This weekend is the annual St. Croix Jack Russell Terrier trial. Lins is setting up a Klay9Kreations table and we're bringing both of the dogs.

You see, there are events at these trials that any-old-one with a JRTCA membership can enter their dog into and watch them compete and have fun -- all the dogs absolutely love it.

The events that are offered:

Agility, Obedience, Racing & Youth: Agility is the obstacle course thing. Obedience is "look at how good my dog listens to me" aka the event that we will never ever never enter. Racing is just that, racing. Youth? I have no clue what that is. Who can bring the youngest puppy? I dunno.

Conformation: This is like the Westminster crap that I have to watch every year with Lindsay. This is Dog Show stuff.

Go to Ground (GTG): This event is fun. Basically, there's a rat in a cage at the end of an above ground tunnel. You let the dog go at the mouth of the tunnel and they find their way to the cage and bark and dig and yelp. They are judged on time and how big of a stink they raise.

We are entering Bailey (aka Guhl 2001) in GTG and Conformation. Last year was her first year in GTG and she did pretty well. She hates rats, squirrels and pretty much everything else that she's supposed to hate. Last year, at a trial in Chicago, Bailey got 2nd place in conformation, in the rescue class. Hopefully, she'll do well this weekend, too. That reminds me... I need to strip her coat again, so that the judges can see her beautiful muscle tone. She's a pretty dog, folks. A pretty dog.

Oscar (aka Ro) will "compete" in GTG and racing. Oh my lord, he's a funny dog. At a trial in Indiana 2 years ago -- Yes, Indiana. We're dog dorks -- Oscar did both and didn't... do... very... well... in either event. He didn't get GTG that time. He's done GTG a couple times since and has done better. The racing is where the fun begins. He's mostly there for comic relief for the people. He doesn't run like the other dogs. He prances. It's so cartoony. He'll chase after the lure with all the other dogs, but he won't go through the hole at the end. He'll try to find a way to escape the course and run away. It's his thing. Or, he'll stop right outside the starting chute and furiously try to rip his muzzle (required for racing) off.

At any rate, it should be a fun time.

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I went jogging for the first time this spring, last Tuesday night.

Ill effects? I'm still sore... 2 days later. No pain though. Shins are not splinting, as per their usual routine.

I jogged to Lake Hiawatha and back, about a mile, all told, I think. I only walked a couple blocks of it -- and that because my lungs didn't enjoy the cold air much. At my peak last year, I'd have probably walked at least as much as I did Tuesday night. So I got that going for me.

Maybe it helped that I didn't bring a dog with me. Usually, I'll bring Oscar or Bailey. Usually Oscar, because he'll just run alongside me and smile up at me. Bailey will try to pull pull pull because she wants to go faster. Try running while the entire left side of your body is being pulled forward at a crazily constant rate. Just try it. Kind of hard to do, isn't it?

Like you tried, Liar.
Eric