Corgis and Christmas Lights

I don't know what it is, but Dally just loves Christmas lights. If we drive through neighborhoods filled with lots of lights, she's wide awake, looking out the window. (Which, if you know how Dally is in the car, that's the surprise. Normally she falls asleep the instant she curls up in her corner once we're out of the driveway.)

Because of this, we love taking the Stump Kids to the Kentucky Horse Park's Southern Lights. It's an annual tradition for Matt and I--we both love the Christmas spirit. And we cannot wait to add our child to the backseat next year so we take all three girls to see the lights.

Catching Up: PACH2 Dally

In continuing our "Catching Up Series" I'm excited to introduce PACH2 Frontiers Honkytonkbadonkadonk RN, AX, AXJ, NF, MXP5, MXPS, MJP6, MJPS, PAX2....aka PACH2 Dally PAX2!!

Through the summer, I was certain we were so close to finishing her PACH2. At my dad's Hoosier Kennel Club trial in June, we struggled to QQ for one strange reason or another each day (three days!). Then we just weren't running well to get those points. It wasn't until the first weekend of August that things came together...barely!

At the Queen City Dog Training Club's AKC Agility Trial August 2, I thought we needed 1 QQ and like 36 points going in. For some reason, Dally just wasn't running as fast as she had been. She earned her PAX2 on Saturday, which was a good day. We actually got a PAX title ribbon (those are rather rare these days)! 

I did the math, and I just didn't feel like we could make the time with the points we needed on Sunday. My friends who were with me knew that I was close, but I didn't make a big deal about it. We Qd in our first run, Jumpers, and then I felt like there was a minor chance. I can't remember now what I exactly needed, but it was something like 18 points going into Standard. I knew we would need to run 46 or under. I pushed her as hard as I could in our Standard run, and she ran with me and ran her little stumps off. She crossed the timer and I looked at the clock--we made it just by less than one second! I was so excited!

First, here's her PAX2 run:

And her PACH2 run:

I am so, so proud of this little Corgi. I never would have thought that we'd have two agility championships, have qualified for the AKC National Agility Championships three years in a row, and just had a blast. She's done everything I've ever asked her to do (well, to an extent...she still doesn't like herding or lure coursing), and she loves me no matter what. I've learned so much by working with her, and she's taught me so much more than I thought a dog ever could.

Our PACH2 celebration included a cookie cake with "POSH2 Dolly"--The SDP has a
tradition of having funky PACH2/MACH2 cookie cakes. Dally didn't care, as you can see.

Dally turned 9 in July, so I don't really know what's up for us in the future. She's getting slower, and she's had a few more physical issues (mostly shoulders) that has added some sped bumps for us in recent agility trials. I'm thinking of starting her in Barn Hunt, while slowing down her agility career to maybe just doing jumpers, so she doesn't have the issues of going down the A-frame or dog walk that has been bothering her shoulders like they have lately. She's not going into permanent retirement, but maybe it's just time to pass the torch to LaMesa and see if she can continue the Stump Kid legacy.

Dally's done everything I've asked, and more, and has nothing left to prove. I wasn't aiming to qualify for the 2015 AKC National Agility Championships in Reno, so that was no big deal this year. We're just going to enjoy the fun ride we've been on for the next few years.

Thanks, Dally-Doodle....the bestest little Corg in the world.

Wordless Wednesday: PACH2 Dally!

Wordless Wednesday: Dally the Agility Trial Chair-Pup

Catching Up with the Stump Kids: Dally & the Hoosier

It's been a busy few weeks for me as the head of the Stump Kids. We hit up a couple of agility trials at the end of May and first part of June, hoping to finish Dally's PACH2 and do one last little push for LaMesa's rankings with the Swedish Vallhunds.

Neither goal was accomplished.

But, oh well!

At the Derby City Agility Association trial May 31-June 1, we battled a rather warm facility, which didn't bode well for Dally when it comes to her speed. Dally ended up earning 2 QQs, but not very many points (32 total), but that was OK. The courses by Jim and Judy Smotrel were fun, with the Jumpers course at the end of the trial a nice, flowy course that had it's challenges. LaMesa earned a Masters Jumpers leg and 11 points on Saturday. Dally ended up earning her MXJP6 on Saturday as well!

Then the next weekend we headed up to Indianapolis for the Hoosier Kennel Club AKC Agility Trial, my dad's dog club which I help organize and put together. Going into the trial, Dally only needed 1 QQ and 60 points for her PACH2. However, I think she decided she just wanted to earn Jumpers Qs to work on her MXJP7 because that's all she qualified in...Jumpers. All three days. Not even an Open FAST Q. :-/ Ohhhhh Dally...how you like to keep me on my toes!

It was always a little something in Standard with Dally at this trial. Yet, I loved the courses designed by David Hirsch and Linda Robertson.

Because we didn't qualify in standard all three days, I used Jumpers as a way to just push for points. Dally ran really well and I think both of us had fun.

Now, with Open FAST, just a reminder we only do FAST once a year, and it's at this trial. Dally doesn't work very well at a distance from me, so I wasn't expecting much. If we didn't get the send, we'd continue on to finish the course quickly, just laughing along the way, so that way she didn't feel any stress about it. If we don't get our OFP, oh well.

