Entered the rugrat (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) Markee in his very first Rally-O trial today out in Lacey (a suburb of state capitol Olympia). This is the second year this club has held their show at a baseball facility. I did not attend last year, but thought I would see what it was like-especially since I want to get Markee's RN and I had a free day to go to a show (and this show site is about 45 minutes from home).
I was not pleased that they expected us to park and schlepp all our stuff allll the way across the park. Especially when there were empty parking spaces adjacent to the obedience/rally rings. I was also not pleased that there were generators going all morning from the grooming area which was also adjacent to the obedience/rally rings.
When I sat down with Markee to watch the Excellent and Advanced Rally-O classes, I noticed that the ring was on some form of fake grass or astroturf.....that should be interesting!
Because I had had so much walking to do just to GET there, I didn't feel my knees were up to me walking the course ahead of time. I could see by reading the map that it was very straightforward and I knew I wouldn't get lost.
OK....our turn. Start.....Fast....Normal.....1 step 2 step 3 step back (done very well...nice straight fronts, good finish, my footwork was accurate.) 270 right, 360 circle left, about U turn, left turn, halt and sit, moving drop (Markee's trademark "play dead on the down" pose) another 270, another left, down walk around (another "play dead") another 270, serpentine weave once...and the finish.
One thing I noticed IMMEDIATELY was the sunflower seed casings alllllll over the field. (Hence my asking for a vaccuum cleaner!) I don't think it was distracting to too many dogs, but it bothered me! :)
Overall Markee did very well. Minimal sniffing, stayed right with me....I was very pleased and awaited our score.....a 91. You have GOT to be kidding me! I expected a 96-97 with our performance!!!!!
After the class was completed (1st place was a 98, then there was a three-way tie for 2nd with a score of 97...and then Markee's 91...) I went over to the steward's table to ask if I could see my scoresheet. This judge GUARDS the scoresheets and refuses to just let you LOOK at them. Then, she behaves as if you are ACUSING her of deducting too heavily and talks to you like she's justifying her actions. That is just so WRONG. All I want is to see the damned scoresheet. I will see what stations she marked me down on and if we had tight leads or whathaveyou.
She started off by telling me I needed to WALK FASTER on the 270's because Markee was "anticipating the sit".....well...this is not the case. He learned to sit and scoot around in a circle on the 270's and the 360's and nothing I do can alter this without worrying him too much. So we lost points for HER perception of his performance...wrong or right. Moving on, she claimed I had several instances of tight leads and cautioned me "not to hold the dog in position". I laughed, and told her, "yeah.....I tend to get nervous and worry that my dog might leave me..." so then she proceeded to LECTURE me on the evils of a too tight leash and how I could actually be NQ'd for it. Well, thanks.....seriously.....it wasn't the entire time I was in the ring. I was VERY aware of exactly where the snap on the leash was at all times, and I also am very aware of each time I inadvertantly held him from moving forward so I could give him a command. No, it wasn't more than 2 times.....do I really deserve a LECTURE? When we were in the ring getting our ribbons, she lectured the ENTIRE GROUP on how lousy our footwork was on the 1step 2 step. Now.....I have worked VERY HARD to ensure my steps are correct...so I HAD to ask...did I lose any points? Because when we were in the ring, you STARED at *ME* the entire time you were commenting on our lousy we were as a group.....I wasn pleased when she looked at my scoresheet and said I had not lost a single point on that station...so there! :P
I dunno.....I am not looking for a confrontation, but when the judge puts herself into that position by not allowing us to just LOOK at the scoresheets without discussing it with her, she is asking for a confrontation, plain and simple! She has a very long history as an obedience judge. IMO, she is stuck in the past.....no one would hae DARED question her judging if it was obedience.....but this is Rally-O.....we just want to see our scoresheets.....not question your authority!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
A Day At The Fair
Spent a day at Pierce County fiar yesterday judging 4H dog obedience.
