Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Hey...

Jo and Sarah....

you just won regionals. :)


Just wanted to tell the world what awesome training partners I have.



A few months ago my friend Sarah wasn't sure if she would even be able to run again, let alone do agility. With the help of her physiotherapist, and "bar-knee" she came back even stronger (if that's possible). Her little dog Gyp was a rescue that came into her life when I asked her to dogsit my foster dog for the weekend. No one wanted little Gyp, and I just knew it would be a perfect match. And it was. Sarah and Gyp are an amazing team. It is as if they are reading each others mind. Gyp didn't put one foot out of place all weekend. She ran 6 for 6. How many dogs can do that? She not only Q'd in each run she did it with flair and speed. Placing first in every run but one. Sarah is the most dedicated trainer I know. And Gyp is just one of those dogs that you can't help but love. (big feet and all) Seriously. I am so proud of both of them.


And Jo and Tag. What a journey they have had. It is still absolutely amazing that they won the 22" Division. As with most areas you can be assured that it is very competitive and very large. There were 40 dogs in that class. And they won it. I am still in shock about it. Jo and Tag started training with us when Tag was just a pup. Already you could see the potential in the team. Tag is very intense, and serious about his job. And Jo is very intense and serious about her job. It was a match made in heaven really. This past year they have finally started running as a team, working together instead of against each other. Jo's handling is incredible, and Tag is a very good boy. He didn't knock one bar all weekend- this from a dog who often was smashing three or four bars per run. Jolayne has put a lot of hard work, sweat and tears into Tag and it is just so incredible to see it pay off. We were all genuinely shocked when his name still hadn't been called for 5, 4, 3rd place. When all the placements were called but first we all cried. :) (okay, I got a tear in my eye and Sarah and Jo bawled like babies. :o) ) If anyone deserves that amount of success it is them. I am very proud of Jo- not many people can get a handle on a dog like tag, and not many people would have stuck it out. But she did- and I would say it was worth it.

and not to leave out the other Go Dog Go'ers...

Lynn and Lucy had some pretty amazing runs- Lucy is not an easy dog to run, and Lynn has had to do a lot of work to get her motivation and drive up. They rocked the jumpers runs, and had a great standard on Sunday. It is so nice to see all of Lynn's hard work pay off. Lucy has always been called "the Golden Child" compared to wild man Tag, and there is a reason for that. Lucy almost always does the right thing- as long as Lynn tells her to. Their teamwork and Lynn's handling has improved so much- it was great to watch this weekend.

And the Shelties. Jan and Dave ran their two little Shelties and we are just so proud of them. Jan and BB are just the cutest thing ever and they are a great team. BB ran her heart out and had more than a few clean runs this weekend. Jan always has the best outlook and should be just so proud of herself and BB.

And Dave and Pearl were just great this weekend. Dave never gave up on her, and they had some amazing runs on Sunday. Pearl is not an easy dog and is easily spooked by judges or ring crew, but Dave persists and they did a great job. I am very proud of the two of them and how far they have come.

During the weekend it was often commented in surprise as to how supportive we all were with each other. I watched nearly every run by every dog in our group. And if I missed it I was still supportive and encouraging. I think that I am very lucky to have such great people in our group. :o)

3 comments:

Papillon Penny said...

You guys have the best team ever! Congrats to you all! Almost makes one want to move to Lethbridge!

TAG ALONG said...

ohh.. Amanda
you made me tear up again. Thank-you for all your suppport and talks through out the year and years. I'm still in shock and still have a massive smile on my face.
I'm feeling sad for you and wicca...

Sarah said...

ya, thanks for making me cry Amanda :) i've been an emotional loser for 2 days.

you know what, no matter success or not, our group is there for eachother, and taking part in others success and feeling sympathetic for upsets and speed bumps makes our group what it is. Good or bad, there is always a shoulder to cry on. And having eachother gives us the strength to try harder, push harder. Each person has an ingredient they have added to all of our successes over the years, and I truly believe that is a powerful thing.

Hey Amanda ... hard to believe we started this group together coming up 5 years. Just think how far we've come :)