Judges comments
A big Thankyou to Jo for inviting me back to the lovely Canvey Island to judge levels 2 and 3 on the day.A mention to for my lovely scribe,Danielle Orford,you did a wonderful job.Natalie,and I believe Kerry,kept all other aspects running smoothly.The weather was on a par for Canvey,cold and rainy.A white dog was used prior to the searches,which were carried out under the COVID guidelines.
We had 9 teams,plus 1 other running NFC in level 2.

VEHICLE SEARCH
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This consisted of a brick wall in an L shape,approx 20 meters in length.1 scent was concealed on a down pipe approx 30cm from ground level,the other, some 10 meters away and tucked into a crevice between the bricks,at ground level.This search proved a little for some of the teams,with only 3 of the 9 successfully finding both.Excellellent searching and handling by Vanessa and Lola and Sarah and Teddyetna,finding both in some 17 and 26 seconds respectively.

TABLES/CHAIRS AND PERIMETER
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This was set up in a square pattern,and I hid 1 scent under a chair to the right of the set up.The second scent I concealed in an electric cable holder,centrally on the perimeter at it’s furthest away point from the start line.
100% succes here for all 9 competing teams,some lovely searching and handling all round,with a mention to,Vanessa and Lola,24 secs.Kelly and Rosie,27 secs and Dan and Lupe in 28 seconds.

EXTERIOR
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The search area consisted of a secure grass patch at the rear of the building.The scents were duly hidden within a household fire alarm and in the handle of a domestic fire extinguisher.It was raining and the grass was somewhat soft underfoot,proving a little distractfull for some of the dogs.Nevertheless all but 1 team found both scents comfortably.

BOXES AND LUGGAGE
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I placed out some 12 articles,equally divided between boxes and bags.I hid one scent in the buckle of a black bag,the other in the seam of an upturned box.7 of the 9 teams successfully finding both,the remaining 2 finding 1.Some excellent handling shown by Kelly and Rosie and Vanessa and Lola,showing the was in some 29 seconds.

Some lovely handling skills shown by the majority of teams throughout the day,under some not so nice weather conditions.Perhaps a little more practice required by some on the wall search,will pay dividends.

My congratulations go to the eventual rosette winners, 1st..Vanessa and Lola…2nd..Sarah and Teddyetna..3rd..Erica and Muffin..4th..Alison and Lola….

In the afternoon,following a quick bite to eat,we moved on to level 3.We had some 8 teams competing and the weather remained cold and damp.

LEVEL 3
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VEHICLE SEARCH
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A different section of wall was used in this search as opposed to vehicles,some 20 meters in length,in the shape of an L and containing a door recess.Gun oil and cloves scents being used.
I placed 1 scent at the bottom of the door,the 2nd around the corner,in a crevice in the brickwork some 30cm from ground level.Some good patient teamwork shown,with 7 of the 8 teams finding both reasonably comfortably.Karen and Gunner leading the way in some 26 seconds.

BOXES AND LUGGAGE
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I laid a mixture of some 14 boxes and bags,concealing the scents,1 in the Velcro handle of a bag,the other in a buckle of another bag.6 of the 8 teams quickly found both,with the others finding only 1.Excellent handling skills shown by,Emma and Murphy and Karen and Gunner,finding both in some 33 and 55 seconds respectively.

EXTERIOR
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Some 14 articles were placed out on a grass patch to the rear of the building.I hid the cloves scent inside a medicine ball,placing this to the left of the search area.The gun oil I concealed in the clip of a set of car jump leads,placing this on the right of the search area.It was to easy for these dogs,7 of the 8 finding both.Lovely patient and controlled handling shown by the majority.Worthy of note were,Karen and Gunner,Emma and Murphy and Maureen and Amber.

TABLES/CHAIRS AND PERIMETER
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The cloves scent was hidden under the furthest away chair from the start line.The gun oil was concealed within the handle of a small brolly and placed centrally on the perimeter wall,furthest away from the start marker.7 of the 8 teams successfully finding both with ease.Some lovely patient handling skills shown by the majority.Worthy of note,and in some reasonably quick times were,Karen and Gunner,Emma and Murphy and Sarah and Prince,in 32,41 and 50 seconds respectively.

Overall a successful day all round,some good teams in the making.
My congratulations go to the eventual rosette winners on the day..1st. Karen and Gunner(excellence)…2nd..Emma and Murphy…3rd..Wendy and Teddy…4th Lena and Angel.