A woman in our rescue group, Teri, is also involved in dog agility and this past weekend her group ARFF (Agility is Really Fun for Fido) had a competition nearby and invited anyone to attend and watch the dogs run the course. Having nothing better to do, we packed Lizzy into the Jeep, picked up Cindy and her son Jake and headed out to watch the fun.
It was such a neat place. Dave and I had seen such things on TV but never watched dogs run these courses in person. Lizzy was in heaven with all the dogs around. She was pretty good, but all the excitement got the howls going in her. She was very friendly with all the dogs and people she met. And I fell in love with the 9 month old Golden Retriever who came to say hello to us. Her ears were so soft she reminded me of Panda (who still holds the title of Softest Ears).
Besides watching the dogs run the circuit, one enjoyable part was seeing so many well-behaved dogs and their owners. Quite the difference than what we see at some of the parks and even at Petco where owners aren't always paying attention or correcting their dogs when necessary.
Better still were the owners who clearly had worked with their dogs on the course but didn't take themselves too seriously when the dog completely forgot what he or she was supposed to do on the course. One little poodle was so excited for the treat his owner had that it took 3 or 4 tries through the weave poles. He eventually did it, but the look on his face was purely that of a dog (not an athlete) as though to say, "I don't understand. Why won't you just give me the treat?"
It was hot so we didn't stay too long, but we did have a good time watching the runs and being outside with other dog lovers. Lizzy had a fun time and finally let me get a picture of her in the car. This is her happy face. It's also her "let's play"face, her "I'm hungry" face and her "I've got to pee" face. She does, however, have another face for "I don't understand these words you're speaking."
Dave and I are hoping that we when adopt our very own dog, she'll be smart enough and eager enough to do some agility exercises. Or at least I hope we're smart enough to teach her.
My best friend does agility most weekends of the year, and her whippet is in the top 10 in the US. Anyway, my favorite part is all the well behaved dogs, as opposed to the majority of my patients that I deal with all day. Oh, and seeing the Novice dogs, and the toy breed dogs do agility :)
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