RHIT Tie Breaker

Jen and Coty and me and Yoko.  Yoko is telling you how she feels about ducks.

Here's a picture of Jennifer and me.  We have TIED for RHIT.  Jen and I received the same scores.....she and Coty in Started sheep, course B (field) and me and Yoko in Started ducks, A course (arena).  I put Yoko in Started ducks. because she has only seen ducks one other time in her life a month or so ago.  I said I would never pay to put my dogs on birds, but I guess...never say never.

Now I truly don't understand how AKC works and I'm not sure that I want to.  I just go to partner up with what ever dog I take.  I don't know who is close to titles, because they mean nothing to me.  I know when they send me a certificate in the  mail. :0)  Somehow A course ducks and B course sheep were one event at this trial.  A course sheep was another event. 

How did they break the tie?  This probably will  never happen again.  Our score sheets were tied through all of the obstacles.  The rules say that course B will do an outrun and course A will do a cross drive.  As Jen said, "Not exactly fair and equitable when you compare an outrun on sheep in the field and a cross drive with ducks in an arena."  LOL 

This is the crane contraption that lifts the ducks in a cage and gently sets them down in the arena.  Yoko had never seen this in action.  I set her outside the arena to watch a few dogs before her go.  Her neck stretched a foot long like an accordion when she saw them swing the crane.  Oh my....I got the giggles.  She reminded me of the time when we were at Diane Pagel's place in Washington and Yoko saw her first Turkey.  Her neck stretched out of her shoulders like a giraffe.   "What the hell is that?"

This is where they gently drop the crate filled with ducks.  They lift the crate off the ducks when the dog is at 3 or 9 on their outrun.  That way the dog has a chance of fetching the ducks around the handler's post.  If the ducks have the chance to run to the fence line it is really HARD to get them off the rail.  Yoko and I found that out on day one.  Our fetch was done on the rail.  haha  Plus, I found out that ducks don't fetch well.  And, keep them away from your feet or they will kind of hide among your feet.  I learned my lesson well.

When Mike dropped off the ducks for Yo, the wind was gusting like some 30 mph.  When Yoko got behind her ducks (after looking for her sheep) the crane and cage swung back and forth over her head.  Mike was trying his best to reel it in.  Yoko was looking skyward watching that contraption over her head.  The ducks ran to the fence line.  I was grinning ear to ear. Funny stuff.  On our day two run, Yoko still wasn't sure there were ducks in the cage.  She looked under the fence for her sheep.  I had to say "here here." I could see Yoko's expression when she turned around and saw the ducks.  It was something along the lines of

"Go F*** a duck."

Good girl Yoko on day two fetching her ducks.  Suzanne got lots smarter and basically stood at the advanced handlers post through the obstacles until the cross drive.  I did a parallel drive with Yoko at the cross drive and it was really sweet.  Yo's score was a 931/2.  None of the advanced duck scores were out of the 80's.  That's how Yoko came to tie for RHIT in 'started' ducks.

Jen and Coty took the RHIT.  Mike set her sheep nicely on some alfalfa in the field and Coty did a picture perfect outrun.  Another nameless duck wrangler threw my ducks over the gate into the arena with feathers flying.  Hey, what happened to the crane and crate method?  Oh my...hard not to get the giggles.  I'm thinking...fair and equitable.  hahahahahaha  The judge yells out, "Take your time to settle them and when you are ready take them on the cross drive from the 4 to the 5." Well, Yoko couldn't get 20 feet near them.  They were cruising at a high rate of speed on the fence line.  Trying to make her turn to the cross drive and the tie breaker was over.  The judge let us attempt the cross drive.  As Yoko put them through the cross drive panels, she let me know she had had ENOUGH.  It was past her dinner time and she was aiming to have duck for dinner.  We were done. :0)

Yoko says, "DUCKS......Just GAG me with a PAW."