Chapter 72: A new experience - in which our heroine is exposed to the fast paced world of dog agility fanatics

I spent last Sunday morning at a dog agility competition. No really, I did. I do occasionally leave the house and venture out into the sun, as my sunburned arms will attest (those of us who thrive on being blindingly pasty seldom think of applying sunblock). My supervisor, Alison the Dog Lover, is a member of the Greater Western Agility, Obedience and Herding Club, and she invited me along to lend a hand with the event. Having nothing better to do, and not quite realizing that it involved an 8am start on a weekend morning, I said yes.

So on Sunday, I dragged myself out of bed when the alarm went off, smacked Ben with a pillow for having the audacity to stay asleep while I faced the cold, cruel world, and dragged myself - sans coffee, no less - to one of the local parks, where I would find out what I was in for. And I have to admit, it was pretty cool. Of course I had NO idea what I was doing as a steward and was responsible for creating a rather cheerful chaos, but watching these incredibly athletic dogs run the course was just amazing. They're so focused, so intent - waiting for their handler's signal to start the course, quivering in anticipation, they're wound up so tight you could pluck them like a guitar string. Fabulous.

The variety of breeds took me completely by surprise - I mean look at this! That top left dog is a Papillon. I had no idea you could even do this kind of competing with them - I always thought they were more of the type to just sit on your lap and yap at passing dust.

Of course the Border Collies are the most impressive; this is what they're built for, what they love, and it shows - they're so sleek and focused, so lightening quick. They are simply gorgeous, and I could have watched them all day.


But my favorite of the day was an Old English Sheepdog. Between the weight and the excess hair, it was like watching a small, furry tank attempt a grand jeté. Naturally, he completely devastated the course, but had such a blast doing it that you couldn't help but cheer him on (dogs like that really aren't built to break free from gravity).


Of course, now Alison is trying to talk me into training up young Indy into an agility dog...we shall see. Currently I'd settle for just teaching him to stop chewing on the damn irises. *sigh* The joys of a puppy, right?

Note: sorry the pictures are all small. They're also all from here. Same day, same dogs, but I was too slack to take my own photos.