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Taking part
into the
K9 Easter agility-match
21 until 23 March 2008 in Wadebridge, England
A lot of
preparations for our registration
and journey to England!
To find a hotel who have a room special for wheelchairuser and who accept 2 dogs
( servicedogs) was not easy, but found!
Also we need a "Authority to
Compete", this is a registration- number agility of the Kennel Club.
We could apply and pay
by internet and recieved them just one week later by post.
As well we need special certificates
of the vaccination rabies for the dogs if they want to entry England!
You sampling some blood of the dog and send to a special Laboratory in
Europe and they make an antirabies antibody testing.
When it's okay you have also to wait 6 months before the dogs can entry England.
I had these papers some time before ready!
We have decided to travel by train (
channel-tunnel) from Calais (France) to Folkstone (England) because when the
weather is bad the ferry would not sail out!
First to the Pets-Control for the
check of the pasports and certificates.
Everything was okay so we started our journey by train under the ocean for 35
minutes!
channel-train from Calais
to Folkstone
It was an agilitymatch of three days
with 5 Rings and about 1200 -1300 competitors every day.
In England you have grade 1 till 7. For the large dogs they have make the
classification: 1 & 2, 3 , 4&5, 6&7.
Also I went to meet some handlers
with a disability: Philippa Armstrong and Ann Gill.
They have set up the Disabled Handlers Association, their website:
www.disabledhandlersassociation.com
and it was impressive to see Philippa sending her
dogs through the course……..I have a lot of admiration for her!
Her website:
www.philippaarmstrong.co.uk
Of course I have encouraged them to
take part into the PAWC this year, but they haven't ready the certificates
of the rabies for their dogs....perhaps next year ;-)
together with the
organisers of the "Disabled Handlers Association" in England
We
were not lucky about the weather, it was very cold and have a lot of rain, snow
– and hailstorm, wind and storm…two of the four agility-matches were cancelled
by the bad weather!
The ground was not very good and clayey, so with all the rain it wasn't easy to
drive by wheelchair!
I have tried to do all my courses in the morning....in the afternoon the field
became more impassible!!
Also at the end of each day a big clean-up of
my wheelchair...he had to go with us into the Hotel for loading ;-)
My oldest dog Quita could run 2 x
jumping in the Special Anysize combination grade 1 till 7 on the hight of
medium.
She's a Veteran dog in the Netherlands ( that's from 7 years old) but in England
Veteran dogs are from 9 years old!
Quita could take home a Clear-Round Rosett!
(click for video)
Para-Agility England 2008 Quita 02
Quita on her winning run,
during a terrible hailstorm! ( photo :
www.Jayphotos.co.uk )
Joep had to run every day 1 x
agility and 1x jumping course in grade 3.
He had run one clear jumping but with some time-faults...so not a Clear-Round
Rosett for him ;-(
Para-Agility England 2008 Joep vp
(click for video)
Para-Agility England 2008 Joep jump
joep in action ( photo:
www.Jayphotos.co.uk )
There are some differents of an agility-match between England and the Netherlands (Europe)!
About the order of
start: in the Netherlands we just start by number 1…..further serried
2..3..4…5. In England they give the possibility to start for example numbers
1 to 40, you announce yourself and start when the “writer” give you the sign to
start.
In the Netherlands the judge give the sign (by wistle).
What me also surprised: there was not at any agility-course the
dogwalk. In Europe nearly always in the agility-course are the three
contact-obstacles, A-frame, dogwalk and see-saw.
Some judges have created in their course 1 or 2 traps for their grade 3 ( Europe
level 1) ....I think that’s not always in the Netherlands for this level.
Also in my country all competitors bring with them a little tent and place (seat) al together around the courses..and stay the hole day close to the courses…I didn’t see in England.
on our travel back home fun
for the dogs on the beach of Calais!
But
to take part was an experience.........and we can drive on the left side of the
road, very strange for us, because in the Netherlands you have to drive on the
right side!
Susan 15-04-2008
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