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Robinsend Still Echoing JE (AKA Stella) had fun at the Puget Sound Earthdog Club test this weekend. She used every one of her allotted 30 seconds to slowly but deliberately reach the quarry, and then nearly deafened the judge with 60 seconds of terrific work. Earning her JE entitled her to enter her first Senior den the following day. She was eager to go but was hunting like a sight-hound rather than with her nose, and the more difficult senior entrance stymied her. She scoured the den area without finding the entrance; when the judge used her clipboard to shoo her away from the the quarry end, Stella stood on top of a mound of dirt and barked at the judge in frustration, before renewing her hunt. It was hilarious. With the judge's indulgence, she eventually entered the den at my direction and found her way past the bedding den and false exit to reach the quarry. She didn't work the full 90 seconds. On the other hand, she recalled out of the den beautifully, which is a promising sign for future attempts at the challenging Senior test. All in all, a terrific weekend and a good start on the next level for little Stella.
That sure sounds exciting, something I would have loved to get involved in. I guess watching it on the Animal Planet is as close to it as I'll get. I do think Kiara would have enjoyed that. I love Stella's picture. She looks so proud.
