The 2011 agility year officially ended for us on New Year's Eve, and I couldn't
be happier with how it ended. Geraldo and Zelda Q'ed on 9 of their 10 runs
in Zanesville this weekend, and they both QQQ'ed on the last day of the trial.
Zelda is now 2/3 of the way to her MACH3, and Geraldo is half way to his
MACH4. Between the two of them, they earned four MACH's in 2011. I am truly
blessed to be able to run agility with them. |
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Ellen Froot (Amazin Shelties in Oregon) has a litter of puppies on the ground
that were sired by Geraldo. Ellen has graciously taken many videos of the
puppies, so that I can watch them grow up from afar. I'm astounded at all
of the things that Ellen has already done with these puppies. I think they're
going to be performance super stars--not that I'm biased or anything.
<G> You can see all of the puppy videos on Ellen's youtube channel:
goldpaps1. |
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Geraldo, Zelda, and I had a great weekend at the APOTC/Clarion agility trial
in Edinboro, PA on December 9-11. We got to enjoy some new fallen snow, lovely
agility courses, and some homemade cherry pie!! <G> We earned five
QQ's, and Geraldo's last run of the weekend was one of his all time best
runs. I was so jazzed when we finished that course. It was a great way to
head into our holiday break. |
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Geraldo and Zelda both qualified for the 2012 AKC Agility National, but since
it's in Reno, Nevada, we won't be going to that one. The qualifying period
for the 2013 Agility National started on 12/01/11, and after the YABTC trial
on 12/03 and 12/04, Geraldo and Zelda each have one QQ to put toward the
requirements for the 2013 National! :) |
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Instead of shopping on Black Friday, Geraldo, Zelda and I spent the holiday
weekend at an agility trial, and we had so much fun!! Between the two of
them, Geraldo and Zelda had five placements in Excellent B, and Geraldo won
the 16" T2B class on Friday. It was a weekend that we won't forget for quite
awhile!! |
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Geraldo had a perfect weekend at the APOTC agility trial in Edinboro, PA.
He was 7/7 for the weekend and earned QQ #20 for his MACH4. Now, we're just
chasing MACH points!! Zelda had a nice weekend too. She was 5/7 for the
weekend---but she thinks she was 7/7 too! <G> |
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I had a nice Grandma weekend too!! Gabe (CastleGate's Angel in Disguise)
won a three-point major at the CNYSSC Specialty in Syracuse. Ziva (CastleGate
Criminal Intent) was the high scoring sheltie at the PVSSC Herding Trial,
and Tatum (CastleGate's Little Ray of Sunshine NAJ) finished his NA. My heartfelt
thanks to Anne Trosky, Rhonda Toren, and Anne Ujczo for believing in these
dogs and helping them fulfill their potential. |
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The puppies from our Sammie x Bliss litter were temperament tested at seven
weeks of age, and I'm pleased to say that the scores for all four puppies
fell into the "promising performance prospect" category. The puppies are
starting to sort themselves out size wise, so it won't be long before we
know which puppies are going to which homes. We are having so much fun with
them. |
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Tequila (aka The Blue Tornado) has his first set of initials. He passed his
CGC test on 10-11-11!! He was so pleased with himself when we were done!!
He thought the dried chicken gizzard that he got as a reward after the test
was over was mighty fine too!! <G> |
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On 10/01/11 at the YABTC's agility trial in Washingtonville, OH, Geraldo
earned his MACH3! I'm so proud of him. He never ceases to amaze and delight
me! Zelda had a great weekend too. She earned QQ's #9 and #10 toward her
MACH3. Geraldo and Zelda have each earned two MACH's this year!! |
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Geraldo has an ad on Shelties Online this week to celebrate the recent attainment
of his Canadian Championship. Our heartfelt thanks to Jen Milani for designing
such a lovely ad for us!! September was a great month for Geraldo, and October
is looking pretty good so far too. <G>
You can see Geraldo's ad here. |
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Geraldo and Zelda both had a fabulous weekend at the BCKC agility trial at
Neville Island. They earned 121 MACH points between the two of them, and
now Geraldo just needs 21 additional points for his MACH3!! We're in the
home stretch!! |
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On September 8th, the Sammie x Bliss puppies were born! Bliss had two blue
boys, one blue girl, and one tri girl. All of the puppies are plump and thriving.
