San Diego Obedience Trial Day One

I woke up to rain. Drat. Driving 2.5 hours in the rain won't be fun. Turns out it was a lot less fun than I thought, and I was prepared for no fun at all.

It rained hard. The entire way. I didn't think I would make my class, especially when the freeway was shut down and we didn't move at all for 10 minutes. I know 10 minutes is a short time, but I imagined it would go on much longer. Of course, getting lost didn't help either. Let me start at the beginning.

I left about 15 minutes later than I planned, but I wasn't worried. I'd still be there 15 minutes before my class started. Then the rain came down harder and I drove slower and slower. I avoid the fast and slow lanes in heavy rain because of the possibility of them being flooded. Since it was dark out, I wouldn't be able to tell if there were big puddles, and it is very unsafe to hit a puddle going freeway speeds. I was headed up a hill, relaxed a bit since there can't be standing water on a hill when I very suddenly found out there CAN be standing water on a hill. The car next to me threw copious amounts of water onto my windshield. I was completely blind. I knew there was a truck in front of me, and I knew the road was going straight, but I could not see anything. I applied the brakes (but did not slam them on) and kept the wheel straight and hoped the truck in front of me did not stop and hoped no one behind me had the same problem and did not stop. However, I was not too concerned with people behind me because they were just hypothetical. I am a very defensive driver (probably due to the Pepsi Defensive Driver Course shirt I had as a very small child) and I knew the car that blinded me and the truck in front of me were the only two cars in the vicinity. After what felt like a few minutes but was probably only a second, I slowed down enough and/or the puddle ended and I was no longer in the spray zone. But while my windshield was completely covered and I was blind it was quite scary.

I continued on through the poring rain. At one point I came to a confusing section of the freeway. The lane I was in indicated I was to say in this lane to continue on the 5 south, yet the line to my left was solid white, which tends to mean you are being diverted onto a different road. When I first started driving on the freeway, I was very nervous I would be in a situation where I was confused as to what lane to be in to go the correct direction. This is the first time it actually happened. Well, actually, I have been confused at times, but I've always made the correct decision. Not so much this time. I think I ended up on the 10. I got off on the first exit, hoping I could get back on the 10 going the other direction and pick up the 5 from there.

I think my exit put me onto a movie sound stage made up to look like a deserted warehouse district where all kinds of bad stuff goes down. Maybe drug exchanges or counterfeiting operations or even human smuggling. It was bad. Totally deserted. Boarded up windows. Erie buildings. Buildings built right up on the street with no sidewalks. Just a really strange place. One block over things started to get more normal. I made a few turns, based mostly on the fact that the streets I were on said, "No outlet" then found a well lighted Shell Station. I ran inside and asked for directions. The next street I was going to turn on was the correct street and I made it back to the 5.

Now I was really late. But it was still raining hard. Then the freeway was shut down and I was even later. I reminded myself that while it is true I can't show if I miss my class, it is even more true that I can't show if I am dead. So I refrained from driving unsafely in the rain.

I got to the Del Mar Fairgrounds at about 8:05. My class started at 8, but I didn't have my paper to tell me if I was first or how many dogs were ahead of me. Not surprisingly, the driver of the car in front of me to pay for parking was explaining the plot and central characters of War and Peace to the parking attendant. Or something. I kept my cool and did not start honking OR ram them from behind. After all, I had an impressionable young dog watching my every move.

After finally paying, I had to drive through the entire fairgrounds to the parking lot, which was almost full. I found a spot and jumped out of my car... into a giant puddle. I had parking right int the middle of it. Yuck.

I got Pie, my scent articles, show collar, leash, dumbell, ball and dog cookies, locked the car and took off for our buidling. Is anyone surpirsed it was at the same end of the grounds that we came in at but had to park farthest from? Pie and I ran the entire way to the building in the rain. Upon checking in I learned we had NOT missed our turn. I even had time to warm Pie up, take her to the bathroom spot (an x-pen filled with shavings that I am surprised she would go in) and then it was our turn!

Pie qualified in Utility B with a third place. In Open she also qualified. So that is our very first UDX leg. Only 9 more to go!

