Moving....across town

Today we moved from a KOA in NW Minneapolis to a KOA in SW Minneapolis. This should be closer to possible hiking trails for the dogs and closer to the Mall of America! We'll be staying here for a week until next weekend when we travel across town for an agility trial.

Took us a while but today we got all set up in our new location. And while they didn't want to fix the computer, once they agreed to do so they were very quick so we picked that up today - hopefully it is really fixed.

On the way back we stopped at a nature preserve to take a little walk. It was perfect! No one was around, the trail was well maintained and was fairly flat. The dogs had a GREAT time. We even came across a river where Slugger could do a little swimming.

The best part about it was that Wazzu looked like her old young self. She was running around fast and happy, keeping up with Sparkie. She had lots of stamina and played crazy dog, laughing the whole time. With each passing day we are seeing improvement in her energy and outlook. I think my girl is coming back! YIPPEEE!!

The weather here is rainy (off and on) and in the low 50's. I'm so envious of the PNW weather. But I won't complain too much....at least it's not snowing! Guess I'll just have to spend more time in the Mall of America!! I'll bet Mike hopes it warms up quickly.

Debbie
9/29/06

Repairs

I really don't like repairs. It's always such a hassle. This morning we had to drop the RV off across town to get the leveling system fixed. It's been broken for a couple months but the part didn't arrive in Oregon while we were there so we had to have it shipped to Minneapolis to meet us.

After dropping of the RV we had to stay busy for the day. So, since we were in repair mode, we found the Toshiba factory warranty shop and dropped off my computer that has been broken for close to two months. Getting warranty work done is almost impossible. They try to convince you your warranty period is over and ask for proof that it should be in effect. Then they make you jump through so many hoops - trying to wait until the warranty period is truly over so they don't have to fix it. Long story short, we kept after them instead of giving up so the computer is now being fixed.

Then we tried to find a place to hike the dogs. We finally found a place that had a lot of trails but only one or two of the trails allowed dogs - and on leash of course. It was a pretty trail but just not so enjoyable when all you do is try to keep three extension leashes untangled!

At the end of the day the new part was in the RV - although they didn't calibrate it so we are still crooked. So we're still in need of repair although at least we have a part that theoretically should work at some point.

Glad today is over.
Debbie
9/28/06

Another Championships?

SPARKIE, WAKE UP! WAKE UP! Look, Daddy’s taking us to another Championships! Yippee! Hooray! The very first Championships that I ever got to go to was in Mankato – and that’s what the sign says! Cool, another Championships already. Yippee! Yippee! Hey, wait a minute, Daddy isn’t stopping. Daddy, STOP! Please STOP Daddy! Oh no, he forgot to stop – there it goes. I’ll bet they’re going to miss us at the Championships. I’d better go talk to Mommy as she's the one who organizes our schedule. She'll make Daddy stop.

Later,
Wazzu
9/27

Moving East

We spent the whole day driving across South Dakota on I-90. This is one of my most favorite drives of all. The weather was perfect today for this most beautiful of drives. I just love all the corn fields, farms, buffalo, antelope, sheep, and of course the famous Wall Drug signs that entertain you for miles. In addition, I love the road itself – smooth, flat, straight, and hardly any traffic at all. It was just us and the beauty.

Another reason we like this stretch of drive is that we just filled up with gas. Not only is gas cheaper out here but with the totally flat roads we get much better gas mileage than when we do all those hills…..or the mountains of Colorado. I’m trying to convince Mike we should just drive back and forth across South Dakota but I guess he’s not quite as impressed as I am.

We crossed another time zone today – which makes us feel even further from you. In early evening we pulled into the KOA in Sioux Falls which is right off the freeway and in the flight path of the airport. As you can probably imagine, it wasn’t the most peaceful of nights. The campground itself is nothing special at all but they want $40 for the night! I guess they think the high noise level adds to the value! The only place we’ve been more expensive than this is Issaquah! I’m pretty sure you can still find cheap motels for less than $40 a night. Shoot I remember when Motel 6 really was $6. I’ll bet most people don’t even remember, or know, that that’s how they got their name!

But most importantly we were able to get level using our many blocks of wood. I wonder if we’ll dream of cars, trucks, and planes.

Debbie
9/26

Pictures

AS we drive Wazzu just lays about 10" away from me and stares at me the entire trip.


Little Slugger often lets his tongue escape while he is sleeping.


Sparkie & Mike with a FEW of their many ribbons. The quilt in the background was made by agility competititor Becky Wolfe of New Mexico. It is a shirt from every NADAC Championships ever held.


This was one of many beautiful sunsets we have seen so far on our trip. This was in Bend, OR while the RV was being repaired.

Goodbye Gillette

Sept 25, 2006

Today we left the Championships in Gillette, Wyoming much to the dismay of both Sparkie and Wazzu. We said the last goodbyes to the remaining folks from the Pacific Northwest. It’s very sad to have said our final goodbyes as we won’t see any of our friends and family for quite some time.

We did a relatively short drive of only 2.5 hours to Rapid City, South Dakota. Mike and the dogs took a really nice hike in the Black Hills. We think Sparkie ran close to 20 miles and boy was she tired (but happy) when she got home. Wazzu did a good amount of running around as well.

The park we’re at is called Happy Holidays Campground. It is fairly good size and is right across the road from the Reptile Gardens. Mike said I could go look around there while they went hiking but I politely declined! Each RV site has its own large covered picnic area complete with a couple picnic tables. But the guys like it here lots because there are bunnies everywhere. Too bad we’re just here overnight. Originally we’d planned on staying here a few days, but now that we have to hurry to Minneapolis for RV repair we’re going to miss having time in one of my most favorite parts of the country. Oh well, that’s the way things go sometimes.

When Wazzu started out on her Valley Fever meds she was given a compounded drug. Supposedly these are more easily digested and have a few other benefits as well. Wazzu was on those for about six or seven weeks. By that time we were under the care of a different vet and were told to switch to the generic form of the drug.

We thought that would be fine especially since from all cases we’d heard about the dog starts showing signs of improvement just a week or two after starting the meds. However, Wazzu had not shown any sign of improvement whatsoever which was becoming a concern for us.

Within a week after switching meds Wazzu started to act much perkier, had a happy look on her face once again, and had more sustained energy. We don’t know if it is actually the change of meds or if the increased dose that is making a difference but whatever the case, Wazzu is starting to act like herself again. Hopefully the improvement will continue and I’ll have my girl back.

I have to tell you something funny. Each time I finish writing my blog I run the spell check. And every time it comes across the name “Wazzu” it recommends I change it to “Wacko.” How rude is that!

Pictures from the NADAC Championships

Sign on the building where the Championships were held.
Debbie Pierce looking around the tables for her check-in bag.

It's All History

Gosh, it's all over for another year - the Championships have come to a close. Sparkie is extremely sad. She really loved doing such nice long flowing courses every day for five days in a row. And Wazzu was the happiest she's been in over six months. The Championships were more than we had hoped for.

