ADCH Vixen!!!!!

Welcome, Summer Solstice.  You came in just as sure-footed as ever on a day when I was recovering from  a whirlwind weekend at the tail end of Spring.  In fact, I sacked out while the longest day of the year with its Strawberry Moon was still burning bright.

It had been a Bay Team trial weekend in Prunedale, followed by a 5am Monday alarm and an extremely busy full day of work, a needed load of laundry afterwards, and finally, gratefully a full collapse in fresh sheets.

This trial had a few things going on that caused some big emotions on my part, which added to the usual post-trial zombie-exhaustion.  First of all, it was the first time I tried Jemima at 12".  A knowledgeable friend watched her run both 12" and 16", and said she thought she actually looked better at 16".  She also had no problems going from one height to the other, which is a good thing.  I wanted to see how she did at both heights.  Good to know all's well there as we transition to a lighter schedule.

Love this girl!

Vixen has needed one Standard Q for her Agililty Dog Championship in USDAA (ADCH), and it has been elusive for a myriad of reasons - a bar, a contact, etc.  Case in point, I got her through all the tricky parts of Saturday's course, only to make a wrong move and send her off course right afterwards.  D'oh!!!  But she ran it great, and tomorrow's another day!

After her Std class on Sunday, I had plans to whisk her off to her AKC handlers for a foo foo road trip to Montana and Oregon.  Her first time on the road out of state with others, and her first time in the conformation ring in over a year.  It will be a great experience for her, and understandably challenging for me.  She, on the other hand, gets to spend 10 days at the spa!

Vixen earned her ASCA Championship in 2014 in 3 out of 3 shows!
Ch Woodstock's Wild Joyride, shown by breeder Linda Buell

Sunday's Std course was very tricky and full of traps.  I moved Vixen to the top of her class so I could get on the road.  We stood on the start line and waited while the heights were being adjusted, and I just pet her head and told her how much I was going to miss her, that this course was tricky, so let's just have some fun before she goes.

Wicked, trappy Std course

And I'll be damned if she didn't lay it down.  I held my breath over the last 5 jumps, including getting her past an inviting trap tunnel into the right tunnel before heading through a 'box' for the second time, and out.  CLEAN RUN!!!!!!!!!  I grabbed that last jump bar and whooped it up!  We ran around the last part of the course together, celebrating.  What a rush.

Girl knows her contacts!

My friend Marcia drove with me to deliver Vixen to her handlers.  I was super grateful for her company.  Sniff.  Have fun baby girl!  Katrina ran Jemima while I was away and they did well together!  I got back after the trial and helped with the tear down before heading home with my blue huckleberry.

And so it was a bittersweet ending to a very full, rewarding weekend.  

Jemima will be happy to have me to herself again.