First Non-Eliminated round from the Scooter!

So out today and a mixed bag of fun! 

First round ended after the first jump as Patsy absconded to chase ducks off a pond a full 50m from the ring!

Second round had a few hiccups - but also a few really WOW sequences and we then managed to get our first NON-ELIMINATED round from the scooter. To my great delight we also picked up 5th. (We'll gloss over exactly how many penalties and time faults we collected ;) )

Third round had a few wobbles and she went under a few jumps too... meh!

However for me the best bit of the day was managing a couple of difficult sequences and getting some of the "switch" crosses working in the ring. (Where I get her to switch sides behind me... ). 

Was pleased to be told by one of the G7 handlers that he could see progress and how I'd a smart little dog! Ahhh... Got to say after the first round I was ready to go collect the first "free to good home" pup I could find! LOL.

Anyway home smiling....

My Agility Scooter: Rascal 309LE

So here she is, a Rascal 309LE - basket and arm rests removed of course because we aren't going shopping!

The controls are levers.  

Pulling the right one is Forwards, and Pulling the left one is Backwards.

Which all sounds great until you want to use one hand to control the dog - and that always has to be the hand on the same side as the dog is running.

So this means that when Patsy is on my right I need to push the left lever to go forwards.  It is quite important to remember this, because if I don't ......... then when Patsy changes sides I can suddenly find myself accelerating backwards!  (Ask me how I know this!)

The bumper sticker was provided by my son!  :)  "Some Say......   I am The Stig"  LOL

And as for transport, well, the scooter fits neatly into the back of my Berlingo.  The planks of wood on the left are for loading and unloading.

 Like so....

Notice the outer edges so I can't run it off the planks.  (Handy to have an engineer for a husband!)

"Okay Mum, smile for the camera!"

The planks have two bits of webbing to keep them the right distance apart.  EASY!

So we were out again at the week-end again, and once more caught on camera....  This is at "The Patch" near Comber.

Remind me to wear black socks or longer trousers next time!

 

And we'll end with my favourite photo from the day.  Patsy in full flight.  I just love those wee ears!  :)

So much for our Summer!

Was out again today - the weather was a bit wet, but I was pleased my scooter still gripped the grass despite the damp conditions.  (Where's our Summer gone?)

I'm starting to get a bit of banter now about speeding tickets etc.  and nothing but encouragement from everyone I meet.

Today I was stopped by several people, that I only know to see, who told me they were delighted to see how well Patsy was responding to me being on the scooter.  (Although it is interesting that quite a few folk call it a wheelchair!)

Still waiting for our elusive first non-eliminated round.  Seems Patsy has forgotten how to weave again!

And just because I like posts with photos here's another one from the Lisburn outing.

Practice, practice, practice......

Tonight at training our trainer put up jumps and tunnels and challenged us to different routes through them.  This was good for me to try to work out how to handle tricky aspects, because a scooter doesn't turn or change direction as easily as a running handler.

I also wanted to keep Patsy's confidence up.  So I tended to stick to the designated course for the first 3 or 4 obstacles, and then just take the easiest line home to let her finish on a roll without having to think the whole way round.

The photos here are from our last competitive outing.

Tonight's training was rather damper than this...

Anyway I was really pleased with Patsy tonight, and many of the mistakes made were mine not hers!

Yesterday's Outing... Scooter in Action

So yesterday we went to Lisburn Show.  Tim came with me and videoed my rounds (with the idea that I can learn from my mistakes).

He did a panorama of the two rings.....  (there were more people out of shot!)

And here we are about to go in to our Agility 3-5

The start of this round is a bit hectic, as she wasn't sure about that soft tunnel.... and there were some interesting smells by the fence at one point.... but all in all I was pleased with this round.  There's a lot of new stuff for us both to think about now that I'm using the scooter.

I find it funniest to imagine what Patsy is thinking around this course...

And to be perfectly honest I just LOVE the speed when using the scooter......  I think Patsy likes it too, as I'm noticing much more enthusiasm during the good bits than she had while I was still trying to walk in the ring.

Patsy was exhausted afterwards:

And a little bit later:

;-)