Go East Young Ladies...

Kiwi is still learning how to break fast but boy does she come on strong at the end!

She may not be ahead yet just give her another few feet!

It has been a long time since Inseguire attended a trial in the East, not since Sadie was a very young dog in fact, and it was time to come "home" to where my love of terriers began. Although I acquired my very first "Jack Russell" in Alberta more than decade ago it was not until I moved out east that I started tending JRTCA trials. It did not take long for the terrier bug to hit me and when my first special girl was taken from me all too soon I knew that my life would never be complete without a terrier in it. I loved my little short legged "puddin" Russell but I knew that I wanted my next one to be of show quality and suitable for breeding. After searching around I purchased Sadie from a breeder in Pennsylvania, although she carries an Ontario kennel name as her mother was purchased on what is known as a "breeders contract" which in short means the first litter whelped from the female belongs to the original breeder. It is much more complex than that but that can be the topic of it's own blog post one day. Back on track, a women from New York state, Michelle Ward of Little Eden JRTs, offered to bring 9 week old Sadie from Pennsylvania to her place in NY and shorten my drive to pick her up substantially. This was my first encounter with Michelle and I will never forget being in awe of just how much he knew about these little white dogs. She spent a good two hours with me educating me on what was in store for me now that I had joined the ranks of JRT breeders and armed with this new knowledge and a wonderful new puppy I drove the 3.5 hrs home ready to set the world on fire.

Sadie and I travelled up and down the East coast together, showing when we had time, but mostly she kept me company as I moved around for work. She always did well in the show ring and was my constant companion. My work schedule kept me from breeding her though until I moved back out West and that is when "Inseguire" was really born. The two litters she has produced to date have really put us on the map and it was time to come back to where it all began and show everyone just how far we have really come.

Many of the faces were new to me but there were some familiar old ones, including Michelle who had not seen Sadie since she was a baby. It was so great to see everyone again and have the opportunity to show of my pride and joy, Kiwi. That little puppy is really everything I could ever hope for and more and she did me proud winning Best Overall Puppy again on Sunday and much to my surprise, Over Puppy Racing Champion as well! I is not too often that you see a conformation dog cross over into racing, which surprises me because correct structure should be an asset, and Kiwi did it with style. The dogs that come to this trial to run are some of the fastest in the country and after working out the kinks on Saturday (this was only her 3rd time racing after all!) she had things down pat and easily put away the competition on Sunday. She loves racing, the way Cali loves flyball, so I my just enter her for Nationals in both arenas if things work out. Sadie was, as always, solid in the show ring never placing worst than 3rd against some of the top dogs/kennels. She also won ribbons in barn hunt and lure coursing- her 2 favorite JRT sports!

Even though we had none of our regular gear, and had to borrow n ex-pen to house Kiwi, we made do and had a great time! The hospitality was fantastic, the weather cooperated nicely and the chairs, shade, and cold drinks provided by new friends made the whole experience all that much more enjoyable. I look forward to coming out this way again, hopefully sometime soon.

Taking the Plunge - Dock Dogs 2010!

Inseguire attended the Dock Dogs competition in Prince Albert, SK. Dock Dogs is a competition where a dog runs off a 40 foot dock placed 2 feet above the water and are judged on the length of their jump. Basically it is a long jump competition for dogs. Sounds simple? Well getting your dog to actually jump off the end of the dock proves to be a real challenge. All our dogs love to swim and spend 3 days a week or more retrieving things out of a pond. They will splash and dive in without hesitation all day long, but asking them to jump 2 feet down off the dock is a completely different story.

My biggest motivation to drive down to give this a try was Sadie. She adores swimming and you never see her more excited than when she is retrieving things out of the water. She did not disappoint me as it only took a time or two and she was leaping off the end with very little hesitation. The rest of the crew, however, was a little more reluctant. I was hoping Cali's drive would overcome her hesitation to leap but with no luck. She would happily jump in off the ramp on the side of the dock but wanted nothing to do with leaping off the end of the dock it's self. After trying, unsuccessfully, to get her to jump I asked the Dock Dogs crew if I could get in the pool and try to coax her in that way. They looked at me in my nice shorts and t-shirt and laughed, saying if I wanted to hop in the cold, cold, water I was more than welcome. I had no swim wear but luckily I had an extra pair of pants in the car so into the water I went. I stayed in for both Riley and Cali and was eventually able to get them to jump in, although Cali needed to jump onto my shoulder first and then into the water. We even got the puppies, Tov and Kiwi, to jump in off the ramp and fetch up the toy.

When it came time for the competition Sadie jumped off just like she had in practice, run to the end of the dock, stop, think, leap in. With time, and some more practice, I am hoping she will learn to make a nice smooth run off the end. She was very excited each time it was her turn and really enjoyed herself. Cali was excited to chase her ball but just could not muster up the confidence to jump off the high dock solo so after her 90 seconds was up I let her get it from the ramp. It was much more important to me that she enjoy herself and have a good time then force her to jump off the dock it's self. Riley was much the same way as Cali and having had some good practice jumps with me in the water I am satisfied that with time he will learn to enjoy this sport.