For the most part I felt discouraged and disappointed. I can't help but wonder about the state of 4H as a whole. Apparently in WA state at least, parents are of the opinion that giving children anything less than a blue ribbon tends to discourage them and then they want to quit. Even yestersay, as we were handing out white ribbons right and left, one of the area's leaders was COMMENDING the kids for their efforts, and for "just being there" as if it was a RIGHT to expect a blue ribbon regardless of the quality of your dog's performance.
Yes, I was given the "first year" kids-but even a first year kid ought to have a general idea of what is expected of their dog (and the kid) but performance after performance was so poor as to be embarrassing. I created a short heeling pattern because it felt like every second the kids were in the ring the points were just falling off into the abyss. Hey...when *I* was in 4H I walked out my very first year with obedience champion in my age level, and I came in third overall in the grand champion run off. I would have been MORTIFIED if I and my dog performed like the majority of these teams. It was very evident to me that the majority had not even been taught how to "finish" after the recall. The kids weren't taught how to hold the leash so the dog would not become entangled in it. When I cautioned several kids about mistakes they were making, they ARGUED with me-questioning my authority and knowledge of the rules. Most of the kids TOLD their dogs to "stand" and were forced to repeat the command four and five times because the dogs clearly had no idea what was expected. I kept reminding the kids that at this level they most certainly could assist the dog to stand and again, they argued with me-clearly giving me the message *I* do not have a place as a judge in their obedience ring. When dogs made mistakes, many of the kids said "WRONG!" to the dogs...seriously????
The very first dog in the ring had a note written across the top of the socre sheet: "dog cannot run" so I asked the young handler why this was so. She gave me a very long synopsis of how her puppy had severe hip displasia that also came with arthritis "down her back leg all the way to her ankles". I was unfamiliar with exactly where the ankle is on the dog, so I asked her to point it out to me-she showed me the hock. I informed her that it was called a hock, and she informed ME that her MOTHER called it the ankle, and that was the end of THAT. She also informed me that her dog was so disabled that she couldn't possibly be expected to sit straight, or quickly.
So I started her heeling pattern. When we got to the "fast", guess what? The dog GALLOPED. Imagine that. I guess the dog wasn't told about its disability..... so, after we completed the figure 8, and I informed her we were now doing the stand for exam, she told me her dog was shy and it might try to bite. Ah....thanks for the warning. I told her she really should have revealed this information when I asked her if there were any questions at the get-go.....but no, her LEADER told her this was the correct way to deal with it. And yes, the dog DID try to snap at me. I could tell that this was a very indulged dog who obviously did not WANT a stranger to touch it, and it had been allowed to get away with this behavior. I did not offer this information because I knew it would be met with an arguement. After she left the ring, my stewards tried to tell me how WONDERFUL the family was, and what a GREAT dog trainer she was. I asked them what her parents thought they would gain by forcing her to train and handle what amounted to a handicapped dog with very limited potential.....neither of them "got it".....I give up.....
Although I did see more untrained dogs, I did see a number of trained dogs who were distracted by the noises and commotion. Sorry to say I couldn't just ignore the NQ and had to give them white ribbons. Yes, I can tell the difference between an untrained dog and one who just had a bad day, or bad luck.
What I wonder is if we will ever see a day when 4H drops obedience entirely because it expects too much of the children? Or will we merely hand out participation ribbons and just give them score cards with positive feedback like "nice smile!" or "you really did try!" or "better luck next time!" and not even give them a score? When did it become too difficult to expect a child to actually TRAIN the dog? Shall we offer them a "best two out of three"? and allow "do overs" like we do in Rally-O?
When I started the day, I had a mental image of what I felt a team should look like that was worthy of competing at the state level. If the team wasn't a team, there was no way I was rewarding them and sending them to state. Better luck next year?
On a lighter note, the other judge and I co-judged Team obedience. She judged, I called the commands. It was very amusing, but for the most part it was very clear that most of the kids had no idea what they were doing in Team (especially the figure 8!!!) and again, was very disappointing to me.
