The girls had another great AKC weekend at the Talbot Kennel Club trial November 2-4. We had hurricane Sandy just a few days before and the Eastern Shore got 10 inches of rain but somehow the field held up and there was no mud and great weather!
Luxx was a little superstar and went 9 for 11 with all first places! She finished her Open Preferred FAST title, and her Open Preferred Standard title! She also got three 10 point Time to Beat Qs!
Jinn had some baby dog distraction moments (like running past the very last obstacle on a GORGEOUS Excellent Std run) but still managed to go 6 for 11 and finished her Open Standard and Open Jumpers with Weaves titles! She also qualified and took first her very first time in Excellent Standard. She only missed qualifying a second time the next day by running past that darn tire at the very end. Baby dogs!
I couldn't be prouder of my girls, they are really stepping up to fill in the HUGE void left by retiring Mojo. I am actually having fun doing these girls' weekends, though of course I miss running my boy like crazy. I look forward to pursuing more AKC goals with them soon.
Jinn must have taken pity on me when she saw my tears upon retiring Mojo 2 weeks ago. My little girl really stepped up to the plate this past weekend at the PAWZAZZ trial and showed me that she is ready to follow in his footsteps as my next main competition dog. She is nearly all Elite now. She finished her Superior Open Jumpers title on Saturday which completed her Open Triple Superior. She is now only 1 Touch-n-Go and 3 Weavers away from her Open Superior Versatility! My how time flies.
The biggest difference I felt this weekend was smoothness and real, connected teamwork. She was listening, reading my body and being a real teammate. As my Mom and a friend remarked to me after one run, "you two were dancing out there!" It surely is starting to feel that way.
My rapidly maturing baby dog ended the weekend going 9 out of 12 and tying for Elite High in Trial with my friend Nicolette and her baby dog Canon. What a thrill! I couldn't be prouder of her.
It was a wonderful weekend, beautiful weather and really fun and challenging courses. And I got to spend some time and bond with my Mom's new puppy Torrey, also known as Jusdandy Man in Motion. He is a little pistol and I love him already.
I look forward to doing AKC in 2 weeks. Curious to see if Jinn's newfound consistency and teamwork is a lasting thing.
It was a hard decision, our shared passion for the sport of agility was difficult to let go. But Mojo always tries to run 100 miles per hour and as much as it breaks my heart at 10 years old his body just simply can't keep up with that boundless, infectious enthusiasm. I love my boy more than anything in the world and I will do whatever it takes to keep him safe.
So I retired my heart dog today. Mojo and I danced one last time together, running Jumpers. Just like he always does, he ran his heart out and even qualified. His grin when he was done made it impossible to be too sad. We have had an amazing ride together, 7 years and thousands of runs, he has been the first to achieve many things and has never, NEVER let me down. He has given me everything I have asked for and more. Thank you so much Buddy for being the most amazing partner I will ever have.
This is not the end of our partnership however, we will continue on. I plan on getting back into nosework, something Mo is nearly as passionate about as agility. This dog needs a job and it is my honor and privilege to make sure he has one. And I intend to enjoy every second of this new part of our journey. No matter what we do together, be it agility, nosework, freestyle or just going for a walk, it brings my heart joy. I am celebrating all those moments we have together. I am truly blessed to have him with me and still so full of passion. Let's see what the future holds Dude. I love you to the moon and back.
I took the girls to the Lancaster County Kennel Club AKC agility trial at In the Net this past weekend. I love that surface, they seem to do pretty well on it for artificial turf and it is a dream to run on for me. Not to mention the not having to worry about rain issue!
Luxx is working her way back up through Novice and Open Preferred since I dropped her to 20". She had a great weekend, one dropped bar away from a perfect weekend as a matter of fact. She got a first place Open FAST Q and a second place Novice Jumpers Q on Saturday. On Sunday she got another Open FAST Q, an Open Standard Q and a Novice Jumpers Q, all first places! The Jumpers Q finished her Novice title so she's all Open from here on out. She was a super little old lady. My highlight with her was her FAST on Sunday which she rocked, smooth and responsive and 78 points with time to spare.
Baby Jinn is really coming along nicely. That trial is 3 rings, the building gets VERY loud at times and she held it together and gave me a perfect 6 for 6 weekend! She got a first place Novice FAST on Saturday, finishing her NF title. She then got her first Open Standard Q, clean and with a second place.
She finished the day with a first place Novice Jumpers Q, finishing her NAJ title! Sunday she made her debut in Open FAST with a bang, winning the class. She then got her second Open Standard Q with another first place finish. She almost bailed going up the dogwalk, seemed to think it was the teeter. But she toughed it out and held on for the Q.
She finished out her weekend with a lovely Open Jumpers run. She did get a little tweaked by the clicking sound of the rapid shutter as the photographer shot the weave poles. She popped out, but I regrouped her and she did them and finished strong. Good thing you are allowed one refusal in Open!
It was a wonderful weekend, spent with some great people, friends I don't get to see very often and most importantly, I got to spend the weekend with my Mom. I watched her and Raven rack up QQ #15 on their quest for MACH. I am hoping to hit some more AKC trials now that Jinn seems to be coming together. Looking to do a few before the end of the year. I hope they turn out half as good as this one did!
She still has some issues with things, ring crew, traffic outside the ring, heat etc. But my baby dog is consistently improving and just in time. She got her last needed Chances Q this past weekend at Tails Up in Chesapeake, VA to finish her Novice Triple Superior!! She was a good girl at this trial, she also got her Open Regular title and her Superior Novice Touch-n-Go title. She is proving she is READY for Open. I am so proud of her. She is such a thinker and is trying so hard. I can't wait for that confidence to build up again and watch her speed and enthusiasm come back and feel her run with purpose and power.
I am always learning on this journey with Jinn. This weekend she reminded me to always celebrate what she IS and not lament what she is not. The confidence bolstered by my happiness may just provide the results I am looking for in the long run anyway. I love my silly girl.
.JPG)
