Failing in Public.

If we fail, it is not Kelsy's fault.  Sometimes we aren't communicating as clearly as I would hope.  Often, I ask more of her than I should.  Recently I took her out in the wrong conditions because the sighting was an hour old and I thought we might get lucky.

Temp: 61F
Feels like: 61F
Mostly Cloudy
Humidity: 47%

Wind: CALM at calm mph

Updated: 6/15/11 2:45 PM PDT

It may have been mostly cloudy wherever the weather station is, but in Redmond the sun was out in full, and the temperature was higher than 61.  Lucy had been seen running down the middle of the street.  I tried Kelsy on the scent trail, even though I knew that scent is dissipated by heat, sun, dryness, and especially car tires.   Kelsy led me into the tall grass beside the road and through several large fields.  It seems she was taking me backwards from the confirmed sighting an hour earlier.  She was following the strongest scent, which is all she can do.  I can't explain to her that she should follow the miniscule hint of a scent in the road and ignore the stronger scent preserved by the damp grass. 

After about half an hour, when it seemed fairly certain to me that she was leading me on the right trail but the wrong direction, I took her back and started at the point of the sighting again.  This time she took me down a driveway with no traffic and some shade.  She seemed to be very excited about something, but then we found coyote scat, so if Lucy had been there, the trail was not so fresh and recent as to be more interesting than coyotes.  Where I wanted Kelsy to lead me, down the middle of the road, it was just too hot and dry and trafficked.  So, Kelsy failed in finding Lucy, even though we were close, but it was not her fault.  I had warned Lucy's owner before we started that the conditions were not good for a search. 

Fortunately, Lucy was found about an hour later, due to the persistence and tenacity of her owner.  You can read Lucy's story here:  http://greasergrrl.wordpress.com/2011/06/16/bringing-lucy-home/  MPP was helpful in this case, as were many volunteers and Good Samaritans. 

I don't like to fail in public, or fail at all.  Also, it is not fair to Kelsy to set her up in a situation where she is likely to fail.  It's not good for her training or motivation.  Still, I will probably risk failure in the future if it gives a dog a chance.