Mike and I are both extremely upset with the groomer that has been working on Boogie for the last month. We put our complete trust in him and he took advantage of us. He gouged us on the price, groomed Boogie so that he looks like no other border terrier in the ring, and then this morning shunned us when we tried to go get some touch up done...like he said he would do. We truly hope we never have to see him again - this is a strong statement coming from us as we are very low key, mellow, and non-confrontational people and get along with pretty much everyone we meet. We were nothing but kind, polite, agreeable, and courteous to this guy. Unfortunately, we didn't get that kind of respect back.
Before going into the ring today, four different professional border terrier handlers came to me and in a very polite way told me that Boogie is not properly groomed at all. We then came across a lady that was manning the Border Terrier booth. She also explained to us that Boogie was groomed unlike any border terrier she's ever seen. She said there is no way that he has a chance to win today or anytime in the near future after what has been done to him. And we thought we were unhappy with our groomer before!
The drama for the day wasn't over. Our handler was supposed to meet us a few minutes before 10:00am. He had told me last night that he may have a conflict and wouldn't be able to show Boogie. He told me that if he couldn't make it then he would have another professional handler come over a few minutes early and work with Boogie then show him.
Needless to say as time draws near I am getting more and more nervous. About five minutes before show time, my phone rings. It's our handler...he says he is in another ring and won't be able to make it and that he couldn't find another handler for us. He says I will have to show Boogie. Well, crap. This is going from bad to worse.
So I go check in and get my number and try to get myself looking as presentable as possible. While I was dressed nicely, I wasn't dressed for the show ring. But at this point I have no choice. The winner from the class before (in our ring) wanted a picture. This held things up for a few minutes. Just enough that, our handler came running over and got there about 30 seconds before Boogie had to go in the ring. Phew. What a relief. But as expected (due to the poor grooming), Boogie came in third in his group. So no points at all this weekend. We're not upset at all that we didn't get any points. We're just upset that we had no chance due to the horrendous grooming job - and will have no chance next week during our five day show!
Before moving on with our day let me add this. I know it is possible to keep a dogs coat looking nice over a period of time. There is a puppy that has been at every show Boogie has been at. His coat has looked perfect at each show...which is evidenced by the fact that he keeps winning (not necessarily points but he has won his class at least once at each show we've been at). Okay, I'll get off that subject now.
No time to worry any more about this as we have to go over to the Rally ring. Today I am showing both Boogie and Wazzu. There is only one dog between the two of them so I'll have to do a quick change!
Like usual, Boogie thinks his job is to be the grounds keeper. How does he find all these things! Carmel Corn, Gum Drops, rocks, cardboard, band-aids (yes another one!), dog hair (lots!), chewing gum, bait, and probably lots of things we didn't notice him finding! But I was really hoping that he would start paying attention when we got in the ring.
Just as we got to the gate, he suddenly lifted his head and started looking far off into the building - this was very unusual! He spent the entire time looking off into space, paying absolutely no attention to me. I did a few stations over but finally decided if he wasn't going to pay attention the first time, it was doubtful he'd pay attention the next time. So I just continued on the best I could. I would stop and tell him to sit and he would just stand and stare off into the building. I'd wave my hand in front of him, snap my fingers, talk to him....I might as well have been talking to brick wall. And wouldn't you know it - at the second to last obstacle he had to scratch again. That made it clear to me that he is feeling some kind of stress - even though I'm doing everything I can think of to make this seem fun for him. We finally got through the course but I was not optimistic about our score at all.
But no time to think about that now. I had to rush down and switch dogs and put on the correct armband. Just in time! Now it's Wazzu's turn. I did my best to get her excited. But today, my best just wasn't good enough. She was lagging behind me. She wasn't just walking a bit behind me, she was actually plodding. Nothing I did sped her up. I'm sure this judge has never seen so much yawning from a dog in her ring in her entire career. Fortunately there are no deductions for yawning!
Those were the longest two Rally runs I think I've ever done. Imagine my surprise when I looked at the board to find that Boogie had qualified...by the skin of his teeth. It takes a score of 70 or higher to qualify and Boogie got a 72! I will take it! That means Boogie has three qualifying scores and therefore has earned his very first title. So now he is: Sunkist Shake Rattle and Roll RN. I know! It looks like Boogie is a nurse! But really it means Rally Novice (RN). Good job little man.
After getting over my shock of Boogie's title, I looked down the board to find Wazzu's score. She too had qualified but with a score of 90! Way to go Wazzu Puppy! This too was a title for my sweet girl. Two titles in one day! Yippee!
Doesn't Wazzu look happy!Unlike Boogie, Wazzu never has to do Rally again. She let it be known that she hates Rally and she finds it very stressful. I got the message loud and clear! I was only having her do this because I thought she might find it enjoyable to do something with me. I guess this isn't the something she had in mind. So her Rally career is over.
Boogie on the other hand only has a LOT more work to do. He will be continuing on in Rally. It will be quite some time before he competes again (other than next week when week when we've already signed up) as in the next level the dog must be off-leash the entire time. We're definitely NOT ready for that! But I really think it will be good for this little terrier brain to have to work toward that goal.
Again today we had a really nice surprise. Our Rally instructor came by to root us on. How nice was that! I feel so lucky to have gotten into a class with such a great instructor. I just wish we could have done a little better for her but she was really nice and told us she was very proud of both my dogs. So nice.
I've been getting a lot of questions from people reading my blog wanting to know what Rally really is. So I'm going to do my best to briefly explain it for you all.
Rally is similar to competition obedience....except way different. Ha ha. In Novice Rally (which is what we've been in) the dog is on leash the entire time. There is a course set up with little signs that you must follow in order. Each sign tells you to do a different exercise. As an example, one exercise may be to have the dog Sit and then Stay as you walk around your dog. Another example is that you may have to weave through a set of cones with the dog in "heel" position. There are 27 different signs (exercises). For a Novice course the judge may pick any 12-16 of the different exercises to use in making a course.
When you get to the start line the judge asks if you are ready. Once you indicate you are ready then the judge says Forward. From that point on the dog must heel at all times between each station. Each time you get to a station you must perform that exercise. Points are deducted for things that are done wrong. For some incorrect things you will lose one point, three points, 10 points, or you can be disqualified or even excused from the ring. You start with a score of 100 and then the deductions are subtracted from that.
Some things that get deductions are: tight leash (the leash must always hang down loose), crooked sit, dog out of position (wide healing, lagging behind), incorrect performance of exercise, jerking leash, talking harshly to the dog, touching dog, skipping a station, handler error, etc.
Here's a map of our course today.
Hope that helps a little. If anyone has more questions about it, please ask.
Well, here's to my two nurses! Boogie RN and Wazzu RN. Who knew we'd have medical professionals in our family!!
Debbie
2/24/08
No comments:
Post a Comment