Dec 8, 2011

Dolcenea at the Desert Dawg Sports CPE agility trial in Marana, AZ

I loaded up the truck and Dolcenea and I drove 14 hours straight through to Marana Arizona for the Desert Dawg Sports first ever CPE agility trial. http://www.desertdawgsports.com/
 
We got in around 10:00 am and checked in at the LaQuinta. I was really shocked they let us get into the room, considering their regular check in isn’t until 1:00 pm. After a short nap, we drove over to the trial site to help setup the rings for the event.

I met Nancy the trial chair who immediately greeted me upon my arrival. I was surprised to see how friendly and welcoming everyone was including the judge. No one could believe I drove 14 hours to get there (straight through) and was there on time to help them setup.  There was about eight of us unloading the trailer and setting up the rings, but we got done in about two hours. They made two rings with snow fencing and closing gates for novice dogs. We setup the first ring for the event, and setup a tentative second ring since there was only one judge.

I’ve always heard how hot it is in Arizona, but I must have picked the perfect weekend to attend an agility trial there. It was 50 degrees for a high and 30 for a low. It rained all Friday night, was cloudy on Saturday and freezing fog on Sunday, which never got over 40 degrees. I couldn’t have asked for better Akita agility weather.

There was only fifteen people entered in the trial, but it ran smoothly and without a hitch. The judges courses were great, and he was very patient and helpful in his briefings to make sure everyone running understood the rules of CPE. All of the club members and exhibitors were having fun, and there were numerous Q’s to be had by all. Everyone really had a great time, including me! It was really nice to see everyone clapping and cheering the running team on whether they Q’d or not, what a novelty! This club even had an authentic Mexican food vendor both days of the trial. Very impressive for such a small trial and small agility club! And they had great raffles for the best sportsman, unclaimed poop, best worker, etc. This club knows how to have fun!

Dolcenea had a fantastic time; she qualified 10 for 10 all Level 5 all 1st places. She won the Jackpot raffle by getting 101 points and was awarded and really nice leash by the judge during the briefing for the next class. She got High in Trial in Standard 20”, and 1st place in Games Level 5, and she finished three titles. It doesn’t get any better than that.

We headed straight home after the trial was over on Sunday. I hit snow in Las Lunes New Mexico and it didn’t stop until I reached Pueblo West in Colorado. After I hit Raton I was the only vehicle on the road till I stopped at the rest stop in Colorado City. Thank goodness I didn’t find any wildlife on the road, but there was allot of snow and they didn’t plow any of the freeway, not good. It was really hard to see where the road was.

It took seventeen hours to get home, and boy was I tired, but it was well worth the trip to actually enjoy myself at an agility trial without all the snobs and politics that I normally encounter at home trials.

If you’re new to agility I would definitely look into CPE agility for your first venue, the courses are allot of fun instead of the dull boring Jumpers and Standard courses, CPE does have these, but they have Jackpot, FullHouse, Wildcard, Colors and Snookers to keep the day of agility fun instead of mundane. And if you get a chance to go to an agility trial in Arizona, I would definitely suggest entering a Desert Dawgs agility trial, they are great people and really know how to have fun while keeping a trial running smoothly.