I didn't sleep well last night - probably about 4 to 5 hours. I was worried about whether Gusto could run or not. I woke up after finally falling back to sleep and he jumped off the bed and ran downstairs with no limping.
We left early this morning and upon arrival found out that someone had found a scorpion in their shoe so we banged all of the things we had left the previous night just to be sure. Supposedly, it was a small one but still -YUCK!
We walked 3 courses today all before Noon. My first run was Noon and I was concerned for his feet. It was jumpers and it had a tough section that I notoriously do not run well. My 2 other teammates ran before me and both got eliminated. Each person had problems in the section that I was concerned about. The opening ran well but Gusto was FLYING and went off course after the broad jump to a straight line to the wrong end of a tunnel. Oh well, I was happy that he kept his bars up and weaved. Drifter and Kiba both got around the course.
Next was Steeplechase Quarterfinals. I really really wanted to run well enough to make it to the Semis. He did get around but it was not pretty and I had to do some screaming call offs. I didn't hold his contacts to make sure I made it in. With his 3 very wide turns and his screaming call offs, he was around 2 to 3 seconds off Drifter who ran it very clean and had the fastest time. I would like to have run better but I will take it. I was exhausted when I came out cuz he made me work so hard! He was well within the cutoff though and not far off the dogs that ran the contacts and stayed on course without the crazy call offs.
Last run was Snooker. I notoriously do not run Snooker well so I picked a plan that had flow and would reduce the turns for Gusto. He did have some minor issues with several pads after Steeplechase. My teammates ran before me once again. One got around and had a decent amount of points, the other one got some points but didn't get through the closing. I had several people with relatives to Gusto staying around to watch which was nice but also a bit stressful. When I stepped to the line though, I was totally focused and he ran really really well. He did bump into my leg twice though which is an indication how high and wild he truly was today. We got enough points for me to feel successful with that run though. Drifter and Kiba both got through and had nice runs.
I must close for tonight as I need to soak Gusto's feet in Epsom salt to help his pads.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Arizona Day 1
Sadly, Gusto was not ok to run today. Ria Acciani, a PT lazered his feet to reduce the heat and to promote healing and said that he should not run. I walked the course for mental preparation. The course was very tight and technical and I would have loved the challenge of running it. Many dogs were not able to get around clean. The good news is that while I am disappointed and worried a bit about tomorrow, I am totally relaxed and not worried about how he will run through the week. I am sort of resigned to his fate - whatever that happens to be. Val, the girl that took us on the marathon hike felt that I had a very good attitude. I told her, "What else can I do. Freaking out isn't going to help the situation and I just have to take a wait and see approach." I am trying to be optimistic but realistic.
On another note, Rosanne's dog, Drifter ran the course beautifully today and we have to check results tomorrow but he definitely had to place. It was a very nice run. Kiba, her younger dog, had some moments but wasn't horrible.
And then we came back to the house, ate and watched the end of the World Series - wow, the Phillies actually won!
Off I go tomorrow, hopeful that Gusto can run his team runs and Steeplechase without being in pain and without being higher than a kite. We run Team Jumpers, Steeplechase, and Team Snooker. That's actually good because that will limit the number of contacts he must run tomorrow which will be the hardest surface for Gusto's pads.
I say Good Night from Scottsdale, AZ - stay warm, I know we will. tee hee!
On another note, Rosanne's dog, Drifter ran the course beautifully today and we have to check results tomorrow but he definitely had to place. It was a very nice run. Kiba, her younger dog, had some moments but wasn't horrible.
And then we came back to the house, ate and watched the end of the World Series - wow, the Phillies actually won!
Off I go tomorrow, hopeful that Gusto can run his team runs and Steeplechase without being in pain and without being higher than a kite. We run Team Jumpers, Steeplechase, and Team Snooker. That's actually good because that will limit the number of contacts he must run tomorrow which will be the hardest surface for Gusto's pads.
I say Good Night from Scottsdale, AZ - stay warm, I know we will. tee hee!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Arizona Heat
Rosanne, Vanessa and I all arrived last night. Vanessa came a bit later from the airport. The drive was very long and very boring but there were some minor little things that stand out as interesting.
We stayed in Austin at a friend's house over the weekend. Went on a marathon hike which was pretty but Gusto burned almost every pad off his feet and is limping badly today. It doesn't look good for his first run tomorrow. Tomorrow is not the team event, it is a warm up run but it is still upsetting to think that I won't be able to run him. I have cut off all the blisters and soaked his feet in Epsom salt to help draw out the moisture and any bacteria. I plan to put stuff on each pad to protect them to see if he can run without limping. i won't actually know until tomorrow. We were going to train today inside but Drifter has diarrhea, Gusto has no pads and Vanessa's dog is soar from the flight and from some training before she left. So no training for us.
