Rio & Tiffany's World Agility Adventures

Videos

TNT Border Collies — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:27:19 GMT

I did post a "Take Me To Rio" video on Facebook/YouTube, but here are the individual runs. I like these ones because you can hear the Canadian Fan Club cheering

Biathlon Runs

Triathlon Runs

Individual Standard & Individual Jumpers

Back To Reality

TNT Border Collies — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:40:42 GMT

We flew out of Fort Worth late on Monday night to avoid the heat. Apparently they will not allow dogs to fly if the outside temperature is 80F or hotter. Rio was eager to get into her crate and get at her stuffed Kongs (and she should be--I weighed them--they were 1/2 a pound each!!!).

Rio on the bus on the way to the airport. I think she's not really concerned with all this travelling!

Rio decided that she needed to be weighed and climbed up on to the check-in counter scale all by herself!? It showed that she gained 2-3lbs in Texas though. Must have been the leftover Cooper's steak!

The gang travelled back to Toronto without any major excitement other than a few scary minutes when American Airlines told us that our combined weight of dogs was too much (maybe it was Rio's Kongs that tipped the scale!?).

Ceasar the Shuttle Driver brought us back to the Comfort Inn well after midnight where they had a hard time finding us a room (they kept trying to give us rooms that were either not made up or had someone in them!). Tuesday morning had some minor adventures too when I managed to lock the bathroom door shut with no one in it and when I went to get in Dave's truck, I found Jeff, the Comfort Inn maintenance guy inflating my tires (apparently the manager thought my car tires looked flat and took it upon himself to inflate them!).
Shona and I made it back to Ottawa Tuesday afternoon where everyone seemed pretty happy to see us. My house was tidy, my child happy and Pipe and Chill were still in good shape

Our CDM Creations leashes. LOVE THEM!

I have a huge list of Thank Yous

Thank you to Coach & Team Manager Tracy. You have been a fabulous leader for three IFCS World Championships. Thank you so much for everything. Enjoy your retirement!
Thank you Shona! You are such a fun travelling companion and my favourite Paparazzi! Great job managing Team Canada too!
Thank you to Assitant Manager Gay. You kept us all grounded and organized.
Thank you to my support staff at home: Dave, Penny & Dick. I knew Kyra and the dogs were in good hands with you!
Thank you to Dr. Leslie for keeping Rio in the best shape possible for her runs!
Thank you to the awesome Canadian supporters and my Canadian Team Mates. I loved hearing you in the stands everytime I went to the line!
Thank you to Kim for always being there to bounce ideas off of prior to running the courses.
Thank you to all of my supporters at home. Thanks for all your encouragement and support to make Rio and I be at our best!
A big thank you to my sponsor, Omega Alpha. Rio never ran a run without a shot of Agility Pro!
Thank you to Back on Track and CDM creations for your sponsorship of Team Canada.
And finally, thanks to everyone who has read my long winded blog postings!

Team Canada Supporters: The Best in the World!

I loved hearing the cheering and seeing the flags everytime I stepped to the startline!

PS -- I'm about to add a few photos that got missed in the last blog posting. If you want to see them, you'll have to scroll back to the previous post....

Don't Mess With Texas!

TNT Border Collies — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:14:59 GMT

Rio's ready to fly home.

It's Monday morning, I've had my Texas-shaped waffle and its time to blog!

This is actually Shona's waffle.... It only got a little drool on it!

A little recap on Rio and I and the competition....

Friday morning, we began with Snooker. There's nothing like attempting to get your jitters out on a Snooker course! There were only three reds on course and then a decently easy closing. I had planned on a fast, three x seven point course for the opening. We executed it REALLY well, but then I don't think I gave the transition from opening to closing enough thought..... I was totally out of position to drive Rio to the number two tunnel and I ended up colliding with her. TWEET. Goodbye.

Second run was the Individual Standard. Rio ran a perfect run to earn herself an Individual bronze medal!

Third run of the day was the Jumpers round for the Team Triathlon. Canada 1 was made up of Kim/Recess (22"), Kayl/Slyce (22") and Jaime/Batman (12"). Canada 2 was made up of Rio & I, Susan/Feature (26") and Annie/MEC (16"). All Canadian dogs ran clean except Rio who had a bar (she never heard me calling her out of a tunnel and was lined up really badly for a rear cross).

Dinner was at a place named Cooper's in the Stockyards where you picked out your meat and they heaped it directly onto a tray.... There were no plates to be found. All of us had waaaaaay too much meat, but the beer was good, the company great and the food was fast!

