It's been technically one year since I first signed up for an agility class with Izzie. However I'm more inclined to count how long we've been training since we started with our current instructors which has been about 9 months. When we started with Go Dog Go! we really started our training. I've never really written about this much, though most folks involved in my life know the details. It was not pretty to say the least.
I try to live in the now, my life seems to work better that way and when i don't dwell on mistakes and the past, Izzie does better too.
Anyways...
I got started in agility because I didn't have anything to do. I'm serious, that's it. I was a university kid who had a part time job, a dog that was attached to my hip and rather energetic, and a ton of spare time. I went from being a competitive figure skater from the age of 3 to 14 and training 7 days a week for 4-5 hours per day on and off the ice. Then after i quit that i still skated a bit plus i played competitive soccer, but that didn't take up as much time. I've always done SOMETHING and can't just be lazy and do nothing, i need some sort of activity other than school and work at all times or i go a little crazy. So now it was time to find something to do, but no people sports really interested me anymore.
However, I had always had dogs and admired agility. I watched Top Dogs all the time on the Outdoor Life Network (coz i was the epitome of a cool kid... not) and was elated when it was an agility episode. I would always take any chance i could get to watch dog demos at fairs and Superdogs at Stampede. Ever since i was little i loved watching agility and when i was 7 or 8 i believe i had a brief bit of training with my old Poodle Mix but that didn't go past 2-3 classes. All through high school i was pretty much known as the "weird dog girl". I'd much rather take my dogs for a walk than party or hang out with friends... not that i had many anyways. So dog sports seemed like a good choice and of course i chose the king of dog sports, agility.
Well that turned into a novel... Now you know how i got into agility. I am now h-core invested in it and even though I'm not even competing yet i volunteered at AAC Nationals when they came to Calgary, I took a weekend off work to audit a Terry Simons Seminar, I attended a talk from a sports vet from Calgary. Anything and everything agility i can get my hands on, i try to do/get/absorb. Obsessive? Maybe... But i don't do sports half-assed. Maybe I'll even take a trip to watch AAC Alberta/NWT Regionals? You can never watch too much and I'm always learning through watching, plus it's good to cheer on members of the group!
Almost forgot! Gotta throw a picture in here lol. Izzie playing on some dead trees in the river bottom.
