Featured Article's

This is the page where our members contribute their experiences, we hope you enjoy their stories.

December 2008

Featured Article by Elaine Thompson, Founder of Corton ATS

My Season 2008

Hi, I thought I would put pen to paper to let people know how I have got on this year.

Unfortunately I still have not been well enough to do much with the dogs, training or competing, but I have been out a bit locally. Following the breast cancer they have now diagnosed me with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and there is no cure just an adjustment to my way of life.

Aslan does not leave my side so our competing has been very sparse. We started the season in April with a couple of small shows and got a clear round at the end of the month. We then had 2 months off due to my ill health. We then tried again, and to my total surprise we won a Novice Agility at UKA and went from Novice to Senior performance.

Meantime Shimo has had the life of old Riley. I took him to a couple of unaffiliated shows early in the year and we had 6 top 3 placings. Then he went to Wallingford with Jillian and Alan Sawyer as I was not well enough to go. This was the start of a wonderful season for Alan and Shimo. They had a 5 th in Agility followed the next week with a 2 nd in Agility at WBSD and a couple of other clears. Alan having lost Callie was happy to run Shimo at any shows I could not get to.

Shimo had May and the beginning of June off, as I hadn't entered him in any shows. This was not good for him as his fitness had deteriorated and he lost confidence in his ability to jump etc. He went to Thames with Alan but things did not go well, so he spent a couple of extra days with them to go for walks etc.

Work had to be done at home in the meantime even though I had no energy. Shimo was then off to Golden Valley with Alan – 3 clear rounds, a UKA show with Aslan and I – two 3rds and then to Chippenham Junior show with Hannah Pidduck. Things were going better....

Unfortunately I was at rock bottom energy wise so my Dad took me to our Junior show. Hannah was straight into the ring with Shimo in the Agility Dog of the Year qualifier. Her Dad had brought her over to our house on the Friday evening after school for a practice with him in the garden. That was their only work together. I walked the course with Hannah. It was a very technical course, not one to run as your first run with a new dog. They both worked brilliantly together with a wonderful fast clear round that was to take them through to Crufts next March. Later in the day Hannah and I ran Shimo in the 1 dog 2 handlers and he ran brilliantly again winning the class. I am so happy for Hannah that she got through to Crufts especially having no family dogs to run at the show because of Kennel Cough.

The next weekend I went to Lansdowne with both dogs. I ran Aslan and Alan ran Shimo as I still did not have much energy. Not a good day for either of us in individual classes. I then had to run Shimo in the team as it was a Crufts qualifier and Alan is not a Chippenham member. Tessa Ventris went first and had a clear, then Sorcha Price (Flanagan) with another clear, then it was our turn. I was so worried about having enough energy to get round the course that I left him to do the viaduct wall on his own. He was confused by it and so ran past, so I had to take him back to do it, using up precious energy reserves, but we got to the end with just the 5 faults. Amy Lawson then did a clear round to put us in the winning position and a trip to Crufts next March.

So in two weeks Shimo managed to qualify for Crufts in two different classes with two different handlers.

Shimo then decided that he was going off on adventures without Azzie and I. So, getting on well with the new members of Jillian & Alan's family – 3 new doggy additions – he decided that camping was the life for him. So he left home for two weeks and went to Rugby and Caerphilly shows. Alan and Shimo did brilliantly winning a grade 5 jumping class at each show. Just one more needed to go into Grade 6. That was not to come until he went camping again with them to Letchworth at the end of August. A further jumping win has taken them to Grade 6 next year. I tried my luck at a KC show at Cirencester in September but it ended in disaster. I think that Alan will have to do the KC shows as he and Shimo get on so well.

I took both dogs to the UKA week show at Tewkesbury and we all stayed with Alan and Jillian in their caravan. I entered both dogs in the National Agility Championships (NAC) as they had both won Agility classes at UKA during the past year. Alan and I shared Shimo through the week. On the Tuesday I ran Azzie in 3 classes, Shimo in the agility classes and Alan ran him in the jumping classes. I then ran both dogs in the first round of the NAC and managed to get both dogs through with clear rounds. Wednesday saw Alan running Shimo, and Azzie and I just doing 2 classes. I rested a lot that day. Thursday was back to me running Shimo in Agility, Alan running him in jumping and Azzie and I running 3 classes plus the 2 nd round of the NAC.

Shimo did a lovely clear again coming 10 th out of the 25 toy dogs. Azzie, once he agreed that I was well enough to run, did a good solid clear round and came 12 th out of 46 Maxi dogs. The top 15 in each height category to go through to the finals on Saturday.

Friday was a day off. I was supposed to go home but due to my health and having got both through to the finals – couldn't believe it!!!!! – I phoned home and told them I wasn't coming home. I rested all day.

Saturday was a dull, damp day. Same format as Thursday with the dogs. I was totally exhausted by the evening and the finals. Shimo ran before Azzie. We set off well but I soon ran out of energy as it was a long way round. We lost time at the end of the course because I had run out of energy to think or move so we wasted time before the weaves but we were clear which was the main thing for me. He was to come 8 th in the toy finals.

Azzie was a different matter. The Maxi dogs were the last to go and by now he knew that I was totally exhausted and should not be in an agility ring. However, because I am so bloody minded I wanted to have a go. We had a stand off on the start line for about 5 or 6 minutes. The commentator explaining why there was a problem, so that the crowd and the Judge understood that it wasn't just me being awkward. Finally Azzie decided that I wasn't going to give in. He sat and waited for me to get in position and went on my command. He ran fantastically doing part of the course on his own and we managed a clear round to cheers from the crowd. I collapsed in a heap at the end of the course. At the prize giving we came 10 th with a rosette that made it all worthwhile. That was the climax of our season.

I am really proud of both dogs. Azzie for looking after me so well and Shimo for doing so well with his three different runners.

I now know that I have to watch Azzie to see whether I should be taking part in an activity or not. He has become a “carer” dog and he will actually stand in my way to stop me doing something. If I overrule him it becomes evident after a very short while that he was right.

Ginny is so proud of her dog, Shimo. Ginny trained Shimo all herself aged 9/10 years old and ran him for four years taking him out of Starters and to Crufts quite a few times. She does not do Agility any longer as her life is taken up with horses but she is over the moon that he has done so well. She has already told Hartpury College – where she is studying a National Diploma in Horse Management – that she will need time off to go and watch him at Crufts with Hannah and me next March.

I have finished competing for this year and my aim is to get my Chronic Fatigue under control so that I can go to Crufts next March.

I hope that everyone else has had a good season. It has been great to see people at the shows that I have managed to get to and I hope to get to more next year. A big thank you to all of you who have helped me at shows through the season.

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