Grrrrr

[Milesmom]

Miles and I went to an agility trial on Friday. We were entered in Excellent JWW, Excellent Standard and Open FAST.

We finally broke our streak at this location and Q'd in Jumpers. It was a very hard course for us. 3 pinwheels. Anyway, we got through it clean and it was fast for miles. 32 seconds. Not out of the ball park, though.

One guy I know was telling me and my friend that we left out a pinwheel. I remember doing it, and we Q'd! The judge was standing 10 feet away and this guy was saying the judge missed it. I remember that part of the course distinctly and he sat there insisting we didn't do it and that my dog can't possibly run a course that fast. But, I also heard him comment that his dog got 11 mach points. My dog is faster than his and we'd have gotten 11 mach points too if we were in B. His rationale that he couldn't possibly looked away and missed our pinwheel is faulty. I asked him how a judge could possibly miss an omission like that and said "oh sometimes they zone out". I can see them missing a blown contact if it is close, maybe a weave pole if they skip one or possibly running past a jump MAYBE, but to skip an entire pinwheel? com'on! He'd have to be drunk to miss that!

Anyway, we got our JWW leg and blue ribbon. What I am miffed about was that this guy was so confident, he actually had me second guessing our run and this whole thing kinda ruined it for me. We got our second ExJWW leg on a hard course with a good time and I couldn't even be excited about it!

By the way, we had a good run in Standard but dropped a bar and I know what I did to cause it. We qualified in Open FAST with a first place!

[lcspt]

As Connie Cleveland said in one of her articles this man was "stealing your joy". I have found my best course of action with that type pf person is to walk away.

Congrats on the Q's and your day doing agility.

[deidra]

Congrats! Sorry that person ruined it though!

[Milesmom]

That's plan, Linda. I am just going to let it go. I just needed to vent.

Thanks for letting me vent guys, and helping me feel better.

[MicksMom]

Congrats on the Q! I'm with Linda- that guy was just stealing you're thunder, so to say. I wonder if Miles was faster/better than his dog was or has been. Anyway- I'm glad you're letting it go. Now, go celebrate that great run!

[brody]

vent away - that's what we are hear for

Been there and I just smile and say I guess he's running better then you EVER thought he would eh? and walk away.

Now as a scribe I have seen MAJOR misses like that from a judge - not very often but it can happen (though obviously your time should have smoked everybody)

I was told ages ago - you'll lose the occasional que you KNOW you earned but don't have a fit - celebrate anyhow and enjoy the occasional freebie you'll get in return (like when you KNOW your dog missed a contact but the judge missed it or whatever)

congrats on a great day

[windycanyon]

Congrats on a nice weekend. I hate it when other people have to be the party poopers!

We had a "cobweb blowing" weekend ourselves! I'm miffed at *me*... I totally blew a clean Exc std run w/ Mata yesterday by taking her to the jump Fuji had for Open Std just before. Terrible handler... bad bad bad... lol.

The other negative at our Friday trial were far too many unruly/ aggressive dogs. 2 attacks in the ring and several on the edge in Nov Jww w/ their handlers. Why can't people see *before* trialing that their dogs aren't ready? It was dejavu of a few years ago when I first started running agility. I really had thought it'd gotten better but apparently not.

[debjen]

Unfortunately it wasn't just the novice handlers. Flyer got bit this weekend right above the eye by a dog outside the open FAST gate. Not sure what other levels the dog was in. We had to go to the E vet to have his eye stained to make sure he didn't get the eye which luckily he didn't. Unfortunately I was looking in the ring at the time so I didn't see exactly what happened.

[Milesmom]

Thanks again. One time in APDT Rally, I skipped a sign. Got to the finish and thought we did good. The judge came and said, "nice job, but you missed a sign". Doh! As soon as she said it, pointed at it, I realized what I did. Darn it! The point is, once it was pointed out to me, I realized I'd left if out. What is so frustrating for me in this case, is that I REMEMBER DOING THAT PINWHEEL and having someone sit there and insist that we left it out. Having someone tell me that I am wrong about what I remember is insulting.

Speaking of aggressive dogs, there was a poodle, not sure if it was mini or toy. It was very small but I have seen smaller. Deb, I like poodles, so please don't take this a a diss on poodles this dog just happened to be a poodle. It was in Novice FAST and the handler had little control over it. When he was wistled out of the ring, his handler couldn't catch him to leash him. He charged the judge, barking, then ran back toward his handler. Then went after a bar setter, went to bite her pant legs, missed then ran back to his owner and he caught him. The bar setter and I were annoyed because if either of our dogs acted like that (she has dobermans) we'd have been, at minimum, written up. The double standard of what is acceptable with small breeds vs large is annoying. Miles can't stand having a little dogs lunging and barking at him and I am always having to keep cookies in his face when one is near, because if he answers the little bully, he'd be in the one in trouble. Well, he can't stand having any dog lunging and barking at him but, again, handlers don't tolerate that from large dogs so they are trained early on not to behave that way. I think it is that way because we are can't allow that in large dogs because they are stronger than we are, where we can manhandle a 10# dog.

Deb, I hope Flyer is okay physically and isn't otherwise impacted by a bad experience at a show.

Anne, we blew a beautiful standard run because I called Miles of a tire jump, then after he was already committed to the correct jump, I nervously repeated his name. As he was midflight, his head came up, butt came down and so did the bar!

Miles would probably be well on his way to a MACH by now if he had a better handler!

[2yellowlabs]

Ann - You and Miles have been having great weekends. I agree with everyone - sometimes there are just people that are not nice and like to ruin your joy. Everyone eventually gets a Q they probably didn't really earn and loses one they did. I think the walk away advice is the best. Guy sounds like a jerk. Judges are human too and they do miss stuff but overall they do a great job. Not sure I could stand for 8 hours and watch the same thing over and over.

When I did Rally with Doro some idiot said to me "I'm sure the judge switched our scores because my dog would never have scored that low and your dog was not really very good." I was crushed because it was a tough judge and we had scored OK - not great. Well of course the judge was correct, the guy was an idiot and the judge pretty much told him that. There is always someone who wants to ruin your day - keeps us humble I guess. Are you at CABTC this weekend? B