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July 2008: Holla to all my friends, fans and loyal readers! I'm sorry it's taken so very long to post an update. After such a delay, I have lots to update on. I guess the best place to start is in the beginning, so come back with me to January...

I was very lucky to get some hunt time with Heath Ogburn, Jill Goodman and Lisa Drinkwater back in January. Off I went from the 40 degree Northeast down to warm, cozy Maryland...NOT. Our first day out in the field wasn't awfully cold, maybe in the 30s. There was a few inches of snow on the ground, so we could see tracks of whatever had been around. Right off, Bob and Nymph found a hole they really liked and they worked it for a while, but could not figure out where the quarry was hiding so we finally moved on. They didn't find any other interesting holes that morning, so we moved on to a different section of the farm after lunch. We took out a different set of dogs to spell the morning ones, very important in cold weather. Not too far into our hike, we saw something odd about 400' away in a field. Not wearing my glasses, I suggested it looked like wild turkeys. HA! After getting out the binoculars, we were able to identify just what was there. Two foxes mating, something that is extremely rarely seen. We left them to their business, and when they were finished, we hiked over as we had seen the vixen go to ground. Jill's "M" took a look around in the sette, popping out and popping into another hole for a better look around. After a while, the vixen bolted and "M" came out a while later. A testament to just how wily the fox are: she knew very well when "M" was in another part of the large sette so she chose her time to bolt wisely. Smart girl! We didn't find anyone else at home that day, but we did see several fox above ground crossing fields.


Lisa with "M" and a shot of the vixen bolting (speck near left middle fence post at top of hill).

The next day, it was VERY COLD. The temperature had dropped overnight and it was about 17 degrees all day. BRRRRR... the dogs were not loving this super cold weather, but they gamely pressed on. Heath had decided we needed to get out in the fields as early as possible this morning to try to find someone home before the day warmed up. Well, the day never did warm up, but Nymph did find someone home! Nymph was up ahead with Heath and Jill, scouting a treed area in the middle of a field. Bob was entertaining himself with a hole that started in a log before heading below ground. This hole was on the edge of a cow pasture, behind electric fence (my favorite!) with cows in it eating breakfast. Finally Bob decided there was nobody home so we headed over to the treed area. At that point, I learned that Nymph had gone to ground in a hole that headed directly into a small hill. We tired out Bob and settled in to wait for Nymph. Within a few minutes, we heard her open up baying and moving around in there. After a bit, she was quiet and shortly came out the way she had gone in. She had a tiny nick on her lip, and she took a quick look around for other holes in the sette, but didn't find one she liked. After a quick pit stop on my lap, off she went  back in. Shelocated the quarry again and opened up baying for all she was worth. Heath and Jill headed off to the truck to get the tools (BTW, you know you will find quarry when you DON'T carry the tools!). Lisa and I stayed with Nymph and listened to her baying and moving the quarry around in the sette. Shortly after Heath and Jill got back, Nymph was really moving the quarry around, so I peeked into the hole. (Especially in winter hunting, you need to stay back from the entrance so that the quarry can bolt if it wants to.) Well, what was looking back at me but a big, old coon!! Jill was on top of the hill and she said, "That's your DOG!", but it was definitely the masked face of the bandit. The coon took one look at me, and I probably squealed like a girl (which I am, but it's still embarrassing, I'm usually cooler than that!), so Mr. Coon headed back the sette and facing Nymph, chased her back into the sette, turned her around and next we knew, Nymph was coming out of the entrance back end first. I moved towards the entrance, she caught that with her peripheral vision and really turned up the volume chasing the coon back into the sette again. After another few minutes of moving around in the sette, with all of us keeping back from the entrance quietly, the coon finally bolted with Nymphie hot on his heels. Lisa was positioned to the north of the entrance, and she was able to grab Nymph as she went past after the coon. We tried to get pictures of the coon, but he was moving along pretty fast. Good job, Nymph!! She really stuck with it and bolted that coon in fine form, with no injury to either dog or quarry, as it should be. Everyone said she did a great job, and I was very proud of my little girl. What a tiny bit of a thing up against quarry that was easily double if not triple her size. Not that she would know that in the dark of the sette, but still, it's pretty impressive what these dogs do. I always come away from a hunting trip having learned something new and with an increased respect for my dogs, and what they are able to do with lots of grit and intelligence.


A shot by the raccoon sette and Jill sitting in the snow.

We hiked a number of fields but did not find much else at home that day. We did see two more fox, hunting mice in a field, and another crossing a field, but found none at home. We came to one sette that Heath's dog Stache quite liked. He was young, so we tied the other dogs out and let him work with it for a while. I had Bob tied to a tree at the far end of the sette and the whole time Stache was working the sette, Bob was pretty intent about a small opening in the ground next to a fallen, partially buried branch. Stache finally decided he couldn't find anything home, so we let the rest of the dogs loose to head onward. Well, Bob went directly to that small opening and stuffed his head in there. He was quiet, but I know my Bob, he doesn't bother if there's nothing there, so if he likes it, something is definitely there. Heath opened up the hole a bit with his post hole diggers and Bob threw himself in there. I've hunted Bob enough to know when he is on something, and sure enough he had grabbed hold of a groundhog and was trying to draw it out. I gave Bob a hand by pulling him and the hog out, Heath grabbed hold of the hog and I got Bob to release it. The hog sure was surprised, but after a few seconds, it righted itself and we let it bolt back into the sette. I was amazed that in such freezing temperature, there would be a hog who wasn't sleeping AND that Bob would find it. Too funny!

