NOSA SDDA SCENT DETECTION TRIAL FEBRUARY 23-24, 2019
On February 23 and 24, NOSA held its 2nd SDDA Scent Detection trial at the Saanich Fairgrounds. As is typical for the sport locally, the trial filled in less than 5 minutes. Despite the organizational challenges of losing our venue days prior to entries opening and significant weather-related setbacks, it went without a hitch. This would not have been possible if not for our small but dedicated Scent Detection committee and the many non-NOSA Scent Detection enthusiasts who stepped up to volunteer each day. The Saanich Fairgrounds staff bent over backwards to accommodate this trial and we are very grateful for their help – including giving us access to areas where dogs are typically not allowed.
Mother Nature threw everything she had at us – we had snow drifts, sleet, rain, more snow, freezing rain, black ice, wind, cold and standing water. Despite all that, competitors enjoyed the trial.
Judges Sheri Luzzi (Courtenay) and Kathy Hansen (North Saanich) presented interesting and challenging searches.
HIGH IN TRIAL (HIT) AWARDS
Saturday: No HIT was awarded as no competitor qualified in all 3 components at the same level.
Sunday: HIT Amateur: NOSA’s Jan Gillis with her Sheltie Gracie from Advanced
HIT Working: Cathy Mawdsley with her German Shepherd Kiya from Advanced.
TITLES EARNED
SD-MACH: NOSA’s Heather Clifford & her Chihuahua Toby
SD-A-SP: NOSA’s Jan Gillis & her Sheltie Gracie
SD-A-SP: Kerri Perras & her young Finnish Lapphund Rune
PLACEMENTS earned by NOSA members
SATURDAY:
1st Excellent Amateur Containers: Laurie Payten & her All-Canadian Jill
1st Excellent Working Containers: Lee McKelvey & her Standard Poodle Felix
1st Excellent Amateur Exterior: Laurie Payten & her All-Canadian Jill
1st Excellent Working Exterior: Heather Clifford & her Chihuahua Toby
3rd Excellent Working Interior: Heather Clifford & her Chihuahua Toby
SUNDAY:
1st Advanced Amateur Containers: Jan Gillis & her Sheltie Gracie
1st Advanced Amateur Interior: Jan Gillis & her Sheltie Gracie
1st Advanced Amateur Exterior: Jan Gillis & her Sheltie Gracie
Committee members videoed most searches and past NOSA member, Trina Jackson of Pawperrazzi Pet Photography was our official photographer was. Her photographs are at https://pawperrazzi.pixieset.com/.
Thank youu to our sponsors Four Paws Pet Grocery & Boutique, Bosley’s Royal Oak and Thrifty Foods Sidney for their generous volunteer prizes. The daily ‘Screw the Q’ draw was well received by competitors.
Day #1 February 23, 2019 Judge: Sheri Luzzi | |||||||||||||
Level | Container | Interior | Exterior | ||||||||||
# entered | # QS | pass rate | Av QS /60 pts | # entered | # QS | pass rate | Av QS /80 pts | # entered | # QS | pass rate | Av QS /60pts | ||
Advanced | 10 | 9 | 90.0% | 53.56 | 12 | 0 | 0.0% | 10 | 1 | 10.0% | 54.00 | ||
Excellent | 9 | 3 | 33.3% | 53.00 | 11 | 7 | 63.6% | 70.00 | 7 | 4 | 57.1% | 53.00 | |
Elite | 8 | 4 | 50.0% | 52.00 | 8 | 1 | 12.5% | 68.00 | 8 | 1 | 12.5% | 52.00 | |
TOTAL | 27 | 16 | 59.5% | 31 | 8 | 25.8% | 25 | 6 | 24.0% | ||||
Day #2 February 24, 2019 Judge: Kathy Hansen | |||||||||||||
Level | Container | Interior | Exterior | ||||||||||
# entered | # QS | pass rate | Av QS /60 pts | # entered | # QS | pass rate | Av QS /80 pts | # entered | # QS | pass rate | Av QS /60pts | ||
Advanced | 7 | 6 | 85.7% | 58.67 | 7 | 5 | 71.4% | 78.60 | 6 | 6 | 100.0% | 58.17 | |
Excellent | 9 | 7 | 77.8% | 58.86 | 12 | 6 | 50.0% | 78.33 | 8 | 0 | 0.0% | ||
Elite | 10 | 6 | 60.0% | 57.33 | 10 | 0 | 0.0% | 10 | 4 | 40.0% | 58.25 | ||
TOTAL | 26 | 19 | 73.1% | 29 | 11 | 37.9% | 24 | 10 | 41.7% | ||||
Felix Elite Containers - Photo Credit Trina Jackson
Felix - Advanced containers - Photo Credit Trina Jackson
Zest - Advanced Exterior
Rune - Exterior
Smoochie - Elite Interior - Photo credit Trina Jackson
Smoochie - Elite Exterior Photo credit Trina Jackson
Rango - Excellent Exterior
Jill - Excellent exterior - Photo Credit Trina Jackson
Gracie - Advanced Exterior Photo Credit Trina Jackson
Gracie - Advanced Containers Photo Credit Trina Jackson
CKC Scent Detection Sanction Matches – Dec 1,2018
December 1st 2018, NOSA held one of the 1st CKC Scent Detection Sanction Matches in Canada. Past NOSA member & Instructor, Leslie Gardiner judged Instinct and Novice levels, while NOSA-member, Kathy Hansen judged Open and Excellent. This match qualified both judges for their CKC Scent Detection judging licences and qualified NOSA to host CKC Scent Detection trials.
We had 26 dogs competing in 68 components. Our pass rate is as follows:
- Instinct (Containers only) 3/5
- Novice
- Containers 6/7
- Interior 6/7
- Exterior 6/7
- Open
- Containers 6/8
- Interior 5/8
- Exterior 5/8
- Excellent
- Containers 5/6
- Interior 6/6
- Exterior 2/6
NOSA Member Videos from this trial (with their permission):
Novice Interior: https://youtu.be/jrtebo7JdxM
Novice Exterior: https://youtu.be/qpvwqOAUw7k
Open Containers: https://youtu.be/3yu2mypAWD0
Open Exterior: https://youtu.be/tlvJYaIWkPQ
January 1, 2019 CKC Scent Detection became an official CKC event. You can find more information at https://www.ckc.ca/en/Events/Overview-of-Events/Scent-Detection
Congratulations to our Winter 2018 CGN, Puppy and Beginner Graduates!
November 7th was the CGN, Beginner and Puppy Graduation for our Winter Session of classes. Congratulations to all of the graduates – your hard work and practice is evident!

