Many thanks to Nigel and Tina for inviting me to Judge their L2 & L3 Trial.

We had lovely calm weather on this October day which can make a huge difference to the way the dogs perform, particularly outside and because it was so mild, there was no need for internal heating which can swirl the scent around for the inside searches.

This was the second time I’ve judged for Nigel and Tina and it was lovely to see some familiar faces from the previous Trial competing for their next levels. Others had travelled from far and wide to compete which is never easy on strange turf but they all did very well.

We started in the morning with the Level 2 competitors on the Vehicle Search. Tables & Chairs/Perimeter was next and with nerves settling most completed their searches in good time. Outside again for the Exterior Search which was held on gravel quite near to a road where every few minutes a group of racing cyclists whizzed by. Fortunately the dogs were unfazed and faired well. Our last Search was Boxes and Luggage with almost every dog successful in both finds. The standard of these teams was very high and everyone passed. Congratulations to all and especially to Pauline and Mirren who won the red rosette.

The Level 3 exercises were held in the afternoon by which time the sun was shining and we could feel its warmth. The four search areas were conducted in the same order as the morning exercises. The teams worked at a very high standard and I was particularly impressed by the outside searches which most dogs find more difficult than the indoor ones. The scores were amazing and hardly anyone dropped points. Very well done to all the partnerships with a massive well done to Jenny and Reo who scored 100% and took first place. You can’t do any better than that! All the Level 3 folk passed ~ again a great achievement.

I’d like to thank Laura and Yvette for scribing for me. This was the first time they’d scribed and both were very efficient and a great help. Also thanks to Berit who kindly provided cups of tea and rock cakes which were lovely.

A funny thing happened with the certificates ~ when I presented them they had the names of the handlers and dogs etc written in black but when some folk had them laminated all the writing disappeared apart from my signature which I’d signed with a blue pen! Seemingly, the writing in the black ink had reacted with the heat of the laminator but I think it reappeared when the certificate cooled down again! The magic pen gave Tina a heart stopping moment but relief when it all came back!

It’s always heartening to watch so many different breeds competing and to hear the stories of their improvement and the problems they’ve overcome to successfully pass the Trials. Matt’s dog, Ellie, was a bright little spark racing around the Tables & Chairs and found the scent easily but he had to work amazingly hard to encourage her to search the Perimeter when her demeanour changed completely because she’s worried by wood Lice! I was impressed generally with the participants’ understanding of their dogs’ strengths and weaknesses and with the way they handled them accordingly. These are lucky dogs 😊.

Karen Denton