I am so disillusioned and disappointed that I will think twice about judging in future (not that this county will ever ask me back!) Judging by the speech delivered by that one leader, he was very disappointed in me by handing out so many whites.....
For the most part I felt discouraged and disappointed. I can't help but wonder about the state of 4H as a whole. Apparently in WA state at least, parents are of the opinion that giving children anything less than a blue ribbon tends to discourage them and then they want to quit. Even yestersay, as we were handing out white ribbons right and left, one of the area's leaders was COMMENDING the kids for their efforts, and for "just being there" as if it was a RIGHT to expect a blue ribbon regardless of the quality of your dog's performance.
Yes, I was given the "first year" kids-but even a first year kid ought to have a general idea of what is expected of their dog (and the kid) but performance after performance was so poor as to be embarrassing. I created a short heeling pattern because it felt like every second the kids were in the ring the points were just falling off into the abyss. Hey...when *I* was in 4H I walked out my very first year with obedience champion in my age level, and I came in third overall in the grand champion run off. I would have been MORTIFIED if I and my dog performed like the majority of these teams. It was very evident to me that the majority had not even been taught how to "finish" after the recall. The kids weren't taught how to hold the leash so the dog would not become entangled in it. When I cautioned several kids about mistakes they were making, they ARGUED with me-questioning my authority and knowledge of the rules. Most of the kids TOLD their dogs to "stand" and were forced to repeat the command four and five times because the dogs clearly had no idea what was expected. I kept reminding the kids that at this level they most certainly could assist the dog to stand and again, they argued with me-clearly giving me the message *I* do not have a place as a judge in their obedience ring. When dogs made mistakes, many of the kids said "WRONG!" to the dogs...seriously????
The very first dog in the ring had a note written across the top of the socre sheet: "dog cannot run" so I asked the young handler why this was so. She gave me a very long synopsis of how her puppy had severe hip displasia that also came with arthritis "down her back leg all the way to her ankles". I was unfamiliar with exactly where the ankle is on the dog, so I asked her to point it out to me-she showed me the hock. I informed her that it was called a hock, and she informed ME that her MOTHER called it the ankle, and that was the end of THAT. She also informed me that her dog was so disabled that she couldn't possibly be expected to sit straight, or quickly.
So I started her heeling pattern. When we got to the "fast", guess what? The dog GALLOPED. Imagine that. I guess the dog wasn't told about its disability..... so, after we completed the figure 8, and I informed her we were now doing the stand for exam, she told me her dog was shy and it might try to bite. Ah....thanks for the warning. I told her she really should have revealed this information when I asked her if there were any questions at the get-go.....but no, her LEADER told her this was the correct way to deal with it. And yes, the dog DID try to snap at me. I could tell that this was a very indulged dog who obviously did not WANT a stranger to touch it, and it had been allowed to get away with this behavior. I did not offer this information because I knew it would be met with an arguement. After she left the ring, my stewards tried to tell me how WONDERFUL the family was, and what a GREAT dog trainer she was. I asked them what her parents thought they would gain by forcing her to train and handle what amounted to a handicapped dog with very limited potential.....neither of them "got it".....I give up.....
Although I did see more untrained dogs, I did see a number of trained dogs who were distracted by the noises and commotion. Sorry to say I couldn't just ignore the NQ and had to give them white ribbons. Yes, I can tell the difference between an untrained dog and one who just had a bad day, or bad luck.
What I wonder is if we will ever see a day when 4H drops obedience entirely because it expects too much of the children? Or will we merely hand out participation ribbons and just give them score cards with positive feedback like "nice smile!" or "you really did try!" or "better luck next time!" and not even give them a score? When did it become too difficult to expect a child to actually TRAIN the dog? Shall we offer them a "best two out of three"? and allow "do overs" like we do in Rally-O?
When I started the day, I had a mental image of what I felt a team should look like that was worthy of competing at the state level. If the team wasn't a team, there was no way I was rewarding them and sending them to state. Better luck next year?