Saturday started with Gamblers (actually it started with McDonalds--Breakfast of Champions!). Once again, we had a great opening planned, but it kinda went to pot when Rio took the mini gamble tunnel twice, negating both chances of getting the mini She easily got the closing. I didn't realize, but the judge didn't give Rio points for one of her obstacles. Tracy launched an official dispute, they went to the cameras (they had FOUR cameras on the ring for exactly that reason!) and Ri got her points.

Love my red dawg!

Next run was a Standard run for the Team Triathlon. Rio ran a beautiful run once again (have I mentioned recently that she always makes me look good?). Susan got a controversial teeter call though.... I'm sure we'll see some video footage of that soon

Last run was a Biathlon Jumpers. Once again, Rio had a lovely run (I think we ended up in third for the run--Haven't really had a chance to check results....)

We ended up at the Cracker Barrel for dinner. I think I may have had my fill of Cracker Barrel.

Me, Kim, Gay & Lynda

Sunday morning brought Individual Jumpers. Knowing I was out of the running for All Round after having mediocre Gamblers & Snooker, I decided to try and push Rio hard. Unfortunately, that didn't work so well for us! We almost had an off course after obstacle number 3 and then later had a bar when we tried even harder to make up time. Oh well. No repeat of our Silver Individual Jumpers from 2 years ago

Next up was the Three Dog Team Relay. Canada 2 was sitting nicely in third behind the US teams, who had pretty much run flawlessly.... We had a great relay, with zero faults for all three dogs. The best part was that the judge said we could to the baton handoff anywhere we wanted on course. So much more fun than AAC Team Relay.

Look how many Americans it took to beat us!
Thanks so much to Annie & Mec and Susan & Feature for helping get us on the podium!

The final event was the Biathlon Standard. Rio had another great run, but sadly it wasn't enough to make the biathlon podium.

Team Canada on Sunday night.

Dinner was at Billy Bob's in the Stockyards. Just to let you know, Billy Bob's is really dead on a Sunday night. It was okay though--we fit right in--we were pretty "dead" too!

Sadly, no live bull riding on Sunday nights.

I made another new friend

This morning, our overly keen Taxi driver, Pie, took us to Dallas to see the Grassy Knoll were JFK was assassinated (I don't have the pictures yet, but will add them later). We also visited the Holocaust museum nearby. Lunch was at, yup, you got it--Cracker Barrel!

Me risking my life on a busy street to point out the 'X' in the road where JFK was first shot. Above you can see the window where they believe the shot came from.

Half the team (the ones not going to WAO in Belgium) are now all hanging out in the lobby waiting for our bus to arrive to take us to the airport. We have to fly out in the evening because its too hot for the dogs to leave earlier. I'm blogging and finishing off Marti's extra beers All is good!

Blogging with a beverage!

Our bus has arrived to take us to the airport which means that this isn't going to get published in time. Sorry once again!

Quick Blog

TNT Border Collies — Fri, 11 May 2012 00:53:57 GMT

It's been a super long day at the venue and I haven't eaten yet (not even lunch!), so I'm afraid you all are only getting a quick update

Today was a USDAA Tournament event. Nothing to do with IFCS and even run by different people. I wasn't planning on running in it and *saving* Rio for the main event, but we had a slightly rocky practice on Wednesday and I decided I needed a practice run to make ME feel better We ran the Grand Prix and it DID make me feel better. Got out my doubts and now we can run fast and hard and we will try to earn us that GOLD that will help us complete our IFCS set I didn't run the Steeplechase course but spent the afternoon cheering on Canada on some spectacular performances

Opening ceremonies started at 6:30pm tonight.... Tracy awarded the flag bearing duties to Kayl and I since we are both running 10 year old & IFCS experienced dogs. Of course we made our own fun and RAN into the arena when they announced Canada (I guess I should apologize to our teammates who got caught off guard--or is that caught flat footed? LOL).

Currently I'm drinking a beer on an empty stomach and ravenously awaiting Chinese food delivery! (Yes, life of the agility competitor is sooooo glamorous! At least Rio has been fed !)

Tomorrow is a REALLY early start, but I'm super excited. I'm getting impatient for the event to be underway!!!!

I will be signing off for the next couple of days so that I can concentrate on the red dawg. Please check the links that I have posted for up-to-date info.

Thanks so much for all your good wishes. Your notes have meant a lot to me! (Nath & Jane, your words always encourage and make me smile).

