For all you non-agility folks who read my blog (Hi Mom!), this post can be summarized: Yay! My pooch and I had a GREAT WEEKEND!
For you agility pals: The first 4-star event was this weekend. If you don't do USDAA, 4-Star events are point-accumulation tournament events to help determine what dog and handler teams will compete on the world team next year in IFCS (I think that stands for "International Federation of Cynological Sports" or dog sports). After four 4-star events and the Cynosport World Games in Scottsdale in November, the 3 dog and handler teams with the most points will be eligible for world team. MY news is that of the 6 events this past weekend at the 4-star event in California, my huge bc boy won 3 of them and earned points in others. He racked up lotsa points, in other words! It was SO FUN!
And most importantly, I felt like me running him. So many times at events I've "cared about," I have cared WAY TOO MUCH and I've ended up performing so badly and we've not even resembled ourselves on course. But in the case of this weekend, three of our runs were clean and smooth and ended up first place. 3 of our runs were okay and we made it through them, but with bobbles here and there a bit. But in all cases, those runs were "US!" I mean, normally we run some smooth runs AND we make bobbles here and there. That's us (or ME, mainly... my dog is amazingly consistent. It's me who bobbles, really). But even with the bobbles this weekend, I didn't make them because I was nervous or geeky or strange or goofy or weird because I was nervous or intimidated or trying too hard or "trying for the world team." Honestly, I don't expect ANYTHING to come of my point accumulation... but I HAVE learned that it's STINKING FUN to just run and be me and have my big boy be my big boy and have the points/placements/titles/etc. shake down however they might. I've had so many dear friends experience so many heartaches, illnesses and deaths recently that it is TOTALLY APPARENT that scampering about trying to get a dog to lurch itself over a hurdle or to touch some yellow paint is just not important in life. But enjoying a sunny weekend with my family and with several good friends and with my best furry pal and running and feeling the pump of my heart and intake of my lungs and enjoying my health, my family's health and my pooch's health.... well,
IT WAS A GREAT WEEKEND!
