What an incredible weekend I had with my sister, Sandy. We drove to Westchester, Maryland on Friday evening so we could be ready for the Golden Retriever Agility Trial being held the following two days.
Sandy has been competing in agility for nearly 20 years and has earned a wonderful reputation both as a competitor and as a trainer. Here she is getting Rosie ready to go into the ring for the final event of the day yesterday. Although Rosie had three awesome runs on Saturday she failed to double "Q", which means she needed two runs in one day where she had a "qualifying" run, both completing the agility run without any mistakes and also doing it within the time allotted.
So, coming into Sunday morning, the pressure was on. I had whispered to Rosie "if you get your double Q today, I'll buy you your very own hot dog, but don't tell your mommy!!"
My job, all weekend, was to hold the vision of Sandy getting her final double Q. Now keep in mind, in order to get each title, MACH 1, MACH 2, ... the dog needs 20 double Q's. Rosie had been trying since November of last year to complete this title. It also is worth mentioning, Rosie is the only German Short-haired Pointer in AKC history to earn this MACH 5 title. There are several GSP's coming up behind her which are earning their MACH titles, but Rosie is leading the way. For those of you who don't know what MACH is, it's Master Agility Champion.
Here's Sandy getting Rosie ready to start the final run of the day. She Q'd in the first event and all she needs is a clean run in this event. I stood there, holding my breath, watching Rosie and Sandy go through each obstacle until finally Rosie jumped over the final pole and the whole crown exploded in cheers and applause. Most of the people who enter these events have been competing together for years and they all know each other. Dogs of all persuasions and sizes compete, beginning with the 4" breeds on up to 26" breeds. Sandy and Rosie compete at the 20" level. So, CONGRATULATIONS SANDY AND ROSIE!!!!!
Later, I told my brother-in-law, it was a good thing Rosie got her title this weekend, or else I was going to have to stay until she did. Considering I've been here a month now, I could see the look of relief on his face, knowing I'd be leaving soon. Actually he's been very accomodating and easy to be around. Although he and Sandy have been married over 40 years, I've never spent this much time around him and we've had a really good time getting to know each other better.
This little cutie is Sami. She's a Labradoodle competing at the 24" level and just a few weeks ago completed her MACH 1 title. She is an absolutely amazing dog, friendly, outgoing, loves agility and most everyone knows who she is. I've fallen deeply in love with her and I keep threatening to take her on the road with me. The AKC just changed their rules and are letting cross-breeds compete now, so I expect Sami will be earning many titles before she's done.
If you see or speak to Sandy, be sure to congratulate her. Rosie is 11 years old now, so we're not sure how many more events she'll be competing in. Not to worry, though, Sandy and Tom have quite a few more dogs they can work in the ring.
Hasta luego, mi amigos y amigas!!!!!
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