Catching Up

Dar has shamed me into updating my blog. So here it is

The Nick/Jill pups are almost 3 months old, I kept Spot and Cal and Karen K has Nick Jr, now Kip. Pups are outgoing and growing up.

I bought a bitch pup from Carol Campion out of her Gypsy by Tam. Tam's breeding goes back to Jilly. This puppy I named Emma. What a girly name for a tom boy.

We ran at Belle Grove, can't say enough about the open field there. I think Jill placed. Both dogs got out to their sheep both times without difficulty. This is the first time I've run Jill since the fall and the pups. She listened well on her fetch, but circled the sheep on her drive.

Then we went to Dave's trial, Border's on Paradise. Nick did not appear to be feeling well and couldn't catch his sheep at the turn at the post. Jill we got around the course, had great outrun, lifts and fetchs, but again had problems on the drive.

So onto the Blue Grass. I really didn't want to go, but had to pickup Huck at Vergil's. Dar stayed a the farm with my young dogs, and I took my 2 Jill pups and my trial dogs to KY, it was like a vacation! As you probably know, Nick ran well (I had started him back on doxy after he was lame at dave's trial) and seemed to be feeling well. We put together 2 decent scores to qualify for the double lift on sunday. First go round he was 13th and second go round he was 14th. I think we had the 4 or 5th highest combined scores to qualify for the double lift. On the double lift, he crossed on his first outrun, he headed to the cars leaving to the right of the field from a soccer game and then wouldn't turn back again. The last double lift I ran him in, in Florida in Feb, he turned back nicely and won the double lift. Go figure.

Jill also ran at the BG, her first run she ran too deep at the top and ended up on a berm, not seeing her sheep till she way overshot them. Go ther back and brought them down the field and made the fetch panels. The drive was again our nemesis, and she circled once instead of twice. She did come in on her shed but timed out at the pen. Her second go round, we were running to a standard and and I retired her after the fetch, as I knew we would be called to the standard anyway, this time she did not go too deep and came onto her sheep nicely.

I picked up Huck, he is such a nice boy, but more eye than I want in a dog. He is outrunning about 250 yards nicely to both sides, his eye does not cause issues on his outrun, comes in nicely at the top. He is driving and will flank on his drive. Huck will be for sale. Would be either a nice novice dog, or a great farm dog. He's not going to get you into trouble. I've had him in tight places since I got him back and he goes in without rushing and will stop and lie down. He listens well.

My next trial will be Open at Hop Bottom and then Kingston in August.

I had twisted my knee about 4 weeks ago, still sore, but the swelling is almost gone, hoping to maybe be able to work some of my young dogs soon.

So Dar, hope you're happy :-)