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 In this section: On Agilitynet:                   
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101 agility stories to warm your cockles
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 I
wanted to share this with others because it was something I had never seen before and
decided then and there I wanted the same.
A dear friend of over 25 years died in an automobile accident last week. Yesterday we attended a lovely memorial service. When we stood for the family to enter the Chapel, my friends dearly loved and faithful dog, Ruger, was walking with his wife and the family. As tears filled my eyes I could only think how appropriate this was. Whenever possible Ruger was with him. When Ruger wasn't with him you would always hear wonderful stories about things he and his dog did together. I had never seen this happen before but I know I
would want my dogs to be there in my final farewell to this earth. I just wanted to share
this with you because I know many of you would feel the same but might not have thought
about the possibility. |
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My family were all very anti-dog. It was only me,
dreaming about having a dog, but they weren't too excited about that. So I was saving
money for my very own dog... all my life I guess.
At age 11, I was finally able to buy a puppy from
dog dealer. He brought me this Samoyed, very independent alpha puppy, so it wasn't a very
promising combination. But this problematic puppy taught me to insist in whatever I'm
doing. As soon as I saved enough money for agility lessons, I went for it, spending an
hour on a bus twice a week to get to training grounds. For months I saw no improvement...
and then he ended as National Champion. It really means a lot to me to succeed with such
a dog. No World Champion title with any dog would mean so much for me as succeeding with
Aiken, the crazy Samoyed I bought when I was 11 years old from my pocket money. |
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Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about
puppies. Gene Hill  |
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Be kind, train with your mind! Stop yelling at your dog! |
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Anyways, I think it boils down to dogs are lousy
generalisers. Allison Bryant |
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We prefer to run our dogs very quietly. It makes the
commands we do use more meaningful. Joan & Ebb Tide Kennels & Stables |
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Non-verbal commands: ?? ?????? ?????? ???????? ??????
?????? ?? !!!!!!!! Guy Blancke (Belgium) |
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If agility really is a team sport, then maybe both
members of the team should get a title. Jay & Wanda Jennings |
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As the instructor at one seminar used to yell
frequently at us - 'MOVE IT!' So run fast but aim to progress slowly.# Ian Pate (Canada) |
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If you aren't having fun, how can he have fun? Going
into the ring with a green dog generates a lot of stress for the dog. Your only job is to
make it a postive experience. Just my opinion. Bud Houston |
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philosophy is to train my dog knowing his abilities and potentials; realizing my short
comings; and compensating for all this in how we are able to execute a course. Most of
all both of us have fun.Victoria Ford & her chocolate agility miniature pinscher This is a game we play for fun, entertainment, and
the joy of playing with our dogs. |
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Train your dog. A canine mind is a terrible thing to
waste. Kathy & the Ravenwood Gang |
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...food motivated? Aren't we all! Julia Lipsio |
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If you go out and over the next jump, through the
tunnel, we too shall meet on the dogwalk. Jason & The Cosmic Samoyed Agility Crew |
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A little over a year ago, I thought that I would never
be able to have this dog off leash in public, let alone compete. She's my first competition dog and shows what hard work and patience and persistence can do. Never give up. Carolyn in Indiana |
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You ought to see my 30" greyhound work the poles...
the epitome of concentration and careful thinking. You can smell the burning rubber... Di Hilliard |
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Make the jumps the most exciting thing in the world,
even if you don't do all the other obstacles. Just make sure to finish on a good note. Emma & Major 'The Wonder Dog' |
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My advice is to be patient and have fun. Love seeing
the dog develop and run wild then finally have things click. Victoria Ford |
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I think the difficulty of duplicating a show
environment also encourages showing earlier in agility. Part of the performance that needs to be put together is the dog dealing with the whole show scene, and it is so hard to set up your agility ring in the grocery store parking lot. Jill E. Hamilton |
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A dogwalk is a great place to overlook the garden
from. Guy Blancke (Belgium) |
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Why doesn't Mom smile when I fly so gracefully from
the top of the A-frame?!! Meredith Bullock |
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I can't help it Mum, agility is too exciting! Emma & Major The Barking Wonder Dog (Western Australia) |
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There is nothing more beautiful than watching a big
dog stretch out. Pat & Cosmo the Leo |
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Don't make your dog spend his weekend on the couch! Deb Locke |
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Train, don't complain. Diane Sanders |
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Hey gang...it's not politics; it's freedom of choice.
