It’s been three years since I last entered a scent work trial, and back in December I decided to sign up for the Scent work trial being held at the Tallahassee Dog Show. At the time, the plan was simple: enter Zada and Nova. My training time was limited, and I knew I had to be realistic.

When I mentioned it to my husband, he decided to take on the challenge of training Epic and entering her as well. Between the holidays, building our new room, and life in general, training time was tight. The plan was to do the bulk of our prep at the end of January—but travel took me away for two of those weeks, leaving just one final week at home to get everyone trial-ready.

Nova went in with the least amount of training, and I’ll be honest—she had me the most nervous heading into the weekend. At the same time, my husband and Epic were walking into their very first scent work trial together, and it started a little rough. They NQ’d their first run of the day in Exterior Novice, which is never how you want to kick off a trial—especially your first one.

But they didn’t let it shake them. In their very next run, they came back strong with an incredible 1st place and a blazing 9.09 time, and from that moment on, everything clicked. Confidence built, teamwork locked in, and from there every dog rose to the occasion—qualifying in all of their remaining runs and showing exactly what they’re capable of.
So come Sunday, I wasn’t entirely surprised when Zada earned High in Trial, as she truly showed out—bringing home almost all 1st place finishes. What did surprise me was learning that Epic followed right in her mother’s footsteps, earning High in Trial – Novice at her very first trial. And the biggest shock of all? Nova also earned High in Trial.

Shock, excitement, pride—I felt it all at once. Weekends like this are why I love this sport, these dogs, and the journey we’re on together. And a special shoutout to Sophie for stepping in to run Zada in her final Novice run on Saturday to finish out her SWN title.
Check out each dog’s personal page to see their individual accomplishments.