Maddy earns her FIRST agility leg!!!

This time we head indoors to the horse arena in Dillsburg PA.  OH, all those smells!  That is all I could think about before we even arrive!

Maddy starts off on FIRE on the Jumper's course running much faster than I expected!  So off I go flying to keep up and direct her.  She was focused and determined on this run!  She took direction and was a speed demon!  Well, then we hit the weavepoles.  It wasn't the weavepoles themselves that slowed us down.  It was the lady sitting in the chair as part of the ring crew about 20 feet away from the weavepoles that was the challenge.  Maddy goes through the first weavepole and then RUNS half way across to the lady in the chair.  I call her back into the second weavepole and then she RUNS half way across to the lady in the chair.  You get the idea!  We lost some time getting through the weavepoles, but she did them and had a CLEAN RUN!!  She not only qualified but took home a third placement!  WAY TO GO MADDY!!!! 

Maddy tried her best on the Standard course.  There was a lot of excitement in the adjacent ring for an old dying dog that was making a final run that had the crowd screaming.  Poor Maddy!  She thought the screaming was for her and just couldn't focus on the task at hand.  It was really bad timing, but these things happen.  Next time!

Now Lexi hits the Standard course.  Her first run on the Jumper's side was as to be expected.  The hunting dog in her kept her nose towards the ground and tracking and if was very difficult to get her started.  But after the first few obstacles she did much better.  She almost qualified but the smells were just too much.  So with that in mind we take on the Standard course.  Lexi goes through the course as if she were a new dog.  She had speed and focus!  We had a couple of minor mistakes, but she flew through the course and earned a 2nd placement!  One more leg to go in Standard and Jumpers for her Novice titles!!

Honorable mention again to Nouli.  OH so close!  His, ahem, handler pulled him off a jump too soon in Jumpers that cost him his last leg for his AXJ.  He was phenomenal again.  He had speed and drive and made me very proud.  He had an issue with the teeter in Standard, otherwise it would have been another Q.  We will keep on trying!  He is doing GREAT!!