On a lighter note, the other judge and I co-judged Team obedience. She judged, I called the commands. It was very amusing, but for the most part it was very clear that most of the kids had no idea what they were doing in Team (especially the figure 8!!!) and again, was very disappointing to me.
I am so disillusioned and disappointed that I will think twice about judging in future (not that this county will ever ask me back!) Judging by the speech delivered by that one leader, he was very disappointed in me by handing out so many whites.....
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
I Love Online Shopping! :)
Way back in October of 2006 when I had my housefire and lost almost all of my possessions, a bunch of friends all across the US sent me money and gift cards to replace my belongings not covered by insurance.
One of those items was a $200 Lane Bryant gift card (thanks Sandy B-J!)
For a variety of reasons the card got set aside, and then it got misplaced.
Well! I found it yesterday! How exciting! I was a little distressed when I saw fine print on the back indicating any unused portion might be subject to a $1 monthly "penalty". Oh well, any amount was better than none, and I needed a new pair of shoes.
Having attempted to shop the Lane Bryant website previously, and finding it dismally and woefully inadequate, it was with a little trepidation that I signed on yesterday. What a pleasant surprise! They have actually combined "forces" with Fashion Bug and a few other merchants to allow you one stop shopping that would still enable me to use my Lane Bryant gift card!
I found suitable shoes (not exactly what I wanted, but they will do) so I decided to continue shopping to see just how much money I had left on the card.
I ended up buying a black with white polka dots sleeveless shirtdress, and short sleeved black jacket to wear over it, and a couple of sports bras. Order total? $230 by the time shipping was added, but there was a $20 discount because my purchase was over $200...and surprise surprise, the entire $200 balance was on the card! So, ultimately I had to pay out $11 from my checking account...not bad, not bad at all! Wish I could shop like that every day :)
One of those items was a $200 Lane Bryant gift card (thanks Sandy B-J!)
For a variety of reasons the card got set aside, and then it got misplaced.
Well! I found it yesterday! How exciting! I was a little distressed when I saw fine print on the back indicating any unused portion might be subject to a $1 monthly "penalty". Oh well, any amount was better than none, and I needed a new pair of shoes.
Having attempted to shop the Lane Bryant website previously, and finding it dismally and woefully inadequate, it was with a little trepidation that I signed on yesterday. What a pleasant surprise! They have actually combined "forces" with Fashion Bug and a few other merchants to allow you one stop shopping that would still enable me to use my Lane Bryant gift card!
I found suitable shoes (not exactly what I wanted, but they will do) so I decided to continue shopping to see just how much money I had left on the card.
I ended up buying a black with white polka dots sleeveless shirtdress, and short sleeved black jacket to wear over it, and a couple of sports bras. Order total? $230 by the time shipping was added, but there was a $20 discount because my purchase was over $200...and surprise surprise, the entire $200 balance was on the card! So, ultimately I had to pay out $11 from my checking account...not bad, not bad at all! Wish I could shop like that every day :)
Die.....Tansy Ragwort.....Die.....
Update on the "noxious weed" situation.....I received a "second notice" in the mail this AM dated monday, indicating pretty much I had until TODAY to get rid of the damned weeds. So I wandered around the front yard and grubbed all the Tansy out by the roots. Quite simple, and the roots are quite shallow.
I was worried that perhaps the "weed geeks" might have already patrolled my neighborhood this AM so I called the name on my letter and left a voice mail tellling him I was in compliance and not to send me to jail.
He called back a few minutes later, and I had a very nice chat with a very nice man and learned all I ever needed to know about Tansy Ragwort. I told the guy that ever since I received the notice in the mail all I do when I'm driving places is notice all the Tansy!
One thing I was NOT aware of is that there are actually several different types of Tansy-some noxious and some not. He told me of several ways to differentiate.....and not to hesitate if I wanted to "make a report" if I thought I found some that perhaps the county had missed on their "weed patrol". I told him about one particular area (it looks like railroad right of way.....and there's a LOT) that was when he informed me that the Tansy growing there wasn't of the noxious sort. Hmmm.....seems to look a lot like the crap growing in my yard, so what gives??? I just hope he doesn't come to my house and point out some OTHER plant and tell me I grubbed out the wrong noxious weed!
