Class Sizes

Back to trusty Catton Park for a dog show today where, lo and behold, MD and I remain on speaking terms. We have an excellent clear first run despite me nearly falling over on the damp ground. Then we follow that up with another clear round, so most definitely, still speaking. Sadly, he came out of his weaves on his third and final run but we leave with two fourth places but just one rosette due to the different class sizes. We are even all finished by lunchtime.

L is at Forest Rec parkrun where she is actually running and avoiding all pushchairs, just in case she ends up doing the honours again. Apparently, there are plenty of volunteers to help today, they are probably all saving themselves so that they can beat me at the Lichfield Half tomorrow.

As am I. So, it’s a night in with an early night although not necessarily a sleeping one and no alcohol. 

(Saturday 6^th May)

Lots To Work On

Today it’s our first outdoor dog show of the season which we trek up to Scunthorpe for where they are holding a Championship level show. This means there will be some stiff competition as we move up into Grade 6.

MD and I remain on speaking terms after our first run despite demolishing the second jump (my fault) and aborting the weaves (his fault) because everything else including all his contacts were very good.

Then I walk our three remaining courses one after the other, which means that those runs now become a bit of a memory test. We then rattle through these runs all before lunch. We have no clear rounds but I still feel we have done well on some very tough courses. Although we have lots to work on but it’s so good to be back in the challenge that is Grade 6, I’ve really missed it since Doggo retired.

The bonus is the early finish, this is my sort of show, which leaves me plenty of time for a spot of puppy shopping. I’m just casting my eye over the smaller dogs, should we need one at some point in future. Then I rush home to see if I can catch L off guard and on her own.

She has spent her morning tail running at parkrun. Far too much of her morning it seems as she ended up pushing a pushchair for someone and taking 15 minutes longer than last week. It must have been a good workout though.

AF tonight, Sheffield Half tomorrow. 

(Saturday 8^th April)

I Don’t Know How That Happened

I’m at an indoor dog show today and the morning goes pretty much as you’d expect e.g. MD gets eliminated and Doggo nonchalantly clocks a perfect clear. So everything normal.

Meanwhile L is at home sorting out her life aka her books. She reports that she has 120 unread books with one box still to go through and 44 on her Kindle. I don’t know how that happened she says. I do. The firing squad is booked for later. No blindfold.

Things get better slowly during the afternoon at the dog show. MD improves to a five faults and then we pull off a really really ugly clear round, which lands us a rosette for 7^th. Then he does the most amazing run in the Jumping Cup Qualifier, clear and pretty fast. I don’t know how that happened.

With Doggo slotting in another fab clear we’re all done by 3pm but now we’re hanging on for the results of the Jumping Cup. It was the Jumping Cup we qualified for last year and came 6^th in the final.

Clearly that particular event must agree with him because when all the dogs have run MD is top of the pile and we’ve won by half a second. I still don’t know how that happened. I guess we’ll be on speaking terms tonight, for once.

Unfortunately this still doesn’t promote us. He needs three jumping wins and that’s his second, two and half years after the first one.

Then it continues raining rosettes as Doggo gets one for 5^th in the Old Gits Agility. We head home, that is once I’ve managed to get MD’s head into the car.

Back home it’s time for Daughter to head back to Sheffield. I can’t believe she’s been home a week. All four of us accompany her to the station. Then we stay in, we’ve given the pubs enough trade this Christmas already.

(Saturday 28^th December)