Merry Christmas!

Taking a little blog break.

Merry Christmas to everyone from Rip!

Texas Hunt

A short time ago the Luckiest Man Alive saw a bunch of birds sitting on the pond at Vinwood Kennels in Texas.

Lucky Miikka got to go help take care of them.

Sleeping on the job

Had a great day training today at the property where the recent US National was.  We train there once a week or so while in Texas as it's only 30 minutes from the kennels.

My new pup Rip is now Horsetooth's new Equipment Coordinator.

Looks like he's a union guy.

No rest...

The National is over and after taking Sunday off...we were back in the field today.  Nothing like BIG water blinds to relax and enjoy the nice weather.

We are so proud of both Turq and Boomer, as both got to the seventh series in the National.  They are both young guys and have bright futures.

Some random photos from this past week...

A view from the retired gun station in the first series of the National.  Quite a few trucks there.  I was throwing this bird for one shift, and they went back about 6 rows!  Now you can see why these dogs need to learn to handle with "distractions" behind the handler.  There is a lot for the dog to look at back there!

Girl dogs don't air.  They just don't.  They lay around and stare at you.  Sometimes I wonder if they ever go to the bathroom.

Turq relaxing and cooling off after running the big 5th series quad at the National.  He enjoyed hanging out with Rip and his brother Trouble.  "Trouble" has gone to his new owner and now we have just Rip.  He's a great little puppy.

The two long guns in the fifth series quad at the National.  Things are always tighter in the field then they look from line.  I'm throwing the one bird angle back towards the other guns...and as you can see...they are not that far away, and throwing their bird towards me.  These birds were each about 380 yards from the line.  Amazing what these dogs can do.

And little Ahti at "show and tell" in Victoria, BC.  Not sure what the fire helmets are all about, but Ahti had fun anyways.  Ahti showed off her new trick - Shake A Paw.  I miss Ahti very much, but she's in doggy heaven, no question.

Early mornings...

It's 4:45 in the morning right now.  Ugh.

Kennels are done and dogs are looked after.

The National starts today and Turq is the 5th dog to run, so we need to be there early.  Test dog goes at 6:30.

I'm not a morning person and the Luckiest Man Alive would say that is an understatement.

How many pros does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

A picture of the test planning for the last day of pre-National yesterday.  From left to right: Randy Bohn, Howard Simson, Wayne Curtis, Bill Eckett, Luckiest Man Alive, Rob Erhardt and Dave Rorem.

Not a fancy picture with my iPhone, but it will do.  Darbi's son, Backwater Smokin Turq watches the birds go down.  The last test we ran for the week was a double and a blind, with handlers doing it in various fashions...straight up double with the blind, interrupted double, singles, etc.

Double Trouble.

Here are two puppies I'm looking after right now.  If it seems I'm never without a puppy...you're right.

The pup on the left in one I bought for myself to raise.  His name is Rip and the breeding is FC AFC "Zoom" out of "Tootsie" QAA.  I named the pup Blackwater's Hoof Hearted.  If you get the joke in his name...extra points to you.

The pup on the right is "Trouble".  I'm watching him until the end of the National for his new owner.  They have been a joy so far and are wonderful little guys, although Trouble seems unimpressed with the pre-National proceedings.

Pups from the previous ZoomxToots breeding got 1st, 3rd and 4th in the Derby at Missouri, so we're excited about these little guys.

Pre-National

The US National is in Texas this year, so that is why we made the trek down earlier than normal.  Pre-National training started on Monday and it's been a busy few days getting the dogs ready.

Our pre-National group consists of Dave Rorem, Bill Eckett, Rob Erhardt, Wayne Curtis, Randy Bohn and of course, the Luckiest Man Alive, Kenny Trott.  There are also several Amateurs with dogs qualified in the group.

A picture of the gallery at Tuesday's water triple and blind.

The trucks line up.

A CANADIAN dog...CFC Backwater's Boomer, owned by Daryl Shmon and run by my husband.

My boy Boom.

Wayne Curtis and the wonderful FC Drake's Bay Parting Of The Sea - "Moses".

Moses likes his flyers.

And the second CANADIAN dog qualified for the US National.  FC AFC CFC CAFC L and L Just A Gigalo - "Deuce".  He is owned and will be run by Howard Simson of Ontario.  Deuce trains with pro Kevin Cheff.

Deuce watching the bird intensely.  

It is great fun having both the Canadian dogs that are qualified in our pre-National group!!

