A Separation of 30 Degrees

Our first NACSW-sanctioned trial is in the books. Over two days of Nose Work Level 3 competition five titles were earned. Two of the teams reached that magic number of three NW3 titles meaning they left with the coveted NW3 Elite title.

We knew hosting a trial would be challenging, but we worked hard at being organized and following all the steps over the last few months. We also surrounded ourselves with experienced trial hosts and veteran volunteers for support. All of their efforts, along with the leadership of the Certifying Official Chris Busch, gave us a successful event.

Of course the one thing we had no control of was the weather. The conditions between the two days were vastly different. Saturday saw a rare 90-degree, humid day for late May. We tried everything we could to mitigate those conditions, but it proved to be too hot too soon in the season for everyone. I think a key reason only one title was earned that day.

Apparently the intensity of the heat on Saturday even wore the sun out, as it was buried behind gray skies on Sunday. The high barley reached 60 degrees, with a brisk wind from mother nature to remind us it was not summer time just yet. It was great conditions for the dogs, and it showed.

Although exhausting, it was fun after all the years of competing at nose work trials to be able to give something back to the sport that has give our greyhounds so much joy. We’ll now return to our training with them, but eventually we’ll start gearing up for another hosting opportunity.

Thank you.