I Was Not Prepared for This

I Was Not Prepared for This

 

Sunday, April 15

Sunday night, April 15, I was preparing for bed, just like many other Sunday nights.  At about 10:00 p.m., Almondine and Whisper were in the hallway as I exited the bathroom.  They quickly headed downstairs so that they could run outside and play until the last possible moment that I came down to shut the patio door for the night.  Around five minutes later, I went to bring them in and close up for the night.  No Whisper.  No Almondine.

In the past I’ve had some heart-stopping moments where I thought a dog was missing, but found her a short time later snoozing behind a chair or exploring under the deck.  In other instances, a dog has actually gotten out of the yard though a broken fence, but he immediately comes back to the house when called.  In one case, I thought two of my dogs were lost or stolen, but that turned out to be a mistake with a happy ending [See the March 2017 post, “Lost Dogs (sort of)”].

I was certain they had to be in the house or yard somewhere.  Not finding them inside, I grabbed a flashlight and went out to the backyard.  All under-deck access was still blocked from the last time a dog had managed to get underneath.  Then I remembered that there was a section of fence that had been blocked and then covered by a piece of panel.  During some recent heavy rain, the panel had loosened and then fallen.  I knew I would need to replace it when we had a break in the weather, but I thought the previous block/repair was still intact.  When I couldn’t find the girls, I discovered that they could have been able to get through that spot.  A loose section of fence was able to be pushed out, and they could have – must have – escaped from that spot. 

From previous experience with different dogs, I figured they would be right outside the fence or around front, certainly no farther than a neighbor’s yard or two away.  Not so.  No Whisper.  No Almondine.

Currently, I live in a neighborhood with areas I don’t feel safe walking in broad daylight.  Sunday night that did not matter.  I grabbed one of my other dogs and headed out.  I was frightened, but I had to find my dogs.  We walked for hours to no avail.  No Whisper.  No Almondine.

Monday, April 16

On Monday morning, a Facebook friend who saw my lost-dog post suggested that I post on the Nextdoor app.  I’d never heard of it, but signed up immediately and posted about my lost dogs.

I am truly lucky to be Facebook friends with someone who is very experienced in lost-dog searches.  Not only did Sheilah send me a great deal of information, she also improved my full-page flyer, and she created a quarter-page flyer to hand out to people.

Since my printer was out of ink, I went to print flyers at the office where I work.  I am blessed to work with understanding bosses and co-workers!  I left my cell phone on my desk while I went to cut down the quarter-page hand-out cards.  When I returned to my desk, I saw that I had just missed a call at 8:57 a.m. At 8:59, I checked my voice mail and received a message from someone who had seen my post on Nextdoor.  One of the dogs had been sighted only a few minutes ago!  I raced out the door to the car and drove to the location.

There was Almondine!  Because lost dogs can become “feral” very quickly, I really did not expect her to come to me.  She watched me warily, and then moment by moment, she began to relax. First, there was an expression of disbelief, then one of excitement and happiness as she ran to me.  I put the slip lead around her neck, and she joyfully bounced to the van with me.

I called the office to let them know I had one of the dogs and asked one of my co-workers to tag me in a Facebook post with an update.  The time was 9:13 a.m.  I couldn’t believe the entire event took less than 15 minutes.

Several sightings were reported later in the day, but all were from earlier in the morning:

• ·   Both girls had been spotted on someone’s porch around 5:30/6:00 a.m., a few streets over from where I eventually picked up Almondine.
• ·   A dog had been seen at 9:30 a.m. at nearly the same intersection where Almondine had been located.  If the woman had the time correct, this would definitely have been Whisper since Almondine had been picked up about 15 minutes prior to the sighting.  (After learning that information, I felt horrible that Whisper had possibly seen me pick up her mother, but she was left behind.)
• ·   Received a voicemail from someone who said she saw my dog (singular) at 8:00 a.m. a couple miles further away from home than the other sightings.  That one doesn't jive with the other sightings, but I’m not ruling it out.

My dear friend, Kelley, and her husband, Rick, came over and drove around, handing out flyers and hoping for a sighting.  Kathilyn and Lynnette also came and drove around.  Sue (who stayed so long that she was late for a meeting) came and helped me hang up flyers, which turned into a two-person job because of the cold and strong wind.  Trying to pull a flyer out of the clipboard, hold it up, and staple it before it could blow away was definitely a challenge. 

A friend—someone I trust—whose dog Nova has had some experience tracking lost pets came over after she was done with work for the day and brought a friend of hers along.  You have to be careful about lost-pet tracking scams, but Dawna is not the kind of person to say, “Oh, hey, my dog can find your lost pet.”  She is honest and upfront about what may or may not happen.

Nova identified a location that he was insistent was a “hot spot.”  I brought Almondine over, and she, too, was very interested in the area.  We put food out, and I went home and got one of the dogs’ stinky blankets to put out.  I drove back over several times, but there was no sign of Whisper, and nothing had eaten the food.

