Winter!

Filip, Nettan and Alice with the dogs during a nice walk in the woods.

Finally we have got winter here in Sweden! It's snow and about minus 10-15 degrees, perfect. Last Wednesday I went to Nettans place to leave Ina (who I have borrowed for competition and training), play in the snow, train agility and do some X-mas shopping :o). We had two very nice days and here comes some pictures.

Lotus and Ogin have a strange game around trees. Ogin pretends he finds a squirrel and Lotus runs there to chase Ogin because he's not allowed to look at Lotus squirrels... There was a long time since there was e real squirrel though, I don't really understand this game... ;o)

Who is going to do the next move...?

Old Lotus, still "the King"

Pretty papa

Ina, always ready!

Filip loves the snow

"The pack" - me and Nettans dogs, plus a little(!) bonus retriver in the left corner.

Filip and dogs in the wood.

Trees covered with snow, magic!

Our little garden stream has frozen and a beautiful work of art is created by mother nature

Nordic Championship
Last weekend there was the Nordic Championship in Stockholm. I didn't perform any good results even if I enjoyed to compete again. Already on the first day (with normal classes) Elvis started to limp on one leg. I got really depressed and I couldn't find out what the problem was. I cooled him down after the run and then I put him in the crate. I talked with the team leaders and after a while we took him out and checked him. He didn't show anything on his leg and we decided that I should continue.

I ran also with Ina and Ogin and the runs were good but I did one stupid mistake in each run. I was a little bit dissapointed but I thought it was still fun and the dogs did really good. I were also thinking about Elvis leg and it worried me of course. He didn't show any more strange walking but I didn't either know what had been wrong. When the important Sunday came I really tried to focus on the competition and not on how Elvis was walking. I think it disturbed me more than I first thought and I did mistakes in all three runs, again. I think I have never ran nine runs in a row without a single result. I was more than dissapointed. After the competition he walked normally and he's still doing that but as I said, it disturbed me and it's not the first time he's injured. His rear-leg, were we amputated a toe from, has healed perfectly and he has no problems at all with that. But I just wait for another injury to hit him sooner or later... what will come next??

So... I have been thinking and made a very hard decision. There will not be any more commissions for the Swedish team with him. I realize it's a too big responsibility to perform for the team when I can't trust he will stay in a good physique. It takes too much energy from me.


I hate it but I have to face the fact. I love that dog and he's really the dog of my dreams and he has still so much to give. I hope I will get many more years to compete with him still, but just not for the Swedish team. Then only me and Elvis has to care about if we compete or not. Maybe it's a stupid decision that I will regret but I have to stop worry about if he will be ok for the important championships or not.

Anyway, Congratulations all medalists! Especially Janita from Finland with Hitti who won gold in large. And Peter with Tempo and Paul with Djiini from Denmark, who won Silver and Bronze. Well done!

I would also like to thank the judges, Mia, Kees and Ninnie for good work and nice courses. You guys inspire and develope the sport!

Next year I will try for the team with Ogin and hopefully with Ina as well (if I can borrow her again... ;o)

I complete this blog post with something more fun than boring decisions. It's a video from my trip to Croatia. This time I'm not in the video, I'm only the producer :o). Željko is doing foundation training with his young dog Tip. Turns, 2on2off and running contacts, enjoy!