Boofest

Yippee!  We went on an excursion this weekend & got to run every day!  I also met a few of my fans & made a new one who had not seen me course before.  A successful weekend.

Friday morning when J got home from work, both humans finished packing up the car, & we hit the road:  both Rob & J with Bados & I.  It was close to a 12 hr drive down to Gilroy, CA.

Appley stayed behind to keep Mintz company.  With Luka gone so recently, it would not have been him alone with the pet sitter.  Not that Lisa isn't nice (she gives us tons of special treats), but the house feels empty without another dog in it when one is used to a pack.  Appley was upset not to come, but it's not like he enjoys showing or racing, and he won't even try to course (the Momma's boy won't go that far from J).

Bados was not feeling his best on the drive down and puked a bit in the back.  This was probably psychosomatic.  Last time we drove to California he got REALLY sick in the car; I think he was justnervous about getting sick again.  He is such a softy.  I just ignored him & watched other cars out my window.  Being able to watch helps to pass the time.

After arriving at the hotel near bedtime on friday, we had to get up early Saturday so Rob could meet Rick Wolpin for a bicycle ride.  Hmm.  Maybe Rob could get a kid carrier & take me along sometime.  Showing is not really my favorite thing.

At UKC shows the 'Altered' classes are at the end, but here the 'Companion' class is near the beginning.  Both mornings I was distracted by all the scents in the ring;  J made the mistake of trying to use bait.  She's a slow learner.  By now she should know that that will not help her.  Yes, she gets my attention, but that doesn't mean I will just stand there & pose like she wants or trot calmly at her side.  I know too many ways to knock that treat out of her hands.  TeeHee!  Anyway, I still managed to eke out a victory over my pal, Moto, on one morning.  He won the other day.  It's nice to share the wealth.  vbg.  I won some nice treats & a squeaker.  J was happy about the ribbon.
This is what I think of ribbons: (this was my 1st ribbon, not this weekend; J rarely tries such photos anymore)

Bados' BIS class is not until the end of the show.  Maybe he got stiff lying around all day after being in the car all day on friday, but he did not step out real well in the ring on Saturday.  I think his feet might still bother him a bit after the pad cuts & wasp sting between the toes earlier this month, too.  He denies it, but every now & then I catch him limping.  He stops as soon as J turns his way, but sometimes she catches it.  She scratched him from the races Saturday afternoon because of this concern - she wanted to be sure he could course the next day.  She gave him some arnica & rimadyl saturday night to help reduce any inflammation.
Anyway Sunday he did better.  He earned an Award of Merit in the show and a 3rd in the ASFA FCh Stakes.  He looked good, but two others did better.  His turns were not all super sharp.  He claims that he was being careful with his pads; I say maybe.  He could be getting lazy.  I mean - he may not understand "string theory" like I do, but he knows that they are plastic bags

Saturday afternoon I got to practice straight racing.  Fun, fun.  J made me wear a muzzle so I could not grab the tail, but I gave it a good try.  At the end after J leashed me & picked up the lure, I remembered my trick to roll over forwards & push backwards with my head on the ground to get the muzzle off.  HAH!  I leapt up & snatched it! The lure was mine . . . for a second anyway  . . . but I got my feet tangled in the line with my jump and could not run with it.  Oh, well.  You have to try. : )

Sunday I got to course Singles.  This was an easy one; the course was basically a figure 8.   When I came to the cross over, I just stopped & waited for it to come back.  It made one turn further out that had me second guessing, but I was not fooled for long.  This was all right in front of the judges so I thought they might 'get it' - understand how my strategy is superior - but no.  J says one had some insight gave a qualifying score, but the other gave me a 20.  20?  That's almost insulting.  Did I run home to momma?  No.  I should probably tell J not to bother checking the scores.  It only frustrates her.  It's not like I care what they think.  If I did, I'd play by their boring rules.

Tonight we are back home.  Appley was jumping with happiness when we arrived; Mintz just about bull-dozed everyone trying to get close to Rob & J for some affection.  Boys.