The next few months were pretty quiet. Mostly, just living life around here. Late winter and early spring are baby season for the quarry, so there's not much hunting going on. Come April, it's time to groom the dogs and get ready for terrier trials. That Cookie has a lot of coat, so for the first time in several years, I've really had to work a full-on rough coat. My fingers were tired! I took my time over a few days and finally had her all stripped out. What a nice terrier I found underneath all that winter coat! I was delighted to see that she stilled looked good, as many a puppy will fall apart between 6 and 8 months.

In May, I headed out to Sacramento, California for my first judging assignment. What a wonderful group of people out there, both organizers and exhibitors alike! I felt very welcome, the Gold Coast Club was extremely hospitable and I had a wonderful time. All in all, a very relaxing venue for my big debut. Thanks again to my California friends!

For the first time in several years, I was excited to get to a show again. Showing terriers just did not work well with full-time student status, so for the past few years, terrier trials was just one more chore on the list. Later in May, it was time for the Yankee Trials and we were all excited. Katya was VERY excited to be old enough to compete in Child Handler and we practiced handling the dogs at home. I started her just with the leash and taught her how to hold the leash properly and how to do some simple patterns, all with no dog at the end of the leash. We decided that she would show Nymph, who is bored by dog shows but is a very good girl. I also had Katya practice with all the other dogs so that she could get an idea of how each dog is different and required different kinds of attention and care. She and Nymph made a great team and so Katya felt very ready for her debut at the Yankee I trial. Ah, the best laid plans!! Prior to her class, I took Katya and Nymph out to practice. The conformation ring was pretty close to super earth and Nymph was having no part of listening on the leash and dragged Katya over to the Super Earth. Ahhh!! They were calling her class, so something needed to be done immediately. Katya was melting down, Nymph was determined to get to the Super Earth and I pulled good old Bob into the mix. Poor Bob got grabbed out of his crate and together he and Katya ran for the ring. Child Handler is the first class of the day, so there's no excuse not to be ready. Katya was still melting down a bit, but I got her settled and into the ring. Now I was a wreck! But, all that practice had paid off. Katya had pulled herself together and had a fabulous class. While Bob makes it look easy, he is really not terribly easy to show, so I was very proud of Katya. Judge Steve Wallace was great with the kids, and he chose to place Katya first. You go, girl!



The next day, we all were calmer and Katya and Bob headed into the ring with no drama. Judge Shelly Steinmetz was wonderful with all the children, and he placed Katya first in the class. WooHoo! What a great job! The best part was that Katya got to share the event with her "dog show" friends. The kids received bags of candy and prizes with their ribbons, so they weren't too concerned about who got what color. They all won! Check out some pictures from both days HERE.

Onto how the terriers fared! The Wombat came back from Canada for the summer, and I was just delighted to have him back. Gaye sent him in perfect shape. I was so excited to see him and to show him again! He did extremely well both days, with Shelly Steinmetz using him as Reserve Working Dog. Funny thing was that Shelly did not feel I was moving him on enough and so he took the leash away and moved Wombie out himself. While it was the first time a judge had taken my dog away LOL, it was wonderful to see Wombie really covering ground and showing himself off. He's a great little dog! I also had entered Wombie in the Family Class, and he was awarded a 2nd behind the Wylie's Little Eden Chiller (Vinnie) on both days. Vinnie has a very uniform family and is tough to beat. Vinnie won Stud Dog and Get both days so congratulations to the Wylies and Vinnie. Next it was Bob's turn in the Generations class with Wombie and Cookie. On Saturday, Bob took a second place to Jean Veazey's lovely generations entry but won the class on Sunday. Again, Jean has a wonderful Brood Bitch & Produce family and an equally nice generations entry so it was tough competition. On a lark, I also entered Bob in the YJRTN Member Owned class on Sunday, where Shelly placed him Reserve Best YJRTN Member Owned Terrier. I was very proud of my old boy, that's still a pretty big achievement for an almost 9 year old terrier.


Bob, Wombie & Cookie in Generations; and Bob in Yankee Member.

On both days, Cookie also did extremely well, winning her class with judge Steve Wallace using her as Reserve Puppy Bitch on Sunday. So exciting for her first show! Nymph won the Veteran Working Bitch class both days, each time eyeballing the Super Earth as often as she could. LOL

As a family, we had a great time. The trial was relaxing and fun. The dogs had a blast both days at lure coursing. My dogs just love this event and it's easy to squeeze the event in before or after the conformation classes. I gave up on trying to run multiple dogs in multiple concurrent events years ago! LOL I ran several of my terriers together at the lure coursing, so they had a chance to get their "race" out, just as they do at home. It's pretty funny to see how they run and how competitive they are with one another. That little Nymphie is very fast and she always wins, although now Cookie is giving her a run for her money!

