Adventures in Training the Beagles

Fun Match at WAGD

Went to a fun match at a new training facility in Frisco to work on Dulce's ring issues. They have been open for a while but haven't had a match when I have been available plus their conditions are a bit sterile to be effective.

Had a nice relaxing run with Macy working on her speed and distance. She had fun.

Dulce had the zoomies her first run but she came back and got some sequences in. Second time she stayed with me, but I think I pushed too hard as she peed in the weaves. We got two nice runs in after that though.

I have decided to enter Saturday trials only until we get our issues resolved.

Nostalgia

Today has been a looking back day….

The beagle girls (Macy and Dulce) and I made a trip to the beagle house. I've been working on Mildred's website at http://www.tesorosbeagles.com and I went there to see if there were some missing pages on her computer (they weren't there).

Dulce visited with her mom. Okay, they sniffed each other and nobody flashed teeth. Always a good thing.

On the way there, an internet friend mentioned she was at Shelburne Museum which reminded me of Marcie – Bettner's Byte of Magic. Marcie was born at Shelburne Farms and owned by the groundskeeper's family.

An internet friend noticed that one of Deenie's beagle puppies looked exactly like my Peppermint Patty. We hooked up and made arrangements to ship Marcie to me. Thankfully, while Marcie was the smallest puppy in the litter, she ended up being a very LARGE 15" beagle. If she was the slightest overweight, she would go over the wicket.

Patty was very special, and one of my 12" – 13" beagles. Both were blue tick beagles. Mostly black, with white and brown ticking, resembling blue tick beagles. Patty was the number one obedience beagle in the country, and got me into police dog training. I don't think anyone could have taken two almost identical beagles that perfect.

Marcie's litter was a "magical" litter as Deenie was the daughter of an east coast dog fancier and had purchased two very well bred beagles for her boys to hunt with. They had keep the two beagle apart, put them together a few times to breed, and no puppies so they gave up, and let them live together in a run. One day Deenie went out and Marcie's mom was great with puppies. Thus the litter appeared magically, I think she was 6 or 7 at the time. Plus there were a large number of puppies.

Marcie was a very good beagle, having the uncanny ability to read the agility cones. Ask anyone around here. (Okay, the true secret is that she didn't appear to watch me, but would catch the tinest movement, and I would often spot the correct cone at the last minute, saving many an almost off course. But it's more fun to believe that she was truly magical and could read cones. We had one club that used flat plaques instead of cones and I would always tease them that Marcie couldn't read their numbers and that we would have to required them to get cones.

See Patty was perfect at obedience, Marcie perfect at agility. Too bad they didn't have a perfect handler.

Agility Show Site Conditions

Many years ago, I went to an agility trial and there was glass in the dirt – in fact, I'll tell you exactly where it was – Monroe, Louisiana – in the summer.

I had a hotel reservation for the entire weekend, had planned for my family in Mississippi to come visit me there (I live in Texas, so it's somewhat convenient for them).

I will admit, I have an issue with broken glass --- and I tried really hard.

I had three dogs entered in the trial – Marcie, Maggie and Macy, in Excellent, Standard, and Novice, so I had a lot of money invested in the trial – and again, remember, my family was coming to see me.

Every time I went into the ring, I found another piece of glass. Or two or three.

Now I am NOT going to endanger my dogs for an agility trial. I couldn't pick up the broken glass myself – I had to get someone to pick it up for me – and each time I went to someone on the trial committee. After the third course, I couldn't take it anymore, and asked for my entries fees back. I think I even went to the rep (can't remember if there was one there). I also know I immediately wrote to the AKC.

Guess what. I didn't get my entries fees back but I left and I haven't been back. It's been at least 5 years. They don't even have trials at that same convention center, but I STILL haven't been back, even though it's quite convenient to visit with my family when I'm there.

Mutts Cantina

Interesting concept, build a restaurant in the middle of a dog park.

We did have a widely popular indoor dog park for a year. There are a lot of apartment/condones around.

Dulce and I are visited without the vest. So far, nice though. Lots of rules, and I get the pit bull thing.

Real table service, a bit slow, I think they only have one waiter.

They have Baylor sharks in the parking lot.

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