2014 - An Agility Review

Well another year of agility is over by the calendar anyway so I'm going to put our accomplishments into perspective.

Our 2014 year didn't really get started until April and it didn't start off all that well. I had entered a trial to try and get some Steeplechase Q's with Beckett and in our very first run I pulled my hamstring. It wasn't nearly as bad as the calf muscle I tore the year before but again I couldn't run. I pulled Beckett from his runs after trying a second time to run without success. I had a friend run Keltic for his runs and was pleasantly surprised to see that he would run for someone else.  I was disappointed to say the least as I thought perhaps our year was done before we even got started.

I had healed enough to run at Regionals in May although I took the precaution of wearing a thigh compression sleeve.  Keltic did fine in the warm-up runs even though he still wasn't weaving all that well. I couldn't have asked for more from Beckett he got both Gambles and did remarkably well in all of his other runs. He made the podium placing 5th overall in his height class.

AAC Nationals Qualifiers

The next big event for us was to be Canada Cup the first weekend of July. I had hoped to make the finals as I had the previous year but that was not to be. Beckett ran well but I don't think I was up to par and we finished out of the finals. In one event we were only a few seconds behind the last dog that made the finals. Keltic did well too, almost having a clear round in one of the Jumpers runs; that was until his handler forgot the course.

Canada Cup

We took much of the rest of the summer off before heading to Nationals. I had hopes that we would do well and that perhaps Beckett could place in one of his events. We certainly have the ability on a good day to run with some of the best, at least I think so.  But again this year, it was not to be, the weather was crappy and we didn't have a lot of luck. We didn't have a single clear round in the Nationals events; the one bright spot was the two qualifying scores that Beckett got in Steeplechase which put him only one qualifying score from his Expert Bronze Steeplechase title.

When we came back from our holidays down in New Brunswick, we entered an agility trial with a local club that was just starting to host trials. We had a spectacular weekend getting 5 Q's and 5 best runs.

Awesome Agility Weekend

Keltic got his first title that weekend Starter Games Dog of Canada.  And Beckett got two Standard Q's at one trial, almost unheard of for us which put him only one Q away from Expert Standard Bronze and Bronze Award of Merit.

Keltic - Starter Games Dog of Canada (SGDC)

Well Beckett got that last Standard Q and that last Steeplechase Q and as a result got not only Bronze Award of Merit but also Bronze Versatility but to cap off the year he also got the Q's he needed for Masters Team Relay Dog of Canada as well. Keltic on the other hand still needs one more Q for his Agility Dog of Canada title, maybe 2015 will start out that title.

Beckett - Master team Relay Dog of Canada

Logan and Beckett Team Relay Q

So for a year that didn't start out the best, it certainly ended very well. We're looking forward to new adventures and challenges in 2015. In the plans are another trip to the Canada Cup, possibly to Regionals with Keltic and we're even thinking of doing some UKI trials. But the biggest change in 2015 is that, for AAC trials anyway, Beckett will now be jumping as a special and his jump height will drop to 10 ", that should prove to be fun.

See our 2014 Agility Year in Pictures!

Run fast, run clean, have fun!

Our Crisp Mas

 Hey, dere everyone, it be me Beckett. I gets to tell you all abouts our Crisp mas. Crisp mas Eve, we wents over to Mums sister's house. The peeps had dinner and then they went out to something called church. Keltic and I stayed back at da house but we gots to have some treats.  Our dog cousin Merle was dere too but he went to stay wid his other cousins when da peeps went to da church thing.

When da peeps got back, they opened dere Crisp mas stockings.  Mums didn't bring ours, she said we'd get to open dem in da morning.

Da peeps sure had lots of stuff in dere stockings, look at all da rapping paper.

We dogs sorta got kinda bored with it all.  And all of us laid down for a winter nap in hopes that Santa Paws would come.

Cousin Merle and Keltic

It's me, Beckett by Mums feet.

Cousin Merle at the foot of the stairs.

Then we went backs to our home to goes to bed and guess what, when we got up in da morning Santa Paws had come and we gots to open up our gifts.

We must have been pretty good this year. We gots new place mats, a bed, toys, and loads of treats, although Mums said they have to last quite a while.

Beckett and Keltic open their gifts.

After we finished with our gifts, we went back over to Mums sisters house.  Dere is where da peeps were going to open dere gifts. Da littlest peep was already opening some of his gifts so we watched him for a little bit.

He and Keltic liked da bag of paper. I think Keltic thought he was gonna find some good stuff in da bottom of da bag. I'm not sure dat boy will ever learn there is nothin but paper in da bag. 

Da peeps opened lots more gifts and dere was a couple for us too, one from Auntie Julie and one from Merle. We gaved Merle a gift too.

After dey was done opening gifts da peeps ate and talked lots during da day.But da best part of da day was dat Keltic and me gots to have turkey dinner. We had to wait until after da peeps had dere supper but dere was lots so we didn't mind. Mums made us each a plate with mashed taters, apple, sweet potato, turnip and carrots, turkey with gravy on top. What a swell Crisp mas!

At de end of the night, Mums packed up our car and we went home. I sure was glad to get in my bed after such a long day.

Keltic and I wish you all a very Happy New Year!

And the Stockings were hung...

Merry Christmas to One and All!

Da Tree in da House

Hey dere everyone, it's me, Keltic. Mums brought a tree in da house agin this week. She broughts it home wid her when she came home from work one day. She putted us out in da backyard until she gots it set up in da livinroom.

The tree was kinda wet seeing as how it was raining outside but Mums still poured water into da stand at da bottom. I tooks a drink from da stand but Mums said I got to leave it alone.  She didn't do nuthin to it that night. The next night she putted the star and lights on da tree and then putted the tree in da corner. She gave it more water too, sure does drink a lot dat tree.

Last night, since it was Friday, Mums decorated da tree. She played Christmas music while she put da decorations on. She takes a long time puttin on the decorations. Some is very special. Dere is one for each of us fur kids, me and Beckett, da old guy Tucker and de other furkids I has only heard about Duffy, Gryffon and Ceilidh. Dere is also special one for her Mum and Dad.  Mum's Dad, I never met, he is at da Bridge with Duffy, Gryffon, Ceilidh and Tucker. I did met Mum's Mum when we goes on vacation. She lives in a home and when we goes to see her we has to stay in her room or our leashes.  But back to decorating da tree, Mums says its kind sad decorating da tree, a happy kind of sad. Me and Beckett just finds it kinda boring. Once Mums finished with all da special ornaments, she putted berries,an ribbons, an tinsel, an snowflakes and icicles dat don't melt, they be made of glass on da tree to fill in all da bere spots and to make it all twinkly.

So dere you has it da tree is all decorated and it won't be long now for Santa Paws arrives. I has tried to be a good boy dis year.

Today Mums tooks some pictures of us with da tree in our Christmas collars. We didn't want to sit nicely though so Mums said it was okay to lie down.

Mums liked da last picture of us so she said we was done and gave us a cookie for staying for the pictures even though as you can see we dids get a little bored with the flashy thing.

We hopes everyone has a very nice Christmas and dat Santa Paws is good to you all.

Lots of Licks from me Keltic and from Beckett too.

Mish Mash Monday

ATChC Triadics Glenciaran Beckett ADC, SGDC, AADC, AGDC, MJDC, MSDC, MGDC, MADC, MSCDC, Ex Bronze Std, Ex Bronze Jumpers, Ex Bronze Steeplechase, Bronze, VBA, with his latest title - Masters Team Relay Dog of Canada (MTRDC).