Sadie's First HIT

Last year I started taking classes at a school in Georgetown called Campaign Dog Academy. Each year for the past several years they have held an obedience challenge day for staff and students. When I started going to Campaign, I really enjoyed looking at all the photo collages and promotional posters on the walls that showed the students' accomplishments over the years. The school is obviously very proud of its students and all the work that goes into competing in dog sports.

The Campaign Challenge posters were especially nice, and showed the winners in each obedience category as well as an overall winner. I thought it was great that Deb Desjardine, the owner, would go to the trouble to put on such a big day for her staff and students, and to honour the memory of her dad, Ron Peterson.

I was excited this year to be able to enter the Challenge. With Elliott out of commission due to his knee surgery, I entered Sadie for the day. Challenge Day was Sunday, June 28.

New this year to the Challenge, the overall winner was going to come from the highest combined score across the Agility, Rally, and Obedience competition. Well, I've never done Agility, so I knew there wasn't a chance we would win, but I thought it would be good fun anyway. Sadie and Elliott have both had basic courses a few years ago when they were younger but I've never run a course or done anything outside of a class that was held indoors. Fortunately there was a class available in the Challenge for dogs with no Agility titles, a pre-novice level, so I entered that and worried about what a fool I was going to look huffing around an agility course but knowing that Sadie would enjoy herself. I entered the Rally Excellent class since she has her RE title, and I was able to enter her in Novice Obedience since she has no CDX legs and has never trialed in Open.

Our scores were all kept secret during the day, but placements were announced as the classes finished. No placement in Agility, but I felt she did a good job; she cleanly did about 12 jumps and 3 tunnels and had a great party and man was she FAST. I think this is where her strengths will lie in time to come. And the smile on her face was a joy to behold. Bonus - I did not fall down in the Agility course!

On to Rally, she gave me beautiful effort there including a flawless backwards heel. I was proud when she placed first in her class and got a lovely prize.

In the Novice class she did more good work. As always, heeling is our bete noir in the Obedience ring, but very nice nonetheless. Won that class, and got another prize.

Paul helped out as a ring steward for the rest of the afternoon, and I watched the Brace competition and some of the Open and Utility competition. I always enjoy watching and learning from the experience of these talented handler and dog teams.

Then at the end of the day Deb announced the overall category winners.

Agility - I knew she wasn't in the running because she hadn't won her class.

Rally, I hoped.... maybe.... but no.

Obedience, I knew others had done better out of the Utility and Open classes.

Then, the final announcement of the overall Challenge Winner of the day. Highest cumulative score over the 3 levels of competition, the first ever Campaign Challenge Versatility champion. I think I heard my jaw hit the floor when "Mary & Sadie" was called.

My little Sadie got her first High in Trial out of several classes of competition, across three dog sports, in a very special venue. It was an honour to compete with so many richly talented teams, and it was very special to be the top team of the day at the 2009 Campaign Challenge. We got more wonderful prizes thanks to the generosity of Campaign. Especially gratifying will be to see my Sadie adorning the next collage poster that goes up on the wall at Campaign.

WAY TO GO, SADIE!!!!!