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Due to a foot injury that I sustained at the end of August, I was unable
to run Tequila in agility for 12 weeks. I was very excited to be able to
enter the ring with him again at the MKC trial in Morgantown, WV this weekend.
We started off the weekend with a bang by finishing his Novice Fast title
with a first place run! My heartfelt thanks to Anne Ujczo for putting the
first two Novice Fast legs on Tequila while I was injured.
Tequila and I ended the weekend on an equally exciting note. Tequila had
the best Master JWW run of his life on Sunday's JWW course. He was 20 seconds
under course time and won the class! It was such a rush to run him on that
course. He gave me everything he had on that run!! |
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Ellie is a champion now!! She finished her breed championship in style today
by taking BOB over two specials under Judge James Reynolds at the St. Clairsville
Ohio Kennel Club's show. I am so happy and grateful!! Katie Grohowalski and
Ellie have really been on a roll, and it's been such a joyful journey!! Thank
you, Katie!!
Ellie is sired by GCH Rosmoor Protocol ROM and is out of CH Lochlyn Chasin
A Dream ROM. Ellie is the fourth puppy to finish from that litter.
Ellie's co-owner, Janeen Simpson, and her breeder, Kathy Wilkins, are happy
dancing big time with me this afternoon!! |
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I'm so excited that I could literally pop!! <G> Ellie (Lochlyn Crestar
Hollywood Ending) won a 3-point specialty major in Harrisburg today. That
was Ellie's second major, and now she just needs one more point to finish
her breed championship. Katie Grohowalski and Ellie have really been on a
roll, and Janeen and I are so grateful to Katie for bringing out the best
in Ellie and for treating Ellie like the princess she knows she is!!
<G>
I know Ellie's breeder, Kathy Wilkins, is happy dancing too!!
When Ellie gets home, Tom is going to grill an enormous steak for her!! |
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We received some very exciting news last night! Geraldo's first Canadian
Champion finished his breed championship yesterday -- Shalligy's Rock My
World (Baloo). Congratulations to Baloo's breeders, Ginette Plouffe and Jessica
Coutu, and to Baloo's co-owner, Doris Dumont. That breeding took a village
to pull off (I was on a cruise when Jessica and Ginny contacted me), and
I'm so glad that we were able to make it happen!! Baloo is a lovely tri boy,
and he reminds me a lot of his granddam Daily. |
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Ellie (Lochlyn Crestar Hollywood Ending) won a four point major today under
James R. White at the Berrien Kennel Club's show in South Bend, IN. Katie
Grohowalski and Ellie are really on a roll!! They've won three weekends in
a row now. Today's win brings Ellie to 11 points/one major, and we're
tantalizingly close to finishing her championship now!! Thank you Katie for
bringing out the best in Ellie, and thank you Janeen Simpson (Crestar Shelties)
for co-owning Ellie with us and allowing her to be "Tom's Girl!" <G> |
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Ellie (Lochlyn Crestar Hollywood Ending) was WB/BOW at an all breed show
in West Friendship, MD today. Ellie is the dam of our two most recent litters
(sired by Geraldo), and we are very grateful to Janeen Simpson for allowing
Ellie to live with us and for agreeing to co-own her with us.
Ellie was beautifully presented to today's win by Katie Grohowalski, and
we hope this is the first of many wins for the two of them. Ellie now has
six points toward her championship.
Dot and Spree are "high fiving" their dam with me tonight!!
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Tequila has had quite a year. I didn't realize until I was filling out his
trophy form for our sheltie club's annual awards banquet just how much The
Blue Tornado has accomplished in the past year. In the last 12 months, he
has completed his breed championship and his MX, MXJ, T2B, and MJB titles
in agility. We appreciate everyone in our "village" who has helped us reach
those milestones. It's time to break out some steak and ice cream!!
<G> |
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Today, Zelda's son Tatum (CastleGate's Little Ray of Sunshine MX MXJ) was
WD for a three point major in New Castle, PA and that finished his breed
championship! Tatum (affectionately known as Tater Chip) is owned and loved
by Anne Ujczo and Tom Dempsey, and he was beautifully presented to all of
his wins by Team Tater--Joanna Fortson and Marlana Tice. I am so grateful
to Anne & Tom and Team Tater for allowing Tatum to fulfill his potential
in the conformation ring. Tatum is half way to his MACH too, so soon, we'll
be calling him CH MACH Tater Chip! <G> Congratulations Anne and Tom!!
Your baby boy "done good!"