I can't begin to tell you how exhausting the Championships are. I just decided that I'm not a very good reporter. There is no way to remember all the results and they weren't posted anywhere - just announced. So this will be the most incomplete results ever.

But here is what I do know as far as overall winners from the PNW. In the Elite 20+ division three of the six dogs in the finals were from the PNW. Coming in 1st was Susan Perry & Lacey, 3rd place was taken by Michael Bruce & Jule, and coming in sixth place was one of my favorite teams MIKE MASON & SPARKIE. I believe in the 20" Elite division that four teams went to the finals and two were from the PNW - Susan Perry & Harley and Bart Pierce & Pulse. Susan and Harley got 1st place and I'm sorry to say I don't know for sure if Bart & Pulse came in third or fourth. Paige Pierce & Oslo came in 1st in their division and Traci Bruchok & Kant came in 1st in their division. And Debbie Fisher & Charley came in third in their group. I sure hope I didn't forget anyone!

The PNW group was an extremely great group again this year. We all cheered for each other on every run. I can only speak for myself but every time Wazzu and I finished a run I could hear a huge roar go up. Wazzu truly loved this - as many other dogs did. In fact, Jule really played to the crowd at the end of the final run during all the cheering. While I could hear collective cheering after each of our runs I want to give a huge thank you to Debbie Pierce. Her voice rang out above everyone as she congratulated us on our runs. So while I truly do thank EVERYONE for all your support, I would like to give Debbie Pierce a very special thank you.

Oh, I almost forgot. This year many special awards were given out for overall highest scoring dog in various categories. Since Wazzu didn't compete in many of the runs she of course had no chance to win. But little Sparkie was a winner. She won Highest Overall Scoring Mixed Breed. In fact, Sparkie was the only mixed breed in the large dog Elite group to make it to the finals. Way to go Sparkie - that is quite an accomplishment.

I hope everyone has a very safe trip home. I think most everyone from our group isn't leaving until this morning as everyone is so very tired.

Well, more from us later. We have to pack up all Sparkie's ribbons and get moving on to our next destination. I'm actually not sure where that is! I know that we have to be in Minneapolis by the evening of the 27th. I think today we may be headed to the Bad Lands in South Dakota - hmm I wonder if that is right. Mike is still asleep so I'll have to make a correction later if I'm wrong.

Hope everyone is doing well. Let us hear from you when you have an inkling!
Debbie, Wazzu (7th overall), Mike, Sparkie (6th overall) & little Slugger

Who's in the Finals?

Sparkie had a fantastic last run. She was clean and extremely fast. Sparkie & Mike came in 3rd place! The two dogs above them had 18 & 14 bonus points while Sparkie got six bonus points. What a great finish to a great Championships for Sparkie & Mike. They truly were one of the very best in a VERY competitive 20+ Elite division.

The top six dogs in Wazzu's division are going to the finals. Wazzu came in 7th missing the finals by two points! ARG. Shoot, that one knocked bar, or that one silly off course. Oh my, woulda coulda shoulda. Wazzu came so close to getting recognized for doing such a fantastic job at this year's Championships. Oh well, I know she did great.

We just found out SPARKIE MADE IT TO THE FINALS!!! WOW WOW WOW. I guess when I said Sparkie was truly one of the best I was right!

I don't know who all else from the PNW made it to the finals but I do know all the "expected" players are there. I won't get to see much of the finals at all but no matter how I'm doing I'm going to watch Sparkie for sure. I'll update you as soon as I know anything.

Debbie, Wazzu and FINALISTS Mike & Sparkie

So Close

Wazzu has surpassed all my expectations here at the Championships. I truly didn't feel Wazzu would be able to participate in anything with jumps and possibly only be able to do one or two runs in the entire Championships. Imagine going from that to not only competing in Regular but running her best ever. We did pull out of all Jumpers and Chances runs and I still think that was a good decision.

All I wanted to do in our last run was run clean. Wazzu was especially happy this morning so I thought we had a good chance at as fast time as well. We had a very nice run but we did have one knocked bar. As it turns out that one bar kept us just out of the ribbons coming in 9th place. Darn.

However, I am so proud of Wazzu. And most of all, I'm just so pleased that she was happy. She truly enjoyed the Championships and loved the atmosphere here. The support that we got from not only the PNW contingency but from so many people from around the United States and Canada was truly overwhelming. There really is no greater community than the agility community. We are so grateful for all the love and concern people showed us here. People were genuinely happy for us and for that we say a truly heartfelt "THANK YOU."

Now that I'm done running I can go shopping. The vendors here are probably licking their lips now! Although can you believe that some of the vendors have already left? What's up with that!?

Well, gotta get ready to watch Sparkie in her 2006 Championships finale.

Debbie & Wazzu

Coulda Shoulda Woulda

Today is the last day of the Championships. The morning is crisp and not a cloud in the sky. It looks like our last day here might be a very pretty one. Maybe now we can see what Wyoming looks like!

Well, remember late last night I told you that Wazzu was having the run of a lifetime. Well, it turns out it wasn't just in my imagination! IF you just take off our 10 faults for going off course but don't figure in the time we lost doing the off course we would have been in fourth place! And Wazzu's time was the 2nd fastest of all the dogs. I don't care about the ribbon - I just wish we hadn't had the off course so Wazzu could have gotten the recognition she so deserves for such an amazingly fast run. But when you're out of the placements no one even knows you're there. But I know. And no one can ever take away the feeling I had as Wazzu and I were flying around the course as though it were a very well choreographed dance. Big Sigh.

Interestingly enough, they are starting first with the dogs that finished last, last night. So we won't be too long now. Hopefully, we'll have a nice last run so we will end on an up note.

Poor Mike didn't finish working until about 10:45 last night. And as always, we had to be inside by 7:00. And actually, when we got in there we had already missed the briefing. Sure hope I'm guessing all the rules right!

Later,
Debbie & Wazzu - two hearts beating as one

BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD DEBBIE

Oh, did I ever let both Wazzu and myself down. It was a long evening. It was past Wazzu's bedtime and her dinner time. She was sound asleep when I had to wake her up for her last run. It was 9:30pm. Remember we started this morning at 6:30!

I had walked the course over two hours earlier and hadn't been able to watch any dogs as there is no place I can see while laying down. And I definitely had to stay down so my legs could be ready for our run. I was worried about remembering the course.

In the warm up area, Wazzu was alert but not bouncing around as she does when she's really happy. However, when I took the leash off to start (Mike was the starter by the way) Wazzu took off at full speed. She was going like she knew the course. There were MANY off course possibilities and I was ready to handle very carefully to make sure we didn't take any of them.

She was beautiful. Even during the run I was thinking this was one of the best runs of our lives. She had no wasted steps or movements. We had finished the difficult parts of the course. Now we just had to do the last set of poles and then the rest was just a huge loop with a dogwalk contact near the end.

