C-ATCH 2 Pippin!

 

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July 27, 2008

I would like to thank judge Nancy Williams and the host club, Stony Creek Canine Academy, for the great trial this weekend. My Pippin completed her C–ATCH 2 in Jackpot.

I was especially pleased to finish Pippin's second championship under Nancy, and at SCCA, as Nancy was our very first agility judge in a fun match at SCCA using CPE rules way back in Aught Four. I was clueless and nervous about agility trials, and Nancy talked me through everything, and the Stony Creek people were so supportive to a green handler with Springers who sniffed more than they took obstacles. I ended up taking classes at SCCA to prepare for our first real CPE trial at that site about a month later.

Pippin is a 16" Veteran jumping 12" which means we get big dog time (usually 5 seconds less than small dog time). I actually needed three runs (1 Standard and 2 Jackpots) for Pippin's championship going into the weekend and I was not expecting to get all of them this time. Those of you who know how hard Jackpots have been for us (I have never gotten any distance with Pippin, she is generally a pokey dog so we often don't get enough points in the required big dog time, and I panic whenever I hear the whistle blow for the closing and have made multiple errors on the most straightforward Jackpot courses) will be as amazed as I was, to have gotten both of the Jackpots (as well as the Standard) at one trial.

Both Jackpots offered this weekend were non-traditionals (I think the last traditional Jackpot Pippin and I Q'd in was in Level 2!) and Friday's course had a tight course time, but you could do the gamble at anytime, and then we were given double points after the whistle on the way to the table to stop the clock before qualifying time ran out. Pippin and I were way out in the far corner when the whistle blew and I ran like heck toward the table and Pippin took everything in her path, racking up enough points and coming in just on time. For Sunday's course, Nancy gave us very generous opening and closing times. We did have to wait for the whistle to take one of two all-level gambles, one scored as 25 points and one scored as 20. I chose the 25 point gamble which looked dead easy until you saw the trap before the table ("Noooo, Pippin, get away from that tunnel!") but we narrowly missed the trap and eventually made our way to the table with a couple of seconds to spare. WHEW! And while we have never thought too much about placements, Pippin got a 1st on that run, which is very cool (never mind that there was only one other dog in her class, who NQ'd). So now I get to enter our next trial (September again at SCCA) with Pippin as an Enthusiast, a category in which Pippin will still jump 12" but she will get the small dog time advantage, much needed extra course time for legs toward her next championship.

C-ATCH Pippin!

February 2, 2007

Yippee! We got that last pesky Jackpot qualifying run and Pippin earned her C–ATCH (Canine Performance Events (CPE) Agility Trial Champion) title on February 2 2007. Not bad for an hapless handler and a fearful former shelter dog. Pippin was excited about all the applause after that run, but even more excited about getting extra cheese and a chunk of banana (ah, the simple things). I was more relieved than excited at that moment, as we had been trying for two Jackpot Qs for nearly three months. Our fellow handlers were delighted–they had been holding their respective breaths for us every time we went into the ring to run a Jackpot course. Their support was essential to our success.

We wish to thank all our well-wishers on and off the course, a number of whom had more faith in our ability than we did, and who inspired us to keep trying. Back at the beginning when we started our introduction to agility class, the instructor watched Pippin learning the weave poles and said to me, “You could compete.” To which I said, “Oh, no, I don’t think so,” not even having a clue as to what agility competitions were. After a bunch of us kept taking agility classes just for fun, a different instructor finally forced our class to enter a CPE trial, so we all went through the whole process of entering and showing together. After that trial I was hooked, and kept coming back for more. An instructor at another training center even let me run her border collie in competition a few times, which helped me sharpen my handling skills. When we were getting close to our championship various handlers offered advice, and one, who also has an English Springer Spaniel, secretly commissioned a championship bar for us. I have been overwhelmed by everyone's support, and I will return the favor by continuing to encourage newer handlers at trials.

Rob was kind enough not to ask how much all the trials cost, and didn’t fuss when I had to drive to trials in the wee hours of the morning. He also didn’t mind when I asked him not to come and watch our runs when we were in the last level of our championship–I didn’t want to risk Pippin looking for him while we were in the ring.

So what’s next? More of the same, I think! We will practice more distance handling so that Jackpot may become easier for us. I hope that Merry can also start competing again after his current round of in-home rehab is complete. We will continue with CPE because I really like the people involved. That organization allows the dogs to jump lower heights than others in our area which is better for Pippin and Merry’s joints. CPE has recently added some new titling classes that we can try for. Multiple C–ATCHes are now possible (C–ATCH 2, C–ATCH 3, etc. And in case you’re wondering, C–ATCH 22 is probably not achievable in most dogs’ lifetimes–just as well.). We may take more chances in the ring to try new techniques, and we can have Pippin’s favorite people come to trials again to watch us. We’ll play in agility as long as it is fun for us.

 

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