|
Ken & Natalie White |
|
Blog |
|
Going to the World Trials in 2011 1 September 2010 Attending the World trials from the other side of the world is not an easy exercise. Not adding in the distance factor as a major hurdle, there are the vetting requirements of our Ministry of Agriculture (MAF) and also that of DEFRA UK. We do not have rabies in New Zealand and never wish to have, but as we are travelling to the UK our dogs need to be vaccinated and blood tested negative six months out from the trials. If you get the dates wrong even by a day (as one of our trialists did at the last worlds) your dog will not be allowed to enter the UK. Our team was then one man and dog short. So it is check, check and double check with a calendar in your hand. We at the moment are still deciding which dog to bring to the trial, so we are vaccinating both dogs to cover our options. Last world trials had us filing all the paperwork in a file box to ensure we didn't lose any of it and the joke became “that when the paperwork weighed as much as the dog, he could leave the country.” We can only have our dog out of NZ for one month due to MAF restrictions. To freight our dog to Wales last time cost $10,000 this doesn’t include the vetting costs. So it’s not a cheap exercise. As our National trials do not use the international course for open competition or championships, we have to create situations where we can practice and compete. We are competing at two trials in October (see events page) one in the North Island and one in the South. Having Aled Owen visit us for these trials will be extremely invaluable. It has been suggested that we plan to trial in the UK for up to a month before the worlds to gain experience in using the international course. Sounds like dog trial heaven. Planning our World Champs dog trial trip is exciting, where to attend trials, possible site seeing destinations and visits to friends in both Wales and Scotland. Being able to indulge in your sport and combine it with a great holiday is the best thing ever. Roll on 2011. But before we do that we have to travel to Australia for the Melbourne Cups 150th anniversary (horse Race) so we can tick it off Ken’s ‘bucket list’. Life’s great!
|
|
To contact us: |
|
Dogfind All rights reserved. © Copyright 2010. Website Design by Natalie White |
|
Author of the Blog Natalie White |
