DVG NATIONALS - Page 1

 How many shepherds will compete in the GSD nationals? This is going to be held soon in two weeks.

I had one bad experience in the DVG Nationals. My "trophy" for 2nd Place FH, (blatantly robbed for 1st!)  still hangs from my rear view mirror to remind me of that day.  Its a plastic luggage tag that came in the entrants package. The "winning" dog took the 1st cross-track 3 times, nearly turned upside-down when it hit the end of the line, went on to win? I will never forget the fast-food bag a few feet to the right of the last leg on my track, coincidentally on the cross track, that my dog was wise enough NOT to fully investigate... No podium picture either, although I did get a glimpse of the back-lit, etched-glass  beauty awarded to the "winner", who justhappened to be a member of the host club... I doubt I will ever enter another DVG event. 

Call it sour grapes, but it was a long drive home in my RV for "Vice-FH-Champions" Onyx and I, insulted, angry and empty-handed, likely victims of organizational politics. I admit I handled our defeat badly, having rewarded my dog on a hot afternoon with a refreshing dip in the host hotel pool. (!) I'm pretty sure. DVG-America never missed my entries from that day on.

SS

  maybe you can go and drive over their tracks!

Is like the Alabama Mafia?

Actually, Ron Gordon (USA NW Regional Director) and I called one of the organizers for directions to the practice tracking the day before the event started.  Seems the maps and directions were "all gone,"  but  we carefully wrote down compicated verbal directions to someplace an supposedly an hour or so away from the host hotel, (nowhere near the actual, nearby FH trial field, understandably)   I wish ya'll could have been with us on that wild goose chase!  We never dd find wherever the heck they tried to send us, ended up trespassing on some dusty, dry, clumpy dirt field with no evidence of recent cultivation or planting, no obvious farm/ownership, drove over the "road" a few times for good measure... We figured if our dogs could track on that  nasty field, in 20-30 mph gusts and flying dust, anything else would be a piece of cake. Unfortunately, as our longer-than-regulation tracks and intentionally attractive cross-tracks approached the 3 hr. age, we watched a pack of coyotes in the distance, happily trotting around the entire length of both tracks, eating all the bait, periodically squatting to eliminate. We did run the first leg  of each track to the first articles as I recall, up to where the coyotes had entered the field, just to get something done before the trial the next morning...  Fortunately the restaurant was still serving when we finally got back to the host hotel, 6-7 hrs. after we'd left for practice, though just barely.

We found out later from member of the host club we had been sent on a mission to someplace they had never heard of, a good 20 miles in a different direction from the practice tracking everybody else went to... Ron was hot enough to fry eggs on.  We had debated for weeks whether we, long-time USA members only recently having joined DVG America in order to enter/support the event, (only 600-700 miles from home...) and having fresh off tying for 1st Place in the USA NW Regional FH with 97 pts., would get a fair chance in a championship reputed to be historically hostile to UScA.  We both agreed we should have stayed home. 

I don't remember whether there was no trophy for second (???) or whether it had been "misplaced" and was supposed to be shipped to me later. I just know I spent nearly a week, traveled about 1500 miles, spent a good chunk of change, (which I could hardly afford in the middle of a messy divorce!) and turned in an impressive performance with my well-prepared, very experienced dog... for nothing.  My luggage tag is deteriorating with UV exposure. Maybe I should put what's left of it on my trophy shelf? I think I tore Onyx's DVG scorebook up and tossed it in the poop-can in the parking lot on my way out. Too bad. I can't even prove we got the 2nd now. the FH Championship results are not even listed on the DVG-America website (or anywhere else that I can find), No pix, no videos, nothing to show for the effort. 

Sometimes you eat the bear...

Nope. But I moved away from California in mid-99, was more-or-less out of dogsport for a few years after that, so probably would have heard much anyway.

SS

Mystere: Ron Gordon! Now, that's a blast from the past. Have you heard from him in the last 10 years?

Indeed, that would be interesting to learn. Can't saw that it brings back fond memories, however. I had heard that Ron had moved to the PNW ~10 years ago.

 hey hey while interesting no one are answering my posts

check the DVG website for the current entries