Please send your best vibes to Rio and I this weekend--We are totally ready to rock, but good vibes really help!

Chat with you all on Sunday night!

Texas Shaped Waffles

TNT Border Collies — Thu, 10 May 2012 02:15:33 GMT

I'm still a little impressed.... The waffle maker in the hotel makes waffles in the shape of Texas. How cool is that? Rio has ordered one for Monday morning to celebrate her retirement from World competitions. I promise to get a picture then I may even have to pick up the spray whipped cream from the Liq-O-Rama.... Yup. Alcoholic whipped cream!

Today Missy Ri got a good massage to make sure everything was ready to go and we headed out to the Will Rogers centre. Its a very "cosy" venue with lots of seating, but not lots of room. It will definitely be a fun place to run!

We had our warm up on the field. Rio, as usual, knew it wasn't the real event and I think she was missing her slightly loud buddy Encore. She got the job done but was lacking in enthusiasm since she knew it wasn't the "real" event.....

We decorated our cosy crating area, but I don't know where my brain was.... NO PICTURES!?! Scheesh!

We had a good group dinner at a nearby hotel. Normally the night before the event, we read emails from home... Tonight at dinner, I got an email from Kyra, who I'm SURE should have been asleep:

Dear Mom

I hope you can use these poems to help make you happier. (If anyone is wondering, I'm honestly quite happy... I swear I haven't been whining to my 8 year old daughter!)

Lots of love,

Kyra

xoxoxoxox

1.) Once there was a dog,

Who sat on a log,

And in that log there was a frog.

Poor frog,

He was sat on by a dog...

And he only wanted to live in a log!

Okay, so the poem wasn't quite inspiring, but it did get some laughs

Sadly, this is my only photo from today. Here's Recess, Rio and Tic Tac in their awesome Back on Track team coats! (Tac & Recess are litter mates)

Tomorrow is a USDAA trial at the venue. I'm still a little on the fence if I'll run Rio or not since it's just a USDAA tournament event and not at all related to the IFCS Worlds.... There is one round of Grand Prix and two rounds of Steeplechase.

Margaritas. Bulls. Canadians. Oh MY!

TNT Border Collies — Wed, 09 May 2012 02:48:42 GMT

Today was one of our only non-agility days, so half of the team decided to take advantage of it and we headed down to the Fort Worth Stockyards.

We all ended up souvenir shopping together and then had a very yummy dinner on the patio of a Tex Mex restaurant.

I don't think anyone ended up buying boots (probably because there wasn't enough selection?)

Running on very little sleep, most of us had no real clue about the history of the area, so please don't ask me who this guy was. All I know is that I shouldn't have been on the inside of the fence, but Shona *made* me do it!

Anyone want a kid? Not sure why, but Friday's the day to get 'em.

I made a new friend (and yes, this is before the margaritas)

Kayl and Jamie tried their hand at remote controlled bull riding. I have a feeling they may feel a little battered and sore tomorrow, but MAN did we all get a good work out laughing

I personally have NO idea.

Beverages come in Texas Sized glasses. Love it!

A few of the yummy dishes.

Tomorrow afternoon we head to the venue. I plan on sleeping in (probably not going to happen, but I'm going to try!), trying out breakfast at the Cracker Barrel and getting myself and Rio all ready for our only practice time before the big event

Goodnight everyone!

Day One In Texas

TNT Border Collies — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:00:06 GMT

Of course I couldn't sleep last night so the 3am wake up wasn't so bad

Went outside with Rio this morning to find it POURING and monster puddles everywhere But, on the up-side, I managed to find a safer parking space for Dave's vehicle!

We caught the airport shuttle driven by Ceasar ("Just like the salad") who took his job VERY seriously. Thankfully the ride only took 4 minutes!

Check in seemed a bit scattered, but only a couple of bags didn't make it with their owners (what do you expect, it WAS 4am!).

Rio and I had a super easy time getting through Toronto airport. Who new that people would be so smiley at 4:30am?

In the end, 10 dogs were loaded into cargo, 3 dogs in the cabin, the missing bags were reunited with their owners and we boarded our totally un-crowded flight. Shona and I were told by three different stewardesses that we shouldn't sit at the back of the plane because the back of the plane swayed too much--Never heard that one before, but moved up to a whole section of empty seats in front, none the less.

I met up with Kim for breakfast after her second time through security.....

Advice: Don't forget your bag at check in and then turn off your phone.... (It's just funny because Kim never does stuff like that!)