NOSA Scent Detection Trial Results – Mar 30 – Apr 1, 2018
Nosa’s first scent detection trial was an huge success! This trial filled in just 3 minutes! The weather cooperated and our judge, John Mairs from Ontario, had a great sense of humour and patiently answered all questions. His searches were challenging but do-able and he was impressed with our facilities and the fact each search was done in a separate area – no areas were reused.
Competitors came from as far as Campbell River and Chilliwack. All components (Containers, Interior and Exterior) were offered at Advanced, Excellent and Elite levels.
Most NOSA volunteers, unfamiliar with scent detection, overcame a steep learning curve and did a great job. Thank you to all our volunteers for sacrificing your Easter weekend to help out! And a special thank you to those local businesses that supported our trial by donating fantastic volunteer prizes – see our sponsor list.
Photos by our official photographer (Pawperrazzi Pet Portraits) can be found at
https://pawperrazzi.pixieset.com/.
Photos taken by NOSA members Norah Shandley and Marilyn Clayton can be found at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/claytonphotography/albums/72157696255585675/with/27926221168/
Click here for full Component Placings.
Titles earned at NOSA’s Scent Detection Trials March 30-31 & April 1, 2018
Friday Titles Earned | Saturday Titles Earned | ||||||||||||
Title | SP | Nth Title | Dog | Breed | Handler | Title | SP | Nth Title | Dog | Breed | Handler | ||
SD-A | 1 | Felix | Standard Poodle | Lee McKelvey | SD-E | 1 | Lucy | Labrador Retriever | Sandra Campbell | ||||
SD-A | 1 | Jesse | American Cocker Spaniel | Karen Nixdorf | SD-A | 2 | Griffin | Greyhound | Cathy Merrithew | ||||
SD-E | 1 | Viva | Doberman Pinscher | Lee Hartfield | SD-A | 4 | Daisy | Golden Retriever | Deb Clugston | ||||
SD-E | SP | 1 | Aurora | Whippet | Ariana Jones | SD-A | 4 | Miah | American Pit Bull Terrier | Kathleen Wee | |||
SD-A | 2 | Emma | Border Collie | Ingrid Heckel | SD-A | 5 | Billie | Newfoundland | Janet Parker | ||||
SD-A | 2 | Cricket | Labrador Retriever | Ali Edgell | SD-A | 3 | Toby | Chihuahua | Heather Clifford | ||||
SD-A | 3 | Collins | Newfoundland | Kathy Coombs | SD-A | SP | 2 | Felix | Standard Poodle | Lee McKelvey | |||
SD-A | 7 | Maya | Labrador Retriever | Sonya Ishiguro | SD-E | 3 | Ping | All Canadian | Sherri Luzzi | ||||
SD-A | 7 | Remi | Whippet | Ariana Jones | SD-E | 4 | Uno | German Shepherd | Heather Wilson | ||||
SD-MACH | 1 | Remi | Whippet | Ariana Jones | SD-MACH | 1 | Ping | All Canadian | Sherri Luzzi |
Sunday Titles Earned
Title | SP | Nth Title | Dog | Breed | Handler |
SD-A | 6 | Billie | Newfoundland | Janet Parker |
SD-A | SP | 3 | Felix | Standard Poodle | Lee McKelvey |
SD-A | 4 | Collins | Newfoundland | Kathy Coombs |
SD-A Sporting Detection Advanced SD-E Sporting Detection Excellent SD-MACH Sporting Detection Master Champion SP Special (Q’ed in all components on the same day) Nth Title – Champion & Master Champion titles require multiple titles … SD-Ch requires 5 titles( 2 must be Excellent Level) SD-MACH 10 titles (3 must be Excellent) 3 Gold scores
Emma – Advanced Exterior Search

