Not bad for one weekend...

[Susan Stone]

Spring? No! Heavy rain, cold & windy... not a weekend you'd plan to spend outside tramping behind muddy dogs - but we did, and it paid off:

On Saturday Coppersheen Dancing Light 'Dairine',11 months, owned by Heike, passed her Junior Field Trial (Jugendsuche) at a trial organized by the Verein f. Pointer u. Setter, Germany.
Just to make sure, she also ran in the Gordon Setter Club DE Junior Trials on Sunday. This time Dairine really impressed the judges in all aspects and got top marks!
Well done Heike & Dairine! Keep at it:-))

Meanwhile back home, Coppersheen Coalville Lad (Glen to his friends) took part in his first search dog trial (Sanitätshund grade 1) and came out on top, gaining 279 of 300 possible points.
(photo taken in summer 08)

In these trials the dogs have to search a designated wooded area for 3 missing people plus a jacket or rucksack. On finding, the dog is required to pick up a small kind of 'dummy' attached to the collar and bring this to the handler, then lead the handler back to the 'body'. The time limit is 20 minutes and the dogs must quarter the area systematically left & right whilst the handler remains on the middle line.
In addition to the search work there is also an obedience section: heel off the lead, sit, down, stay, retrieve a dumbell, two hurdles, the send away and finally 'creep' over 8 metres. No easy feat in the pouring rain... Good Dog:-))

[Frances McKimm]

Super week-end for you; Many congratulations to Heike too;

[Petra Kasznár]

what a successful weekend for the coppersheen dogs!!!! thanks for the explanation of the search and rescue trial! my crossed fingers worked, congratulation! glen is a real allrounder!!!!!!!! the "dummy" thing attached to the collar we call "bringsli" (taken over from german traditions) and sometimes use at blood tracks.

[Joan Clancy]

Not bad at all! In fact I would say Quite an accomplishment! Congrats to all involved.

[Susan Stone]

Thanks for all your enthusiastic comments:-))) We are still sailing on a high...
Petra, you are quite right we call this 'THING' a Bringsel, funny you should call it the same;-) I have no idea what to call it in english though:-((
Annette, thanks for your comment about Coppersheen Alacrity (Amber). The photograph is also in Eve Gardner's Irish Setter book. It is lovely you should mention it, because the judge at Glen's trial yesterday also remembered seeing me and Amber at the Swiss Championship for search dogs in 1989...:-)))

[McBIRDY - Jean DUHANT]

Super Susan, a wonderful week end for Coppersheen's. Congratulations to Glen and Dairine.

[Carmen Lorenzi]

Na das sind ja super News. Kann mir vorstellen wer hier mit einem Dauergrinsen vor dem Computer sitzt:-))))))
Herzlichen Glückwunsch!!!!

[Pat]

Congratulations on Dairine's working achievements - bet you are on Cloud 109 and at such a young age.
Lovely photos.
Pat

[ursula wilby]

Brilliant!
By now, I only expect the very best!!!!! :-)
Well done Susan!

[Angela Roberts]

You had a marvellous weekend despite the weather, very well done.

[Dee Rance]

Congratulations you must be so proud of them, and in such dreadful weather too, well done you and the dogs