Off to Venice

Off to Venice

Excited to be heading off to Venice, our bags all packed we got up and gave ourselves three hours to get to the airport so we had a huge buffer in case anything went wrong.  Who knew that our one hour drive would take us three hours because the GPS steered us wrong! Never having been late for a flight or anything else important in my life, this was really stressful.  We missed our flight and spent an hour and a half reorganizing our flights and spent $300 to get on a plane to get to Venice.  Needless to say the day wasn't starting out do well.  When we touched down in Paris we quickly found our way to a glass of wine and a snack before our next flight to Venice.  We arrived in Venice about 8:00pm picked up our rental and headed out for the hour drive to Lignano.  Thank god it was basically a straight drive out. It was a pretty horrible day all in all but we made it to Lignano and our accomidations our beautiful.  Now for a good nights sleep.

The Results are in

IFCS Recap

The IFCS journey is now over and as we leave the Netherlands and move on to Italy I now have time to recap the competition days.  I try to stay off social media while competing so I can stay focused on where I am and what I am doing.  When I thought about updating the blog the idea passed quickly as fatigue sets in quickly after the long long days.

The competition itself took place over four days.  Each day consisted of two runs except for Friday which had three rounds.  Pint ran a total of six runs and I am so so happy to report that he ran 5 of the 6 fault free and in the last run, run number 6, I was pushing for speed and caused the faults.  I knew going in that Pint wouldn't be the fastest but I knew he would be competitive and consistent.  On each run he was either in the top 10 or sitting just outside of it. When I saw his results I was more than thrilled.  There was a time when Pint didn't even want to come out of his crate at agility trials and he didn't handle stressful situations very well.  During the whole competition that never happened once!  I couldn't believe the growth and maturity in him since being at WAO in 2011.  All the time I have taken to get Pint to where he is today paid off and he was so excited to be competing.  I picked a saying for Pint a long time ago and the more time that passes the more the quote fits him.  "It is not the size of a man, but the size of his heart that matters" -Evander Holyfield

My wee little man has the heart of a line and he always gives me all he has.  I also learned a very valuable lesson about my dogs.  When we compete back home I need to run Pint and Slice very close together and neither  dog gets the attention they deserve.  Being 100% focused on Pint was exactly what he needed from me.  I need to find a way to ensure all my dogs get my undivided attention at trials.

The days were long, cold and wet.  I have never seen so much rain and mud!  I certainly didn't expect it to be like that in Holland anyway.  When you have to pack light you never have the things you need for any situation.  We were all scrambling for warmer clothes and ways to keep our dogs warm.  I never have a problem shopping but did have a problem finding the blankets and clothing to add to what I had.  On the Friday, we had a 15 hour day!  Never have a I done agility like that before.  Pint ran his first course at 10:00am and then didn't run again until 10:00pm!  Super long day.  Let me tell you how hard it was to get up on Saturday at 5:00am.

In the end, Pint finished 8th in the world in the Agility All Around and 13th in the world in the Biathlon!  I cried tears of joy when I saw his results.  I was so proud of him and so proud of our team work.  My little boy arrived and showed the world about the small and mighty.

We loved the venue.  We loved the experience.  We loved meeting new friends and reconnecting with old ones.  

Suitcases are packed and we are heading to Italy!

Getting things started

Getting things underway

We have been here for a couple of days and today was the first "official" day of things to be done.  We arrived on site and moved into our crating space.  In very short order there was no doubt Canada was in the building and ready to play.  

Next order of business was getting the whole team checked in which involved verifying paperwork, scanning microchips and measuring.  Typically all this fuss and bother upsets Pint but today he was a man of steel and he stood up on that table so proud and confident.  We got a perfect measurement for him which tells me we are raring to go!

Our "official" team practice was at 10:30 am and management had a plan and a strategy.  We divided the course into four areas and split the dogs by height class.  Canada left a message out there that we are a finely tuned machine.  Everyone looked brilliant! Pint ran brilliantly and handled the environment so well.  I can't wait to run him tomorrow.

Our day ended with the opening ceremonies which as always is a short affair but a great part of the event.  You walk into a room behind your flag and this is your moment to show the world (or a portion of it) how proud you are to be Canadian.  

