White Shepherd Stories

Easter 2014 - Quest, Pirate & Journey

Pirate, Journey & Quest, the Easter Bunny helpers.

We were getting ready for our Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday morning.  I don't think Journey remembered what it was all about, but he watched the other guys carefully and he knew something exciting was happening.  We had breakfast first, then I stuffed the plastic eggs with little dog treats.  There must have been at least 70 eggs or more.  One of the reasons we have so many, is that I keep forgetting where I put them so I buy new ones.  This year I found two bags of them, so we have a lot.

I took a few more pictures of the dogs.  I asked them if they saw the Easter Bunny and they all checked out the front window to see if they could see him/it.

 Pirate & Journey 

 "Better get something to play with while we wait".

Journey

It was not easy getting out of the house without the pack, but I made it with the large bowl of eggs.   I heard a lot of complaints from the house and saw peeking dogs from various windows while I was acting as Easter Bunny.   Finally, 70 plus eggs hidden, and I opened the front door.   

Apple blossoms are everywhere ... so beautiful.  

Quest by the apple tree.

Most of the eggs are on and around the agility field.  Quest was intent on hunting on the way up to the field though, and he found a couple eggs.  His technique is to just pick up the egg and then throw it down.  His hope is that it falls open when it lands.  Sometimes it does, but  sometimes he needs a little help opening eggs.  

"Okay, I am really looking, but I don't see anything".

Quest found two eggs.

Pirate has an entirely different technique.  He moves pretty fast, as he did in his nose-work classes.  He barely signals when he sees an egg.  He just kind of nods at it as he passes by.  Quest follows up and works on opening them.  Quest can find the eggs as well as Pirate; he just is not as fast.  Pirate prefers to leave the opening part to me and Quest.    Journey is studying the whole procedure and it did not take long for him to start finding eggs by himself.  He brought them to me to open.  

Pirate signaling to Quest, that he found an egg.  

 Journey on the right:  "Look, Quest, I found one".  

"Should I eat it?"  

We had a pretty good Easter Egg Hunt.  Then we played with the jolly balls for a while.

 HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Triple Qs for Journey - AKC Agility Trial 04/19/2014

Willamette Valley English Springer Spaniel Association hosted an AKC agility trial over the weekend.  I entered Journey on Saturday the 19th, in Standard, Novice P, Fast, Novice P and in Jumpers Novice P.  He got triple Qs.  

In Jumpers he placed 2nd, with a time of 30.35.  (Standard Course Time was 42.0). This Q was his third in this event, thereby earning him a NJP title.  So he can now move up to the Open class in Jumpers.

In FAST he placed 2nd, with a score of 54.  He needed at least 50.  This gave him a NFP title, which moves him up to Open class in FAST.  

In Standard he placed 1stwith a time of 54.78. (Standard Course Time was 68.0).  This Q is his second in this event - so he needs one more to get his NAP title in Standard.  

Journey accomplished all of this in a wild thunderstorm with rains that sounded like a monsoon hitting the barn's metal roof.  We couldn't even hear the Judge's briefing it was so loud.  Journey showed no stress or concern with all the noise.  He made it look easy and his focus is getting better and better.  Thats my boy!  Next trial, two weeks from now, in Longview.