I was worried that perhaps the "weed geeks" might have already patrolled my neighborhood this AM so I called the name on my letter and left a voice mail tellling him I was in compliance and not to send me to jail.
He called back a few minutes later, and I had a very nice chat with a very nice man and learned all I ever needed to know about Tansy Ragwort. I told the guy that ever since I received the notice in the mail all I do when I'm driving places is notice all the Tansy!
One thing I was NOT aware of is that there are actually several different types of Tansy-some noxious and some not. He told me of several ways to differentiate.....and not to hesitate if I wanted to "make a report" if I thought I found some that perhaps the county had missed on their "weed patrol". I told him about one particular area (it looks like railroad right of way.....and there's a LOT) that was when he informed me that the Tansy growing there wasn't of the noxious sort. Hmmm.....seems to look a lot like the crap growing in my yard, so what gives??? I just hope he doesn't come to my house and point out some OTHER plant and tell me I grubbed out the wrong noxious weed!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Another Trek Into Sun Country...and Parents Are Funny! :)
went back over to Ellensburg yesterday at o-dark-thirty to judge 4H dog agility for Kittitas County. I had been watching the weather forecast with a bit of trepidation. As the day drew closer, the forecast showed warmer and warmer temps (threats of 90 degrees...) but when I arrived at 8:00 the wind was blowing so hard the chief course builder informed me there was no way we could use the 'chute the way I placed it unless we physically had someone standing there HOLDING it in place! He wanted me to flip the direction so that essentially the course would be run the reverse of the way I designed it, which really didn't set well with me for a variety of reasons. I observed the wind during the first class (no 'chute in use at this level) and ultimately decided to swap the 'chute finish for the startline. In actuality, this created a windsock out of the 'chute, and probably helped a few dogs. Fine by me. My goal was to send as many of these kids to state fair next month as possible. Over all, I was very pleased with the quality of both the handling and the dogs themselves. I could see definite improvement since judging their qualifier last month. Overall, I think the wind helped keep the temps down, and it was actually a very pleasant day weather-wise.
My day actually started about a week after the qualifier, when I e-mailed my proposed course maps to the chief course builder. He never responded to give his opinion on the courses, so I figured we were good to go. But no.....he waited until wednesday to write to tell me he actually objected to three of the courses. He felt one was "too hard" for the one lone entrant (who coincidentally happened to be his daughter); one was "too easy" and one was "lacking interest" (I don't know if he had an agenda for either of these). I wrote back and told him I would tweak the "lacks interest" course, but the "too easy" course was built following 4H criteria and had one aspect I knew would give the kids enough of a challenge (which, when it came right down to it, *DID* create the exact challenge I felt it would), and I didn't feel it necessary to alter it further. As for the "too hard" course, I also refused to alter that course, telling him I felt his daughter was fully capable of handling the course and since the dog would do what the daughter told her to do, she would be fine. Nothing in the guidelines disallows me from assisting her during the walk thru. We discussed ways of dealing with several sequences that involved handling techniques she had never been taught, but she is a quick study and rapidly progressed to a point of confidence before she ran. I actually designed two excellent courses for her-both standard and jumpers. She ACED the standard course. The JWW course was quite tight, and had quite a few trickier sequences than the standard course. As she was walking it she commented "there aren't very many obstacles on this course, but you managed to make it complex!" In the end, she had a near-perfect run with one run out. I somehow managed to miss a wrong course, however, in 4H a wrong course is only a 5-point penalty so she still would have received a very good score of 90 in addition to her grand champion so I don't feel too guilty about missing it. A person's gotta blink every once in a while.
