Enzo’s foot seems to be 100% now so that’s good. Tooney and Enzo both ran in a USDAA trial this weekend. On Saturday, Tooney and her partner both went off course in Pairs, Tooney missed the weave entry in Standard, went off course right before the closing in snookers, then in P3 jumpers she Q’d and got 2nd place. Sunday she only ran in gamblers and jumpers. The gamble was not one that I expected either dog to get, but she still got 2nd place because only 1 dog Q’d. Jumpers she Q’d but I didn’t see how she placed.

Enzo ran Advanced snookers first and knocked the first bar. I managed to stop him and tried to bring him around to a red but I turned around and put him over the wrong jump. oops! In advanced standard he had an awesome run, Q’d and got 1st! He had a good run in steeplechase but I got behind (because I ran the wrong line) in one part and had to push out to a jump and that caused him to turn the wrong way and then backjump. Enzo and his partner Lucky Q’d in Advanced pairs too. I entered as a draw and ended being paired with someone from his one class.

Sunday, Enzo ran in Grand Prix first. It was a pretty tough course. I was very proud of him getting the opening tunnel/dogwalk discrimination and the threadle. He knocked a bar and then went off course later on too but it was a pretty difficult spot where the dogs saw the tunnel and then a jump before they could see the weaves where they were supposed to go. I got him off the tunnel with a RFP and then turned back and moved too soon and he took the jump. Then his next run was Masters Gamblers. His first Masters run ever! It was kind of a disaster. He was wild and did his own thing. A rarity for him. He completely leapt the aframe contact and went off to do something else I should have made him do it again but I was a little flustered. He ran Advanced Standard right after that but knocked the first bar right off the bat. Then going to the table, there was an off course jump possibility so I pulled pretty hard and almost pulled him past the table. I stopped next to the table and gestured toward the table and somehow he though I wanted him to jump up into my arms (we were close to the exit)! He boinged and I caught him! I was completed suprised and started laughing. Everyone was laughing! It was really funny. Too bad there’s no video! Oh and then I waited around until almost 6pm to run advanced jumpers. Enzo had a beautiful fast run but he took down a bar because I said go tunnel and threw out my arm when he was over the bar. Oh well!

I had big hopes for the SW regionals this year, with intentions of going to Tennessee with Enzo and Tooney if they were able to get qualified. Unfortunately, any hope of qualifying was gone before the competition even started. On Friday night, Enzo started limping. We think he got some sort of paw injury.

Tooney was my last hope. They take the top 6 (out of 39 competitors!) to the final round. I knew she had to do really well to make the cut. Tooney had an awesome 3-drop round. Unfortunately, 1 of those drops I wish I had back. It was a bad throw on my part. I thought it might come back to bite me – it did. They ended up taking the top 7 teams because there was a tie for 6th. Well, guess what? Tooney ended up in 8th place in freestyle. Yeah. That sucks – she missed by 1 spot. If she had 1 less drop, she would have been pushed up to about 4th place I think. That’s the way it goes.

I tried throwing right handed for the first time this year in toss/fetch. It worked out OK, but I suffered some numbness/tingling afterwards. I out-threw Tooney on my first throw and that was enough to eliminate me from possibly making the cut. I can only get 4 throws off with her, so with the 1st throw a miss, she was done. She ended up in 9th place, not good enough for the cut. Not bad, considering there were 71 entries in the t/f division.

On Sunday, we had a disc dogathon, which had 4 different games. Jenn and I both entered it with Tooney (Enzo resting at home). She should be considered a favorite to win the event because she is really good at the toss/fetch type of games. In my first round (regular toss/fetch), Tooney got stung by a bee. She limped around and was pretty upset. Well, how nice. Our day was basically done… she struggled to compete in most of the events until the end. By the time the last event rolled around, she was feeling better. It was bull’s eye, and I had a strategy going into it. Tooney ended up with 15 points with me. That was really good. Jenn went out a bit later, using the same strategy, and she scored a 19! That was enough for 3rd place in the event (winner had 21). Congrats to my girls! The good news is that Tooney was back and showed she would have done some serious damage if she was healthy the whole day!

Overall, it was mixed emotions for me. Tooney did really good and beat out some amazing freestyle teams, which is nice. She also fought through a nasty bee sting and finished Sunday with her head held high. However, the entire weekend I was extremely depressed due to Enzo’s foot problem. I was calling it the ‘saddest day in the history of Enzo’. It was unfortunate that he didn’t have a chance to qualify, but the real sadness was because we’re not used to having any of our dogs limping around and Enzo doesn’t deserve it. He seems a lot better now and I guess we have no choice but to go and win the IDC qualifier in a few weeks.

Last note – GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!

We went to an AKC trial this weekend. Saturday went ok. Both Tooney and Enzo went off course in JWW. Same mistake in different parts of the course. I guess we need practice on long runs through jump boxes. They both went out away from me to take an off course jump. They just weren’t sure where to go. Both had really nice runs in standard. Enzo got 2nd in standard just a few tenths of a second behind 1st. He beat Dash the aussie for the first time (by 0.1 secs). Dash is a really awesome fast aussie. Of course Enzo is pretty much running all his contacts right now. Well, I’m calling it a 2on/2off self release! lol. He’s doing the striding for a stopped contact, just not stopping.