Isn't our bus driver cute? She got us from the airport to the hotel easily

We are now at the hotel. It's clean! Rio is not even licking the carpet and finding things she shouldn't (okay, maybe she's just a little worn out?) Its a far cry from the lovely country hotel in the UK last year with respect to walking trails. Kim and I attempted to go for a walk with the girls, but couldn't find sidewalks or any road that wasn't a concrete highway I don't think that Texans (at least in this town) walk anywhere! I do have a big horned cow out my window though! That's pretty cool! (and a racoon in the garbage can, but that's not so cool)

Lunch was at the Cracker Barrel (because its the only restaurant other than McD's that we can walk to) where Tracy attempted to educate the Canadians about good Southern cooking'.

Most of the gang is headed out shortly to check out the Stockyards of Fort Worth and hopefully get ourselves some Tex Mex for dinner. I think I also need to cash in on my "Managers Challenge" beverage tonight!

Two Paws Way Up

TNT Border Collies — Tue, 08 May 2012 02:45:17 GMT

Rio wanted me to let you all know, that she gives you all two paws way up for your comments on the blog and on Facebook!

It's Almost Time to Fly!

TNT Border Collies — Tue, 08 May 2012 02:07:15 GMT

'Twas a very busy yet successful day today!

This morning started with a very yummy breakfast at the Staybridge Hotel. Sadly, only slightly spicy sausage on the breakfast buffet, so no bonus treats for Rio today (Yesterday they had bacon! Rio approved.)

It was then onto our second team practice at Royackers. This morning we ran one of the AKC tryout courses from the weekend and did some fine tuning on back sides of jumps and contacts. We then moved onto a team relay rules and some 'super-fast' baton exchange practice where some of the handlers *may* have gotten a little competitive! (Canada will be fielding two teams in the Three Dog Team Relay event).

Look at me! I'm so confident I can run the course with my eyes closed!

We wrapped up team practice by noon so that Adrian & Fizz and Susan & Feature could hit the road in their motor homes. The rest of the team will all be flying out first thing in the morning.

Rio had a boring afternoon, but Shona and I hit the stores for a few last minute items and then had a super-yummy dinner with Shona's mom.

Lynda, me & Kim: No trip to Guelph is complete without a stop at Ren's!

Rick--Shona bought NOTHING!

Dave--Well, I didn't buy any dog beds, collars, leashes or toys.....

We are now checked into the Airport Comfort Inn where I think we got the very last "spot" in the parking lot. Okay, its not really a "spot", but it isn't blocking traffic, so hopefully we won't be towed this week (I've got Dave's truck, so I'm REALLY hoping Dave doesn't read this far down in the blog..... Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned him by name twice?).

We will be catching the airport shuttle along with Favor & Recess at 4am (UGH! The things I do so that my dog won't have to fly into Texas in the heat!). Luckily, we have a direct and decently short flight to Fort Worth. Shouldn't be any problem for Miss World Traveller Rio (I hope!!!).

Shona and I are sharing a room and between the two of us re-packing and deciding what we should bring, it looks as though a hurricane went through.... Rio isn't on the bed tonight--She's taken refuge from the storm under the desk

Sooooo...... I've just spent the last 20 minutes trying to spruce up this post with some team practice photos, but alas, I think our internet connection is not going to allow it tonight!

****Little update: I managed to get photos and have now re-published this..... I'm feeling like a very incompetent blogger!****

Goodnight everyone!

How Could I Forget?!

TNT Border Collies — Mon, 07 May 2012 00:43:35 GMT

I can't believe I forgot..... My brain must have been over-taxed by the courses today! Rio and I were winner's of Tracy's "Manager Challenge"! Rio ran the Standard course clean and fast and earned me multiple beverages compliments of the Manger! I LOVE agility!

Team Practice & Rio Movin' In

TNT Border Collies — Sun, 06 May 2012 23:49:36 GMT

Today Team Canada got together for our pre-Worlds practice at Rooyakkers near Guelph. We started with a couple of slightly crazy, but oh-so-fun, Jumpers courses, then did a Standard, a Gamblers and finished the day with Snooker.

Tracy got us brushed up on our IFCS rules and briefed us that "It's IFCS: Expect anything". We also got our Team Canada swag. We are going to be one great looking team--Both humans and the dogs! A huge thank you to Back on Track for sponsoring us and to CDM Creations for providing our doggies with awesome tug leashes. Rio's really looking forward to sampling the "Crazy Dog" treats (imported from the Maritimes). Hope they don't really turn her into a "Crazy Dog"--That might be a bit challenging to handle on course....?

