Looks like we made it ... Obedience Open class - 4 & 5 June 2011

Tails up ... it's the 4^th Edition of the Mid Valley Dogsports Championships, which happens to be the most prestigious event in the dogsports calendar organized by FEMSB and PetnYou. Features the launch of Dances With Dogs competition in Malaysia and the popular Agility and Obedience trials. DWD and Agility trials were judged by Ms Barbara Murfet from the Australian National Kennel Club. OB trials were officiated by Mr Tan Pak Song of the Singapore Kennel Club.

Back to back DWD events on Saturday and Sunday meant that Mr Owner and I were up for 4 dance routines in the Heelwork to Music and Freestyle classes. Could hear Mr Owner’s backbone creaking from all that practice and attempts to fine tune our grooves, plus he needed to keep my excited woofs to a minimum. Appears that teams get points deducted if dog makes too much noise while dancing and teams may even be disqualified for continuous barking … oh errr.

Why are humans permitted to shout out the requisite commands, while dogs are not allowed to have any say during the performance … it is supposed to be a team sport. Although they are less than willing to admit it, humans do require the occasional guidance from us, more so when it comes to shuffling around the dance floor.

1^st ever DWD competition officiated by an experienced Australian judge, 1^st trial officially sanctioned by the Malaysian Kennel Association, number of videocams on standby ready to capture the moment and a huge crowd turnout at MidValley Megamall … hey, no pressure.

True to form, once the beats started, I was all worked up and went straight into the singing and ‘pogo stick‘ bouncing act, which did put Mr Owner off … just a little. But it went smoother as we got stuck into the routine and we finished strongly. Think I was skating on thin ice with regards to the singing part but kudos to the DJ and his music machine which helped to disguise some of my incessant chatter.

Did get marks deducted for the chanting but still managed to secure two 1^st spots, a 2^nd and a 3^rd in all 4 events entered into. At the end of the weekend, this was enough to give us the overall National DWD Champion trophy … it was a big, red and shiny cup, sweet!

My Golden Retriever pals, Amber and Duchess, presented great routines and deservedly won the remaining 2 events in the HTM and Freestyle Novice levels.

Agility, my favourite event, was up next but I must have left my running sneakers at home that day. Made it to the podium in 1 (Novice Agility) out of 4 events entered, which must be my weakest showing to date. The tighter indoor conditions and carpeting are less suited to this fast paced and hurried JRT. Knocked down poles were the order of the day … guess we will have to work on similar conditions or shift to low gear instead.

My fellow boarding mate, Cami the Cairn Terrier, gave us a lesson in running indoors and took 5 podium spots including 3 wins, and claimed the National Agility Champion award, cool … at least, it went to one of my best friends.

OB trials saw a familiar judge who is known to be one of the strictest and technically demanding in the region. Took part in the higher level Intermediate and Open classes. Just missed out on a qualifying certificate for Intermediate as I wasn’t concentrating during the Distance Control exercise and missed Mr Owner’s cue for a sit … or was it a down or stand?

That’s OB for you, miss a sit or a stay and you are OUT! This is despite having performed reasonably well in the other 7 exercises. Hence why, OB is not on my list of fav things to do. The margin for error is so minute … you don’t even have time to sniff your own private parts, let alone your opponents’. Unlike DWD, there’s no room to fit in another move to make up for one that you have just missed … zero opportunity to wing it as you go along, which is a real challenge for me.

Open level OB and I almost got unstuck in the Distance Control exercise again. Tight call as to whether I had moved a full body length from the starting line but judge must have given me the benefit of the doubt … perhaps because he included 5 positions in this exercise, 2 more than the recommended 3 positions as stipulated in the rules.

Close to perfect for the remaining exercises and even managed to score 35/ 40 for heeling, my best to date. Heeling is traditionally my soft spot as being a JRT, we seldom measure up to the steadfast watch, consistency and discipline of the working group dogs. But once in a blue moon, we make the grade and fancy our chances of being in the police K9 squad … very rare, but it happens.

My qualifying score was 183/ 200, pretty darn good. As we were the only qualifier in Open class, 1^st place was in the bag, plus the points were enough to give us the Overall National Obedience award. Another big, red, shiny trophy … 2 overall champions awards, how cool is that! My best haul to date, notwithstanding the no show in the Agility ring.

Mr and Ms Owners were quite amazed and beaming with pride when the results were announced. Certainly delivered the goodies this time round.

This is the OB Open class cup. May be a small cup … but it means more to me than all the others in my cabinet. This one-eyed JRT is in the company of a handful of dogs who have made it through the most demanding level of OB trials.

Mr Owner, can we give OB exercises a miss now?

Mr Owner, “Sure … once you’ve managed to get through Intermediate class and earned your OB title.”

Huh?

ps. Would like to dedicate the trophies to a puppydog club out there who has a habit of making up rules just to prevent this JRT from making an impact at their events.

