It was so nice to go to the head office and see what a success story this company has become and I was thrilled to meet Lily herself just before I left. We popped into reception to say goodbye and out trotted a little dog. I jumped at the chance to have my picture taken and she was kind enough to send me home with some treats for Ruby and Pepper!
Occasionally through my work I get to go to some really interesting places so when one of our customers asked for support with a demonstration at Lily's Kitchen I was the first to volunteer.
It was so nice to go to the head office and see what a success story this company has become and I was thrilled to meet Lily herself just before I left. We popped into reception to say goodbye and out trotted a little dog. I jumped at the chance to have my picture taken and she was kind enough to send me home with some treats for Ruby and Pepper!
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To be completely sure that we went up to Grade 3 we won both of our agility classes at the Southdowns show! Our first run of the day was the Agility Club Starters Challenge Combined Grades 1-2, a qualifyer for a final that is held at the Agility Club show every year. There were 35 dogs entered and the course was quite nice with one tricky bit near the beginning. I was lucky enough to be able to walk the course with my friend Sally who helped to reassure me that I had chosen the best way to handle that section with Pepper so I could set off without any doubts that I knew what I was doing. I was really nervous! I so wanted to win and qualify for the final! Pepper challenged me in the tricky section - I thought she was going to back jump - but I managed to keep her on track and the rest of the course ran smoothly. We'd done all we could and gone clear so we just had to wait and watch the rest of the class run. I couldn't believe it when Sally went to check the results and confirmed that Pepper and I had won! Wow, we'd made it into Grade 3 and qualified for the final - I couldn't believe it! Our next run was the Graded 1-3 Jumping - another nice course with some twiddly handling but nothing to worry about! That was until we came to run it! It started OK but I completely got in Pepper's way so she couldn't see the weave entry and she went in the wrong side. Further on I mis-timed a rear cross and she span round on the spot. After that we had a good speedy finish, but I had completely lost my head which was still spinning from our win in the morning. Our final run was a Graded 1-3 Agility which I again got to walk with Sally who gave my some great advice how best to handle one of the sections. Pepper challenged me again by nearly missing a tunnel entry - I'm not sure if I had started to move away before she was committed, but I managed to get her back on track without being faulted. The rest ran nicely and she got all of her contacts - another nice clear and another first place. Checking the results we were the fastest clear round of all three grades so if it had been a combined class we would still have won! Hopefully this bodes well for our first Grade 3 show! It was a really nice show in a lovely venue and was great to have my Mum with us for the day. My friend Jo won the Grade 2 Jumping with her gorgeous dog Dexter and Sally had a great run with Kofi in the Olympia qualifyer finishing 6th. Pictures from the official photographer:
I took the girls to Edenbrook today as I planned to give them a bath so it wasn't going to matter if they got mucky in the lakes.
Half way through the walk Ruby stopped to fuss her leg, I expected to find a burr or a twig stuck in her fur, but when I got to her I found that she was covered in spikey seeds embedded over her body. I brought the girls straight home and set about bathing them but it was impossible to get the little blighters out of their fur! Ian was despatched to purchase some emergency conditioner and then between us we had to methodically comb each of them through - it was the only way we could get rid of them. I've no idea what they are, but thankfully, three and a half hours later they are both clean and seed-free! I just hope that we have got them all as they are so sharp I'm sure they would easily pierce their skin. Fingers crossed they will be OK and Edenbrook is definitely off the walking list for now! We've had a great day at Paws in the Park! Pepper and I were entered into the Agility and we met up with Ian's family who live in Kent, and my friend Jenny, her daughter Georgia and their 4 month old Cavapoo called Betsy.