Much to my surprise as we were packing up and saying good-bye I was told Sadie won her Novice division (even against the big dogs!). This was just icing on the cake as she loved every second of the time we spent in, and near, the water. All in all it was a great day, despite being overcast and raining, the dogs came home tired and happy and I came home with a lot of fun memories and maybe a new game to play with my dogs.

MAWTA Trial 2010

Once again Inseguire made the trip to Nebraska for the 2010 edition of the Mid-America Working Terrier Association Trial. We always have so much fun at this trial in and out of the ring. The people are warm and welcoming and many of our friends attend, without fail though we always manage to make a few new ones of the course of the weekend and this trip was no exception. Much of Nebraska had flooded in the week prior to the trial which meant we were not able to use the usual venue, carp were swimming where the conformation ring normally is! Not to be thwarted by mother nature Patti, the trial organizer, found a fair grounds not to far out of town and moved everything there. It was a lovely site and while we all missed the shade the big trees at the old site provided ez-ups helped shelter us from the 90+ heat.

Day one was hot and humid by 8am but I was determined to race the puppies that had been cooped up in the car for the last 2 days and were no longer interested in sleeping at night. Patton ended up being much more interested in playing with the other young pups in his heat than running so once the lure disappeared from view he and two other youngsters stoped for a little play session in the middle of the track. This of course lead to three puppy owners hoping the barrier to encourage the little dogs to keep running. lol. None of our dogs have ever raced before so I was not expecting much from them other them to get them out to run around a little. I loaded Kiwi into the starting box with the though that she would likely spend more time trying to remove the muzzle they are forced to wear when racing than actually running. She did just that for the first second or so after they opened the gates but then noticed everyone was getting away and picked up the chase, passing quite a few of them on the way to the finish hole. The next class for her was hurdles and while she still did not break well she had a much better idea of what she was supposed to be doing and came in second. These two placings allowed her a spot in the final to run for the championship and lo-and-behold she came in second there too netting her Reserve Puppy Racing Champion behind a dog almost 5 months her senior!

There is always a rather long wait while racing finishes up and conformation starts so I had the opportunity to catch up with some old friend and meet some wonderful ladies from the south. I ended up spending much of the trial with this gang and socializing and talking terriers and as it turns out they had dogs that carried similar bloodlines to my own. I also had the opportunity to purchase some gorgeous leashes from Terrier Essentials before my classes started. I have been needing another show leash and a larger martingale for Sadie and Kiwi for a while now and found a couple of stunning braided kangaroo leather leashes, as well as some leather martingale tie out leashes, not to mention the martingales I have been needing.

Conformation started off with a bang with Kiwi winning her class and then going on the win Best Bitch Pup and Overall Puppy Champion. I was so proud of my little hooligan! Cali showed very well in her first class as an adult and made the ribbons in a very large, tough, class despite the heat knocking her out a little. Sadie is a veteran in the ring and always makes me look good as she pretty much shows herself and took 3rd in another large, deep, class. A few games of find the rat later and I brought the, all back in for the family class where Sadie won best Brood Bitch and Produce! When it was his turn Patton, being as adorable as ever, took Colored Terrier Champion. A pretty successful day all around.

I was definitely tired by the time the alarm went off on Sunday morning but with how much Kiwi enjoyed the first day of racing I could not miss the second. Thankfully it was a little cooler and Patton ran a little better but was still irritated that he had to wear a muzzle. Kiwi on the other hand had the game thoroughly figured out and won both her regular heats to land her a spot int he championship race again. After a rough break, due mostly in part to not paying attention, she made up a lot of ground on the same older dog who beat her the day before and was once again the Reserve Puppy Racing Champion.

Conformation went incredibly well again with Kiwi winning her class, Best Bitch Puppy, and Overall Puppy Champion again. Cali and Sadie both pinning in their classes. Sadie won Best Brood Bitch and Produce again and went on to win Reserve Best Family, and Patton took Reserve Colored Terrier this time. The last class of the day was a Matched Pairs Class which is very popular in Britain and on the advice of john Broadhurst who judged day 1 we entered Kiwi and the dog who took Best Open Terrier both days, Glenledi Cactus Flash. Both of these terriers share a paternal grandsire, Conquest Scorch, and have a very similar look about them which was reaffirmed when they won Reserve Champion Matched Pair.

A great weekend all in all of shopping, socializing, coolers, and dogs, what more could a girl ask for really.

Home Games

We had two major accomplishments at our "home" tournament in Moose Jaw SK June 12th and 13th. Sadie earned her FM and Riley finally earned his FD! Sadie, while running with PDQ, earned her 5000 point title and the right to call herself a veteran of flyball. Riley though stole the show. After 3 years of unsuccessful training we finally had the opportunity to take over the reins on his training and with the help of Furry Flash he made his debut that weekend! He was a wonderful boy and when he ran he did everything right in the lanes. We are still keeping him in a very part-time spot so as not to overwhelm him but he was a star all weekend and made no mistakes. A HUGE thank you to Furry Flash for helping us get him over the final hump and giving him the chance to prove himself! Hopefully this is the start of many more wonderful thing to come for this sweet gentle boy!

