Summertime

Everyone keeps asking me with sad faces "How is Tully handling Terra being gone?".  I think it can be summed up in one word....fantastic.  For the first time in his life he is an only dog and he thinks it's fantastic. It's fantastic to not share toys, food, blankets, space in the SUV, and most of all, the attention of the favorite human.  No, he did not properly mourn the loss of his sister.  I'm pretty sure I've heard him humming "Ding Dong, the witch is dead".  She did torment him for 10 years, but still, a little respect should be given!   Little does he know at some point he will gain a little brother or little sister.  For now he lives in bliss knowing everything in the house is his, his, his.

I'm getting worse and worse about updating this thing.  Since our last post we've not been quite as busy.  Tully and I went to a CPE agility trial in Carmel, Indiana on June 2 and 3rd and entered level 2 for the first time.  He was a perfect 8 for 8, with 1st place in each class, for the weekend to put him halfway to his Level 2 titles.   I was worried about not knowing anyone in CPE after years of competing with friends in AKC, but I have to say most of the CPE people  have been lovely and we continue to meet great people from around the country.  He's really having a good time running in CPE and reliving the "glory days" of his youth ;-)  The following weekend we went to Urbana, Illinois for a Rally trial and picked up another RAE2 leg with a 1st place in Advanced and 2nd place in Excellent.  Next on the agenda is another CPE agility trial in Carmel in 3 weeks and rally in Cincy in August.

I originally started this blog last year as we prepared for the 2011 ACDCA nationals.  With the 2012 nationals just over 3 months away in St. Louis, we will start to think about entering.  This year's nationals will be much different than last year's nationals. We will not run 12 classes in 2 days.  We will not come home with a stack of ribbons and trophies. We will go to have fun at one last national speciality.  He'll probably compete just in two rally classes and veterans obedience - 3 classes total.  The rest of the time we'll go cheer on our friends and enjoy all the great dogs!

CPE agility and a plan for summer

Last weekend we headed up to Carmel, Indiana, on the north side of Indianapolis for our fist try at CPE agility.  CPE is an organization that is better known in some parts of the country than in others, but has really become more popular in the Midwest.  They offer a variety of different courses/games and a variety of different jump heights/titling programs to fit the needs of their competitors.  At the age of 10, Tully was starting to struggle making both the jump heights and course times in AKC, yet he's not ready to be a couch potato quite yet.  CPE seemed to be a nice bridge for us between the highly competitive AKC circuit and complete retirement.

Tully had 8 runs in 2 days, not an easy task for an old guy.  CPE classes include standard, jumpers, full house, jackpot, colors, wildcard, and snooker.  The number of qualifying scores for titling depends on the level.  Although Tully could have started as high as level 3 due to his AKC titles, we opted for level 1 since I had no idea how their trials and classes worked.  It turned out that apparently Tully must have read the rule book and he knew exactly what to do.  He earned qualifying runs and first place with no faults in all 8 runs over two days to earn all of his level 1 titles (CSL1-S, CSL1-H, CSL1 -F, CSL1-R).  I ran him at the lowest jump height allowable for him - 12 inches - and he did great.  He ran faster than ever and seemed to know  he was a rock star.  He routinely ran 20-30 seconds under course time...amazing for an old guy!

Next up on the agenda is another try at CPE in 3 weeks in Carmel - this time level 2.  The weekend after that we are heading to Illinois for rally and obedience, just for fun.  Other plans include CPE agility in July again in Carmel, followed in August with obedience/rally at Queen City and Louisville.  In the meantime, it's off to herding lessons.  Semi-retirement may mean low jump heights and less strain on an aging back and body, but it does not mean we stop living.  We still have our fingers crossed that we will make it to a few classes at nationals in 5 months! 



Taken at Queen City Dog Training Club in March 2012, one of my favorite photos of the Tullster.  Competing is fun, but in the end, it's about the bond between a dog and their person.  I love my boy and I think the feeling is mutual.



Spring is here!

Spring has sprung and Tully's period of rest from back aches and pains is over.  He's not the dog he was last fall, but he's happy and content and still wants to play and have fun.  We have returned to herding lessons and he is having a blast.  He thinks he would like to be a farm dog who can roll in mud, wade in cattle troughs, but then sleep on the bed at night. He does not understand that he has to have a bath between the mud rolling/trough wading and sleeping on the bed. He feels it is unjust.  He's having a great time and unless another injury or illness comes up,we hope to try for an HT or PT this fall.  We will either compete at the ACDCA nationals or at a trial in Kentucky that is hosted by ACD people.

In the meantime, we are going to try our hand at CPE agility next weekend. He's entered in Level 1 and at the lowly jump height of 12 inches.  It will be interesting to see how he does.  The trial is only 30 minutes away on the north side of Indy, so if it doesn't work out, we have not wasted too much time and money.  CPE is a little different than AKC in that they have a lot more types of games/courses and different rules.  It looks like there are less penalties, he can jump at a lower height,and he will have more time - all nice things for an aging rock star. On the other hand, I have to hurry up and read the rules and figure out how to run their courses!

Although this blog was primarily aimed at Tully's adventures in competition, I would be remiss if I didn't mention why we have not posted in almost two months.  My dear, sweet dog Terra passed away on April 25th at the age of 14 years after a long, hard fight against pituitary macroadenoma and renal failure.  She was my first cattle dog and the reason that I love the breed. She is the one that started it all.  Without her, there never would have been a Tully and I wouldn't have met half the people I know today!  There will always be a cattle dog in my house as long as I am able, however I don't know if I'll ever have the heart to have another plain faced red girl.