Tuesday, April 17

More visits back to the “hot spot” elicited no results.  Strangely, the food was still there.

Kelley & Rick and Kathilyn did more driving around.  Kelley & Rick actually came over twice on Tuesday and spent several hours searching on each trip.

I spent the day handing out more flyers and walking, walking, walking…  Almondine was an absolute trooper through this whole thing.  I took her with me in the hope that she would catch the scent of Whisper, or that Whisper would catch our scent.

I realize now that I should not have been walking aimlessly around those areas because it could have been confusing for Whisper if she were to catch my or Almondine’s scent and try to follow it.

Another reported sighting in the opposite direction from all previous sightings.  The woman was positive it was Whisper she saw at 7:10 a.m. on the corner of a busy intersection.  She was afraid that the dog was going to get hit.

Sheilah was mapping reported sightings, and she sent me four routes to walk in hopes that Whisper would pick up my scent and follow me home.  Late Tuesday evening, Almondine and I walked three of the routes, and I messaged Sheilah of a couple other routes I planned to walk on Wednesday based on other sightings.

All of the reported sightings were from Monday.  No sightings were reported for Tuesday. 

Wednesday, April 18

On Wednesday morning, I had to go back to work, but before I headed to the office, I drove around and handed out more flyers.  I checked out the “hot spot” again and was stunned that nothing – not Whisper, not a squirrel, nor raccoon, nor possum – had yet eaten the food we left out Monday evening.

I spoke to someone who reported yet another Monday sighting.  There were no reported sightings of her after 9:30 a.m. on Monday.  She had either hunkered down into hiding or moved out of the area.  I had no idea which direction to go next to start posting more flyers.

At this point, exhaustion was playing on my senses, and I began to doubt that I would ever see Whisper again.  Sheilah told me that the average lost-dog search lasts from 11 to 21 days, so I tried to hold onto hope.

Wednesday was our “Staff Appreciation Day” at the office, so it was a half-day of work, then a long lunch at a nice restaurant, followed by the rest of the day off.  After catching up on office e-mail and a couple other tasks, I went out to the main office, where I explained to my boss and co-workers my plan for the day.  I was going to stay at the office until I finished one project that needed done, and that I was going to skip the lunch to go home and lay more tracks trying to lead Whisper home, and then go to the laundromat (which I really needed to have done on Monday!)  I figured I could take advantage of the time waiting for clothes to wash and dry by e-mailing flyers to vets’ offices.

During our conversation, my cell phone rang.  I ran to answer it.  It was someone who lived on my street, saying that she just saw my dog!  She told me where she had seen her and which direction she was traveling.  I yelled out to my co-workers that there was a sighting and that I was leaving everything at my desk.  They yelled back, “Go!  Go!  Call us!”

I work not far from the location of the sighting, but as I was driving, I realized that I had forgotten to ask which side of the street she was on.  However, it wasn't long before I saw her on my side of the street, in the yard of a house on a corner.

I turned the corner onto the dead-end street, threw the car into park, and jumped out.  Thankfully, Whisper was curious enough to come over to me, but, unfortunately, she was extremely spooked. I crouched down low and let her sniff me all over. She recognized me, but was still very hesitant.  I managed to get a slip lead on her, but she was too frightened to walk with me, so I carried her to the van.

Whisper was still scared when we got home and would have run away from me if she could have. I carried her into the house, shut the door, and set her down. She was actively sniffing and looking around, and with each sniff, she realized a little more that she was home and got super excited, though she was still a little skittish of me.

I went and let Almondine out of her crate, and after those two had a party, Whisper warmed up to me a little more.  I let the other dogs out of my bedroom and there was another big party. After that, she was back to herself.

I let her chill for a little bit and then went back to work – just in time to go to our staff appreciation lunch after all :D

That afternoon, Sheilah sent me found-dog flyer/banners to replace my Facebook cover photo.

The sighting was called in to me at 9:14 a.m.  When I called the office to let them know I had her and was headed home, it was 9:26.  Twelve minutes.  Amazing!

Summary

In my opinion, I have experienced a miracle.  To have BOTH dogs home safe and unharmed, and for each recovery to have happened in the manner it did and as quickly as it did is incredible.  I have friends whose lost-dog stories did not turn out so well, and my heart aches for them, as I am sure they relive their own tragedies each time they see and share a lost-dog post on Facebook.

My utmost gratitude to the people who called in sightings… I do not know all of your names, but you are my heroes.  Sheilah, Kelley & Rick, Dawna with Nova, Sue, Kathilyn, Lynnette – I extend my heartfelt gratitude to each of you.  I am also extremely grateful to Mary, who suggested the Nextdoor app, which directly led to the recovery of Almondine.  A huge thank you to my bosses and co-workers – especially Amanda, Craig, Miranda, and Brittany – who were generous in allowing me time off to search, letting me print flyers at the office, and covering for me while I was away.  Many, many thanks to those who offered to help (Kristina even offered to drive to Ohio from Kentucky!), and to everyone who shared the flyer on social media and who sent good thoughts and prayers.  I am truly overwhelmed.  I pray that I have not missed anyone.  I am still fighting exhaustion, and it is difficult to relive these frightening days, so please know that if I did forget to name someone, it was certainly not intentional!