Tatum is from our 2010 Calvin x Zelda litter. That was Zelda's first litter,
and that litter had three lovely boys in it. Two of those puppies are now
breed champions and hopefully, they will soon be MACH's too. Tatum is Tequila's
(CH CastleGate's White Lightning MX MXJ T2B) litter brother. Tatum was CH
#2 for his dam and CH #8 for his sire. |
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Zelda earned the last three points that she needed to finish her MACH8 in
Cheswick, PA today. The Golden Triangle Obedience Training Club provides
MACH medallions for the dogs in addition to lovely MACH ribbons for the handlers,
and it was fun to see Zelda strutting around the trial site with her MACH
medallion around her neck. <G>
Zelda loves cupcakes and has been known to steal cupcakes from the celebration
tables at some of our agility trials from time to time. So, to celebrate
her MACH8, I gave her a whole cupcake of her own. She went nuts over it and
made quite a mess of herself and the surrounding area with the icing. Not
sure that I'm going to do that again.
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At the 2014 Sheltie National in St. Louis, a puppy from Tequila's first litter
placed 4th in the 6-9 Month Dog Class in Futurity under Judge Sheila Monks.
Zander (Flutterby Walk Like A Man) was bred by Kathy Glorioso and Jane Guy,
and he's such a nice puppy!! There were three conformation show prospects
in that litter, and we're very excited about all three of them! |
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Gabe (CH CastleGate's Angel in Disguise) had an exciting week at the 2014
ASSA National. He and two of his get placed third in a large, power packed
Stud Dog Class under Judge Mark Houston-McMillan. Gabe's owner (Anne Trosky)
and I were so excited about that placement. One of Gabe's sons (Gypsy's Indigo
Angel) placed 3rd in the Bred By Class too. Congratulations to Anne Trosky
and Barb Westerman on that lovely placement!
And last but not least, Gabe made the first cut in Group 4 of the BOB competition
under Judge Janet Turnage Nahikian. It was a great week for Gabe. I'm so
proud of him and so happy for his owners (Anne and Bill Trosky)! Gabe just
needs one more point to finish his AKC Grand Championship, so we hope to
be calling him GCH Gabe soon! <G> When he finishes his GCH, he'll be
the second GCH from our Rainy X Daily litter.
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The weekend after the Agility National, we attended a local agility trial
in Morgantown, WV, and once again, Zelda was on fire!! She was 6/6 for the
weekend and came home with 91 MACH points.
Geraldo made his preferred debut on that Saturday, and he rocked the 12"
preferred class with two first place finishes. He now has one QQ and 43 points
toward his PACH!! I think he's going to love running in the preferred class.
He was grinning from ear to ear on both runs that day. He thinks the ring
crew forgot to raise the bars to 16"! <G>
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Zelda, Geraldo and I had a blast at the AKC Agility National in Harrisburg,
PA this week. It was such a joy to run with both of them at another National.
Zelda had a spectacular week. She was perfect on all four of her runs, and
her final ranking was 48th out of 265 dogs. Geraldo and I didn't have as
many clean runs as Zelda and I did, but all of his runs were nice, and he
gave me everything he had!! This was his "last hurrah" running in the 16"
class. After the National, he'll be switching to the 12" preferred class.
Tom surprised us with this banner, and it hung on our stall door at the National.
The banner made it easy for all of our friends to locate us in the crating
area.
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Today was QQ Sunday!! Geraldo, Zelda, and Tequila all QQ'ed today.
Zelda had a perfect weekend---3 QQ's. It was a new record for her points
wise this weekend too. I hope her good karma carries over to the Agility
National in two weeks.
Today's QQ was #6 for Tequila! Thank you Denise Thomas for handling him to
another QQ! Tequila has 560 MACH points now.
Geraldo ran fast and happy for me today. After the Agility National he will
be moving to the 12" preferred class, and it was really nice to end his next
to the last trial in the regular classes with a QQ. |
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The last two Fridays in February have been exceptionally good ones for Tequila!!
On 2-21-14, he earned QQ#4 toward his MACH, and he won the 16" Time 2 Beat
Class in Edinboro, PA.
On 2-28-14, he earned QQ#5, won the 16" T2B class again and completed his
T2B title!! He was on fire both days!! We'd like to extend our heartfelt
thanks to Denise Thomas (Countryside Agility) for handling Tequila to those
Q's!! She definitely brings out the best in our baby boy. |
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In 2013, the dogs and I missed 23 days of agility trialing due to the two
Geraldo x Ellie litters we had on the ground last year. I thought for sure
that would knock Zelda out of the AKC's Top 20 agility rankings for 2013.
AKC just updated the year-end information for 2013, and Zelda was in the
#20 spot just by the hair on her chinny chin chin. <G>
I think a special cookie is in order for my happy dancing little girl!! She
lives for agility and is so much fun to run!! |
