Trialing at the Game Time Training Center in Fairfield, Ohio was a fun experience! The facility is in a “nicer” industrial area a few miles from the Interstate. It was clean and spacious, with soccer turf floors – a “kind” surface for dog and handler alike.
The folks from Hamilton Dog Training Club that put on the trial were friendly and organized, which made things run smoothly. One ring had a red, white and blue theme going, while the other ring was pastel themed. It’s the first time I’ve seen white tunnels! The dogs seemed to like them.
The crating area was one large room, and the light was kept low. This seemed to calm the dogs and reduce barking. Crating space was fine, although it got a little tight on Saturday. There were quite a few dogs being crated in vehicles, which helped a lot.
Vendors had great visibility since each agility ring was also large enough to hold the vendors too. This trial seemed to be heavy on jewelry providers – some of it quite high-end, and all of it handmade! I now know which websites to send my daughter to when she doesn’t know what to buy me for my birthday.
If I were to visit again, I would plan an extra day and visit a place called Jungle Jim’s International Food Market. According to a very nice club member I spoke with, Kathy Smith, it is a unique experience in food shopping. There are separate stores within the store, carrying foods from around the world. It is such a large complex that they installed a monorail to get you around.
The Hamilton club puts on AKC agility trials in May and September at this facility, and is the only club that trials here. They had excellent judges when I attended, and I heard they have Rick and Diane Fyfe judging for their September 2016 trial. So don’t shy away from this one, it’s a great trial to attend!