Adventures away from home...

I find I stay home a lot these days. That is fine by me, as there are not many places I'd rather be.  But it is good to get out sometimes, and fun training activities with my Bravo dog make sure I leave the property.  This past weekend we rode with my friend Carol, and her cute spaniel, Kellie, to Fryeburg, Maine.  This is about 2 1/2 hours from my place, a pretty drive through some very rural countryside.  We met another friend with her dog in Fryeburg, and let the dogs romp and play a while. Then we went to an adorable little cabin we had rented for the night.  Painted barn red with white trim, it was nestled into some impressive snow banks.  Inside was clean and neat, with a gas fired stove cheerily heating the two small bedrooms, living area and wee bathroom.  We hung out and chatted a while, then met another friend for a wonderful supper.

The next morning, after a lovely breakfast prepared for us by the innkeeper, we went to Telling Tails training center for a Wag It Games trail.  The facility was spacious, comfortable and filled with nice people and dogs.  Bravo and I had signed up for a number of trial runs in several different classes. Some were things I felt confident he would do well at, and some I figured we'd be a flop.  The flop classes were first thing in the morning.  "Shadow Skills" consists of a course that is laid out with 8"x10" printed signs. Owner and dog go along from sign to sign, and perform the task as labeled. The dog is to walk along nicely at the handlers side, paying attention to where the handler goes and heeling happily with them.  One sign might say, "270 degree turn to the left." Another might say, "Sit, down, sit," a third might say, "Spin," which means the dog is heeling along next to its handler, then spins in a circle away from them and immediately resumes heeling. Dogs love this one!  We were in the novice class.  A judge watched us move around the course, navigating the 15 or so signs.  I thought we did fairly well, but wasn't sure.  To my surprise and delight we got qualifying scores in both sessions, and won a second and third placement. Here is Bravo in his cozy new "pup tent," where he hangs out between competitions, with two of his early in the day ribbons.

Chris gave us the tent for Christmas. It is very light, and opens and closes like an umbrella. SO much easier than lugging a heavy metal crate around. 

Bravo's breeder, and a woman who has one of his litter mates both live nearby. They delighted me by coming to spend much of the day, watching the competitions and cheering us on when it was our turn.

 Here is Bravo greeting his breeder. I am not sure if he remembered her, but he certainly LIKED her. And she seemed to like him, too.

It was fun to hang out with these interesting women for a few hours, and I was so pleased that they gave up time from their busy lives to come be with us. 

At the end of the day we had done some impressive winning. Bravo gave me some kisses as we surveyed his haul.

And then it was home in the dark, on snowy roads. Carol drove competently, and Chris greeted me with a glass of wine and a bowl of delicious chili.  Home welcomed me in, with its warmth and routines and comfort.  But it was so good to go away for a bit, and dabble in the different.  Games with Bravo are always a lot of fun.