Barn Hunt fun - (Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

How many photos needed before we can get a good group shot of four terriers? Well ...

WHEW!

A fun day in the barn!

I mentioned last week that we planned to attend our first barn hunt over the weekend. We did and it was so much fun!

I should have packed the car Friday night. I didn't and that meant getting up early to get everything loaded - crates, treats, water, bowls, leashes, harnesses, towels, first aid kits. The dogs definitely have more stuff than the humans! We hit the road just before 7 a.m. Carson, of course, sat up for the entire drive, watching me intently with her little black eyes. Marley was calm and quiet from his position at the rear of the Outback. We arrived just in time for the judges seminar, where we learned the specifics and all the dogs were introduced to the rats - both in cages and in the tubes used during the actual hunts. Both Marley and Carson went nuts over the rats; it was hard to lower their intensity once they saw and smelled them.

I ran each of the dogs twice in the introductory event (RATN), which was allowed since it was a fun match and no ribbons were being awarded. Marley was one of the first dogs "up," and he was promptly disqualified for marking a hay bale. Oops! Carson didn't find the rat first time out either but, honestly, in both cases handler error (me!) was more to blame than anything else. In barn hunts, as opposed to earthdog trials, you can actually talk to your dog. Once I got the hang of that, both dogs did a much better job. They found the rats the second time around and had a blast doing it! They didn't have to climb or tunnel at the intro level, just release them and find the tube with the rat in it within 60 seconds. Four other terriers and their humans were there. We have known one another for years and had a great time.

Carson works the rat after choosing the right tube!

Barn hunts are open to dogs of all breeds and sizes. Besides our six terriers, there was a cocker spaniel, a boxer, two Rhodesian Ridgebacks, dalmatian, wire-haired dachshund, and several other breeds. Perfect way to spend a brisk Saturday morning. Carson and Marley slept most of the rest of the day. I guess all that barking and jumping wore them out. I know it did me!

Taming the hairy beasts!

Yesterday we had the day off from school AND the weather was nice. That meant it was time to do some serious terrier grooming. After all, we will attend our first-ever barn hunt this weekend in Edmond (OK). I have never considered myself anything more than an almost-adequate groomer - and some would disagree with even that description! But we made it through with lots of terrier coat gone and no scrapes or blood loss. All in all, that's a pretty good day.

Marley - before #1

Marley was up first. His coat has never been the best. For one thing, to say he is double-coated would be an exaggeration! And his furnishings? Geez, they are super-thin.

Marley - almost done!

Marley - "before" #2

Then came Little Miss Carson. She is famous for sitting down when I want her to stand and it's no different on the grooming table! Most striking is how different it is to groom her from Marley. I've never done them back-to-back before, so those differences were much more apparent.

Her coat is classic Welsh double-thick, sometimes making it a challenge to even get the clippers through. Wiry, thick, hard - and sticks to everything it touches when trimmed - that's what you get when you groom Carson!

The photo on the left is before we started and on the right is nearly done. Faces and furnishing are tough for me and I trim both more than what is done for the show ring. But it helps keep her a bit cleaner when playing in the yard or slinging water all over the kitchen.

Enough fur for another WT

My "perfect angel"!

End of summer

This isn't actually the post I planned. I thought I would talk about how the dogs and I are adjusting to our empty nest, now that both human children are away at college. But I learned this afternoon - via social media, of course - of the death of a long-time friend. And, since my journey with terriers included her through the years, I believe this is certainly more important.

Elizabeth Leaman was well-known in the Welsh Terrier community, as was her kennel,Hapitails. I first "met" Liz around 1997, when I joined a email listserv dedicated to Welsh Terriers. Several years later, if I remember correctly, she offered to submit one of the recommendations I needed for membership in the national breed club, the Welsh Terrier Club of America. 

Liz and I didn't always agree, but I do believe that she always believed strongly in whatever stance she took on an issue. We met in person only once, at the 2004 Montgomery weekend, where I actually had been nominated for office, but was defeated. It stung to know that Liz was on the opposing "team" that year, but I came to understood that I was young to the breed and a pet owner rather than a breeder and her loyalties lay with breeders first. Good, bad or indifferent, she stood by her beliefs. You have to respect that in a person!

Not long after - just a few weeks - I was rocked by the dissolution of my marriage. My Welsh Terrier family did much to support me in the months (and years) to come. When the children, dogs and I moved to a new house, but one without a secure fence for the dogs, Liz sent funds in the hope it would be one less worry as we made our new life. I know she offered the same to others through the years; it was her way of "paying it forward," I suppose. 

Family illnesses and other commitments kept Liz away from the Welsh listservs in recent years, although she remained a member of at least two such groups. I sent emails periodically, just to say I missed her and to ask about her life and family. I didn't expect replies, and I heard from her infrequently. As is always the case, I wish I had written in the past week or two. I wish I had reached out one more time, to continue the connection begun more than 15 years ago. 

Image courtesy of Rosemary Ratliff/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There are so few left who knew the dog world as Liz knew it. But I am certain that tonight, many Hapitails dogs are celebrating "Nana Liz's" arrival at the Bridge. Enjoy your reunion, Elizabeth Leaman. You will be missed here on Earth.