Autumn catch up!

This will be a big catch up post as I'm so behind with my blog! We went to the UKA Grand Finals at the end of October, Bru was in the Beginners Steeplechase event and Toad and Bean were in pairs. I don't have a video of the pairs event but Toad was amazing and went clear and Bean had a brain fart with the excitement and got 10f! 😂 Bru was amazing in his semi final run and won it by a couple of seconds! Unfortunately he had a pole and fastest time in the final but ended up 3rd and on the podium!

We had also gone to Kelluki recently to give the shelties a run inside before the finals, they were brilliant! Bru got all of his weaves, Bean won a couple of classes and Toad won the G7 agility at one of his last ever shows 💙

My Mum came down to visit us recently and it was fantastic to see her! It was amazing the difference in Bracken with her Nana staying as she even managed a couple of hour long walks at a gentle pace including an outing to Wrest Park.

The ginger shelties went on a sheltie rally training day which was great fun! We were very rusty having not done any rally training for the best part of a year but we got lots of helpful hints and tips. 

Spark had her second operation (exactly 8 weeks after her spay) to remove her anal glands. It wasn't a decision we took lightly as it isn't a nice operation but pleased to say she has come back from it well and back to trying to get fit for agility! She had some very fetching vests and collars to wear to stop her chewing at her stitches!  

And some random pics of the doglets! 

A rare pic of all five curled up! 😍

Eventually Spark was allowed off lead...and immediately found fox poo! 

The weather has been so bad and rainy that my field has been very soggy. I have found a local field to rent while mine has a rest and the doglets approve! (Well the shelties do!)

We had the Sheltie Show at the weekend and the doglets had a great time meeting up with their friends! 

Jenni ran Bean in the agility and jumping and her dog walk was amazing! She came 5th in jumping despite a refusal (totally Bean being wild!) but she redeemed herself by coming 4th in pairs with Rommy which is amazing as he has had surgery and chemo for a rare skin cancer...he was brilliant!! Bru and Squidge the ginger cousins won the pairs so all round superstar shelties!! 💓

And I just had to laugh at this pic of Brax and her minions!! 

British Agility Champs and Discover Dogs

What a crazy weekend! On friday afternoon we went to the British Agility Championships (BAC) which are only up the road from us and we ran Bru and Brooke in the Grand National which is basically a 1-7 steeplechase with an aframe for all the dogs entered at over the weekend. I admit I was worried about whether Brooke would stay with me given that Matt and Bru had been drawn to run two dogs after us and their Grandma Lian was in the same class as well! I shouldn't have worried as Brooke was excellent, she ran so well and I was thrilled that she listened. Sadly though I missed Bru's run but I could tell he was clear from the crowd watching and he ended up finishing in 4th (out of 70 plus dogs!) behind three of the top smalls in Britain!! He was knocked off the podium by his big brother Sirius 😂

Brookes run



Brus run



On Saturday I went to Discover Dogs to cheer on Jenni and Braxway boy Squidge in the medium ABC semifinal for Crufts and Matt went back to the BAC to run Brooke and Bru. Squidge did sooo well coping with the atmosphere at DD, it was so loud that you couldn't hold a conversation with someone next to you! 😮 He didn't qualify but ran really well given the crazy environment and i have no doubt they will be back next year!

Matt did well at BAC, he missed walking Brus jumping so they got E'd for three refusals and had weave issues again in the agility but apparently his contacts were lovely which was one of the reasons for entering him! He has only been doing contacts in the ring for the last month so lovely to see he was confident! Brooke excelled herself totally. She got E'd in the jumping but Matt admits it was his fault!! Her agility was fantastic and she came 5th, she is so happy doing her stopped dog walk again 💚 she just went wrong as it was a tough weave entry.



Day 2 of BAC and I wasn't running, we had an agreement that if Matt and Brooke had done ok then I would let him keep running. I also felt very ill and couldn't have run anyway! Brooke did a lovely agility run again doing a cracking 2 second dog walk but was a bit cheeky about a tunnel and also had a pole so 10f in total...what a cool course though! She was wild in her jumping and decided that there was one pull thru too many 😂



Bru had fun in his runs, his agility had lovely contacts again but he was E'd on three refusals! He only got 10f in his jumping but did most of the course so well and almost got his weaves!



After the weekend we were absolutely shattered but definitely worth it to have such good courses to run on for the dogs. Such a shame that Spark can't cope with the photographers in the ring after what happened there last year as the courses would have been right up her street! I did get her happily playing in the venue so that felt like a little win 💜

Southam, WBSDS and a new van!!

So my poor old Skoda was due its MOT soon and wasn't going to pass so we decided that after ten years mostly faithful service and 173,000 miles that we take the plunge and become white van drivers! It is really nice to drive and in the long term will be much better for the dogs. At the moment the crates are all tied in with bungees but eventually we will crate it out properly.

Matt has also started a new job in the last month so everything has been a bit hectic recently! Brax has been a bit disgusted by the change in weather as it has started to get a bit chilly now. The leaves are changing in the garden and we have been picking the last bits of our veg. We have had so many tomatoes, runner beans, spinach and lettuce plus I just picked a good crop of green chillies! 

The doglets have been enjoying the last of the sunny days and pottering around the field as they are stuck with me more since Matt started his new job. Here are a few of the recent doglet pics and one of the lizard I found under my tunnel! 

Miss Sparkle is recovering well from her spay and just starting to do a bit more off lead which she is very excited about! 

We went to Southam and WBSDS shows recently and the dogs were brilliant! Bru did his first proper agility runs at Southam and he won this one with faults in his weaves! 

The trophies were really lovely so I was thrilled that Brodie won his jumping class and got a cool trophy too! 💙

The weekend after we went to WBSDS. Bru failed to get weaves again so more work needed there over winter! Brooke did an awesome agility run with her new retrained stopped dog walk and still came 2nd! Brodie won a jumping class and their son Squidge won his agility so a proper family photo was needed! How gorgeous are they?! 😍 Squidge has qualified for Discover Dogs next weekend so I can't wait to go and cheer them on in the ABC event! 

Here are Toad and Brookes runs! Chances are that this is Toads last KC run outdoors ever as he is coming to the end of his career so what a way to go out with a bang! He is still so enthusiastic and happy doing his agility at 12.5 years old and I feel honoured to still be running with him x

Scotland trip, new bathroom and crazy weather!

We went up to Scotland for a flying visit at the end of August and it was a lovely couple of days but the weather was not on our side for agility! Here are a few pics of our trip

Agility wise we went to Gleniffer champ show and it was the jumping round first, it was windy but not too rainy. Spark was 2nd in champ jumping which was fab considering the a pole had blown off a jump as the dog that won had started so she didn't have to do as many jumps as Spark! Brooke got E'd in champ jumping and although we walked the champ agility they ended up taking out the dog walk and there was no seesaw. When they were about to start the small agility an A frame blew out of the ring next to ours!! At that point they cancelled the show so we decided to head home!

In the week before our Scotland trip we had a show and a lovely bank holiday weekend pottering round the garden. The weather was beautiful! My hydrangea called blue sparkle 💜

Matts Mum and sunflowers!

The doglets did well at Bridge house! 

Queen Diddle!! 

Squidge has been to visit a couple of times recently and he fits into the pack so well! 

 Spark was spayed when we came back from Scotland and is sporting a donut and a surgical suit in the photos! She is most unimpressed about it!

Stitches out day!

The other none dog news is that we have a lovely new bathroom! Ignore the washing up bowl in the bath as we were cleaning but its so smart!