11-29-2024 Liberty MS: Highs and Lows

Location: Liberty Middle School

Time In: 7:00 am

Time Run: 8:00 am

Age: 1 hour

Weather: 30 degrees, sunny, no wind

Saber's start was excellent. The first 100 yards were on grass/dirt. I think her first turn could have and should have been a little tighter, but she over shot it slightly then hooked back into the track. Then she immediately got distracted and took some time for deep smells in what looked like ordinary grass to me, but she is the one with the high powered nose. She continued on entering the sidewalk with confidence. Article indication was unprompted and good. The continued on the sidewalk and when she reentered grass I swear I could see confirmation in her mind that she was right. It was the slightest change in body language that looked like an increase in confidence. But admittedly maybe it was mine and not hers.

Next she had to step on the concreate sidewalk and make a right turn. She crossed the sidewalk into leaves and dirt. She showed and obvious lost of scent and started casting around. I let her work it out. I backed a little but was still across the sidewalk. She went behind me and went in the wrong direction quickly giving that up. Then she went around me again and still behind me (I was still facing the road which was the last direction she was tracking) hooked in the to track. The head snap and confidence in where she was going just wowed me. I was really bummed it was not on video. She continued down the sidewalk, but lost confidence. How quickly we go from a high to a low.

She really struggled with the next turn. She was getting frustrated and sitting and looking at me. I ended up helping her. She crossed the road and picked the track up in the leaves finishing with ease. Her last article indication was very good. She was just to the left of it and snapped right to it.

Overall I liked most of what I saw from Saber. This is the oldest track she has completed on the hard surface.