What Is Scent Detection?
Scent Detection is more than a dog locating a scent. It’s a dog learning which scents/odours to find; learning to find the source of that odour and communicating the specific location to its handler.
NOSA Trial Results – March 18, 2017
Rally was the name of the game for NOSA students at the recent AIOC trial on March 18th with Norah and and Clancy scoring an impressive 99 in the Novice B category. Special congratulations Bonnie Horsfall and Tater for earning their Rally Novice title and to Jody Waldie and Mystique for earning their Rally Advanced title and going on to qualify in the Excellent B category later in the day!
Jan Gillis and Gracie were the top obedience qualifiers with 193 points.
NOSA qualifiers for Rally in the NOSA trial:
Class | Score | Owner | Dog |
Novice A | 97 | Barbara Jenni | Milo |
92 | Caren Holtby | Kanti | |
92 | Sylvia Thistle-Miller | Odin | |
91 | Doug Collinson | Khaleesi | |
Novice B | 75 | Erika MacVicar | Scully |
Advanced B | 79 | Jody Waldie | Mystique |
NOSA qualifiers for Rally in the GVDOTC trial:
Class | Score | Owner | Dog |
Novice A | 98 | Sylvia Thistle-Miller | Odin |
98 | Caren Holtby | Kanti | |
97 | Doug Collinson | Khaleesi | |
83 | Bev Horsfall | Tater | |
Novice B | 99 | Norah Shandley | Clancy |
98 | Marissa Armstrong | Arnold | |
94 | Erika MacVicar | Scully | |
Excellent B | 98 | Jody Waldie | Mystique |
NOSA qualifiers for Obedience in the NOSA trial:
Class | Score | Owner | Dog |
Novice A | 193.0 | Jan Gillis | Gracie |
183 | Gary Crawford | Casey | |
Novice B | 185.5 | Elaine Hobday | Taffy |
Mystique earns her RA title.

Tater earns his RN title.

“Mystique and I enjoyed our overseas trip (….over the Salish Sea that is) to the March NOSA and GVDOTC AIOC trials to play and reconnect with friends. I was proud of Mystque’s work to earn the final leg for her Rally Advanced title and the first leg of her Excellent title with a HIC in the Excellent B ring. Congratulations to our fellow Mayne Islander, and new NOSA member, Bonnie and her boy Tater who qualified for the final leg of their Rally Novice title. Thanks to organizers for another successful trial and great day with our dogs.”
Jody Waldie
Congratulations to our Winter 2017 Puppy and Beginner Graduates!
March 15th was the Beginner and Puppy Graduation for our Winter Session of classes. We are very proud to recognize the following two teams from our Beginner classes for achieving the night’s high marks in the “A” (handler has never trained a dog in obedience) and “B” (handler has trained a dog in obedience before) in our Novice Obedience exercises. In the “A” division, we congratulate Lonnie Huget and his dog Simon, pictured with their instructor Anne Morrison. In the “B” division, we congratulate Valerie Edwards with her dog Schatzie, pictured with their instructor Cherry Condrey.

