I qualified for USDAA nationals!

We are finally home! It's been a long day. I'm tired and irritable, but it's not hampering my ability to relish in the day!

We had five runs today - that's a lot, but we had a great time.

Snooker - Our first run was Masters Snooker. Mum decided when she walked the course that we may just be able to try for our first Super Q. That would mean that we would have to do four reds instead of three and we would need to go for at least two sevens. She plotted out a nice flowing course. I took off and was nearly the fastest I've ever been in a trail. Great! We got through all four reds and the two sevens, then we started on the 2-7 sequence. We were going great! Then on the last seven, Mum put me in the wrong tunnel entrance, so no Super Q - but we got a nice Q! Mum was super proud.

Gamblers - Our second run was gamblers, wow what a tough gamble! The gamble had a tunnel entrance right at the line, then the tunnel turned left - then Mum had to give me a turn (to the right) and out to take the jump, teeter and jump going toward the right. We started off great, ran out of time a little in our plan, but Mum bolted for the gamble tunnel entrance. When I came out of the tunnel, she gave me the turn and out and I did it!!!! She go so excited, she forgot to tell me out jump, but I took the teeter and she was giving me all kinds of good boys! So we bolted to the finish. NQ, but, wow, Mum was impressed with my going out like that, I got lots of chicken after that run.

Standard - By our third run it was starting to get pretty hot. Mum and I ran standard with no faults, but we were over time. So Mum made some plans to keep me motivated and cool for the next runs.

Steeplechase - Mum put my cool coat on me before we ran Steeplechase. We entered because I need one more Q to qualify for nationals. We had a clean run, but I still wasn't fast enough to make the Q. So Mum altered her plan to keep me cool for our next run.

Grand Prix - Mum pretty much gave me a bath before our run on this event. We, again, entered Grand Prix, because I only need one more Q to qualify for nationals. We ran well and clean, a bit faster that my two previous runs. I was over by 1.5 secs. But it was still enough to qualify and get 3rd Place! Yippee!!!

I QUALIFIED FOR the 2007 USDAA NATIONALS!!!!!!

Just to put it in perspective. I started agility training when I was 11 months old in June of 2005. Before that, Mum didn't even think about agility with me - she had never done it before. One of her friends mentioned that I may be good at it, so she signed me up for a class. We took two classes - 6 weeks each, then started with our present trainer taking private lessons, which suited me much better than the class format.

We trained until early November when I got attacked by some dogs and had to have surgery. Six weeks after my dog attack (I was healing very well and quickly) Mum entered me in my first trial - that was December 31, 2005. So, 25 months to nearly the day I started training, I have qualified for Nationals.

This so rocks and we are incredibly excited, thanks for letting us share are good news! We sure wouldn't be where we are without our friends, trainers and teachers.