There was so much to do at the show - lots of opportunity to have a go at agility, flyball, canicross and other events, and great shopping areas. It was quite hard trying to make sure I was in the right place at the right time - there was quite a long wait at the agility due to the size of the classes, and we finally got to do our first run at around 1.50pm. Our first run was the Graded 1-3 Agility. The course was really nasty - no clear way of getting to the ideal spot so I just had to give myself a good talking to and hope that my plan worked. We set off and she stopped perfectly on the A-frame which allowed me to get a front cross in onto the snake line. All was going brilliantly until we arrived at the 12 weaves - she got the entry but missed the second section! I had to make her do it again, and again, and again! Finally she got it right and we headed off to the rest of the course that all went smoothly. Gutted - she flew round the rest of it and her weaves are normally so solid, when she got the entry I thought we had cracked it! Oh, well, fingers crossed for next time! Our other two runs were Combined 1-3 Steeplechase and Jumping. The Steeplechase was directly after the Agility - Pepper flew and didn't put a paw wrong to get us 4th place. The Jumping was the last event so we'd had quite a wait but she was just brilliant and flew round in a fantastic time getting us 1st place! It was so lovely having friends and family there, as well as all my usual agility friends who were as always, amazingly supportive. Fantastic result for Sue and Molly who won the G3 Agility taking them to G4 and Jo and Dexter for coming 3rd in the C1-3 jumping. Here's Pepper with her two rosettes and trophy: Pepper and I have been to a Course Handling Workshop at Paws at Play today! Nicky and Michelle run great workshops and this is one of my favourites! We began by walking the course and then running it how we would choose to run it if we were faced with that course at a show. Our run was judged, timed and recorded. We then split into groups and worked each section with Nicky and Michelle who highlighted all of the options that were possible - there's always an option that I don't even see when walking the course!! We ran each section and the times were recorded which highlights the appropriate way to handle the section for me and Pepper so by the end of the workshop we had a 'prescription' for the perfect way to handle the course in the fastest way. To finish we ran the course again using the options that were best for me and Pepper, it was timed and judged - sadly we still didn't manage a clear but the time was a vast improvement. It was a great day, despite Pepper being completely wild at the start! I'm so glad it wasn't an actual show as I might have had to give up after the first run!! Luckily, the individual sections ran a bit more smoothly and we were able to get a good record of the preferable way to handle the course. By the end she was quite tired after her 'monkey business', so although we were E'd you can really see how we improved from the first run. Thanks to Nicky and Michelle for a brillaint day! I look forward to the next one! This is the course we ran: And here is a little movie of the day showing our first run, some of the training on the sections and then our final run: You might want to get a coffee - this is going to be a long one! The Cockapoo Club of GB held their 3rd annual Cockapoo Games at Woodland Waters in Lincolnshire this weekend and I'm delighted to report that it was the biggest one yet and a huge success! We travelled up to Lincolnshire after work on Thursday arriving at the campsite around 9.15pm. A quick set up in the dark and a few drinks with Julie and Darron before heading off to bed! Friday was Ian's birthday so we had cards and presents first thing and then finished getting our camp set up for the weekend. Other people were arriving all day and the rest of our party were all in place by late afternoon. We were camped with Julie and Darron, Pip, Stu and Phoebe, and Sarah and Andy (my sister and brother-in-law). This year I had agreed to organise the Agility competition - something I've never done before and was naturally a little apprehensive. We hired in the agility equipment which was due to arrive at lunch time on Friday, but unfortunately it didn't arrive until 4pm due to the van breaking down. Once it arrived I set about laying out the first course we would need on Saturday morning. Thankfully I had a great group of helpers so it didn't take long. Once built, we had a practice for our first event. For some reason I had volunteered to open the Games with a talk about Agility, to explain what it is and hopefully give the spectators a bit more knowledge to help them understand the competition a little better. I had roped in some friends so late in the afternoon we had a run through of the demonstration and I was really pleased with how it was shaping up. I had Mandy and Flo, Eileen and Rupert, John and Bilbo and Jon and Barney to assist with the demonstration. Practice over and it was off to Woodys bar for the CCGB AGM. This was followed by drinks chez Jones before bed and a bad nights sleep worrying about the events of the following day. Up bright and breezy on Saturday and it was time for the Games to begin! The most daunting part was the demonstration where I presented my talk from the agility arena using a microphone! It went OK apart from the wind whipping my notes out of my hand causing me to chase them across the course, and my usual issue when I'm nervous of forgetting to breathe!! My assistants did a magnificent job demonstrating the individual areas that they had volunteered for, and then we all ran the full course to show how the same course can be tackled by different handlers and dogs. All of the handlers and dogs did a fab job and the feedback that I have had since the event has been really positive. The competition began shortly after with the Beginner Steeplechase followed by the Intermediate Steeplechase before lunch. During the lunch break we took part in the 'Poo Parade where the official count of 228 Cockapoos took place - followed by a group photo which took an eternity to organise!! I'm still not sure how I managed to hold Pepper up for that length of time! Back to the agility ring and on with the Beginner Agility and finally the Intermediate Agility. We had 75 dogs through the agility ring with waggy tails and smiling handlers! My aim for the day was to give everyone a positive experience of taking part in agility competitions so that they would feel less daunted about entering other shows! I really hope that I achieved that. I really couldn't be happier with how everything went. The courses that I designed flowed well and Pepper was amazing all day, testing all of the courses to make sure they were OK, and her contacts were stunning. I really couldn't have got through the day without my fantastic group of helpers but must give special thanks to my friend Mandy who managed the ring while I was judging and gave me great support and reassurance about the courses and judging decisions. When the event was finished we were able to relax and enjoy the company of our friends over a BBQ and a few drinks. Unfortunately this was dampened by the news that one of the Cockapoos had gone missing when it was spooked by fireworks being set off at the wedding on site. We had been warned that there would be fireworks at 9.30pm, but they were let off early and it caught everyone by surprise. Barney was missing all night - a worrying time for his family. But we woke to the news that he returned at 6.30am trotting out of the woods with a wagging tail carrying one of the socks that had been laid down to help guide him home! My favourite night of the weekend was Sunday! Drinks around a campfire with great friends and the girls toasting marshmallows. A perfect end to a great weekend! Bring on next year - how many 'poos will we get? Photo gallery from the weekend:The courses I designed for the Agility competition:The Official Cockapoo Games Video: |
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