Here are some of Dally's runs from the weekend:










Next up I'll share LaMesa's weekend at the Hoosier Kennel Club AKC Agility Trial.

Wordless Wednesday: Sheep Dreams?

Wordless Wednesday: Dally's Teeter Photos from Nationals

Stump of Fury Heading to AKC National Agility Championships!

We're hitting the road again!

 

Dally & Porter are going to be road tripping buddies once again! Meet the captains of #TeamDailyCorgi

Merinda and I will be hitting the road extra early Wednesday morning to head east to Pennsylvania for a return trip to the AKC National Agility Championships.

Be sure to follow along as we tweet, Instagram, and blog our adventures. This year we're teaming up with a few select Corgis for #TeamDailyCorgi, brought to you by The Daily Corgi.

Follow along by searching #TeamDailyCorgi on Twitter & Instagram, and also:

Twitter: @TheStumpKids
Instagram: @MLA317
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/mla317

And Merinda:

Blog: The Brews Brothers

Twitter: @PorterTheCorgi
Instagram:PorterTheCorgi
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/merinda76

And our friends, Taryn & Jimmy, who will be attending their first AKC Nationals!

Blog: Tail of Two Cardis

I also wanted to share my bio that I wrote for the announcer this year. It's a little non-traditional, but I hope it gets read at some point this week:

This is Dally and Megan's third consecutive trip to Nationals, but every year it's always a happy surprise. For a dog that some said wouldn't be an agility champion, the pair earned their PACH in 2012 and are well on their way to PACH2. Megan knows Dally isn't the fastest, but she knows Dally will try to please her, and that's all that Megan asks for. She's thankful to have such a wonderful sidekick by her side at all times. Dally is her heartdog and has earned many, many miles under her collar. This has truly been a fun ride.

Be sure to tune into the fun!! Here's hoping for some epic adventures and great memories!

Happy Mardi Paws!!!

As a French student in high school, I loved celebrating Mardi Gras. I still love to celebrate it and I hope that someday I'll get to be in New Orleans for the festivities.

Until then, I'll just take the Stump Kids to the Bluegrass Barkery for their Mardi Paws Party, where they provided king cake for both dogs and humans! They even had a photo booth and provided beads for everyone to wear.

How awesome that the Barkery baked doggie king cakes??

Here are some more some photos from the celebration that Merinda took (thank you!).

LaMesa's "costume" looked like she was showing the
day after Mardi Gras….beads and mask askew, missing a shoe...

Dally was intent on keeping an eye on the king cake.

Happy Mardi Paws Gras!

The Toenail Tragedy

As dog owners, we've all heard that sound that makes us jump and puts our hearts in our throats. That pain-filled yip. Upon turning the Stump Kids outside, Matt and I heard that painful yip, but neither of us knew who it was.

At first I thought it was LaMesa, who has been recovering from her sprained leg (or toe, we never were  100% sure). But then I heard from Matt, "Hey hun, can you bring an old towel?" I walked into the screened-in patio to see blood already covering the tile floor…coming from Dally's front foot.

Dally had ripped a toenail out of her front foot. It must have gotten caught in the bottom track of the sliding patio door as she and LaMesa drove through the open door. Of course I was on my way to a doctor's appointment. A quick call to our vet at Gainesway Animal Hospital gave me the idea to pack her toe with flour to help stop the blood. (Unless you have blood stop powder, which of course my company makes, but I don't have any samples with me at home….of course.) Matt set up a chair in the patio and sat down to cradle Dally and her painful foot until the blood stopped.

At least 30 minutes later, the bleeding stopped and Matt set up a crate with Dally's bed and blanket in the office and she had to wear the "Cone of Shame" to keep her from licking her toe.

I was able to clean off her foot later in the afternoon by trimming the toe hairs. She's been limping on it, so I tried to wrap it in gauze and SyrFlex (cohesive bandage made by my company, one job perk) to help cushion it so she doesn't bump the toe. However she was not a fan and spent 10 minutes flipping her stump with great agitation. So I went ahead and took it off, which made her happy. Instead she's now on a regular dose of Traumeel to help with the pain. I just hope the nerves cool off soon. Poor thing looks so miserable limping around the house, and I can't take her for a walk or to do anything else until the toe heals.

(My husband made this little collage while I was at the doctor. Note the zebra print to go with Dally's trademark.)

At least this happened early in March, instead of closer to Nationals. And hopefully she should be healed and ready to go by the Louisville Cluster in two weeks (our first agility trial since November!).

This isn't the first time Dally's ripped out a toenail--she somehow ripped out a toenail while walking in my old apartment trying to squeeze between me and the couch. That was an ugly situation, too. What is it about toes that makes them bleed so much for so long??

I told her this wouldn't happen if she'd let me Dremel her toenails shorter, but she doesn't care.

Have you ever had a dog rip out his/her toenail?

