Page 24 - Chow Life - Winter 2017

I Smell A Rat!

PART T H R EE by Cathy Clapp, FlamingStar Chows

On to Senior!

I am the first to admit that Marilyn them every time. The problem was drive to Versailles the next morning.
and I made it through Novice and she decided she wanted to hunt rats The first trial she couldn’t pinpoint
Open by the seat of my pants. I was and would not do the tunnel. At our where the fourth rat was, but she did
fortunate to have a dog with a lot of first day of Senior trials she failed both the tunnel. As far as I was concerned
natural talent that loved hunting for times because she did not complete that was a big success even if we didn’t
rats. She was having fun and so was the tunnel. In fact she just blew me qualify. On the second trial she did
I as long as we were qualifying at off and kept search for rats when she it all – all four rats, climb and the
least as many times as we NQd. Well, knew I was trying to get her through tunnel. Yay! We had our first Senior
scratch that – Marilyn had fun every the tunnel. I realized I had to do Qualifying run. And not only that,
time. I was the one happier when we something about it if we didn’t want Marilyn was First Place in her size
qualified at least half of our runs. to be one of those stuck in Senior for class. We were on our way.
We made it through Open in months, if not over a year. They actually had a single trial the
a relatively short period of time. I remember hearing someone say next day, which was Monday, and I
Marilyn completed her RATO and that you can make a tunnel out of had entered in it as well. As the day
we entered in Senior at the trials the anything. I got home from the trial before, I ran Marilyn through our
following month. I was able to get (we were in Versailles, this side of makeshift tunnel a couple of times
her to a fun test and practice or two Lexington so I was driving back and before we left home. We had a repeat
and went in with high hopes. This forth) and noticed that my neighbor of the successful trial the previous
was in spite of so many people telling had pulled up her garden that day day with a Q and First Place. Two legs
me how difficult Senior was and how and there were three xpens that were down, one to go.
hard it was to find that fourth rat. 18” or 20” high suddenly available. I I knew that we not only needed
You see in Open we had 2.5 minutes asked if I could borrow them and she more help for our Senior runs to be
to find two rats, climb and tunnel. In said yes. I gathered up all of the old consistent, but that once she had
Senior there are four rats. You have to blankets and quilts I had and set up a that third Senior Qualifying run we
climb and tunnel at every level except make-shift tunnel. The Senior tunnel would be moving to Master, and
Instinct but the ring is suddenly a lot must have either two or three turns that’s a whole different ball game. Not
bigger with quite a few more bales of in it and must be dark. I didn’t have wanting to be caught unprepared
hay. That means more area to cover quite enough to completely cover it so (again), I talked to the person that ran
and hiding places to check – and they I drove into town, went to Walmart, the Barn Hunt classes in Lexington.
only give you one more minute than and bought several black flat sheets. Unlike the Louisville group, she was
you had in Open. So suddenly you I came back home, completed my more than willing to give private
have twice as much area and twice as U-shaped tunnel and proceeded lessons. I had tried to get lessons
many rats and only 3.5 minutes to do to teach Marilyn that she had to go before from those that ran the
everything. through that tunnel whether she Louisville trials but they said it would
I can’t help but hear those telling me wanted to or not. Once she figured be pointless. I had never believed that
how difficult it is to find all four rats out she got a nice chunk of cheese but did not know where else to go
in the time limit and about how they for going through it she started doing until I was at the trial in Versailles and
have been stuck in Senior for a year or it the first time I asked. Pleased with found out that the owner of the barn
more. I know Marilyn is a good hunter our progress, I quit once she’d done was the one that ran the classes (but
but their dogs are, too. So we cross our it three times in succession without not the trials).
fingers and paws, go in, and give it our balking. The next morning, I went out I went to my first lesson and the
best shot. and sent her through it a couple of first thing she did was have me run
times before we left just to make sure
Well, let me tell you, four the lesson stuck. It did. Marilyn so she could watch and see
rats were not a problem. what we needed to work on. It turned
Marilyn found all four of I was much more hopeful on the out her non-stop running was not a
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