I had issues with "dad" because 1. He is ":type A" and is also a perfectionist. I can deal with that, but what I can't stand is a perfectionist who also feels everyone around him must also be perfect. He called me on more than one occasion where he felt I missed a missed contact. Excuse me, but um.....can I see your resume that shows your experience running a dog in agility? I'm sorry, but if I have a close call, I will err on the side of the kid. There was also an occurence at the novice level where everything was going way too fast, and I *thought* ultimately, that the dog completed all six of the weaves in the right order. He disagreed with me. I don't feel that he has the right to back seat drive where the judge is concerned. At one point he actually made a snarky remark to me about "missing SEVERAL other calls today..." wow.....reality check.....whose side are you on? I finally got it when he informed me one of my OTHER practices was not a good one, and would skew the "high point" trophy stats. Ah...I see....and is your DAUGHTER in line for this award? What I have done in the past, and what I did both theree and at the qualifier is this: If a dog incurs a run out or refusal on an obstacle, then incurs a wrong course en route to correcting the run out or refusal, I only count the wrong course. Right or wrong, this is how I do it. It is not covered in the 4H rules. I think he needs to get onto the committee if he wants to fix all that's wrong with the current agility 4H scheme.
Another irritation to the day was one parent who stood within earshot of me and spoke loudly enough to other parents complaining about this that and the other thing I was doing to annoy her. I know full well that this was intentional, and it took all my power to pretend I was unable to hear her when I wanted to go face-to-face with her. Apparently she had issues with me with regard to the table count. I chose to follow the AKC rule in effect that says as long as all four paws are on the table (the dog does not need to sit or down) the count goes. SHE felt that I needed to be consistent with their training and specify a sit or a down. Well, I was consistent.....it wasn't like I penalized anyone by requiring THEIR dog did a sit or a down.
WhatEVER.....
Later, this same parent wanted to know when lunch break was. Originally we were going to break between the standard and the jumpers runs. I pointed out that I didn't have any lunch, and it was pointless of me to take a lunch break if my lunch wasn't here yet. She wanted to take lunch NOW, regardless of my plans. I announced to the entire group "go ahead and take your lunch break now, and I will take mine when my lunch arrives." Seriously. It wasn't a BIG DEAL. We build the X JWW course (for one dog) and ran it while my lunch was being ordered. I ate my lunch while they built the next course, then probably sat around another 10 minutes while THEY tried to organize the kids (all of whom had already eaten THEIR lunch)....but it just annoyed me that this woman seemed to believe that *I8 was singlehandedly slowing down the day because *I* needed to take a lunch break. Well, hell.....next time I'll just eat my sandwich while I'm judging! That should be a popular decision amongst the dogs!
Why is it, that SOMEONE always feels it is their duty to be a bitch at any given event? I just wish I could convey that message to THIS particular bitch!
A high point.....the 4H'r running excellent thanked me and told me I was "very supportive"...yeah, I know...I'm quite the cheerleader...lol...
Next saturday I'm off to our local Pierce County fair to judge 1st-year obedience (my personal favorite)...then sunday I entered Markee in his very first Rally trial.... Stay tuned!
My day actually started about a week after the qualifier, when I e-mailed my proposed course maps to the chief course builder. He never responded to give his opinion on the courses, so I figured we were good to go. But no.....he waited until wednesday to write to tell me he actually objected to three of the courses. He felt one was "too hard" for the one lone entrant (who coincidentally happened to be his daughter); one was "too easy" and one was "lacking interest" (I don't know if he had an agenda for either of these). I wrote back and told him I would tweak the "lacks interest" course, but the "too easy" course was built following 4H criteria and had one aspect I knew would give the kids enough of a challenge (which, when it came right down to it, *DID* create the exact challenge I felt it would), and I didn't feel it necessary to alter it further. As for the "too hard" course, I also refused to alter that course, telling him I felt his daughter was fully capable of handling the course and since the dog would do what the daughter told her to do, she would be fine. Nothing in the guidelines disallows me from assisting her during the walk thru. We discussed ways of dealing with several sequences that involved handling techniques she had never been taught, but she is a quick study and rapidly progressed to a point of confidence before she ran. I actually designed two excellent courses for her-both standard and jumpers. She ACED the standard course. The JWW course was quite tight, and had quite a few trickier sequences than the standard course. As she was walking it she commented "there aren't very many obstacles on this course, but you managed to make it complex!" In the end, she had a near-perfect run with one run out. I somehow managed to miss a wrong course, however, in 4H a wrong course is only a 5-point penalty so she still would have received a very good score of 90 in addition to her grand champion so I don't feel too guilty about missing it. A person's gotta blink every once in a while.
