I joined the Tararua club in 1984 and competed in obedience with my corgis. Blaze was my first agility dog and won Open often with bitten ankles. When we shifted to Napier I joined the Zone Two Trials Training Club; there followed a number of years of trials and tribulations, finally making Blaze (aka The Toad) up to W T CH. My kelpie Anna also achieved the W T CH title. I am currently working another kelpie called Elfin; she is a real speedy model so it is a steep learning curve.

I always look forward to judging at NDTA. It is great to be able to catch up with people from far and wide, and to watch some of the newer dog sports. For the people working in trials it gives them the chance to work on some unknown land, and this can bring with it some extra challenges for the organisers. I would like to wish all competitors every success for the weekend and lets all have a great time.