Busy weekend at EPS UTD/UTDX on Saturday, and TD/TDX on Sunday. Colour change has just started, and weird weather for us in Northern Ontario. Saturday started out cool and damp, pictures fuzzy with mist. Unfortunately, was not able to get many pictures on the Saturday, mainly due to distance/misty. By late morning, it was very hot.
This is Tank on his second veg. leg just reaching the cloth article. Marge Schultz was the "judge of the day" and very nice to work with. This was the first track of the day, UTD #1. Tank was a "good boy" and passed, I also had a "bad boy" in who did not....too alert to things going on around him...Saturday had 4 UTD tracks, and 5 UTDX tracks. There were two UTD passes, Tank and Dawns' lovely sheltie and one UTDX pass, Sandy and her yellow lab; this gave him the coveted Tracking Champion title! An english cocker was so close, we were certain it would pass, a real heartbreaker.
Crossing from the west side of town over to the east side, we couldn't help but stop to watch! This fellow had two dogs on the wagon, one sitting beside him, and a small black pug was behind him. Just 'cruising on through town', some cars were just annoyed...can't just slow down for a minute, I guess.
He told us these were young horses "just learning the ropes". They were very calm, even when cars would zip out around them.
It sure is nice to live in an area where you still see horses going through the main streets of the local town.
Back at the presentations after the lunch, Tank has his eye on a "bumper" and was just dying to have a throw into the water.
I don't remember what we were doing here; I think setting up for the group photo and probably Tank knocked over the duckies. Looks like Dawn set them up again, and is trying to convince Tank to leave them or his glove alone.
The three passing dogs from Saturday with judge Marge Schultz. All three dogs born in 2005. Sandy Briggs with NEW! Tracking Champion - CH Wimberway's Helzapopin CD, WC, RE; Dawn MacDonald with CH Redpine's Cost A Grand TD, CDX, RE, AGI and new UTD; Susan Coutts with Autumwynd Storm Tracker CD, WC, RE, TDX (also therapy dog) and new UTD.
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Sunday was the TD/TDX day, with judge Sandy Briggs and Mary-Anne Boulet apprenticing. The day began cold (5.3 C) and foggy, but quickly heated up feeling like the middle of summer. Beautiful clear blue skies, no wind. I was laying two TDX tracks and my friend, Tascha, a TD and my cross tracks. We were well away from the draw site, and unfortunately had to miss that. I missed seeing some old acquaintances from previous trials, but timing/distance prevented us from seeing any of the TD's and the other two TDX's.
So we spent almost 4hr. alone in one of the most beautiful places I know of up here.
This is the view from the end of my first TDX. It looks over my most favorite field and over the hill and field beyond, the Wasi River runs through. Almost always see deer here, but not this day...sometimes bear...glad we didn't. We saw a couple of lovely hawks, geese in the grainfield, sometimes sandhill cranes. I brought Trust along for the ride and thought we may get a track in for her if Tascha's ended up not being used. Since Trust got her TCh this spring, she just does the occasional track for fun now, as I've been concentrating on the other two with their UTD work. So the day started out 'nice'....until....
We drove out ahead from where we were parked to let him through onto this township road. The road we are 'using' is a narrow road, two cars can't pass unless one can pull off to the side. Turned out this farmer was planning to go up and down all day taking his bales off a field on the next concession.
Had a little chat and he said he'd take "the long way around" for the next few, but as we began to run late, we had to arrange for the vehicles coming in to the TDX's to park off the road, and walk down. The first dog/handler were driven down to their start. This was an 'older' dog and didn't 'need' the extra long walk in the heat.
This was a 'perfect' field. Lush, thick and wet earlier on. The 'tracks' you see above were from the tractor that had picked up his bales of hay two days previous. Some areas of the 'real' track were criss-crossed with these. They did not cause the dog any problem. Above they have found their first article, after the third corner. This little english cocker just motored on through at a steady pace and it was a joy to watch this team working.
And that's the final article!!! I was so happy to be the tracklayer for this one. Since they already had their UTDX, passing this TDX meant another new TRACKING CHAMPION! (That's Mary-Anne with her back to me) This dog will be twelve in January, 2012, and as Karen said, is now officially retired! TCh Carfrae Me and My Shadow, CDX, AGN.
And this was the time for hugs and kisses and tears and whatever else comes along with this wonderful accomplishment! Very nice. I so love to see the older dogs do it.
And then the day went downhill for me. Van was dead, couldn't get back to the lunch and presentations, so no pictures from that. Too long a story, but finally got Trust and I home, with help from Mary-Anne, Tascha, my husband, our friendly garage fellow sent from CAA, couldn't put Trust on her long awaited track. I'm so sorry I missed the presentations, but glad I had help that didn't leave us stranded.
And we met the tractor fellow again, who wasn't too happy a van was completely blocking the road for another few trips!!!! A good weekend.
Kira is interested in 'something' on this tire; behind her is the step up into the cab.
A little high and small for landing for her to jump up, but she had a good sniff around.
She had no qualms jumping up on the trailer used to hall the machines and checks it out thoroughly.
Blending in with the weeds, she is inspecting underneath the trailer in this picture.
And let's go back up on top again!
I found an old ball in the weeds and tossed it up for her. Decided I didn't have a lot of time for two more walks before the fellow returned, so decided to bring Blast, Trust and Tank out together after putting Kira back in the house.
Same machine as above, other side. Blast is 'thinking' about getting up there once he saw the open door. An even smaller step up on this side, I wasn't going to ask him to, and a very big jump up. Trust seems to be looking and saying "are you nuts, Blast"?!
Perhaps...it was an awfully high jump straight up and I moved in to help him if he faltered...he was fine. He checked it all out, and then I put the ball up in the door to slow him on his exit. Didn't want him to jump from that height, but to go down slower.
Not to be outdone, Tank decided to jump up and see what Blast was up to on the other side.
When Blast saw Tank up there, he hopped up again, and Tank (barely see his bum in corner) jumped off. Just as well, didn't need them acting goofy up there and one coming off sideways. They sure all had a lot of fun though. 