But instead of going to the weaves - ahead and about 20' to the right (which was where I was moving toward) Wazzu inexplicably made a hard left and went into a tunnel. I was so stunned and so disappointed. This was such a great run. And I had made the worst mistake ever. I didn't see that as a possible off course. I didn't notice during the walk-thru that a dog would ever see that tunnel....I sure didn't. Wazzu gave me everything she had. How could I not have seen that during the walk-thru. After the run some people asked how we'd done and I told them about the off course and they said "oh, a lot of dogs were doing that." Gosh darn it - had I been able to watch a few dogs I'd have seen that and known to watch for it. What a let down! If Wazzu hadn't have been working so hard for me I wouldn't have cared at all. But she was working so hard. It truly was the prettiest run we'd ever had up to that point. ARG!!! Of course, she's already forgiven me. Wish I could forgive myself as quickly as she did. I'm sure this one will take a while. What a great dog I have.

Sparkie and Mike had a rough time with this course. As I mentioned there were a lot of off course possibilities. Sparkie was trying to anticipate and Mike was not so clear and they got confused. They ended up back jumping two different times and using up a lot of time trying to get straightened out.

So this course wasn't kind to the Mason's. But both dogs were very happy and had a great time playing with their mommy and daddy - and of course getting treats at the end!

Let's see. We did get results from Round 3 for Wazzu's group (Sparkie's were reported earlier.) It's really late and we have another early day tomorrow so I just don't have the energy to figure out the PNW results. But I can tell you that Wazzu got 8th place!!!!! I thought we were a little slow in that run but we actually ended up having the 4th fastest time of all!!! But four dogs got the bonus box so that moved them ahead of us. But I'm so proud of her for having the 4th fastest time and once again earning a ribbon. I just can't believe how well she is doing with such a hugely reduced lung capacity. She does a lot of wheezing and labored breathing after the run but that doesn't stop her from giving it her all every time out.

Sparkie is giving everything she has as well. Her only problem is that she thinks she should get at least seven or eight more runs each day. I truly think she could keep up this pace for a couple weeks straight and not get tired. She is having a blast! I think she really likes the more open courses of the Championships.

Poor Mike! It's after 10:00pm and he's still working as starter. That means some dogs are still running!

Good night from three sacked out dogs and Debbie.
PS If anyone has questions about the courses or anything else please ask and I'll do my best to answer.

Sparkie the Superstar

I don't know if anyone considered Sparkie a "seeded" player or contender coming in to the Championships but she is showing that she has what it takes to compete with the big dogs.

She has placed in the last four runs I think. All I know is that after every run now, Mike comes back and tells me "Sparkie got xth place!"

I think I told you that Sparkie had an awesome Jumpers run this morning. She ended up in 7th place!! So amazing! Between 2nd place and 8th place there was only .40 seconds difference. What I found to be most amazing of all this was that a Great Dane came in second! Can you believe that! What an amazing dog!

I also told you how great a run Sparkie had in Touch N Go. She blew us away when she came in 4th! So totally cool. Each run she seems to get faster - and wants many more turns than she is getting!

Even though Wazzu & I both slowed down today we came in a very respectable 11th! Just imagine what she could do if she was healthy! What a great job she is doing.

Then came time for Regular Round 3. I only walked the course once as my legs are really bothering me...plus I am really tired. I guess laying around all year and then trying to do five long long days of agility in a row is too much. That and only five hours of sleep a night just isn't the best.

Sparkie and Mike ran first. In fact, they didn't post the running order until just as it was time to start. Turns out Sparkie was dog number five but was still in the RV. Mike had to run his legs off. He got back just in time to run....no time to stop and catch his breath. So I was really worried how they would do after having to run all the way from the RV and directly to the line. But little Sparkie was on! She ran so fast and accurately not falling for any of the traps on the course. In addition to doing the required distance they also did one of the three boxes so they got five seconds taken off their time! Sparkie and Mike are doing so great!!

Scores have now been posted and Sparkie came in SECOND!!!! Go Rescues!!! Sparkie actually had the fastest time - how about that for our little girl!!! But Lacey did three boxes thus getting 15 seconds deducted from their time so they got 1st. Good job on their part for sure!

Then it was our turn. In addition to Wazzu being tired I think she could pick up on the fact that I am beat and am having trouble running. So she started out slow - I even heard her tick the first bar! But she sped up as we got going. On the four obstacle run straight out at the end she just left me behind and did them. Sure wish she would have done that in Round 1!!! I have no idea what our time was and results aren't posted. I'm sure we are nowhere close to any kind of placement but we were clean. From the end of the run to where you could get our of the arena to get treats was almost the entire length of the arena. Wazzu wanted to run to get her treats of course. But I could barely walk. She drug me the entire way. When we got to the end Mike met us there and gave us the treats. I had to lay down to give Wazzu her treats. Oh man, we still have a day and a half to go!

I took pictures of more results but we can't use flash in that part of the building and it's pretty dark so I can't read a lot of the results. I'll do my best to report accurately but please know I could be wrong and some are missing as I just can't read them at all!

First, I think I missed reporting one yesterday. Debbie Fisher and Charley I believe got 7th in Touch N Go Round 1 8". Okay, here we go.

Regular Round 2: 20" Vet (jumping 16) 3rd place Michael Bruce & Sadie 20" 1st place Bart Pierce & Pulse, 6th place Susan Perry & Harley, 8th place Nicki Lagrou & Wendell 20+ 1st place Susan Perry & Lacey, 3rd place Michael Bruce & Jule, 7th place MIKE MASON & SPARKIE (sorry can't read any other heights)

Jumpers Round 2: 20+ 5th place Susan Perry & Lacey 7th place MIKE MASON & SPARKIE 12" 1st place Paige Pierce & Oslo 16" 6th place Paige Pierce & Dash 20" 4th place Michael Bruce & ?? 6th place Kari Hammargren & ??

Touch N Go Round 2: 12" 3rd place Paige Pierce & Oslo 16" 2nd place Lindsey Cooper & Mariah 8th place Kim Wiklof & Pinot 20" 1st place Susan Perry & Harley 2nd place Bart Pierce & Pulse 20+ 1st place Andrea Dexter & Ceilidh 4th place MIKE MASON & SPARKIE (Honorary mention: 10th place Debbie Pierce & Kobie, 11th place DEBBIE MASON & WAZZU)

Regular Round 3: 16" 5th place Lindsey Cooper & Mariah, 6th place Kim Wiklof & Pinot, 8th place Lynda King & Robby 20" 2nd place Susan Perry & Harley, 3rd place Bart Pierce & Pulse, 6th Michael Bruce & Xena 20+ 1st place Susan Perry & Lacey, 2nd place MIKE MASON & SPARKIE

Well, that's all I know for now. It's already 4:00 and we still have lots to go.

