Fast CAT Fail

I really wanted to share pictures of
Trooper running Fast CAT.

I'm doing a lousy job of keeping everybody updated. Hope you didn't think I was dead! Here's some of what we've been doing:

A couple weeks ago, Hubby, the dogs and I drove 3 hours from Jacksonville to Tallahassee. The plan was to run the dogs in Fast CAT first thing then drive 20 minutes to compete in a Glock Sport Shooting Foundation Match. If time permitted, we'd go back to the fairgrounds to run the dogs again and look around. I was excited!

We brought two friends -- and their dogs -- with us. Neither are what you'd call “dog sports people." I thought Fast CAT would be a fun way to introduce them to the dog world. The Tallahassee shows had a bit of everything -- Fast CAT, conformation, obedience, dock diving and vendors. With an enthusiastic tour guide like me, who wouldn't fall in love with the dog world, right? Well . . . things didn't go as planned.

We got to the trial site before the gates opened. So did two dozen other people! The Fast CAT crew was behind schedule. While waiting, handlers were sharing stories and the dogs were picking up on the excitement. Finally, the gates opened. My group was about 10 people back.

The registration table was set up at the end of the track. (It's usually in the middle, away from the mechanism.) As the lure came around the end pulley, dogs would jump and bark at it. The Trial Secretary/Company Owner seemed to be annoyed by this, making him short toward everybody. Registration lines for CAT and Fast CAT (two separate courses) were side by side but unmarked. My friend got in the wrong line and was yelled at when she tried to register for Fast CAT. She had to go to the back of the line and wait another 15 minutes -- only to be yelled at again because her entry form was incomplete.

I had pre-registered 2 ½ weeks out. The angry man couldn’t find my paperwork. I showed him my check and he barked "Well, I didn't get it." I asked if I could reregister, but with the preregister price. He accused me of trying to steal money from him. (We’re talking about a $20 difference. BTW, I had $60 in my pocket, expecting to pay full price for the afternoon runs.) I asked about the check I'd already written. He said he'd tear it up "if and when" he got it. Meanwhile, he glared at my dogs, was condescending to newbies asking questions and yelled at people with money in hand. What a douche.

My invisible name tag.

When The Douche started yelling at me, I thought Hubby was going to come unglued. Yes, I'm a big girl, quite capable of holding my own. But when Hubby feels I'm being threatened he switches into must-protect-wife mode. (Apparently it's a man thing.) I told Hubby that I wasn't going to give this jerk my money and walked away. Hubby asked the guy's name and he screamed "You don't know who I am?!" (FYI his name is Dan Elkes.) I giggled. Obviously he doesn't know who *I* am. I went to the car and called my bank. I put a stop payment on the check and got the fees waived. Then I went to find the Show Chairman.

Regular readers know that I'm the former President of my German Shepherd Dog club. I’ve held nearly all possible positions in the club, including Show Secretary. I know how hard it is to put on an event and how much the club wants everything to go right. I felt like a schmuck complaining. I told Madam Chairman my tale. The entire operation was disorganized, and the guy running it was unprofessional and downright demeaning. I didn't know if this guy was having a bad day or if he's always a total jerk. Either way, he was turning people away from the show her club worked so hard to put together. I reminded her that there are multiple organizations running Fast CAT trials in Florida and urged her club to use one other than Lure Coursing Specialists. She apologized and asked me to send her an email so she could share it with the show committee at their after action meeting.

As I was leaving the Show Chairman, I ran into one of my friends. She's a police officer with 30+ years. She stated that she had been trying to resolve the dispute between Mr. Elkes and our wrong-line friend when he yelled "I own this show!" and threw her out. My cop friend also had a long conversation with the Show Chairman. It was 10 AM on Saturday morning and she was the third complaint the Chairman received. UGH.

Not to scale

I'll never trial with Lure Coursing Specialists again. I know my friends are completely turned off by the entire dog show experience. Satan himself couldn’t have chosen a worse ambassador for dog sports.

The four of us took our $280, left the show grounds and went to the range. The dogs were locked in our vehicles at the far end of the property. We left the engines running, with A/Cs and radios turned up. I pretended the silhouettes were Dan the Douche and walked away with a personal best! (I still sucked, but the score was less sucky than before.)

Since that weekend I wrote my letter to the Tallahassee Kennel Club, blasted Lure Coursing Specialists online and shared my story with everybody I know -- including you! The Florida dog community is a small. Hopefully, word will get out quickly. I'd love to see Dan Elkes and Lure Coursing Specialists out of business.

BTW, I got a letter from my bank. Two days after this Fast CAT fiasco, Dan the Douche tried to cash my check -- you know, the one he promised he would tear up. (I hope his bank charged him!) So anyway, that's the story of my worst Fast CAT experience ever. -- K

Sneak Preview

Trooper's not a puppy anymore!

I know I've been absent lately. Honestly, there's not a whole lot worth sharing. However, I've spent the last two weeks filling out entry forms, booking hotel rooms and coordinating calendars with Hubby. The next two months have A LOT going on. Here's a sneak preview:

• Trooper had another sleepover with J-Lyn. While there, he started doing road work. This is something we're going to continue. I've got a Kelley-sized tricycle and everything!
• Trooper turned a year on Monday -- just in time for the Fast CAT trials in Tallahassee next weekend,. Both boys are going to run AND Hubby and I are competing in a shooting competition the same weekend. We'll see how that works out!
• I'm in the middle of two interesting dog books. I'll share them with you soon.
• My dog club's annual German Shepherd Dog Walk in Historic St. Augustine is just around the corner. This year I'll be walking two dogs. I'm a little nervous.
• Trooper is headed to North Carolina with J-Lyn next month. Over three days he'll compete in an All-Breed show, two GSD Specialty shows and the Southeast Futurity/Maturity.
• That same weekend Jedi will be in DeLand for an advanced Barn Hunt workshop and two trials. The jump from Open to Senior is huge. We need all the help we can get.
• April is also a big month for us. Trooper will compete in my dog club's two GSD Specialty shows followed by two days of All-Breed shows.
• That same weekend, Fast CAT will be available at the Fairgrounds. I'm debating signing up Trooper and/or Jedi. I'll wait until after Tallahassee to make that decision.
• April 27 is my dog club's Specialty Match, held in conjunction with a breeder-friend's annual BBQ Bonanza. The match planning isn't coming along as easily as I had hoped and I'm stressing. Surprised?