Some notable things along the trip on Route 10 in Texas: very long drive without seeing a human, a bathroom, a gas station. We really had to plan our stops because we were seriously in the middle of the desert. Part of this drive took us along the Mexican border near El Paso. You could see a huge Mexican flag very close to the highway. The actual border was very close to the road. You could tell which side was Mexican and which was the US purely by looking at the buildings. The US side was pretty typical - malls, business offices, chain restaurants. The Mexican side was mostly very poor looking.
When we finally arrived in New Mexico, we had to stop at a border patrol station. They didn't stop us but it was interesting as it was new for both Rosanne and me.
Upon arrival, we unpacked and waited for Vanessa. We were all hungry and needed to buy food and stock up on munchies so we went to Wal Mart. Try buying food and snacks etc for 3 people who all have their own tastes and their own comfort items. It was an adventure.
The heat feels pretty brutal today. We are hanging out in the house and relaxing. We did swim our dogs in the pool at the rental house. The house is very nice and we each have our own bedroom so it allows us some down time on our own.
That's all for now. Cross your fingers that Gusto heals well enough to run without pain.
We stayed in Austin at a friend's house over the weekend. Went on a marathon hike which was pretty but Gusto burned almost every pad off his feet and is limping badly today. It doesn't look good for his first run tomorrow. Tomorrow is not the team event, it is a warm up run but it is still upsetting to think that I won't be able to run him. I have cut off all the blisters and soaked his feet in Epsom salt to help draw out the moisture and any bacteria. I plan to put stuff on each pad to protect them to see if he can run without limping. i won't actually know until tomorrow. We were going to train today inside but Drifter has diarrhea, Gusto has no pads and Vanessa's dog is soar from the flight and from some training before she left. So no training for us.
Some notable things along the trip on Route 10 in Texas: very long drive without seeing a human, a bathroom, a gas station. We really had to plan our stops because we were seriously in the middle of the desert. Part of this drive took us along the Mexican border near El Paso. You could see a huge Mexican flag very close to the highway. The actual border was very close to the road. You could tell which side was Mexican and which was the US purely by looking at the buildings. The US side was pretty typical - malls, business offices, chain restaurants. The Mexican side was mostly very poor looking.
When we finally arrived in New Mexico, we had to stop at a border patrol station. They didn't stop us but it was interesting as it was new for both Rosanne and me.
Upon arrival, we unpacked and waited for Vanessa. We were all hungry and needed to buy food and stock up on munchies so we went to Wal Mart. Try buying food and snacks etc for 3 people who all have their own tastes and their own comfort items. It was an adventure.
The heat feels pretty brutal today. We are hanging out in the house and relaxing. We did swim our dogs in the pool at the rental house. The house is very nice and we each have our own bedroom so it allows us some down time on our own.
That's all for now. Cross your fingers that Gusto heals well enough to run without pain.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
A Win
I finally got to see Devin's football team win a game! Last year, no wins. This year, no wins....until last evening. They played under the lights at the high school stadium. The weather was perfect for football - crisp and cool. The boys and coaches were pumped up coming off a win from Saturday - their first actual win but I missed that game due to the USDAA trial at Fair Hill, Maryland. The Varsity squad didn't play much in the game on Saturday because we were up by more than 18 points which requires us to put in our back up players. Since the Varsity players didn't play much on Saturday, they were slated to rotate in last night.
Lucky for me, this was the last game I will get to see before leaving for Arizona. It was a fantastic game. Both teams played with heart, matching each others touchdowns and defensive attacks. Devin made some key plays so I was excited for him. He had two guys blocking him all night so he didn't get in the backfield like he has much of the season. He had to work hard to make plays for his team.
He was pretty excited by the win and the fact that I got to see it. He has one more Varsity game this weekend and one more JV game on Monday. Both of which I will miss but I can leave for AZ happy having seen a win.
The focus will soon turn to basketball, the sport I grew up playing as a kid. I hope Devin gets excited by it. I have a feeling that basketball will only be his second sport, he loves to tackle. I will enjoy the basketball season though because Greg gets to be the Head Coach for the 3rd and 4th grade level. He is a pretty patient guy and loves to work with kids so this should be fun. With my new camera in tow, I should be able to get some decent pics inside the dark gymnasium.
Lucky for me, this was the last game I will get to see before leaving for Arizona. It was a fantastic game. Both teams played with heart, matching each others touchdowns and defensive attacks. Devin made some key plays so I was excited for him. He had two guys blocking him all night so he didn't get in the backfield like he has much of the season. He had to work hard to make plays for his team.
