THE BIG DAY (day 55) PART 2

This is a photo of Crosby's "win" - he now can add the title of "Road Dog" to his name! Pictured is judge Lorie McCrone of Port Crane, NY; Crosby; and myself.

I should point out that Crosby’s performance in the judged exercises was remarkable. He scored a 588 out of 600 points. Aside from a bit of forging on his hock exercise, he was PERFECT. I consider him totally trustworthy off-leash, and an excellent coaching companion! I credit Barbara with his early on-the-ground training, and with his breeding. He is built for coaching, and he has the instinct.

We completed the mileage by following a marked 3 mile course on the property of the Inn at Kelly’s Ford. Most of the trail followed a cross-country jump course (I was SO tempted to take a jump or two!). Crosby was a ball of fire, running up & back, investigating, and having a ball. He never strayed very far, though; he is a true Road Dog. The trail was well-marked and the scenery was breathtaking: fields of green, kissed with leaves of gold and crimson, bordered by a clear stream sparkling in the sun. One part of the trail wound through the crimson woods, down to the famous ford in the river, then back out into the sunlight. It was a glorious ride.

I tried not to catch up to the team in front of us – I worried that her dog would follow us in at the vet check (she was a 25 miler, so her vet check was at 12.5 miles, and my mid-point vet check was at 6 miles). Crosby and I completed the first 3 miles at mostly a trot so that we could walk most of the second 6 miles. Molly (horse) had a pretty fast walk, however, so we came in to our mid-point check in plenty of time.

Crosby’s mid-point temperature was 100.3 degrees F. That is amazing! The vet commented on what good shape he was in. Crosby’s final temp after 12.5 miles was 100.5. That is even more amazing! Dogs at Road Trials usually are considered “well-conditioned” if their “working temperature” is 101 or 101.5. Crosby’s working temp never got above 101.5!

Crosby ended up earning second place in his class (RD-B), second place overall (in the point scores), and he also earned BEST CONDITIONED DOG – which is quite a coup for a TEN YEAR OLD dog! I am very proud of this dog, and proud to have been a small part of his legacy!