Weave Poles!

I saw my new 24" poles for the first time today! I got them in May, but they were hand-delivered (awfully nice) to my home in Florida, sadly after I took off for New England. And they didn't follow me.

I'm determined to take them home with me, though. The only question is how - but buying 2x2's: foresight.

They are royal blue, because I asked for bright blue but said I disliked royal blue, which was idiocy on my part because I supposed royal blue can be a bright blue. I have no idea what I hold against this color when it is so pleasing to look at, but the fact remains that the color royal blue on agility equipment I've bought (I'm not being picky, here) makes me discontented. I'm going to have to paint them.

They also don't have holes for stakes, which is odd. Fletcher blew them apart the first time he went through them. I can wait until the summer and have a relative drill holes in them, and just be creative until then. Besides that (and ink on the poles), they are really well made and sturdy for the cheapest set I could find. The legs are a nice length, and aren't poking out in odd places, like most 2x2 sets (except for the $300+ sets) do. I like them.

I taught Molly to weave straight poles in three tries - she's so smart. She must have remembered running between the uprights, as I taught her (so briefly) two years ago. Too bad she can't do agility! She takes it so seriously, just one of those dogs who you wouldn't have to teach to drive to the end of something, they just would. (All things being equal, like common sense and clear directions for the dog.) I would take her to the big agility trial here they have every year at Christmas. It was fun to play with her, she had fun too, I was careful and she sure looked like she thought it was worth it. She knows a ridiculous amount of tricks because my Dad does the clicker with her...since I've been home we started naming toys, and I thought that would be a really cool things to do with my dogs, make it into a game, in the middle of winter...

...ramble, ramble...[plot weave poles' mode of travel]

I also wonder if I can fit my little four foot fabric tunnel in my suitcase. I want to bring it back for Mav. (Who is still non-existant, but highly anticipated, what's super cool is the breeder pretty much, seems to dislike everything I like in breeding...I hope my golden retriever puppy curse doesn't extend to my friend, eeek - so nervous about that!)

Edit: I'm laughing at myself for the last comment because, don't people say all the right things in breeding dogs, anyway? I just never listen. But it's fun to hear assessments come out that match what my head lined up, and expectation and fair judgement meet the reality of what someone says.

(PS - within my own bias for straight working border collies, of course - but the brief peek into golden retrievers and deciding what I would compromise on has been fun, just as I have compromises in picking a working border collie, too.)