Syracuse Trail
Well, it's the end of the year for me and Jessie. We went to our last obedience trial until next spring and will now take a well deserved vacation. We started in January with our first Utility leg, finished the title with all first winning two run-offs, one against our own obedience instructor. Then we started trying for UDX legs and in approximately 6 months managed to get 4 legs, 6 OTCh points, a first and HIT at an all breed trial and two firsts and a HC at the kerry speciality, plus numerous other placements over the year. I'm very happy with how the year worked out and very proud of my kerry, Primrose Jessie James. If this was the end of obedience for him, I'd consider it a success, but no such luck for him. He has the Obedience Invitational coming up in January and then we'll hit the road again and try to get the other six UDX legs next year.

This weekend was a real mixed bag. We started out with a bang -- best heeling he's done in a long time. In Open B he lost only half a point in the heeling (heel free and figure 8 combined) and the judge actuallly said to me when we finished out figure 8 that we had "awesome heeling", but Jessie didn't come back over the jump for the retrieve over the high, so no leg. The judge, though, found me after the class to tell me I probably would have been in the ribbons if we'd Qd, which was really nice of her and made me feel so much better about the NQ.

All weekend it was the jumping that got us in trouble. Jessie didn't want to do the bar jump in utility and gave me two high jumps Friday and Saturday. Sunday he gave me heck -- barking his head off -- but at last did the bar jump and picked up a nice score of 192 under Bernie Brown (not good enough for a ribbon, but a good score particularly considering all the barking). Open it was the retrieve over the high jump that he didn't want to do all three days, and on Sunday he also walked the broad jump. I think he needs a diet (he's so fat right now it's embarrassing!) and some work on jump shoots -- so that's what we'll do this winter.

Anyway, I hope I haven't been boring all of your with my writings of our adventures. I never thought I'd be competing a dog at this level. It's so much fun and so exciting when things come together in the ring.