I was really not prepared for this, so here’s my take away from the event:

•  PRE-prepare lost-dog flyers, and periodically update the photos.  I used to keep flyers ready but hadn’t done it for several years.  It feels really creepy to create them when you don’t need them, but, trust me, I wish I would have been able to save the time trying to find photos and creating the flyers.  I would make a simple flyer with the photo(s), your phone number, and space to type in the location from which they were lost.  I had too much information on my original flyer, and Sheila improved it for me.  There is one thing I wish I would have added, though, and that is the phrase, “Call ANY time – day or night!”
  
• Have your dog’s rabies certificate and microchip numbers handy.  I used to have all this information filed for easy locating; however, things have been disorganized lately, and I had a hard time locating some of what I needed.  If either of them had been picked up by Animal Control, I’m sure I would have needed proof of rabies vaccine in order to bring them home.
• Ask friends to hang up flyers.  Map out areas and assign to volunteers to hang up flyers.  Not only will this make it easier to find the flyers and take them down once your dog is home, it will also prevent you from leaving a confusing scent trail for your dog should s/he try to follow it.
• If you are going to create a Facebook page for the lost dog, ask a friend to maintain it.  I was too inundated and exhausted to post anything there after the initial page creation.
• Check your fence regularly!  Especially ensure that previous repairs are still holding up.
• Collars and tags…  This is a tough one for me.  I do not keep collars on my dogs when they are at home.  They play really rough and grab each other by their ruffs all the time.  After reading a multitude of horror stories of dogs getting tangled up in collars – jaws broken and/or strangled to death – and my own experience of having a dog get a collar caught on a crate, I no longer keep collars on my dogs unless we are going out. 
  
  A side note:  One person who was assisting in the search acted like I was the worst dog owner on the planet because I did not keep collars on my dogs 24/7/365.  When I explained the above, she wanted to know what kind of statistics there were on that because she’s never had a problem.  [Here is a link with an example of why i don't keep collars on my dogs at home:  https://www.facebook.com/PreventPetSuffocation/photos/a.390836330988635/929090400496556/?type=3&theater] And when she learned that they are not spayed, her previous low estimation of me dropped even lower.  Despite her previous interest in statistics, she didn’t seem interested in new research that, while spaying can prevent pyo and some forms of cancer, it may result in other types of cancer.  “Well, all of my dogs have been spayed, and I’ve never had a problem.”  This woman was a stranger to me, a friend of someone who saw my post on the Nextdoor app. Despite our difference of opinion, I am sincerely grateful for her taking the time to search for a stranger’s lost dog.   
  
  This was in addition to the person who told me on Monday afternoon that if my other dog hadn't yet been found, someone must have her, and they've probably left the country with her by now.  <sigh>

These are only a handful of suggestions.  Please feel free to post you favorite ideas in the comments.  (BTW, negative, accusatory comments will be removed.)

Future follow up

And here’s the part that made my blood absolutely boil... 

I attempted to sign up for found-dog notifications through Pet Harbor, but I discovered they apparently believe that breeders do not deserve to have their lost pets returned.  From their lost-dog registration page:  “We do not accept information from pet stores or breeders. By the transfer of information to us you are certifying that you do not represent a pet store or breeder.” 

Yes, they are going to get a message from me – and, I believe, from several of my friends…

_____________

Cherish your dogs... you never know when it might be your last opportunity.

MDW

Starting Over

"Starting Over" is an appropriate post title today.  I spent a great deal of time this evening writing my latest blog post... only to decide that it was not going to be my latest blog post.  The content was too emotional for me to put out in public just quite yet.  In going back to the drawing board,  I found this note that I wrote on Facebook on July 7, 2010.  I have added an update at the end.
_____________________________________________________

Magic

STARTING OVER

Someone posted on the obedience list about the tragic loss of a not-quite-3-year-old dog. This was her Novice A dog, and they were near the proofing stage of utility training. The dog's breeder had a 6-month-old pup who needed rehomed, and this lady took him. She was questioning her ability to start over with this new dog. As I read her post and the responses and considered how I might reply, I came to a startling realization about myself, and here is what I posted in reply: 

Cindy, first let me tell you how very sorry I am for your loss. So tragic! I know from personal experience that to not feel guilty is easier said than done, but please, please, don't blame yourself because YOU did nothing wrong!