He was pretty excited by the win and the fact that I got to see it. He has one more Varsity game this weekend and one more JV game on Monday. Both of which I will miss but I can leave for AZ happy having seen a win.
The focus will soon turn to basketball, the sport I grew up playing as a kid. I hope Devin gets excited by it. I have a feeling that basketball will only be his second sport, he loves to tackle. I will enjoy the basketball season though because Greg gets to be the Head Coach for the 3rd and 4th grade level. He is a pretty patient guy and loves to work with kids so this should be fun. With my new camera in tow, I should be able to get some decent pics inside the dark gymnasium.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Fair Hill Results
The weather was just perfect for the USDAA Kinetic show held at the Fair Hill horse grounds in Maryland. Every year, I dread this show because the weather is usually horribly rainy, cold with a ton of mud. People get stuck in the mud regularly at this show and must be towed out by the tractors. But this year was much different - perfect weather all 3 days!
Friday was the warm up for the 2 day team event. It was my first day back at the 22 inch height class in preparation for Nationals out in Scottsdale, AZ. I felt rushed by his speed at 22 and didn't handle him in a relaxed manner which is what I started to do once I got used to him at 26. So on Friday, I just kept working on my timing. He was good but wasn't weaving well which I felt was carry over from the A Frame slam on Wednesday. He managed 2 Qs - one of which was Masters Gamblers which earned him his Masters Gamblers Champion title. He Qd in something else but I am not sure if it was Jumpers. I know it wasn't Standard or Steeplechase. He ran them well but we didn't Q. I pushed him off some jumps on Friday - my timing was slightly off, especially for the rear crosses.
I didn't win or place in any of the team events. I was soooo hoping to place - just for a boost of confidence before we go to Nationals. He ran Team Gamblers well but I was conservative and didn't rack up as many points as several others. He was only 2 to 3 points out of the top though. Team Jumpers went well considering the course had no flow. He only dropped one bar - caused by me but had a decent time. He would have placed 2nd had I not been a spaz over one bar. Team Standard was a nightmare. I just wanted to run clean because our team needed all 3 of us to be clean in order to pull us up above the qualifying cut off. We all managed to survive the course. Team Snooker - something that I suck at for some reason didn't go well. He squirted off of me after I lied him down and took a red so we only got 5 points!
Team Relay was horrid but 2 of us managed to get around so we ended up with a Team Q. That gives him his first Q for Nationals at 22.
I didn't walk Masters Jumpers because I forgot that I entered it. I decided to not be a wimp and run it anyway. I stood outside the ring and watched the course - asking people how they planned to run it. I visualized the course in my mind, walking it over and over in my head and then doing some physical practice outside the ring. Went in saying to myself, "we'll see what happens" and wow, it was a beautiful run! He went wide and I had to call him off a tunnel, but otherwise very nice. I waited for all the 22 inch dogs to run it and then checked his time and discovered that he won the class! Tracy Hirsch - a teammate of mine for Nationals told me not to walk the courses out in AZ :)
Gusto now only needs 4 legs for his ADCH: 2 Super Qs in Snooker, 1 Standard, 1 Jumpers. The Super Qs will be hard for me - I have a thing about Snooker, I hate it. Jumpers too because I never stick around for the last run of the day on Sundays which is when we always run Jumpers.
Anyway, I feel pretty good about heading out to AZ. I need some rear cross practice and weavepole practice but I felt good mentally - other than the darn rears!
Friday was the warm up for the 2 day team event. It was my first day back at the 22 inch height class in preparation for Nationals out in Scottsdale, AZ. I felt rushed by his speed at 22 and didn't handle him in a relaxed manner which is what I started to do once I got used to him at 26. So on Friday, I just kept working on my timing. He was good but wasn't weaving well which I felt was carry over from the A Frame slam on Wednesday. He managed 2 Qs - one of which was Masters Gamblers which earned him his Masters Gamblers Champion title. He Qd in something else but I am not sure if it was Jumpers. I know it wasn't Standard or Steeplechase. He ran them well but we didn't Q. I pushed him off some jumps on Friday - my timing was slightly off, especially for the rear crosses.
