official first pointed day!

On Sunday, September 23rd, 2012 was the Valley Forge Kennel Club show in Kimberton, PA. Being a local show (and by local I mean less than ten minutes from home), I was just pleased to show nearby and for friends and family in the crowd. I was not expecting the results my day ended with!

Our first point! Winners bitch & Best of Opp Sex

Willow and I's first rally trial...Qualifying score with a 93/100 pts and a fourth place! 

good day with my girls

love this baby dog

senior time?

'Tis the season...for senior portraits! Sports, singing, acting...nope. Got mine done with the doggies :) Here are just a few

photo credit- Stephanie Adrian

 

That thing called "vacation"

So basically since I'm so behind on blog posts, these next few catch ups will mostly consist of photos and captions to cap off my life these past few months!

yearly family vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC was amazing, and of course only captured through my dog pictures. oh well, I rely on taking them every year on the beach.

"We Love and Let Go"

Last week, I received my final letter from The Seeing Eye on Neptune's progress. He has been matched and placed with a 35 year old blind man in Texas. Neptune is his first Seeing Eye Dog. This man has experience training dogs with field work, and loves spending time outdoors. Every weekend he lives by a lake and has two daughters ages 3 and 10. He is quite ambitious, working hard to become a chef and has hopes to one day open is own restaurant. 

"We love and let go, and yes it is hard...but oh so worth it." -anonymous 

Receiving this news gave me goosebumps, I can not imagine a better partner for my boy. I specifically stated in Neptune's paperwork that he is absolutely wonderful with children and I wished he got placed in a home with kids. Sure enough, he will become the best dog for those two girls. He also adored swimming and being outdoors...especially if it meant playing fetch with sticks! He will provide his partner and family years of fun and laughter playing fetch and swimming in the lake. It is still difficult to imagine my best boy nearly on the other side of this country, not in control of his life anymore. It'll be really hard as I don't know when I will ever hear about his progress again, and am forbidden to make any attempts to locate his partner. My nerves are eased at the reminder of this news. I am so proud of him and only hope the family ceases every opportunity with this dog. He is one of my heart dogs, Neptune touched my heart in a way no other dog can. He was my special boy and my first puppy to raise as he is now the first guide for someone. I am sure his partner will forever appreciate Neptune as I surely have.  

Hopeful dreams...

We are all told we are allowed to have dreams, right? Well for me, my dreams turn into goals which turn into my driving point of my life. I'm sure you've guessed, basically I'm associating this with dog stuff...
     So dream #1: run Lacey in December at AKC Junior Agility Invitationals in Orlando, Florida. This isn't an impossible dream to achieve, just a matter of getting Lacey trialing as soon as we are prepared so that she is seasoned enough to run the courses there. I would absolutely love doing this and basically already got the okay from my parents to do this big show, I kinda gave up CPE Nationals in hopes to going to invitationals instead...
     Dream #2: I might be nuts..I want Lacey and I to be on the first USA OJAC team to compete in England (or wherever outside this country that it is chosen to take place) in February 2013. I know, I'm crazy to hope to be on this team with a dog I'm not trialing with yet, but I'm only a junior handler for so many more months and need to cease the opportunities while I can! If you don't have dreams, you can't achieve the impossible. If I hope and set goals to try to get on this team, we can train harder, trial more and maybe get better chances of representing USA at the open junior agility championships next year. Please assure me I'm not unrealistic and nuts?!

"The key to happiness is having dreams. The key to success is making your dreams come true"

Introducing...Archie!

Old news to life...new news to blog! Archie, my second Seeing Eye puppy to raise arrived on March 16, 2012. A beautiful little Lab/Golden second generation cross entered my life at just 7 weeks old. Here's some photos of our time together thus far!

First outing, our high school's musical

7 weeks old

14 weeks old

Pretty little girl! Photo credit- Stephanie Adrian

Lovee this little pup

Poodle National Specialty!

April 22 thru 27 in Salisbury, MD, I attended and participated in my first PCA, Poodle Club of America National Specialty. This show was extra special after lots of hard work getting my school to approve my weeks absence, and celebrating my 17th birthday there! My mom stayed with my and the Poodles on show site with our camper. One of my favorite things gained from this experience was growing closer with the Unique Standard Poodle's crew....I love you guys, you are like family!
April 23-Agility day & birthdayy!

Prepping for our startline!

Out by the warmup jump

Best achievement in our agility career to date! 

   Running Willow at Poodle nationals was such an amazing feeling; emotionally and literally....PCA is the only club to put on a show indoors on sod...talk about sweet footing! We Q'ed in T2B, got our OJP title with 1st place and also earned the first ever PCA high in trial junior award....what an absolutely amazing birthday ever. To be in the books forever to earn this title and just running among the top USA Poodle's was just awesome. I couldn't have asked for a better trial with miss Willow, one of which may be the last for her. What better way to end a Poodle's agility career?



Wednesday- Junior Showmanship
Thursday- Amateur Owner/Handler

We won our class in Juniors. The rings were just so beautiful and soo big! I've never been in such a roomy ring! Not too shabby for my first PCA and exhibiting two Poodles :) It took a while for me to process showing with the top Poodle handlers of all time. That was amazing, showing in the same ring as people from across the country and even international Poodles and people. I can't wait to go back, celebrate my next birthday there, and have even more great memories with the Unique crew!

The facility

After juniors

My baby dog all grown up! 14 months old

She lives a tough life...