RESDA Kevin Owens Classic May 1, 2010

Yesterday was the RESDA Kevin Owens Classic, held in the hills outside of Yorkville, CA in Mendocino County.  A more beautiful location could hardly be found for a dog trial, with a challenging field, gorgeous views and great weather. The traditional RESDA course was run by 24 Open dogs and 2 Pro-Novice dogs. The Johnson Ranch ewes were used and they were fresh, even, workable yet challenging.

Trial Results

First Place Open winner Karen and Cali (also fourth place Dickens) with judge Kevin

Second place Open winners, Nancy and Lad

First place Pro-Novice winner George "Life is Good", Gracie and judge Kevin

You know you are in Mendocino County when you are offered a wild boar burrito, a bowl of chili, and a beer before 9:00 AM! Complete trial results can be found on the RESDA website.

Cowboy Coal

Coal wore his cowboy suit to the trial and we were lucky to get 33 points from his run. He was on the muscle and not his usual serious self. I just have to laugh when he is like this since he normally has his pocket protector on and briefcase firmly in his paw at trials. We skipped the chute after a couple of attempts and made it to the pen. Whew!

We've done many trial weekends in a row since mid-March, and I am personally looking forward to a couple of weekends off. Even the best open USBCHA handlers have told me that their dogs get hard to hold after a number of trials in succession.

Despite the cowboy act, Coal's points were enough to bump him up (at least temporarily!) into first place in the RESDA high-point dog table. There are many trials yet to go and there is a lot of fun and friendly competition this year. At any trial there are quite a few dog and handler teams who can take home the ribbons, which makes it all the more fun. Our next RESDA trial will be May 15th at the Boonville Fairgrounds.