Tuckered Debbie & Wazzu, and elated Mike & Sparkie

More Championship News

Due to the major storm that has decided to sit in the area we were unable to get internet access a majority part of the day. So that's why there wasn't much news last night. Unfortunately, I still can't get it in the RV so I brought my computer into the building and am having some luck this morning. However, since it's been so long I can't remember what has happened. My wires to download the results from my camera to computer aren't with me so I can't download results - I'll get that to you later. So lets start with what I do know.

Yesterday was a LONG day. We started at 7:00am and Sparkie didn't get her last run until 9:30pm. We were still scheduled to do Touch N Go but because of the late hour they postponed that until this morning. That meant instead of starting at 7:00am as usual we started at 6:30 this morning.

Back to the Regular round two scoop. Earlier in the week people were trying the boxes but most people were having a rough time. So as time went on fewer people were trying the boxes. During the first Regular run some people tried the boxes but not as many as Sharon had hoped, I guess. And since distance is really what NADAC wants to focus on they weren't happy that more people weren't trying the box.

So, to encourage people to try the box it became more valuable. The box has always been worth five points. So in Championships, if you did the box then five seconds were taken off your time. For those of us that don't do distance well that really gave us a disadvantage. So to place (like Wazzu did in Round 1) without doing the distance means you were really cooking!

In Round 2 the box became bigger. Instead of completing a certain sequence of obstacles from within the box now each obstacle became independent. Each obstacle was worth one point if you were in the box. So you could come and go as you please. There were 18 obstacles that counted for "box" points. So now instead of someone getting five seconds deducted from their time they could get 18 points deducted from their time. As you can see, non-distance dogs really have no chance at all at a placement.

Wazzu was very excited and happy again for her run - a little too much so. The required distance challenge had a dogwalk very far away and then a turn toward you to a jump. Well Wazzu wanted to get back near me so she took off from the dogwalk early. Then in the next section she got so far ahead of me that I had to direct from way behind. She turned to look at me to see what to do but hadn't quite cleared the jump yet and knocked a bar. But she did the rest of course fantastically (is that a word?) Anyway, we had a great time!

We were worried about poor Sparkie having to run as it had been such a long day and it was so late. She hadn't had dinner so she was hungry and very cold - even though we had two coats on her and a blanket over that. But once Sparkie saw that she was going to do agility her spirits perked right up. Mike and Sparkie blasted through the course - even doing many of the obstacles from the box!! The only real time consumer they had was that Sparkie ran past the last tunnel so Mike had to call her back before she crossed the finish line and get her back into the tunnel. I'm guessing that cost them at least five or six seconds. But Mike was so happy with her. My jaw literally dropped a couple times during their run as Sparkie did some amazing things.

This morning they had the results posted. Somehow instead of the 15 faults I thought Wazzu and I had they have us down for 25 faults. I put in a question to get clarification but it doesn't really matter as I doubt we could get into the finals anyway....tee hee....like that would ever happen!!

Sparkie placed 7th!! Yippee! Sparkie ended up getting 7th place. Without the tunnel problem at the end she would have been much higher. But Mike is very pleased with 7th place. Sparkie ended up getting 11 bonus points. Everyone else above her had more bonus points than Sparkie so that shows you how fast Sparkie was really moving! It was a run to remember for years to come.

Interesting to note: Dogs that had 10 (and even more) course faults placed higher than dogs that ran clean due to the bonus points - 18 of them! Who can overcome someone that gets 18 seconds deducted from their time!

This morning we have run Touch N Go and Jumpers. I pulled Wazzu from Jumpers as it is just so many jumps - imagine that! Even though she has looked good I think she is getting tired. We did our Touch N Go run but it was our slowest run of the weekend. I don't know if it was because Wazzu is tired or because she was worried about me. My left leg has really tightened up and I can't take a full stride. Each step feels like I'm having to pull a truck behind it. So I just couldn't run well at all. Mike was going to run Wazzu for me but they only had us four dogs apart (we can't move)and there was no way Mike could have run Wazzu and get back around to be in line as they have six or seven dogs lined up inside the ring at a time.

Sparkie had a fantastic jumpers run. Even though she was trying to anticipate she was listening to Mike. So even though they had a couple wide turns they didn't have any off courses. It was a very pretty, very clean run. Sparkie had a great Touch N Go run too. She hit all her contacts perfectly and did probably the prettiest running A-Frame I have ever seen. Sparkie is just having the time of her life. And Mike is having a great time too. I'm so happy for the two of them.

More later......
Debbie

Results - Fantastic and Disappointing

Finally, some results. The most important first of course!

We got the results for the 1st round of Regular - except the 20+. Here is the most fantastic part of all - Wazzu got 4th place! Not just 4th place on a normal weekend but 4th place at the Championships. In all our years of attending Championships Wazzu has never received as high a placement as this. Now for the disappointing part (very minor by the way) - we missed 2nd place by 1.17 seconds. The time we took waiting for me to catch up we just had to have - nothing could be done about that. But had we entered the weaves correctly the first time we would have had 2nd place. However, since even early this morning we weren't sure if Wazzu could even participate this is HUGE!! Way to go Wazzu!!!!!

Poor Sparkie didn't have as good of luck. They tried really hard but had a couple off courses. Sparkie acted like she had fun though. Mike says he and Sparkie just weren't cut out for the Championships. They've had some very rough luck over the years but mostly I think Mike is just a little too hard on himself. They don't have the results out yet so no results now.

Okay, now for PNW results. I'll do my best but I may get some wrong. Reason being....they don't put the class at the top of the pages. So when I get back to the computer and download the results it doesn't say the class. I'll do my best and just try to guess.

Here we go:

Thursday Chances: 8" 1st place Paige Pierce & Oslo (3 way tie) 16" 6th place Karen Hunter & Lindy (4 way tie) 20" 6th place Michael Bruce & Xena 20+ 3rd place Michael Bruce & Jule

Thursday Tunnelers: 12" 2nd place Paige Pierce & Oslo 20" 1st place Susan Perry and Harley 5th Michael Bruce & Xena 6th place Bart Pierce and Pulse 20+ 1st place Karen Hunter & Quickie 3rd place Susan Perry & Lacey 5th place Andrea Dexter & Ceilidh

Wednesday Tunnelers: 12" 1st place Paige Pierce & Oslo 16" 7th place Lindsey Cooper & Mariah (honorary PNW) 20" 2nd place Susan Perry & Harley 20+ 1st place Susan Perry & Lacey 2nd place Andrea Dexter & Ceilidh 3rd place Lindsey Cooper & Brisco 5th place Paige Pierce & Merit

Wednesday Weavers: 12" 1st place Paige Pierce & Oslo 20" 2nd place Bart Pierce & Pulse 4th place Susan Perry & Harley 20+ 4th place Susan Perry & Lacey 6th place MIKE MASON & SPARKIE