I also want to thank you for posting, because your e-mail and some of the responses have opened my eyes........ I joined this list a while back in hopes that I would soon have a dog ready to compete in obedience again, but after all this time, I have rarely posted because I have not even started with another dog. Not since Magic..........

Magic, my very first Belgian (Terv), came to me in 1996. I had a small training/pet sitting business at the time, and Magic became my demo dog. Because she had some fear issues, I never dreamed that we would be able to compete in trials, but when she was about 6 yo, I took her to a basic obedience class at a training club. She could easily have tested out of the class, as I had started her on those exercises when she was 8 weeks old ;-) But I didn't want her to have to learn new obedience skills. I wanted her to be able to use those things she was an "old hand" at to help her overcome her insecurities. The only thing she had to learn in this class was that people were really not that scary ;-) And she did! Right about the same time that we finished this class, I got my second Belgian (Sheepdog), 5 yo Dickens. He loves everybody and has zero fear issues, so between the class and Dickens' good influence, Magic became a new dog, and we began to compete.

Magic and Dickens were my first ever competition dogs. They were soooo different <lol>. Dickens just didn't see the logic of heeling patterns. "Mom, it's much faster if I cut across and meet you over at the corner." Oh yeah, we lost lots of points on off-lead heeling <sigh>. However, he wouldn't even think about breaking a stay. The only time I remember him breaking a stay was at an outdoor trial; he jumped up so suddenly that I think something may have bitten him :-0 [Dickens is my most obedient dog, but he's not much of an "obedience dog" <lol>] He did get his CD reasonably quickly (but I won't even tell you what our last score was <blush>), and then I retired him from competition. Magic, on the other hand, was beautiful in everything she did EXCEPT stays. I received many, many compliments on her heeling and our teamwork, but in all the times I showed her, she only held one complete sit-stay. She would look down the row of dogs one direction, then look the other direction, then get up and come straight to me.

I was disappointed, yes, but also so happy that she had overcome so much to even be able to compete. The most frustrating weekend was a 3-day-show where we *would have* had a second place, a third place, and been in a run-off for first place with a 196.5--IF she had held her stays. Oh well.

Magic injured her back a week before her 10th birthday, so we never were able to obtain that elusive CD, but I'll never forget what a great obedience partner she was. She's been gone two years (as of July 15). That means it has been four years since I did any "serious" obedience with any of my dogs, though I keep saying that I'm gonna...

Your post, Cindy, and some of the replies have opened my eyes to the fact that I am afraid--yes, afraid--to start working with another dog. You said, "So, I would like to train him for obedience, but it is so hard to even think about it. I needed so much help with Loki, since it was all new. And will I enjoy it with another dog? Will I be able to do it again?" Those words made me realize that I'm afraid of so many things: Will I compare my next competition dog to Magic? What if they don't measure up to Magic? Or worse, what if they're better than Magic--will I feel disloyal to her memory? My answer to anyone who asked me these questions would be that it's okay to move on; it doesn't mean you love the other dog any less. Yet, I didn't see this barrier in myself until now.

So I thank all of you who have posted on this thread, for helping me realize my fears. Magic overcame her fears. For her memory's sake, I can do no less.

Get ready, Justice, we've got some training to do....

__________

At the end of July 2010, I still had not started obedience training with Justice.  However, on a particularly disappointing day of conformation showing, I decided that I was done with the show ring, and that I would return to obedience.  

We started training around the first part of August, and I entered Justice in her first Novice Obedience trial at the end of September.  She earned her title in three straight trials.

I learned that my fears were unfounded.  Never once did I compare her to Magic -- nor did I become frustrated with her because she was not the natural obedience dog that Magic was.   

Magic was Magic, and Justice is Justice.  Now I am working with Justice's son, Aslan, from whom I expect great things.  And Aslan is Aslan.

I am very glad that I was able to finally start over.  

Justice (above left) and Aslan (above right) competing in Rally (DickClarkPhoto.com)

Each of your dogs is an individual; cherish your relationships with them, individually.

MDW

The journey concludes

Dear Diary,

Another whirlwind couple of weeks!  My obedience-competition and National-Specialty journey with Spirit has come to a conclusion.


Bittersweet, but I will have wonderful memories of this time I have spent with her.

Last Sunday -- was it really only one week ago? -- we were entered in two obedience trials in one day.  I knew it was going to be a long, tiring day for Spirit.

The start of our National Specialty run

The first trial went surprisingly well, and Spirit qualified with a fourth-place score of 193-1/2. Wow!  

As the afternoon dragged on, Spirit was becoming tired and stiff.  We walked around outside for a while to stretch our legs and enjoy the beautiful, sunny spring day.  

Before our turn in the second trial, I witnessed something that made me quite upset (see last week's blog post for details).  Between my emotions and Spirit's fatigue, I wasn't sure how well our run was going to go, but she did it!  Our score, though not great, was good enough to qualify, earning the second leg toward her Beginner Novice title. 

 On to the National!

