Practice makes perfect

Hi, fans.
This weekend we have travelled to central Oregon for fun in the sun.  J's significant other wanted to ride a bike up MacKenzie Pass before the road opens to traffic.  Instead of joining him, J met up with our Silken friends to run some practices.
The Silkens we practiced with were Kamiah & Cayman (Bados' dada & brother) plus Garis (oval racing superstar) and his son, Shiner.  Shiner is one month younger than Opa!.  He is pretty cute for a silly, adolescent boy.  He's also tall, focused, and speedy.  All 4 ran well.

I must confess that I got confused on my 1st practice run.  It's embarrassing, but shit happens.   I was early in the rotation & not sure if this was straight racing or lure coursing practice.  I held up waiting to see if it would turn . . . . then they stopped it to 'lure' me forward - but that's such an obvious ploy.  I don't fall for that one (OK, I should have this time).  Anyway, once I heard J running up behind me, I realized my mistake & took off.  Zoom!  It always surprises people when they see my speed.  On my second run, I knew the routine for the day.  No problem.

J did not let Mintz, the big Greyhound, run.  He was not limping today, but he had been recently.  His back is bothering him - or so he says.  I think he just wants a massage & to go back to PT where they give him lots of treats & laser therapy.  If it was a ploy, it cost him because she did not give him a turn on the lure.  The dope kept biting his crate trying to get out & run.
Appley did not run either, but that was fine with him.  He was happy just to wander & pee on some trees when J got him out of the van.  Speed is not his "thing".

Opa! was weird.  Her 1st run was super, but the 2nd time she stopped halfway & looked back to J.  She started again but half-heartedly.  It's possible her foot was bothering her, she had hit it jumping back into the van after her 1st run, screeched like a baby, then pretended she was broken for life - but then she was not limping when she got back out of the van later.
Opa! was probably trying to earn her own SmartAss Bitch title - but I don't think she's got what it takes, not if she screeches like that over nothing.  What a sissy.

They let Opa! run one last time with Shiner.  J had to release them both so they were super close when released.  Shiner swung right initially - (probably because the 2 were so close, I'd veer away from Opa!)  but Opa! started veering that way as well.  Of course, Shiner corrected himself & turned back, so then Opa! ran into him, more of a side-swipe really.  Anyway, after that both corrected themselves, & they focused back on the lure.  Everyone expected Shiner to smoke her, but she actually kept up pretty well.

Oh, Wicka ran.  She's such an annoying little witch.  Since she is taller than Opa! & I, it's hard to remember she's not quite 6 months old (a Greyhound).  Perhaps I should give her more slack?   No, I think not.  She is already super focused & speedy.  I need to keep her in her "place" while she is small enough to dominate.