Wednesday Jumpers: 12" 1st place Paige Pierce & Oslo

Thursday Weavers: 12" 1st place Paige Pierce & Oslo 16" 7th place Kim Wiklof & Pinot 8th place Lynda King & Robby 20" 3rd place Susan Perry & Harley 5th place Bart Pierce & Pulse 20+" 3rd place Susan Perry Lacey 7th place MIKE MASON & SPARKIE

Thursday Touch N Go: 16" 3rd place Lindsey Cooper & Mariah 4th Kim Wiklof & Pinot 5th place Traci Bruchok & Kant 20" 2nd place Susan Perry & Harley 3rd place Bart Pierce & Pulse 20+ 5th place Lindsey Cooper & Brisco 7th place Susan Perry & Lacey (Honorable mention 10th Wazzu)

Friday Regular Rd 1: 16"+ Vet 3rd place Robbins-Church & Annie 4th place DEBBIE MASON & WAZZU 16" 3rd place Lynda King & Robby 4th place Kim Wiklof & Pinot 20" 2nd place Susan Perry & Harley 4th place Bart Pierce & Pulse 6th place Nicki Lagrou & Wendell 8th place Penny Richardson & Shen 16" Skilled 6th place Karen Hunter & Lindy 8" Vet 2nd place Paige Pierce & Oslo 5th place Theresa Marshall & Wednesday

It's very possible I missed someone and very possible I made an error since I had to do a lot of guessing. But this should be close at least!

Phew. I'm tried of typing.
Debbie

Why are we in Wyoming?

Last night was nasty! Though we didn't think it possible, today is even worse. It is in the high 30's, it is pouring down rain, and the winds are 25 - 30 miles an hour sustained. Literally the dogs will go out and lift their leg to pee and the wind would blow it back on to the dog. I was trying to walk back to the RV after Wazzu's run and I literally couldn't go anywhere as the wind was blowing straight into me. What should have been a three minute walk took me about ten minutes. It is just plain nasty!

But once you get inside the building all is fine. Today the "real" competition starts as there are the first two runs of Regular. The first group to run today was the Veterans, Jr Handlers, and Skilled jumping 8", 12", and 16".

The course was only 30 obstacles long. Sounds easy. Ah, but not so fast. The obstacles were very far apart and many in straight lines. I watched a number of dogs and didn't see one clean run. But I did see a lot of very tired people that just couldn't run the last few obstacles.

Wazzu seemed happy this morning although not as exhuberant as the last couple days. I didn't know if she would jump or not as she hasn't wanted to jump at all since the end of July. But we got to the line and she turned in to one happy energetic dog. She took off like a shot. In order for the dogs to stay on course you really had to be able to keep up. I was running as fast as I've ever run. I wanted to go faster but my legs wouldn't go. Wazzu had ideas of places she wanted to go but adjusted nicely once she understood what I wanted. She was going great then came the distance challenge. I was really worried about this - not due to the distance but there was a dummy jump right next to where the people had to run. Amazingly Wazzu didn't even look at the dummy jump! Then she did the discrimmination perfectly. Then came the problem. I was sucking wind and the legs just wouldn't go. Wazzu did the next tunnel but I was twenty yards behind. I told her to do the weaves that were another 20 feet in front of her but she (like almost every other dog) stopped to see where I was. She waited for me to catch up to her. I then had her do the weaves but she entered at pole two. So I had to pull her out and start again. She then did the last tunnel nicely. We were CLEAN!! Unfortunately between her waiting for me and then having to restart the weaves we added at least ten seconds to our time.

At the end when I go out off the arena floor, I am huffing and puffing so hard and was so light headed I had to lay on the ground. Wazzu got to have her breakfast! People came by and said it looked like I had Valley Fever not Wazzu. Anyway, I'm so proud of her. She didn't seem to have any trouble jumping and walked fine after the run.

On the way back to the RV I let Wazzu off leash to go do her business. She went way across the field. She was so happy when she finished that she ran back cutting and darting every which way. Problem was, the grass was extremely wet. Wazzu slipped and fell. She came up limping on her bad front right. Arg! I'm hoping that since she has a fairly long time before her next run she'll be able to rebound.

Sparkie is third to last dog in the last group so I suppose it could still be a a couple hours before she runs.

As soon as I know any more I'll be back!

High fives for my dear sweet girl Wazzu.
Debbie

Day 2 wrap up

We made it through Day 2. And what a great day it was.

Today runs were Weavers, Chances, Tunnelers, Touch N Go, and the first Team event.

For the first time, we didn't enter the Team events. I knew Wazzu wouldn't have the energy and I didn't want to let team members down. In addition, it's just not the same when you don't do it with friends. When Team started today I couldn't help but think of one of the best times I've ever had. Probably the greatest team of all time was the Northwest Triple Threat of 2004 which consisted of Debbie & Wazzu, Shari & Nick, and Mike & Sparkie. It doesn't get any better than that.

Both Wazzu and Sparkie had great runs today. Wazzu was so fast and happy in each run she did. We did have one interesting time in Tunnelers. I'm so worried about Wazzu's energy level that I am having her rest all day except for her runs. As you know, I really have to get Wazzu motivated to run. So I had her all revved up and ready to go. So we get to the line for our Tunnelers run and they tell me to go. So off we go. And just as Wazzu comes zooming out of the first tunnel, the dog that ran before us comes running back out on the course and starts doing tunnels. Normally, if a dog comes on to the course you have to continue on and finish the course. So I was trying to direct Wazzu while keeping an eye on the other dog so that there wouldn't be a collision. After tunnel three I hear one of the judges tell me to stop. So I called Wazzu to me but I didn't want her to think she did something wrong so we had a big celebration. The judge said I could run again immediately or wait and come back. I opted to wait two dogs - just so I could have a chance to run out of the course area and grab her a treat so celebrate. Then we rushed back and ran immediately again. Fortunately, Wazzu was still excited and ran great.

Sparkie and Mike had a great Tunnelers run. They were right up there with the very fastest dogs. However, they didn't try the box so most likely there is no chance for a ribbon. But she was great!

Fortunately, they then did the Team events which gave us a nice break so Wazzu could rest. She had a wonderful Touch N Go run and was very happy. I could tell she was a little tired but she was trying so hard. She was gritting her teeth and giving it her all.

Mike decided to try the box with Sparkie in Touch N Go. In hindsight, he decided that was a bad decision. Sparkie was going so fast. Unfortunately, most people that tried the box had an of course. Sparkie did too. We're sure she'd have been in the ribbons if they hadn't tried the box since most people were messing up.

They haven't handed out ribbons for today's runs nor yesterday's Jumpers runs. But they did post the Weavers scores for today and amazing Sparkie got 7th place. Her time was faster than some of those ahead of her but they did the box. To place in Weavers with this caliber of competition is totally awesome!! Mike and Sparkie are really running so well together. They could have more ribbons but Mike is really trying to use this as practice for some of the more difficult box challenges just to see what they can and can't do.

