Many apologies for the delay in posting – laptop gremlins prevented me from accessing the SWUK website – all sorted now.
I would like to say a big thank you to Pauline Whittaker for asking me to judge at her first Level 1 trial at Wichenford and also say well done – it was really well run and was all a trial should be – fun, friendly and there was cake, what more can you ask for! I would also like to say a very big thank you to all of the helpers who made everyone feel so welcome and who looked after us, keeping us topped up with tea and treats. A huge thanks to Kate Wilkes too for driving through the most horrendous conditions to get us there safely but also being a great scribe and support. The weather was absolutely awful on the way to the trial but luckily; by the time it started the sun had come out and was kind to us for the rest of the morning.
8 teams entered the trial and there were a mix of teams that had worked in a Level 1 trial before and there were also some first timers. We set searches that were straightforward, there were no tricks as we wanted to see how handlers and dogs were able to work together.
We started with the tables and chairs search and, although some of the handlers were quite nervous, most teams found the scent and there were some great indications from dogs which left handlers in no doubt as to where the scent was. A special mention needs to go to both Joanna and Nix and Sharon and Buddy – I don’t think I have ever seen dogs enjoying the search so much – they had great fun and their tails never stopped wagging – they made us smile too! After this we moved on to the exterior search where the scent was hidden on a trundle wheel. This search was a little more challenging for the dogs, especially with the wet surface that they were searching on and some dogs were more interested in environmental scents then the scented article. Well done to those dogs and handlers who located the scent on this one. Boxes and bags were next and most dogs located the scent on a box confidently. A big shout out to Charlotte and Betty on this one, finding the scent in a super quick 7 seconds!
We finished the trial with the vehicle search and some dogs were, again, quite distracted by environmental scents, handlers having to work hard to keep them focused. It was a pleasure to watch Sarah and Jack working on this one – what a calm and thorough search – you made it look so easy! This lead to their excellence award too – well done both!
I would like to say a huge well done to all handlers and their beautiful dogs, but a particularly big well done to –
1st Place – Lynda and Flo – a great team, really nice calm and steady handling from Lynda with thorough searching from Flo.
2nd Place – Charlotte and Betty – I loved watching this team work together, Betty is so keen and loves her searching – a cracking little dog.
3rd Place – Catherine and Georgy – Great team work, a keen dog who knows it’s job.
4th Place – Sarah and Jack – Lovely teamwork and well done for getting your excellence.

Hope to see you all again on your scent work journey and good luck to you all x