Happy New Year!

I know, I'm a little late, but hey, at least it's still the first week of 2013!

First, what did we learn and accomplish in 2012?

Well, I learned how to deal with injury when Bentley sustained a muscle injury and Lexi's luxating patellas were diagnosed.  I learned how to deal with frustration when both dogs were qualified and had byes in GP to Regionals and we had to pull out.  I learned just how much I love this sport, but even more so, how much I love my dogs and how important their companionship is to me when I thought Lexi may never be able to compete again.

                

 Bentley learned how to work independently (still working through those contacts, though!), and has shown me that he can get a Gamble, it just takes a little patience, and getting him in the right mentality.  He taught me how much fun this sport can be (he's been teaching me that for years!) and title-wise, he has shown me just how far we can go.  When I first started this sport titles meant nothing.  And then I learned about then, and an ADCH seemed so amazing and out of reach.  And now here we stand, 2 Qs away.

When it comes to titles, Bentley earned the following (in 8 trials): Standard Agility Master (SAM), Relay Master (RM), Tournament Master (TM), and his Master Agility Dog (MAD).

Lexi is still teaching me patience--mostly with myself.  This little dog makes me be a better handler becasue I don't have time to make any mistakes.  I've never had to work on me much before, and now I know I'm the half of our team that is holding us back.  But more importantly, Lexi is also teaching me that every day is to be cherished, and that every day is a gift.  She wakes up every morning like it's the best day of her life, and it's infectious.  I've learned this year to appreciate the good in every run (not to say I don't have my moments of negativity), but Lexi is happy no matter what happens.  And there was a time I didn't know if we'd ever get to play again, so I try to enjoy every moment I'm out there with her.

When it comes to titles, Lexi earned the following (in 9 trials):  Advanced Standard Agility (ASA), Advanced Gamblers (AG), Advanced Snooker (AS), Advanced Relay (AR), and Advanced Agility Dog (AAD).