Clean Run - March 2012 - 5

Editorializing…
C-ATCH 2 or No C-ATCH, It Is the Journey
By Catherine Romaine Brown

I am not a kid and like many of us dog loving, full of life, and ripened people, I love agility. The first time I ever saw agility was at Fair Hill, Maryland while attending an important equine event. I was astounded at the sight of fleetfooted people flashing dogs around a world different than mine with horses. Agility looked like fun and inspired my interest as my experiences following hounds and riding horses came to a conclusion. I am a tourist to the sport but find such delight in the journey of learning with my dog and other dog lovers. I am a grandmother running my dog and I feel healthy and wealthy with agility friends. A lot of my agility pals are also of like mind and spirit. I am a student at 66 and learn from Helene Juice. Learning makes me feel more alive and in tune. I do wish I had found this sport earlier but rejoice at the fun I enjoy now. My first agility dog is Twister, a Jack Russell Terrier. Yesterday we missed our second C-ATCH by 2 seconds. I did not stick to my walked-out strategy nor did I have a parachute folded carefully in my mind, just in case. Messing up that qualifying run and not getting to that happy goal was not bad. It was good because of what I learned: to stick to my plan, or if not, to look at the whole picture. It opened a new door of personal understanding. I made dumb mistakes during my run, yet my dog did exactly what I asked of him. It made me appreciate Twister’s capacity more. We were truly a team, and that little dog loves me and agility. That weekend he allowed me the first lead-out that I have asked of him in a year or more of competition. He also allowed me to catch him at the end of a run with his leash instead of me having to struggle to make contact with him—getting him to want to leave the ring with me in tow is not his forte! But this time he gave that to me. What a gift! What a second-saver in trial time!

So many of us have been there where the vision of success we played in our mind was not what we got. The success is always the big lift but not always the big lesson. It is a flower blooming and not fading. If it were really easy to achieve would we not be dulled by the too easy unfolding of progress? We would miss the challenge of the progression forward. None of it is ordinary from the true beginner to the best at the top of the sport of agility. We are so blessed to be able to team with our dogs and friends in this sport. Our dogs do this sport for and with us! It is such precious time and intense “work,” yet more importantly play. I have locked myself out of my own car at an agility event. One time in a blizzard I could not find my car keys. Agility friends helped me. The keys were found. I have lost weight and kept it off doing agility. I have done some notable dumb agility bloopers and continue to do them. Friends have made things better. Mostly I have gained along this path. It is knowledge and insight shared with friends with dogs. Sharing knowledge and stories ringside is a treasure trove. Helping with the many jobs at a trial gives one a chance to be amongst the teams at all levels, and to learn with and from them. Seeing new teams coming along to cheer is added fun. Yesterday Twister and I provided a carrot cake from our own garden carrots. Most of it was eaten except Twister’s name. On top of the cake I wrote Twister “C-ATCH 2 or No C-ATCH, it is the journey.” That it truly is!

Catherine Romaine Brown
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Catherine is the author of The Courageous Companion and An Owner’s Guide to the Happy Healthy Pet: The Jack Russell Terrier (books one and two). She is also the chairperson of the Jack Russell Terrier Club of America, a conformation and field working judge for the JRTCA, and the founder of Russell Rescue, Inc. Treetop Twister Acorn is her seven-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, and has earned titles in both CPE and TDAA. Her puppy Jewel is just beginning learning. March 12 | Clean Run

Clean Run - March 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - March 2012