One of my favorite things

(photo by Tien Tran)

Thanks for the posts, Isabella and Zack! I have a lot to talk about that's for sure. I hope to keep it interesting for ya!

One of the things I enjoy most of all is agility. Mom and I have been going to class since I was almost 3 years old because I needed another doggie sport to do. I had finished all the titles you could get in Earthdog at age 2, and she was looking for something else for me to conquer. I like lots of action and agility fit the bill. At first I didn’t understand what in the world I had to do, but when I found out it was running and jumping, I said I could do that! I get so excited it’s hard to pay attention to Mom and I just go run around and forget I’m supposed to let her tell me where to go. Oops. But I love to run!
I have some great teachers. One of my first was Claudia, and she would demonstrate with her dogs and play tug with them, and that got me really excited. I’d bark and want to play too! She was my favorite teacher. She played great! Mom learned how to do it from her, and I love tugging. She can twirl me around in a circle and I won’t let go. Diann is another one of my favorite teachers. She can play rough with me and I love that. I can just look at her and get to barking – I can’t help it. That helps me go faster through the course, getting excited. I wish Mom would do that with me – I love to be excited and go fast, but she’s worried she can’t keep up with me. That’s alright Mom, I’ll show you the way! I’m teaching Mom how to run fast...
My housemate Emmy is also taking classes, but she’s a slowpoke compared to me.
This summer I started doing agility trials, and we finished our Novice titles by August and started going in Open. Mom makes so many mistakes it’s hard not to get impatient with her. If she messes up with the weave poles I start barking at her. She is so dense sometimes! Just let me do it OK? I think she’s beginning to understand I know what I’m doing, let me do it. Thanks to instructor Elsie who told her to let ME find the entrance, please! We’ll teach Mom what to do, won’t we?
Our class session ended this week so we’ll have a break for the holidays. I’ll get bored...Josie tries to keep me entertained but she’s got no idea how much fun agility is. Mom doesn’t have time to take everybody she’d like to class which is too bad. Old Nathan took a couple of classes before I was born, and now I know how much he liked it. His bum leg wouldn’t let him compete, but he enjoyed what he did.
We have an agility seminar this weekend which Mom says should be a ton of fun. It’s a new teacher, someone famous, so I’ll be anxious to meet her. Mom says I need to perform well for her. What is she talking about – I always do well, it’s Mom who messes up! Duh! Then there’s a Christmas party the following weekend where they’ll have games for us. That should be fun. Otherwise I’ll be looking forward to the next session of classes. I wish Mom would enter some more trials for us, but she says there aren’t that many close by this time of year. Aw, Mom! No fair!