Photos of the puppies can be seen on our litters page early next week. |
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Geraldo is now a Canadian Champion as well as an American Champion! He was
beautifully presented in the ring by Rachel Pratt and finished in just two
weekends. As icing on the cake, he took BOB and a Group 3 from the classes
on the day he finished. That was such an exciting way to finish. Thank you,
Rachel!! He was shown as a special the next day and much to our delight,
he was BOB again and got another group placement. His Canadian sojourn certainly
ended on a high note!!
When Geraldo gets home, we'll be eagerly pursuing the remaining 81 points
that he needs for his MACH3. :) |
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From 1/01/11 thru 6/30/11, Geraldo and Zelda were both ranked in the AKC's
Top 20 Shetland Sheepdogs in regard to the number of QQ's accrued during
that time frame. Zelda ranked 13th with 23 QQ's, and Geraldo ranked 20th
with 18 QQ's!! I'm so proud of both of them. They give me their all every
time they run!! |
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On August 4th, we confirmed that Bliss (CastleGate's Seventh Heaven) is pregnant.
She was bred to CH Blue Heavens Show Stopper "Sammie" and the puppies should
arrive on either September 4th or 5th. We're hoping for some fabulous
conformation and performance show prospects in this litter. Blue merle and
tri puppies are expected!! |
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On July 29th-31st, Geraldo and I attended an agility trial at the Conneaut
Lake Bark Park in Conneaut Lake, PA. That was our first outdoor agility trial
in over three years, and despite the heat and high humidity, we had so much
fun!! Geraldo ran beautifully for me all weekend, and we were within one
run of having a perfect weekend! Geraldo qualified on 8 of his 9 runs (the
only NQ was my fault), garnered three placements in Excellent B, and earned
his first ever QQQ's!! It was a dream weekend from start to finish!! Much
to her chagrin, Zelda had to stay home this weekend due to being in season. |
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On July 21, 2011, CastleGate's White Lightning was WD/BOS under Brian Meyer
for his first point. Tequila is the puppy we kept from our Calvin x Zelda
litter last year, and we're very pleased with how he's maturing. Zelda and
her son are having a good week!!
As always, Tequila was beautifully presented in the ring today by Judy
Stachowski. |
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On July 17th, Zelda finished her MACH2 at the CABTC Trial in North Olmsted,
OH on her last run of the weekend! Our MACH run was exhilarating, and I was
so proud of Zelda for running flawlessly and fast despite my nerves. She
knew she had done something good, and she happy danced to the max at the
end of our run. Geraldo had a great weekend too. He qualified on 5 of his
6 runs, and now he only needs 187 points for his MACH3. |
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On July 12th, we had CERF exams done on Bliss, Geraldo, Zelda, and Tequila.
