Far south-east @ Bemboka

Jacqui was pinned at home with midwifery on her mind, so we had to run solo today.

Finn is looking the best he’s looked yet, in the 361 days he’s been living here.  Yes, indeedy – the 11th of November will be his anniversary already.

He was a bit slow, and wouldn’t put his ears up except briefly, but still managed to collect “Reserve Challenge” which is about as far as you can go without actually scoring anything.

However, this is only the second time I’ve actually handled him myself, and the first where we beat other dogs (competition, not violence!).  That’s something, at least.  We just have to go one better, a few times, and collect another 75 points overall.  The first time, we were against very stiff competition.   Again, on the busiest (and hardest) day of the weekend!

I know what we have to work on; we just have to knuckle down and work it out.   When the show lead goes on, he metamorphoses from a traction engine to a caboose in a millisecond – and his ears lie flat and back like the Footrot dog.

Pending some new photos, here is one of Finn at an earlier Bemboka weekend:

Finn at Bemboka

His coat is straighter today, longer, and a bit glossier.  Picture courtesy Border Pix’n'Art.

Where is Heather? You ask.  Why, she’s underfoot.  At home.  With so little time to prepare, I couldn’t risk Heather barfing all over herself and Finn on the way down Brown Mountain, so she stayed at home in the yard this time.

As luck would have it, the Friday and Sunday shows would have been much more favourable to Finn (the competition thinner on the ground) — but Gemma’s UD trials are once in a blue-polka-dot-moon, to Finn’s two or three per month.   Make hay while the sun shines, as they say.  If I knew in advance she wouldn’t pass on Friday, we would have all been down in Bemboka for all three days.

She would have been uncontested Baby Puppy of Breed all weekend.   Oh well.   Hindsight is always 20/20.   In the same situation, I would make the same decision.