I had issues with "dad" because 1. He is ":type A" and is also a perfectionist. I can deal with that, but what I can't stand is a perfectionist who also feels everyone around him must also be perfect. He called me on more than one occasion where he felt I missed a missed contact. Excuse me, but um.....can I see your resume that shows your experience running a dog in agility? I'm sorry, but if I have a close call, I will err on the side of the kid. There was also an occurence at the novice level where everything was going way too fast, and I *thought* ultimately, that the dog completed all six of the weaves in the right order. He disagreed with me. I don't feel that he has the right to back seat drive where the judge is concerned. At one point he actually made a snarky remark to me about "missing SEVERAL other calls today..." wow.....reality check.....whose side are you on? I finally got it when he informed me one of my OTHER practices was not a good one, and would skew the "high point" trophy stats. Ah...I see....and is your DAUGHTER in line for this award? What I have done in the past, and what I did both theree and at the qualifier is this: If a dog incurs a run out or refusal on an obstacle, then incurs a wrong course en route to correcting the run out or refusal, I only count the wrong course. Right or wrong, this is how I do it. It is not covered in the 4H rules. I think he needs to get onto the committee if he wants to fix all that's wrong with the current agility 4H scheme.
Another irritation to the day was one parent who stood within earshot of me and spoke loudly enough to other parents complaining about this that and the other thing I was doing to annoy her. I know full well that this was intentional, and it took all my power to pretend I was unable to hear her when I wanted to go face-to-face with her. Apparently she had issues with me with regard to the table count. I chose to follow the AKC rule in effect that says as long as all four paws are on the table (the dog does not need to sit or down) the count goes. SHE felt that I needed to be consistent with their training and specify a sit or a down. Well, I was consistent.....it wasn't like I penalized anyone by requiring THEIR dog did a sit or a down.
WhatEVER.....
Later, this same parent wanted to know when lunch break was. Originally we were going to break between the standard and the jumpers runs. I pointed out that I didn't have any lunch, and it was pointless of me to take a lunch break if my lunch wasn't here yet. She wanted to take lunch NOW, regardless of my plans. I announced to the entire group "go ahead and take your lunch break now, and I will take mine when my lunch arrives." Seriously. It wasn't a BIG DEAL. We build the X JWW course (for one dog) and ran it while my lunch was being ordered. I ate my lunch while they built the next course, then probably sat around another 10 minutes while THEY tried to organize the kids (all of whom had already eaten THEIR lunch)....but it just annoyed me that this woman seemed to believe that *I8 was singlehandedly slowing down the day because *I* needed to take a lunch break. Well, hell.....next time I'll just eat my sandwich while I'm judging! That should be a popular decision amongst the dogs!
Why is it, that SOMEONE always feels it is their duty to be a bitch at any given event? I just wish I could convey that message to THIS particular bitch!
A high point.....the 4H'r running excellent thanked me and told me I was "very supportive"...yeah, I know...I'm quite the cheerleader...lol...
Next saturday I'm off to our local Pierce County fair to judge 1st-year obedience (my personal favorite)...then sunday I entered Markee in his very first Rally trial.... Stay tuned!
Friday, July 29, 2011
...And This Is Exactly Why My Blog Is Called What It Is....
When I started organizing my obedience/rally show-n-go (it's tomorrow!!!) I knew I needed obedience jumps for three out of the four rings. I don't have any obedience jumps, but I started inquiring amongst the club members to see if I could borrow a set from anyone.
