Thank you first of all to Georgina for asking me to judge – finally, my first judging appointment! Thanks also to Tina for scribing for me.

I was judging the outdoor searches, and started with the exterior items. The cones were set a good distance back from the items, so I chose to put one hide in the first row. It was in a stack of plastic cladding. The second hide was a low plastic crate towards the back of the search area. Most teams found this one first, with the dogs then getting the other find as they approached from the far end. One or two dogs raced over the first hide, winding the scent – this was particularly well spotted by Serena, who chose to work Bertie back the way they had come as she had seen his very subtle acknowledgment. There was also a super quick first find from Lisa and Patrick (lovely to see him back!)

Most teams found both, but there were a few that missed – some due to talking their dogs in to alerting, and one dog that told a big, fat lie! Some excellent handling of distracted dogs, especially Andy reading Honey well and choosing to reset and settle her.

The wall search was a little different – a narrow passageway, using the wall of the building on one side and a stone wall opposite. The first hide was on a gutter clip, and the second in a hole in the stone wall. It was good to see teams working the search in different ways, and all of them found both hides. Some let the dog walk the full distance of the passageway, before detailing them on the way back while others tasked them from the start.

Jackie nearly burst my eardrums with her excited shreak when Dart got the second hide! Andy and Lisa both found the narrow space a little difficult with the larger dogs, but nevertheless worked the search well. Lesley was patient with Gem, letting her work and Wendy and Quinn did very well with their first wall search.

The team of the day for the two searches I judged was definitely Chrissi and Oggie, and their win was well deserved. A very thoughtful searcher, with a clear indication – Chrissi handles her so well, standing back and observing. Very well done on your win, and see you in L3!