Supreme Enlightenment

It’s lovely and sunny this morning in the north east as I leave L to lounge in bed and get three agility runs in before breakfast. During his two weeks without an event MD seems to have experienced some sort of supreme enlightenment about what he’s supposed to be doing in this agility lark and he storms around his first course. He’s very quick and leaves everything standing upright, which is a bonus. Then Doggo puts in a decent showing on his first run that lands us a 12th place, although we’ll have words about some of his contact points later, which were a little too close for comfort. MD then spoils our collective good start by demolishing his jumping course but I soon forgive him when I wonder back to check on where we ended up on his first course.

It’s still running but OMG we’re in the lead... OMG. The class runs for around two hours and 110 dogs but it takes until 5 minutes from the end for someone to finally beat his time. We get 2nd. I give him a hug, he ignores me and yaps at a dog three rings away. I’m sure he’s just playing it cool and trying to look nonchalantly unbothered.

For a while there I thought we were on for a surprise win. I’m partly disappointed and partly relieved that we didn’t win. An agility win would mean we get promoted up to the next grade, which means tougher courses. I’m not sure he’s ready for that yet. Well he might be but not sure I’m ready for that yet.

Doggo meanwhile is still pushing his luck with his ‘contacts’, so I stop him on one course, pick him up and put him back on the contact point. He looks at me incredulously, as if I’m treating him like a novice who doesn’t know what he’s doing whilst the judge makes throat cutting gestures to the scorer to indicate we’ve been eliminated for the illegal manhandling of my dog. He redeems himself with a clear on his jumping course.

MD hasn’t finished though, on his next course he puts in another stormer. His dog walk has suddenly become so awesomely fast, he travels across it so fast that he slides off the end seemingly unable to stop, until he suddenly remembers he supposed to (when I yell at him in panic) and does. Clear again. We go straight into 2nd, so at least no nervous wait worrying about winning it this time.

In the end we get bumped down to third but that’s another trophy. Looks like its brie again tonight then and posh crisps. Seems it was a waste of time bringing dog food with us.

(Saturday 18th September)