Stunned & Stunning -- October 8, 2011

 

Three weeks. Three titles. Not JUST titles, BIG titles.

On September 4, Bing and I went to an agility trial. I didn’t even really feel like going, as Acacia had just been diagnosed with kidney failure and I was feeling very guilty for leaving her at home, not knowing how long I’d have her around. I spent most of our drive there reflecting and feeling sad, and crying over the inevitable loss of my old gal. So I asked Bing to do it for her.

He did.

The timing couldn’t have been better. We had a conflict in times so I asked to be moved and we ended up the first dog in Standard Excellent for our jump class. The good thing about that is that you don’t have to wait. The bad thing is that you don’t get to watch others to compare your handling. The good thing is that you don’t get to watch others to compare your handling!

I walked the course, got my dog, and stood on the line, waiting to go. I didn’t have time to get nervous, really, other than watching the other course getting set up and worrying about missing my walk through. Off we went. He was PERFECT. I felt like he was sailing, shoulder height, with me through the course. He read my every turn, every thought. He hit every contact, nailed the offside weaves. It was over fast, and I couldn’t believe it. We had FINALLY gotten our Excellent Standard title…AX. As if that wasn’t good enough, we took FIRST place.

I ran out of the ring, sobbing so hard I couldn’t breathe. I was hyperventilating! I put him back in his crate and went off to walk the jumpers course. The class was small for Open, so I walked the course, ran and got Bing and sat ringside until it was our turn. It didn’t really matter, I said to myself, because we had just gotten our AX!! We went into the ring and….it happened again. Perfection. Precise crosses, perfect offside weaves, and done in seconds. In the space of 43 minutes, he got another title, this time his Open Jumpers title, or OAJ. And second place.

Not bad for being done by 10am on a Sunday morning. 

I asked Bing to do it for Acacia and he showed his undying support for her and for me (or so it seemed, anyway).

That was three weeks ago. This past weekend, Great Companions had its semi-annual APDT Rally Trials. This time, though, it was a 2 day trial, a first for us. As it turned out, Kim Pike and Asher, Sarah Christiano and Cooper, and Bing and I were all potentially up for our ARCHMXs. Kim, Sarah and I are the rally peeps, and more or less run the trials. It was, for me anyway, happenstance that we’d be up for the same, giant, top of the line title at the trial. And we each had 4 chances to do it. Sarah and Kim needed one QQQ; I needed 2.



As it turns out, the other judge ended up in the hospital and was unable to judge for me. So I judged both trials on Saturday and was lucky enough to find judge Joan Klingler to judge for us on Sunday. That meant that Bing had 2 chances to get 2 QQQs, and he needed to be perfect. He had to get a 195 or higher in Level 1, 2 and 3 of a trial, twice. No room for error.

His scores? 205, 209, 207, 209, 207 and, for the finale, a perfect 210. Amazing.

Bing LOVES to work.

So there you have it, the dog who got his OAJ, AX and ARCHMX titles in three weeks.



OH WAIT! To top it off, Bing ran with Ann Allums, the Special Progams Coordinator for the APDT (she runs the Rally program), whom he had never met. They did it for exhibition, for Ann’s practice and experience, and he was GREAT! He enjoyed doing rally with a complete stranger…atta boy!

I can’t wait to see what our next adventure will be. I love you, Bing!

 

Bing Blog 58