Archive for the ‘Zhora’ Category

Cora!

Sunday, February 9th, 2020

Beautiful Cora earned her NA and OAJ titles this weekend with Jan Robles! Cora is the Zhorabert formerly known as Popcorn and is also known as Alkemi Corona del Roble LS CD NA OAJ BCAT RATS

Olean Kennel Club AKC Agility Trial

Sunday, February 2nd, 2020

We love judge David Hirsch! Wide open, run your butt off courses, extension, extension, extension. Zhora had a perfect weekend, Nina racked up a QQ, and Alice earned an Open FAST and Open Standard Q and otherwise just ran awesome, I am really excited about her!

Nina Saturday Jumpers (NQ):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (QQ #124, 4.9 YPS, 19 points):

Alice Saturday Open FAST (Q):

Nina Saturday Standard (NQ):

Zhora Saturday Standard (QQ #124, 3.7 YPS, 28 points):

Alice Saturday Open Standard (NQ):

Alice Saturday Open JWW (NQ):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (QQ #15, 4.6 YPS, 24 points):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (QQ#125, 4,5 YPS, 18 points):

Alice Sunday Time 2 Beat (NQ, nice run):

Nina Sunday Standard (QQ #15, 3.5 YPS, 30 points):

Zhora Sunday Standard (QQ #125, 3.6 YPS, 27 points):

Alice Sunday Open Standard (Q):

Alice Sunday Open JWW (NQ, nice run):

Border Collie Society AKC Agility Trial

Sunday, January 12th, 2020

We love Lavonda Herring. Even when her courses don’t love us. Alice finished her Novice Standard title (round 2 of Novice remember) and had some gorgeous NQ’s. Zhora earned QQ # 124 and then went berzerk on Sunday, Nina earned QQ # 14 toward her PACH. A really fun weekend!

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (QQ #124, third place, 13 points, she hated this course):

Nina Saturday Jumpers (NQ):

Alice Saturday Open FAST (NQ):

Zhora Saturday Standard (QQ #124, first place, 29 points):

Nina Saturday Standard (Q, first place, 34 points):

Alice Saturday Standard (NA title):

Alice Saturday Jumpers (NQ but nice run):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (NQ, I didn’t handle the jump after the second tunnel):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (QQ #14, first place, 20 points):

Alice Sunday Time 2 Beat (NQ, nice run):

Zhora Sunday Standard (berzerker mode!):

Nina Sunday Standard (QQ #14, first place, 31 points):

Alice Sunday Open Standard (NQ but nice run, one lousy bar after the aframe when she just couldn’t collect enough to jump):

Alice Sunday Open Jumpers (fix n go!):

Erie Kennel Club AKC Agility Trial

Sunday, January 5th, 2020

Judge Mark Upshaw….he’s caffeinated…. Alice finished her Novice FAST title and ran three other awesome courses. Weaves were GREAT, she pretty much has them dialed in most of the time now, although she wants to go faster than she can so sometimes gets ahead of herself! It’s JOLT (just one little thing) now mostly. I used the new Fix and Go rule with her on one run, very useful. Zhora had a perfect weekend, Nina had two JWW Q’s but no joy in Standard. Love my dogs!

Nina Saturday Jumpers (Q, first place, 4.88 YPS, 23 points):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (QQ #122, second place, 4.6 YPS, 16 points):

Alice Saturday FAST (NF title, LOOK AT THOSE WEAVES!! We had a disconnect because the judge thought the gate said “FEO” which is For Exhibition Only, and I asked him why he wasn’t calling any numbers):

Nina Saturday Standard (NQ):

Zhora Saturday Standard (QQ #122, first place, 3.6 YPS, 26 points):

Alice Saturday Novice Standard (NQ):

Alice Saturday Open JWW (NQ):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (Q, first place, 4.6 YPS, 21 points):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (QQ #123, fourth place, 4.4 YPS, 15 points, she didn’t like this course):

Alice Sunday Time 2 Beat (NQ but NICE!):

Nina Sunday Standard (NQ, I hated this course):

Zhora Sunday Standard (QQ #123, first place 3.7 YPS, 27 points):

Tamarack lake Agility Club

Sunday, November 24th, 2019

Ginger Robertson designed some tough courses for us! Zhora QQ Saturday, Nina Standard Q Sunday, Alice earned a FAST Q and finished her Novice Jumpers title (she had to go back to Novice after getting measured into 8″ regular for her final measurements, which is a GOOD THING), her weaves are really coming along!