Plus, we can't forget the Canadian BRED "Turq".  I'll get some pics of Darbi's son up soon.

Ahti's New Home

I mentioned in my last blog that I would be off on a big adventure, and a big adventure it was.

I made the decision some weeks ago that Ahti was not going to make it as a field trial dog.  She was talented, and she was cute, but she didn't LOVE it.  They need to love it to succeed.  She was always worried about what she was going to do wrong instead of relishing in what she did right.

It is probably one of the hardest dog decisions I've ever had to make.  A lot of emotion was involved and I had to think with my head instead of my heart.  I cried many tears (I cry easily as I'm sure you've noticed) and I had many long conversations with the World's Luckiest Man about it.

I was stuck, with my heart, in that Ahti is the only Darbi daughter that I kept.  Darbi is my Heart Dog and I so desperately wanted to recreate the amazing years I've had with her.  But Darbi wants it more.  And why make Ahti do something she didn't really like just to satisfy my own emotional needs.

The decision was made, not lightly, and it was time to figure out what to do with Ahti and what would be best for her.  

What was best for me was to KEEP Ahti forever and ever.  However, was that really best for her?  If I wasn't on the road (with limited dog space) so many months of the year, that would be have been easy. But I didn't want Ahti to have a life of living on a dog truck when she could have so much more.

So off we went to her new home.

Ahti and I hopped a plane to Seattle, Washington out of Houston, TX.  She flew cargo and seemed unfazed by the trip.

We then jumped on a FLOAT PLANE for the last leg of our journey to Victoria, BC.

There is not enough room on float planes for dog crate, so Ahti had to ride loose on the plane during the flight.  I HATE (capital H) flying and I swear we were going to crash about 6 times during the flight.  I had Ahti's crate from the previous flight donated to a dog rescue centre in Seattle in Ahti's name.

Here we are landing in beautiful downtown Victoria, BC where her new family awaited.

Ahti must have surely thought I had taken her into a weird world, when these faces met her for the first time.  It was Halloween!

However, she was completely unfazed by the whole adventure.

Ahti's new family is my brother, sister-in-law and most importantly...their two boys.  The boys had a little calendar on their fridge crossing off the days to when Ahti would arrive after the big announcement was made to them two weeks prior to our arrival.  They are SO excited to have their very own puppy.

Ahti walked to school with them her first morning in Victoria.

And I was quickly forgotten as she figured out who her new buddies were.

It tore at my heart on several levels.

She was SO wonderful with the boys in the few days I spent there during the "transition".  She never once jumped on them, she was very sweet and loyal and listened to them so well.  All the wonderful qualities that Darbi has that I love so much.  She is truly her mother's daughter in so many different ways.

But this is best.  Best for Ahti.

I cried (again) when I left, but I know she will have a better life then what I could offer her.  I know the present to her of her own two little boys is the best gift I could have given.  

And my brother works out of his home, so she will have a lifetime of companionship and love, which is all she ever wanted.

I'll miss you Ahti Boo.  But I'll see you very soon.

Texas!

Shorts on.
Air conditioning going.

We're in Texas!

It has been a busy couple of weeks, but we made it down and are all settled in.

However, I'm off on a big adventure tomorrow.

I'll blog all about it when I get home in a few days.

Hunting season is here!

And the Elmingo dogs are out in full force!

Darbi has been out a couple of times already with the Luckiest Man Alive in between trials last week.

Elmingo's Prime Suspect "Meg".

Elmingo's Shanghai Surprise "Asia"

Both looked they enjoyed an early season hunt in Ontario with their owners.

Blinded by color

I keep this "ribbon" on the visor of my truck.

It keeps me grounded and reminds me of what is important.

You see, this is a ribbon I received at a field trial earlier this year.  It's not a sob story, but I truly thought Darbi had finished in the top two at the trial, but most likely had won.  Everyone there thought she'd won...by a mile.  She didn't put a foot down wrong and hit the 4th series quad way harder than anyone...absolutely face planted all 4 birds and took all the water doing so.  It was amazing...SHE was amazing!

When the results were announced, I received a green ribbon.  Everyone was stunned.  Even the winner apologized to me.  Hey, not his fault.  The judge's saw something they didn't like and who knows to this day what it was.  (I think I was a hair wide on the water blind, maybe???)  But dogs placed above me that wouldn't get IN the water on the same blind, gut hunted a mark, etc.  I didn't understand.

