Most lax of me I know, not to have posted here in over a month and I’ve lost count of the number of moments where I’ve just stopped, breathed a little deeper, thought a little longer and concluded I really must post that on my blog. However I think this Retrospective Blogging idea could take off!

We (Pip and I) had some fun in Derby and the UK.

Early morning shot taken out my window from where I was staying in Derby.

The rosette and 1st place glass coaster (currently residing on the loungeroom coffee table) for winning Grade6/7 Agility.

In line at Camddwr Farm Wales – in front Darleyfalls Tog aka the “Tog” man! 🙂 Love this boy, ran by Stu and trained and loved by both Ann and Stu, he impressed me last year and this year he impressed me even more!  A big, bold tri colour he really raised to the occasion, Stu being so unlucky not to podium with some brilliant and quick runs with him. Behind Tog is his sister (repeat later mating) Pip in charge of the toys as usual 😉 and behind her the more lady like Noonoo!! (Well she was being lady like in this pic at least) Ann and Noo had a FANTASTIC World Agility Open, I was so chuffed for them both, Ann running Noo clear twice inside in the superb indoor arena and Stu finishing with a top three placing with her in one of the Pentathlon rounds. She didn’t put a paw wrong and the excitement coming off her and her owners/handlers was palpable and infectious! Go the Noo!

The World Agility Open Championships were held in Belgium in a little town called Neeroeteren at a world class equestian centre called De Warre. This event is just going to get bigger and better with each year it is held I believe, already the standard has improved from last year with a number of FCI World dog/handler teams choosing to compete this year. This was a fantastic venue that met both practical and aesthetic needs. Nestled in a very pretty area, surrounded by woods it made for a lovely setting. There were three rings in all, total and that is a credit to the organisers managing to run through so many dogs and runs with just three rings.

Pip and I soaked up the atmosphere of it all. We had our first runs on Friday – three in total – one biathlon jumping where we ran clear, won our group and finished 5th out of all the 525 dogs. In the two pentathlon runs – the first one being our very first run in Agility that morning – we E’d at the tough weaver entry. It was definitely doable but we definitely needed a bit more practice together before tackling that sort of challenge.

This was our very first course of the WAO:

The E in the Jumping in the afternoon came about when in my efforts to guide Pip as tightly as possible around the course I didn’t take into account that these giant wings have giant feet on them! The fall by me was quite smooth 😉 but a fall none the less that brought the bar down and gained me an E for contacting on equipment. It was nice to finish the day with a clear and sitting 5th place going into the biathlon final agility. However the two Es in the Pentathlon meant that there would be no runs for us on Saturday.

What that did mean though – in between taking Pip for nice long walks in the woods, getting her pet passport checked off and having a play with her in the practice ring – was that I was able to sit back, relax and take in everyone elses’ runs and I was sure glad of the opportunity to do so (would have been more glad to have run of course but I just had to suck that one up). I managed to watch most of Daisy and Solar’s runs which were just GREAT to see live for a change instead of via the internet. Solar and Daisy were LOVING the Pentathlon courses and were putting down some very nice, smooth moves that got them through courses clear and in top five and winning a couple of the pentathlon rounds too I think.

My team mates were having a mixed bag Saturday – Megan and George had gotten through to the next round of the Pentathlon (only having one fault per round in the the first two rounds – a great effort), as had Di and Dottie and Tracey and Spud. None of them managed clear rounds on the Saturday except for Tracey and Spud who put in a nice clean jumping round with Spud. Simone Holt, Tom and myself had not made it through, but both Tom and Simone were doing the Games runs as well so they had those to focus on as well as the last round of the Biathlon to be held on Sunday. Karen and Cody, Jules and Magners were not having such a brilliant time with their dogs – both these littlies had run well for the girls at previous events but it seemed the different atmosphere, location and overall newness of it all meant that both Karen and Jules worked hard to try and get them round courses but it was not meant to be. The ladies did their best though and whilst disappointed were still able to make the most of their opportunity to be at this event and watch some top teams of handlers. Frank and Zuma were a different story – Frank managed to get Zuma around most courses – not clear – but not slow or distractedly either. Frank did very well with Zuma, who is 9 and a half years old and runs very different from all Frank’s dogs, and so when he finished with her, the applause was definitely audible.

The Aussie team: From left  to right – back row: Megan and George, Jules and Magners, Karen and Cody, Di and Dottie, Frank and Zuma front row: Me and Pip,Tom and Hydro, Simone H and Buster and Tracey and Spud.

Sunday all day I had one run with the Pipistrelle – I think she was more than raring to go. Probably a little put out that there were no runs for us on the Saturday. Either way she came out like a freight train and I had an absolute ball guiding her round the course. We had two blips unfortunately – again probably just a lack of time together and I’m talking a couple years here 😉 – where if I had just thrown in one more verbal (on top of the two I’d already given) we could have avoided a refusal and then one where I was in too much of a hurry for her, again a refusal. No off courses, no bars down and she was moving pretty quick 😉 But sadly, of course in such top competition in a two round event, those two refusals cost us and we dropped to 16th in the standings. Not what we really wanted in the end but still, I was proud of our 5th place run (2nd through to 6th were all within 1 second of each other) and also our win at the KC trial the weekend before. It was a total honour to get to run a dog like Pip at an event such as this, as I said to Sandra – it was the first time I have ever stepped to a start line with a dog (including all my own and others I have run for other people) and felt that this dog could do it all, she has a start line, she has contacts, she has brilliant independent obstacle performance skills and she has all the jumping skills. And on top of all that she was definitely one of the quickest across the ground. It was with absolute sincerity that I felt that Pip is Sandra’s one in a million dog, once in a lifetime dog. She’s had others and will have more of course – but Pip? She’s never going to be surpassed. If I’d thought for a second Sandra would consider it I would have happily made her an offer! As it was I was busily daydreaming about all the possible explanations for how I managed to sneak her into Australia! I think the final highlight for me was when Sandra asked if I would like to do the WAO again next year – I said if I was lucky enough to be on the team I would for sure. And Sandra promptly went on to let me know that Pip would definitely be available for me to run again next year. 😀 The emoticon cannot do the enormous grin on my face justice but it goes a little way.

The intensity and drive on this little girl is fabulous, the camera does it’s best to do her justice!

So that was the end of the World Agility Open adventure. For now. 😉 It was time to repack the extra luggage, say goodbye and be on my way to the east coast of Australia where I was meeting up with my sister, Nicole.

I think I better put that one in another post!