The Preferred Agility Champion (PACH) title: My journey

Selene’s diary: Since I got my Champion Tracker title in March, mom said I needed to go back to agility competition and get my 4 double Qs. We went to Belton in April and I did not get any double Qs. I had quite a few drop bars and I felt I was out of sync. Three of my four paw pads took turns cracking in the winter and it hurt when I land after jumping. I just need more time to go back in shape. By then the weather was fairly warm and mom said we have to find places to go so we can leave Sophie in the car. In the mean time I did a lot of jumping drills in the back yard and mom taught me how to stretch and warm up.

Me coming out of the weaves

So our next stop was Alabama. Mom found a show site there with a big cover parking area where we can crate out of the car. So we had to leave Spencer behind again. We stopped in Mississippi Wednesday night and headed towards Alabama on Thursday. We got to Alabama Thursday afternoon, and we went to check out the show site and so I could pee. Then we went to the hotel. Sophie was happy with her freshly prepared meal. Friday we woke up early and mom walked Sophie in the parking lot so she could exercise in her wheelchair. Then we went to the show site and found a good spot under the cover. It got warm during the day but not hot. I got a double Q Friday and mom bought me a steak from Texas roadhouse. She ate all the mushrooms though. 

Saturday my runs were not until later in the day and it was warm. I qualified in jumpers but went into the wrong side of the tunnel so no double Q. Mom said I did well but I need double Qs. So no steak for me.

Sunday it was cooler in the morning and mom said it was my last chance to get another double Q, and I did. We finished by midday and mom got me and Sophie lunch, which was Sophie’s favorite can food. We started heading back home and mom said she will buy me something special when we get to the hotel in Mississippi. Sophie started screaming at 4 pm cos she was hungry and I began to worry when my special treat is coming. We got to the hotel at 5:30pm and mom said she got to cook and feed Sophie first. I got my dinner but I had not forgotten about my treat. Mom said she ordered it and she got to go pick it up. 

Sophie waiting on the couch for dinner

Mom came back from Cracker Barrel with 2 hamburger sliders and yummy carrots. She gave me some of her chicken strips and fried apples too. I was so full I fell asleep right away.

So now I was at 18 double Qs, 2 more to go. It was already the end of May and there was no where to go where we can crate out of the car. Mom could not carry Sophie very far so mom said I had to have more jumping drills so I would not have any drop bars.

Mom decided we are going to San Antonio next. 

Me with my Cracker Barrel treat 

We left on a Friday morning in June with Spencer and Sophie. Spencer whined a lot in the car and so did Sophie. We got to the hotel and mom cooked dinner and we all went to bed. We woke up Saturday morning and mom cooked us breakfast, then we started to doze off when the door suddenly opened. I jumped up and barked and realized it was Dad! I was very surprised and mom said we needed to go and Dad was going to stay with Spencer and Sophie. I got my double Q #19 that day, so one more to go!

Sunday morning came. Mom and I left to go to the agility trial while Dad stayed with Spencer and Sophie. I qualified my standard run and mom called Dad that he would have to check out the hotel because we had to stay for my jumpers run. Mom told me we were going to run slower so no bars would drop. It was hot that day and the air condition was not very cold so I could not move very fast anyways. 

Me on the A frame

Finally the moment came. I finished running and mom went to grab one of the jump bars and I thought she was going to hit me on the head. But we went over to the judge and she congratulated us. Mom said I will have steak as reward. She put me in the car and we drove to meet Dad and got Sophie and Spencer out of Dad’s car. Both of them were very upset. Spencer was so upset he had diarrhea on our drive home.

Mom promised Sophie that we would not be travelling in the summer and she said I would be taking a break from competitions. I really do not mind going to agility trials if there is food involved. 

My PACH picture

The AKC Champion Tracker title: My journey

Selene’s diary: Since I got my Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX) title in November 2019, I had been training for the Variable Surface title (VST). My training stopped during the COVID pandemic and then pretty soon it was summer. I hate the heat and the concrete surface burns my nose, so I do not like to track in the summer. When fall of 2020 came, mom said it was time to get my act together. So mom started to go lay me practice tracks and we would go to Braum’s to get my very favorite vanilla yogurt in a waffle cone after. Not all cones are the same, crispy waffle cones makes me salivate, and sometimes all I can think of is the cone when I track. 

