There Was Something In the Air… Outdoor Rally Competitions

I’m very behind in my blogging and am using this opportunity to catch up.  The plan had been to blog right after each Rally trial but that didn’t happen.  So now you will get the highlights that I can remember, as we attended a number of shows over the month of June 2024.  The Muskoka trial kick started my trial bug and I was hankering for another fix.  The plan was to maximize the number of trials we entered but try and keep the driving distance under 6 hours.  The Powassan trial seemed to fit the bill… less than 6 hours away, 4 runs to maximize our chances of titling.  The only thing that I missed was the large bold letters OUTDOOR TRIAL!.

Little did I know at that time of entry, that my distrust of on-line banking would cause such havoc and lead to some mega stress.  The listing for the trial indicated that it would be a small show with a limited  first come first serve entry.  Even though registration had only been open a few days the organizer informed me they were close to capacity and if I wanted to attend I needed to get my entries and payment in quickly.  

The problem was I don’t have e-transfer capability and I had run out of cheques. 

What to do?

Some quick research gave me a glimmer of hope.  I could send a money order from Canada Post.  If I sent it Express post it would be there in 1-2 days, hopefully in enough time to secure spots for Ferg and the Ladies.  Everything was squared away the next day by 12:30 pm.   I was feeling pretty proud of myself and my quick thinking.  Look at me, both solving my problem and helping out Canada Post (which had just announced business model issues the day before).   Using the tracking number I started following the package’s progress across the province.  

It left the city the afternoon of Day one.  Off to a fantastic start. 

Day 2 it arrived in Toronto.  Whoot! Whoot!  Not long until our registration would be finalized.

Day 3 there was a delay.  No need to panic.

Day 4 it had travelled from Toronto to Barrie.

Day 5- Unexpected delays, no estimated time for delivery, could not locate current location.  Phoned the contact line,  could not get through.  Tried social media account and was told that was only answered on weekdays.  Tried the chat bot… it wouldn’t/couln’t answer my questions.  Frustration was mounting, along with my anxiety that we would miss out on being able to register for the trial.   I tried the Canada Post phone line again and eventually got a customer service rep who confirmed the package was in the system, not to worry, it would be on its way.  I expressed my concerns that I paid a premium to have the package delivered in 1-2 days and we were now on Day 5.  I mentioned that the odds were high that the envelope would have arrived faster sending it with just a stamp and was told… had I sent it by stamp there wouldn’t have been the ability to track it.  

Day 6- Still unexpected delays with no estimated time for delivery.  Are you kidding me!!!!!  I had checked on the status so many times over the last six days, I had the 10 digit tracking code memorized. 

Day 7-  Still no movement.  I tried to fill in the on-line form that would start an official inquiry process, but it would not accept the address that the package was sent to.  I ended up phoning the number to cancel the money order, as the new plan was to have one of my friends, who has faith in on-line banking, send the e-transfer for me.  I about lost it when I was told that I would have to wait 40 days before I could cancel the money order and be reimbursed… Canada Post had to make sure that it had not been delivered first.  I pointed out that we knew it had not been delivered yet, as it spent the weekend somewhere between Barrie and Toronto.  The Rep checked into it and quickly identified that the issue was a “looping error”.    One of the most frustrating questions that customer service reps kept asking was… “When does it need to be at the destination?”  My response was last week Thursday… which was why I chose to send it Express. 

In the end, the envelope had to be manually pulled from the system or it most likely would still be shuttling back and forth between Barrie and Toronto.  By the next day it had arrived a full week after it had been posted.  I had been promised by the Supervisior that I spoke with, that I would have official answers to what went wrong and reimbursement within a week of my call. Answers and reimbursement never happened, but in fairness I got busy and never followed up myself.

Registration secured I started doubling down  on the training to get the dogs ready to compete outside.  We trained in the yard, the park, the farm.  It became apparent pretty fast that Hazel would be the one to struggle the most at the trial, as she was thrown by the wind, birds, grass smells etc.  I had to break out the cheese reinforcement to even get her to look in my general direction when any of the aforementioned distractions were present.  

The other thing that became a concern was all three “forgot” how to go over a jump.  What was the issue… they are used to jumping inside…. Outside jumping???  We can jump outside????  Thankfully I discovered this two days before we left for the show.  Ferg and Lyndy adapted the fastest…. Hazel went over 1 out of 5 times, if I was lucky. 