November 2016 Beginner Grad
It was a wonderful evening for the beginner classes to graduate! Cherry and Alix had both new owners and experienced owners show off what they and their dogs have learned over the past session. The classes are divided into Novice A (owners who have never trained a dog before) and Novice B (owners who have trained a dog to a certain level previously).
The top dogs in Alix’s class were:
Novice A: Brenda D’Argis and Scout
Novice B: Meredith Reeve and Scamper
Cherry’s class winners were:
Novice A: Jason Grist and Bo
Novice B: Candace Boyle and Charlie
The overall winners were:
Toketie Point Trophy for the top Novice A dog – Jason Grist and Bo
Hudson Perpetual Trophy for the top Novice B dog – Meredith Reeve and Scamper
As always, we are grateful to our wonderful volunteers who sweep and wash the mats at the end of each session! You are the best!





NOSA Trial Results – October 23, 2016
Rally Novice B turned out to be the closest competition of the day with both Karen Blair (Crosby) and Duncan Morrison (Sable) scoring 100! Karen was 17 seconds quicker over the course and earned first place!
Cherry Condrey (Wynn) was the highest score in obedience with a qualifying mark of 182.5 in Novice B
NOSA Trial Rally Obedience:
Class | Placing | Score | Owner | Dog |
Novice B | 1st | 100 | Karen Blair | Crosby |
2nd | 100 | Duncan Morrison | Sable | |
Advanced B | 3rd | 97 | Jody Waldie | Mystique |
4th | 95 | Karen Rae | Tulips | |
Excellent B | 2nd | 88 | Lee Pears | Feist |
NOSA Trial Obedience:
Class | Placing | Score | Owner | Dog |
Novice A | 3rd | 172 | Jan Gillis | Gracie |
Novice B | 1st | 182.5 | Cherry Condrey | Wynn |

BC Governments Proposed Laws for Dog Breeders
http://www.ckc.ca/en/CKC-Consults-BC-Government
- On April 26 the CKC consulted with the BC Government to develop new animal welfare laws which would assist the BC SPCA monitor, and take action against, irresponsible breeders.
- During the consultation, the BC government confirmed that an Order-in-Council (OIC) was passed on April 22, recognizing the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association’s Code of Practice for Kennel Operations ( CVMA’s Code of Practice for Kennel Operations) as the operating procedure for the BC SPCA.
- The CKC stressed that select provisions in the CVMA Code of Practice for Canadian Kennel Operations—for example the CVMA position statement on cosmetic surgery and raw food diets—are not indicative of a substandard kennel operation and do not align CKC’s Code of Practice for Member Breeders. The CKC also expressed that CKC member breeders are dedicated to the preservation of a particular dog age breed and as such, many produce on average, one or two litters a year. Other sections are also a cause for concern as they are out-dated (i.e. the vaccination schedule for puppies; the age for spaying and neutering, etc.)
- During discussions, CKC also raised concerns about the BC governments proposed licensing/registration system which will impact responsible breeders but not irresponsible breeders. They also requested clarification for clearly defined terms for “Puppy Mill” and “Commercial Breeder”.
- As part of the consultation process, the BC government asked CKC to invite BC members to provide input on the proposed legislation.
- If you are a dog breeder or dog owner, this law affects you and any future dogs you may purchase of breed.
- A group of responsible breeders have written an explanation and included a sample letter that breeders and dog owners can modify and send to their own MLA. You can insert your own info and send as is or use it as a starting point and change it at will. There is also a link to help you find your MLA. This is your opportunity to be heard.
CKC trial results April 15 & 16, 2016
We had a wonderful two-day CKC trial!
NOSA members completing titles were:
Novice Rally:
Lee Pears with Feist,
Marilyn Clayton with Smoochie,
and Meredith Reeve with Abby.
Advanced Rally:
Duncan Morrison with Taran
Novice Obedience:
Duncan Morrison with Sable
We would like to thank our two esteemed judges, Marion Postage and David Denis, they were both still smiling at the end of two long days!
Of course no event is successful without the volunteers! From the trial chair to the raffle table to the ring stewards to the soup servers – none of this is possible without you. Thank you!

NOSA Trial Results – March 19, 2016
Kudos to Kevin McLaughlin who entered his first competition with his dog Kelty. The Novice A class was large and one-half of the entries did not qualify (failed to score 170 or above). Below are the results of the NOSA members.
NOSA Trial Rally Obedience:
Class | Placing | Score | Owner | Dog |
Novice A | 1st | 98 | Meredith Reeve | Abby |
Advanced A | 1st | 96 | Ashley Dittmer | Cleo |
Advanced B | 2nd | 95 | Duncan Morrison | Taran |
3rd | 93 | Lee Pears | Feist | |
Excellent B | 2nd | 85 | Shay Lockhart | Lola |
NOSA Trial Obedience:
Class | Placing | Score | Owner | Dog |
Novice A | 6th | 182 | Kevin McLaughlin | Kelty |
Novice B | 1st | 190.5 | Duncan Morrison | Sable |