All day they ran small to tall until the last run of the day and for some reason they switched to tall to small. That was great for us. We were dogs five and ten so we got to finish about two hours earlier than if they had stayed at small to tall. It was so nice to get back to the RV and get hunkered down for the evening as it is really cold, rainy, and windy. People keep asking if it's snowing yet - that's how cold it is here!

Now we just have to rest well and get ready for the real competition as Regular starts tomorrow. We need to find our jet propelled shoes and an oxygen tank and we'll be all ready for tomorrow.

Debbie, Mike, Wazzu, Sparkie, and a very ignored Slugger

Another Day

Gosh, it's only Day 2 and it seems like we've been here a week! Fun but very energy draining.

This morning awards were handed out for yesterday's Weavers and Tunnelers runs. I'll have to look at the results as I can't remember them all. But I do know that in Weavers Sparkie got 6th place in the 20+ division. That is so awesome in competition of this caliber. Way to go Sparkie!

Tunnelers: No ribbons for us but we're very proud of our girls. Sparkie came in 13th and Wazzu came in 20th. There were over 60 dogs in their division so that is very cool. Mom you can be very proud of how hard your Granddog Wazzu tried despite all her troubles. I know it made me cry. What a special girl she is.

I'll post all the PNW results next time I go over. I do know that the PNW did great once again.

Today we started with Weavers and Chances running simultaneously. Sparkie and Mike had a very nice run. We can't think of anyplace they could have done better. It was a great run. Wazzu had been mopey all morning but really perked up when she walked into the competition arena. She ran so fast and happy. I got fast and happy too. Too fast. Wazzu enters the poles wherever I am. I got a little ahead of her so she entered at pole number two. So I had to pull her out and start again but she decided she needed to play with me a little first. So cute - but it takes so much time! Probably cost us four or five seconds. But she got going again and was great. She had a great time!

I pulled Wazzu out of Chances as there were a lot of jumps. Mike and Sparkie had a nice Chances run. Since I didn't walk the course I'm not sure but I think they may have had one error - maybe it was a knocked bar?

I was so busy helping with ribbons and holding Sparkie so that Mike could walk Tunnelers that I forgot I needed to walk Tunnelers. So it is going to be very interesting to see how we do. It looks like a short fast course so I think I should be able to figure it out on the fly. I hope so for little Wazzu's sake.

Debbie & Wazzu

End of Year Awards Banquet

The banquet this year was a buffet line of "finger type" food. It started at 6:00pm and you could just come in, get your food, choose a table, and listen to music. The music was being played by a DJ and he seemed to like slower, old, country music. Fine music but there were hoping people would dance. I'm thinking they would have had more people dancing if they'd had played music with a little more upbeat tempo.

Since the agility was still going on very few people came right at the beginning. This made for no line at the buffet. I think the caterers were a little exuberant getting set up as they were ready about 5:00 or 5:30. So even though we were there on time the food was barely warm. Most of the food was a bit spicy but that's probably just the style here.

The agility finally ended at 7:40 and about 7:45 or so the actual awards portion of the banquet started. The room (rear portion of the crating area) looked festive as there were hundreds of NADAC balloons around the room. Each balloon had a tag on it with a dogs name and the award they had earned. Only very special awards were actually handed out as the rest are now mailed out.

First they started with the Top Ten awards for 2006 (NADAC year goes from Aug 1, 2005 - Aug 1, 2006. I haven't seen it written anywhere yet so I'm not sure of all the PNW winners nor the exact placements. I can tell you however that Wazzu was in the Top Ten in six of seven categories and Sparkie made the Top Ten in EVERY category. We overheard some people saying that we won because we go to so many trials. But I added up the total number of trials we went to this past year and the number of trials we did when we lived at home. We only went to one more trial. That just goes to show that Wazzu and Sparkie have a nice high Q rate. We're so proud of both of them.

Next they handed out the Triple Triple Superior Versatility awards. Sharon announced that there are over 50,000 dogs doing NADAC agility and only 20 have ever earned this award. Mike and Sparkie were recipients of that award. They received a very nice glass standing plaque thing.

The last awards were the new Platinum NATCH's. Paige Pierce and Oslo were one of very few recipients of this new NATCH.

When I get the exact results I'll post them.
Debbie

WOW WAZZU

Update on Chances: We don't have results yet so I can't tell you who the top finishers were. But I can tell you about Mike and Sparkie. Mike put Sparkie on a nice sit stay, held is hand out (his wait command) and sauntered out past the first jump and along the dogwalk. Mike was walking fairly slowly and was getting very far away from Sparkie. I think Sparkie thought that Mike either forgot to release her or she missed the release command. Anyway, Mike is still sauntering out and Sparkie is running. The crowd starts roaring and Mike is still sauntering. He didn't know anything until after Sparkie ran past him. Sparkie actually ran very nicely but something scared her each time she did the set of six poles. She got half way through and then popped out and stood there acting very scared. Mike was great and used a very happy voice and got her going again. They did a couple things at distance so probably got a few points. Oh, they are announcing the Chances awards now.....20": 6th place Susan Perry and Harley, 7th place Bart Pierce and Pulse, place 20+: 1st place Michael Bruce and Jule, 2nd place Karen Hunter and Quickie, 6th place Susan Perry and Lacey.

Next was Tunnelers. It was a long course and of course had many call offs. The dogs ran straight down four tunnels which then curved to three straight tunnels only they only got to do two and then had to do a 180. I won't tell you the whole course but you get the idea of the speed they built up just in time for them to turn away from a tunnel and go the opposite direction - this happened a few times during the course. In addition, there were three box opportunities. We didn't try the box.

I decided even though it was a long course to let Wazzu give it a try. We stood in line and when it was time to go to the line we went out to the start line. The other dog still had five or six obstacles to go so I was really trying to get Wazzu revved up. She started doing crazy dog on leash!! I was so excited. The other dog left the course and just as I started to take her leash off they said "hold the next dog." ARG. So I started playing with her and they came over and said it would be about five minutes. Oh just our luck! So I got our treats back and tried to keep her happy. When it was time, Wazzu took off so fast I could barely see her - just a little dot out in front of me. She was blazing and most of all she looked so happy. The look on her face was so cool. At the end everyone in the stands cheered and clapped as they know what she is going through. She loved it. She put her ears back and started prancing around. That run was worth the trip here.

Oh, ya. Sparkie ran too! She had a great run. Unfortunately at one of the sharp turns Mike had to stop suddenly. Sparkie heard Mike's foot hit the ground hard and she stopped and looked so scared. That of course cost them time. But Mike let her know all was well and she looked happy again and took off like she was on fire. Great run.

Then it was on to Weavers. All day they had been going small to tall and suddenly they switched to tall to small. Yikes I was third dog. I had to run back to the RV to get Wazzu. And Sparkie was only five dogs after me. Wazzu still seemed happy so I figured I'd let her try.

