Geraldo, Zelda and I spent Thanksgiving weekend in Edinboro, PA doing one of the things we love most---running agility! We had a great weekend both on and off the course. Zelda earned one QQ and 41 MACH points at the Tamarack Trial, and Geraldo came home with two QQ's and 44 MACH points. Geraldo is getting very close to his MACH 2, and Zelda just needs six QQ's and 94 points for her first MACH. It's going to be an exciting winter for us!!

Geraldo, Zelda and I had a wonderful weekend at the Mountaineer Agility Trial in Morgantown, WV. We Q'ed on seven of our eight runs and earned quite a few MACH points in the process. The weekend ended on a high note when Sue Botsford's Geraldo son, Tux, qualified for the 2011 AKC Agility National today. It will be so much fun to have father and son competing at the same National!

On November 8th, we received notification from AKC that CastleGate Shelties has been added to their Breeder of Merit Program. We're honored to have that designation!

To celebrate Geraldo's VCX, we placed an ad for him on Shelties Online on November 13th as part of their Performance Week theme. You can see his ad here. Rhonda Toren graciously mentioned Geraldo in the article that she wrote on herding for that edition of Shelties Online too.

Bliss (CastleGate's Seventh Heaven) walked back into the conformation ring today after five months off and took Winner's Bitch under Judge Charles Olvis on November 3rd in Ft. Wayne, IN!! Needless to say, we're quite happy!

At the POTC agility trial in Zanesville, OH on October 22-24, Geraldo, Zelda, and I had a record breaking weekend. Zelda QQ'ed all three days and earned 77 MACH points---an all time record for her and for me. She went into the weekend needing 22 MACH points to qualify for the 2011 AKC Agility National, and I'm delighted that she qualified with points to spare. Geraldo had a fabulous weekend in Zanesville too. He earned 50 MACH points at that trial, and that was an all time high for him as well. I'm very excited that I'll be taking two Chet kids to next year's AKC Agility National in Lexington, VA!

We had a great time at the Beaver County Kennel Club's agility trial on Neville Island in September. Zelda qualified on five of her six runs and picked up 63 MACH points to go along with her green ribbons. Those were QQ's #7 and #8 for her. It looks like she's got her post puppy mojo back!! Geraldo got home from the herding trial in VA at 10:00 p.m. on Friday night and walked into the agility ring the next morning (after six weeks away from home and agility classes) and QQ'ed too! He qualified on three of his four runs at the BCKC trial and came home with 36 MACH points. Getting an HT, a VCX, and a QQ in one weekend is going to be hard for Geraldo to top, but I'm sure he'll have fun trying!! <G>

On September 17, 2010, Rhonda Toren took Geraldo to Berryville, VA to compete in his first AKC herding trial, and she put two HT legs on him back to back. In conjunction with earning his HT, he also completed the requirements for his VCX. From this point forward, he'll officially be known as CH MACH CastleGate's Daily News XF, HT, CGC, CL2-R, CL2-S, CL2-F, HCT, VCX. To have a homebred CH MACH VCX is beyond my wildest dreams. There are no words to adequately thank Rhonda for the time and effort she put into training Geraldo. She rocks, and so does my baby boy!! <G> Every time that we ask Geraldo for more, he gives it to us!!

On September 4th and 5th, Geraldo earned his HCT at an AHBA herding trial in Berryville, VA. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Rhonda Toren for training Geraldo and for showing him at that trial. Rhonda and Geraldo will be pursuing an AKC herding title soon. We're very excited about his first herding title.

Elsa is looking for her retirement home. She's seven years old, spayed, housebroken, and in excellent heath. She loves fetching, chasing birds in the yard, going for walks, playing in the water sprinkler, sitting on the couch to watch TV with you, and sleeping on the bed. Elsa is playful and incredibly smart. She is an alpha bitch, so it would be best for her to be either an only dog or the only female dog in the house. We want to meet any potential new owners in person, so shipping her isn't an option. Click here to see photos of Elsa.

