Apparently the May MMBC NADAC trial is notorious for bad weather. That is why I bought water-proof shoes last year and ran out and invested in rain pants last week. It turns out that those were the best purchases ever. Saturday started with an already soaked field with a few sprinkles mixed in. I'm thinking "Not bad, glad I have my rain gear." Zoe was jazzed by the cool wet weather and for the first time made elite time and earned her first two elite Q's and first open weavers Q. So now I'm thinking, "Wow, my dog thinks this is awesome...we are going to have a great weekend." Little did I know, it was all downhill from there.
After a brief respite from the rain, it started to rain hard. Three dogs before our run, the trial was on hold and I was stuck scarfing down my lunch with Zoe at my side in a crowded tent. No big deal...I didn't want to savor my food anyway. So then the trial begins again and it's finally our turn. We start our run and Zoe looks unusually distracted and even starts to veer away from me. Crap. Quite literally actually as she never got a proper walk and chance to eliminate with all of the steady rain. So our run ended with an E....there is definitely a first time for everything. At least I couldn't blame her given the conditions and in the end, she was a happy camper.
The rest of the day was a wash - no pun intended. As the rain persisted, the ground got soggier and soggier. Zoe became less enthused about the weather and had to slow down to avoid slipping...good girl. No more Qs for us, but we had a good time braving the elements.
Sunday came and I thought it would be a new day. Instead, it was a repeat of Saturday plus severe weather. We ran our first 4 runs, NQed in all. Mostly chalking that up to soggy fields and bad footing. Ok, there was some tunnel discriminations Zoe and I had to sort through as well. But mostly the soggy fields. By noon, the weather turned south and we headed back to the comfort of home. It was no longer about the Qs...just staying safe and dry.
All in all, I can't say it was a terrible weekend. There was good teamwork, excited dogs, and fun conversations. I am quite pleased with Zoe's effort, especially showing that she can make elite time. After that, it didn't really matter how we did. I am just glad that we got through the weekend safe and that it will go down as a very memorable agility trial!
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