Finn wins Reserve High In Trial on Saturday, and High In Trial on Sunday for 2 HS legs!

WOW! Kathy emailed to tell me about Finn's first AKC Herding Trial. A Trial includes the Started, Intermediate, and Advanced classes. It takes 3 legs to earn the Herding Started (HS) title and Finn showed them how it was done this past weekend. Kathy said, "Just wanted to let you know that in his first run in Started Sheep at the AKC trial today Finn came in second place with a score of 94. We got Reserve High in Trial. The first place dog had a score of 94 1/2. We did the run in 3 min 15 second. I'm am so pleased !!!! The first picture is with the judge Priscilla Phillips and the second is with Priscilla and Finn and my trainer Sandy Moore.

We go again tomorrow. The weather today was cold, but no snow or rain as predicted. Great day for trialing :)"

On Sunday Kathy said, "Just had to share again :) Today Finn was High in Trial with a first place in started sheep. Our score was 96.5 points. Linda Rorem was the judge. We did it in 3 min 7 sec. It was overcast and snowy in the morning, but got sunny in the afternoon for Finn's run. He needs one more qualifying run for a started title in sheep."

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Cache- dreaming of WIT

The large ribbon in the center is WIT's. He and Cache both belong to Morene Brown and that ribbon is the ASSA National High In Herding Trial ribbon from the 2010 ASSA National- which WIT won. Cache likes to sit on that end of the couch- and I like to pretend that he feels closer to home and his housemate WIT. It is my hope that Cache will grow up to be a Ch/VCX dog, and I am confident that between Morene and I, we can make that happen.

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Cache and Xena have a very good weekend

(picture of Cache taken at home in our yard)
Cache was Winners Dog on Sunday for his first 2 points. Saturday he was Reserve Winners Dog. That is certainly a nice way to start a show career. This was Cache's first dog show, and it was indoors. I had chosen to set up my grooming space along a wall. I didn't give much thought to the electrical outlet that was way above my head- until Saturday when one of the extension cords that was plugged into it blew up with a loud bang and a flash of light. Someone had plugged in a damaged cord, and had electrical tape around the damaged area, but then plugged a strip into the extension cord and had 3 dryers coming off of it. That was too much for the damaged extension cord and it blew up- right over the crates my dogs were in. I thought, "oh my gosh. I have just ruined Cache forever!" Nope. Luckily we had already shown that day, and the next day he won! It is so nice to have good steady temperaments!

Linda called Sunday night to say that Xena (littermate to Cache) had completed an ASCA jumpers course in 5.84 feet per second- that is SMOKE'N! Good luck keeping up with her Linda! I think it is so cool that Linda competes in so many different agility venues. That is a great way to keep the dogs interested and up on the game. Each venue focuses on a different aspect of the sport. For one venue it is speed, or another it is the ability to call your dog off an obstacle, or another it is the ability to handle from a distance. Each is a good skill and each gives confidence and makes the dogs think.

It is so nice to be able to report on the successes these dogs and their owners are having.

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