10/29/06
Hi there Libby,
I honestly can't remember if we have met, but I know we have spoken via email in the past. I am interested in joining BAD and in being able to bend your ear about some agility things that I will get into in a minute.
First, the particulars you need about me and my doggies:
Beardie #1 is Wildwood Arcadia's Free Rider,
CGC, call name "Spalding". He is eight years old, born
8/11/98 . He was bred by Terri Stepankow and Diann Shannon Sire
CH Wildwood Arcadia All Fired
Up; Dam: CH Wildwood Arcadia Spun Sugar.
Beardie #2 is Melita Dusty Miller, call name "Prudence". She is six, born 5/11/2000 . Jean Richland is her breeder. Sire: Melita Nights of Columbus; Dam: CH Melita Stardust Melody.
Prudence is the one active in agility at the moment. She is hot for it and we are scheduled for our second trial next weekend. We have participated in one NADAC trial last year and had one Q run. Since then we have both been working hard, and I am getting to be a better handler, anyway, that is where we are at the moment.
Here is our story:
We are living on the Big Island of Hawaii and Agility just came to the Island last year. Prudence and Spalding and I were in training with a person named Anne Platt in Escondido before we moved over here two years ago. We never got to the point of competing in CA. When we moved over here, they were doing a few AKC trials in Honolulu, but nothing else. A Beardie Breeder in Honolulu, Chritsi Tadaki, put me in touch with a person here on Hawaii who was an agility trainer, judge, etc. in British Columbia before she moved over here. Her name is Angelic Ebbers, and she works for the Gemini Telescope. She has been a great teacher for us. Anyway, she and I here on the Hilo side of the island have managed to get some interest in agility started and have organized a club, Orchid Isle Dog Agility. We are currently 20 members with dogs of all breeds and several mixed breeds.
About the same time we were trying to start
things here in Hilo, a couple named Jim and Jean Collins have
been working on the Kona side to get agility started over there.
They live six months here and six
in California, I believe, and they have managed to get two trials
organized in Kona. The second is the one coming up this weekend.
Jim apparently does agility most weekends while they are on the
mainland
and he had connections with NADAC judges, so these are NADAC trials.
Anyway, we are going to be hosting trials here
in Hilo starting in the spring next year, as we have managed to
get everything organized, and we now have enough people and dogs,
between both clubs, (who are
at least at novice level), to make trials worthwhile. This trial
next weekend we expect to have about 30 dogs. So I was wondering
if I could join BAD and if occasionally I could ask you, or someone
you recommend I speak with, about judges and things like that.
We would like to have judges from organizations which allow mixed
breeds to participate as we are trying to get as much interest
as possible in agility and we are a small community. We don't
want to leave anyone out who wants to participate.
Angelic has connections with AAC and we were
all joking last night that we are probably going to end up with
Canadian Agility Champions here in Hawaii before anything else!
:-) That is OK with us as long
as we get to do agility with our dogs, but it seems that you all
in BAD could steer me in the right direction to ask judges from
NADAC, USDAA or CPE to come over for trials. We are definitely
on the cutting edge here. There is very little here in the way
of dog friendly activities, and I think we will be able to make
a big difference over time with the way people view and work with
their dogs here if we do it right. Part of our club mission is
to promote, through agility, fun and healthy recreational activity
for dogs and their owners, and to promote responsible dog ownership
and the development of working partnerships between dogs and their
owners.
There are too many dogs here tied up the the back yards of people
who just do not know what to do. We hope to be able to help in
a small way with that situation, and of course, have fun doing
agility with our dogs.
I have rattled on, haven't I. Anyway, may I join up with you BAD Beardies?
All the best,
Toni Barnhart, and Spalding and Prudence, Her Royal Highness of
Hilo (Formerly Princess of Poway)
4/22/06 Novice A Skilled 20" 10 11/04/06 Novice A Skilled 20" 10 11/05/06 Novice A Skilled 20" 10 NAC 11/05/06 Novice A Skilled 20" 5 11/05/06 Novice Chances-S 20" 10 11/05/06 NAC
