News, products, observations and happenings

We are into a slow period again as we transition from Winter activity to Spring. Debby is heading to Chicago for the UKI 1-TDC Invitational with Mel, where she will be handling Josey in competition agility. Then we'll skate through April and see what May will bring.

Welcome to the new home for our consolidated events calendar.

Click on the + to expand the section of interest.

There have been changes in CKC Obedience going forward in 2025. No more separation of the H & 18 streams in Open, everyone is back to a single stream. We have a new reference card available to summarize the required exercises for training. More details…

We are no longer making the full CARO rally sign sets, however for those who have the 2022 sets we do offer the new signs for 2025 so you can stay up to date. More details…

The talk of tariffs has got a lot of chatter about inflation and the economy. Now "inflation" is a funny thing, people use the word as if it is the only thing that increases the cost of living - but it isn't that simple.

"Inflation" is the increased cost of a given product or service in the present versus some point in the past. The stats people like to talk about how much more a "basket of goods" costs versus last month or last year. If the same "basket" goes up 2% in a year there aren't many people who get upset.

That's all fine until someone decides to add something to the basket. Suddenly the basket cost jumps up, and people wonder how they are going to afford it. It isn't new - when electricity was introduced into homes a century ago the household costs jumped because the prior year they didn't have electricity bills. Same thing when people stopped getting free TV with an antenna and got cable subscriptions. Or added a mobile phone (or 3) to the basic landline phone on the wall. Happens all the time, the standard of living costs more but it isn't "inflation" until those new monthly bills also increase.

Sometimes the extra household cost is the price of a higher living standard. A lifestyle choice, nothing to do with the price of tea in China.

February has not been nice for weather, but if you keep the trials small then there are fewer issues. Our CARO trial in February was just working class, and only 25 runs but some people still managed to achieve some major milestones.

Congrats to Willow (Beatrice) and Luna (Sarah) on claiming the top CARO Working Class Champions title. Unofficial results are available, February here (PDF).

We have our first CARO trial of the year all wrapped up. The weather you expect from January, rain and warm one day and the bottom falls out of the thermometer the next. Thank you to Judge Whitney Shaver for coming out for a full slate of regular classes, and to everyone who participated and helped move things along at a reasonable pace so we could wrap up just about when it got dark.

Unofficial results for January, Click here (PDF).

We had our first CKC trial on the first weekend of the year. Scent Detection for the Poodle Club of Canada, with Judge Nathan Clarkson. Fortunately we had a very nice day, although cold. A few light snowflakes early in the morning, then the sun came out in time for the Exterior tests in the afternoon. Very well attended, especially in Masters division. The best part is that we wrapped up just before the Sun went down, and no one had to do any searches by candlelight.

Poodle Poetry & Pynky

Poodle Poetry

Some poodles are blue,
some poodles are black.
Off to Chicago she goes,
in a week she'll be back.

Pynky & The Brain

Pynky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?

I think so Brain, but why doesn't an oxymoron clean my clothes any cleaner?