I was a bit worried about the groups since last time she went down on the sit. Just as we were getting ready to go into the ring a huge deluge came down. The judge thought he was doing us a favor by taking us out a different door with an overhang. The dogs got to watch us walk away, and away and away, further and further, until we finally went out a door. Personally, I'd rather get wet and have the Q, but it turned out ok anyway.

I went back to the car between Utility and Open to get Pie's crate (slogging through the huge puddle again) and brought Dottie back. She was not too thrilled with the show building and it's huge crowds and loud noises. (This is a very challenging venue. I do not believe obedience MUST be in a more quiet spot, but it is nice not to have the judge loose her voice because she is shouting to be heard over the noise of the blow dryers. Even though it is a challenging venue, I've had good luck here. 2 years ago- or was it 3 already?- Fancy got her UD at this show.) Back to Dottie. I'm sure it didn't help that she would not stop pulling frantically on her leash, and I kept yanking on her and harshly telling her to stop. I realized afterwards I think sometimes she pulls like that because she is worried. Other times she is just excited but this time I really blew it. I couldn't get her to put her ears up even with food bribes. Actually, they would come up for a second but then they'd go back down. After Pie was done I bought her a toy and we played with that and all was good.

Pie was quite the breed ambassador today. Other than Dottie she was the only Malinois at the entire show. People who knew the breed were very excited to see her, and people who didn't know but asked what she was were so pleased to meet her. Pie got pet by so many different people and loved every second of it. The only thing I have to be careful about is I don't want novices to think all Malinois have Pie's same temperament. Her "I am so outgoing and love everyone" is not very common. Not that Malinois are unfriendly or aggressive, Pie is just much more effusive in her generous love than most Mals. She is more like a Golden Retriever than a Malinois, and at the National Specialty at the Breeder's Education Seminar, the breeder-judge said Malinios should NOT have a Golden Retriever personality. So while Pie is perfect for me and for greeting people and making friends at the dog show, her temperament is not the most correct and I don't want people to be mislead. So when people ask if they are all as friendly as she is, I try to reply with something like, "She's a bit more excessively friendly than is normal."

Dottie did not get pet by anyone because when I had her out we played with the toy. One man did play with her with the toy, and actually he did pet her, but for the most part, she is too unmannered to be pet by the general public.

After the show I drove to the Motel 6. Sadly, I got lost... I was supposed to turn on Avenida Encantas, but when I found Encanas Bldv, I figured Google Maps and messed up the name and turned. When I didn't find the motel I got back on the other road and finally found the correct street. I think the missing "T" should have been my biggest clue. I carried all my stuff up to the second floor (you'd think I was moving in permanently) and went back for the dogs. And it started pouring, again. The dogs had their potty break in the pouring rain and then we headed upstairs. As my loyal readers know, I have 2 dogs with the advanced obedience title, the UD, and a somewhat trained puppy. It should not have been this hard to make it up a flight of stairs.

Pie and Fancy headed up while Dottie took a detour and went around the railing and stayed on the ground floor. Dottie hitting the end of her leash going in the opposite direction than us made me stop which in turn made Fancy and Pie stop. Pie thought I was telling her she was going the wrong way so she went back down the stairs and around the railing while Dottie figured it out and came up the stairs. I was trying to get Pie back up the stairs while Dottie found a gap in the railing and started to stick her head through it, which distracted me from getting Pie to come up at which point Fancy headed back down. I jerked Dottie back from the hole and went down to join the other two and we all started back up together. It was at that point I noticed the lady watching us through her window and laughing. At least someone was enjoying it.

Dottie thought it was exciting to be in a motel room while Pie and Fancy are jaded due to their frequent travels. Dot enticed Pie to play while I unpacked and I hoped there was no one below us to hear the thumping of a combined 100 pounds of Malinois jumping and wresting.

I confined Dottie to her crate since I had to call tech support to get the WiFi running in my room. I was excited to I use my laptop to blog in an alternate away from home location for the first time. The tech support guy was helpful and got me running (obviously.)

Dottie is still in her kennel since it is so much easier for her to be in there than out running around the room terrorizing my power cord, the trashcan and my suitcase, among other things.

Day 2 of the trial is tomorrow. I hope it does not rain on our way home. Right now it sounds like it is still raining hard and I heard some thunder earlier.