6 for 6 in Bloomington
Last weekend was a great weekend for Caliber Tollers. I rounded up the gang and we went up to Bloomington, IL for the shows over Memorial Day weekend. All three dogs were entered both days, and we came home with 6 ribbons, earning points or qualifying in each event. Can’t beat that!
Harley was entered in Rally. He finished his Rally Novice title on Saturday with a score of 99 out of 100. Sunday, we moved up to Rally Advanced and he earned his first leg of his RA title. Unfortunately, we got hit for ten points because his Rally-challenged handler did not complete one of the exercises correctly and in the end we only qualified with an 87. Ouch!
Zeppe made her debut on Saturday in Rally Novice. It was her first time ever in a ring, and she was fairly distracted by all the new sights and sounds, but we still managed to Q with a 94. On Sunday, she was awesome, giving me great attention and a flawless performance. Well almost flawless, her challenged handler messed up again, and we got dinged for my error. The mistake shook her confidence quite a bit, but thankfully we were only 3 stations from finishing, and we ended up with a final score of 97 out of 100. Still a great score for a green dog!
Erin got to play the pretty dog for the weekend as she was entered in conformation both days. She was awarded BOW both days, and we picked up 4 more points to add to her total. Sunday, was a little nerve-wrecking because I had a ring time conflict between conformation and rally. Then, a nice young junior handler by the name of Stephanie saved the day and showed Erin to her win for me. They made a great pair, and I really appreciate Stephanie helping us out!
Overall, it was a great weekend for us. Now that I have started my new job it means less time available for future events, so it was especially nice that we did so well. Our next plans are to enter the local Obedience and Rally trials at the end of June. I hope to finish Harley’s RA title and Zeppe’s RN. Zeppe is due into season soon, so I am crossing my fingers she waits until July. Of course, now that my entries are in, Murphy’s Law says that she will come in the same weekend of the trial!