So I took my green ribbon back to the truck and shed a couple tears.  Not tears of pity or disgust, but tears that the RIBBON was what mattered to me that day.  The RIBBON was what provided me the validation I thought I needed.  I was disappointed in myself.

I should have been thrilled with my dog no matter the ribbon.  I was pumped to run a near "perfect" field trial, and I was shocked that that feeling deflated when the awards were presented.

So I took my ribbon, removed any trace of color and placed it in my truck as a reminder.

A reminder that color doesn't matter.  I need to be thrilled with the effort, no matter what the results.  We've all been to trials where we got ribbons we didn't think we deserved, either higher or lower (and of course we keep the higher ones to ourselves, but tell the world when it's the other way around).  We all know how frustrating it is to pick up our dogs in the fourth series after running a great trial, we all know how difficult this game is and how failure happens much more often then success.  We all know what it's like to think we got "screwed".

Heck, only three years ago I wasn't "ready" to win a US Open according to the Luckiest Man Alive.  Look at how far I've come in such a short time.  I'm in the mix at the end often now and I have a right to feel "screwed"??  I don't think so.

I'm trying to keep it real and keep it about the dogs.  Ribbons don't matter.  Having a great week-end with a special dog and really clicking with one another matters most of all.  Having all the hard work pay off is what matters most of all.  This "ribbon" reminds me of that every day.

Better pic

I had a better version of the finalist photo sent to me.  Although I have a pretty decent camera, I really don't know how to use it properly (and nor does the Luckiest Man Alive).

Thank you John for the wonderful pictures of my bestest dog.

Happy TENTH Momma D.

It's Darbi's 10th birthday today!!  My, how time flies.

I've said to people that Darbi is a good trial dog, but she is a GREAT dog.  Plain and simple, just a great dog.

I'm blessed to have her in my life.

I had a few photos sent to me from the first series of the Canadian National last week of her and I.

Lining up for the long retired.  She looks like she's got it.

Still running hard and loving her job.

Always nice to get the first series out of the way.

Happy Birthday sweet dog.

FINALISTS!

We're back from the Canadian National.

Remember what I said about me thinking that Libby might go farther then Darbi...

well...

forget that.

Darbi is a 2012 Canadian National Finalist!!

She was a warrior throughout the 10 series and 8 days of the National.

We were in GREAT shape going into the 10th series, but unfortunately had to handle on one bird of the water quad.

I can't express enough how much it means to finish a National with her, my first dog.  She's 3 days away from turning 10 days old and she ran with heart, style and precision.  Several people there commented to me that they couldn't believe her age and how stylish she ran for an old gal.

The arthritis in her right ankle was starting to act up near the end of the trial and I could tell that her leg was bothering her, but she kept running hard and straight.  It brought tears to my eyes on line.

Good job Momma D.  It was truly an honor.

Heading out...

Sorry about the lack of posts lately.  It has been busy around here.

We're heading out to the Canadian National in Iron Bridge, Ontario today.  Talk about a long drive...

Keep your fingers crossed for us.

I'm not sure of the internet situation once we get there and don't know if I can blog, but I'll try.

We have 8 dogs going, including my very own Libby and Darbi!!  Libby is only 2 years old, so it will be interesting to see how she handles it all and Darbi is at the twilight of her career and will possibly be retired after this trial.

Libby is going to be a great dog when she grows up.  She just "gets" blinds, has a phenomenal memory and has guts-her greatest quality.  She is a more talented dog then Darbi.  Darbi has age and experience, she is not very easily "tricked" and she has seen hundreds (thousands?) of tests in her lifetime.  But if I were a betting woman, I'd put my money on Libby to go farther then Darbi right now.  Libby is more likely to "blow up", but she is also more likely to do a very difficult water test then Darbi.  We'll see if I'm right...

Plus, we have other Elmingo puppies Meg, Turq and Zink!!

Of course Miikka is coming along for the ride as the official Team Horsetooth Mascot.

More congrats!

I just got word that two of Miikka's kids finished FIRST and SECOND in the Qualifying at a trial in Canada this past week-end.

Congrats to "Eider" (NMH Elmingo's Pacific Eider MH ***) and NEW Qualified All-Age "Maggie" (Elmingo's In Hot Pursuit ***).  Both pups are from a Shaq x Miikka breeding.

Way to go!!!

Holiday???

Kenny and I took a much deserved holiday.

We went to a field trial.

Serious.

