Sure, Lilly knows all kinds of regular tricks like shake, high-five, and rollover. In addition to all the agility things she later learned, Lilly originally jumped through a hoola-hoop and snuck across the floor on her belly. But, I’m always looking for ways to up the ante. So, I got out my exercise ball last summer and came up with something new.
The one and only time Lilly did the competition-sized teeter I nearly cried with joy. It was a fluke that’s yet to be repeated. So, months of endless frustration followed those brief moments of happiness. Here’s how it happened …
“Your dog needs to drop 3-5 pounds.” So began our first-ever private agility lesson with a handler who has been on the AKC world team. I thought Lilly looked great at 39 pounds, so I must have made a face because the next thing she said, dropping her sunglasses just enough to make eye contact, “This is agility, not conformation.”
Devastating grief compells me to go completely off topic today. I’m sad to report the suicide of a long-time friend. She was a brilliant, funny, most excellent woman, and I (and many others) are crushed by her loss. As my way of coping, I often draft a list of lessons I’ve learned from friends and family who have died. Here’s my list from Jody:
People who do not know better talk about agility as a sport only for dogs, like the dogs run and work alone, like they magically do all these advanced behaviors without any input. Even friends and family seem amused (at best) at our continual pursuit of canine learning. At our peak, we took three classes a week (one obedience, one rally, one agility). I call them all “puppy class” as a recognizable phrase for Lilly, and maybe that’s where I go wrong.
Lilly is extremely travel worthy. She’s pretty quiet. She doesn’t throw up. If you’d like proof of her intestinal prowess, check out this video …
As our training saga went from days to weeks, weeks to months, months to (goodness help me) more than a year, people began asking me why I don’t just let Lilly stay home and get another agility dog to train and run competitively. It’s an interesting idea, which begs the question … Which came first, the dog or the sport?
Maybe all new handlers think the same thing, but I honestly imagined Lilly could be quite an agility dog. Her early learning curve and performance astounded me. As time went on and difficulties mounted, reality forced me to adjust my expectations. The question lately … “How low can I go?”
The first indications of trouble slid by me. I saw them, but I did not worry. Some I actually found endearing. Rather than stay by my side, she’d run to my coat like she was ready to leave, for example. It wasn’t until later that I realized my little sweetie, who is perfectly smart enough for agility, perfectly athletic enough for agility, might not be emotionally strong enough for the sport that captured my imagination.
We don’t really know Lilly’s birthday, but the humane society guessed (based on her teeth) that she was about 5 months old when we adopted her in October 2004. Counting back, that means she probably was born sometime in May. Since we do know that our big boy Ginko was born May 13, we decided to make life easy.