Back at the hotel, bag packed for tomorrow and all ready for bed.  I am actually to excited to sleep I think but Pint is passed out and that is what is important.

Team Practice Day

Team Practice Day

Our day started out with our official team practice and a lovely outdoor agility field.  We were expecting a rainy day but the weather gods held off and gave us decent weather.  All the dogs look great. Pint loves being outside and was so happy to be running on grass and playing with his frisbee.

Once practice was over we had the rest of the day free do to more sight seeing a downtime.  We finally found our way to the grocery store and got some nice nutritious snacks for the weekend and of course some things we shouldn't be eating but we can't get them back home.

The rest of the afternoon was spent strolling through the town we staying in, Velp.  Such a cute little town.  We finished the day up with Chinese take away (as they call it here).  Imagine ordering Chinese food that has been translated into Dutch and then getting the staff to speak English to help you pick what you want.  It was entertaining and delicious!

Off to bed early tonight as we have an early morning with the events officially kicking off with check-in, measuring, benching, team practice on equipment and opening ceremonies.  Busy day!

Happy Birthday Slice

Happy Birthday Slice!

Waking up this morning to Slice's 7th birthday.  The joke for the past few years is I bought her a ticket to various European cities for her birthday and we would leave a week or two following her special day.  This year we actually got to spend her birthday in Europe!  Birthday shots were taken in Amsterdam today and we spent the day shopping and exploring more of this bustling city.  Don't worry she still got her annual hamburger and ice cream except this year it was a bite of gourmet burger on a patio and sorbet outside in the square!  Pretty lucky girl.

I have been promising Pint for weeks that when we got to Europe he could chase pigeons and today was his day.  We wondered into DAM Square were there were pigeons a plenty!  He was just so excited and was totally oblivious to the hundred thousand people milling about as he went from flock to flock getting them to fly away.  It is one of those moments when you heart fills with joy watching how something so simple could make him so happy.

There was lots of wondering in and out of shops and even a few purchases to take home.  We were really expecting to do a lot more shopping or rather making purchases than we have been.  Fingers crossed for Venice.  We have seen some famous landmarks and beautiful streets and scenery.  Amsterdam is a very busy city!

Back at the hotel tonight for official team photos, team meeting and team dinner.  What a fabulous group of people and dogs.  Everyone is having fun and enjoying every moment of being here.  Tomorrow the official team practice to get us all in gear.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam

The flight to Amsterdam was long and uneventful.  Once again we were blessed with the pleasure of a screaming child on the flight.  Let's just say we got very little sleep and then continued to stay up all day today.  Both Slice and Pint travelled like troopers.  It was a long leg from Minneapolis for them going more than ten hours before getting outside.  Not a peep from them.

Doing our best to stay awake today so that we can get a good night's sleep tonight.  We rented our car and navigated successfully to Amsterdam, found a parking spot and walked around for three hours!  We didn't find the shopping we were looking for today so likely venturing out tomorrow again.  It is a bit more of a jaunt than we thought so we will see what we decide in the morning.

We have been taking lots of pictures but having trouble getting everything to properly sync with the limited wifi access.  They will be there eventually.

Welcome to Minneapolis

The flight to Minneapolis was uneventful but really boring except for the screaming child that would just randomly scream at the top of its lungs in that shrill ear piercing, could break glass tone.  Makes it hard to understand how you have to justify taking your dog on a plane and pay $200 and nobody even knows they are there.  

The Minneapolis airport is something else!  Just like being in a mall!  Jennifer and I have cased out the stores and know what we will be buying on the way back.  The dog potty area was a bit of a jaunt but a nice fenced area for Slice and Pint to stretch their legs.  We had four hours to kill here so we took advantage of the time to sit with the dogs and just let them be loose.  Totally different culture here at the airport.  They were running around playing fetch and attracting all kinds of passersby.  I think we met just about every flight attendant and security agent on their way to their flights.  Of course the questions come about Team Canada and where we are going.  It is so great to just meet people because you have a common love of dogs.

Once again, go through security but this time it is Jennifer that is suspicious.  Carrying the laser as carry on and not wanting to put it through x-ray didn't really please the TSA agents but they respected her request.  It was when her bag went through the scanner that all the alarms went off and the big search began of her suspicious bag.  It was pretty funny actually.  The item of concern was the box with attachments for the laser.  Believe me they felt pretty stupid going through her bag.