I decided Darbi needed one more shot to qualify for the Canadian National since she was running so well.

I want Darbi to retire while she still wants to do this and we're thinking the Canadian National (or the last couple trials of 2012 in the US) will be a fitting place to do that.  Obviously it's a very emotional decision for me as she's my first dog and got me in to all of this mess in the first place.

Kenny and I drove up to Brandon, Manitoba to run 3 Opens in 4 days with two dogs...Darbi and her daughter Meg (Elmingo's Prime Suspect).  Of course Miikka came along for the trip.

My best friend lives close to Brandon, so it was a great chance to see her as well and make a real holiday out of it.

Running this trial was a vacation to us.  We only had 3 dogs, visited with old friends and met some new ones.  The trial was small (20 dogs in the Open) and the contestants had great fun, along with the judges.  There was a tail gate party every evening.  Kenny came up as a supportive husband, and not a dog trainer, and I think he thoroughly enjoyed sitting back and just watching dogs.

People at Canadian trials don't take themselves too seriously and I love that.  There is great camaraderie for the dogs and handlers alike and we sincerely cheer each other on.

For anyone who hasn't run a Canadian trial, you don't know how much fun you're missing.

In Canada, one needs a placement to qualify for the National.  Darbi decided to give me an ulcer and wait until the LAST Open to qualify.  And she didn't just qualify, she WON!!!  She tried her heart out on every test (yes, even the water blind!) and seemed to know her momma was counting on her.

Meg was not to be outdone and finished all three Opens with two RCMS and a THIRD place!  Meg went 12 for 12 series and I was so proud of her!!  Darbi went 9 for 12 and finished one other day with a CM.

And on the left in the below photo, Darbi's daughter "Shadow" (Elmingo's Cedar's Shadow MH WCX QFTR) WON the Qualifying the same day as Momma won the Open and 1/2 sister Meg was third in the Open.

Smiles all around.

Kenny was pretty happy as he knew the drive home would be an extra long one had Darbi not qualified.  I believe I saw him at the truck thanking Darbi personally after the placements were announced.

My best friend and I spent the day off from trials getting a pedicure...and I tried to choose a lucky color.  If you look closely, I think it worked.

Best story of the week-end though: they needed a test dog for the first series of one of the Opens and didn't have one.  I volunteered Miikka, but announced that she had been out of training for two years.  I ran the same test as the contestants did...a triple with two retired.  She smoked it!!!  After she picked up the third bird, all I heard was a familiar voice from the gallery: "You ARE NOT taking her out of retirement!!!".  My loving husband at his finest.

Darbi & Ahti

Proud mother and her daughter (Elmingo's Tic A Tee Boo - Prize x Darbi 2011).

It takes a village to get Darbi's ears up.

Cheyenne Trial

What a great week-end for Elmingo pups!!

My little Ahti WON the Derby at the Cheyenne Trial.

Yes, I know I posted recently that we're not sure if Ahti has got what it takes to be a competitive trial dog...and we're still not sure.  But we decided to put her in these 5 trials in a row so she can see what she's training for.  It is obviously working.  She finished the last three derbies and she's training better and becoming more consistent.

Every dog is different.  While some dogs need 5 trials in a row like they need a hole in the head, some thrive off of it.  It's up to us as trainers to read what each dog needs and work off their individualities.  Some people complain that pro trainers have a "program" and if a dog doesn't fit in that "program", then they go home.  I beg to differ.  The good pros are not like that.  Period.

And while Darbi's daughter WON the Derby, Darbi's son Turq got SECOND in the Amateur at the same trial!!  Way to go Turq!!

Peanut was not to be outdone.  Her son Zink finished FOURTH in the Qualifying at the Cheyenne trial, and her kids Eider and Matti finished FIRST and THIRD in the Qualifying at a trial in Canada!!

Way to go everyone!!

Peanut's Bumper

Miikka loves her bumpers.

Give her one bumper and she'll entertain herself for hours.

While Darbi is happy rolling around without one.

Best friends.

Tired and happy

What a long week-end.

One thing for sure, it is a huge effort to put on a field trial and it does indeed take a village.  I could not have pulled it off without the help of many people.  Thank you to everyone.

The Centennial Trial mostly went off without a hitch and I have to say that I'm glad it's over.

I decided to only run Darbi this week-end as to focus on the trial.  I felt scattered every time I went to line with her, as I didn't get a chance to really watch test dogs, analyze tests or concentrate on the task of running a dog.