Miss Ri is thinking that having two doting mom's and a hotel room to herself is pretty darn good!

"Look Piper--I'm in control of the remote!"

"Uh Waitress--My glass is empty!!!!"

"What do you mean you RAN OUT!?!"

"Hullo? How come no one is commenting on anything? Don't they like my pictures?"

Dreaming of Crazy Dog Treats.....

"Hey! Did someone say treats? I'm not really asleep, I swear! Breakfast in bed? Please...? I'm the Super Star....."

One More Link

TNT Border Collies — Sat, 05 May 2012 00:51:42 GMT

Of course as soon as I hit "Publish" for this blog, I realized that I forgot a link

The World Championships will be Live Streamed on www.Cynosport.TV I thought it was going to be a free Live Streaming, but it turns out its $20. I believe this gives you the live streaming Friday-Saturday-Sunday and the On-Demand for up to 45 days.

I think they will be showing the team practices (Wednesday, May 9th) or the USDAA Grand Prix & Steeplechase runs (Thursday, May 10th). I imagine that will be free. You still have to login and become a member however.

(Just testing to make sure I know how to upload pictures! This Blog would be totally boring without the pictures!)

Leaving Manotick

TNT Border Collies — Sat, 05 May 2012 00:42:13 GMT

I'm almost packed! Yea! Shona and I have a very full vehicle with all the "goodie" bags for the team plus all of Rio's treats (she needs a lot of them, or so she claims )

Shona and I are attending the OVBCCs herding fun day tomorrow morning with our black & white dogs and then sending them home with Rick and taking the red dog onto Guelph. We will be hanging out in Guelph for the next three days before flying out on Tuesday. We have team practices and meetings on Sunday and Monday.

I've had many of you asking where they could find info on IFCS. There are a ton of links....

The best one to check is the official IFCS WAC website. They now have a lot of the pertinent info and schedules up:

www.ifcsdogsports.com

Our Canadian Team web page can be found at:

www.aacwt.com

Our Canadian Team Official blog (they will be posting during the competition when I won't be blogging!):

www.aacwt.com/blog

As for Facebook....

According to the United States Dog Agility Association, they will have an IFCS Facebook page soon, so you might want to check there early next week.

Our Canadian Team also has a page that you can "Like" if you search on 2012 AAC Canadian Agility Team.

If I come across more links, I will try my best and post them in the section to the right on this blog. Please bear with me--Its a bit of a learning curve doing this for the first time on my new MAC

Some of you were also mentioning that you haven't "subscribed" to the blog. If you scroll down past my really generous sponsors there is a box that says "subscribe". If you put your email address in there, you will automatically get updates to your email inbox.

Ginny Chafe's Chili showing her support for Team Canada!

Now off to find out if my links above actually work and then time to pack the car!

The Countdown Has Begun!

TNT Border Collies — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:51:56 GMT

We are down to just 10 days before Rio and I leave Ottawa for a pre-Worlds Training Camp at Royackers. I can't believe how less stressful it is only having to think about what to bring to the US! So much less paperwork for Rio, its been lovely!

We wrapped up our fundraising a few weeks ago with one final Raffle Table held at the Absolute Agility Trial in Spencerville. A HUGE thank you to everyone who donated, bought tickets and stopped by to pass on good wishes

We are now concentrating on a few minor training tune ups. We have our 22" poles set up in the yard (thanks Claire G!) and are working wicked angles. We are also working hard at maintaining super speed on the contacts and through the weaves. You haven't seen speed until you see Rio weaving for her breakfast (its also kinda disgusting because there's drool flying everywhere ). I've been working hard at threadling through gaps in the obstacles and taking the backsides of things. The threadling is very hard for Rio... She believes that if there's an obstacle near her, she should take it I'm feeling ready though! I would be happy to compete tomorrow--I hate waiting!

As for the schedule of events, Team Manager Shona and I are driving to Guelph on Saturday, May 5th. We have a full day of training on Sunday and a half day on Monday. We fly out of Toronto really early on Tuesday morning for Dallas and then the REAL fun begins!

IFCS 2012 - Here We Come!

TNT Border Collies — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:01:22 GMT

Rio and I have the chance to represent Canada for a 5th time and I think we are just as excited as the very first time!

On May 11, 12 & 13, we will be competing at the IFCS World Agility Championships in Fort Worth, Texas. Canada is fielding an outstanding team of dogs and handlers, so we have high hopes for the podium!

