house (2 full hours each way!), I signed up for both days. You always sign up a couple of months ahead of time so I had no idea my big title would be in play.

I got up at the ass-crack of dawn (4AM!!!) in order to get to the facility nice and early. I didn't need to be there quite so early, but wanted to settle in and be available to help the club.

I had four runs for the day. The first one was Premier Standard. It went very well, but Jimmy took out the very last jump! Just when you think you are home free! LOL!

This transitioned into regular Standard that was needed for my double-Q. Here is the map:

Really not too bad. One thru five was just like Premier so Jimmy recognized it right off. The end of the dogwalk is always iffy but we got past that cleanly. The rest was pretty much keeping the bars up.
We made it it through cleanly and had part one of our QQ! And of course I was sure to get video (thanks Abbey!)....





I spent a good part of the day working as a leash runner in order to keep my nerves in check. I was half way to my QQ#20!  Plus being the leash runner helps me meet all those steps we should walk each day!

My next run was Premier Jumpers. This one was tricky and I had to work hard on keeping Jimmy on course but we finished it with a Q!

And finally.....the last run of the day for us would be our regular Jumpers run. I tried very hard to keep my mind focused and to be in the moment. First, here is the map.....

It had a couple of awkward spots, like 8, 9, 10 and getting to the side where I wanted to be without causing Jimmy to knock a bar, and also the angle of 18 to 19. I didn't want Jimmy to slice 19 too much and possibly knock the bar there. Very happily and fortunately, the fates were kind to me. We finished up cleanly and there it was! Double-Q#20 and our big PACH2 title! And while that is very sweet on its own, earning this title at the National Cardigan Club trial is such a thrill! I earned a beautiful big ribbon and my PACH bar for everyone to sign....

Now don't worry, I of course got video of the Jumpers run (Thanks Kim!) and also the little celebratory run around the ring....



If you have read my other posts for our MACH and first PACH, you know it is tradition to get a picture with the judge. My judge was Kathy Rupprecht.

I also did a portrait of Jimmy with his ribbon once we got home......

Jimmy is SO serious! Posing his little heart out!

Over the course of Monday and Tuesday, Jimmy and I ran eight courses and qualified in five. About right for our usual average. This gave me a few more CWCCA ribbons for my collection!

This is probably our last championship title. I won't push Jimmy for another one. Now we will just play without any goals and see how it goes. What a great little teammate Jimmy is! 

Love, Love, LOVE this boy!

Tracking Jimmy's PACH 2 progress:
Very 1st Double-Q: Sunday 5/1/2016

QQ#20: Monday 10/16/2017 We did at the CWCCA's first stand-alone trial!!!!
Masters JWW legs: 66...MJP Title 01/25/15 MJPB 10/11/15 MJPS Title
Masters STD legs: 60...MXP Title!10/24/14 MXPB 04/30/17 MXPS Title
Double Q's: 20 (out of 20 needed)
PACH Points: Way more than we need! I have lost count!

Walking Tall

This isn't one of the contest entries......But I always have to post some sort of photo!

This week (March 30th through April 6th) is the Cardigan National Specialty for 2013. It's in Tuscon, AZ this year so I wasn't able to attend. While it would be a great cross-country drive, it's a tad too long for a bit of agility and socializing, since I don't do the conformation/breed ring stuff. As part of the Specialty, there is a photo contest. The photos must contain a Cardigan. We all know I have like a zillion Cardi pictures, so of course I enter the contest every year whether I can attend or not. I'm happy to report that I had a bit of success with three of my photos receiving ribbons. It's always fun and flattering to get a bit of recognition. Follow this link to see all the winning photos. Congratulations to one and all!

Have a great weekend, Everyone!

A Most Versatile Boy!

The Cardigan Welsh Corgi Club of America awards a Versatility Certificate to Cardigans that earn points via their participation in Conformation and Performance events. When Jimmy finished his Rally Novice title back in May, this was the final piece to completing the requirements for the award. Then, of course, I had to wait for AKC to finalize the Rally title before I could submit the paperwork to the CWCCA for recognition. Well, all the pieces fell into place and waiting on my doorstep today was this:

And I of course had to take a shot with the versatile little guy himself.....

I am very proud of our efforts and teamwork that went into earning this award!

Many thanks to Anne Taylor for trusting me with this great little Cardigan!

(Unfortunately, Wilson is still ONE point short of earning this same award. We still have more work to do!)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Final Thoughts on the Specialty

This was the 4th time I've gone to the CWCCA's National Specialty. While the convenience of the Gettysburg, Pa, location just couldn't be beat (barely an hour from my house!), this one, at the Sawmill Creek Resort was by far the nicest location yet! The place was huge! It had lovely grounds, a nice golf course, and it's own marina on Lake Erie. It even had a neat old barn/mill converted to shops if you wanted some non-dog retail therapy. The week before the Cardigans arrived, it was the Whippet specialty. They had set up these huge turn-out pens with snow-fencing for the dogs to run in. These were left up for us. It was wonderful having a place where all the Cardis could get out their yahoos off-leash. Also, with the large property of the resort, there was plenty of on-leash walking available, too. The indoor decor in the lounging areas was in a lodge theme. There were fireplaces everywhere, and with the nasty cold snap we had at the beginning of the week, they really upped the ambiance. The staff was extremely pleasant as well.

One of the things I really love about going to the Specialties is the chance to meet Cardi-folk I only know from online, or only see at the big shows. This time, it was great to meet Merinda , Penni , Susan , Heather , and  Carol . I am sure my middle-age brain is forgetting someone, so please don't be offended if I omitted any names! And it was great to see Janet , Laura , and Marla again! I regret not getting more time to visit with everyone! I so wanted to get a picture of Wilson with his brother Spencer, but the timing didn't work out. Also, Wilson's nearly 17 year old father was there, and I didn't get a chance to see him either. We checked out on Wednesday morning, and I ran around for awhile, looking for friends, saying goodbye, but just didn't catch up to everyone.

This was definitely my last National Specialty for a long time. 2013 is being held in Tuscon, AZ, so despite a lovely location, it's WAY too far away......Same for 2014 at Purina Farms in Missouri. That's about a 15 hour drive, not gonna happen......2015's location isn't selected yet, so that one's a maybe. Do you think I will have Jimmy's table issues fixed by then?

The really weird thing is I took almost no photographs at all. The cold, windy weather kept my camera indoors on the agility days (and my focus(or lack there of based on my dismal results) was elsewhere anyway), and despite the pretty location, I just wasn't snapping shots. It really was a lovely place for a specialty and I thank the organizers for a job very well done.

One other thought, completely unrelated to any of this dog show stuff.....Just a few miles down the road from Huron, is a town called Lorain, also on the lake. My father grew up there, and when I was a kid (yes, dinosaurs were still roaming the area!) , my dad would drive my sister and me out there every summer for a visit with his dad. My grandfather would always take us to Cedar Point amusement park. (I could see that park from the resort's lake front, albeit a tiny dot on the horizon.) My grandfather died sometime in the early 80's, my dad died in '94, so I never thought I'd come this close to those childhood memories again.

I'll leave you with one of the only pictures I took. This was on Wednesday as we were packed and ready to roll out. The weather was of course now gorgeous. This is down at the marina, the boys posing by Lake Erie.