Agility, relationships, LIFE……

I think we are here to learn and teach lessons and most of all to experience love and joy. So I always look for the lessons and ways to stretch and grow and being grateful each day while being true to myself and finding the joy in life.

The papillon pups were not 100% before we were supposed to leave for the IFCS World Agility Championships in Texas. We made the decision that I would stay home and take care of the pups. I have only missed one of Daneen's big events and that was the AKC National in OK. That was a disaster. Daneen came home and said she never wants to go to something like that alone ever again. While she had lots of friends and good support she missed me and told me that having me and my support there makes a huge difference to her. That made me feel good then but now she was facing a big event without me 🙁

Superstitions– Wether you believe in them or not and as silly as they may be…. they are a part of life in one form or another. What are your superstitions???

Deb H makes beautiful "Good Luck" signs for competitors and she added special super Gold mojo on Masher's good luck sign. Deb even FB me and wondered if her sign jinxed them 🙂

At Daneen and Masher's first AKC National there was a HORRIBLE tunnel dog walk discrimination in the finals. They were a very young team and Masher was 3 years old I think. A baby dog. Well they didn't get it and came in 5th. Well what is in the course at this years AKC National??? You guessed it a tunnel Dog Walk discrimination!!! Shocker!!!! Well Daneen was sooooooo worried that they would not get it again she baby sat the dog walk and got caught flat footed and Masher blew his contact. This is how bug a boo's and superstitions are born…. The very next weekend at the USDAA Regional another tunnel dog walk discrimination…. This time she trials like she trains and trains like she trials….. most importantly she trusted her little dog. She turned her shoulder said "come walk" and took off. PERFECT!!!! So hopefully that bug a boo will not grow any bigger.

So now Daneen is in Texas competing and the first day at the pre event all went well and she won the 12" steeplechase.

The funk began sometime after that.

She had a couple of runs with minor oopsies but otherwise nice and fast. By the second day she has lost her Mojo and it is nowhere to be found. I am only getting to catch certain runs because the feed keeps skipping but I saw their last run on Sat. OH MY!!!! Masher was ALL over the place!! I don't think I have ever seen them have such a disconnected run ever. It was really awful. I felt horrible for them.

It's a mind thing– 90% of everything is mental. Agility is no different. Everyone in agility knows that oopsies can and do happen.  Daneen was not in the mental game and Masher is so sensitive that he didn't even know what to do with his little self because Daneen was so out of sorts. Poor boy.

Sat. night we had a little pep talk and I told her it was really important to get her mind and body back into the present and enjoy and savor every part of this wonderful experience she was having. She needed to realign with the universe and to get into a grateful and joyful state. I told her that I was feeling very sad and bummed that I was not there with them in Texas and starting to feel very mopey.

I was doing laundry and as I was folding a pair of her pants I thought to myself – She is just away for a week and she is not dead. I started making a list of all the things I was truly grateful for like : The people in my life, the pups feeling better, the fact that one of us could be here to tend to the pups,that I don't have a 9-5 job and I can be here 24/7 for these babies…. the list went on and on….

I suggested to her to have a good dinner and go back to the hotel and work on getting back into the game and that she could start on a gratitude list ( that always works to get the good joo joo vibrations back.

We talked about what a great honor and privilege it is for her and Masher to be there competing – win, lose or draw. We talked about what a fabulous dog Masher is and I told her she is a great trainer/handler for getting him as far as he has gotten and all without slowing him down or squashing his spirit. That, I think is quite incredible.
All in all it was a very nice talk and I hoped and prayed that they would have a better day on Sunday and have a connected run. Mostly, so she could knock that superstition of me not being there equals they don't do well.

Some talk was going around that Daneen was not doing well because she was using some new technique's. That is complete nonsense. I have seen the lessons Daneen has taken from some of the top trainers in Ca and while they are great trainers I have never seen any techniques that work for Daneen and Masher as well as these new techniques. It never hurts to have more tools in your bag of tricks.

I think the oopsies are all or in part due to a) Oopsie's happen. b) stress of the puppies not feeling well and having to leave them. c) Not having me there.

I am super happy for and proud of Daneen because she sucked it up and figured it out. They had a fabulous Individual jumpers run on Sunday and won a Gold Medal for the United States!!!! I missed the run but was so thankful to watch the medal presentations and well I just teared up seeing Daneen and Masher up on the podium while our National Anthem was being played.

Daneen has one more run to do – Biathlon standard. She's got nothing to lose so I am sure she will be running balls out!!!!

Thank you to every one there that has been texting me about how much Daneen misses me and with all the photos and to Jean and everyone else who has been helping Daneen this past week.

HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to EVERYONE who competed and all their grooms!!!!! And WELL DONE to all the medalists!!!!

This week has taught me a whole bunch of lessons and I am grateful from the bottom of my butt… because my butt is bigger than my heart. (Char sent a thank you card that said this and I thought it was soooo funny!!!)

Photos to follow 🙂