We just finished our third and final Sporting Detection trial of the year. It was hosted by Nosey Pawtners in Springbrook Alberta. The results were almost an exact repeat of our advanced trial in August. Spirit got another perfect score in Containers, but we only got a second place finish this time because another dog also had a perfect score but finished faster than we did.
Then came the Interior search. Once again we failed to qualify because of handler error. Spirit found the hide but I could not tell exactly where it was. The judge picked up on my hesitation and asked me to point it out and I was off by a few inches. Darn it!!! I should have called Spirit off the hide, circled back around and got her to indicate again. I may have lost points for calling her off the hide but we would not have been disqualified. Another great learning experience.
The final search was an Exterior instead of a Vehicle, which I think is much harder because there are literally hundreds of places for a hide in an exterior area. We got a near perfect score of 59/60 and got third place.
Even though we only qualified in two of the three components, Spirit’s scores were so high that we placed 4th overall. This trial was a little different. Instead of awarding ribbons for 1st – 3rd in each component, they chose to give out certificates and dogs toys. Ribbons were award for only the overall winners. So we ended up with two certificates, one ribbon and 3 toys. I would have preferred the ribbons but I think my girl likes the toys better. So proud of Spirit especially since it has only been a few weeks since her emergency surgery to remove a blockage in her intestine. A very big thank you to Judge Doug Teeft.
Life In The Dog House 
It is victory still for you and Spirit. To think that Spirit has just recovered from surgery and she still has that competitive high!