I didn't win or place in any of the team events. I was soooo hoping to place - just for a boost of confidence before we go to Nationals. He ran Team Gamblers well but I was conservative and didn't rack up as many points as several others. He was only 2 to 3 points out of the top though. Team Jumpers went well considering the course had no flow. He only dropped one bar - caused by me but had a decent time. He would have placed 2nd had I not been a spaz over one bar. Team Standard was a nightmare. I just wanted to run clean because our team needed all 3 of us to be clean in order to pull us up above the qualifying cut off. We all managed to survive the course. Team Snooker - something that I suck at for some reason didn't go well. He squirted off of me after I lied him down and took a red so we only got 5 points!
Team Relay was horrid but 2 of us managed to get around so we ended up with a Team Q. That gives him his first Q for Nationals at 22.
I didn't walk Masters Jumpers because I forgot that I entered it. I decided to not be a wimp and run it anyway. I stood outside the ring and watched the course - asking people how they planned to run it. I visualized the course in my mind, walking it over and over in my head and then doing some physical practice outside the ring. Went in saying to myself, "we'll see what happens" and wow, it was a beautiful run! He went wide and I had to call him off a tunnel, but otherwise very nice. I waited for all the 22 inch dogs to run it and then checked his time and discovered that he won the class! Tracy Hirsch - a teammate of mine for Nationals told me not to walk the courses out in AZ :)
Gusto now only needs 4 legs for his ADCH: 2 Super Qs in Snooker, 1 Standard, 1 Jumpers. The Super Qs will be hard for me - I have a thing about Snooker, I hate it. Jumpers too because I never stick around for the last run of the day on Sundays which is when we always run Jumpers.
Anyway, I feel pretty good about heading out to AZ. I need some rear cross practice and weavepole practice but I felt good mentally - other than the darn rears!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Crash Test Dummy
Gusto is very much like his Sire - Mayhem who is dying from some rectal cancer. It is very sad and I will miss knowing that he is part of this world. Gusto shares so many similarities to Mayhem. One of these traits is his happy attitude towards life (since I neutered him). Mayhem always seemed to smile and Gusto shares this trait if my memory serves me well.
I was at a friend's place yesterday running some tough sequences and someone was there that knew Mayhem and mentioned Gusto's face and how much it reminds her of his Daddy. Then Gusto did a very Mayhem thing - he splatted on to the Frame. I never saw Mayhem do this but he was regularly referred to as "Crash Test Dummy" and I immediately thought of that comment when Gusto decided to splat the up part of the contact, leaving about an inch patch of fur on the frame.
Gusto was wild yesterday - dropped bars (at 22), went off course and missed almost every freakin weave entry because I didn't slow down so that he could figure out how to get in to the weaves even though he has been doing this for at least a year on his own with no help from me!!! Oh well, will be working the weaves today. Another legacy shared with his Daddy - the dog that could never rock back, slow down to find his own weave entries.
Farewell sweet Mayhem - you will be sadly missed.
I was at a friend's place yesterday running some tough sequences and someone was there that knew Mayhem and mentioned Gusto's face and how much it reminds her of his Daddy. Then Gusto did a very Mayhem thing - he splatted on to the Frame. I never saw Mayhem do this but he was regularly referred to as "Crash Test Dummy" and I immediately thought of that comment when Gusto decided to splat the up part of the contact, leaving about an inch patch of fur on the frame.
Gusto was wild yesterday - dropped bars (at 22), went off course and missed almost every freakin weave entry because I didn't slow down so that he could figure out how to get in to the weaves even though he has been doing this for at least a year on his own with no help from me!!! Oh well, will be working the weaves today. Another legacy shared with his Daddy - the dog that could never rock back, slow down to find his own weave entries.
Farewell sweet Mayhem - you will be sadly missed.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
A Gift or Two
I was at the Keystone Agility Trial in Mt Clare, PA yesterday on a beautiful, sunny, warm Fall day. The weather was crisp in the AM - around 45 degrees. I bundled up in layers and gloves and got ready for the fun to start. Katie Leisey came along to run Ivy and to put her own dog, Zip, back in the ring after months of time off to recover from an injury due to a structural weakness in his rear.
First run of the day was Gamblers. I love when this class is first so you can work out kinks and remind your dog what is expected for the weekend. Gusto ran great - no bars down at 26 inches - woo hoo! Didn't qualify (Q) because I screwed him up trying to get a tight wrap and caused a refusal. Ivy had a very nice run with Katie and nearly Qd but went off course in the gamble. She ran really nicely for Katie (side note - Katie Qd in Standard with Ivy taking first place in Performance, 16).