This will most likely be Rio's final trip to a World Championship, so we plan to train hard, compete hard and enjoy every single minute of it!

Currently we are in the process of training hard and fundraising. So far we've hosted a Raffle Table, Nail Trim and Toy Sale at the Absolute Agility Trial in Spencerville on February 4th & 5th. A HUGE thank you to everyone who contributed.

Also in the works:
A "Gently Used Dog Item" sale (March 3 & 4th at the Spencerville AARF trial),
A "Spectacular Raffle Table" and Nail Trims (March 31st & April 1st ath the Spencerville AARF trial),
And we have tentatively scheduled "A Night at the Rideau Carleton Raceway" in April as a final send off before we head to Texas.

A HUGE thank you to all that have donated to the team! Please take a moment to check out our generous sponsors in the column to the right.

Recap On a Great Week!

TNT Border Collies — Tue, 17 May 2011 17:29:00 GMT

First of all, I have to apologize for my lack of blogging. It was a crazy week (that’s crazy in a good way!) and it just didn’t work out to have internet time. I will try to catch up on everything since mid-week.

Thursday started off with a trip to the venue where we were quickly ushered to the vet check. It was the same vet as at IFCS and luckily he found Rio’s heart-beat this year (he joked last year that she didn’t have one. Poor Ri!) We then had a 24 minute practice (yes, they go right to the minute and then chase you off) in the main indoor ring and then 24 minutes in one of the two outdoor rings. It was so windy for our outdoor practice that at one point, when Recess was trying to run, the broad, the wall and another jump completely blew over (and let me tell you, when the wall comes down, there are a LOT of pieces to pick up!). Even the teeter was blowing so much that it was stuck in the horizontal position! They told us afterwards, that if the wind continued for the competition days, they’d change the weight of the teeter. Luckily, it never came to that!

Rio loving the rubberized equipment

Back at the hotel on Thursday afternoon, I met up with Charlotte who had arrived from Moncton. Sadly, Christine wasn’t with her as planned, due to a missed connection to Halifax. It was great to do a little catching up with Char!

We then hopped on the bus and headed back to the venue for the very brief (yea!) opening ceremonies where all the countries paraded into the ring. Rio and I were selected to carry the Canadian flag J

Team Canada!

Back at the hotel, Charlotte, Rio & I went for yet another walk through the “public footpaths” to the sea. I have no idea how Char kept her eyes open!! Maybe it was due to her enthusiasm for taking pictures of the cows on the path? (Anyone ever seen a dwarf-legged cow?)

Rio & the matching red & white cow

This poor cow had half-sized legs!

Friday morning arrived way too quickly! We arrived at the venue and were very pleased to find out that everyone got their own copies of course maps! Yea!

The way this competition worked was that there were three rings and each country was divided into a group. Each group had 12 minutes to walk the course before rotating to the next ring for another 12 minute walk through. I ended up walking Snooker, Team Standard and then Individual Standard and then was quickly on the line to run Snooker! I’ve had to have three courses in my head before, but never such technical courses. Thank goodness for Charlotte for filling my Tim’s mug with coffee to keep my brain sharp!

Team Snooker strategy planning on the bus to the venue

The Snooker course only had three reds but the time was only 45 seconds. I had a slight handling blunder on the first red (Lesson #1: Do not point toward the back of the arena where there are no jumps or obstacles for that matter, and keep repeating “Go Jump! Go Jump!” while blocking your dogs view of any jump.) and ended up being one jump away from a perfect Snooker run when time ran out. We still managed to finish 5^th in the class. Team Standard was next. We had a clean run and an individual placing of 4^th. Our Team finished 5^th for that round. We had a great run in the individual Standard, but unfortunately earned 5 faults for knocking the broad jump.

The morning courses went by SO quickly! The event was so well run that we kept finishing early!

The afternoon was three jumpers courses: Individual, Biathlon and Team. Rio and I only ran in the Individual Jumpers and I was very thankful that I didn’t have to have 3 jumpers courses in my head at the same time!!

We had a beautiful opening in the ind. Jumpers, but Rio missed her weave entry—twice! Ugh! I was so peeved with her and me that I accidentally put her over the backside of a jump on the homestretch. My first ever “E” on a jumpers course. I wasn’t very happy with myself and ended up playing the scenario over and over in my head all night (which really doesn’t make for a good night’s sleep!)

