Storm passed Working Certificate Intermediate and Working Certificate
Excellent in back-to-back tests this weekend! Now she's:

Affinity Easy Sailing JH WCX CGN (and three UKC Started Legs)

I'm simply over the moon and have already bragged long-distance to my
mentor, who would have shaken her head today if she could have seen the
fixes from which my dog rescued her nervous handler. I watched the test
dog run the water blind today and burst into tears... instead of the
bird being on a bank directly across the water from us (for which we
were prepared), it was planted in a pile of weed in the middle of a
large pond (for which we most certainly were not). I'm so glad that
Storm had the sense to just go wherever I pointed her until she got that
bird.

I didn't have to call Storm's breeder, because she was right there next
to us all weekend and has come out of it all with a WCI for her "Twist",
who is a half-sister of Storm's. Storm and Twist were the only dogs to
survive yesterday's WCI test. You could see the Golden crowd reaching
for their shoe polish. :-)

This test demonstrated lots of what is cool about Hunt Tests, as opposed
to the competitive field trial game: the gallery was behind every dog
out there and wanted dogs to succeed. One of the more experienced
handlers quietly, frankly, but constructively picked apart my handling
on each of the series after we had finished. I learned lots and lots
from someone whose only interest in the matter was in helping to bring
along a new handler with a young dog.

We're off to the pattern blinds and concept marks for the summer, a few
Seasoned tests in August, and then a Long Winter of preparation for
Senior.

Wheeeee!

Kate and
Storm - Affinity Easy Sailing JH WCX CGN (I love typing all that)
Victoria BC