L6 Judge – Justine Steele

Having been so lucky on trial days over the past few years where the weather was concerned, it seemed as tho the rain Gods over the previous month or so finally wanted to redress the balance in Peterborough!! Unscheduled rain, blustery cold winds & chilling temperatures resulted in icy fingers and shivery alerts! We were teased with the odd patch of blue sky & hint of heat only to be thrust back into the grey, aware the fast approaching loss of light would send temperatures plummeting further…
But it was not all doom & gloom as watching all the teams tackle areas that I tried to make slightly different, proved to be just as interesting & enlightening as ever. The scent as usual behaved uniquely & the exterior search in particular was a lesson to both myself & Corinne, my freezing scribe!!!

Search 1. Interior 1. Medium room & side entrance room
1. Truffle. Bottom far left corner of tiny entrance cubby hole! Sponge carrier.
2. Gun Oil. 3ft high square gap to metal frame. Velcro carrier
3. Truffle. Underside of 2nd stack of chairs. Velcro carrier
4. Gun Oil. Next to lower hinge on door next to sink. String carrier
5. Clove. In entrance room under tiny ledge under window on left side. Velcro carrier

Search 2. Exterior. Length of back wall. Turret line.
1. Truffle. End of ledge next to door on left side. Filter tip carrier
2. Gun Oil. 5 bricks up on right side of door. Cotton material carrier.
3. Truffle. Bottom left hinge of door between corner & bench. Sponge carrier
4. Clove. Bottom of wall, inverted ledge near far side of bench. Velcro carrier

Search 3. Interior 2.
1. Gun Oil. Latch of big green box to left of entry/start point. Velcro carrier
2. Truffle in skeleton key hole of cupboard under kettle. Cotton material carrier
3. Clove. Under sill of metal table directly in front of start point in centre of kitchen. Velcro carrier

I think there are so many talking points after every trial but I feel the most important is to state that it appears, when there are so many nooks & crannies to have hidden the target scent, that we may have to keep a mental note of what is tricky or may have been missed by our team-mate & get in there to assist as necessary. Not however to take over, as we must remember they alone can ‘track & trace’ the scent, but to assist, guide & even reassure as is needed. Supporting our expert as they continue their sniffing adventure…

So, huge congratulations to Christine & Jubbly for not just missing only the one hide, but for gaining Excellence at this level… (Finally kicked out of L6!!!)
Also gaining Excellence was the exciting to watch (& listen to) Ziggy with Richard winning 4points & placing 4th equal in every respect with Sue & Tiva as these two teams could not be separated.
Calm systematic searching from Emma & Smartie gave them a well deserved 2nd place & first timers at this level Ruth & Paddy, claimed a satisfying 3rd.
Well done everyone & a huge thank you to my dedicated team whose help & attitude make the trials delivered by Just Dogs possible. Nikki who behind the scenes & front of house was there to support all & aforementioned Corinne who has probably not yet thawed out…!
Good luck all in the future..☘️