That crazy girl took off so fast! She came to the first set of weaves (I was way back in the dust) and I yelled WEAVE. Even from behind I could see her grin and say I'd much rather do tunnels. So she ran WAY OUT of any normal path and took an off course tunnel. She came back to me and started jumping all over me and doing crazy dog. I finally got her into the first set of weaves and she did them faster than she has ever weaved before. But since we'd already ruined the run I didn't want her to wear herself out so I just did a big loop of tunnels around the outside to get us off the course. Once again a very loud cheer and Wazzu just ate it up!

Sparkie did a beautiful Weavers course. She had what seemed like a very respectable time. But they didn't do the box so it's very doubtful she'll place. But she had a great run.

As usual, they are running late. So they set up the jumpers course and as soon as the big dogs finished running Weavers they went to walk Jumpers. It was a slow process and we just got started about 20 minutes ago. I scratched Wazzu as she doesn't want to jump and she's so happy I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that.

Sparkie and Mike had a little confusion and Sparkie tried to back jump but Mike was standing directly in front of the jump and they crashed. Bars went flying everywhere. And get this.....Mike stops and resets the jump and the bars! Then he goes on and completes the run perfectly. Too bad about the collision but they both seem fine.

Well, even though MANY people are still running the banquet is starting in eight minutes. So I gotta hurry and get ready and get over there since I was recruited to help hand out awards. I'm in charge of eighth place awards. Gosh, if I do a good job maybe I can be trusted to do a higher one....like maybe seventh place.

Happy Debbie and Happy Wazzu

Here We Go - NADAC Style

A couple quick things before I start. Mike and I spent HOURS last night trying to get pictures posted. We did everything just as it says. It then tells us our pictures were posted successfully. I don't know about you but I'm not seeing any pictures. I taking lots of pictures to help tell the story - hopefully some day you'll get to see them!

Please remember that every single person at the Championships is going to have a different experience and a different perspective. What you read here will be my from my perspective and will be my experience.

Okay, here we go - NADAC Style! We all pour into the building just before 7:00am. The bleachers are small so they were pretty much full. I remember the first year we went we knew no one - not one person. This year it seems as though we know probably 80% of the people.

Well, we started of with a bang. They couldn't find the CD that had the national anthems on them so Sharon asked Chellie to come down to lead us in the US national anthem. Just as she started to sing I figured I'd better stand up. As I started to roll over to get up my board (and thus me!) fell off the bleachers and down I went with a very loud bang - right in the middle of the anthem. How embarrassing is that! I was so wishing I was invisible. Not to worry, I'm okay. My elbow is a bit banged up but it will heal. Now I'm afraid to lay down! So after the anthems I decided to walk around to listen to the rest of the briefing.

The first course is Chances. You think you know how things are going to go - but wait, this is NADAC and once again things start with a twist. The first thing you notice is that there are no numbers on the course. There aren't three lines like normal just a box in the middle.

Sharon starts to explain things and we all realize we are in for quite an experience. I'll never be able to explain it all here without typing for hours but I'll do my best to give you a small idea of what we're up against.

The first two obstacles are obvious - jump, dogwalk. But from there you can do an outer loop followed by an inner loop OR you can do the inner loop first and then the outer loop. From there you do a dogwalk, tunnel followed by another inner/outer loop choice doing one then the other - the order is your choice. Confused yet? Well, that's only the beginning. Each obstacle (except jumps) is worth a certain amount of points - depending on where you are standing. If you are in the half of the box closest to the obstacle then the obstacle is worth three points. If you are in the half of the box farthest from the obstacle then the obstacle is worth six points. If you are outside the farthest side of the box then the obstacle is worth nine points. If you don't do an obstacle correctly you get zero points.

In addition there is a time limit - we don't know what that is. If you finish over the time limit then points are deducted from your score. If you finish under the time limit points are added to your score.

HUH!? Needless to say, I heard a lot of people saying that they aren't worrying about any of the rules - they are just going to go out and use this as a warm up run. Since Wazzu can't do much I have to pick and choose runs. Since this had jumps in it and no one could tell me how you would "Q" in this, I decided to scratch Wazzu from this event.

It's been a couple hours since they started so I think I'll walk back over and see what is going on. I imagine it will be a couple more hours before it is Sparkie's turn as she is the third to last dog. Poor Sparkie!

What's the Chance?
Debbie & Wazzu - two hearts beating as one

The Mad Dash

Well, today was arrival day with over two hundred dogs converging on Gillette for the NADAC Championships. RV's arriving by the dozens trying to get just the perfect spot. The RV parking is basically just a gravel parking lot with electric/water/sewer hookups. It is about 300 yards to the main building which is nice (much closer than last year) but the spots are really slanted. We were able to find one where we were able to get level using lots of boards. Seems like we know almost everyone in the RV lot.

At 2:00pm we were allowed in the building to set up our crating areas. As always, everyone was cramming around the doors waiting for them to open. Sharon came out just after two and reminded us that there is plenty of space for everyone and not to make a mad dash when the door opened. People were polite getting through the door but made a mad dash once getting inside. There really is plenty of room for everyone.

There were a bunch of tables set up in the back of the crating area that had all the exhibitor bags on them. Each table was a letter of the alphabet and the bags were self serve. MUCH easier to get your bag this year than in any year past. This year instead of leashes we each got a really nice NADAC bag. Each bag was filled with various treats, a treat bag, info on Gillette, a book on tape, a minituare candy bar, and a couple pens. It seems as though there was a lot fewer things in each bag than previous years but there was still plenty of stuff. And even so, we don't come for the stuff at all. We come for the thrill of competition and the comraderie of NADAC enthusiasts from around the country.

I haven't been on the arena floor yet so I don't know how the footing is but the arena as a whole - meaning the crating area, banquet area, spectator area, etc. - doesn't seem as nice as any of the previous years we've attended. But I will reserve further judgement on that until we've had a chance to experience it more tomorrow.

As usual there has been no word on what is happening tomorrow for sure. I did see something posted on the wall that showed Chances, Weavers, Tunnelers, and Jumpers so maybe that is what we'll be doing tomorrow. I didn't hear anything about when things would be starting in the morning but I'm going to assume we need to be ready to run at 7:00am as that is how the other Championships have gone.

Well guess I'd better get to bed as we have an early and long day ahead of us tomorrow as tomorrow evening is the banquet.

"Talk" to you tomorrow!!
Debbie

Is Traveling Fun

It's days like this that make you never want to travel again. And that's not good for people who travel year round!

We were scheduled to leave Grand Junction, CO Sunday afternoon after the agility trial ended. There were a lot of people at this trial that were headed up to Gillette, WY for the NADAC Championships. A friend of ours in Colorado had written to warn us that there was major construction on the main interstate starting at 10:00pm. So we were all trying to make sure we got through before the construction began as they were saying delays would be about three hours.

But Sunday morning we got news that there had been a rock slide which had killed a trucker and the interstate was closed. The only way around for RV's was a three hour detour on a small road. Now we all had to get out of town as soon as possible to take the detour and get to the construction before 10. Some people left before the last run but most of us were all packed up and headed out the second we finished our runs.

