Level 1
1 Jennifer Stevens – Acquitrino Phil’s Emerald – 100
2 Jackie Hodge – Kona – 100
3 Helen Hankins – Sam – 99.95
4 Lisa Finney – Brew – 99.95
5 Sarah Fortes Mayer – Bonnie – 99.95
6 Penny Harris – Chance – 79.95
7 Anita Scott – Meadow – 79.95
8 Pam Butcher – Willow – 79.85
9 Helen Hepple – Marcus – 79.5
Level 2
1 Sue Taylor – Sunny – 100
2 Nancy Chalmers – George – 89.95
3 Jane Page – Dinah – 89.95
4 Julie Blytheway – Jess – 89.9
5 Penny Harris – Lyra – 89.25
6 Helen Taylor – Skylar – 80
7 Julia Bodsworth – Spot – 79.9
8 Emma Conlisk – Danny – 79.5
It was a wild and stormy day in June…
Actually it was pretty wet, but thankfully the wind had only decided to dip its toe in the water.
I’m sure everyone who was due to be at Erdington on the 15th June had been checking the weather, hoping and praying it wouldn’t be a wash out, and in truth we were pretty lucky. The Level 1 in the morning stayed fairly dry, with the main downpour happening in the afternoon, just as we were trying to set up the vehicle search for Level 2.
My wonderful judges, Ali Brannen and Sue Kirkham did an excellent job of ensuring all the competitors had as positive an experience during their searches as possible. They were supported by Michelle Rodgers and James Lindley as scribes, and everything was kept moving smoothly by the lovely runners: Chris Bennett and Chris Whitehead in the morning and Karen Calendar in the afternoon. The job of runner at a tight venue such as Erdington is extremely important to make sure dogs who struggle are given as much space as we can allow them.
Thank you also to our lovely tea lady, Brenda Ward who kept us all hydrated and stuffed with biscuits.
It was my absolute pleasure to host you all, and I look forward to meeting you all again as you progress through the levels.
Happy sniffing.
Ellen Lindley
Sue Kirkham
Thankyou to Ellen for inviting me to judge Level 1 & 2 trial, co judging with Ali Brannen. Thankyou to Michelle my scribe for the day who was very efficient and good company and the runners Chris and Chris in the morning and Karen in the afternoon who kept the competitors flowing. Thankyou to Ellen’s mum Brenda for the cups of tea and sandwich.
Level 1
Table and Chairs
There were 13 entered for Level 1. 10 out of 13 had successful finds. There were some quick times and finds. Jennifer and Basil 12 seconds, Penny and Chance 15 seconds, Jackie and Kona 16 seconds. There were some lovely clear indications, giving their dogs time to work. Sarah with Bonnie, Lisa with Brew, Helen with Marcus had such quiet handling.
Exterior Search
The scent was placed on a upside down bucket. The other 2 items if the competitor wanted to know were a bike helmet and a childs chair. 11 out 13 had successful finds in quick times. Penny and Chance 7 seconds, Jennifer and Basil 10 seconds. Jackie and Kona covered the search area well and had clear indications as did Helen and Sam. The dogs coped well being next to a busy road with people watching and also being under a flight path.
Level 2
Boxes and Luggage
There were 10 entered for Level 2. One scent was placed on a box near the start of the search area and the other scent on a black bag on the far side. A lot of the competitors only finding one scent. Some dogs investigating not indicating and handlers calling. Some competitors worked in one direction only.
Vehicle Search
One scent was placed on a nut in the centre of the wheel and the other under the light on the front of the car. 9 out of 10 finding both scents. The dogs worked well with good focus and going to source.
Congraulations to you all. Good luck for the future and enjoy your dogs.
Ali Brannen
Level 1
First off I would like to thank Ellen Ward Lindley for asking me to co-judge this trial, along with fellow judge Sue Kirkham. Also thanks to my scribe James Lindley for doing a great job. Thanks also go to the runners & Mrs Mum for keeping me stocked up with coffee.
I was tasked with the Vehicle Search and the Boxes & Luggage search. So we started with the vehicle search. The scent was hidden behind the alloy wheel on the front right of the vehicle. This didn’t seem to cause a problem for the dogs, with 12/13 dogs finding the scent. There were some super quick searches, lovely indications and really enthusiastic teams. The successful teams were Helen Hepple & Marcus, Anne Johnson & Ellie, Helen Hankins & Sam, Pam Butcher & Willow, Sarah Fortes Mayer & Bonnie, Lisa Finney & Brew, Jennifer Stevens & Basil, Jackie Hodge & Kona, Anne Glennon & Missy, Anita Scott & Meadow, Penny Harris & Chance and Debbie Goodwin & Fab. Well done guys.
Next was the Boxes & Luggage. The scent was hidden on an upturned box, under the flap with some of the swab exposed placed at the back of the search area. 7/13 teams were successful in this area again with some really thorough searching, some quick searches and great team work. Successful teams were Penny Harris & Chance, Helen Hankins & Sam, Anita Scott & Meadow, Lisa Finney & Brew, Jennifer Stevens & Basil, Jackie Hodge & Kona and Sarah Fortes Mayer & Bonnie. Awesome job everyone. Karen Callendar’s Max was only 5 weeks into his Scentwork UK career and although not successful on the day, provided great entertainment on the boxes & luggage search and was a lovely & Keen boy, who I have no doubt will soon be ready for his next trial. Keep up the good work.
On conclusion the trial ran very smoothly, with just a few minor interruptions with the weather. I was impressed with the teamwork these Level 1’s showed and the handling was of a high standard. They were all a lovely crowd to judge, so I look forward to seeing them all in the future.
