There is a new Master Rat Hunter in town! Last weekend was quite interesting, going from terrified to elated and all the emotions in between. Mom made a very bad decision to drive 70 miles to our Barn Hunt trial on glare ice. The Department of Transportation advised no travel, and even public bus service was halted. We didn’t know it was that bad, but it was! Normally it takes us about 1:15 to get to the trial but it took us 3:30, including going into the ditch three times. Thankfully we were able to get back out on our own. Needless to say, we were all frazzled when we arrived at the trial!
Shortly after arriving and getting our kennels set up, I was up for my first Masters run. We figured with Mom still shaking from the drive it would be a bust, but I found the one rat, did my tunnel and climb, and got a Q! It was awesome! I also placed first in my group which shocked Mom and me! In my second run I missed one of the four rats, so no Q that time.
In Barn Hunt, Masters is different from the lower levels for many reasons:
- You need five Q’s to earn a RATM (Masters Title), the lower levels you need three Q’s.
- The five Q’s must be under at least two different judges.
- We don’t know how many rats there are. It can be one to five, and the human has to decide when their pup has found them all.
- Tunneling is harder because they are longer, and with more turns.
- 4 1/2 minutes is the time limit, but you are not allowed to bring a timer, so Mom has to guess how much time we have.
Going into this trial, I had two Q’s, each from a different judge, but since I have been in Masters since 12/29/18, my track record isn’t real good. Mom says it is because I won’t tunnel. She is probably right, as I do find the rats.
The weather was still not great after the trial on Saturday, and Mom was afraid to drive home. Besides that, we were supposed to come back on Sunday. For safety and to calm the nerves we spent the night at a shady hotel in town. Since we had nothing with us, we had to do some quick shopping for overnight supplies, like food! Mom didn’t have her camera or computer either which was like a first time ever situation, but still she felt better spending the night.
None of us slept well because the bed was small, the room was too warm, and it just wasn’t a place conducive to sleeping. Still, we got up and headed back to the trial Sunday morning. Sunday was completely amazing. Not only did I get a Q in both my Masters searches, I got first place and High in Class each run, and I actually earned my RATM! This was nowhere on our radar which made it all the more exciting! All this happened it is wasn’t even the year of the rat yet!
Olivia didn’t have the best weekend, but she ended her day Sunday with her first Open Q, and a second place. We are super happy about that as well. She is still so young, it is all about getting some pilot hours under her furs.
I earned my RATM exactly one year after earning my RATS. This was so much more than we had ever dreamed of, with a first place in all five of my Q’s, two high in class, and I earned my Q’s under four different judges. At this level, a Master Rat Hunter also receives a singing stuffed rat, which I absolutely adore! I love to make him sing, and to carry him around.
The judge I had for my Sunday Q’s was super nice! She came all the way from Canada, Yellowknife in the Northern Territories. Shelley had never seen a GBGV before and fell in love with me and Olivia. When I got my last Q, Mom told her it was my title, and she gave me this neat patch. I must say, I sure got a lot of stuff for this title! I wonder what a RATCH will be like? Hopefully I will find out.
One more fun thing is that I’m the only GBGV in the country with a title higher than Open, and Bailie is the only other GBGV with a title higher than Novice. Emma was always the first GBGV to get titles in nose work, so it is fun for me to be the trail blazer in Barn Hunt! The site is only updated every few weeks, so my RATM is not yet listed.
Masters always has eight tubes in the ring, but the trick is to figure out which have rats, and which have litter. This weekend my searches ended up having one, five, and two rats. When there is only one rat, there are seven with litter, so I need to be able to smell the difference. So far, I have never falsely alerted on litter which is great. Hopefully that will continue. Now where do I go with this sport? I’m going to work on my RATCH (Rat Champion). To earn this designation a pup has to get ten Q’s under two or more different judges. If I really do well, I could earn that in 2020, but we will see how it goes. For now I’m putting my paws up and enjoying being a Master Rat Hunter with dreams of being a rat champion in the year of the rat!
We are joining the Brian’s Home Blog Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!
Very scary trip but huge congrats on the new master title.
Thank you. I’m super proud of it.
WOW, WOW, WOW and more WOW! Congrats on the Masters title, that’s fabulous!!! Thanks for joining the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!
We are all pretty excited about it, thank you.
OH MY DOG!!! I do not understand all the technicalities, but I am so proud and impressed with BEAUTIFUL YOU! you really cleaned up with all those ribbons, a patch, and a rat – not to mention the title. Keep on keepin’ on!! XOXO, Sparkle
We never thought I would get my title last weekend as I usually get 1 Q per weekend if any, but this time I finally did the tunnel and that was something I usually won’t do. Mom and I are super happy! My singing rat is pawsome too.
