We are all having a great time and the weather conditions are really co-operating with us.  Today it is balmy & in the  mid-70s with clear skies and a slight breeze.   Even though each holding blind contains a small child’s wading pool (with water in them of course) the dogs seem not to need these.   This is a good thing!!  Also, we haven’t seen a snake or anything else that would scare me into or onto the top of the highest car.

     Group A started this morning at 7:30 to finish up dogs 32 thru 59 so they could move to Test 4.  The foggy conditions this morning mostly cleared up by the time the test dogs were run.  We still had dew on the grass, which didn’t help the dogs to scent the flyers.  This bird turned out to be a hellious memory mark even though the yardage wasn’t that much. Most of the good people running in Group B stood around and applauded until we finished.  By 11 AM both groups were getting ready to flip/flop and things were going real smooth.

     Since I described both tests yesterday the only thing left to really say is that Group A started Test 4 with dog 91 and will be running about 6 dogs an hour and Group B started Test 3 with dog 90 and should be running 7 dogs an hour.  So in other words we are into the 4th series now.   The latest callbacks have been posted but in short Group A called back 112 dogs to do Test 4 and Group B called back 87 to do Test 3.

     Two things have happened here that have brought great sadness to all of us.  Shortly after midnight Tuesday, Michael Galvin lost his dog, Thunder.  This was his first dog and the one that brought Mike & Jennifer into the Hunt test game.  I am sorry if I got his name wrong but I believe that was what Mike told me.  He had been suffering from cancer and died peacefully in their hotel room.  All of our sympathies are with them.    The other tragedy happened to Joe Harris.  He received word last night that his father probably won’t last through today so Joe ran his dog very early this morning and has since departed for Yakima, Washington to be with his family.  Keep good thoughts and hopes in your heart for these two wonderful men that the times that are yet to come will be made easier for them.

     I previously reported that the final series where A & B come together would be at the prison site.  That is incorrect and I wanted to clarify that now.  Sidney & Nancy Tidwell’s property will be the site for the last test, which will be the water series.   I will try very hard to get here on Friday to report the progress we’ve made.

Dogs dropped after third series

12a, 18a, 26a, 27a, 79a, 84a, 86a, 88a, 93a, 134a, 139a, 141a  -----  3b, 15b, 33b, 34b, 36b, 42b, 51b, 62b, 63b, 64b, 65b,68b, 84b
                                                                                         86b, 87b, 89b, 106b, 118b, 119b, 121b, 126b, 130b, 136b