A white dog was used in all search areas.
Level 2
First off I would like to thank Ellen Ward Lindley for asking me to co judge her level 2 trial along with fellow Judge Sue Kirkham. Also massive thanks to James Lindley for scribing for me and to the runners who kept things moving along. Again thanks to Mrs Mum for keeping me well topped up with coffee.
I was tasked with the Exterior Search and the Tables/chairs & Perimeter search. We started with the exterior search. The scents were hidden on the handle of a plastic shovel and inside a small pipe. All the dogs coped with this search incredibly well with 9/10 teams 100% successful and 1/10 teams only finding 1 scent. Successful teams were Helen Taylor & Skylar, Julia Bodsworth & Spot, Julie Bytheway & Jess, Wendy Cook & Bandit, Jane Page & Dinah, Kate Wilkes & Tali, Emma Conlisk & Danny, Sue Taylor & Sunny and Nancy Chalmers & George. Well done everyone.
Then it was on to the Tables & Chairs. One scent was hidden on the first chair opposite the start gates, the 2nd scent was hidden on the arm of a camping chair, placed at the back of the room on the perimeter. Again 7/10 teams were 100% successful, 2/10 found 1 scent, and only 1 team didn’t locate either. The successful teams were Penny Harris & Lyra, Sue Taylor & Sunny, Helen Taylor & Skylar, Nancy Chalmers & George, Julie Bytheway & Jess, Julia Bodsworth & Spot and Jane Page & Dinah. Great Job everyone.
On conclusion these level 2’s were a great group of people who remained upbeat despite a small delay due to some very heavy rain. There were some lovely teams and everyone worked really hard supporting their dogs around the search areas. Again some great handling and some super quick searches. A lovely group to judge. I look forward to seeing you all again in the future.
A white dog was used on all search areas.
| T&C - A/F | T&C - H | T&C - T | ES - A/F | ES - H | ES - T | VS - A/F | VS - H | VS - T | B&L - A/F | B&L - H | B&L - T | Marks | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A/F = Alert Find | H = Handling | T = Time (seconds) | |||||||||||||
| Tables & Chairs | Exterior Search | Vehicle Search | Boxes & Luggage | Totals | |||||||||||
| Level 1 | A/F | H | T | A/F | H | T | A/F | H | T | A/F | H | T | Marks | Time | |
| 1 | Jennifer Stevens – Acquitrino Phil’s Emerald | 20 | 5 | 12 | 20 | 5 | 10 | 20 | 5 | 8 | 20 | 5 | 33 | 100 | 63 |
| 2 | Jackie Hodge – Kona | 20 | 5 | 16 | 20 | 5 | 21 | 20 | 5 | 24 | 20 | 5 | 22 | 100 | 83 |
| 3 | Helen Hankins – Sam | 20 | 4.95 | 45 | 20 | 5 | 23 | 20 | 5 | 29 | 20 | 5 | 32 | 99.95 | 129 |
| 4 | Lisa Finney – Brew | 20 | 5 | 31 | 20 | 5 | 51 | 20 | 5 | 16 | 20 | 4.95 | 70 | 99.95 | 168 |
| 5 | Sarah Fortes Mayer – Bonnie | 20 | 5 | 30 | 20 | 5 | 28 | 20 | 4.95 | 103 | 20 | 5 | 39 | 99.95 | 200 |
| 6 | Penny Harris – Chance | 20 | 5 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 20 | 5 | 12 | 20 | 4.95 | 14 | 79.95 | 48 |
| 7 | Anita Scott – Meadow | 0 | 5 | 11 | 20 | 5 | 16 | 20 | 5 | 8 | 20 | 4.95 | 59 | 79.95 | 94 |
| 8 | Pam Butcher – Willow | 20 | 4.95 | 44 | 20 | 4.95 | 57 | 20 | 4.95 | 27 | 0 | 5 | 75 | 79.85 | 203 |
| 9 | Helen Hepple – Marcus | 20 | 5 | 40 | 20 | 5 | 14 | 20 | 5 | 33 | 0 | 4.5 | 42 | 79.5 | 129 |
| Level 2 | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Sue Taylor – Sunny | 20 | 5 | 39 | 20 | 5 | 23 | 20 | 5 | 56 | 20 | 5 | 36 | 100 | 154 |
| 2 | Nancy Chalmers – George | 20 | 5 | 36 | 20 | 5 | 20 | 20 | 4.95 | 52 | 10 | 5 | 20 | 89.95 | 128 |
| 3 | Jane Page – Dinah | 20 | 4.95 | 201 | 20 | 5 | 85 | 20 | 5 | 99 | 10 | 5 | 90 | 89.95 | 475 |
| 4 | Julie Blytheway – Jess | 20 | 4.95 | 52 | 20 | 4.95 | 50 | 20 | 5 | 77 | 10 | 5 | 287 | 89.9 | 466 |
| 5 | Penny Harris – Lyra | 20 | 4.5 | 37 | 10 | 4.9 | 67 | 20 | 4.95 | 76 | 20 | 4.9 | 48 | 89.25 | 228 |
| 6 | Helen Taylor – Skylar | 20 | 5 | 24 | 20 | 5 | 40 | 20 | 5 | 69 | 0 | 5 | 46 | 80 | 179 |
| 7 | Julia Bodsworth – Spot | 20 | 5 | 34 | 20 | 5 | 24 | 20 | 4.95 | 51 | 0 | 4.95 | 71 | 79.9 | 180 |
| 8 | Emma Conlisk – Danny | 10 | 4.5 | 300 | 20 | 5 | 57 | 20 | 5 | 235 | 10 | 5 | 151 | 79.5 | 743 |