Almost Wordless Wednesday

 

"...People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."           Maya Angelou

 

 

Thank you to Springfield Photography for the awesome photos!

From Non-Weaving Porter to PNAC PACH Porter!

I don't think these videos have been posted on the blog before...

My reason for posting these now is two-fold. One: Look at how far Porter has come!  :)  There was a time when I was ready to quit due to all his weave pole problems.

And two: a couple students had some questions regarding seminars / taking advice from people.

Basically I was asked how you know what / who's advice you should take. Or when to change your handling / training to something new that is suggested. Who do you trust? How do you know if what they suggest will work? How much should you try or change?

My advice? Go into everything with an open mind. Listen to their ideas. Then think about it. Think about it a lot!  :)

When Porter wasn't weaving, I asked everyone for advice. All kinds of well-meaning strangers offered me ideas. I bought dvd's. I read books. I watched youtube videos. But before I did anything, I thought long & hard about it. If you know me at all, you know I analyze everything. Some would say I over-analyze everything...

I can honestly admit that I think I tried every single option. I was desperate. And I learned a lot about myself & Porter. I learned what I valued & what I was willing to devote time to. Eventually I got the advice I needed. And eventually I put in the work. And I saw results.







So how about attending seminars? Especially handling seminars? My advice: give it a shot. Go outside your comfort zone a little. Humor them :) Just because you did it at a seminar does not mean you have to add it to your repertoire.

It's the same as accepting advice. Some is good, some is bad. Some works, some doesn't. But don't feel that you have to change everything that you've worked so hard for just because someone tells you differently. Give it some thought & cherry-pick the best advice.

Who knows, one tiny little throw-away suggestion may be the key to unlocking the weave pole struggle  :)

PACH Porter! - Video Proof!

Thank you for the awesome cinematography, Jodi! You knew exactly what I would want on video to remember  :)

PACH Porter - The Photos!

What was the best part about earning our PACH?

The cake!!

Thank you Dina  :)

My favorite: chocolate!

Since he couldn't share the cake, Porter got his own cupcake!

Dina really went above & beyond - the icing was cream cheese & salmon!

No, I couldn't do it... Smelled pretty nasty!

But Porter disagreed.

We pulled him up a chair & he got down to business!

"Delicious!!"

I wouldn't do this for just anyone...

I let him eat all the frosting but saved the cupcake for after his JWW run.

Yeah, that wasn't a real stellar run... He had a brick of frosting in his belly  :)

I was just glad he didn't barf on course!

The best PACH bar ever!

Sheep, dinosaurs, beer, alligators, pizza, ginger snaps... Love it!

Introducing... PACH Porter!

Yes, we finally did it!!!

Technically, he is now PNAC PACH Porter PAX...  That's a lot of freaking P's!  :)

 We both look so happy & proud!

This was a long time coming. A looooong time coming  :)

Porter & I have been doing agility for about 7 years now. Some dogs would have 8 or 9 PACH / MACH's by now... But we struggled. From dropped bars, to weave problems, to cancer, to general jackassery, we finally made it!

Thank you to my friends for sticking by us & making our celebration great! I apologize that you had to carry that awesome bar around for 5 months...  :)  And that you had to witness Porter eating (and later barfing up) a delicious salmon / cream cheese cupcake... You guys are the best!

This will be PACH week! Check back for the videos, the photos, the barfed up cupcake (just kidding) & the rest of the journey. Maybe I'll break out that old bad-weaving video...

Happy 18th Birthday, Zero!

It's been a good 18 years, Zero. You are such a pain in the ass that I assume you'll be sticking around for another 18...  :)

Wordless Wednesday: Finals Photos!

How many other Finalists are smiling during their run?  :)  I love my Porter-Pup!

 

Finish jump!

 

Heading straight for his Ginger Snaps!

 

Victory Lap!

 

Victory Lap!

 

They didn't give me my leash back before they wanted this photo. So I had to hold Porter back by his meaty little thigh  :)

Seriously, he's not going to stand there for a photo op without getting his snacks first!

 

Little known fact about Porter - he HATES to be held.

Sometimes I wonder if this wasn't the worst day of his life...  :)

I guess this wasn't quite so "wordless!"

Nationals Photos Are Here!

I got the download link for my photos the other day from Great Dane Photos! I think they turned out fantastic!

Something about this one appeals to me - I kind of like the judge standing there...

Look at him "powering" through those weaves!

There's Megan in the background!  :)

I have had some weird hair photos lately...

Corgi bullet

I'll post the ones from the Finals round tomorrow!