Alpha Dogz Flyball Team

 Check us out on our travels.............

Middlesborough 9/10 May 2009

Alphas always have a great time when we travel to Middlesborough, and 2009 was not any different. We had 3 open and a Starters team entered, and all did very well.  Alpha Dogz were unfortunately still running on an old seed time so came 6th in Division 2, but all the dogs ran well, Even the handlers managed great crossovers.. (Rachel even got a thumbs up!!!). Alpha Mischief ran excellent all day and came away with 3rd place rossettes....   Alphabeticals- our starters team came 2nd winning four out of 6 races.  Buddy, (Only his second tournament), Diggy, T4, and Max were joined by Hope and Wednesday from our friends the Steelers. They all ran brilliantly.  Finally, Alpha Mayhem came 1st in division 5 and did not lose a race.  So overall we managed a 6th, 3rd, 2nd and a 1st.  Not bad for our "new" teams..  Well done everyone!!!!!

Rotherham Competition 7th February

We were all really looking forward to Rotherham Tournament, so when they had to cancel at short notice we were all gutted.  Luckily Andy and crew managed to find a new venue at Newark showground at the last minute so it was back on.

We were excited about Rotherham because it was Little Miss Rude's first tournament in open competition.  She has done exceptionally well in starters and she was more than ready for the move up to grown up racing.

We arrived at Newark nice and early as Rachel was head judge and we were in the first division with Alpha Mayhem.  The team was Rude, Blu, Bertie, Charlie , Milo and Ben.  The first leg has arrived against Hill top. Rude ran like a Pro and did not put a paw wrong.  She continued with that form all day and did not make any mistakes at all, with Gromit gettng some very tight changeovers to test her nerve.  Well done Rudie. Mayhem did well and only lost one race to the eventual division winner, and we came a well deserved second place.

Next to race were alpha Dogz.  With the slightly changed line up of Pumpkin, Gemma, Teddy, Tille, Ruby and Bobby we were seeded fourth in Division one.   All dogz and handlers did well and we matched our seeding and came away with a fourth place rosette with a fastest time of 18.95.

We had a great day ar Newark and would like to thank the Rotherham crew for a great tournament at such short notice.  Thanks Guys !!

Markfield 17 January 2009

We had one team entered at Markfield - Alphabeticals.

The dogz in the team were, Rude and Gromit, Andy and Diggy, Busta and Genna, Maxie and Bec and last but not least Katie and Bayley.  Katie Runs with the Carry on Flyball team and was good enough to run with us so we had 5 dogs in the team.

All the dogs did very well..

Rude is very nearly 18 months old so this was just addiditional practice for when she races with the Grown ups later this month.  She did not put a paw wrong and proved yet again she is more than ready for her debut in Alpha Dogz at Rotherham.

Busta was his usual excellent stalwalt self.  Running Brilliantly all day, sharing a place with Bayley the other OAP of the team for the day.

Maxie ran well, as usual so frustrating as he will run in netted lanes all day, his problems start when you remove the netting..  Lol.

Diggy ran perfectly, the only mistake he made all day, was because his dad Andy called him too early and he forgot to bring his ball back.  Diggy gets better with every competition and we are looking forward to him progressing to Open Pretty soon.

Thank you for the Nunnies for a great days racing and we came away with a well deserved 3rd place in our Division.

                   Rachie Judging at Markfield                Cerys was on the line

NEWARK 14th November 2008

When we saw the running order we were a bit disappointed because our good friends High Flyers and Steelers were running on Saturday.  This was easy sorted, we only live 20 mins from the venue so we went on Saturday to see our friends and catch up..  ( Been along time since Markfield lol).  We enjoyed our visit and it got us in the mood for racing on Sunday.

We only had one team in, as Rach and Marks dogs have caught the dreaded Kennel Cough, and were in quarantine at home - Bless em !!! No more racing for Charlie, Gemma, Milo, Teddy and Ben in 2008 giving them plenty of time to recover for the 2009 season.......

So we soildered on with Alpha Antics made up of Pumpkin, Bertie, Blu, Tillie, Bobby and Ruby.  We were in Division 2, and were not sure how we would perform, a fairly new scratch team, so it was anyones guess. We performed very well coming a very respectable Third in our division. We were very pleased.   Well done to all the dogs and handlers, and Rach and Mark for Ball collecting and doing the line.  Proper Alpha team effort as usual.

