Flyball Championship …..And Signing Off…..

At the end of November, Cody and I went to a new competition venue for us – our first and only indoor site since we came to Japan two years ago. There were two days of agility, one of which was combined with a flyball competition held outdoors.

It was a 6 hour drive, which stretched into closer to 8 hours after we encountered some traffic and subsequently spent an hour at a rest stop. We were pleasantly surprised to find agility equipment set up in one of the dog runs!

Dog Run on Highway

We drove straight to the pension where we were staying for the weekend, which was right on a large lake called Biwa. Unfortunately by the time we arrived, it was too dark for Cody to have a swim. I never did get to see the lake in the daylight, due to our long hours at the trial site. The next night, Cody went into the lake far enough to get his feet wet, but I didn’t want to throw the bumper any further than I could see, so that was the extent of his swimming.

The trial site was built relatively recently (5 years ago, I believe) and it didn’t show up on any of our navigation systems, so getting there early the next morning was a bit of trial and error, and took close to an hour to reach. Fortunately I was traveling with my Japanese friends who could read the local maps – had I been on my own, it could well have taken much longer as there were many back roads which weren’t well marked.

The site was huge, with 4 agility rings and a packed dirt ground. The sounds inside reverberated off the ceiling and walls, and I wasn’t sure if Cody would be affected as it had been so long since he’d run indoors. Fortunately he didn’t seem bothered at all.

Dragon Hat, Shiga (Name of Trial Site)

It wasn’t Cody’s and my weekend for agility, however, and while the courses were nice and the footing was good, Cody and I had a bobble or two in each run. It was fun, however, watching some of the top Japanese competitors on Sunday, as it was an FCI competition during which competitors can earn points towards qualifying for the Japan world team tryouts.

The flyball competition, on the other hand, was another story. We entered the weekend needing a final 3 points for Cody’s Flyball Championship. Points can only be earned by the winning team, and the number of points varies between 3 and 5, depending upon the trial sponsor. We had a stellar team put together by our Flyball club in order to give us the best chance for Cody to get the points he needed, as this would be our last competition in Japan. Cody and I were leaving Japan a week later, and my friends and I were all a bit sad.

As you can guess from the title, our team did win, but it was not an easy win. Two of the usual star dogs on the team made some errors, and we lost one of the heats. But they rallied, and the team won. Hugs and tears were flowing between the team members and the club members – a very emotional time. Cody ‘s Japanese Kennel Club title is now:

AG CH FB CH MACH Cayuga’s Cody XF

The Winning Flyball Team

Signing off….
Cody and I moved from Tokyo last week, so this wraps up two years of Agility In Japan. It has been quite a ride, and I’ve met so many wonderful people in the process. It is with sadness that I depart…..but I know that I will remain in contact with the friends that I have met during our journey.

Sayonara Party

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