Congratulations on your first trial Kelty!
Congratulations to Our 2015 Trophy Winners
Three annual AIOC trophies were awarded at NOSA’s November AGM. Recipient of the Sidney Recreation Committee Cup for highest single score for the year by a NOSA member were Marilyn Clayton and “Smoochie”, with a score of 198. The Heatherlee CDX Trophy for the highest Open score by a NOSA member was awarded to Duncan Morrison and “Teija” with a score of 193.5. The Beaulieu Perpetual Trophy (highest Novice A or Open A score by a NOSA member) went to Dorothy Liedtke and “Franklin” with a score of 191.5.

Marilyn Clayton and Duncan Morrison.
Achievements in Obedience 2015
Also presented at the November AGM were plaques in recognition of achievements in Obedience. This included both individual plaques as well as adding new names to NOSA’s perpetual plaques. Individual plaques were awarded to Duncan Mossion and “Taran” for their CD, and to Judy Wood and “Rebus”, also for their CD. Duncan Morrison and “Teija” were the recipients of a plaque recogning their achievement of their CDX.
The following names were added to the CKC Obedience Perpetual plaques:
CD
- Taran of Caorunn CD, RN “Taran”, Labrador Retriever, Duncan Morrison
- Tollegend Take A Chance On Me, CGN, AgX, AgU, AgXJIP, “Rysk”, Papillon, Kathy Campbell
CDX
- Am/Can CH. Sunnland’s Blame It On Rio, CDX, HSs, AgXS, AgXJS, NPS,CGN “Smoochie” Smooth Collie, Marilyn Clayton
- Mosaic’s Dream Weaver CDX, “Clancy” Shetland Sheepdog, Norah Shandley
- Caorunn’s Summer Maid CDX,RA, “Teija”, Labrador Retriever, Duncan Morrison

Duncan Morrison with Taran’s CD plaque and Teija’s CDX plaque. Well done Duncan!
New Rally Plaques Awarded
At NOSA’s November 2015 AGM, there were 39 AIOC Rally Obedience plaques to be awarded to NOSA members. Since these plaques were retroactive back to 2008, there were many handler/dog teams that were in line to receive multiple plaques recognizing their achievements as they moved up through the titling progression. Some members had quite the handful of plaques, representing not only multiple titles but multiple dogs as well!


Duncan Morrison, Elizabeth Skaggs, Lee Pears, Marilyn Clayton (standing in for Rod Deacon) and Jan Gillis proudly displaying their new NOSA Rally Novice Obedience plaques.

Duncan Morrison, Cherry Condrey, Elizabeth Skaggs, (Marilyn Clayton (standing in for Rod Deacon), Lee Pears, Lori Bulmer and Jan Gillis are all smiles as they receive their Rally Advanced plaques.
Congratulations to our 2015 Fall Grad Trophy Winners!
We had some wonderful new dogs in our 2015 Fall Session of classes. Here are two great teams who excelled in their exercises at the Beginners Graduation at the end of the term. Marissa Armstrong teamed up with her dog Arnold to win the Toketie Point Trophy for the Highest Scoring Beginner dog trained by a Novice A (never trained a dog before) handler. Nancy Carroll and her poodle Sunny received the Hudson Perpetual Trophy for the Highest Scoring Beginner dog trained by a Novice B (experienced) handler.


Marissa Armstrong & Arnold

Nancy Carroll & Sunny
A Profound Loss for NOSA
NOSA’s President Rod Deacon passed away very unexpectedly on May 30, 2015 from a massive heart attack. He had been in a good place in his life. He was working as a Legislative Assistant for a MLA. It was a job he really enjoyed and he loved working in the Parliament Buildings. He was President of NOSA, and our club had just won a Hearts of the Community award for outstanding volunteer service of an organization to its community—a goal Rod had worked toward for several years. He managed NOSA’s web site and FaceBook page, which he also enjoyed doing and he was the Vice-President of the Flat-Coated Retriever Society of Canada—he enjoyed supporting the breed he loved. He was also an active member of North Saanich’s Heritage Advisory Commission. And he had accomplished most of what he’d hoped to accomplish with his dog, Lindy, who is an Obedience Champion, an Agility Champion as well as having earned a number of advanced field trial titles—he loved working Lindy in the field retrieving ducks.
Rod made an immense contribution to the success of NOSA in recent years, and he is much missed by friends throughout the dog community.