In June, we had to miss the Nonie Risley Foundation Trials on Long Island as it fell on the same weekend as Katya's dance recital. But, we were able to make it to the Rescue and Huntington Trials later in the month. Katya again did very well in Child Handler. She and Bob did a great job on a very hot day. Judge Martha Milligan placed her first in the class on Saturday. The next day, all the kids brought their "A" game, and Katya placed 2nd in the class. I was very proud of all the children, they all did a great job.






So, what about the dogs?!? Once again, Cookie did fantastically well and judge Martha Milligan used her as Reserve Puppy Champion behind Michelle Ward's Little Eden Intensity. What a great group of puppies she is competing against, and Intensity is lovely, so I was very, very pleased with Cookie's Reserve Puppy Championship win. Nymphie stayed home because she had injured herself, so Cookie did lure coursing with Bob. Those two are a hoot together, and Cookie was ahead of Bob for a bit, but at the end he pulled out all the stops and beat her. Too fun! Wombie is also very intense at the lure coursing and had a blast. Wombie was 2nd in his class both days, behind the very nice dog Silent Partner Rollback. I had not fully appreciated Rollback's qualities until I judged him myself at the Liberty Bell Trial in July. That dog can really move!

I have been dying to get the dogs into the field for summer hunting. My best hunting bud, Rob McCaslin up and found himself a fabulous job in Kansas City. While I am extremely happy for the McCaslins, I was sad to be losing such good friends. I've had so many great time in the field with Rob and always look forward to the next time. So, now I had to find an alternate route to getting the dogs into the field. At the Rescue Trial, I had offhandedly asked Michelle Ward if she had any quarry in her area this year. She said she had just had a pest control call from a soy bean farmer. The groundhogs just LOVE those soybeans and will do quite a bit of damage to the field. We agreed to connect after the trial and see if any hunting dates would work out. To make a long story short, I headed up to Michelle's that Tuesday! It was so last minute, and I had very little time to organize myself, the dogs and the family, but we all made it work.

On this trip, Cookie was old to come along to get some schooling. There were plenty of groundhog there and all the dogs got plenty of time to work. First sette, Michelle's Brillo worked out a tough set up, taking a while to figure out which was the groundhog had gone. Bob worked with her for a bit too and they were both stymied. We really did not want to dig at this hole, because it was in the middle of an extremely verdant poison ivy patch. EECCCKKK! We finally agreed it was time to dig to help the dogs find their way, as both Brillo and Bob liked the hole and they are both reliable that way. Finally, Brillo decided she had a heading and sure enough, the hog had pushed up a wall to hide the way. We pulled out the wall and Brillo was on the way! She started baying shortly, staying just in front of a large stump. We decided to dig there as she was baying steadily, so we opened up a hole just about 2' down in front of the stump. Mr. Groundhog was holed up against the back of the stump. We pulled Brillo out and all the young dogs had a chance to school, all baying nicely and nobody laid a tooth on the groundhog.


Nymph & Demi in the cherry orchard


Cookie staked out at the 1st sette.


Cookie overseeing Demi working in the orchard.

By this time, it was past lunch so we headed back. After lunch, we went across the street to a cherry orchard, where Nymphie and Wombie had some fun working a sette. The next day we headed back to the bean fields and immediately got into another groundhog. Wombie went in and bolted a young hog right away. But there was so much scent, and probably more youngsters in there, that Wombie would not come out. Those young hogs can move around in those settes extremely fast and into extremely small areas that almost no JRT can get into on their own. Wombie was not baying, but he finally settled in one area, again headed directly for a tree, this time not a stump but a huge old oak tree. We decided to dig there before he got himself in under that tree. It was hard digging with roots and such and finally we were able to open up a small hole and there he was looking up at us! This really was a small hole, so I wasn't sure he could get out from there. I would say the hole was probably about 3" x 3". He stuffed his head through and I figured he was stuck. Michelle said give him a minute and sure enough, he got one side of his shoulder through and then the other. I was impressed! Another important lesson in JRT form for function - where go the shoulder so go the rest of the dog. Another example of why it is so important to have flat, narrow shoulders. We hiked the fields for a while, but no more good settes were found. After lunch, we went back to the cherry orchard and Wombie, Nymph, Brlllo, Demi and Cheekie all had some fun. What a great time for people and terriers alike!

Come July, it was time for me to head down to Philadelphia to judge at Bob & Betty Lee's Liberty Bell trial on the 5th. Once again, a very well run trial put on by great people who are great hosts. I had a great time, saw many lovely terriers and thoroughly enjoyed my day. The venue is fantastic, the exhibitors friendly and lots of nice terriers. It doesn't get much better than that! Thanks Bob & Betty!

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