According to the internet Powassan, didn’t have any dog friendly hotels,  so we ended up booking a hotel in North Bay.  The plan was to leave around noon, get there around 5 pm, settle in, go for a walk and just relax.  It turns out that I am the Queen of Wishful Thinking.  Noon rolled around and I wasn’t even remotely ready, my schedule had been thrown off by multiple pee accidents by Brie.  She peed while I packed and then decided to flood her crate while I went to pick-up groceries for the trip.  Irritation was running high by the time I loaded all five in the truck at 2:00.  

I hurdled down the highway, with a quick stop to drop off Wee and Brie at the farm.  Luckily traffic was light on the highway and we were able to make up some time; rolling into the hotel parking lot around 7pm.  

30 minutes later I was out in the parking lot trying to convince the dogs to eliminate both bowel and bladder when I heard my name.  I look up and see my friend and her husband over in the parking lot.  What are the odds that her child would have a soccer tournament in North Bay the same time I had a dog trial and we both decided to stay at the same hotel? We had a quick chat that was cut short by the dog’s perpetual need to wrap the leashes around my legs and then try to leap up on K&J.   My crankiness factor indicated that an early bed time was required. 

I must say the hotel room was roomy and deluxe.  It easily accommodated the three crates, three dogs and myself.  The only thing that would have made it better was if the room was on the main floor vs second floor.  It is hard to manage flights of stairs, three dogs and three crates at the same time.  I will also say that North Bay and the surrounding area is very picturesque and there was lots going on.  It definitely would be a great place to go and explore when I have a little more time.

The Super 8 in North Bay is 3 out of 3 Golden approved!

The drive down to Powassan went smoothly the next morning and before I knew it we were set up and checked-in for the trials.  Ferg was first up in Master’s.  The outdoor format and having people so close to the entry blew his mind.  The Judge had just finished asking “Are you ready?”.  I was in the process of saying “Yes”, when Ferg looked over his shoulder and took off out of the ring to jump into the lap of one of the ring stewards.  The Judge took pity on me and let me repeat X 2, each time resulting in Ferg bolting from the ring.  On the final attempt I took it upon myself to say “We are ready!” Before the judge even asked.  Well dear reader, it doesn’t work that way… you have to wait for the Judge to ask.  The fourth time ended up being the charm and we made it past the first few signs before Ferg decided to make a break for the exit after taking the jump.  Can’t blame him it was lined up perfectly with the exit and there were “adoring fans” waiting for him. 

Running out of sleeve space for Competition #’s

The Ladies also struggled with the outdoor venue.  There was grass to smell, something in the bush across the road (never figured out what it was), the heat and limited shade to contend with.  I chalked Day One up as a figuring out day.  I learned Ferg had to sit on an angle facing away from the exit if I wanted any hope that he would remain in the ring.  I really needed a refresher course in lefts and rights as I kept doing Master signs backward and I really needed to invest in shade cover and another battery powered fan before our next outdoor show.  

What I totally love is how quiet life is after Day One of a trial.  The herd is usually sleeping before we even make it to the highway and they rouse long enough to have a pee break before couching out again once we get to the hotel room.  

Post show crash and burn

What was the end result you ask?

Ferg qualified in all his Advanced and Excellent runs which helped him work toward his RAE title.  By some miracle he also managed to earn two high in trials for two out of his 12 runs.  Whoot Whoot!.   This accomplishment tempered the disappointment of only qualifying for one out of four of his Master’s runs.

Lyndy worked hard and managed to earn her Excellent title and one high in trial for one of her 8 runs. 

Hazel also managed to earn her Excellent title but the toys in the ring proved to be too much for her.  She would take the jumps and then bee-line for the toys. Ripping around the ring as soon as she “captured” the contraband.  It would have been amusing to watch… but the humour of it all was lost on me while in the ring.  

We definitely found out that all three need more time training outdoors and around lots of distractions. 

The Herd and I would like to shout out to EPS Training Associates for their patience and understanding with the delay in getting payment to them and for hosting the event.  We also send a shoutout to the Judges Del Lunn and Susan Des Cotes for the challenging courses, the patience with Ferg’s Day One ring breaks and for the reminders to read the signs and brush up on lefts and rights before heading into the ring.😄