Steeplechase

Tag and Jo had a great day today- it was a chance to work out some kinks, and get into the flow of it. Their first Steeplechase had lots of great moments- his contacts, his listening, and his weaves are rock solid. Jo had a moment and forgot where she was going. Which cost them 10 faults. The second run was awesome. He was perfect. Jo was perfect, it was a beautiful thing to watch. He had one bar, and placed 15th out of 112 dogs!!! Wowsers!

Sarah and Gyp also had a fantastic day. Gyp was on, and Sarah did a great job directing her around the course. Their first run of the day was perfect. She slipped twice around corners (out of the weaves, and a tunnel) but recovered and ran her little heart out. She placed 3rd in her class with a qualifying score.

The second run was even better, and Sarah really gave it- Gyps performance proved that running hard makes a big difference. She placed 2nd, and of course Qualified.

Wicca and I had lots of fun. It was nice to feel that connection, and I was confident in my handling abilities. The first steeplechase was brilliant. It was smokin' fast, and she kept all the bars up. We had a missed weave entry, which only costs time, and placed 1st, and Qualified (which could be her steeplechase title...) The second run was also very good- our lines were smooth and tight. I caused a knocked bar with a late front cross, and she knocked the second last bar. Even with the 10 faults we qualified, and placed 4 th in our class.

Tonite was the Nationals Opening Ceremonies. It was pretty nice, although really long. We did a cute little parade of provinces, and the Alberta crowd was as rowdy as ever. At the end of the ceremonies the steeplechase finalists were called out. Wicca placed 1ST!!!! And will get to run in the steeplechase finals on Sunday for cash money. Gyp also qualified for the finals, placing 2nd in a very competitive class. Sarah and I got cool green shirts to wear Sunday afternoon, and it adds some more excitement to an already exciting weekend.

This is our set up in the covered crating area. Looks all homie doesn't it... :o)


and this, is evidence of the anal-retentiveness of my friends. All our classes are highlighted, what rings we are in, what the marker dogs are- all are labeled on this handy dandy list. :o)

Today was a really long day, and we are all beat- tomorrow will be even longer, but as always we'll have a report of our day in the evening.

Fun and Games in Ottawa ....

This photo is from yesterday on Parliament Hill. Besides getting caught in 2 flash floods, it was great! The dogs had a great time meeting and greeting people.

We stopped at a Cafe down at the Byward market and had lunch with the dogs.

Here is some random drunk lady that loved Kaleb ...

Today Jo and Amanda went for their Warm-up runs. Tomorrow we do more warm-up and Steeplechase ... stay tuned!

At lunch we went and had a picnic on Bate Island and took the dogs for a nice walk and swim on the Ottawa River. Pete and Aaron are fishing today so we took them lunch, and off they went ....

Here are some photos of the fun ....

squirrels ... squirrels ... squirrels ... squirrels ...

mine.

Random Pics from the Day

The photos are not in any order- the connection we have here is not very good, and it was very painful to upload the pics I did. There are others I wanted to share, but they will have to wait until I have more patience, or the stupid connection gets better.

Regardless, here is a quick peek at our day...













We had a great day today- we spent the majority of the day downtown Ottawa. We went to Parliament Hill and toured around. It is quite beautiful and the buildings sure make you feel small. It was cloudy and overcast most of the day, and we had two flash flood storms. The rain came down in buckets, and we took shelter in the "Senators" entrance way to the Parliament Building.

After Parliament hill we went down to Byward Market and looked at all the little shops. We saw lots of interesting people, and the dogs were very well behaved in the crowds of people.

Before dinner Jolayne, Sarah and I went down to the Nationals site. It is huge, and a little overwhelming. It is very beautiful, and appears to be very well organised. Tomorrow Jo and I go and run a warm up run, and then we'll spend the rest of the day touring around again.

Ottawa Day 2

We had a great day today- we took the dogs down to "Bark And Fitz" a fancy dog store- the dogs got yummy frozen yogurt, and we had fun looking at all the over priced specialty items.



We went for a drive after and found a great little park right on the Ottawa River. The dogs had a chance to play in the water, and chase the ducks. :o) Wicca and Gyp also discovered the squirrels and were super obsessed with them for the rest of the walk.


THE Squirrel :o)

Aaron, Jolayne, and Tag arrived safe and sound. Tag was a little stressed, but was back to normal after a quick play with Gyp. The boys (as in Aaron and Pete) have been drinking pretty much since then, and have been quite the entertainment. We just got back from a nice walk to the liquor store. :o)






Tomorrow is the day of serious sight seeing, we are going to Parliament Hill, and downtown Ottawa. Of course, that's providing the boys can walk tomorrow after all the beer....

Our Home for the Week

Sara, Pete, and I arrived in Ottawa yesterday afternoon. The flight was uneventful, and the dogs handled the plane with no issues. They travel like pros now!!! It is warm and muggy here. We are slowly adjusting to the feeling of melting. It is icky. Ottawa is a beautiful place though, and we are looking forward to checking out some museums, the parliament thingy, and some other local touristy attractions.


We are all settled into our "dorm room" at Algonquin College. It is more than enough space for all of us, and the dogs are already calling it home.

We haven't done much in the way of sight seeing or anything yet, so I thought I'd entertain you all with a tour of our Home for the week.

My Room



Sarah and Pete's Room
yes, he's watching Ellen...

The Kitchen (which will be Jo and Aarons room)


and last but not least, the bathroom.




yes, kaleb is in the shower with the flamigo....he was quite happy to pose for us!

Today we are going to do some shopping- we're gonna go check out some local pet stores, and do a little sight seeing. We'll have more exciting photos to post later I am sure!

Jolayne, Aaron and Tag are on their way here today- and will arrive around supper time. Keep them in your thoughts as it is Tags first plane ride, and Jo is more than a little nervous!

posted by Amanda

AAC Nationals Trip 2009

Three members of Go Dog Go are making the trip to Nationals- this year it is being held in Ottawa, Ontario.

Jolayne and her border collie Tag are first timers, me (Amanda) and Wicca, and Sarah and Gyp and Kaleb.

We are staying together, and Jo and Sarah are bringing along their significant others. It should be quite the adventure!

The Event itself starts on Friday, July 31st and goes until Sunday. Sarah, Pete, and I are flying out on Monday the 27th to give the dogs a few days to get used to the place, and Jo, Aaron and Tag are flying out on Tuesday.

We will be updating this blog regularly while we are away if you want to see what we are up to!

We'll be posting photos, stories, and of course results!