Labor Day Trial/Auggie's Hotel Stay

All packed up and ready to go!


We rolled out a little later than I wanted, which resulted in us getting to the trial site basically in enough time for me to run out and start walking the course, warm up Auggie, then ran very soon after that.
I texted AllieMackie after we were done and told her the 100% truth, which is that before the run I thought I might pass out. I was terrified that I would get Auggie into the ring and he'd go "Nope. Not into this." I couldn't breathe, I couldn't calm down, I thought I was going to faint at the first jump.
As soon as Auggie took the first jump, I relaxed. Then he took the next jump. And the next. And then another, and he just kept going.
He had a clean run.

In standard, we were chugging along... and then Auggie hit the breaks before the a-frame (which is his FAVOURITE.) Leftover a-frame buggies from a crappy trial a while back. Sigh. Thank God, I backed him up and came at it again, and over he went this time (this is a step up from before when he refused his FAVOURITE OBSTACLE over and over and over.) So besides that one hiccup, he did really good. Some bobbles at the weaves which I'm pretty sure are my fault entirely.

And by "really good" I mean he qualified that one, too. I wasn't positive. I didn't know what our time was. I wasn't going to celebrate too early because I thought we might have taken too long.
So I walked back to the tent after peeking at the scribe sheets to see what happened (placements and ribbons weren't done yet) and simply said, "Ask Auggie what a double Q feels like."

I know it doesn't REALLY count much - it doesn't mean anything, we're just in Novice - but it's the first time it's happened so it was really exciting for me. =>

Off we went for the night...

Checked in to the hotel. This is before I brought in his pillow and put that in the crate.


What do you think of staying in a hotel, Auggie?


"I think it sucks. Snff."


Snoozing out on the floor.


And hanging out on the bed with me.


Then he decided that the empty space under the bedside table made an excellent place to curl up.


Whaaaat? What do you mean I can't sleep here all night??



MORE...

Second day - he would have Q'd JWW again but I screwed up. I'm not sure exactly what happened. I got ahead of him, I was running just a bit too fast, and before he was even in the air for the triple jump I realized "This is not going to work." Sure enough, he tried to beat me to the jump, took off WAY too early, and crashed into the last bar of the triple.
SORRY AUGGIE THAT WAS MY FAULT I'M AN IDIOT.

Standard we had some more hiccups. Again with the a-frame... but again, I backed him up and he took it the second time, raring to go this time. Everything was going good until he came out of the tunnel and needed to get over the broad jump... and didn't make it. He touched down at the end of it. We also had some more hiccups at the weave poles, ones I anticipated (it was weaves, then final jump, and I just knew he would be like WEAVE WEAVE OKAY I'M DONE LAST JUMP.) After several attempts he just wasn't getting the last two weave poles, and we'd already NQ'd so I was like "eh, screw it," and just let him go off to the last jump.

So no Qs today, but it's a-okay. => We'll have to figure out how to work on the a-frame issue... it's a judge thing, he never used to care but after what happened several trials ago he sees the judge standing by the a-frame and thinks "Hmmm, maybe I don't really want to go up this thing."

After we packed up the car I walked Auggie over to take some pics...

...by the giant Lincoln statue at the entrance to the fairgrounds.


I'm not kidding, it's really a GIANT Lincoln.






My 2Q baby dog. I'm so proud of him. =>

Oh yeah - and he got 2nd place because newly minted MACH4 granny is now running in preferred with us, and she totally smoked him and snagged both 1sts, LOL. It's okay, I don't mind at all. I love his granny... and I think red ribbons are better suited to Auggie than blue ones anyway. ;>

YAY, great job to both of you!

Yes yes yes YES.

You know how proud I am of the both of you.

I'm serious, when I make my "Team Finnegan" t-shirts, I'll totally make some "Team Auggie" t-shirts. I'm thinking of adding custom t-shirts to my line along those lines.

YAY go yall!
Auggie is sooo cute as always.

My sheltie likes laying under my son's computer desk..so we keep a pillow there for her

aww yay Auggie!!! Congrats! red does suit him well

But he'll have some blue's in no time

Too adorable and very impressive Auggie! Love his pic with the giant Lincoln.

Auggie Doggy! I love the head tilt picture!

Congrats, love the pics too!!