Performance Kerry Blue Terrier Newsletter

September - October 2006

By Jane Eno

Hope everyone is home safe and sound from the Montgomery All-Terrier Show and Kimberton Terrier Trials. We left on Saturday instead of staying for the Futurity and the BIG SHOW on Sunday, because I had just started a new job and had to get back in a hurry to save some desperately failing software and unhappy sales people. We had a lovely party for Eve and Fred Fishell at the Kimberton trials that Evelynn Gansfuss threw – thanks to her there was pizza and Champaign for everyone to enjoy. What a wonderful treat and a great way to celebrate a long and happy marriage. Now I am trying to locate Eve to get the agility tally from the trials. She has taken off to visit her children and is difficult to reach. If anyone talks to her, remind her I am waiting for the official results for Kerries in agility!

Rally obedience was very successful for all the Kerries participating on Wednesday. Virginia Barishek’s Garryowen’s Smarty Pants UD RE NA also took 1st in Rally Excellent with a 99, finishing his 4th RAE leg. Brenda Vogel’s Blue Bay’s Wind Dancer scored 94, and In Advanced Rally there was a five way tie for first place all with 99 which included Virginia’s taking the 2nd place ribbon, and my own Primrose Jessie James UDX RA NA OAP NAJ AXJP taking third and finishing his Rally Advanced title. Virginia’s Finbar’s End of The Rainbow CD RA got a 97 in Advanced with a wonderful run. Her third Kerry (how does she keep with 3 of them?!?), Andy’s Little Flower RN, got an 88in Rally Novice B. CH Adare’s The Right Answer, owned by Joy Ellwanger, got a 94 in Rally Novice B as well.

At Hatboro on Thursday, CH Elbrly Cregan’s Beckett Blue, owned by the Omobio’s, got a 71 in Novice Rally A. Congratulations! And in Rally Novice B, Ch Elbrlye’s Awesome Ashlye RN got a 97 (great score!). I did not get out to Hatboro, since I was still at Kimberton competing, but it sounds like they managed very well even without me!

On Thursday, there was an All-Breed Obedience Trial. Evelynn Gansfuss and her Kerry, OTCH Tantara’s Cosmic Phoenix UDX2 NAJ, took 4th place with 188.5 in Utility. Her score also got her the honor of being High Scoring Kerry Blue Terrier at the trial. Virginia Barishek’s Andy also qualified in Utility, close on her heels, with a 182. My own Jessie had a stomach issue and had to be removed from the ring suddenly – thank goodness before “the problem” occurred! I’m sure all the following competitors were glad we got out before he had an accident on the floor – the aisle way was bad enough!

I will post the agility results as soon as I either hear from Eve or they are up on the AKC website. I will pass on that I heard many people standing by the ring side comment on what amazing agility dogs our Kerries have become. Even if they didn’t always Q, they all ran hard, fast and happy in Novice, Open and Excellent levels. And I know that more then a few of the dogs running in Excellent are well into their senior years, but from watching them run you would never guess.

The Front & Finish Agility Excellent A Ratings for 2005 have been posted. As usual, the kerries made a great showing:

Jumper With Weaves:
Duvessa Cross The Rubicon
E Shannon/C Shannon 10

Standard
Make Me Smile Jack CDX AX OAJ
B Catalano/F Catalano 22

Blue Bay’s Hurricane Warning NA
B Vogel/J Vogel 10


BRAGS

From Tracey Fulmer with Bailey (Lynmar My Bleu Heaven AX, AXJ) and Isobel (mill survivor extraordinaire):
Hi Jane,
It was great to see you at Kimberton. Those judges were super, and for me it was a blast, since several training friends from my agility club traveled to Philly with their terriers -- an Irish, two Bedlingtons, a Welsh and 2 Airedales.

Bailey had an awesome trial -- solid as a rock with 4 Qs in Excellent B 20 inch (3 in standard and one in jumpers). He ended up with one first, one second and two third-place finishes. We're quickly moving closer to our MX and MXJ titles. I'm astonished at how far he's come in the year he's been competing -- he just seems to be getting faster and cleaner. These Kerries are such great athletes and seem to love this sport!

And Isobel got a Q and 3rd place her first time competing in Nov B Jumpers. I'm so proud of my puppy mill survivor who just 6 months ago had never stepped foot on a blade of grass. She's going to be something else!

From Virginia Barishek, Philadelphia, PA:
Amidst all the preparation for Kimberton, my guys had time to be in a Rally trial. Outdoors, at Valley Forge KC, on Sunday, September 24, Andy got his third leg toward the Rally Advanced-Excellent title, with a 97 and Third Place in Rally Excellent, and a 95 in Rally Advanced. Also, Rosie finished her Rally Novice title with an 85.

From Joy & Athena Adare Kerries:
CH. Adare's the Right Answer, "Athena", received her first leg in novice B rally with a score of 99 receiving second place in a class of 53 entries at the Penn Treaty show on Aug. 12th, in Harrisburg, PA. This was her first time in rally competition.

CH. ADARE'S THE RIGHT ANSWER, Athena, received her second leg in rally novice B at the Valley Forge show in Kimberton, PA on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2006 with a score of 92. One more to go and hope she can do that at Montgomery Terrier Trial!

From Patty Sontag & Duffy in Marlborough, MA:
Our entry into the Advanced Rally level saw Wildside's Quiet Man CD RA (“Duffy”) qualify in three trials to achieve his Rally Advanced title! Alas, we have not fared quite so well in the Obedience ring – we are still trying to get that third leg towards our CDX! I am confident, though, that it will happen in the next couple of months, since we are redirecting our focus towards working on the basics!

From Sharon Burnett in Seattle, WA:
Rascal and I are back in training class after an almost 9 month layoff due to my knee injury. That's what I get for running a very fast Irish Terrier. Need to stick to Kerries!

Rascal will be 11 years young in February. She is ever so happy to be back in agility. I'm still having second thoughts about actual competition - getting hurt has somewhat curbed my competitive spirit. But we shall see, as I am sure Rascal will talk me into entering a trial pretty soon.

From Lisa Frankland:
Sorry I didn't send anything earlier, but you can add to your newsletter that Katie finished two titles in September. She earned her RE at the Santa Fe DOC trial here in Albuquerque over Labor Day weekend, and finished the month by completing her AX September 30th at the Weimaraner Club trials in Rio Rancho. The Kimberton trials marked the first time we competed in both Excellent B classes, and we had a lot of fun playing with the "big dogs," picking up Katie's first master's legs, first double Q, and first MACH points! (She is now Ch. Casey's Rae of Sunshine CDX, RE, AX, AXJ)

Last Updated: 10/27/2006, 7:55 am