New Year's Pt. Pleasant

It was the weekend, so I was supposed to Find Awe, and find awe, we did. On the drive over to Elk Grove, there was the most fantastic sunrise that I have seen, maybe ever. It lit up the whole eastern sky when I hit about Napa...others at the trial commented on how beautiful the sky was in the early morning...one of the rewards of getting up so early to get to a dog trial, I imagine!

The first day of the trial, felt like we were very "cobwebby" for lack of a better term. It was our first trial of the new year. Spot did "OK"... we got the sheep and never lost them, and got a score, although it was a low one. I felt good and happy. It was a nine minute course on a beautiful sunny day...  it was wonderful to sit in the sunshine and enjoy the dogs and sheep. Left hand drive, split the four sheep into two and two in the shedding ring, and then a freestanding chute with an immobile wing, and a rope to hang onto...always an inventive obstacle at Pt Pleasant! But fun.  We were up dog #5. No time to get nervous! I sent Spot to the right, which seemed to be the way to go, and that is his more open, flowy side. I did not blow any keep-going whistles, which in retrospect was a mistake. He got to about one o'clock and stalled. It took four Away whistles to get him over behind the sheep and then he was a freight train on the upper half of the fetch. Finally I got ahold of him just below the fetch gates... whew! As someone I know would say, "within rock chucking distance" (or for us, about the maximum distance of our practice field... sigh...). From there the drive was choppy but we managed, we got to the shed ring and I could not shed. The sheep are always hard to shed there and while we have done it in the past, I couldn't do it that day, and they were probably a bit boogered-up due to being run on the fetch. So the clock ran out on us. Still, I was very happy.   We didn't lose the sheep and there were two really good chances to do that...on the upper part of the fetch, and turning the second drive panel. In both cases they really booked and Spot was not covering the best. Spot tried hard and I would support him more, the second day.

 On Sunday, we were up dog #17 after heavy fog delayed the start of the trial for over an hour. The course time was reduced to eight minutes. It was a right hand drive, the unusual chute, and then a single in the shed ring. I sent Spot away again, and this time I blew one "preemptive" whistle about 3 o' clock to say "keep going, keep going, you are right" and it worked. The top end was much better. I had to work hard to get ahold of him but that I did, we made the fetch gates and the first panel and barely missed the second drive panel (too bad!!!)... not his fault, mine... then the chute nicely done...and a single (which felt like a Hail Mary to me, but others said it was OK). A completed run! Oh my!! 72 points for (I think) 6th place...to be confirmed. I am super happy with how calm and relaxed Spot was the whole weekend...which I attribute to him getting neutered in December. It's a very significant change in him. He was still fairly hard to stop, especially at distance...so I have to continue to get out of the comfort zone and work on that.

Hello Spot! I am happy with you!

After a lot of talk on the internet about us losing so many trials in our area, and how expensive they are to put on, and how I would like to have more in our area, and how we can support them... I volunteered myself that day to two trial hosts. I'm going to be busy at a couple of the upcoming sheepdog trials...which could not be better for me! :-)