Well...Momma D took good care of me and we got FOURTH in an 86 dog Open.  It was amazing.  She was stylish, fun and showed her warrior heart.  She had a hunt on the flyer in the last series and that was her only bad bird of the trial.

The icing on the cake was that Kenny WON the trial with a dog we train named Danny.

The last series of the Open was a quad with three retired and Danny did it perfect.

Miikka's son Zink (Elmingo's Little Man) WON the Qualifying!!  Way to go Zink!!

And Darbi's Kids Ahti (Elmingo's Tic A Tee Boo) and Sleuth (Tartan Mystery Man Of Elmingo) both Jammed the Derby!

The idea of running Ahti to let her see what she's training for is really working!!  I didn't get a chance to see her run (Kenny ran her as I was too busy), but I hear she was a little trooper.

Miss Libby ran a brilliant first series and land blind in the Open, only to pick up the poison bird on the water blind...AGAIN.  Now it's a worry.  She's only two and 8 other dogs picked up the poison bird, including some very nice Field Champions, but we don't want it to become a bad habit.  There's always something to work on...it's never ending...and this one is glaring at us in the face with her.  We can cast her off poison birds easily en route to it, but if she can SMELL it running past...it's game over.

I'm exhausted and will have a nice rest today...and thankfully we have a bunch of tired dogs here too.

Fort Collins Trial

Yet another week-end, yet another field trial.

It's the big stretch of trials here in Colorado and we're working hard.  Next week-end is the Centennial Trial and Kenny, I and other wonderful people are putting it on.  We still have some work to do this week to get ready, but have most everything prepared.

It was a fun and successful week-end for us.

Boomer got THIRD in the Open, Qualifying him for the US National.  I just love this dog and we're honoured to be able to train him.

Momma D got a JAM in the Open too, with me!!!  She ran terrific and it was so much fun to stand beside her.  A little wiggle here and a little wiggle there precluded her from a placement, but that didn't matter to me.  She was into it, she was working hard and she showed us she most definitely still wants to do this.  A hunt on the long retired in the first series was her biggest fault, and we knew that even though she did awesome in the last series, it was still hanging over our heads.

And Darbi's son Turq also got a JAM in the Open, not to be outdone by his mother.

Otto, the little (not so little anymore) puppy I raised (and sold to a client) WON the Derby.  It's been so much fun seeing him grow up and develop into a wonderful dog.  He has a bright future.

Darbi's young kids Razor and Ahti both finished the same Derby with JAMs.  So proud of those two for completing this difficult Derby!!  And their littermate Sleuth was THIRD in the Derby last week-end, also in Colorado.

Libby ran in the Open...and we're very proud of her!  She did the first series as good as any dog we ran, completed a very difficult land blind in fine fashion...and then picked up the poison bird on the water blind.  I can't say we were too upset...she's young and she's learning...however, it was a bratty move on her part.  Overall, we were very pleased with her performance.

Good week-end all in all!!!

A couple of Darbi kids

I've had some pics sent to me recently of Darbi kids.

They are too fun not to share.

"Spur" (Elmingo's Lone Ranger - Prize x Darbi 2011) is growing up to be a handsome guy.

"Bode" (Elmingo's Bode At Full Tuck: Tiger X Darbi 2006).

Bode's owners told me that instead of geraniums this year, they decided to go with "potted lab".

A fitting photo from Bode's owners.

Better week-end for Libbs

Miss Libby got SECOND in the Qualifying this week-end and became Qualified All-Age in the US.  She ran great and we had fun together.  Looks like I got my little girl put back together.  That's one thing we love about her...it doesn't take much to get her working good again when she gets loose.  She's easy, tries hard and is a very bright little dog.

That was Libby's last Qualifying.  She'll move up to the Open now full time.  It will be times of bumps and bruises, trials and tribulations for her, but she's ready and it's time.

Libby's littermate Zink also finished fourth in the same Qual.  Way to go kids!

Darbi made it to the water blind in the Open and then gave me no effort OTHER then getting off the point real pretty.  We hacked our way through it, but I wasn't pleased.  As Kenny has told me, they get unreliable at her advanced age and water blinds are generally the first place they start to "sour".  After running a real nice set of marks, and doing a fabulous double land blind, I was for sure disappointed, but I don't hold a grudge and Momma D owes me nothing.