Wednesday morning's alarm clock blared much too early for this night owl, but I dragged myself out of bed, excited and nervous for the day ahead.  Arriving at the Specialty venue, my stomach and chest were full of butterflies.  Giddy is probably the best word to describe how I felt.

Finally it was our turn.  Knowing she was already tired, I was a little worried as we entered the ring.  Her heeling was atrocious, with abundant lagging and many tight-leash points lost.  

She caught sight of the camera during the figure-8.

On the figure-8 exercise, she went over to sniff one of the stewards -- something she has never done before.  Combined with the lack of sits at halt and a delayed response on her very slow recall, I had doubts about our performance.  

However, Spirit still deserved praise, and I was hugging her when the judge said, "You <unintelligible> qualify," I was unable to hear whether he had said "did" or "didn't" and had to ask him to repeat, "You did qualify."  YES!!!!  I thanked him, gave Spirit another hug, and told her, "You can retire now." 

There was no placement ribbon on this day, as her score was barely qualifying, but I was still over-the-moon excited.  I'm sure the judge thought it was strange that I asked for a photo, but I didn't care.  Spirit, at nearly 13 years old, had earned two legs on Sunday and the final leg on Wednesday to complete her Beginner Novice title, and I was immensely happy. 

  

Waiting for the recall

While we waited for the judge to have a chance to break for the photo, I took Spirit outside to walk around.  I had to fight hard to keep the tears at bay.  I am so very proud of this dog for giving me her all over the last few months of this journey.


I am also incredibly blessed to have a supportive breeder and friend who placed this wonderful dog with me.  

I love you, Spirit, and even though this part of our journey is completed, I hope you are able to remain my companion for a long time to come.   

Cherish your dogs.

MDW

We interrupt this journey for a very important message...

Cherish your dog(s).  

Please.

This weekend, Spirit and I were at an Obedience & Rally Trial.  I will post about our continuing journey in next week's blog.  What I want to talk about in this post is something I saw that made me so incredibly sad that I had to fight back tears.

I will not state what class it was, only that it was an "A" division handler, and I will not state the gender of the handler or the breed or gender of the dog.  I will refer to the handler as "they" and to the dog as "it."  

Someone finished their obedience run, which had not gone well.  They left the ring, and the handler yanked on the dog's leash multiple times.  Basically they were giving a correction, even though the dog was doing nothing wrong at the moment.  They then pushed the dog hard into its crate and left it there while they gathered up their belongings.  As they left the building, the dog tried to walk beside them, and they repeatedly pushed it away, not allowing the dog to get too close to them.

I was heartbroken for this poor dog, who only wanted to be close to its human and had no earthly idea why they were being so cruel.

Their run was not the worst I've ever seen -- not by a long shot!  It appeared to me to be a run by a green dog and handler, who both just need some more practice and ring time.  Unfortunately, this dog will probably grow to dislike obedience or even be fearful of it should this type of treatment continue.

Choking down my emotions, I headed to the ring for our judge's briefing.  One of the points he made was that this should be FUN, and the dog should always enjoy what we're doing in the ring.  I got choked up again wondering if that handler had ever received the same advice.

We were first up following the briefing, and I tried to push the sad images out of my mind as I raced to get my dog and headed back to the ring.  Dogs are sensitive creatures, and Spirit needed me to be happy and focused on her when we walked in to compete.  

After the awards were presented, I told the judge that I was almost in tears when he was giving his briefing and explained why.  He was sad about it also.  And he made a point that I had been thinking about as well, "Someday, that dog will be on the table in the vet's office, and..."  Tears in his eyes, his voice cracked, and he could not finish.

Most of us know that no ribbon, title, or award is as important as the love in our dogs' eyes.  I sincerely hope that this handler learns that, too.  I pray it happens before they completely lose the trust of their beloved companion.

Cherish your dog(s).

That is all.
MDW

The journey continues...

Aslan and Spirit

Since my last post, "Signs," it's been a busy couple of weeks to record in this online diary.

The Sunday following the puppy match, Spirit, Aslan, and I went to an obedience match, an event which provided additional confirmation that conformation needs to be put on the back burner for now.  I had a fabulous time!

Spirit's recent training has taken place at home and at my local obedience training club.  I needed to know how she would do in a new location -- and after spending more time in the car than she was used to.  I also needed to see how Aslan's obedience would hold up in a trial setting.  The obedience match was our testing opportunity.

Beautiful weather made the trip enjoyable.  However, in the morning, there was just the slightest chill in the outside air, and the temperature inside the building was downright cold.  The longer-than-usual car ride and the climate seemed to negatively affect Spirit, as she was stiff and slow during our practice runs.

An experienced competitor suggested that on trial day I should get Spirit out and warm her up for a long time before we go in the ring.  On one hand I agreed, but on the other hand I knew this would present a problem.  Due to her age, Spirit needs to warm up -- but not too much, or else she gets tired.