Enjoying a pint after competition

Saturday morning, I ended up walking/running three courses in a row again! My poor brain (and also my poor hair—my hot water disappeared in the shower that morning after I had soaped my head—wasn’t my best hair day)! Ri had a fabulous Individual Standard, but decided once again that pole #2 made a much better entry than pole one! (She is going to have to sit down and watch that DVD that someone made up on 2x2 weaves before we head to Regionals!!!). On the individual Jumpers course, for some reason the jumps were not in the same place as when I walked the course and an off course tunnel, which I never even saw as an off course possibility, sucked Rio right in. Agh! Another “E” in jumpers??? Guess Rio’s reign as Jumpers Queen is over…? LOL In the team Standard, we had a lovely run finishing 3^rd in the 650mm class and our team of Recess, Slice & Rio finished in 2^nd for that round.

Kim/Recess, Anneli/Slice & Me/Rio

In the afternoon, we ran Gamblers. We were given 32 seconds for the opening. There were no mini gambles but if you did all three tunnels and all three contacts, you were given 10 bonus points. The final gamble was a really tight one with only 12 seconds to complete. I knew I had to be on approach to jump number 1 of the gamble when the 32s whistle blew in order to have a hope of completing it, but sadly, we had a wrong turn out of the chute and we ended up not being in position. We got the gamble, but over time. Only three of the 650mm (26”) dogs got the gamble in time. We finished 4^th in that class and ended up being 4^th overall for the combined Snooker/Gamblers games title. I don’t really like standing just off the podium, but I guess I’ll take 4^th in the World for now…. J

Saturday night my best-est World Agility supporter, Anne, took me out to dinner in Cheddar (Anne, originally from Ottawa, now lives in London. She’s cheered me on at IFCS in Belgium, FCI in Finland and both IFCS and WAO in England. She has never owned a dog, but can probably tell you the snooker rules better than I could! LOL). Turns out that I got lucky getting a ride back to the hotel with Anne since the bus broke down! Thank you to Charlotte & Christine for taking Rio on a bus/cab adventure back to the hotel! Since we hadn’t had enough exercise that day, Christine, Charlotte, Kim, Recess & Rio went on yet another walk. The locals just didn’t get how much fun it is to do self timed photos and offered to take pictures for us. I think we’ve left a lot of West Huntspill-ians shaking their heads at those bizarre Canadians!

One of several shots using the camera's timer!

Funny looking gargoyles at the local church

Happy Canadians taking the Public Footpaths to the pub

Sunday’s events were the finals for the Individual Pentathlon, Four Dog Team Relay and Biathlon. Due to our little mishaps in the Individual Jumpers rounds, we didn’t get to play in the Individual Speedstakes. We had a great time cheering though!! Great agility! Great courses! In fact the whole event was top notch. The volunteers were AMAZING!! The security was great, the set-up was well thought out, things ran on time (if not early!), the judges were friendly, the equipment high quality and the courses were soooooo much fun to run!! The organizers of the WAO really outdid themselves!!

Sunday night was another relaxed dinner at the Huntspill Arms pub where I think we may be considered locals now….? Rio thinks being a pub dog is awesome J

One last night at the pub

Rio at the Huntspill Arms Pub

Monday morning we got up really early and Charlotte, Kim, Recess, Rio and I did a final walk. Guess what? After two years, I finally saw the tide in!!! Yea! The bus ride to Heathrow was uneventful and the check in at the airport was super easy. I have NEVER had such great service with a dog before!!! Even the security people were friendly and chatty and apologized profusely when they had to “seize” the bottle of water I’d forgotten about (bad me!). We then all headed our separate ways except for Charlotte and Christine who were flying with me and then on to the Maritimes. I had an empty seat beside me, so Charlotte and I had a great time catching up the whole trip home J. In the Ottawa airport, the customs officer took pity on me and didn’t make me stand in the long line to have my rabies certificate checked. I didn’t even have to pay anything!!! (In Toronto they usually charge me a fee to check my rabies cert.).

Matthew: The best Air Canada baggage guy ever!

Rio came out of her crate happy. What a fantastic traveller she is!!! I can’t say enough about my wonderful red girl who has taken me on so many fantastic adventures. She really is the best!

A HUGE thank you:

To my family for taking good care of things while I was away. It’s so wonderful to know that I don’t need to worry about anything on the home front while I’m competing.

To my great friends for their support, encouraging messages and good wishes! Rio & I are lucky to have you as friends.

To my sponsors, especially All Dog Sports Club and Omega Alpha, for the financial help! You have no idea how much your support made our journey so much easier!

