Cockers Unleashed

It was Dogs Unleashed at Newark this weekend. After one of the worst weeks of my life (thanks for your support) - we left on Thursday to help set up the Clever Dogs. It was a complete nightmare. The area allocated was too small for the Clever Dogs, 50 weave challenge and splash pool plus our camping. Given this was marked out by roads there was no flexibility. The ground was virtually concrete. To further add to our problems while we were trying to crack the logistics and set up on Friday, there was a steam roller driving assessment round the showground with rollers going up and down all day doing our heads in.

Our stress levels were high on Saturday when the show started! Not good if you are running cockers. To top it were were camped by the flyball and Magic completely devastated my mattresses trying to get out of the van to join in. His father, Drake, was racing with the Demons Dogs and I had wanted to watch. Due to running Clever Dogs I only caught a glimpse. But I heard Drake won the gun dog scrurry. Shame we didn't get to do it due to Clever Dogs.

Back to agility...Magic jumped well on the Saturday and got 2 clear rounds, just outside the placings. Rup had lost the script and was all out to be E'd but broke his
es to take a 10th in the primary jumping.

Sunday was a bridge too far. We were parked under the all night spot lights and after another sleepless night, we'd all lost the script. Rup continued to collect Es and only broke his record to get a 3rd in the advanced juniors but that was only due to Jordan's firm handling as he was totally headless!!! Magic then put his paw done and decided cockers just want to have fun so ....he... got addicted to terrier racing and managed to catch and eat the rabbit thing twice. At £1 for one go this meant he couldn't go again. £5 of Jordan's pocket money later and teh concern that tehy were out of rabbit skin, they agreed to pull it faster and he qualified for the final with 4.13. He then refused to do agility and became very distractable. During the advanced juniors he just raced round the ring doing a few jumps and running out of the ring to tell mummy it was fun time. He then jumped the barrier fencing and raced off across the showground and into the splash pool leaving the judge standing in the ring with Jordan. Thankfully Rup had completed his round, BUT he was tied up by the ring. He too bolted, with the ring stake, after Magic and the 2 cockers were found in the splash pool. They were marched back soaking to the juniors to apologise to Jordan and the judge. Well Magic got a lovely well done rosette for entertaining everybody with his antics and Rup got an undeserved trophy for being third.

Unfortunately Magic had once again lost his brain during that escapade. He spent circular jumping eating weeds and jumped the barrier fencing to gatecrash a picnic. As I was working on the Clever dogs most of the day, Sue K took him and J for the finals of the terrier racing. His antics had tired him out and he only managed 4.36 and was 4th. Not bad racing against sight hounds. Sad as there were no terriers in the finals.

We're taking a break from agility this week as Rup is having Galen massage for his back. I saw an ad on Agility Net for an injured agility dog in our area to be a case study. I hope that this will benefit Rup and help us to get a pre jumping massage routine going. He's still not 100 per cent right and it's quite worrying. He's not knocking poles and his timings are now back to what they were but he is stiff. The chiro has signed him off. I think I may get his back X-rayed in case it's spondolitis.

PS If anybody finds Magic's brain on the Newark showground please return it as he still seems to be without it as he spent his agility class with Jordan this am digging up a rat hole.