News_2021

News 2020 - 2021

December 26, 2020	Bayshore Companion Dog Club Agility Trial - Manalapan, NJ - 'Twas the day after Christmas, and what did Islandflats do? Agility of course! Slider and Margaret were at it again as our young flatcoat earned a qualifying score and a first place finish in Excellent Standard! Slider is enjoying agility success, and he will keep on competing. This was Slider's first leg in this class at this level. It was a cold day in New Jersey, but Islandflats made the most of it.
December 6, 2020	Taconic Hills KC Agility Trials - Bayshore, NY: Now that Slider is having success in agility, it's time to compete at the higher levels. Handled by Margaret, Slider earned a qualifying score and a first place finish in Excellent Jumpers With Weaves! This is his first title leg in this competitive class. Also, in his first ever entry in the Time to Beat class, Slider earned a qualifying score and 7 points towards his title. Quite a weekend for our puppy boy Slider!
December 5, 2020	Suffolk Obedience Training Club, Rally Obedience Trials - Deer Park, NY: It's his first Rally title! Today Slider earned a qualifying score and a 2nd place finish in Rally Obedience. That's his third leg and that now makes his registered name: CH Blazin's Payoff Pitch "RN" OA OAJ CGC. It has been some time since Slider competed in Rally (due to the fact that he's been running agility, and there are fewer trials because of the pandemic) but he just stepped into the ring as if nothing happened and picked up where he left off. Today Slider was handled by Margaret.
October 31, 2020	Staten Island Companion Dog Training Club Agility Trials - Sewaren, NJ: Halloween Day! It was a bit chilly and a little muddy at this outdoor venue but that didn't matter to Slider! Handled by Margaret, Slider earned a first place finish in Open Standard, and a first place finish in Open Jumpers. That's the third leg earned in each of these classes, and that means two new titles! Slider is now known as CH Blazin's Payoff Pitch "OA" "OAJ" CGC. Of course this being Halloween, all our dogs received extra treats today - no costumes, no doorbell ringing necessary.
October 17, 2020	Skyline Agility Club trials - Middletown, NY - We're a bit rusty and everything works a little different now, but we ventured back into the agility ring with our dogs. Handled by Margaret, it was a good day for Dazzle, Tripper and Slider. Dazzle earned a qualifying score and a first place finish in Master Jumpers Preferred. This was her 5th leg towards her next title. We ran Slider in the Open Jumpers class and he earned a qualifying score and a first place finish. That's his 2nd leg. Tripper also had a great run in Open Standard but sorry to say he didn't qualify. As different as things are these days it was good to get back to the activities that we're used to. For now, we're going to take things slowly until things start shaping up again but we definitely had a fun day!
COVID-19	Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there haven't been any dog shows or competitions to participate in for quite some time. We are fortunate that we, and nobody in our family has been stricken by this virus (thank God) and we're praying that this whole thing will end sooner rather than later. This doesn't mean that we haven't been enjoying our dogs and our family all along; but we have been socially distant and cognizant of the protocols since this whole thing started.
March 14 - 15, 2020	York County Dog Training Club Agility trials, Palmyra, PA - Margaret ran our dogs in Agility this weekend ... March 14: Slider ran in the Open Class - in Jumpers he earned a qualifying score (his first one in this class) and a first place finish. In Standard, Slider earned a qualifying score (his second one in this class) and a second place finish. They were both very nice runs. March 15: Dazzle ran in Master Jumpers Preferred and she earned a qualifying score (her 4th towards her next title) and 7 more PACH points! Dazzle just keeps on going ...
February 25, 2020	Today's Birthday ... Tripper! Our Field Spaniel turns 5 today and Islandflats is celebrating. Sometimes it seems like we recently brought him home, and sometimes it feels like he's been here forever. We have two birthday celebrations less than a week apart and that means another round of Frosty Paws tonight.
February 21, 2020	Today's Birthday ... Dazzle! Islandflats joins Dazzle in celebrating her 8th birthday today. She still has the same spark and vitality that she had when she was a lot younger. Looks like all our dogs will join the festivities with Frosty Paws later this evening.
February 1 - 2, 2020	Taconic Hills KC - Winter Agility trials, Bayshore, NY - Feb 1: It's a new agility title for Slider! Having earned a qualifying score and a first place finish in his class in Novice Jumpers, Slider completed the requirements to earn his title. He is now known as: CH Blazin's Payoff Pitch NA "NAJ" CGC. Time to bump up to the more challenging Open Class! Feb 2: Slider ran agility in Standard Open today and he earned his first qualifying score with a first place finish! Being that this is an advanced class for him, we couldn't be happier. It was quite an agility weekend for Margaret and Slider; we hope that there will be many more.