Another trial-day problem would be the driving distance.  Our first trial was about 2-1/2 hours from home.  I decided that my best course of action would be frequent, short warm-up sessions for Spirit.  Aslan, on the other hand, requires a fairly long warm up before going in the ring; otherwise, he's too wired up to concentrate and perform well.  He's quiet, calm, and well behaved in his crate, but when I get him out, he's like, "Mom, mom, mom, MOM, MOOOO-OOOOM!  Oh boy, oh boy, it's MOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!"

On the day of the match, I had quite a long wait before our first turn, so I hadn't yet warmed up Aslan, when the organizers decided to practice the group stays.  I quickly grabbed Aslan and took him for a fast potty break, and then we hurried inside to join the group.  Given the circumstances, I wasn't sure how well he would stay but figured it would be a really good practice opportunity.  He surprised me by staying, despite other dogs breaking, handlers moving in and out of the ring, and doing a five-minute sit stay while the other dogs were doing down stays, and a three-minute down stay while the other dogs were doing sit stays.  (Most of the other people were practicing for Open B class, in which the stay order can be reversed from the usual sit-first-then-down routine.  Because Aslan has had problems lying down during a sit stay, I opted to keep him doing the usual order.)

Spirit and Aslan each had two runs.  Spirit's heeling was "laggy" (instead of staying right by my side, she was lagging behind me a lot) because, as previously noted, she was stiff and tired.  Aslan's heeling was fantastic except for one particular corner of the ring when he was unsure if he should remain in heel position or go jump the agility tire jump that was in that area.  (I think that if it had not been set up against the wall, he might have given it a go :-)  I must admit to a feeling of pride when I heard some experienced handlers comment on his nice heeling.

The highlight of my day, though, was when Spirit held her sit stay for BOTH of our runs!  In Beginner Novice, the sit stay exercise is done with the dog sitting in the middle of the ring while the handler walks around the inside perimeter of the ring.  We have struggled so much with that exercise, and I was incredibly happy that she succeeded TWICE!

A couple days later, in class, Spirit again held the sit stay multiple times.  I was elated and had high hopes for our upcoming trial.

. . .

As I mentioned in my blog post, "The Dog's Out of the Bag," I had arranged to leave work early at least once a week so that I could get in some private training time before evening classes at the club.  However, I work at a church, and the weeks leading up to Easter are very busy in the office.  Holy Week is a "blackout" week, meaning that no one is supposed to take any time off.  Therefore, I knew we would be unable to get in a last Thursday-afternoon practice before Saturday's obedience trial.

For the first Friday evening in a while, both my calendar and the club calendar were free, and I considered taking the dogs over for a quick "run-thru," but then decided against it.  I was afraid Spirit would be too tired if we went out Friday night and then were also gone all day Saturday.

So after surviving Holy Week at work, I got up early on Saturday morning and hit the road with my furry traveling companions.  Our first stop was to meet up with my best friend, who was going to ride up and spend the day with us.  Even though we live only a four-hour round trip apart, we see each other much too rarely.  This was a wonderful treat for me to have her go along!

I had two dogs entered in three classes in two rings under two judges, all scheduled for "after noon."  It was great to not have to get up at o'dark thirty for an 8:00 a.m. ring time.  The only drawback was not having any kind of estimated start time.  "After noon" could mean 12:05 p.m. or 4:00 p.m., depending on whether or not the morning classes were running on schedule.

Not knowing exactly when our classes would start, but knowing that I needed plenty of time for Aslan to soak up the environment and chill out and that I would need to warm up Spirit early and often, we arrived and got set up before noon.  

I watched the judging and checked the schedule, and I figured that the timing would work out just fine and that I would have no conflict showing between the two rings.  However, as the afternoon went on, the time I had estimated between the two rings was growing smaller and smaller.  I should have asked to move Spirit to the beginning of her class, but I figured I would have time and that I was just being nervous for nothing.  And then, as Spirit and I were waiting for her turn to go in, I saw that the other ring, the one Aslan would be in shortly, was moving along quite quickly, and we were going to be lucky to make it!

I made myself focus.  SPIRIT was the real reason I was here.  If Aslan didn't get to compete in one class today, it was not the end of the world.  And Spirit's number was called to the ring.

We entered the ring, and I was filled with confidence that she could qualify and get the first leg of her title.  Her heeling was laggy and even worse on the figure eight, but I believed we probably still had enough points to qualify.  She did the sit-for-exam exercise perfectly.  Deep breath.  Here comes the sit-stay/walk-around-the-ring exercise.  Whew!  She did it!  Recall is the only thing left.  "Spirit, come!"  Okay, it's Beginner Novice, so we can still qualify if she comes on the second command.  "Spirit, come!"  Well, we've NQ'd now.  "Spirit come."  Sigh.  I clapped my hands and opened my arms wide for encouragement, "Spirit, come!"  Finally!  (Yep, should have gone to the club Friday night for that one last run-thru.  Sigh.)