One member - Cat- (name changed so you can't confront the ridiculous) has jumps. I asked to borrow them and heard a shopping list of reasons/excuses as to why I probably wouldn't want to borrow them. One of the reasons was "they need repairing". I said "that's fine with me.....I'll fix them for free in exchange for letting me use them." But she still behaved like she just really didn't want to loan them to me, so I dropped the subject.
Several months go by before I see Cat at another 4H function where she asked: "Do you still need my jumps?" I said "Yes!!! I still need them!" She said, "OK.....I'll bring them to our next function." (in two weeks). When I arrived that morning I asked her "did you bring the jumps?" She had clearly forgotten them, but said she would call me tuesday of this past week, I said "that's perfect.....it'll give me a few days to fix whatever needs fixing".
No phone call. By now, tiring of her wishy-washy attitude I have found other club members with jumps. Imagine my surprise when I checked my messages yesterday afternoon and hear Cat's voice.
"hey.....I'm not available after tomorrow morning because I'm leaving town for the weekend, and I just don't know how I'm going to manage to get these jumps to you..." Her whole tone was annoyed and irritated...like it was a major inconvenience or something. Hello? What happened to Tuesday? Like.....when I pick them up (when ?!?!?) I'm going to fix them (when?!?!?!)
How shall we say I did not bother to respond to the voice mail....:P
One member - Cat- (name changed so you can't confront the ridiculous) has jumps. I asked to borrow them and heard a shopping list of reasons/excuses as to why I probably wouldn't want to borrow them. One of the reasons was "they need repairing". I said "that's fine with me.....I'll fix them for free in exchange for letting me use them." But she still behaved like she just really didn't want to loan them to me, so I dropped the subject.
Several months go by before I see Cat at another 4H function where she asked: "Do you still need my jumps?" I said "Yes!!! I still need them!" She said, "OK.....I'll bring them to our next function." (in two weeks). When I arrived that morning I asked her "did you bring the jumps?" She had clearly forgotten them, but said she would call me tuesday of this past week, I said "that's perfect.....it'll give me a few days to fix whatever needs fixing".
No phone call. By now, tiring of her wishy-washy attitude I have found other club members with jumps. Imagine my surprise when I checked my messages yesterday afternoon and hear Cat's voice.
"hey.....I'm not available after tomorrow morning because I'm leaving town for the weekend, and I just don't know how I'm going to manage to get these jumps to you..." Her whole tone was annoyed and irritated...like it was a major inconvenience or something. Hello? What happened to Tuesday? Like.....when I pick them up (when ?!?!?) I'm going to fix them (when?!?!?!)
How shall we say I did not bother to respond to the voice mail....:P
Hmmmm...I'm Harboring A "Noxious Weed"...Who Knew?
Got an interesting envelope in yesterday's mail from the "Pierce County Department Of Noxious Weeds". Seriously? How does one introduce himself (I instinctively know there are no women working in this department) when he arrives at a party? I'd probably just say "I work for the county..." and change the subject.
Sooooo the contents of this letter informed me that I may be in violation of some *LAW* because I have "Tansy Ragwort" in my yard. I've certainly heard of it, and I do know it is toxic to wildlife and livestock (who won't eat it anyway) but I had no idea it was against the law to allow weeds to exist on my unmowed property. They were nice enough to send me a brochure with a picture so I headed out to the yard to take a look-see. Well, I counted under a dozen of the evil things. Gotta put my gloves on and pull those buggers out before I land in jail!
Sooooo the contents of this letter informed me that I may be in violation of some *LAW* because I have "Tansy Ragwort" in my yard. I've certainly heard of it, and I do know it is toxic to wildlife and livestock (who won't eat it anyway) but I had no idea it was against the law to allow weeds to exist on my unmowed property. They were nice enough to send me a brochure with a picture so I headed out to the yard to take a look-see. Well, I counted under a dozen of the evil things. Gotta put my gloves on and pull those buggers out before I land in jail!
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