Groovin' in the UK - Days 10, 11, 12

Humans indulged in yet another scrumptious English breakfast and I said my goodbyes to the Westie duo at Scotland Lodge Farm. Judging by their grayish coats, they must have last taken a shower a couple of months ago … lucky fellas. I would like to get into the hippie mode as well but Ms Owner would kick up a fuss if I missed my weekly bath.
Back to civilization and traffic, London city roads were rather narrow and laden with a myriad of road signs telling you where to go and what to do. Red double-decker buses and black cabs greeted us, amongst the hustle bustle of tourists and immigrants congregating in the city. We stayed in Cleveland Hotel at Bayswater, which was conveniently located near Hyde Park and Bayswater eateries. Cool hotel with comfy beds and modern amenities. First stop, the infamous Hyde Park … now this is what I call a park! Never ending grassland, bushes and trees aplenty to leave my mark on. There were dog walkers, dogs walking their owners and dogs walking on their own, sweet. Have never met this many even tempered dogs in my life, Back home, with my feisty demeanour, I would have got into minor skirmishes with a number of dogs at the park but none of that here. I was cool with the local dogs throughout the trip which left my owners slightly stunned. Must be the weather, environment, attitude and the K9 friendly facilities … goes a long way in cultivating good habits.
Hyde Park is linked to Kensington Park , which is linked to St James’s Park, which meant that one could spend the whole day exploring the area, meeting up with fellow K9s and playing ball. I was game but my owners couldn’t keep up with me and decided to call it day.
Okay, okay, one more final sprint and I will let you guys take a breather ... promise.
Day 2 in London and I had my first experience of commuting on public transport via the underground Tube. Not a common sight but they do allow dogs on trains, humans have to pay while dogs get to ride for free … excellent! I took it all in stride and hardly batted an eyelid to take up my seat amongst London’s working class. The commuters smiled and smirked to see a JRT sharing the compartment but I wasn’t too bothered … I’ve more important things in mind, places to go and sights to see.
Got off at Knightsbridge and my owners made a beeline for Harrods, place of worship for shopaholics. Mr Owners and I wasn’t keen on meeting any gods today so we stayed outside to watch the Londoners go about their daily business. Put on my best behavior trick and attracted a number of locals who were resting on the sidewalk benches and they wasted no time chatting and taking photos with me. Must say, I am blending nicely into the British culture … ahem.
Took the tube to Westminster and we ran into a sea of tourists snapping photos of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, London Eye on Southbank and cruising on the River Thames. So many people and things going on that is was a little overwhelming, even for a JRT.
There were street buskers, anti-capitalism protesters and immigrants from every corner of the globe … little wonder they call it the melting pot of the world. The protestors looked like an interesting lot but it was a sit down protest, which appeared too static for my liking.
Walked to St James’ Park for a spot of lazing in the sun and frisbee catching. Caught a glimpse of Buckingham Palace but the hoard of tourists hogging the palace guards meant that photo taking opportunities were limited. Guess the royal Corgis will have to wait for my next trip for the pleasure of having tea with this JRT.
At Covent Garden, owners shopped for souveniers and indulged in ice cream whilst I took a power nap to recharge my batteries.
Walked through London city center towards Chinatown and bumped into a pet mouse owned by some pub goers. Had me going for awhile, but I soon sniffed out the battery operated vermin. Met a couple of tourists who very glad to see me as they were missing their own JRT back home. Plenty of pubs and theatres in the city centre and the locals do hang out at these places a lot.

Final stop for the day was Portobello Road in the cool and colourful suburb of Nottinghill, where the arty-farty community hang out. How’s this for a grunge-hippie wannabe pup?
They love their pubs in this city. During the weekends, when the pubs are bursting at the seams, the humans are unperturbed and will shuffle along to the pavement to continue drinking. At the Portobello Gold restaurant, I barely had time to catch forty-winks when a cute short legged female JRT tip toed into the pub area. We played bitey face under the pub stools while my owners had their beer, groovy!
Day 3 in London, time to pack our bags and head home. Before that, we visited the world famous Camden market. Bustling day market with variety of stalls selling food, crafts and knick knacks.
A river ran through the market and they had a canal system which continues to operate under the old method of flooding and draining, for tug boats to get through the higher parts of the stream … all very interesting and I wrecked my brain trying to figure this system out. Yup, I tend to do that a lot more nowadays, thinking deep thoughts ... owners say that it is old age catching up with me.
Out on the main road, shops were uniquely decorated with loud frontages and odd designs to attract customers.
At Heathrow airport, the animal customs officer allowed me to check in later, closer to flight time as they are very particular about animal comfort and didn’t want pets to stay cooped up for long periods of time in crates, how thoughtful. With a couple of hours to burn, my owners showed that they were an enterprising lot by sniffing out a local pub just beside the airport for a last sip of the local ale.

Other than the runaround by local customs, I made it through UK and Malaysia borders fairly smoothly. Great to be back home where the weather’s predictable and you can walk around comfortably in barefoot, not having to tip toe on cold pavements. That said, the weather in UK despite being on the cold side is certainly more conducive for agility or any dog sport. You could go on for longer periods without having to pant, heave and drink as much.

Grand event, invaluable lessons and a lifetime of memories and experiences to savour. I will sorely miss these bits:
· Running till my heart’s content at the gigantic Hyde, Kensington and St James’ Parks in central London,
· Catching the London underground tube to get around, beats walking plus I get to be carried around like a lapdog.
· Meeting new friends at B&Bs, making myself at home by scampering in and out of the garden, kitchen and living room as I pleased.
· Watching the ducks waddle by at the streams and brooks running through towns and villages.
· Snoozing at the local pubs after a full day of exploring the countryside.
· Fact that the English absolutely love animals and their pets, particularly dogs.

Can't wait to rummage through my souvenir collection …