Dog of the day I think must go to Berts who was on day release from Bertie world and almost ran paw perfect all day. We were especially pleased because Bertie got his Flyball Dog Intermediate award, Presented by our very own Rachel.

Thanks to the Nuns for a great day !!!!

Looking forward to Deeside now on the 22nd November, Alpha Antics are in again so lets hope for more of the same !!! ( If we can stay awake after the 3hr journey and early start  lol)

MARKFIELD 1ST NOVEMBER 2008

We had a great day at Markfield.

It was tinged with sadness however as Alpha Dogz were missing one of the starter Dogz.. Guy Sadly passed away on 4 October and was greatly missed by the team.

The starters team were Busta, Max, Annie, Rude and Diggy.

Rude was run by her Mum Genna because her Dad could not make it, but she did extremely well.  I think Rude will be glad when Dad returns after all the lights her Mum got, but she got her own back by getting Genna a proper telling off by the judge for her Dog Running after the whistle.  Well done Rude!!

Busta was run by Auntie Rach again, cos Mum was running Rude.  He was his usual marvelous self, giving it everything and holding the team together.  Busta and Auntie Rach seen to make a good pair, aslong as Mum is at the back encouraging him all the way.

Annie was a star at Markfield and Dad John had her under great control.  She did not put a paw wrong and was a great asset to the team as usual.

Max was especially pleased at Markfield because his Mum ran him for the first time in ages.  But he was a bit sad beacuse he knew Mum was sad because Guy was not there. But together they had a good days racing and Max as always brought a smile to Mums face.

Last but not least it was Diggy's First proper outing in Starters with Dad Andy, and didnt they do well.  Diggy had only previously done run backs and about half an hours training at anglesey so we didnt really know wat to expect.  He was great, by the end of the day he was taking to ball out of the box with great encouragement from auntie Cathie on the box. He ran every leg and hardly put a paw wrong..  Well done Boys.

Thanks very much to Cathie for Box loading all the dogs are used to her on the box now, and it wouldnt be the same without her.  Thanks to Mark for cheerleading from the sidelines ( due to having an operation 10 days ago) and holding the fort on the admin table.

We came 5th in our division but we came up against some stiff competition, and did ourselves proud.  Looking forward to Selby Now!!!

Well we may not have had any flyball at Shackerstone this year, but we certainly had everything else.......

We had a twister, Flooded field and a bar tent, not neccessarily in that order..

Bec and Andy were woken at about 5am to be told we have a problem with water near your caravan,

we stepped out to this..

Every Dark cloud has a silver Lining..... Pumpy got to do what she does best......

Middlesborough 10/11th May

Well it didnt dissapoint....

Middlesborough is one of our favourite venues..  Sunnyside photography ( John and Cathie) we on duty this weekend.  We were allocated our very own VIP area with a ringside view.  ( Thanks to the Crazies for that)..

We arrived Friday night and set up camp very easily in our VIP area, weather was lovely with only a few spots of rain on our two hour journey up to the North East.  We ordered dinner from one of the great takeaways nearby and went to bed very content.

Saturday morning and it was Starters and Alpha Dogz..  Starters was on First and we had Maxie, Busta, Blade, Ben , Annie and Guy.  All dogs did very well in the first race..  Guy unfortunately decided after that, he wasnt gonna co-operate, and wouldnt run anymore.  Oh well we all have our off days.....  The team came a very respectable Fourth, and all the dogs had a great time.. ( even Guy in his own way!!!)

We then turned our attention to Alpha Dogz..  We were in Div 2, but our expectations were not high as Bobby will still only do it in the Blue Lane..  He has made great progress in the red however..  Special thanks must go to our Pals Rotherham Rockets for allowing us to push the boundaries with Bobby in the Red lane.  This kind of Training is invaluable, and Andy was able to let Bobby off as the opposing dog was on the third jump down...  Thanks  Guys  The team came last but felt we had achieved alot..... A Great days racing, Well Done Alpha....

Sunday morning arrived oh too quickly, Rachel was Judging in the first division, and we then went on to Race Alpha mayhem..   

Bertie came out of " Bertie World" for the day as Middlesborough is his favourite venue in the world.  He successfully ran in many races and brought it home for the team, along with Blu, Tillie, Milo and Ruby.  The team had a great days racing and really enjoyed it.   Well Done Mayhem...

