a little play by play

so this weekend - what a high. im still just so thrilled...

on saturday we had a match and i worked rah in open and utility and berlin in novice. im too tired and have too much to do to go through each run, but berlin did a really nice job for the first one (just need to work on keeping her excitement level up and drive into the set ups and through her heeling).

set up for the show and then went home to my dads house to sleep for a few hours that night.

the next morning bright and early - got rah warmed up briefly doing left turns and slows, since this judge was a stickler for slows and had 30 foot slows in her pattern! put him away and waited for my class to start. it was a blessing showing with my trainer, she was really able to give me a lot of help there and this wouldnt have been possible without her in so many ways. i dont know enough ways to say thank you to her... (or her sister, who is my other trainer)

so we have a plan set up - rah is last in his class and the dog before me is a very slow one - we had plans on when to take him out (After she finished articles) and such - well, that dog got excused after signals and i had not even gotten near rah - i was sitting and watching, rah was still in his crate! my trainer calmed me down and i got rah out, and she trained me up to the ring - heeling, pivots, fronts, finishes, sidesteps... she had it all timed out and she moved out of the way and there i was, in the ring.

started signals - some bumping and forging as is rah's way. got to the stand (always a tenuous part for him) and he held the stand stay - i left him and walked to the end. in a heartbreaking moment i thought he was going to either walk in to me or going to down himself without my signal - he then stood back up, and i dropped him. a second heartattack occurred on the sit signal, where he didn't sit - i gave the signal, he looked at me - NOTHING - but i held the signal and gave a little more and he went up. (in B that would fail me, in A it was questionable if i would pass or not... i wasn't sure but i know in the past ive let my NQ's ruin the rest of the run so i didnt want to here... i just kept going like we were passing). called him in, he came, finished and we were done.

articles next - he found the metal and the leather just fine - fronts were a little off and finishes were crooked. got to gloves, did a good pivot but he picked the glove and dropped his head, but it was the right one - runs out, shakes and comes back - sits far out. and WONT GIVE UP THE GLOVE. i have to rip it out of his mouth - the judge is laughing at this point and he tries to bite it again on the finish!!! she's cracking up im trying to stay calm.

moving stand he locks up, just takes one single foot to move and is of course a bit crooked on the finish.

go outs - at this point im hesitantly hopeful - i give him the lock onto the go out point and he's got it - i send him and heaven help him, HE RUNS OUT. i turn him, he turns, a slightly slow sit - i send him over the jump and i could vomit. front, finish. i lock him onto the second go out. he almost leaves on his own. im praying - he has to have it, right? he wont not go out... i send him and im almost crying. i turn him 5 feet and he spins in place, perfect go out. at this point im almost delirious. i send him over the other jump and i dont even remember what the front or finish looks like because im crying at this point - she says exercise finished and the entire building screams - my trainer is crying, so are the people i train with - im covered with people clapping and hugging me and it was awesome.

so thats rah's utility leg. i have a video, i just cant figure out how to get it online... but he was a superstar. we ended up with a 187 - all front/finish issues! she also wasn't a big fan of rah's heeling :)