It does appear as if the fairer sex have the drop on us when it comes
to revealing their innermost thoughts and reflections. Could it be that the men are far toooooooooooo busy with the REAL work of training their dogs to AA and RTCH standards while the ladies sip tea and gossip
What was it someone once quipped about those who can, DO, while those who can't talk about it?
And just to put myself in my own place (save the claws slashing out for the face) my venture into both Labradors and trialling was more a bumbling stumble than a premeditated intent. We (Fay and I) didn't have dogs in Australia but close friends owned an old and rather overweight yellow Labrador. Our then very young son got on with Mardi like the proverbial house on fire so we decided to buy him his own pup. Thus Bawa Vanessa (Sally) appeared from down the representative chimney one crisp evening - well okay it was pretty hot and sultry but what the heck! And there was of course no chimney (in the sub-tropics we found few houses with actual chimneys and this was pre virtual reality days).
I don't now recall exactly how I came across trialling but I suspect I read about it in some Northern Hemisphere book and made enquiries of the CCCQ. Whatever, I eventually found UFTA and went along to see what the sport had to offer. Within a very short space of time I was working as a bird steward (with fond memories of serving under the late Peter Halford - we came from adjoining English counties) and eventually as a Trial Manager and all the time talking, listening and trying to absorb the finer points of training. Not always easy as back then some of the 'experts' wouldn't give you a spot if they had measles.
Sally, pure show stock, was never going to amount to much in the trialling world but she was no doubt better than my inexperience allowed her to be. I entered Sally in an Encouragement but took the title too literally, continueing to call out praise long after she had picked up the bird and was returning.
George, a black Labrador, was a different kettle of genes. Imported from the UK he was retriever to the core. He was mostly Drakeshead both sides of his pedigree but with a few other interesting lines thrown in - Palgrave Edward, Holdgate Willie, Glencoin Digger of Saddleworth, Swinbrook Tan (all UK field champions).
Again, George was far better than my inexperience allowed him to be but even in the short time we trialled he took out his quota of Novice wins, a third and eventually a win in Restricted. But then he was 'knobbled' for the third time and on this occasion there was no chance that my own carelessness was responsible. Fay had put his dry food away, I had secured him to the rear towbar and even the renowned greed of Labradors couldn't have stretched his neck that far.
So I walked away from trialling; the welfare of my dog being more important than any baubles or kudos I could have acquired.
It's only taken a little over 15 years but I find myself on the threshhold of returning to the sport. I blame my wife of course. She was the one who decided to buy an English Pointer. Indeed, at one point (no pun intended) we were looking at perhaps breeding Pointers.
But again it was a series of coincidences rather than planning that dictated events. Fay acquired her Pointer but the second bitch experienced whelping difficulties and only two pups survived. Meanwhile I had contacted Amand Golle of FRA who happened to mention that Mike Luce had a litter of Labradors... and even though I was at that point unaware of the sad news from Laidley I decided it couldn't hurt to have a look.
The look lead to my mark being put on one of the young black males and I collect the little fellow on Saturday 28 February.
No doubt thereafter I too will have little time to indulge in idle gossip. Ouch! What was that I can see coming?