Monday morning, oh wonderful. Still tired from yesterday and the weekends never seem long enough but I do have 12 large HGV drivers who will not be happy if their wages dont get paid today so I better go in the office.
Well what a day yesterday!!! Honiton show and Lilys second and after discussion with some fellow handlers I decided this week not to queue with her but to substitute my willing daughter Fern as "Queuer!" while I played tug away from the ring with Lily. It worked!!!! Took her mind off the other dogs around and started faster and more focused than last week. Got a silly 10 faults in the 1st class, totally my bad handling as you can see on www.youtube.com/feroda7, so headed for the steeplechase class with determination. A bit of a tricky mid section on this course, a pull through followed by a double front cross so I was nervous going in. Flew the 1st section of the course, pulled through fine, jumped 10 then 11 (I rear crossed in my panic but it worked!) around to fence 12 and acros the diagonal to the tunnel. At this point all we had was a snake line to finish and about then I stopped breathing. Lily did a perfect snake and across the last in good time! I was ecstatic!!! 2nd show and we had a fast clear!!!!............................
However, the judge walked over to me in my screaming, emotional delerious state to inform me that he had given me a 5 penalty for Lily "leaving the ring before fence 12 and going around the post holding the ring ropes" I was devastated. I hadn't noticed, couldn't possibly remember as i was doing a rear cross at that point when it should've been front cross so I had to agree with the judge. Totally crest fallen but still, I thought Lily did a fab clear so I put it down to experience. But, and its a big but, Roger my better half had video'd my round so at home last night we sat down with a cup of tea and watched.........................Lily do a perfect clear round, inside the said post by at least 2 feet!!!!!!!! At no time did she go outside the ring. Its such a shame because we discovered from the secretary of the show that we would have got 15th place if the clear had rightly been awarded, which out of 180 dogs in only her 2nd show is pretty damn good. I feel robbed but more determined than ever. Hard lesson learnt that you are at the judges mercy!!!
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