Michelle has competed in scent work since 2021, but has experience with teaching scent work through service dog medical alert training since 2015. Her border collie Arya is competing in the excellent and master divisions of AKC scent work, and her puppy Rainier completed her overall novice elite title (40Q's within novice, 10Qs per element), her advanced overall title, and is now almost finished with her overall advanced elite title, and working on excellent titles. They will both be debuting in NACSW and CPE CSS this year, in 2024.

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In 2021, Michelle and Arya debuted in Scent Work gaining her Scent Work Novice overall title SWN in 4 trials, with placements and Q's across the board. In 2022, at their first trialing weekend of the advanced divisions of containers & interiors, they achieved their SCA & SIA titles with placements. After a temporary break to raise puppies (which brought Rainier into our lives!) they were back at it in the fall of 2022 and have quickly finished their advanced overall titles SWA, elite advanced titles SIAE & SCAE, as well as their excellent buried SBE and container titles SCE. At Arya's first trial of 2024, she gained a few master level legs and a few excellent level legs! She also got her NACSW ORT at her first NACSW trial in February. Our goals this year are to complete our overall excellent & master level titles this year through the AKC & our NW1 through NACSW.

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In 2023, Michelle's puppy Rainier debuted in scent work at 10 months of age, and has been excelling ever since, with virtually no NQ's and placements (primarily 1sts) for almost every run. At 14 months she achieved her first five scent work titles: SCN, SEN, SBN, SIN and her overall novice title SWN, with placements (mostly 1sts) in almost all of her runs. At 17 months, in 1 trial weekend (2 days) she Q'd in 14/16 runs, with 13/14 of those Q's being placements (8 - 1st place, 3 - 2nds, 1 - 3rd, and 1- 4th!). At this trial, she achieved her next six scent work titles, SCNE, SENE, SBNE, SINE, her overall novice elite scent work title SWNE, as well as her first advanced scent work title SEA!  At her first trial in 2024, she went 2/2 in Advanced Container and Advanced Interior, getting 1st in both, as well as her SIA title. At her second trial of the year, Rainier completed her overall scent work advanced title SWA and debuted and Q'd in a few excellent level classes! In April of 2024, at Versatile K9's Wild West City trial, Rainier got 2 Q's in excellent exterior and 1 Q in excellent interior (our debut in that class!)! Both of her exterior Q’s were placements with a 1st place (53.53s) and a 3rd place (1.29.14s). On top of that, she got her first excellent title, Scent Work Exterior Excellent (SEE)! She gained 4 more Advanced legs at this trial as well towards elite titles. She also got her NACSW ORT at her first NACSW trial in February. Our goals this year are to complete our overall excellent level title, our overall elite excellent level title & some Master titles this year through the AKC & our NW1 through NACSW.