We have hooked up with Carol Smorch, who will be joining our traveling road show for the rest of then trip.  It is so nice to connect with Carol again.  Such and important part of our success.

So here we sit at the wifi bench, charging our technology and staying connected before boarding the big plane.  The dogs have been given their air travel meds and relaxing nicely while we wait.  Looking forward to a nap on the plane.

Airport Check-in

We arrived at the Edmonton Airport with plenty of time to spare, thank god!  We find our way to the Delta counter, two people, two dogs, two suitcases, two carry-on  bags and one giant chiropractic table. You couldn't really miss us as we were dressed in Team Canada jackets and the box the chiro table was packed in looked like we were transporting a dead body.  After the past few days of checking and re-checking to make sure that the dogs were indeed confirmed low and behold that is the first issue we encounter at the counter.  It seemed to be a system error on their part not what we had already been told through confirmation.  Non the less that took the better part of an hour to sort out.  At this point, all we know is that we are getting to Amsterdam with the dogs but maybe not to Venice.  That will be on the agenda for tomorrown to figure out.  

Next issue at the counter was getting the dead body box checked in for the flight. Jennifer was well aware that she was going to be paying about $300 for the box but they were going to charge her almost double that.  Luckily, her man Dave was still with us and he took the box to ship by UPS way cheaper. Sadly the dead body box will be joining  us in Amsterdam on Wednesday.  I was looking forward to seeing how we were going to get that in the car in Europe.

Remember the three pound over suitcase in the last post?  We get all our issues sorted out, boarding pass in hand when Jennifer pipes up "Did you get your suitcase weighed?"  loud enough for the whole airport to hear!  I quickly tell her to shut up as my bag didn't even get weighed, I was good as gold! Really compared to the dead body she was trying to ship my suitcase looked like a handbag.  The guy at the counter just picked up my bag and said "it's good".  Phew!!!  Probably the funniest part of the day so far.  We have chuckled about it a few times.

After all that it has been smooth sailing.  The customs officials were very pleasant with us and we even met our pilot in the security line, he thought Slice was pretty cute.  As always the dogs are a hit wherever we go and have been popping their heads out of their bags whenever someone asks to see them.

We had 15 minutes to grab a quick bite before boarding and now we are up in the air flying to Minneapolis.  Now it is time to sit back and enjoy the trip.

And we are off!

Bags are packed (three pounds over) and we are off to the airport.  Now starts the 24 hours off travel. By this time tomorrow I'll be standing in a field of tulips. 

Trying not to panic

As the time keeps ticking away and I am now into 24 hours before leaving slight panic is starting to set in as I still have so much to do!

My suitcase has been packed and repacked and packed yet again but I finally think I have it mastered. I have three pounds of room to spare and a couple things to add. Fingers crossed that I won't be over weight. 

Slice and Pint had their baths this morning followed by a blow dry and they are ready to go. Lucky for them I pack their bags too. 

There have been a few hiccups along the way but I think we have everything organized and dealt with. Honestly, I don't think I will relax until I park my but on the plane.

Thank you to all for your continues support of my world team aspirations and journeys.  Without the support of such wonderful friends I would not have had such incredible opportunities or achieved such great success.
I am not only stepping to the line with my best canine partner but with a country of friends standing behind me.  It is amazing how strong you are when you know you aren't alone.

9 sleeps and counting...

Where does the time go?  It seems only a few months ago that I had so many weeks and months ahead of me to get ready and suddenly I am in the single digit count down.  Yikes!

We are ready to go.  All of the fundraising is done, our bags are almost packed, list on top of list is made, a couple more appointments to get our "official" papers signed but that is it.  Both Slice and Pint are in great shape and ready to get on the plane and show the world what they've got.

As excited as I am to get this journey off the ground, I am leaving with mixed emotions as I leave my old boy at home.  Porter is not getting any younger and every day is a treasure.  However, if it wasn't for Porter, I certainly wouldn't be on this journey to begin with.  So even though he will be in good hands with my husband, parents and Amanda, I will still be worried about him every day.  At the other end of the spectrum, our little baby boy Sniper will be changing so much over the two weeks I am gone.  I will leave a 12 week old puppy and come home to a new puppy that has learned so much while I have been gone.