The judge was encouraging, and I told her that Spirit was nearly 13 years old.  She said, "I could tell she was an older dog.  Good for you for getting her out and working with her!"  

Connie, who had been video recording our run, came to the gate to meet us, reached out to take Spirit's leash from me, and said, "I'll take her.  You go get Aslan.  You're next."  Bless her!  I thanked her and sped off.

Aslan had the shortest potty break and warm up that he has ever had, and then we rushed back into the building.  We had just a few moments before it was our turn.  I was concerned because he tends to be overly playful without a good warm up.  On-lead heeling and figure eight were better than I had expected, though.  

On the stand-for-exam exercise, I discovered something we had not proofed for.  The majority of Novice competitions I have observed and been part of, the judge pats the dog on the head, the back, and the rear; and that is how we had practiced.  However, this judge placed her hand on the dog's head and ran her hand downward along the back to the rear, keeping her hand in constant contact with the dog's body.  Aslan turned to look at her like, "Huh?  What's that about?" and moved his feet as he turned.  I assumed we had NQ'd at that point.  

We finished the class with the off-lead heeling and recall exercises, which seemed to go well.  We then left the ring, but only for a moment, as we were the last team in the class, and the group stay exercises were next.  Aslan was still pretty wired up, and again, I was concerned about his enthusiasm level as we re-entered the ring.  Additionally, Aslan was at the end of the line, directly next to the open ring gate.  Even with the ring steward standing there, it was a tempting distraction.  One-minute sit stay.  Whew, he did it.  Next, the three-minute down stay.  Yes, success.  

Aslan with his placement ribbons
from yesterday's obedience trial.

As the handlers picked up their armbands and leashes, the judge prepared to call the numbers of the dogs who had qualified.  I was sure our number would not be on the list, so I was incredibly surprised to hear her say that ALL of the dogs in the class had qualified.  When the placement awards were presented, my surprise exponentially increased when she called our number for the 3rd place rosette!

At the conclusion of the Novice class, the Preferred Novice class began.  There were only two dogs competing in this class, so Aslan had only a few minutes before we went back into the ring.  This time he held the stand stay perfectly, but his off-lead heeling was horrendous.  The other dog heeled beautifully, so not surprisingly, Aslan ended up with second place. 

The scores are posted at the end of each class, and I was not surprised to see how many points we lost  for both on-lead and off-lead heeling exercises.  His final score in Preferred Novice was a 182 (out of 200).  

However, I was excited to see that he had earned a 192 (out of 200) in Novice.  The stand for exam, which I thought had NQ'd us, was only a two-point deduction.  Most shocking to me, he lost only one point on off-lead heeling.  Way to go, Aslan!

Another high point of the day:  I was able to spend a few minutes talking to the owner of Aslan's late sire.  I am happy that she was there to see Aslan's obedience debut.  She was very complimentary of his performance and his attitude and encouraged me to continue his training into the next levels of obedience.  Thanks, Fran!  

When I checked to see what Spirit's score would have been, I discovered that she had lost only 8-1/2 points on the heel-on-lead and figure-eight exercises.  Had she properly done her recall, her score would probably have been in the 190s!!

Spirit

Despite her NQ, I am exceptionally proud of my girl.  She may be old, but she walked into that building like she owned it.  She was comfortable among all the controlled chaos of an obedience trial and greeted all the people she encountered as though they were old friends.  And she was willing to walk into that ring with me and give this a valiant effort.  

I'm not sure what happened on the recall, though I wonder if it was the brief deluge hitting the roof that might have distracted her somewhat.  In any case, I believe it was merely a fluke thing, and I'm sure she'll get it next time.  In order to finish her title at the National Specialty, she will need to earn two legs before then, and she is entered in two more trials before then.  The show is some distance from home, but not as far as yesterday's, so I'm hopeful that the trip won't be quite as tiring for her.  Additionally, we will be able to get in our regular practice time this week, which should be helpful as well.  

No matter what happens, whether she earns all or none of the legs for the title, I will always remember this journey with her in her senior years.

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With trials next weekend followed by National Specialty week, I probably will not be posting again until the end of April or the first of May.  Wish us luck, and, as always,

Hug your dogs!
MDW

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PS -- Some of you may be new to the terminology of obedience training and trialing.  Please don't hesitate to post any questions you have in the comments section.  I will be happy to explain! :-)

Signs

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign.

I Saw the Sign.

Aslan - January 2017 Rally Trial
Dick Clark Photography

Last week, I wrote about the signs pointing me to go for an obedience title on Spirit.  

Today, the signs indicated to me that I should not show Aslan in conformation -- at least not any time soon.  

Aslan and I have been training hard for Rally and Obedience lately and have not spent much time practicing for the Conformation ring.  There are some upcoming shows in which I had considered entering Aslan, and I wanted to gauge how he would do, so this morning I took him to a B-Match.  (These events are often called Puppy Matches because, even though there are classes for adult dogs, the majority of the entries are puppies.)  

