Skipping out...

I can count on one hand (actually 2 fingers really) the number of times I have skipped out of a trial...we normally stay until the bitter end. However...today we decided to head home early before Snooker and Jumpers ran do to the "annual MAC USDAA blizzard"...and I am glad we did :)

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Got home, and took a nap (ok, does 4 hours comatose on the bed with 5 dogs and the husband count as a nap?)...probably not. But we did it...I think I am going to leave every Sunday at noon on a trial weekend :) AWESOMENESS :)

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Our van decided to not wake up Saturday am, with 345,000 miles on it...it just might be time to trade her in...so very sad, I will miss her...but the chaos that ensued due to her "on strike" mentality will not be. So here we are, in the hotel with 7 dogs, and no minivan. Luckily, we had friends staying at the hotel...and the husband had 4 dogs with one friend and I had the 3 trial dogs with me...we all made it to the site in one group. OK...

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The husband had to get a person to take him all the way back home many hours away, pick up a replacement vehicle and drive back down to Cannon Falls Saturday evening...he got in about 12:30, I watched the dogs in the hotel room...thank God for friends...seriously.

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The sad van will be looked at tomorrow, down in Cannon Falls...I think it is terminal...the husband is hopeful...we shall see.

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SO...after that...we had a trial to run dogs in!

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The dogs, the dogs were a whole lotta good this weekend :) We got to work then TWICE this week :) Ahhh...what a bit more practice will do for you!

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All 3 dogs had great jumpers runs, Gator was wider than all craziness as I was still stuck in "OMG WE DON'T HAVE A VEHICLE" land...but he still managed to get 2nd place. Despite having a handler that was mentally impaired. Crackers was a good boy and got 2nd. Klink had a great run with one bar. But otherwise ran very nicely :)

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Grand Prix was up next, and all the puppers got Q's in that, Gator and Klink went 1st and 2nd, Gator getting the Bye and he is now all Q'd up for Nationals :) Good job Tator Salad. Klink needs one more Steeplechase leg and she is done. Crackers needs one of GP and Steeplechase...so I was VERY happy with that happening :)

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Pairs--I know many people don't like running pairs, I personally really enjoy it. Maybe because I normally run with friends and that is just fun no matter what :) AND...this time I got to run Crackers in pairs :) The husband had to head home at that point so I decided, why not. I was a bit nervous as he didn't exactly run well for me the one other time I ran him at a trial. But he was awesome for me this time :) Q. Klink also picked up a Q too :) Gator didn't, but that's OK, he ran his half very well and he loves running with that team anyway :)

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Standard was a very interesting course...kinda retro, but fun. Gator won that class, Klink had one bar down and then I did all sorts of crazy stuff to see how it would work :) She did a great job with me layering a tunnel with her in the weaves (an issue she can sometimes have is popping out if I am moving away quickly). She did great on that :) Good girl. Crackers, not sure what he did...can't remember...but he didn't Q.

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Snooker was fine, I picked a nice, easy course. I barely run Standard or Jumpers courses in the winter, much less Snooker, so my dogs Snooker skills (and mine) are a bit lax in the winter. So I wasn't going to go all crazy. Klink and Gator Q'd with nice runs and Team Crackhead got 1st and a Super Q...little dogs + Snooker = made for each other! :) Love watching them run Snooker!

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Gamblers...well...all 3 dogs really tried :) My two dogs at least did the same thing, so I consistently failed! Right?? :) WHAT DO YOU WANT MOM!?!?! Yeah...um, never mind :) Good puppers :)

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Today was fun as well...All 3 doggies Q'd in pairs to start the day off...again, love pairs! LOL

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Standard all dogs did well, Gator handled like a champ, getting his SACH-Gold and 2nd place, and so did Klink...Klink however had to deal again with that impaired handler that sometimes will pop up every now and again. It was a sequence that was a jump to a table in the back of the ring...a DW was to the left between the jump and the table. Several dogs were looking at or taking the DW...and those that FC'd before that were having luck. I didn't walk a FC...NOTE TO SELF: Maybe not a good idea to RUN a FC I didn't walk...YEAH...

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So out I go with Klink...everything was all perty until the FC...and my subsequent lack of motion after said FC, and then the scream...and then Klink was at one point literally UP MY ass...as in "nose in crack"...yet, kept going forward as I was screaming TABLE TABLE TABLE and doing some flailing thing...she managed to get up onto the table without getting a Refusal (judge was laughing...maybe that is why we didn't get the R :)...and the rest of the course was pretty good...a bit of slowness on my part for the latter half...but Klink was a star on that course...what a great little dog :) That was her ADCH-Silver...I could blame my "special-ness" on that, but I had no idea that is what she needed until I got home...so yeah. I just really shouldn't change my plans without walking them :) Crackers got 1st in Standard with a nice run :)

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After Standard the blizzard started...we decided to head home as it was looking icky...glad we did, lots of wrecks. As we were leaving the arena, we skidded across 2 lanes of traffic...fun, NOT. Thank goodness once we got north of the cities it cleared up.

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There was a lot of good things I could have worked Lynn on...it was hard and really weird not running her. But it was fun running the "old gloves that fit" dogs :) I have to say, Klink was just amazing this weekend...she saved my butt so many times...and that just isn't like her...maybe she is finally growing up :) She sooo impressed me.

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It was nice feeling more connected to the dogs while running...one of the main issues I was having was that I was getting to places that I couldn't have a few months ago. The weight loss is SOOOO nice...and I would get somewhere, and not know what to do :) So I need to work on that a bit...but what a great thing to have as a problem! It was fun seeing everyone and all the great runs.

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A great weekend overall, will try to get video up sometime :)

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Congrats to several teams that got ADCH's this weekend and all others that had awesome runs!