The road was narrow, windy, and steep. But the scenery was extremely beautiful. It was very hard driving - I had to shut my eyes a lot as it was scary but fortunately Mike kept his eyes open. Just as we were finishing the detour there was a very narrow bridge and lots of traffic. Turns out we were just a bit too wide. We hit the bridge and damaged the front end and bent up the step pretty good. It really doesn't look too bad but I think they'll have to replace the whole bottom front section as it took off all the fiberglass and went into the wood. We were so concerned about the damage that we didn't notice the sharp left turn just after the bridge that would put us on the interstate. So we had to drive a ways to find a place that we could turn around.

We had originally found a place where we could spend the night on the south end of Denver as we needed to drop my computer off at the factory service center as it is on the blink. But due to the detour we were too late. So we pulled over and connected to the internet to find the nearest Wal-Mart as most will allow RV's to spend the night in their parking lots. We called to check and were told it was fine to park there as long as we parked way out. And as a bonus it was only two blocks from the computer repair place! Yippee!

It was about 10:30pm so the parking lot was totally empty in the far away section. The parking lot was extremely sloped and since our leveling system is still broken (that's another story!) we were trying to find the least sloped section. Only we could drive around a large empty parking lot and get stuck. But that's exactly what we did. We were tired, cold, and hungry so this didn't put us in the best mood. But I thought, "when we tell this story we'll sure get a good laugh out of it." So I decided that instead of being in a bad mood we might as well just laugh about it now. That helped a lot.

We didn't quite allow enough room for one of the turns and got stuck. Since we had been turning, the car was at quite an angle and we couldn't back up. So we had to unhook the car from the RV. Only problem is that when the car is at such an angle it is very difficult to remove - and especially in the dark. Mike finally got the car off but our troubles didn't end there. The battery on the car was now dead so we couldn't move the car which meant we were still stuck. So now poor Mike had to jump the car from the RV but the RV batteries have been having trouble keeping a charge as it was. After quite some time he was able to get the car started. He decided he better drive it around a bit to charge the battery. As he was driving around the parking lot he saw a sign that said no overnight parking!

But it was late and Mike had had a very trying day so we decided to park in the darkest part of the lot and maybe nobody would notice us. So Mike put out all the boards so we could use the jacks to try to get level. We couldn't come close to being level. While this isn't a problem for most of the population it is a huge problem for me - the human level. So we had to hook up the car and drive on. Forget the computer!

We couldn't stay in any of the RV parks around Denver as Denver doesn't allow Pitbulls. Boo Hiss. We won't be giving the Denver area any ouf our money! Anyway, we had to look for a rest stop. We drove and drove but all the rest stops we found either wouldn't take vehicles over 35' or they were full. By the time Mike found a rest stop that could take us it was 2:00am and we were in Cheyenne, WY. We couldn't get exactly level but we were close. There wasn't room to put the slides out so we all huddled together on the couch. Somehow Slugger ended up getting the large majority of the space and Sparkie got most of the blankets.

Back to the agility trial. Mike and Sparkie had a great trial going 8/10 with many of those being 1st place runs. They are really working together well right now and having a lot of fun together.

We're a bit confused about Wazzu. She doesn't seem to have a lot of stamina and doesn't show much interest in jumping. So I had decided to pull her from all runs that have jumps. Saturday I let her do one Touch N Go run. She was sluggish and was close to 10 seconds over time. Later that afternoon I let her off leash to just walk around. She did her business and then proceeded to do a huge crazy dog. It was great to see so much energy, darting, and smiling from her.

But that made me wonder how bad her shoulder is really bothering her. She seemed to be able to make fast cutting turns just fine during crazy dog. So I thought maybe it's just jumping that bothers her not shoulder movement. The next morning we withheld her breakfast. Weavers was in the morning so just before Weavers I brought her breakfast bowl out. She really wanted her breakfast. I showed the bowl to her just before our turn. She drug me to the line - I had trouble getting the leash off as she was pulling me toward the first obstacle. She took off like she had been shot out of a cannon. She did probably her fastest weaves ever and made time easily. Needless to say she got her breakfast immediately after her run. That made my whole weekend! We only got to do a couple runs all weekend but seeing her fast and happy on this run was so wonderful.

While we were driving from Bend to Grand Junction just after getting the RV repaired the refrigerator gave us an error code. Turns out the power board needs replacing. Isn't it interesting how something works just fine then you have the required service done on it and a day later it breaks! So after many phone calls we are getting it fixed while we are in Gillette.

One of the main things we were getting repaired in Bend was our leveling system. But the day we were planning on leaving they informed us that we needed a new "brain" and it wouldn't be there for over a week. This would mean we would miss the Championships. So we told them we couldn't stay. After much negotiation and many phone calls over the next few days we are now scheduled to dart to Minnesota right after Championships to get this fixed. So much for our leisurley two week trek to Minnesota. Arg. After our encounter with the bridge, we now have to see if they can get a new step installed for us too.

So, are you ready to join us in our travels?

All tuckered out,
Debbie, Mike, Wazzu, Sparkie, and Slugger

Update of summer

Well, if you followed us last year using our website you'll know that we stopped posting in mid-May. We were back among friends and family and saw many of you throughout the summer during the very short times we were around.

Mike wants to try a blog instead of the website so we'll give it a try. So far I'm not convinced at all as I can't seem to do many of things I want to do. But keep checking. If we decide to return to a website we'll let you know here.

So here is a quick update of our summer. While we had planned on being in the greater Seattle area most of the summer that didn't end up being the case. We ended up in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Our time in Montana and Idaho was well worth it. We spent time at Lake Pend Oreille, Flathead Lake, and Glacier National Forest. It was so beautiful at all three places. The weather was great and we found fabulous swimming spots and hiking trails.

Summer did bring us bad news though as we ended up spending a lot of time at the WSU Veterinary Hospital in Pullman, WA. Wazzu wasn't so sure she liked going to the place she was named after. After many tests and surgery it was determined that Wazzu has Valley Fever. This is a very difficult disease to overcome. It turns out she picked it up in Arizona during our trip there last winter. Since you can't get this disease up here the vets don't know anything about it. So we've had a lot of trouble finding out how to treat her. We are in for a very long battle that hopefully we will win. As you all know, we will do everything we can to help Wazzu through this very difficult time. We will always do the best we can for her with the minimum amount of procedures possible. It's going to be a very long and difficult year for us. But hopefully with medicine and prayers Wazzu will win this difficult battle.

We are now in Bend, Oregon getting the RV repaired and all ready to go on another long trip. As of now, we are planning to be gone until mid-May. We're going to completely different places than last year. So please feel free to follow us on our new journey. We hope to hear from you as we go along so that we don't feel so far away from friends and family.

Love to you all,
Debbie and of course the Travelin' Trio
PS If I ever figure out how to post pictures I'll get some up for you to see.