They all passed with flying colors. We weren't expecting any issues, but
it's always nice to know for sure! <G> |
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CastleGate's Seventh Heaven (12 points/one specialty major) has been bred
to Ch Blue Heavens Show Stopper. We're expecting the Sammie x Bliss puppies
to arrive on Labor Day Weekend, and we're very excited about this litter! |
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On June 24th-26th, we attended the ACI Agility Trial in Indianapolis for
the first time, and we had a blast!! Zelda had a perfect weekend and qualified
on all six of her runs. Geraldo did a nice job too. He qualified on four
of his six runs. Zelda just needs 41 points now for her MACH2! We'll be eager
to get back into the agility ring again in mid-July! |
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Geraldo, Zelda, and I spent Memorial Day Weekend doing one of the things
we love most---agility!! Geraldo qualified on five of his six runs, and Zelda
qualified on four of her six runs. Geraldo has now earned all of the QQ's
he needs for his MACH3, and we're working on putting the remaining points
for MACH3 to bed too. Zelda has 14 QQ's toward her MACH2 and has accumulated
quite a few MACH points toward it as well. Tom and I celebrated our great
weekend by taking Geraldo and Zelda to Brewster's for doggie cones!! |
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Geraldo was on fire at the CSSC and CABTC agility trials that were held in
North Olmsted, OH on April 29th - May 1st. He qualified on five of his six
runs and picked up quite a few MACH points too. He now has 18 of the 20 QQ's
that he needs for MACH 3. We're looking forward to an exciting summer!! |
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Zelda had a great weekend at the Mountaineer Agility Trial in Morgantown,
WV on April 9th and 10th. She QQ'ed both days and placed on three of her
four runs. Zelda earned her first MACH at the end of January, and with the
points and QQ's she got at this trial, she's now more than halfway to her
MACH2. She and I are having a blast in the agility ring!! |
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At the YABTC Agility Trial on March 19th, Zelda qualified for the 2012 AKC
Agility National---with eight months to spare!! I'm very proud of my baby
girl!! :) |
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Geraldo is one of the dogs featured in the Shelties At Work column in the
Spring Issue of the Sheltie Pacesetter. If you subscribe to the Pacesetter,
please look for the article about him on pages 106 & 107! |
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Zelda and Geraldo really out did themselves at the Butler Agility Trial In
Edinboro, PA on March 11th-13th. They qualified on 11 of their 12 runs and
earned 5 QQ's and 122 MACH points during the course of the weekend. We had
so much fun!! |
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Zelda and I had a great time at the BCSA agility trial in Edinboro on February
25th-27th. Zelda qualified on all six of her runs and was just two points
short of breaking her all time record for points earned at a three day agility
trial. She just needs 80 more points to qualify for next year's AKC Agility
National. I'm very proud of my baby girl! |
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On 2-18-11, Tequila won Best Puppy in Group at the all breed show in Lakeland,
Florida. Not bad for only his third time in the ring!! <G> Our thanks
to Judy Stachowski for bringing out the best in our boy! Tequila is the puppy
that we kept from the Calvin x Zelda litter last summer, and he's the blue
Chet grandson that we've been dreaming about for several years. We can't
wait to take him to the ASSA National in St. Louis. |
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On February 12, 2011, Bliss won a three-point specialty major under Judge
Marjorie Tuff at the Central Indiana Sheltie Specialty. That was our first
specialty major on a homebred dog, and we're just too excited for words!
Bliss now has 12 points/one major toward her breed championship. Tom and
I are very grateful to Judy Stachowski for the beautiful job she always does
in the ring with Bliss.
As icing on the cake, Geraldo and Zelda both QQ'ed with me in Edinboro on
the same day that Bliss won her first major!
It was a really nice weekend for the CastleGate Kids, and I can't wait to
see what the remainder of 2011 holds in store for them!! <G> |
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On February 10, 2011, Bliss was Winners Bitch for two points in Indianapolis
under Judge Linda Robey!! She now has nine points toward her breed championship.
As always, Bliss was beautifully presented in the ring by Judy Stachowski. |
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On 1/21/11, Zelda earned her first Master Agility Championship with a spectacular
QQ at the APOTC Agility Trial in Edinboro, PA! Two days later, Geraldo earned
his MACH 2 at the same trial. We had a blast celebrating these agility milestones
with our friends!! It was an amazing weekend, and I'll treasure the memory
of it forever. |
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The CastleGate Kids had a great weekend! Things started off with a bang when
Bliss was Winners Bitch, Best of Winners, and Best of Opposite Sex under
Judge Charles Trotter on January 8th. Bliss now has seven points toward her
Championship. Our heartfelt thanks to Judy Stachowski for presenting Bliss
so beautifully.
Zelda, Geraldo, and I had fun too at the EKC Agility Trial in Edinboro, PA
on January 7th-9th. Zelda QQ'ed twice at this trial, so she just needs one
more QQ for her first MACH. Geraldo had some really nice runs too, and he
just needs 22 additional MACH points for his MACH 2.
It's going to be an exciting winter!! |