Two great weekends, two new titles, and new plans

Tully and I packed up and headed to Lafayette, Indiana, on March 3rd and 4th for a 2 day agility trial, his first since his surgery in October and his first since turning 10 years old.  My one and only goal was to finish the one last leg on his AJP title so he'd have the "matching set" of excellent level titles (AJP and AXP).  Yes, a bit type A, but I know there others of you out there who understand.  At this level, he is having a hard time making time now.  He is usually clean in his runs, just too slow for Masters level competition.  I'm happy to say that on Sunday he gave me a wonderful jumpers run and made time to earn his last AJP leg, the title, and 1st place in the class.  Tully is officially retired from AKC agility.  It's sad, but it's time.  I'll let him play in low level CPE or NADAC, both of which are having trials in the Indy area this summer, but no more AKC and no more of the higher level events.  I've learned so much and met so many wonderful people. I'll admit I was a little teary driving home knowing that chapter in our adventures is over.

However, those of you who know Tully know you can't stay gloomy around that boy long. He's perpetual happiness.  We took off for Cincinnati on March 10th and 11th to compete in Queen City Dog Training Club's rally trial. I am happy to say Tully double Q'd both days to earn his last two legs towards his RAE title.  He scored in the upper 90s both days and even picked up a 3rd place in a 31 dog excellent level class on Saturday.  That unofficially ends his rally career.  He may "play" at some local rally trials, but no more traveling and hotel nights for rally.  We will miss all our wonderful friends we've met out of state in our travels.

Tully has hit a small bump in the road.  After the agility trial in Lafayette he was sore in his back and didn't want to jump or do much of anything.  After a few days in denial, I took x-rays and sent them to my favorite ortho vet and gave him Tully's history.  He's suspicious of lumbosacral stenosis or a Hansen Type 2 disc problem.  Tully is on 4 weeks of rest and prednisone.  If he gets better, we'll go  back to light competition. If he stays the same, he'll retire completely.  If he worsens, he'll have a CT/MRI and/or surgery and retire.  We are hoping for option #1 and sending in entry fees for CPE agility trials in Indy in April and May. Only time will tell, and we have a lot of time on our hands!



Tully, The Tullster, The Tully Monster, Tulls, Tullrini, or to the more formal crowd -
Firefly Rockin Red Rogue CDX GO VER RAE AXP AJP NFP CGC HIC VQW



2011 ACDCA National Specialty Video

Here is the video from the national specialty last fall in North Carolina.  Three weeks later he had surgery, but what a great week this was!  Although I didn't know it at the time, this most likely will end up having been his last major competition.  He made it a good one and I couldn't be prouder of him.  He gives me all he has every time we step to the line. It's always a honor to run with this dog.

Hello, Greenwood!

We are here!  After 4 months of commuting, we officially moved to Greenwood this past Monday!  The rogue red dogs have settled in nicely and less than 24 hours after moving in, Terra had surgery to shorten her soft palate and remove everted saccules. I'm happy to report that she is eating, drinking, and breathing better than she has in months thanks to the good vets at VCA Advanced Veterinary Care Center in Fishers, IN.  We have become "frequent fliers" there in the past 3 months with Tully's splenectomy and ultrasound and Terra's surgery and two CT scans.  I am thankful to have such talented colleagues so close to home and proud to call many of them friends.

Now that we are settled and everyone seems to be doing well, it's time to get back to competing!  Next month we head to Lafayette for an agility trial, Cincy for a rally trial, and then to Noblesville at the end of the month for a rally trial.  We are in desperate need of some normalcy around here and normalcy involves competing with Tully.  I miss my dog show buddies, the adrenalin of competing, and the time with my dogs.  Providing everyone stays healthy, we'll be back out running courses in 3 weeks!


Tully and Terra at our new house in Greenwood.



Unfinished Business and Saying Good-bye to Competing

I guess you could say it's been awhile since our last post. My how time flies.  Well the rogue red dog and his family are on the move.....in a few short weeks we are packing up Bloomington and heading to Center Grove.  We've been commuting to a job in that area since October and have sold our  home and purchased a new one. Not only will we be closer to work, we will be closer to training facilities and also to competition venues.  The dogs will have a large fenced backyard to play in and hopefully will adapt quickly to being city dogs.

I've faced reality that it's time to wind down Tully's competition career.  He'll be 10 yrs old next month and at some point his cancer will return.  He is mostly back to  his normal self post-op, but has really had a hard time with stamina and getting back in shape.  He just cannot seem to catch his breath some days.  With that said, I'm torn between keeping him active, something I believe does lead him to be healthier and happier, and retiring him.  At this point I'm watching him and figuring out what he can do.  We've all seen those people who are running dogs who are in pain and miserable and I've swore I will not be one of those people. I'm counting on my friends to hold me to that.

Since my last post, we had our first competition post-op.  We went to Queen City Dog Training Club's Rally and Obedience Trial on December 2-4.  I'm proud to say Tully doubled Q'd all three days, even bringing home a second place finish in a 30 dog excellent level class. This added 3 RAE legs to bring his total up to 8.  Two more to go!

Our goals for 2012 are pretty simple:  2 more RAE legs to finish the title and 1 more AJP leg to finish that title. A PT in herding would be the icing on the cake and would give Tully his Versatility Championship through the ACDCA, but I'm trying not to focus on that too much until I see what Tully can and cannot do now.  I've labeled 2012 as the year of "Unfinished business and saying goodbye".  We will clean up those last lingering title legs we need and say good-bye to competing.  If he is still competing in the fall, the ACDCA national specialty will be his last competition.