It's been a while...

So I haven't updated for a while, apologies. A lot has happened in and out of agility, but I'll try to start at the beginning...

At the end of June I lost Kip very expectantly. The Saturday evening of Lansdown he had a funny turn and collapsed and couldn't get up. When he had been laying down for a long period of time and then went to get up, he would struggle a little but only through old age being 13. However, this was different. Mum and I took him to the vets on Sunday morning as they were going to do various different tests to see what might be happening. My vet suggested it could be heat stroke or internal bleeding of the spleen.

After several scans she called me back Sunday evening to tell me that they had discovered several tumours on his spleen and he was collapsing because of them bleeding and therefore he became anemic. There were a few options that the vet game me and because of how fit he was she also suggested the option to remove his spleen. I was home alone on the Sunday and broke down when the vet told me that the maximum she's had a dog live for after having these particular tumours was 5 months. In the end I didn't even get 5 days.

After his op on the Monday he came home Tuesday evening. He was whining and very unstable but we all put that down to the big op he had and also the anesthetic. I dragged a mattress downstairs and slept in the hall. He couldn't stop whining and panting and couldn't settle at all. Anyone who knows Kip will know how much of a big sop he was and that even a quick rub of his ear would satisfy him, even if he did keep nudging for more!

Wednesday morning Mum and I tok him back to the vets because he wasn't right at all. The vets put him back on a red blood cell drip and upped his pain killers but he was showing signs of other things. The vet wasn't happy with how he was and thought it might be more than what showed up on the previous scans and tests. I went to see him on Wednesday evening along with my Mum and Aunt (strength in numbers and all that...) Again he wouldn't settle and kept flicking his head and just totally in distress, which suggested that it could be neurological. I could have had more tests and scans done but I didn't want to put him through anything else.

It was the hardest decision but I think it was the best thing to do. It's been just over a month and I'm still absolutely devastated :( He was the kindest, soppiest dog ever and I miss him so much.

Moving onto agility, Pie has been working aaaaamazing, which is quite weird. We made our first champ final at The Agility Club running 4th from the end with a double clear!! We did crap in the final because I pushed him a liiiittle bit too much and he missed his contact. I need to practice more pushing him but still holding his contacts. I ponce around too much and then when I actually run Pie is shocking and comes with me - oops!!

Here are some vids from The Agility Club...

Roll on KC Festival!

L x

Dartford

I was so tempted to roll back over in bed when my alarm went off at 5.45! However, I managed to drag myself out of bed and managed to get to the show ground at 8, which makes a change from me usually rocking up at 8.20 and rushing around trying to walk courses.

Anyway, first up was G7 Power & Speed. A nice warm up before the chum and a chance to train Pie's contacts. Alan Stiff was judging and I think I'm safe in saying that the timing trouble didn't set him up for a good day judging! I nearly sent P over the wrong jump in the speed section as I was rushing off to put in a reverse turn, however we managed to finish 3rd!

Alan then went onto set a fantastic chum course. I loved it! It's very rare that I actually like a course, but it was great. There wasn't only one way to handle it so I was looking forward to seeing the variation. About 30 dogs in, the timing got questioned as dogs were throwing out times that varied from 10 - 25 seconds. Even if these dogs had rockets up their bums, i'm pretty sure it would of been very hard to get round in 10 seconds! The timing equipment had been changed three times in the power and speed before it actually working, so Alan made the sensible decision of restarting the class and do manual timing. The course had to be changed as the dogs who had already run where at an advantage and tweaked enough so that Alan didn't remember his previous course. Having walked this class, I didn't like it as much as the previous one! I had already made my excuse up if I didn't get round it... 'I would have got round the previous one...!'. After being very indecisive as to which side to run the home straight (after walking it both ways) Barry helped me make up my mind. We finished 3rd, therefore qualifying for day two semis. Wahoo! Ian Balchin won, Pete Catt 2nd, can't remember 4th and Elspeth finished 5th. Well done all :) See below for the course plan.




Last run of the day was Sue Culmer's Grade 5-7 jumping, which I had walked! This could of been due to a number of reasons... 1) too busy talking, 2) too busy 'sun bathing' - which then led me to looking like an utter lobster! or 3) because I literally couldn't see, so was sat feeling sorry for myself. I think I have conjunctivitis and my left eye was semi closed (stuck) together for part of the day!! I think it could have been all three though haha! Anyway, after watching a few I was pretty certain that I knew where I was meant to be going and how I was going to handle it. Pie was obviously a good boy, and did everything pretty much perfectly, which is rather strange! He queued on every single turn (I have actually been training turns and wraps properly for once!) and he was just fab. We went into the lead in a time of 27.570. John Cook and beautiful Mac run after me with an absolute stonker which I was sure would beat Pie's time. Mac's time was 27.754! Thank goodness for electronic timing! To be so close to Mac's time after we both had great runs was amazing. Below is the course plan although I have just noticed that I have put 20 the wrong side!


So although I look like a lobster and have conjunctivitis, we have a pretty successful weekend. Roll on Thames.

L x

Wallingford, Easter Celebration and general catch up!

Finally the season is starting to kick in and Wallingford was my first show of the season. I was really looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. My friend was back from uni so she came along too. Pie's first run of the day was 4-7 jumping at 10ish and then nothing until 4.30!! It was silly, as both his other classes suddenly came up at the same time and I was rushing all over the place, resulting in me doing veryyy badly! However, we did manage a 4th in the jumping. Although it wasn't neat at all, he is working really nicely :)



I've just got back from Easter Celebration and thought I would write a post before I forget! Pie was super. We had 4/6 clear rounds (1 was a run off).

First up was Leslie Osbourne's chum. I had seen quite a few good rounds, but there was a few parts in the course that I was worried about, but I just went in with a can-do attitude and went for it. There was a few blips where I nearly pulled him off a jump but he was a star! We went into 3rd and finished 6th, meaning that we didn't get into the Olympia semi, however, it has made me realise that Pie can actually be up there with the big boys! Ian Jackson did a stonker of a run with one blip to win the class, with Dave Munnings 2nd & Lee Windeatt 3rd.

So still on a high, I messed up the G7 jumping oops. Trained contacts in the Power & Speed and then had a run-off with Will Rolfe for 8th. Pie took a pole out in the speed section but Will told me that Pie's time was quicker, therefore would of beaten Scoot (Crufts Singles winner this year). Lee watched the run off and said that Will's run was nice and neat so it's definitely given me a boost to know that Pie can set close times.

Then we also managed another clear in 6-7 jumping. I even did a cross-behind!! Ahhh Piddles is such a good boy and i let him down far too much so couldn't believe it when we managed to get so many clears in one day! Normally that would be my quota for the whole year! Pie finished 6th in that jumping only o.something off Lee & Bold's time, who won.

Then lastly was the weird connection agility. It was sooo hot and I did the run on the way back from the Power & Speed run-off and I think I was more exhausted than Pie!! We managed a clear round with me training doing a stop-go on aframe and seesaw.

All-in-all it was a great day. Glorious weather resulting in me having an unattractive tshirt tan, a chance to catch up with everyone, and to top it off Pie and I actually did good. Ahh roll on WBSDS tomorrow... :) I will try to get some videos too!

L x