And to the Team Canada Coach & Management for donating their time. You made everything run so smoothly!

What a great trip, great memories, great people and great support. Thanks everyone!

More on Wednesday

TNT Border Collies — Wed, 11 May 2011 15:39:00 GMT

I'm sitting here in the pub/lobby (the only place where there's wireless access) with my cup of tea and actually have a great connection! It seems as though if no one else has logged on to the wireless, it works great for me

We are just back from the venue and a two hour practice. Miss Rio took a little bit to get her going, but in the end had a very good practice and her contacts were awesome on the rubber (she's been sliding her teeter and dogwalk recently, so I wasn't sure she'd make it all the way down to a 2on 2off when she couldn't slide).

Our Canadian crating area at the venue. For some reason the "Moose Crossing" sign never got put up.... Not sure why?

Our TTL inspired artwork in the crating stalls

Tonight is a team dinner at the pub in town... How many times can I eat in the same restaurant?? Good thing they have a very varied menu!

Rio's favourite local pub. Okay, its the only local pub!

Now I just need Charlotte to hurry up and get here!

It's Wednesday!

TNT Border Collies — Wed, 11 May 2011 15:38:00 GMT

Today started out with another long walk to the sea to visit the sheep and the cows and then a trip through the farmers pastures and over the stiles (Rio is improving on negotiating these!). We love our walks through the countryside!! Rio is discovering a love for sheep--she is now actually liking the sheep MORE than their droppings! Maybe she is a Border Collie after all?

Recess & Rio learning that they have the power to move the flock!

Yesterday was a “free day”, so after Rio & Recess’ walk, we joined most of the gang for a taxi ride to a nearby town for some shopping and then a trip to a Cider mill. Then it was another walk to the sea for Rio & Recess and a trip to the pub for dinner. I’m loving the “Public Paths” that wind their way between walled yards and through farmers fields. Its so much fun exploring J . You don’t even need to go on a road to get to the pub which is about 1.5km away! You never know what will be on the other side of the stiles. We’ve shared our walks with many a cow and sheep (and yes, I’m very thankful that I brought boots!).

One of the many stiles linking field to field. Most were also over large stinky water ditches. Don't fall in Rio!

Today we head to the venue for the first time. From the WAO pictures posted on Facebook, it looks as though things are completely under control. Can’t wait to check it out. Team Canada has a two hour practice slot today and then a couple of shorter practices in both the indoor and outdoor rings tomorrow.

So far everything is going great and we are raring to get into the agility ring!

A Test

TNT Border Collies — Tue, 10 May 2011 10:17:00 GMT

I've uploaded some photos to Facebook... Hopefully everyone can view these...https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150250699855767.374393.633720766&saved#!/media/set/?set=a.10150250699855767.374393.633720766&saved#!/photo.php?fbid=10150250711665767&set=a.10150250699855767.374393.633720766&type=1&theater

Our fancy 2 star hotel...
This is from the day we arrived. We never saw a puddle after that!

Monday in the UK!

TNT Border Collies — Tue, 10 May 2011 09:35:00 GMT

Rio & Recess had a VERY easy check in at the tiny Air Canada Cargo center in Ottawa. It was much more civilized and relaxing than the year before at the monstrous Cargo building in Toronto.

Entertaining ourselves with photos at the Air Canada Cargo building. Recess & Rio are both happily chowing down on their stuffed kongs

Our flight to London was uneventful until right before we got off--they announced that there was an altercation on the plane and that the police would be boarding and escorting someone off. Turns out it was a very young mother who allegedly wouldn’t wake her young child who was sleeping on the floor when the seat belt sign came on. Two police officers escorted her off carrying sippy cups, toys and a diaper bag!

While waiting for Lucie Robertson, who flew in from Montreal, we had a good English breakfast at the same airport restaurant as the year before J . After meeting up with Lucie at the Heathrow terminal, we found our bus and headed to Animal Reception. We are all currently waiting for our dogs to be cleared. They‘ve told us our paperwork was all good, but so far we have been sitting here almost two hours… They say our dogs will be cleared soon! They just took my credit card and charged me 350 pounds tax on Rio. She’s one expensive dog today! Apparently we can get the tax money back once we prove that our dogs have left the country.

All the Canadian dogs that came through Animal Reception at Heathrow (Britt, Recess, Dune, Rio & Fia)

Rio came out of "quarantine" happy and relaxed! She travels so well!

I think I’m ready for a nap shortly!