Full On

Man, we’ve been so busy this month. We had the Wallumbilla Show on the 5th, then we competed at the Gympie Show on the 17th and 18th. The dogs all did great, and we got 10 ribbons – including Chantel and Freya’s second in Best Child Handler, and Sparkie getting first in both Tricks and Agility. Sparkie hadn’t won a first in Agility since 2009 and she hadn’t won a first in Tricks since 2010. So it was great to get both those ranks again! Sparkie also got second in the High Jump at 6 and a half feet, while Tess and Lassie ranked third at 6 feet.

Then on the 19th we drove up to the RSPCA to perform at the Million Paws Walk. Everyone was really nice and we got so many positive comments about our routines!

On Sunday we’re going to the Goomeri Pumpkin Festival. It’ll be neat to go back to the place it all started back in 2011! And after that we’re heading out west for the Winton Show on June 8-9. Good times!

Wallumbilla Show 2013

The Wallumbilla Show this year was pretty much the same as last year – only we were performing on the back of a truck kindly loaned to us by one of the show organisers. This worked out good coz the fencing we ordered hadn’t arrived yet so we were wondering how in the Pegasus Galaxy we were going to sort out an area! Some of the dogs were a little hesitant doing tricks on the stage but it went pretty good. I think next year we’ll stick to the ground though! We had to compete with the dodgem cars’ music again, and we realized that we still need bigger and better speakers if we’re gonna stand a chance next year!

 

We met one of Lassie’s puppies, “Ollie,” at the park on Wednesday. Man, he’s gotten so big and he’s beautiful!

When our fencing arrives, hopefully on Tuesday, we’ll start heading to Gympie for the Gympie Show and the Million Paws Walk.

Northbound

Wow, it’s been a long time since I blogged! Nearly a whole month, in fact. Things have been pretty busy around here getting ready for the shows.

 

We spent two weeks in Sydney with our cousins, where I got my license. We’re now on the road again, with only two weeks until the Wallumbilla Show. I haven’t done any driving yet, but now we’re out of the big city I should be able to get some hours done! Sparkie and Tess also learned some neat new tricks, and I made a video of them.

 

The collars and lead from Naranja Orange Dog arrived while we were in Sydney, and they look great!

Blayney Show video

And this is 6 week old “Freya,” our new Superdog! She’s 3/4 Border Collie and 1/4 Kelpie.

The craziest month ever

So, what have I been doing since the Blayney Show? Well, we’ve had the bus up for sale off and on for the last four years, but never had must interest. Once or twice we had people say they would buy it, and then we never heard back from them. But on Monday, March 4, a man came to look at the bus and put a deposit on it! Tuesday we started packing backpacks, and that evening we drove from Carcoar to Bowning to look at a van. Wednesday morning we test drove the van, put a deposit on it, and drove to Young to sort out licenses and legal bit and pieces. On Thursday we piled nearly all of our stuff into a storage shed and cleaned out the bus. Then on Friday afternoon the bus went to its new home and we became the proud owners of a van we’ve named “Puddle Jumper.”

The dogs have been a little unsettled, especially Lassie, but they’re doing quite good considering they’ve spent most of their lives in the bus, and now they’re living in a van and tents! We brought the bus when Sparkie was four or five months old and Lassie and Tess came home to it when they were about eight weeks old. So it’s pretty much all they’ve ever known.

 

Some random photos of the last week:

The camp in Young, where we were staying, had really slow internet which is why it’s taken me so long to update! We’re finally on the road again. Travelling in a van is so different to travelling in a bus! Obviously. But there’s way less room, which means way less stuff. I’m fine with that, by the way, but some of the others wanted to bring EVERYTHING and had a hard time leaving it in storage! And we took the dogs for their vaccinations yesterday – it was neat being able to pull into the car park right away instead of driving up and down the street trying to find a park big enough for a 38ft bus!

Blayney Show results

After two days of rain, March 2 dawned bright and sunny with a freezing cold wind. I don’t think it got much over 15*C all day. Our day started at 6am – the competition didn’t start until 9:30, but we wanted plenty of time to get ready. There was a balloon popping game really close to where we were competing, and it was so windy the big metal “Pet Dog Show” sign kept blowing over and making a huge bang when it hit the concrete! Sparkie was a bit spooked by that and not too happy about working for me, so we only entered two classes (Best Tricks and Speed Sit) – we got third place in both of them! So I’m pretty proud of her. Tess got first in Best Tricks, second in Best Biscuit Catcher, second in Speed Sit, and third in Waggliest Tail. Lassie surprised us all when she took second in Best Tricks and first in Speed Sit! She was obviously having a good day because that’s her best show results ever!