On August 7th and 8th, Geraldo and I went to an agility trial in Fredericksburg, VA in the hopes of seeing Linda Amrein's Chet son (Cruz) get his first MACH. We were delighted to be at the finish line to celebrate with them after their MACH run. Cruz is the second MACH that Chet has sired, and there are several others (including Zelda) waiting in the wings. As icing on the cake, Geraldo and I put QQ # 20 to bed in Fredericksburg for his MACH 2. Now, we'll just be chasing points from this point forward. He Q'ed on three of his four runs in Fredericksburg, and I had an absolute blast with him!

On July 27th, a litter sired by Geraldo was born at Kelvington Shelties. Kelvington's Elec Tri Fying (Sony) had six puppies---3 blue merle males, 2 blue merle females, and 1 tri male. Sony is owned by Elaine Kelvington. Geraldo is a proud papa, and I'm really looking forward to watching this litter grow up too!

Geraldo and I had an incredibly nice weekend at the Golden Retriever agility trial in Cheswick, PA on July 23-25. We Q'ed on five of our six runs, and Geraldo was running like the wind! He now has 19 of the 20 QQ's that he needs for MACH 2 and almost half of the 750 points he needs as well. It is such a joy and a privilege to run with him in agility.

The Calvin x Zelda puppies arrived in the wee hours of the morning on June 28th!! We have one tri boy and two blue boys in the litter, and mom and pups are doing great! We'll be posting puppy photos to the litters page later this week. A big thank you to Debbie Miller-Gurchak for sitting up with Zelda and me and for helping us with the whelping process. We are tired but happy!!

On June 19th and 20th, Geraldo and I attended our last agility trial prior to taking time off to spend with Zelda's puppies. It was our sheltie club's agility trial, and it was both a successful and fun filled weekend for us. Geraldo Q'ed on three of his four runs and picked up 29 MACH points. It was nice to head into our summer break on such a high note!

On June 4th at the Cuyahoga Valley Golden Retriever Club's agility trial in North Olmsted, Ohio, Geraldo finished his Excellent FAST (XF) title with a first placement! We had been chasing that last XF leg for quite awhile, so I was very happy to finally put it to bed. Geraldo also picked up an additional 28 MACH points during the weekend. We had so much fun!!

Chet Kids were "on fire" on Memorial Day Weekend. On Thursday, Kelvington's Dancing 'N Moonlite (bred and owned by Elaine Kelvington) was WB for a three point major in New Castle, PA. On Saturday, Hollybush's It's About Thyme PT NA NAJ (bred and owned by Debbie Miller-Gurchak) was WB for two points in Kalamazoo, MI. Last but not least, Barb Westerman's tri Chet son, Gypsy's Night Moves, was RWD in Kalamazoo, MI on Sunday and Monday. As icing on the cake, CH MACH CastleGate's Daily News OF ("Geraldo") picked up 30 MACH points at the GTOTC agility trial in Cheswick, PA. We'd love to have a few more weekends like this one!! <G>

Zelda's pregnancy was confirmed via ultrasound this afternoon! She's having four puppies for sure and possibly five. Her most likely due dates are June 28th -30th, and we're very excited about the prospect of having puppy breath in the house again!

On May 20th, Bliss won Best of Breed from the Open AOAC Class under Jack Ireland in Marietta, Ohio. That was Bliss' first BOB and our first homebred BOB, so it was an extra special win for us. A huge thank you to Judy Stachowski for presenting Bliss so beautifully at this show!

I spent Mother's Day in Edinboro, PA doing one of my favorite things---running agility with my dogs! Geraldo had a fantastic weekend, and I was thrilled with the number of Q's and points he earned at the Hamburg Trial. Elsa came out of retirement for the weekend to run just for fun, and she did a marvelous job too. She seemed really happy to be running agility again. Elsa will probably continue to run at some of the summer trials while Zelda is home awaiting the arrival of her puppies.

On May 2nd, Bliss (CastleGate's Seventh Heaven) was WB/BW/BOS for two points under Carolyn Herbel. Bliss also earned points as a puppy, but these were her first points from the Open Class. Our thanks to Judy Stachowski for presenting Bliss so beautifully at the Eaton, OH shows. Geraldo had a great day on May 2nd too! At the CABTC's agility trial in North Olmsted, OH, he earned the final QQ that he needed to qualify for the 2011 AKC Agility National in Lexington, VA. We'd love to have a few more weekends as nice as this one was!!