Next run was Steeplechase. It was a nice course with some tricky sections. My goals right now are based on tournament classes - I want to really start to nail these courses, fast and clean. Well, we ran it really well but he missed a tough weave entry - actually, he hit the entry but missed the wrap on pole 2 due to a bad approach over the previous jump. The cool part was that I ran my butt off to get up there - I was WAY ahead of the Guppy too which probably actually screwed him up but MAN that was a rush!!!!!!!!!! He dropped a bar due to a front cross on a weird angled jump. His only bar down of the whole day though. So with his missed entry and a bar down, I figure he won't qualify right? His time - with me fixing his poles was 30.XX seconds - the fastest time in our class was a clean 29.XX seconds. So G put down a smoking time and Qd. Gift number one - 26 inch class had a slower average than the 22 inch class so he Qd.
Next run was Standard. I wasn't thrilled with his ST Q because it wasn't clean and he screwed up his weaves. Rosanne said - go lay down a great standard run. So I did :) BUT he actually nearly flew off the teeter - in fact, if I was a Judge, I would have called it. I let him standing on the ground and gave him the "EVIL OH MY" eyeball. Looked at the Judge to see if she called it and then carried on. He ran the rest really well - one wide turn to the poles but ZERO BARS DOWN. So another Q and his second gift of the day. He took 2nd place behind Whip, his litter bro.
Last run was Pairs - wow - he ran it fast and furious and really really well! Another Q. He needs 6 legs for his ADCH - Agility Dog Champion Title. Three of those needed legs are Jumpers - I never run it as it is always the last freakin class of the weekend and I am toast by then and ready to go home.
So many very nice people came up and gave me lovely comments about the Guppy. The nicest comment came from a friend of mine, Tinna Brown. She said - you know, I have to admit that I like Gusto at 26, he jumps it very nicely and he actually looks better at 26 than 22. That's because he has to actually jump 26, he can flatten out and not jump 22 because it is too easy for him. It was very nice to hear this from Tinna - many folks weren't sure Gusto could jump 26 easily due to his structure. We shall see if he can hold up. David Acciani looked at him yesterday and did say his left hipflexor muscle is tight. Nothing horrible but he does need to be stretched. I am already feeling improvement but will have to keep on it.
First run of the day was Gamblers. I love when this class is first so you can work out kinks and remind your dog what is expected for the weekend. Gusto ran great - no bars down at 26 inches - woo hoo! Didn't qualify (Q) because I screwed him up trying to get a tight wrap and caused a refusal. Ivy had a very nice run with Katie and nearly Qd but went off course in the gamble. She ran really nicely for Katie (side note - Katie Qd in Standard with Ivy taking first place in Performance, 16).
Next run was Steeplechase. It was a nice course with some tricky sections. My goals right now are based on tournament classes - I want to really start to nail these courses, fast and clean. Well, we ran it really well but he missed a tough weave entry - actually, he hit the entry but missed the wrap on pole 2 due to a bad approach over the previous jump. The cool part was that I ran my butt off to get up there - I was WAY ahead of the Guppy too which probably actually screwed him up but MAN that was a rush!!!!!!!!!! He dropped a bar due to a front cross on a weird angled jump. His only bar down of the whole day though. So with his missed entry and a bar down, I figure he won't qualify right? His time - with me fixing his poles was 30.XX seconds - the fastest time in our class was a clean 29.XX seconds. So G put down a smoking time and Qd. Gift number one - 26 inch class had a slower average than the 22 inch class so he Qd.
Next run was Standard. I wasn't thrilled with his ST Q because it wasn't clean and he screwed up his weaves. Rosanne said - go lay down a great standard run. So I did :) BUT he actually nearly flew off the teeter - in fact, if I was a Judge, I would have called it. I let him standing on the ground and gave him the "EVIL OH MY" eyeball. Looked at the Judge to see if she called it and then carried on. He ran the rest really well - one wide turn to the poles but ZERO BARS DOWN. So another Q and his second gift of the day. He took 2nd place behind Whip, his litter bro.
Last run was Pairs - wow - he ran it fast and furious and really really well! Another Q. He needs 6 legs for his ADCH - Agility Dog Champion Title. Three of those needed legs are Jumpers - I never run it as it is always the last freakin class of the weekend and I am toast by then and ready to go home.
So many very nice people came up and gave me lovely comments about the Guppy. The nicest comment came from a friend of mine, Tinna Brown. She said - you know, I have to admit that I like Gusto at 26, he jumps it very nicely and he actually looks better at 26 than 22. That's because he has to actually jump 26, he can flatten out and not jump 22 because it is too easy for him. It was very nice to hear this from Tinna - many folks weren't sure Gusto could jump 26 easily due to his structure. We shall see if he can hold up. David Acciani looked at him yesterday and did say his left hipflexor muscle is tight. Nothing horrible but he does need to be stretched. I am already feeling improvement but will have to keep on it.
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