3 Dog Days: Agility Invitational- Day 1

First, drama started off the day. I had just woken up and was laying in bed, when the lady who lives in the other side of the duplex started screaming. "Help! I don't know what to do! It's flooding! Where's the shut off! Water everywhere! Run and tell the landlady! Call the plumber!" And so on. I would have gone to help but I didn't know where the shut off was either. It turns out her ex-husband was getting the boys ready for school and went to turn the shower on when the entire handle came shooting off, hit him in the chest and shot scalding water on him. He stood there with his finger in the hole until they were able to find the shut off.

I figured the plumber would get there soon and park in the driveway, which meant I wouldn't be able to get anywhere near my house with the trailer because there is no street parking right outside my house. Therefore, I quickly moved my car and trailer into the driveway before he got there. Good thing, too, because as I expected he showed up shortly after that.

My water was still on but the outside water was off, which meant I couldn't fill my water tank on the trailer up. In the trailer is a 6 gallon water jug, and I used that to top off my tanks. It is good to improvise. I packed the car up and headed out, getting a bit of a later start that I wanted. I had fiddled around with the trailer, turning the fridge on, finally draining the gray water tank (it took me a while to figure out how to get the cap off), loading up my pillow and quilt and other such necessities. But finally we were on the road.

Right outside our town is The Grade. This is a steep section of the 101 that I thought might give us a bit of trouble. I pressed the pedal down and we motored up it. The battary light blinked on and off twice (why?) and the temp needle moved a bit above 1/2 way, but as soon as we crested the top it went back down to its normal location. Also it moved a bit going up the Spelveda Pass. The car pulls the trailer, but it rather wouldn't. Luckily I do not plan on taking trips every weekend. Someone on an RV chat board said they don't understand why Americans get so worked up about the size of the vehicle pulling the trailer. They said they live in England and everyone pulls trailers with cars. After reflecting on this a bit I think the difference is there are not many mountains in England.

We got to the RV parking outside of the Convention center and I pulled into the spot the nice man pointed out to me. Then he decided he wanted me moved over a bit which meant backing up. I gave it the ol' college try and got the trailer to go where I wanted, but when I pulled back it it was all crooked. So the parking man called for back up and a dude came along and hoped in the drivers seat and straightend us up a bit. But not very much. I think even he found it more difficult than he expeted. Small trailer= harder. The best thing about the tiny tear drop was I could unhook it and wheel it around like a cart.

So, after I parked I grabbed Fancy and Pie and headed for warm up and check in. Then we waited and waited. Finally Fancy went in and she did great. This run doesn't count for anything- just practice. Fancy was fast, happy, and listened great.

I knew I'd have some time before Pie ran, so I went back to the trailer and lowered the braces/ struts/ what are those things called? Stabilizers! Actually, before doing that I checked the level, which was off a tiny bit, so I put down a one inch block and backed onto it, checked the level again, pulled off of it, put in under the other wheel and tried again with the same results. Not needed apparently. Then I put the front foot on the tongue down and cranked us up to level. THEN I put the stabilizers down, hooked up the electricity (cord was almost too short and among all the stuff the previous owner gave me, I couldn't find an extension cord. I'll be adding one when I get home. Although the good news is they seem to have plenty here.)

After everything was set up, I leashed Dottie up and walked back to agility. It is really nice this year because they put sod down inside instead of the mats. I showed Dottie off to the other Malinois people I had met previously (they liked her cute face) then got ready to run Pie. But not ready enough apparently because when I went to check the board as it got close to her turn, I got yelled at because we weren't already in line. Oops. I got her, put her over the jump a few times, and got in line (in plenty of time, but I understand why they want you there early so I won't be "late" tomorrow. But boy, was that gate steward mad!)

Pie did not run as nice as Fancy. She was not running her fastest, she didn't slow down on her a frame contact, and she missed a serpentine and ran around a jump. Good thing it was just a warm up!

Back to the trailer in the fog. Dogs barking in RVs all around us. Heated up my left over pizza dinner in the microwave, got the hot water heater lit. That was the most difficult thing so far. The pilot wouldn't stay on. I wasn't expecting the small explosion of flame that occurred after the pilot was already lit. It burned big for a while as the tank was heating, but I don't hear it anymore, so the water must hot enough and is now being held at that temperature. My little folding table worked well. I have dog beds out for the dogs and they were using them for a while, but Dottie and Fancy have wormed their way up onto the bed and are snozing away up there. The folding bunk will not fold with any bedding on it so I have my blankets shoved in a closet. Ffluffy is going to use the bottom bunk so I hope she doesn't mind a small bit of Fancy and Dottie hair. If she does, she can have the top bunk....

Earlier when I went to put my suitcase under the bed, I ran into resistance. Turns out Fancy had crawled under there and I was ramming her with the suitcase. Poor Fancy.

The huge RV next to me is as big as a bus. While I was sitting on the ground in my grubby agility clothes trying to light the water heater, the owners stepped outside, in complete evening dress- the woman in a floor length fur coat and the man in a tux. On their way to a fancy dinner perhaps? Ah well... maybe their first RV was a 14 foot trailer also.

The cold and fog curtailed any use of the x-pens. Plus, I need to get a mat to put down so they aren't on the asphalt and if Dottie is to be in there, a top so she doesn't help herself to an adventure.