Spring is finally here

After much rain and miserable weather this last week it may finally be safe to say that spring has come here at Inseguire. Although they live as house pets our terriers enjoy spending much time outside during nice weather sunning themselves and playing. I have managed to grab a few candid shot over the last couple of weeks during the nice days. It is difficult though as I often have a few terriers of one variety or another mauling me to throw something, and if not a terrier it is a lab/weim mix who just wants to PLAY! The puppies are starting to look almost like adults now, and while I adore their puppy cuteness I am very much done with everything else that come with raising 3 puppies at once! (FYI to anyone even considering this for themselves - DON'T! lol). I do love them though and am excited to see what they turn into as they head rapidly towards adulthood.

Winds of Change

Donna and Topher

Since the last post Inseguire has attended two flyball tournaments, the first one in Warmen SK and most recently in Coaldale AB. In the interim of posts we have moved all our dogs over to Furry Flash from Moose Jaw, the team Cali was on loan to. Flyball is something we do for our dogs, not the other way around, and the politics of a big club can sometimes be overwhelming. That being said we were overdue for a change and Furry Flash was gracious enough to "adopt" all of us.

Warmen marked our first tournament with our new team and proved to be a lot of fun. The lower keyed environment allowed both dogs and people to relax and just enjoy the fun of racing. Sadie finally ran cleanly, and while she is no where near her former self she has given me hope that she will one day get there again. The whole reason we got into flyball was to give Sadie something to do after the move from Ontario and to have her sidelined due to fear was just heartbreaking for me. There is still a lot we need to work on, like her current defensiveness when running, but with perseverance I think we will get there. Cali, as always, was rock solid and eked out some pretty impressive races as the anchor dog. She is a competitive little dog and never ceases to amaze me how hard she will push to stick her nose in front at the wire.

The real star of the weekend though was "Topher" (Inseguire Christopher C) who earned a whopping 1552 points in a single weekend! He was listed full time with his home club, the Lloydminister Hotdoggers, and as a back up/relief dog for an open team but when the open team pulled their other height dog early on Saturday he ended up running double time. This is a lot for any dog, but especially for the little guys. Thankfully on Sunday the open team found a dog to split the height dog position with him and despite all the extra work he held up both teams to a first place finish in thier respective divisions. All the racing barely seemed to phase him and he ran a new PB of 5.477 late Sunday afternoon. We are so proud Topher and his handler Donna has done an amazing job training and conditioning this little man - way to go Donna and Topher!!

Two weeks later saw us in Coaldale AB for the Redline tournament. Only Cali was running in this one as we thought it best not to overwhelm Sadie now that we were finally on the road to recovery. We did however get to take the puppies into the lanes after racing on Saturday and play recall games. Kiwi was impressive, having only ever seen the jumps once before she did full recalls over all four of them completely ignoring the dogs playing in the other lane. Her focus is outstanding and I am excited for her to grow up so we can teach her more of the game. Tov was the big surprise though. She is amazingly driven and has a fierce tug drive which enabled her to do her very first recalls like a champ. Patton was a hit with everyone, and while he still does recalls for food he charmed the heck out of everyone he met and was a little Casanova all weekend.

The racing itself was great. "Bug", the world's most adorable border collie, made her debut and performed like she had been running her whole life. Bug, Tripp, Dusty, and Cali set a new Furry Flash club record of 18.9, with room to improve and shave time off that the next tournament. Most importantly we had a lot of fun and Cali earned her FDCh-G on the weekend - catching back up to her brother Topher after his amazing weekend in Warmen.

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

We said a bittersweet good-bye to Inseguire Memento last week. She left for her new home in the Yukon, via Vancouver, and while we will miss her terribly she is going to a wonderful family. Her new people got in touch with me a few weeks ago and went through our screening process with flying colors. They had previously owned a JRT and their idea of a vacation was a week long canoe trip with evening hikes. I am not sure you can find two people more suited for a JRT but to top it all off they were willing to fly to Vancouver and spend a weekend there just so she wouldn't have to endure a long plane ride alone.

Sunday morning arrived and we packed her up with a blanket and tug and kissed her goodbye. A few tears later, of mixed joy and sorrow, and she was on her way to Vancouver to meet the people she would be spending the rest of her life with. The flight from Saskatoon was a fairly short one but of course I was still not able to relax entirely until I heard from her new family that she was safe in their arms. Thankfully the plane was on time and there were no complications with picking her up and I received a phone call right on time to say she made it and they loved her! They reported she handled the trip well and was already handing out kisses as if she had known them her whole life.

Sending our little ones so far away is always difficult but seeing them in their new homes, so content, so loved, makes all the heart ache of saying goodbye worth it. A picture speaks a thousand words and seeing Mika, who is now Ripley, snuggled up with her new "mommy" on the couch without a care in the world lets me know we made the right decision for her. This is why we breed. Seeing the pure joy in our dogs and their new owners when they are together makes it all worth while.