In my first blog post, I told you what a TD was: a simple tracking test. But my TD, wasn't as simple as I thought it would be.
After lunch on a Friday in the fourth grade, I was checked out of school by my grandmother to go to the Basset Hound TD Test. I was the only Junior Tracker there, a tracker under age 18, and the only tracker in the event without a Basset Hound. It was a six hour trip, but we finally made it to Sullivan, Missouri. We checked into our hotel, and got ready for bed. We put Rudi, and my grandmother's Beagle puppy, Cork, in their crates. Cork was just a puppy at the time, and my grandmother refused to leave him at home. Rudi barked at the footsteps in the hallway outside the door, while Cork wasn't as fazed. My grandmother and I looked at pictures of Rudi when he was a puppy before drifting off to bed. We woke up early the next morning to make it to the drawings. The drawings give you the order that you, and the other people tracking that day, would track in. It was considered good luck if you drew number one, the first track of the day. It was unlikely I would draw it, because I was the only tracker with a German Shepherd, I would draw last. We got breakfast at the hotel and drove to where the drawings were held. We went into a room with four other women already there, three of them with adorable Basset Hounds at their sides. I had woke up that morning confident for reasons I don't know, but seeing the actual dogs there made my stomach drop. There were four peanut butter bones on a table, surrounded by the owners of the dogs. The woman with out a dog told us to draw a single bone from the table. Each bone had a number written on it in a type of frosting, telling you what number track you got. When she finally said my name, everyone else had already drawn and there was one bone left. I looked at the other bones that had already been drawn. There was only one number left. I picked up the bone, and surely enough, written on it was the number 1! The other women were happy for me. I tossed the bone to Rudi, smiling, and he caught it in his mouth, mid-air. I scratched his head and kissed him, excited for the tracks that would soon begin. We drove to the field where my track was laid, and my stomach dropped once more. It was a field of tall, yellow grass. We had never trained in this kind of field before, and we didn't know how the scent would react. We harnessed Rudi up, Cork whinnying in the car. I walked him to the flag that marked where the track would start. We were told there would be a glove at the end of the track. My grandmother told me to stand up and wave the glove in the air at the end, because the grass was almost as tall as me. I took a deep breath and tugged on the line. "Down!" I said. He laid down on the start article, sniffing it. "Now get to work!" I shouted after scratching his ears. He got up and we walked into the tall grass. He stayed in a straight line and made a clean turn on the corner. This happened again before we ran into another article. He laid down on it and got up again before I could scratch his ears. He was really onto something. We continued down the leg and made another turn. We walked down the next leg. After a little walking, I saw something on the grassy floor. A leather and cloth glove! I squatted down with Rudi after telling him to lay down. I kissed his head, smiling. I couldn't have been prouder! While I was praising him, I remember what my grandmother told me. I picked up the article he was still sniffing. I didn't even bother to bother to get up. I stuck my arm in the air as high as my little arms could reach, and waved the glove. I met my grandmother and the judge of the test in the middle. My breathing quickened. "Did I pass?" I asked nervously. It felt like I waited an eternity. She nodded. I cheered. I couldn't believe it! It didn't matter if we had never worked in tall grass. We passed! We headed back to the car and met up with some of the other trackers. I even got to spend some time with some really cute Basset Hounds and their sweet owners! They were all so nice and happy for me. I had never and will never see greater sportsmanship. There, I found out I was the only one who passed that day. I guess that bone really was good luck after all. It started to drizzle on our way home as I thought over the events of the day. To some, that day may seem boring. To me, that day was one of the best I had ever lived.
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Jillian M.I am Jillian. I've been tracking since I was eight and I love what I do. Archives
May 2017
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