February 1, 2020	Today is the fourth annual Islandflats Memorial Day. We reflect back on our dogs who are no longer with us. We also think of many pets who didn't belong to us who also touched our lives in some way. We remember the good times and the bad times but most of all we remember the love that we shared with these special animals. Today would be Crystal's 18th birthday. Her passing in 2016 inspired us to do something special to remember our departed pets. We plan on continuing this family tradition moving forward.
January 11 - 12, 2020	Dog Agility Club of Long Island, Winter Agility Trials, Bayshore, NY - Jan 11: It's his first Agility Title! On his birthday, Slider took to the agility ring with Margaret and he earned a second place finish, a qualifying score and the third leg needed for his Standard Novice Agility title! He is now known as: CH Blazin's Payoff Pitch "NA" CGC. He's still working on his jumpers title and we're hoping that he'll be able to get that soon enough. Also on this day, Dazzle competed in Master Jumpers Preferred where she earned a first place finish, and 11 more PACH points. It's always a special day at Islandflats when we celebrate birthdays, but it's more special when our dogs can also have some fun and success. Jan 12: Slider earned a second place finish and his second qualifying score in Novice Jumpers Agility. One more leg is needed for the title. Dazzle took another first place finish and 11 more PACH points in Master Jumpers Preferred. She's slowly progressing towards her MJP2 / MJP Bronze titles. Not bad for a 7 year old.
January 11, 2020	Today our young puppy Slider celebrates his second birthday!. From his appearance one might say that he's a full grown Flat Coated Retriever. But he still acts like such a puppy! Today Slider wishes his littermates,Pixel, Benji, Elsa, Teague, Pivot, Seville, Aisling and Rumble a very "Happy Birthday!" Extra treats for all the pups in the Islandflats crew today!

December 4 -5, 2021	Suffolk County KC Agility Trials, Bayshore, NY - These were the inagural agility trials for this club and it was a huge success. Slider (handled by Margaret) was at it again! Saturday, December 4th: Slider earned qualifying scores in Novice Fast (his second leg), and in Master Jumpers (his 14th leg). Sunday, December 5th: Slider earned qualifying scores in Time to Beat (his 9th leg), Master Jumpers (leg # 15) and Master Standard (his 10th leg). All that running, jumping and qualifying earned Slider a new title! He is now known as: CH Blazin's Payoff Pitch RN "MX" MXJ CGC. In all the excitement, Slider also earned another QQ (his 8th), 23 more MACH points and another collection of placement rosettes. Now for a couple of weeks rest!
November 19 - 20, 2021	Agility Association of Central New Jersey, Fall Agility Trials, Glouster Township, NJ (Dream Park) - 11/19: Slider earned another QQ today (his 7th). In Master JWW he earned a 2nd place finish in his class, and in Master STD Slider earned a first place finish. 11/20: Today Slider earned a qualifying score in Master JWW and 7 more MACH points. 11/21: Today Slider earned another qualifying score in Mster JWW, a 2nd place finish and 8 more MACH points. This weekend getaway was not only special because of Slider's agility successes, but it was also Margaret's Birthday. Happy Birthday from the Islandflats crew!
November 13 - 14, 2021	Dog Agility Club of Long Island (DACLI), Fall Agility Trials, Bayshore, NY - Nov. 13th: Slider earned his 8th MX leg, 9th MXJ leg, 6th QQ and his first Novice Fast leg. Nov.14th: Slider earned his 10th MXJ leg and a new title: CH Blazin's Payoff Pitch RN AX "MXJ" CGC. Slider also got his 8th T2B leg. He added 30 MACH points and 7 T2B points to his grand totals. Slider was handled by Margaret. We're so proud!!
October 9 - 10, 2021	Ladies Kennel Association of America: Fall Agility Trials, Bayshore, NY - Margaret and Slider compete in agility again. Slider goes five for five, earning his 6th and 7th Master STD Legs, his 7th and 8th Master JWW Legs and his 7th leg in Time to Beat! In his class he had two first place finishes, three second place finishes and two more QQs for a grand total of five. He also earned 35 MACH points and 10 more T2B points. It was a great weekend for Slider!
September 26, 2021	Long Island Golden Retriever Club Agility Trials, Bayshore, NY - Handled by Margaret, Slider earned a qualifying score in Time to Beat with a first place finish in the 24" Class. He earned 10 more T2B points, giving him a total of 6 T2B legs and 48 points.
August 28, 2021	Dog Agility Club of Long Island (DACLI), Summer Obedience Trials, Bayshore, NY - It was Slider's first ever obedience trial! Handled by Margaret, he was entered in the Beginner Novice class where he successfully earned a qualifying score of 194. Not only was that a qualifier, it was good enough for a second place finish! So this was Slider's first obedience ribbon ... let's see if he can keep earning more.
August 8, 2021	Agility Association of Central New Jersey (JAG) - Summer Agility Trials, Manalapan, NJ - Fresh from their success last week, Margaret and Slider were back in the Garden State for their next agility adventure. In Master Jumpers WW, Slider earned a qualifying score and 8 more MACH points. This was his 6th MXJ leg. In Time to Beat Slider earned a qualifying score and 4 points towards his T2B title. This was his 5th T2B leg.