Geraldo QQ'd on April 24th and again on April 25th at the POTC agility trial in Zanesville, OH. Geraldo now has five of the six QQ's and more than half of the 400 points that he needs to qualify for the 2011 AKC Agility National in Lexington, VA. We would love to be able to go to the National again next year!! As an added bonus, one of Geraldo's sons (Tuxedo owned by Sue Botsford) earned his first Q in Excellent B this weekend, and I was so happy to be there to see that run in person!

Zelda (CastleGate's Mercy Me, MX, MXJ, XF) has been bred to BISS Am/Can CH Homespun Casual Blues. We're very excited about this breeding, and if all goes as planned, she should have puppies at the end of June. We're expecting Zelda's puppies to be pretty, well built, and full of drive! Zelda's first due date is June 25th, and we have the possibility of tri, blue merle, bi-blue, and bi-black puppies in this litter.

On March 26-28, 2010, Geraldo and I competed at the AKC Agility National in Tulsa, OK. We had a blast, and we met so many wonderful people and their dogs. This was our first Agility National, and we were delighted to qualify on two of our runs. We had two other really nice runs where we were oh so close to qualifying too. Geraldo ran well for me, and I'm very proud of him! He's such an awesome dog!! Check out Geraldo's web page to see a photo of him competing at the National.

On March 14th at the Butler Dog Training Club's agility trial in Edinboro, PA, Zelda finished her MX title with a glorious Standard run!! I expect her in season any day now, and I'm thrilled that she finished her MX and her MXJ prior to taking time off for motherhood. Zelda also earned her first Master FAST leg with a third placement that weekend. I hope someday that she follows in her litter brother's footsteps and becomes a dual champion too.

On March 6, 2010, at the Puli Club's agility trial in Zanesville, OH, Geraldo became CH MACH CastleGate's Daily News OF. It's truly a dream come true for me to have a homebred dual champion. We went into that trial weekend needing just three points to finish our agility championship, and Geraldo got down to business on our first run of the weekend and put those three points (plus a few points to spare) to bed quickly. I had been anticipating that moment for such a long time, and it felt even better than I thought it would!! <G>

At the Olean Kennel Club's agility trial on February 5th & 6th in Edinboro, PA, Zelda earned her 7th MX leg, her 6th QQ, and 20 MACH points. At the same trial, Geraldo and I shaved another 10 points off the points he needs for his MACH. We just need 15 additional points for his MACH, and I can't wait to take that victory lap with my baby boy!!

At the APOTC Agility Trial on January 22-24, Zelda finished her Excellent FAST (XF) title, earned her 6th MX leg, and picked up 17 additional MACH points. Although Geraldo and I weren't running in sync that weekend, we did still manage to shave an additional 10 points off of what he needs to finish his MACH. It was a heat wave in he temperatures were in the high 30's for a good portion of the weekend. <G>

At the BCSA agility trial in Edinboro, PA on January 15-17, Geraldo and Zelda had another nice weekend! Zelda earned 29 MACH points, her 5th QQ, and her second Excellent FAST leg (with a first placement). Geraldo picked up 24 MACH points and his 31st QQ. We're in the homestretch for Geraldo's MACH!! He just needs 35 more MACH points now!!

After five weeks off from trialing and training classes, I was expecting our first agility trial of 2010 to be a free for all. Geraldo and Zelda were raring to go, and we had a fantastic weekend both in and out of the agility ring in snowy Edinboro, PA. Zelda earned 2 QQ's, 2 MX legs, and 65 MACH points this weekend. She was fast and focused on every run, and she Q'ed on five of her six runs. My Baby Girl now has 4 QQ's and 200 MACH points. Geraldo earned 28 MACH points, one QQ, his second Excellent Fast leg and his first ever Triple Q at the Erie Kennel Club Trial. He just needs 59 more points for his MACH. <G>

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