Me tracking in a VST test in Kansas

I was not very good at sniffing on asphalt and mom would take me to this church parking lot. The ladies who work there always come watch me from the window and they all wanted to pet me, but mom told me that I have to ignore distractions. Sometimes they even come out and watch me!

Soon after mom retired from her job and we went tracking 3-4 times a week. My second favorite treat is McDonald’s french fries. I love it when mom and I would split a french fries. Mom always give me the long ones cos she did not want me to bite her fingers off. Hahaha!

My older sister Sophie who has degenerative myelopathy could not walk by that time. And mom said I have to be very confident in passing because we will have to take Sophie with us and she does not like to travel. We practiced a lot during the winter and March 2021 came, I think I am ready for show time.

My first test was in Overland Park, Kansas. Spencer had to stay home because mom said he is too needy and she could not take care of Sophie and him on the road. We got to Kansas a day early so mom could visit with her aunt and cousin. Sophie was very upset and she refused to eat Saturday. Mom was very upset and worried. Me? I wanted to eat her food since she was not going to eat anyways. Test day came, and it was very windy, 27 miles hour wind. I head out strong, and I made the first turn on grass to the spot very effortlessly. I was heading to the parking lot and missed the MOT (Moment of truth turn: turn on non-vegetated surface) and went to the other side. I started sniffing and realized that that was not it. So I turned back to go to the parking lot. Then I started to pick up the scent and was heading towards the article when the judge blew the whistle. Mom was disappointed but I thought I did a good job. We stopped by McDonald’s and mom got Sophie some chicken nuggets, and she was like “Now we are talking”! She said she wants her food freshly prepared. We spent the night in Oklahoma before we made it back home Monday.

Mom said we needed to practice a couple more times before we leave Saturday for Tulsa, Oklahoma. I think there is nothing wrong with my nose. Mom was worried about Sophie so she bought a pot to cook for her in the hotel. We got to Tulsa Saturday afternoon with Sophie and mom said I need to have a good night’s sleep cos we got to get up early. 

My Champion Tracker picture with the judges 
And tracklayer

We got up at 5 am and mom cooked us breakfast and we got to the test site at 7 am. It was a sunny day and almost no wind. Mom said I better pass because Sophie does not like to travel. Sophie said both she and Spencer has a Champion Tracker title and I, coming from 5 generations of IPO parents and grandparents and so on, should be able to do it. 

The test was held at 3 different sites. We stayed at Site #1 until about 11 am and mom gave us lunch, and I did my potty and mom said it is almost time so we headed towards site #3 where my track was.

I drew the last track, we got to the site and waited and waited. I fell asleep since I had been sitting in the car for 5 hours. Mom finally woke me up and said it was my turn. We had to leave Sophie in the car and she was not happy. She screamed at us when we left.

So here I was, the first turn was on grass then onto asphalt. Bingo! We had been practicing on asphalt and it was easy peasy. I got to the 1st interim article very effortlessly. Then 2nd interim article came. I continued to sniff but then I think I sniffed a rabbit, or maybe a cat? I just went all over cos I needed to find it. I was pulling mom and she kept telling me “Selene! Are you out of your mind?”. She knows that when I pulled her crazy like that I am not tracking. I needed to find out what that smell is. Finally I heard her said “Selene, where is it?” Oh then I realized that I am tracking, need to work for my treat, so I pulled her and headed towards the track. I pulled her so hard that she needed to run, but she knows that when I do that it is the right way. 

So I headed towards the street and made a turn and I found the steel box, so I told her “This is it!” She could not pick it up, then she said. “Selene, that’s not it”, I touched it with my nose and said “This is it!”. So I started to sniff out rabbits. I kept going towards the parking lot, and mom said “Selene, where is it?” What! So I went back and told her a second time, that steel box is it! She could not pick it up. So I went back to looking for rabbits. Then one of the judges called mom’s name and we walked towards the judges. Mom said “Selene I cannot believe you failed!” One of the judges said “Congratulations” and mom said good girl to me and I was so excited that I jumped up and pushed mom to the ground and licked her. It turned out that the steel box was buried into the ground so the judges had to dig it up. If I could speak, I would have told them “I told you so twice!”.

I was so excited I pushed mom to the ground
At the end of the track.