August 1, 2021	Schooley's Mountain KC - Summer Agility Trials, Manalapan, NJ - Margaret and Slider running agility again! According to Margaret they were challenging courses, but Slider was able to earn qualifying scores in both Master Jumpers and Master Standard. This was his 5th MX leg and his 5th MXJ leg! He earned his third QQ and 18 more points towards his MACH title. He's doing pretty good with the technical courses but he's going to work a little more on his speed in the future.
June 26 - 27, 2021	Taconic Hills KC - Summer Agility Trials, Bayshore, NY - It was a busy agility weekend for Margaret and Slider. Saturday June 26th: Slider qualified in Master Jumpers for his third leg and 10 MACH points! Sunday, June 27th: Slider had a great day going three for three; with his 4th MX leg (16 MACH points) and his 4th MXJ leg (8 MACH points), and his 4th T2B leg (8 T2B points). By the way, he finished top four in each of his classes! He now has 2 QQ's and 64 MACH points. Slider also has 4 T2B legs and 34 points. This weekend, Slider was our Star of the Car!
May 2, 2021	Dog Agility Club of Long Island, Spring Agility Trials, Bayshore, NY - Our young Flatcoat Slider ran agility today. Handled by Margaret, he earned a qualifying score in Time to Beat, and in Master Standard. In T2B Slider finished in second place and got 9 points towards his title. In Master STD he also finished in second place and earned 7 MACH points. He keeps training and he keeps competing. We're seeing good things in the future for Slider's continued success.
April 25, 2021	Suffolk Obedience Training Club agility trials, Bayshore, NY - Margaret and Slider running agility today ... In Master Jumpers with Weaves, Slider earned a qualifying score and a third place finish! That's another leg toward Master JWW and 7 more points towards his MACH title. He's still training agility and we're hoping that as he continues to train and compete that he will enjoy continued success.
April 11, 2021	Long Island Golden Retriever Club Agility Trials, Bayshore, NY - More success for Slider and Margaret in the agility ring. Today, Slider earned qualifying scores in two classes: Time to Beat, and Master Standard. In each class he also earned first place finishes! Here's what he accomplished today ... another leg in Master STD, 3 more MACH points and another leg in T2B and 10 more T2B points. He's really enjoying this, so Slider's agility success has been a joy for everybody at Islandflats.
March 20, 2021	Taconic Hills KC - St. Patty's Day Agility trials, Bayshore, NY - It was quite the day for our flatcoat boy Slider, and Margaret. The club held a double trial this afternoon and we had a lot of success! Slider earned a qualifying score in both Excellent Standard and Excellent Jumpers, which gives him the third leg in each of those classes. With that comes two new titles: CH Blazin's Payoff Pitch RN "AX" "AXJ" CGC. He was also able to repeat his success when he bumped up to the Master Classes. Slider also earned qualifying scores in each: Master Standard and Master Jumpers. That gives him his first legs in those classes; his first QQ, and 13 points towards MACH. Did we mention that he also finished in first place in all four of his runs? Lots of ribbons, lots of fun for both Slider and Margaret!
February 25, 2021	He turns six years old today! Our birthday celebrations continue as we honor Tripper on his sixth birthday. Dazzle and Slider joined the festivities with cake, and an extra helping of chicken and beef. It's a happy coincidence that our dogs have birthdays within a few weeks of each other because we can make all our treats at once, and split them and share them when needed. It wouldn't really matter however, it's always a good time for a doggie party.
February 21, 2021	There's a fair amount of snow on the ground on Long Island today, but on her 9th birthday Dazzle can't be stopped from running around and frolicking in it. The whole Islandflats crew is outside having fun in the snow and why not? On Dazzle's birthday we should all be in a festive mood. Happy birthday Dazzle! We love you so much.
February 2, 2021	Today is our annual Islandflats Memorial Day. On this day we celebrate the lives of all our dogs who are no longer with us. This year in the midst of a global pandemic we've witnessed so much sadness and hardship, but our pets are never forgotten. We're using this day to reflect on the love and happiness that our all dogs brought us. We feel blessed to have had them in our family and we all benefited from the relationships formed throughout the years.
January 16, 2021	Dog Agility Club of Long Island, Winter Agility Trials, Bayshore, NY - Slider celebrated birthday #3 with a qualifying score in both Excellent Standard and Excellent Jumpers. Both Qs came with first place finishes! That gives him two legs in each class as he advances closer to his next title. Way to go Slider!
January 11, 2021	Margaret spent some time in the kitchen today and she whipped up a special treat. Why? Because today is Slider's birthday! Our flatcoat boy turns three today. Joining the celebration, Dazzle andTripper shared the fresh baked doggie birthday cake. Slider, in his way, kept asking for more. How could we resist on this special day.