You probably don't remember the State Fair from last year. It started (and ended) shortly after we moved in to our new house. This year, 2008, the MN State Fair played a big part in our house--Beannie was part of a select group of pooches to attend the fair and show off their skills.
Now, in your early years, if I had known better, we would have had you in any type of obedience club or gathering that would take dogs of questionable (read: mixed) parentage. Unfortunately for you and me, I was not that aware of the opportunities around us--either that or dogs of mixed breeds were not welcome to attend the organized functions back then. It is still true today, that most organized agility functions are for purebreds only, but I am hopeful the gates are loosening.
In any event, we went to the fair today. How, you ask? Well, since the Pet Center is literally one mile from the house, we improvised. I spent a few nights packing and repacking...took test runs both with and without the gear, and finally determined we could ROLLERBLADE to the Pet Center, at the State Fair. So we did. I carried the gear, and Paisle's kennel on my back via straps, had my chair in my left hand (in its collapsable case), and Beannie's leash in my right hand.
It took longer than anticipated to arrive at the venue. We unpacked quickly, set up the crate, shoved Paisle inside, and then helped set up the different agility courses. It was so much fun! I learned a lot about the different pieces of equipment (see saw, tunnels, weights, jumps, etc.) and met a lot of really nice people too.
When it came time for Obedience, Paisle was a rock star. She performed everything asked of her, even after she was identified by the announcer as a Level 1 (i.e. novice) Representative. She moved through the crowds for the meet/greet piece as though she'd been doing Introductions for years, and she'll be 9 months old next week!!!
I am so proud of what she's accomplished, in such a short period of time. Several people asked me how I was able to teach her to do so much, in such a short period, and I honestly replied that it is more her, than me, that has brought us so far. She's so eager to please--training has been simple and more importantly, FUN!
My friend Steve arrived in the early afternoon, and took some photos. There was a shooter there as well, who attended most of the initial meet/greets and warm ups, so I am hopeful I'll receive some photos from some of these folks, so I can post them here. What a day!
I was only able to take a few photos myself. Here is Beannie, checking out some of the stuffed toys and dumbbells that will be strewn throughout the course, as distractions. It's hard to tell, but her head is stuck b/w the back and seat of a wooden bench, on which the toys reside.
And here she is, right before we go in to the show ring for warm ups:
No comments:
Post a Comment