Lest you think it a vacation

Week before the trial:
Frantically cram train the dogs that are going, or completely forget my own dogs and diligently train the client dogs. Work the duck flock a couple times a day to get them fit and trim. Try to correspond with everyone dropping dogs off for me to take with me, or with clients trying to make apointments to train while I'm gone ( which won't work). Realize that individual that was going to go with me now can't (puppies). Realize that other individual that was going to go with me now can't (lambs, kittens, chicks, dogs). Realize that this means no hotel, camping only. Fish tent and stuff out of truck.

Two days before trial:
Pack some things, frantically find clean laundry, promise oneself to remember everything, despair and make lots of lists to be not looked at later. Groom dogs. Give up when number of dogs + degree of shedding/mud > time I have to get job done. Settle for no matts, clean ears, trimmed paws. Realize that transportation has not yet been worked out, frantically arrange with friends to take other friends and dogs to airport so that other friend's van can take my dogs to VA.

Day before the trial
Sloppily organize stuff, try to check things off lists, feed dogs, make them stay outside until the last minute. Wait for van to become available. Worry about getting in too late to site to be polite and pitch tent. Van comes, pack, load dogs, make sure I've got everyone who is entered, their food, meds, leashes, collars without tags in addition to them wearing collars with tags. Count dogs, make sure it adds to 7. Box up 30 ducks, counting 5 per crate, load and hope I don't die from ammonia poisoning on the way. Cross fingers and take off for VA.

Listen to Yorkie work for half of a 7 hr trip to get into a crate of ducks by digging through the bottom of his crate or the side of the duck crate. Stop and get gas. Stop and get food. Stop and pee Yorkie and Kerry Blue. Leave Kestrel loose in van to encourage people to not come near it. Notice that Kestrel has a small scab, with a large lump under it - pick off scab to find huge abcess. Express it in the parking lot of the McDonald's, then realize that it is past 5pm on Memorial Day weekend and there isn't going to be any vet I can pop by to get some flushing stuff and antibiotics. Keep driving. Stop at Petsmart. No fish antibiotics. Stop at Petco. No fish antibiotics. Give up and assume they are illegal in Va. Stop at Walmart, get iodine, syringe and saline to flush wound. Thinking at this point that I'd rather just go home. Finally get to site at 11pm, not sure where to park, waaaay too late, park where RV's are and put ducks out in Xpen, feed and water. Get email from site owner that she's got some antibiotics I can borrow for Kestrel - walk over in the dark to her house and get them. Flush Kess by the light of the van. Walk dogs. Realize I haven't brought bedding of any sort, and go to sleep on the floor of the van next to the Kerry Blue's crate with my head on a rolled up pair of jeans and my rain slicker as a blanket. Freeze all night.

1st Day of trial:
Wake up at 5am when bird song in the pasture gets too loud. Walk dogs. Go to portajohn, my new bathroom. Change clothes. Drive to Sheetz to get some coffee and a sandwich. Come back, walk dogs, load ducks up and move them to the arena, unload. Check obstacles, set out pen, water bucket for ducks. Eat. Load some dogs in crates in one area, repark van. Pick up numbers, check to see if Nova or Seamus got off the alternate list. Handler's meeting at 8:30am. Getting overheated by 1pm. Run Whiskey on Advanced ducks and find that she'd rather hide behind the set out person. Retire. Run Nari on same, find out she's freaking out about the dogs behind the exhaust pen tarp. Retire. Go to handler's meeting for Started A sheep. Wait an hour or two. Run Jack, who is out of his head wild, and kind of makes it around the course. Watch as Jack goes through the entry gate at a high rate of speed after his run, so that a wild wound up unleashed Sheltie is running amok in the crowd of spectators. Wait an hour or two. Check to see if Nova and Seamus have come off the alternate list - Nova has. Run Nova, who is also out of her head wild, but slightly more contollable, or less circlely. Drink water. Lots. Water ducks. Water dogs. Check to see if Seamus has come off the alternate list, every 30 min. Class starts and ends - didn't get in. Pack up dogs, leave ducks out, run to town to get bedding. Dollar Store eventually yields a pool float and blanket, total $13 investment, which I think is too much but necessary. Come back to find Judge's dinner catered by Tastee Freeze that is now a kick ass Greek place. Eat real food, spicy and good. Pack some for tomorrow breakfast. Put ducks in exhaust area, put in Kestrel, after flushing wound. Feed dogs. Walk dogs. Water dogs. Water ducks. Blow up pool float, go to bed. Still freeze all night.

2nd day of trial:
Repeat, only without showing Jack, but showing Seamus the Kerry Blue. Skip handlers meeting for Started due to impending heat exhaustion. Run Nova's entire course, to prevent impending Nova doom - get good score and 4th place instead. Network, schedule ducks more work, talk about upcoming trials, color genetics, temperament, breeding and dogs in general. Get leftover sandwich for dinner. Freeze all night.

3rd day of trial:
Repeat, only with different dogs, different courses. Pick up run order, enter Whiskey in trial. Be wrangler for lower level duck classes. Show in multiple courses, all at the same time, miss some handler's meetings. Wonder when I will get food or drink - but saved in nick of time by another handler heading to Sheetz. Run 5 advanced level runs, with 3 different dogs, and qualify in 4 of them. Show off Seamus who is now very sore and tired, qualify in his run. Pack up dogs, pack up ducks, head for home. Drive all night. Listen to Yorkie yelp in pain as his paw gets finally bitten by ducks as he tries to dig into their crates from inside his crate ( which only stopped him for about an hour). Get home. Get greeted by very loving and worn out partner. Get ducks back into their yard. Get dogs into their yard. Email all owners results and pick up times for dogs. Die.