So you see, fun and newsworthy posts are coming soon! Please be patient. Until then, -- K

Me Again

Trooper enjoyed the hotel room

Wow, it's been over a month since my last post. Things have been busy with me and the dogs. Nothing overly exciting, but still busy. Let's see if I can catch you up.

Trooper's first shows were last month. Despite all my preparation, we had a last-minute change of plans. He and I had been practicing our ringcraft a couple times a week. I forgot that I'm 50 and don't move like I used to. During handling class I twisted my right knee. It was swollen hurt like crazy for weeks. I ended up having someone else take Trooper into the ring. Trooper was the only one in his class, so he walked away with a blue ribbon each day. That being said, he didn't seem to enjoy himself. I think he was stressed. He moved nicely, but shied away from the physical exam. Grrr. Both judges said really nice things about my dog. A professional handler friend of my breeder really liked Trooper too. The consensus is: he's promising, but needs to get over the "strangers touching him" thing.

That same weekend Jedi competed in three Fast CAT trials. He ran the 100-yard dash between 10.01 and 10.66 seconds each time. That's pretty damn fast! By my calculations he earned the 150 points required for his BCAT title. However, the AKC is really slow about posting results, so I don't have official confirmation yet.

Look at him go!

Two days after the shows we had Jedi neutered. His OFA test last year revealed a wonky elbow. Dammit. I decided against breeding him, so keeping the hormones and urges tied to them would be cruel. Also, he's six now. Middle age brings prostate complications. Neutering removes these problems. And on a purely selfish level, I didn't want two intact males in my small house. I figured neutering Jedi before Trooper reaches sexual maturity would help keep peace in my home. The vet did a wonderful job. The internal stitches were dissolvable, and instead of external stitches, surgical glue was used. Jedi never appeared uncomfortable or itchy, so we didn't have to use the cone. Everything healed up beautifully.

Goofy pup won't sit still

The following week Trooper became an AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy. Yay! A certificate and medal came in the mail over the weekend. I tried to get a good picture, but he wouldn't sit still. This is as good as you're going to get!

See, we've been busy!!

So what's next? This Sunday I'm taking both boys to Barn Hunt trials in DeLand. Jedi is still working towards his open title. He hasn't been on rats since April. I hope he remembers. I signed Trooper up for the Instinct test (since we're going to be there anyway). We'll see if Trooper's got it. We haven't been able to train anywhere, so I may just be eating the $20.

Saturday there's a German Shepherd only match just outside Ocala. The White German Shepherd Dog Club of America is holding their National Specialty shows this weekend. They are offering a match (kind of a practice confirmation show) just for "colored" German shepherds like us. Fortunately, they're only taking entries day of. I'm waffling back and forth over entering Trooper. He's still weird about strangers, and I haven't been working on it like I should. He's in his second fear period and I don't want to traumatize him. At the same time, the longer we wait the further behind we're going to be in his training. So . . . more decisions.

Mostly I'm frustrated. And I'm tired. All. The. Freakin. Time. This is making everything more difficult.

• We're not practicing at home as often as we should.
• I've blown off handling classes for naps.
• Jedi's not getting his walks in the park and his restlessness is annoying.
• Trooper is not getting regular socialization field trips.
• My weight loss has stalled, and I've put 8 pounds back on. This sucks. (I'm still down 26 pounds from December, so it's not all bad news.)

These guys need to get out more

And to add insult to injury, my ancient cell phone has become unreliable. Every time something updates, something else screws up. I may or may not be able to blog, post to Facebook, take/view pictures or text at any given time. The picture quality stinks, with more photos blurry than not. BUT -- and this is a big but -- my Galaxy S4 is paid for. (Yes, I realize that the S9s are out. I said ancient!) Honestly, I don't want to spend that kind of money, especially during dog sports season!

Want to hear something sad? I've started and deleted a half-dozen post in the last month. I felt they were just too negative -- even by my glass-is-half-empty standards. Truth is, I have a hard time sharing when I'm feeling surly and tired. Right now I'm having trouble thinking clearly. It's soooo annoying. I hope whatever funk I'm under goes away soon.

So I guess you're up to speed now. I'll try to be more timely with news, phone willing. And I'll try not to be too grumpy -- but no promises. Later, -- K

Run, Jedi, Run

In April we discovered a new dog sport -- Fast CAT. This is a timed 100 yard dash for dogs. Dogs are handicapped by size and then timed as they run 100 yards as fast as they can down a straight, flat course. Times are turned into points. Titles are earned by point accumulation. More info can be found on the AKC website.

Look at that happy face. My friend took this picture. Isn't it great?! 

A lure is used to coax the dog to run, but Jedi couldn't have cared less about it. I was at the finish line, jumping up and down yelling "Come to Mommy!" -- and he did just that! Jedi's fastest time was 10.12 seconds. That converted to 19.87 miles per hour. I know, WOW!

Jedi has run the Fast CAT four times, and will need to run another 2-3 times to earn enough points for his BCAT title. We're looking for another trial now. I'll keep you posted. -- K