Your stuffie rat is so cute but those ribbons are just awesome! Congratulations, Madison! And 2nd place is nothing to sneeze at, Olivia. Congrats to you as well! Thank doG you made it okay in that horrible and very scary weather.
We are proud of Olivia as most dogs are well over a year old, so she is doing great. I was amazing according to my mom!
Wow, look at all those awards. Congratulations. You’re going to have even more fun this year.
Have a woof woof Thankful Thursday. My best to your mom. ♥
Being the year of the rat it would be ideal to get more rat titles!
Congratulations Madison and Olivia!
Thank you.
WOW!!! AWESOME!!!! You ROCK ( or is that RAT?). I have goosebumps for how fabulous this accomplishment is, Madison!!! Your guardian angels were working overtime on the road! SOOO glad you all made it ok – in spite of black ice. SCARY!!! been there done that, but not for 70 miles!
The drive was something none of us have ever experienced, and next time we will stay home but we made it safely, thank Dog. It turned out to be a great barn hunt weekend.
Wow, good work and congratulations! I’ve never known a Master Rat Hunter before, I am so excited for you all! That being said, the next time they put out a ‘no travel advisory’, please don’t travel, we could have lost you and that would be unthinkable!
Mom didn’t have the TV on in the morning as we left home at 6:15 am, but she knew there was some ice out there. We figured it would get better once we got on main roads, but it was never better. We are very lucky to have made it all in one piece.
We are SOOO glad you all got to the Hunt safe and sound…CONGRATS on all your ribbons and accomplishments Madison!!!
xoxo,
Rosy, Jakey & Arty
Thank you. The drive was really scary, but we were very lucky nothing too bad happened.
You girls are awesome! I don’t know if I would have driven in those conditions….. you are brave!
Mom was more stupid than brave, but at least no one was hurt. It turned out to be a fabulous weekend for hunting rats!
Congratulations, Madison, great job!!! We are so thankful you made it there safely, and that your Mom decided not to risk the driving again, even though your accommodations weren’t so great!
Look at all those ribbons, and a cool toy to boot! Enjoy!!
Sometimes I have a lot of ribbons, but never so many and so big, plus a toy. I’m very proud of myself.
Congratulations! The drive sounded really scary, I’m glad you all made it okay.
The drive was not a good idea, but the trial turned out to be my best ever!
Congratulations! You did a fabulous job.
Thank you. I’m very proud of myself.
ok first of all — good job to your mom for driving in such bad conditions! That must have been scary. We are so glad you are safe. Secondly— good job!!! Holy cow that’s a lot of ribbons and the first GBGV!! Wow!! Finally — we love that stuffie!!! Best prize ever!!!! Great post! your friend Lilly
Mom made a bad decision to drive on ice, but someone was watching out for us so we got to the trial safely. We won’t drive in those conditions again. My weekend was my best sports weekend ever, so much fun! Lilly, you would love my singing rat, he is pawesome! Have a great weekend!
Wow. What a way to begin the new year. Mom will need her skills to find a bigger house to be able to display all the ribbons you gals win.
It was a great end to the old year, and our walls are filling up, so we may need a bigger place soon!
Nicely done!
Thank you.
We were sure worried about y’all and are so glad you stayed. Congratulations on an amazing weekend.
That morning was so very scary. Mom has never been in anything like it and she was still shaking at the end of the day, but thankfully it all ended so well.
Bruin just loves Barn Hunt! But he does not like to drive a whole hour to the trials – not a bit. And he also doesn’t see any point in going through a tunnel when there’s no rat in it, so he hasn’t had much luck in that sport. Happy Ratters is a different story, though! They have a game called Dump Run or Dump Truck or something like that, and the only thing you need to do is find one rat! Bruin always wins first place – so far his best time is 10.32 seconds! That tunnel is a big problem, though, even though I built him a hay bale tunnel and a blue barrel tunnel and we go through both of the all the time for all kinds of reasons. I say “tunnel” whenever he goes into one, but so far he seems to think that I’m just talking to myself, because he does not go into it right away, and that’s in the yard and in the house. In a room that smells like rats, he clearly has one of his deafness attacks…
I’ve learned that I can find rats by being in the tunnel as they often have rats placed right above the tunnel. Now I don’t mind them.
oh my goodness, what a great weekend you had and Olivia as well. no wonder you love the rat toy so much, all of those blue ribbons, patch, etc. so glad that all you girls made it safely to the barn hunt and home. what a scary ride.
Mom was a wreck the entire first day from the drive. It was terrifying and she had never been in the ditch before, but three times within a few minutes and she managed to get out was a miracle. We are thankful we made it there unharmed, and then so much unexpected success made it a wonderful weekend.