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Posted by Kathy Walden I reviewed the tape of my performance which Glenna Logan kindly took for me. Man, now I appreciate how hard it is to be a judge. I can see how much of a "junior" handler I really am. Whenever I've asked Cheryl if Winnie is ready for certain tasks, she always assures me that she is. Now I know why she says that. On Saturday Winnie learned the command "under" on the spur of the moment in three tries (and I think she felt THAT was excessive). Watching the tape, I can see how much time she spent waiting for me to tell her what to do. Bless her loyal, obedient Malinois heart, she spent alot of time looking at me on the ground as if to say "Biffed again Mom? Well, you just take your time. I'll be right here when you get your act together." I definitely spend more time processing information than I thought. If Winnie had a more experienced handler, she would undoubtedly have her PD 2 by now. But that's OK, because I'm seeing now that this is all a developmental process, for both myself individually, and for Winnie and me as a team. The bottom line is that this past Saturday was so fun that I actually pushed myself to the point of collapse (at the last obstacle). My legs just literally gave out, but I kept going. It felt great. Normally I'd have been alarmed. But participating in such fun activities with this club has been great for my psyche and body. A quote I saw recently "I am no longer afraid of storms, for I am learning to sail my ship." That sums up how I feel right now. I'd really like to congratulate everybody who earned an award - I have a new appreciation for what it means to be a good handler/dog team. Also, congratulations to those of us who came out despite any trepidation we had. I know there were more people than myself who felt the same way. Thanks again CCDSA!! Kathy Walden
(KMW) on 8/20/2007, 10:59 pm
Kathy Walden
Thank you so much to the CCDSA club members, decoys, and especially Cheryl for making this DSO such a blast. I have some amazing bruises on my body that I don't even remember getting, but I don't care because I had fun getting them!!
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