Sutton Fields next week, and we cant wait.

Mottram St Andrew 3/4/5 May 08

We arrived at Mottram on Friday ready for a great weekend of Racing and we werent dissapointed. 

Alpha Mayhem ran on Saturday.  We had Tillie, Ruby, Milo and Blu with Pumpkin on the bench.  We had some very good close racing and Came a respectable Third only losing to 1st and 2nd placed teams.  We had a good day and the weather was fab.  It was Rubys first show back after being spayed and she performed very well.  ( only her mum was doubting her.) We had a Birthday party on Saturday Night for kristian from the High Flyers.  It was a good night, and enjoyed their company..  It was good to see the guys up north and hope they come more often.

Sunday, it was time for Alpha Dogz.  Our expectations were vey low as we only had four Dogs, Charlie, Gemma, Teddy and Bobby.  Unfortunately at the moment Bobby will only do it in the blue lane, and we had to send him last in the red when the other team had completed.  We had a good day though, and enjoyed the racing.  Thanks to Rachel and Mark for running thier 3 dogs with Bobby.  Bec and Andy really appreciate the opportunities the team are giving Bobby.

Sunday Night the rain came....    We were doubtful there would be any racing on Monday.  But Our good friends the Bytes pulled everything out of the bag and racing went ahead.  We had Alpha Armageddon in Starters.  Team was Busta and Blade ( the speed element) Annie and Max, Ben and Guy.  All dogs did amazingly well.  We cant rely on them Spaniels forever though. lol.  we came away with First Place and were thrilled.

We had a great weekend and even having to be towed out by a tractor on Monday night couldnt dampen our spirits.  Is was the first time i have got home on a monday night looking like i had been to a mud wrestling competion , not a flyball one....

Thanks to the Bytes for asking Rachel to head Judge, Can wait for Middlesborough Now....

Alpha Mayhem at Carlton 08. The team includes our newest

member Pumpkin on her  first outing in Open Competition. 

well Done Pumpy!!!

look at the contrast of weather below, you cant believe the snow photos

were the day after this one.. The joys of Carlton Towers!!

Carlton in the snow..........

"Alpha Row"                                          The arena Sunday am

Poor Gen & Grom!!!!                                 What??? BBQ in Snow ( John)

Alpha Dogz do Carlton Towers

The Alpha Dogz arrived at Carlton Towers on Thursday to an empty field, we set up camp (in the rain) and looked forward to the weekend ahead.  Friday came and it was starters day always a favourite of mine.  Both Teams did brilliantly, and had some good results, thanks to Barbara and Piper for running with us.  Genna judged for the first time and did a fantastic job.  We woke on Saturday and looked forward to Alpha Mayhem running, the team ran brilliantly and its newest member Pumpkin ran in open for the first time, she was like an old Pro and took to it like a duck toller to water, like what I did there!!!!  Although Mayhem were placed 5th we had some great racing.  Then came sunday morning, we woke up to a foot of snow covering Carlton Towers, Genna came to the camper and said bring  a dog bowl were clearing the lanes, I thought she was joking, but I arrived at the arena and sure enough, people were clearing the arena with anything they could find, true flyball spirit, what Fun.  The racing started and we looked forward to Alpha Dogz running, had a great day with some close racing.  Monday came and it was Multi Breed day, we looked forward to racing not really knowing what to expect as Pumpkin had done alot of racing and Bertie had been rested.  The team ran brilliantly coming away with a 3rd place rosette, Bertie, Pumpkin, Tillie, Ruby and Teddy did us Proud.  Thanks to all the Alpha's for a great Weekend, had a fab time.  Rach xx (Photos to follow)

Alpha Dogz brave the cold at Heaton Park for the Northern Bytes Starters Tournement:

Our First Outing as Alpha Dogz was very succesful....Markfield Staters Competition on October 27th hosted by Travelling Tearaways and Kiverton Katapultz. Out team consisted of old timers Busta and Max, and our new babies Pumkin, Scooby and Guy.  Bobby had a few runs to complete our team.   We won 2 out our five races and came a very respectable fourth in our division.  In the singles Competition we achieved a Third with Gemma and Bobby was fastest dog overall coming First.  Well Done Everyone, we have some exciting rising stars in this team!!!!