hectic schedule

I started back at work on Monday and discovered that all my various schedule requests for March (and presumably April) have been honored. While this is wonderful, it does mean that the next six weeks will be crazy with dog-related things.

1) I head up to Kittery Trading Post on Friday night after work to participate in an AKC Hunt Test Seminar so that I can hopefully become an approved Hunt Test judge. Before January 1st, 2008, however, there was little formal structure for how one became an AKC Pointing Breed Hunt Test judge -- which, if you can imagine a Terrierman-like rant, could in theory mean that someone who has never handled a pointing dog in a hunt test could be in the position of judging dogs and handlers who were. Now, an aspiring judge has to participate in a seminar, pass the written exam, apprentice twice at the level they hope to judge at, and "handle a dog to at least three qualifying legs at the level to be judged or higher." Makes good sense to me. All the revisions to the Pointing Breed Hunt Test regulations can be found here.

Thank you to the Katahdin German Shorthair Pointer Club for putting this together. On the way back, I will spend the night with Team Vizsla -- Eastern MA chapter, aka Rich, Adrian, Ella, and Khumbu. (Rich just sent me this picture of Khumbu and his dad, Tosci.)

2) Next Wednesday, I will go rescue our boys from Bob at Cliffside. I dream about them every night. I don't care if it sounds goofy -- having those two clowns around again and taking them shooting is pretty much how I want to spend my spring.

3) With that in mind, I have scheduled to do my first apprentice judging at the Irish Setter Club of New England hunt test on Sunday, 3/23, at the Sugar Brook Field Trial Area in Plainfield, CT. Hopefully there'll be a bunch of beautiful red dogs to watch work.

4) I will take the boys hunting up at TMT Preserve on Sunday, 3/30, with Ed and Scott from work. It'll be nice to great to show the boys off and see Ed and Scott outside of work and do something that we all enjoy together.

5) My next apprentice day of judging will be at the Nutmeg Weimaraner Club hunt test on Sunday, 4/6, at the Nod Brook Management Area in Simsbury, CT. Hopefully, too, I'll get to see some beautiful grey ghosts do their thing.

6) Then our spring campaign begins -- with Momo trying for his Senior Hunter and Jozsi aiming for his Junior Hunter! At this point, I am planning to attend the Central New England Brittany Club hunt test weekend, 4/12-13, up in Belchertown, MA -- and then the Mayflower German Shorthair Club Club hunt test weekend, 4/19-20, back up at Crane Wildlife Management Area in Falmouth, MA.

And maybe in the midst of all this we'll be able to take a mid-week break and chase some birds with either or both the Team Vizsla --Eastern MA chapter and the Team Vizsla -- Northern MA chapter. Or maybe even (finally) meet up with the fabulous Brisztow Jones. Phew!