Nina Saturday Jumpers (NQ):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (QQ # 121):

Alice Saturday FAST (Q):

Nina Saturday Standard (NQ thanks to me getting lost!):

Zhora Saturday Standard (QQ # 121):

Alice Saturday Standard (NQ):

Alice Saturday Jumpers (Q, NAJ title):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (NQ):

Alice Sunday Time 2 Beat (nice run):

Nina Sunday Standard (Q):

MACH 6 ZHORA!

Sunday, November 17th, 2019
“That was a tough standard course to MACH on, Judge Alex!”

At the Butler Dog Training Club in Erie, Zhora earned her MACH6 under judge Alex Davis (this is Zhora’s second MACH under Alex!).

These were some fun, challenging courses and Zhora loved running them! Thank you so much to all our friends for cheering for us, and special thanks to Zap for the “action” MACH video, in which she multitasks and not only videos, but brings out the ribbon. On the one hand, it showcases Zap’s awesome skillz, on the other, even better, hand, it makes a MACH video look like an episode of “To Catch A Predator” .

I am so very lucky to have this awesome dog to play this wonderful game with, and equally lucky to have such awesome friends in my life.

A year ago at this trial, I held a party for several of my puppies. Unfortunately, I had to leave that trial early because Nina had a pancreatitis flare. That was the beginning of over a month of her being seriously ill, culminating in her being hospitalized over New Year’s and me being genuinely concerned that we might lose her. I am thrilled most of all that she is not only still with us, sassier than ever, still my best friend and official Best Nina Ever, but she’s feeling awesome and doing great.

Sometimes we all need a reminder that tomorrow is never guaranteed, and we never know which run will be our last with our dogs. Every time I step to the line, I try to ask myself: if this were to turn out to be your last run with this dog, would you look back on it and smile, or look back on it and be ashamed of how you felt, how you treated your dog, how you spoke to your dog? Did your dog leave the ring happy? I want both of us to be smiling after every run, even the disasters.

This weekend Nina gave me two QQ’s, and also two old-school-Nina full-on berzerker mode runs (her Standard run yesterday was so hilarious that I told Alex Davis to brace herself when we stepped to the line today!). The QQ’s might have green ribbons attached, but every single one of those runs made me smile, and the rabies mode runs make me smile most of all. Nina makes me smile every single day.

Not to be outdone, Alice had a great weekend too! A height change on her two permanent measurements meant she got to go back to Novice to start Regular instead of Preferred (which I am thrilled about). She earned a Novice QQ on Saturday with her first two legs in Novice Standard and Jumpers, and would have repeated that yesterday if I hadn’t shown acceleration after the aframe in Standard and encouraged her to take off early and knock the last bar. She picked up her second NAJ leg in Jumpers yesterday, so it was well worth staying until the bitter end of the trial and driving home in the dark! I’m very happy, she is turning into a really fun agility partner (I can feel the mojo starting to build) and she really loves the game.

Alice Friday Time 2 Beat:

Zhora Friday Standard (NQ):

Nina Friday Standard (PACH QQ #11):

Nina Friday Jumpers (PACH QQ #11):

Zhora Friday Jumpers (NQ):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (QQ # 119):

Nina Saturday Jumpers (berzerker mode!):

Nina Saturday Standard (berzerker mode again!):

Zhora Saturday Standard (QQ # 119):

Alice Saturday Standard (Q, first NA leg):

Alice Saturday Jumpers (Q, first NAJ leg):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (part 1 of MACH 6):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (PACH QQ #12):

Alice Sunday Time 2 Beat (nice run):

Zhora Sunday Standard (MACH 6 ZHORA!):

Nina Sunday Standard (PACH QQ #12):

Alice Sunday Standard (NQ, I should have decelerated at the end instead of accelerating):

Alice Sunday Jumpers (second NAJ leg!):

Tamarack Lake Agility Club

Sunday, October 27th, 2019

Patricia Dunseith was a new judge to us, her courses were challenging and fun. Zhora picked up QQ #116 with a triple Q. Alice’s weaves are still a work in progress and I can see I need to get back to working on her dogwalk!