Ahti ran her third derby...and after blowing up int her first one, she's starting to come together.  She was dropped for a couple of hunts after three series this week-end.  We're a little unsure about her right now...unsure if she has the "it" factor to be a successful trial dog, but we're plugging away and not ready to throw the towel in yet.  She can be a worry wort in training and she's been having a hard time catching on to new concepts, but she's getting better every day.  We decided to start trialing her so that she can see what we're training her for, and she was getting better and better every series this week-end.  Don't get me wrong, she's not a slug when she runs, but she can worry herself into bad spots.  Fingers crossed that these trials show her that this is supposed to be a good time and it seems to be working so far!

Just as expected...

Sorry I've been blog lazy since I've returned from Canada.  I've been busy catching up with life and ran a trial the day after I got home.

As expected, the girls I took up there were more then a little loose after running 10 days without a collar and getting no training...just testing.

I include a picture of Libby running last week-end as proof.

Test Dog

I stole this pic from the NRCC website.

It's of Meg and I running test dog in the first series of the Canadian National Amateur.

Her and I have had a blast and the tests have been fun.

We head home to Colorado tomorrow to run a trial this week-end.

All I can say is that after a number of days running as "set-up" dog...with no collar...Libby and Darbi are more then a little loose.  My expectations are fairly low for the trial this week-end for those two.

Canada again!

I'm back in Canada again.

If it seems like I was just here...I was.

I'm helping out at the Canadian National Amateur Retriever Championships in Red Deer, Alberta.

I volunteered a couple of years ago and I'm a woman of my word.

I'm running "set-up" with Darbi and Libby and using Meg as test dog for the first few series.

Since I can't run the Amateur anymore, it is a good fit and the perfect way to give back to all my wonderful friends in Canadian Field Trials.

While I obviously can't say a word about the tests, I think it will be a fun week for contestants!

If you want to follow the National Am, which starts Monday, you can do so at www.nrcc-canada.com

Good luck to everyone competing!!

I don't think you'll hear much more from me until I get home next week.

Picture Day

I grabbed my camera and took some pics for Kenny's website today.  We've had a good run as of late and it's fun to immortalize it.

Darbi's son Turq (Backwater Smokin Turq).

On the right: Darbi's daughter Meg (Elmingo's Prime Suspect), along with "Danny", who we train.

And the three two year olds we qualified for the Canadian National.  It's pretty impressive.  Two of these pups are Miikka kids and I'm very proud of them all.

Left to right:  Zink (Elmingo's Little Man), Libby (Elmingo's Flip Your Lid) and Riot, whose a riot (LKY's Controlled Chaos).

If you remember, it was just over a year ago that I took a pic of the same three "amigos" for finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in a Derby in Missouri...they have come a long ways.

So...the elephant in the room...Darbi is the only dog we took up there that didn't qualify for the Canadian National.  She's been running "up and down".  She went 8 series one week-end in Canada, and then went out in the first series both days another week-end.  Kenny tells me that is entirely normal for an "old" dog.  They are unreliable and generally only do what they feel like at this age.  Darbs will be 10 in a couple months.  But she's finished 3 of the 6 US Opens she's run so far this year, so it's not all bad.  We'll keep going forward with her, and I may make another swing up to Canada in a month or so if I feel like she wants another shot to qualify.

But Darbs has been put on a long term arthritis medication for now.  After a long examination and talk with my wonderful vet, we decided that it was best for Darbi.  She doesn't have any obvious lameness that people can see with their older trial dogs, but she does have some aches and pains and general body stiffness.

Darbi owes me nothing.  When she says she's done, she's done and that's that.  But she hasn't told me that yet...she bounces at the door to get on the dog truck and go training every day and she come off the truck at training a little (too) exuberant sometimes.

The vet said he saw no obvious issues with her eyes and it appears she sees mostly fine.  I guess she only looks at what she wants to look at.  I have no problem with it.  Every day I get to spend with her, trialing or not, is a bonus with a senior dog.

Whatever she wants to do is fine by me.

Harper's Colors

Harper is here showing off all her pretty ribbons from the Logan Lake trial in BC a couple weeks ago.

She is Elmingo's Violence On Request (Prime x Darbi 2008) and lives in Alaska.

Way to go Harper!!

I know my website is down.  I've been working on it.  It's my fault and I forgot to change the web hosting before MobileMe shut down.

I'm not very good at updating my website though, and I do most of it through my blog.  I need to add a Libby and an Ahti page, amongst other things, but it seems there's not enough hours in the day.