Shock Therapy News - Summertime Showdown!

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STS Summertime Showdown

That's right, ladies and gents. It's our first time hosting a dog show here at Shock Therapy Stables. This summer season promises to be mild and breezy, so we thought it'd be an excellent time to show off both our stock and see the stock of other kennels perform in the sunshine. All breeds are welcome and there will be a number of hunting-based events for all dogs to choose from, and the prizes are hundreds of points for each and every winner!
If you're interested in participating, here's a rundown of rules and events. Feel free to comment with any questions you have!


Events:

- Racing
Dogs will be released in groups of 8 onto our oval shaped race-training track, typically used for our horses. The track is a quarter of a mile in full length and has a floor made of moderately packed dirt. The track is wide, designed to accommodate horses, so the lure will be dragged around at the track's center by a pacing vehicle- likely the stable's black pick-up truck. The edges of the track are lined with sparse white wooden fencing much taller than the dogs, so the spaces beneath the crossbeams will be filled with chain link fencing to keep the dogs from straying off of the track. All participants should be wearing a number in clear view.

To participate in a race, dogs must be a minimum of two years old, but may be of any breed. Our races are not limited to greyhounds or sighthounds.


- Earth Dog Trials
Dogs will be released one-by-one into a small maze of underground tunnels, which will have small cameras mounted in it in order to follow the animal's progress. A number of passageways will lead to dead ends (all dead ends have escape hatches in their ceiling, which can be opened to remove a dog if trouble arises or the dog appears to give up) and the dog will have to navigate the tunnels through their sense of smell. The appropriate tunnel will have a live animal (likely a woodchuck) in a protective cage at the end, which the dogs are free to paw at, bark at, bite at, etc. The dogs that reach the end of the maze the fastest and put up the greatest fuss upon finding the animal will win the event.

To participate in an Earth Dog Trial, dogs must be a minimum of one year old, but may be of any breed. In order to fit in the tunnels, a dog must be no taller than 18 inches at the shoulder.


- Dock-Diving
Dogs will be given three dive attempts each, the highest of which will be used for judging. Seated at one end of the dock, dogs are to run on command as fast as they can to the end of the dock 36 feet away and leap as far into the water as possible. Toys and lures may be thrown as bait for the dog to chase. Our dock is a standard dark/red wood dock with a black rubber mat laid down the center of its length for traction. It leads out into a small lake at the back of the stables. The lake is clear, free of most fish and any predators that might be a danger to the dogs. But even so, floating nets will extend into the water on both sides of the dog, both serving to keep wild animals from interfering, but also to display various distances up to 50 feet from the dock's nose.

To participate in a dock dive, dogs must be a minimum of two years old but may be of any breed. Our dock diving event is not limited to retrievers or hunting breeds.


- Lure Coursing
Dogs will be released in groups of four for this event, which takes place in one of our empty horse pastures. A line of rubber wire is laid out between pulleys mounted in the grass. The wire is then attached to a small winch, which pulls the wire (and the white rabbit fur lure attached to it) through the course. For each coursing trial, the course will be changed and rearranged, but will always have at least four turns and no jumps or obstacles, and will always be approximately 1000 yards in length. Dogs will be judged on how well they follow the lure.

To participate in our lure coursing, dogs must be a minimum of two years old but may be of any breed. Our lure coursing is not limited to sighthounds.

- Field Tracking
Dogs will be released one-by-one into the woods surrounding the Shock Therapy Stable's property, usually followed close behind by a handler. A scent trail will be laid out before each dog's turn and the idea of the event is for the dog to follow the trail as precisely as possible. Items of clothing will be dropped by the target along the way and the dog should be able to locate all of these lost items before finding the target (one of our stable workers) hiding somewhere in the woods. For added difficulty, this event will take place at night. Handlers may fit their dogs with GPS, lights or reflectors in order to better keep track of them. The field in which the tracking events begin will be brightly lit, dotted with blue tents for signing up, shade and refreshments. The dog who finds the target person the fastest, while still regaining all articles of clothing, will be the victor.

To participate in our field tracking event, dogs must be a minimum of one year old but may be of any breed. Our tracking is not limited to scent hounds.


Rules:
- No traced artwork or pre-made linearts. And we mean this. Artwork that we recognize as being traced from a reference picture will be immediately disqualified (yes, we can tell). Please use your own original work.
- Please do not recycle old show entries. All submissions should be fresh and original, specific to this show.
-You are more than welcome to enter multiple dogs into multiple events. You can enter the same dog in different events if you'd like, as well.
- Some attempt at a background is required, but we are not requiring that each entry have a fully painted detailed backdrop. Simplifications are acceptable. Do not use doctored photographs for your backgrounds. We'd rather your picture have no background than a filtered-out photo.
- All breeds are welcome in all competitions, with the exception of the Earth Dog Trials, which has a size limit.
- Mixed breeds are acceptable, as are any well-established fictional breeds as long as they are realistic in design and ability. No supernatural/fantasy breeds, please (ie- animals with magical powers or neon colors or anything absurd of that nature).
- No form of registration is required. Just submit your entry via a note to us with whatever information you feel is pertinent (dog name, breed, and gender at least).
- A story/written roleplay sample is not required. We would much rather see any roleplay details drawn out in the image rather than having to read a novel with each entry. Roleplays and stories will not increase ones chances of winning.


Setting:
Shock Therapy Stables is a large compound situated in the rolling foothills of western Pennsylvania. A very rural location, there is only a small town about a mile's distance down a small single lane road. The rest of the area is dominated by open fields, clusters of forests and streams here and there, mountains and neighboring farms and kennels. Weather promises to be bright and sunny with some clouds, but no threat of rain.


Judging:
Although judgment will largely come down to a matter of opinion, there are a few things that may be added or included in an event entry that will give one a higher chance of winning. For the purpose of giving participants a rough idea, we've set up a very basic scoring system.

- Dog's anatomy and design compared to the breed standard (50 credits)
- Posing and composition (30 credits)
- Presence and detail of dog's ref sheet and biography (25 credits)
- Accuracy of sport (20 credits)
- Accuracy of setting, lighting and background (15 credits)
- Display of action, character and expression (10 credits)

Optional/Bonuses:

- Training pictures headshot only (+10 credits)
- Training pictures, half or full body (+20 credits)
- Other forms of extra artwork (+5 credits)
- Shading (+30 credits)
- Full/Detailed background (+30 credits)
- Partially visible handler (+10 credits)
- Fully visible handler (+20 credits)
- Multiple/Extra views of dog (+20 credits, per view)
- Including STS staff or animals in the show entry, training pics, or any other extra artwork, excluding breeding pictures (+25 credits)

Things that will not affect score:

- Stories, roleplay posts, writing
- Raw artistic ability (we judge more based on effort and design really)
- Filters, effects, and textures


Prizes:
A full set of prizes (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Honorable Mentions) will be awarded for each sport. Both point prizes and STS artwork will be offered. The type of artwork may be negotiated after winning, if you'd rather get a free design set or something different from what is listed here. We are going to be pretty lenient about this.

1st place- 300 , fully shaded detailed art of any one of your stable animals, free breeding slot/litter request from STS, and a trophy
2nd place- 150 , flat colored art of any one of your stable animals, free breeding slot/litter request from STS, and a small trophy
3rd place- 50 , flat colored headshot of any one of your stable animals, a free breeding slot/litter request from STS, and a ribbon

Honorable mentions- 25 , flat colored headshot of the animal entered in the show, and a ribbon


Due Date for Entries:
August 20th

Entries will be posted here! Check them out if you haven't already, we've gotten some truly beautiful art and dogs!