This is not Turlock. This is where they burned the meadow. Sometimes you need to burn things before they burn you.

We went to Turlock on Sunday to try and win a Grand Prix. It’s hard for me and Banksy to show up and run and do well, so we went to practice that as well. And to get a Masters Pairs Q.

Three goals somewhat accomplished! It didn’t start well, though. I stepped on Banksy’s foot in Jumpers, she felt crazy on the start, my start plan flew out the plane window, and then I stepped on her foot and she got scared and that was over.

Also she stepped on a very pointy sticker where we parked, and the rest of the day to walk to and fro car to ring car to ring was frought with peril. Stepping on a sticker! Dogs playing! It was not a pleasant day, pretty much, to do anything other than the actual agility. Once Banksy thinks the ground could stab her, she has a hard time putting her feet on the ground, which is an important part of walking. So seeing her try to walk without touching the ground is a little funny, and a little sad. Banksy lives her life with great drama, and sometimes this makes her life hard.

Aside from the disaster jumpers run, not so bad! A great snooker! A no time because she ran to her leash instead of taking the timer jump, but still an excellent run! A great Grand Prix! Which she won, with the fastest time in the whole dog show. A couple scary spots where I hung on and tried hard and we made it work. A great Masters Pairs! So one more Pairs Q for an ADCh for Banksy. We have been trying for one year to collect the pairs. Someday we will get the last one.

Banksy has no startline. Especially if we run after a very fast dog that makes her excited. It doesn’t upset me. I know she doesn’t like to have a startline. So we just run together and frequently this works fine. And if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. The Jumpers run was a doesn’t, hopefully I don’t stomp on her foot ever again.

So we did ok, to show up and get in the ring and just go. Out of the car and battling the crazies and into the ring and do good. Just one disaster run first to shake off the feelings then get in there and go. Banksy can do it, if I can.