On Sunday, we were supposed to run JWW first. After I finished my walkthrough I went back to the crates and got Enzo out and there was blood all over his crate mat. Didn’t take long for me to see that his one foot was covered in blood. I carried him into the bathroom to wash his foot off. His outside toe got a deep cut on the edge. No idea how it happened, he never limped or yelped so don’t even know when it happened but I assume it was when I was walking them around in the morning. A friend located a first aid kit for me and I used the antibiotic ointment, gauze and vetwrap. My shorts were covered in blood from carrying him around but it was time to run Tooney so I ran over to the ring and we somehow ran clean and she got 2nd place. Standard didn’t go so well, I front crossed at the end of the weaves and ended up completely out of position and put her over the back side of the jump.

After we got home, I checked out Enzo’s foot and it actually doesn’t look too bad for how much it was bleeding. As long as it doesn’t get infected or anything he should be fine for our Skyhoundz Regional this weekend. We might just have to wrap it. He doesn’t seem to think there’s anything wrong with him.

Enzo actually double double Q’d last weekend and Tooney got a double Q on Sunday! Enzo’s standard run was really nice without any bobbles or really wide turns and he placed first! He beat a really fast BC and ACD. In each of his other runs we had a call off in each one but we managed to save them and get through clean. His jumpers on Sunday was also pretty smooth with just a small look at an off course tunnel and got 2nd place behind the BC. Tooney Q’d in JWW on Saturday but left the table early in standard. Also had an off course later on. Sunday Tooney had a really nice standard run and was pretty close to Enzo’s time with his almost off course to a tunnel. In JWW, she seemed tired and was over jumping a little which I’ve never really seen her do before but she got through clean and got the double. She was 3 seconds behind Enzo and she’s usually not more than 2 seconds slower.

That’s 4 double Q’s in the past 3 weeks for Enzo! He’s just doing really awesome lately.

Starting to get back into AKC mode now. Enzo doesn’t seem to run quite as hard at 16″ but that probably just feels that way since he doesn’t have to put much effort into jumping since his YPS are good. Saturday JWW, Enzo Q’d and got 4th place. He had one really wide turn where he was going towards an off course jump and he slowed down a bit when I called him off but still was 5.8 YPS. There was only a few tenths of a second between him and 2nd place and less than a second from first. Tooney went off course in the place where Enzo went wide. In standard, Enzo and Tooney both had awesome runs and placed 1st and 2nd. Enzo beat Tooney by about 1 second. Enzo was 4.2 YPS in his standard run. He stopped short on the dogwalk and I didn’t make him come all the way down. I should have. His aframe he left a little high. So that is double Q #5 for Enzo and 2nd of the year. Only need 4 more for nationals.

Sunday wasn’t as good of a day. JWW was a pretty challenging course. Tooney went off course because she didn’t hold her stay and Enzo popped out of the weaves. The ground was pretty uneven and the base was not level on the ground so I think he tripped on them and I was leaving laterally so he just came out. In standard, we had to run on the backside of a tunnel and call them towards us. Enzo didn’t quite get that. He came out of the tunnel going the wrong way and then went back in when I called him. The rest of the run was really nice and he actually stopped on the dogwalk at the bottom and not short of the bottom! He of course didn’t stop on the aframe but did come down farther. Tooney had a really nice run and placed 1st! 4.3 YPS! Her second fastest YPS in standard that I have recorded (I know there are some that are missing, I’m trying to be better at this!).

Saturday, I took Enzo to an ASCA trial. They had two gamblers and two standard or I guess regular is what they call it. Can’t really get used to that. Enzo is in open for everything. The first gamble was doable but Enzo shot out of the tunnel so fast that I couldn’t redirect him before he took the wrong jump. The second gamble had a aframe /tunnel discrimination. They were supposed to do the aframe but the tunnel was closer. Really similar to the Masters Gamblers that I had a couple weeks ago. In the first round of Open Regular, Enzo took the wrong end of a tunnel. The second round he was clean so that was his second Open Regular Q. Hoped that I could finish his title but I guess I’ll have to wait until next time. There won’t be another ASCA that I’ll be able to go to for a while.

Sunday, I went to an AKC trial. The JWW has really nice and flowing. Enzo and Tooney both Q’d and placed 2nd and 3rd respectively. Standard was was fast flowing course but pretty trappy. Tooney went off course in two places but I managed to get Enzo through it clean with a couple of call offs. So Double Q for Enzo! This was his 4th DQ but his 1st for qualifying for next year’s Nationals.

Enzo broad jump:
http://www.mgeventphotos.com/gallery/7905569_QKsqx#513238729_HDr6K-L-LB

Enzo barking at me:
http://www.mgeventphotos.com/gallery/7894956_bxyrz#512323995_8QKno-L-LB

cool sequence:
http://www.mgeventphotos.com/gallery/7914057_YphkZ#513375812_wtY5f-L-LB
http://www.mgeventphotos.com/gallery/7914057_YphkZ#513376481_3ertw-L-LB

Tooney broad jump:
http://www.mgeventphotos.com/gallery/7905595_PgbTX#513244835_8R25T-L-LB