Page 149 - K9 News - Issue 15 - March2021
P. 149
father had died and Mum was living on her own
on the family farm in the Lake District. There
was no question and very little discussion I just
packed my bags and loaded them, and our 5
Weimaraners in the car and moved ‘home’. John
and I started a very successful dog focussed
guest accommodation business at the farm and
ran that until our retirement in 2018.
Fortunately there was a fantastic little agility
club (Wigton DTC) which held classes just 5
miles from the farm. Sophie was now too old to
attend but I went along with her daughter, Billie.
Billie was a fantastic first agility competition dog,
slow and accurate and never worried by having
to repeat exercises again and again because
her dumb handler couldn’t get it right. Wigton Lucy - Weaving
were a competitive bunch but also exceptionally on fire and we ended her career still in grade 2
supportive. After just a few months training (of a possible 7). As she approached retirement
we were off to our first competition. It was I was totally hooked and too impatient to ‘bring
incredible, so different from breed shows, the on a puppy’. Introducing a puppy to agility takes
people standing ring side ooed and ah’d with at least 18 months as they aren’t allowed to
genuine excitement or empathy. There was no train with some of the equipment until they have
subjectivity, nobody’s personal interpretation just stopped growing. What I know now is that there
simple easy rules – if a pole is down a pole is are a million other things that you can do with a
down, black and white, no argument or ring side puppy from aged 8 weeks when you first take it
mutterings. home that are perfect preparation for an agility
career.
The other vast difference, which still makes
me chuckle, is the dress code. I remember I was naïve and decided that the quickest way to
travelling to breed shows whilst tonging my hair get a new competition dog was to get a rescue
and applying make-up – no I wasn’t driving. aged 12 -18 months show it a few basics and off
There was a change of clothes in the back so we go. No!! that was not to be.
that I didn’t enter the ring crumpled. Some often
My rescue, Lucy (Spoilt Rotten AWS), was an
travelled with a whole change of outfit incase
immensely troubles child and it took me three
they were lucky enough to get into the group
full years to build her confidence to a level
ring.
where she was able to compete. My ‘fast track’
Agility shows are the polar opposite. Most agility turned into a ‘slow boat’. She was however
shows are held over 2-10 days which means awesome and I would not have missed a
most people stay over at least a night or two, moment of our journey together. Her troubled
sleeping in caravans, motorhomes, tents or start made even the simplest of successes
even squeeze into a tiny space in a caged out amazing moments. One of the best trophies
van. Dress code is often, whatever you wore she and I won was a special award presented
yesterday and the day before and possibly at Lune Valley show for “The slowest clear
even the day before that. My hair never sees round”. I struggled so hard to keep her focus
shampoo for a couple of days let alone a styling in that class as she kept running out of the ring
brush…… but I always, but always wear the or stopping in her tracks staring another dog
brightest and happiest smile. down with her “what d’you think your lookin at?”
expression.
As I said, Billie was never going to set the world
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K9 NEWS DIGITAL / MARCH 2021