Each brand of agility requires a different set of skills, or at least a different
emphasis of handling techniques. Nancy Beach |
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The excitement of working so well with my best friend
is awesome! C. Collins |
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If you go out and over the next jump through the
tunnel, we too shall meet on the dogwalk! Jason E. Loper |
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I can't help it Mum. Agility is too exciting! Emma & Major 'The Barking Wonder Dog' |
I love agility! Hhmmm... I love hanging with my dog in overpriced motel rooms where no one from work can call me on the phone! (Cable is nice, too.) Oh ya. I love the titles we've gotten! |
| Qualifying and winning is great, but the real rewards in this sport are the small things, the things you don't get ribbons for! Arlyn Sigeti |
Words of wisdom for your first show. Repeat after me.
If you want more than this, go to another sport.
You and your dog are not going to be world champions. Neither are we. Neither are 99% of
agility competitors. So just get that out of your mind right away, and have fun. |
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So when you're out there waiting for the 'start when
ready' command, and you're knees start to quake, just look around you, and know that every person watching is a friend, and wishes you the best. Deb Locke |
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The first piece of advice I have to offer to anyone
heading to their first trial is SMILE and concentrate on making the day fun for you both! Bonny Georgia Griffith |
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Asking my Shih-tzu to bark on command greatly
increases her drive. I try to do this at the start line right before we run. It's quite
the crowd pleaser - especially the howls. Linda Sponsler |
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Just sign up for the weekend, have a great time with
your dog, and if the courses end up being really easy for you, that will give you less time to stress and more time to volunteer to help at the show! Jennifer & Maggie Mae |
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The amount of sleep required by the average dog owner
is about five minutes more. Terry Woods |
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Never has a little dog had so much fun, nor received
more kisses. Linda Renfer |
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So, we no longer count points! We take pride in good
runs... And, we're all enjoying agility a lot more. Terry Wright |
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For pete's sake, it's still all about having fun with
your dog, I hope. And the highest honours need to be reserved for the best... else, what
have we to strive for? Lynn Sigman |
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The Babar Pairs is a pairs class for performance dogs
only. It is named after England's prestigious Barbour Pairs, and Babar, the Bay Teams'
resident french bulldog. Jim Basic |
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If ribbons are easy to get, they don't mean as much. Ally Bryant |
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Don't worry. Your dog will get over your knocked down
jump disasters... mine have. Elaine Newman & the Gang |
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I have a fast big dog but I can still go over course
time if there are bobbles. Keep the challenge I say. Work toward excellence. Joyce Angell |
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sure that God has a special place in heaven reserved for all trial secretaries.One can only wonder where He'll put 50% of the competitors! Karen Patton Remember. Judges are human... just like us. I think the 'bible' says it's the judge's ultimate
responsiblity - like everything else in his ring, Treat them Like dogs! |
 Every
little bit that you were able to contribute helps a lot... in fact,if a lot did a little, few would be burdened down with too much. Elinda & the American Wild Bunch But remember, if a number of people volunteer a
small amount of time, |
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If, however, I were actually required to be an active
club member in order to participate, then I would drop out of agility. Bea Page |
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The people who bug me are the people who sit on the
sidelines, complaining, instead of helping. Jane & the Alamos Animate |
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Someone once said, 'If you want to kill of a good idea
form a committee to discuss it.' Gary Archer
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 Within
a pitifully small handful of years, at very most, he will be gone. That is the way of
dogs. All of them die too soon; though so many humans live too long.Beth Elliott This Friday is the first annual 'Take Your Dog to
Work Day.' My employer would probably agree if they thought it'd keep me from reading
email all day. |
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She is your friend, your partner, your defender, your
dog. You are her life, her love, her leader. She will be yours, faithful and true, to the
last beat of her heart. You owe it to her to be worthy of such devotion. Sherryl Robinson |
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Give a Rescue a place in your home and they will steal
your heart! Ann McQuillen |
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More is not always better, it's simply more. (from the
movie Sabrina) Penny Winegartner |
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Stay true to yourself and others will see that truth. Denise P. |
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A day without sunshine is like, well, night. Lynn Sigman |
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Howl be thy name. Kim Collins |
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The problem with the gene pool is that there is no
life guard. Maureen Scott Robinson |
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If you breed, rescue. If you don't breed, rescue
anyway. Carla & the Spotty-Dotties |
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Qui me amat, amet et canem meum. Deb Locke |
Editor's note:
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Here
is a selection of heart-warming and inspirational thoughts about agility, culled from the
Internet and guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. With thanks to Jack Canfield and Mark
Victor Hansen for their inspirational real-life Chicken Soup for the Soul copy&
series. Imitation is the best form of flattery!
Lovies'
dream has finally come through
To
contact Agilitynet 