Actually, today, the signs suggested that I should have stayed home in bed!  The first sign was that I overslept.  Then, one thing after another wasn't going right.  Okay, well, because sometimes that's normal around here in the morning, I ignored those signs.  I finally got out the door, much later than I wanted, but still within the realm of making it to my destination on time.

Minutes after I got onto the highway, traffic stopped.  After a few minutes, I wondered if this was a sign that I should have stayed home.  Traffic began to crawl again, and I considered getting off at the next exit and going home, but I decided to go a little further and see.  I was relieved when traffic started moving again, but the relief was short lived, and again I considered going home.  Then, finally, we were back to normal speed.  Whew, we could still make it...

Justice - January 2016 Agility Trial
CSPN Photography

The next sign that I should have stayed home was actually one that I *didn't* see -- the sign for the exit to the next route I needed to take. I never saw any signs that it was coming up, and I never saw it when we passed it.  It seemed like I had driven on this road far longer than I thought I would, and when I glanced at my directions, I was correct.  At that point, I had no idea exactly how far past it I was and no idea whether it would be better to turn around and try to find the exit or to continue on up to I-71.  And, lo and behold, there was a sign for I-71 ahead.  

Since I hadn't planned on taking I-71, I wasn't sure which way the venue was from my present location, so I guessed.  Of course, I guessed incorrectly.  By the time I took the next exit and headed back the other way, I realized that I had less than 10 minutes before registration closed.  That meant less than 10 minutes to go about 20 miles, park the car, grab my paperwork (which I had, thankfully, had the foresight to fill out in advance), and get inside.  No way that was going to happen unless I was transported there by Star Trek's Scotty.  

When I reached the exit for the venue, I considered just driving on past and heading home.  Registration was supposed to close at 10:30, and it was already 10:40.  But my nerves were on edge, and I had to use the restroom.  I figured I would slip in and ask, and when they told me it was too late, I would use the ladies' room and then leave.

Aslan - January 2017 Rally Trial
Dick Clark Photography

I was quite surprised to discover that the registration table was still fully staffed.  "I suppose it's too late to register?" I asked the woman at the herding group table, my voice tinged with embarrassment.  "Of course not!" she replied with a smile.  Honestly, when I arrived, I was almost in tears from frustration, and then I was almost in tears of relief from their friendliness.  

Armband number in hand, I went back to the van to finish grooming Aslan.  Once he was ready, we walked inside, and I saw some other people registering.  I was quite glad to see that I wasn't the last one :-)  Spotting some other folks with Belgians, I walked over and hung out with them until almost time to go to our ring.

I've often heard that it's better to set your expectations high, but I disagree.  I think it's better to expect nothing, and then, if something good happens I am happily surprised.  This has been true in many instances in my life and was true again today.  Even being able to register falls into that category.  Having had no preconceived expectation that I would be able to register, I was happily surprised that I could.

However, I've often heard that it helps to go in the ring expecting to win -- and I did!  I was sure that my dog looked fabulous, and I fully expected to go in, show well, and win.  Not today.

Justice - January 2013 Rally Trial
Dick Clark Photography

Conformation showing has never really been "my thing."  I've never been a good conformation handler, but I've had some good teachers, and I thought I was improving.  Apparently not.

All that obedience training and lack of recent conformation training resulted in a lot of sits, no ears, and a general all around poor performance.  Someone posted photos on Facebook that she took at the match.  The shot of Aslan in the ring was not flattering, and it demonstrated how poorly I handled him.  I'm glad she posted it because I needed to see.  To top it off, the judge had a conversation with nearly all of the other Tervuren entrants, but me he just dumped.  

It's okay, though.  Truly, I'm not whining or complaining, merely musing on the events of the day.  It's not sour grapes or hard feelings or anything like that.  As they say, "it just is what it is."  I went to this match to find out if I should enter Aslan in any upcoming conformation shows, and now I have my answer.  

Sometimes a reality check is painful, but life's journey is not without disappointments.  Looking on the bright side, that's less money that I have to worry about spending on show entries -- or show clothes, for that matter!  LOL!  

At first I thought the signs were pointing that I should not have shown at the match today, but now I realize that this experience directed me back to where my focus needs to be:  obedience, rally, and agility.  

For the moment I am content not to think about conformation.  We can try again some other day after we've had more time to practice.  For now, the signs are guiding me along another path, one that I believe will be rewarding and fulfilling.

Today, instead of posting my own photos, I am including shots taken by professional photographers at agility and rally trials.  When I look at these pictures, I see the strong bond that we have built through training, and it makes me incredibly happy.  

Seeing the love in their eyes is always a good sign. 💕💕💕💕

Aslan - January 2017 Rally Trial
Dick Clark Photography