We found ourselves back at Dr. Ben's for Memorial Day weekend and the NC State trial. Hot and humid as always. Same course with tricky terrain due to the terraced field. Seemed that Rae developed a raging UTI that I only noticed as we were waiting to go on the field. That morning someone had peed in my bedroom, and she was fussing in her crate when we were about 15min away from the trial, but I didn't realize what the problem was til later. She wouldn't even look at sheep before our run, she was squatting and obsessively eating grass while we were on deck.
She ran out (right, as always) nicely, and everything went very well from there. She really likes those sheep and they feel comfortable with her behind them. Good lines, made the first 2 panels, and just missed the crossdrive panel at the last second due to my mis-judgement. I (and others) thought I was straight on the line. One of those DANGIT at the last minute as you see sheep go just beside the panel. On to the shed ring, got our split, had a ewe who didn't want to cooperate at the pen. I tried to ease them in and twice we had 3 out of 4 all the way in, the last time with the lag ewe standing in the mouth, but we timed out. 71 without a pen, not far out of the placings had we gotten it.
She peed *very* bloody urine coming off the field and I was worried about her. She didn't appear to be feeling that well when I saw her in the shed ring, and she was running out of gas at the pen, too, but once I got some anti-inflammatories and antibiotics in her, and let her nap in the AC in the hotel room, she was back to normal bouncing around the campers trying to steal both dog and people food.
Sunday I planned on retiring. It was unbelievably hot and humid (still about 90 at 7pm when I left the field), we ran at about 4pm when it was brutal. I sent her left hoping she'd save some energy not having to climb those terraces...and the stinker ran the fenceline. I guess it was fine, though, as she got 0 off her OR and lift. Boy did she work smoothly for me. We only lost 8 around the course and through the split. Her split was quite impressive, especially for a hot, tired dog. One sheep tried to break back to the others, but with a quick extra flank command from me she whipped around like a cutting horse and got right in it's face to turn it back! Again we had a ewe who wouldn't pen, and again we had 3/4 sheep penned twice. That last bugger wasn't going to pen no matter what I or Rae did. She was trial-wise and knew that if Rae stayed on the pressure to the exhaust, she could bolt past me even though I was stretched to the end of the rope with my stick out and working her from my side. So we timed out at the pen and didn't get that or the single. We ended up with an 82 without a pen or single, which would've put us as high as 4th had we gotten at least some of those points.
I don't care, I am so incredibly happy with our performance!! She was great! I don't think we've ever had 2 good runs in the same weekend, so that makes these runs extra special! The "I'm not going in the pen, not no way, not no how" ewes pop up rather frequently at Dr. Ben's...last year I was fortunate to not draw any in 4 runs. Not so, this year. But that really doesn't disappoint me. We didn't place, but I am so incredibly proud of our work. AND in the heat, AND when she was sick.
I had my video camera along and really wanted to have someone video, but I felt like it would jinx my runs! Now I'm wishing I would have those runs on video, but oh well.
Gosh I love this dog. I bought her an ice cream after her run Sunday to help her cool down. Some of the good ol' boys tease me about being a softy with my dogs. It is true :) At least they didn't see me giving Rae her ice cream, I'm sure I wouldn't have heard the end of it.
Gabriel...well. The PN course was a weird setup. The entire course was in the dead zone on the field, so hearing was certainly questionable. There were 2 setout people (no dogs were used), 2 vehicles parked right behind where the sheep were set, and a busy road just behind the top end. Gabe ran out beautifully, came on like a freight train, ignored lie down whistles and shouts...and gripped off. After he'd singled the one off to bite, he then proceeded to bring it down the field to me, proud as can be. I suppose he's had a little too much practice on singles at home. Seriously, I've been working him only on a single for almost 2 weeks. Oops.
He definitely is in an outrun-lift-grip funk. We need to break that. I have gotten some good advice on how to handle him so that doesn't happen, but I'd still like to experiment with ways to address the root of the problem as opposed to handle around it.
We did have a long time off til the next trial, but I may squeeze in the VBCA trial at the end of June. I am having such fun running Rae (who isn't getting any younger), and a small field would be a good opportunity to keep my thumb on Gabe.