Nina Saturday Jumpers (Q, first place, 22 points, 4.874 YPS):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (QQ #116, first place, 14 points, 4.48 YPS):

Alice Master FAST (NQ):

Zhora Master FAST (QQQ):

Nina Saturday Standard (NQ):

Zhora Saturday Standard (QQ #116, first place, 27 points, 3.674 YPS):

Alice Saturday Open Standard (NQ):

Alice Saturday Open Jumpers (NQ):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (NQ):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (NQ):

Alice Sunday Time 2 Beat:

Nina Sunday Standard (Q, first place, 36 points, 3.967 YPS):

Zhora Sunday Standard (Q, first place, 30 points, 3.865 YPS):

Erie Kennel Club AKC Agility

Sunday, October 20th, 2019

Lots of challenges and good times with Mary Mullen, one of our perennial favorites! Zhora ran fast and sassy, Nina ran like Nina (fast and sassy and selectively deaf), Alice had some awesome runs with some real mojo starting to happen, I am fixing her weaves if she doesn’t really acknowledge they’re an obstacle. I don’t care about qualifying with her right now, just trying to get some communication at trial speeds.

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (NQ):

Nina Saturday Jumpers (Q, 24 points, second place, 4.895 YPS):

Zhora Saturday FAST (Q):

Alice Saturday FAST (NQ):

Zhora Saturday Standard (Q, 29 points, second place, 3.8 YPS):

Nina Saturday Standard (NQ):

Alice Saturday Standard (NQ):

Alice Saturday Jumpers (NQ):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (QQ #115, 20 points, second place, 4.8 YPS):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (Q, 26 points, first place, 5.004 YPS):

Alice Sunday Time 2 Beat (such a fun run!):

Zhora Sunday Standard (QQ #115, 27 points, second place, 3.689 YPS):

Nina Sunday Standard (NQ):

Erie Kennel Club AKC Trial

Sunday, September 29th, 2019

Judge Ross Johnson has only been a judge for a year or so but we loved his courses! Extension, extension, extension! Zhora had a perfect weekend, Nina went 3/4 and Alice had two of her best runs to date!

Nina Saturday Jumpers (Q, first place, 4.83 YPS, 24 points):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (QQQ # 113, first place, 4.7 YPS, 18 points):

Alice Saturday FAST (Q):

Zhora Saturday FAST (QQQ):

Nina Saturday Standard (NQ, so much sass):

Zhora Saturday Standard (QQQ #113, first place, 3.65 YPS, 27 points):

Alice Saturday Open Standard (NQ):

Alice Saturday Open Jumpers (Q, 4 YPS, best run yet!):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (PACH QQ #10, first place, 4.46 YPS, 20 points):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (QQ #114, first place, 4.26 YPS, 14 points):

Alice Sunday Time 2 Beat (NQ but GREAT RUN, running like an agility dog!):

Nina Sunday Standard (PACH QQ #10, first place, 3.67 YPS, 32 points):

Zhora Sunday Standard (QQ #114, first place, 3.37 YPS, 23 points):

National Shiba Club AKC Trial

Saturday, September 21st, 2019

Just one day this weekend, since I went to Toronto the Sunday to visit family. Judge Frank Gilmer is a new favorite! Lovely courses, really nice judge! Alice finished her Novice Standard Preferred title and is all the way in Open now (no more 6 weave poles!)! Double double Q too!

Nina Saturday Jumpers (PACH QQ #9, first place, 5.177 YPS, 25 points):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (QQ # 112, fourth place, 4.858 YPS, 18 points):

Alice Saturday Time 2 Beat (NQ):

Nina Saturday Standard (PACH QQ # 9, first place, 4.167 YPS, 38 points):

Zhora Saturday Standard (QQ #112, third place, 4.191 YPS, 33 points):

Alice Saturday Standard (NAP TITLE!):

Alice Saturday Jumpers (NQ):