Wordless Wednesday: Cartoon Dally

Cartoonize My Pet

2013 Review & 2014 Stump Kid Resolutions

Another year has come and gone. There wasn't anything too exciting for the Stump Kids, but it was overall a successful year.

January started off the year right with participating in a seminar with Dawn Weaver and celebrating Dally's PACH, not to mention the end of LaMesa's Q drought that was almost a year long. February was quiet, with only one agility trial, but some success along the way.

March saw a trip with Merinda and Porter to Tulsa for the 2014 AKC National Agility Championships that was a lot of fun because I had quite a few friends to share the event with. We chronicled our road trip for The Daily Corgi, as well as on here, so I hope you were able to enjoy the event, too.

April was a struggle to get back into a groove with both girls, though I'm not sure why. LaMesa and I started taking classes at Shamrock Acres in Louisville, which was a great decision because it helped us become more of a team. In May the Stump Kids tried out a Terrier trial for the first time, with barn hunts and lure coursing on the docket.

June saw LaMesa finally get a re-measurement to move down to the 8" Regular height, which has been a huge relief for us. She's now re-learning to not jump so high and it's helping her in many ways on the course. July Dally was on the injured reserve list and LaMesa got her first Novice FAST Q.

August was quiet--no agility trials, but we talked about different things like battling age with agility dogs, a police K9's legacy, etc. September was busy getting back into the groove of agility, but still no Qs for LaMesa.

October saw the girls earn plenty of medals at the Canine Olympics, but more importantly LaMesa earned her first MACH points in Tennessee and Ohio! November Dally finished qualifying for the 2014 AKC National Agility Championships, which I wasn't sure would happen or not. And, finally, December was another quiet month with no agility trials, but moving houses and talking about the mental aspect of agility.

So what's on tap for the Stump Kids in 2014? Well, Dally and I are competing in what is probably going to be her last AKC National Agility Championships. Next year's event is in Reno, so I don't see us making that long trek again. We're so close to finishing up her PACH2 (just 5 QQs & 205 points), so that would be great to accomplish this year.

LaMesa and I still have a lot of work to do, but I'd love to see if we can get qualified for the 2014 AKC Agility Invitational as being in the Top 5 Swedish Vallhunds. She's currently sitting #10, with points only from 2 Qs, so if we can start to be more consistent and Q (and start QQing), it could be very doable.

What do the Stump Kids think?

LaMesa: "My resolution is to try to harness my rogue-ness, as mom calls it, and maybe act a little more domesticated at agility trials in 2014."

Dally: "I don't need a resolution…I'm fabulous every year!"

What are your pups' resolutions? 

Agility Trial: Dally Gets Her Final Nationals Points

I'm a little late on wrapping up our last AKC trial we attended (Nov. 9-10), but I'm making up for it now. (Note: I've somehow misplaced all of the course maps from this weekend. Blogger FAIL. Sorry!)

Just a week after competing at Queen City, we were back. It was the third weekend in a row at an agility trial, but I knew that Dally and I could finish up the points needed for AKC Nationals this weekend, as long as I didn't make any unnecessary mistakes.

Saturday's runs were great. In Jumpers I made sure I didn't push too much in the weaves (which I know was my mistake the week prior) and to just run the course with simple cues. Standard was a little tricky with having to call her off the chute off the teeter, but luckily she listened.

(I love Blair Kelley and Dan Faulkner's courses, by the way.)




Sunday I wanted to push her a little more, but I had to remember to be more deliberate with my cues.

Here's the jumpers run:



This was fun with the serpentine, then a push for the big pinwheel. Both LaMesa and Dally handled that very well, so I was proud of both girls.

We didn't get a standard video, but I went in needing just a few more points for Nationals with that run. We came out of it in great shape! At the end of the weekend we had 513 points towards the AKC National Agility Championships!!

Dally's now on a long vacation from agility for a while. I usually do that a couple times a year to help her recharge her body and her love of agility. It's well-deserved--we're now just  5 QQs and 204 points from her PACH2. Who would have thought that we would be going to AKC Nationals three years in a row and be close to our PACH2??

For those pushing for their last points this weekend and next, I wish you good luck and best runs!! I was able to pull from the Merrillville, Ind., trial being held Nov. 29-Dec. 1 (I entered Nov. 29-30 just in case) since I have my points, so hopefully others can get their last points.

Dally Travels America

Disclaimer: I got this idea from Merinda. She did a "Porter Peeing Across America" map on the Brews Brothers' blog.

Merinda and I always talk about how our Corgis, Porter and Dally, pee and/or poop across America in their travels. It's a little bit of a good-hearted competition (I think) to see how well traveled our pups can be. We've done a lot of traveling together, but we've also gone our separate ways every now and then, so this map is all in good fun.

So here's Dally's map! We look forward to adding more states to it as time goes on!

Remember: Dally's Not Perfect

Dally's pretty good about keeping me grounded. Just when I'm thinking we're doing so well and maybe things are going perfectly, she reminds me that I can't slack off when I run her.

After a QQ on Saturday at the Queen City Dog Training Club's AKC Trial this past weekend, I was feeling pretty confident about pushing her for more speed--surely we'll Q, right?? Going into the weekend we needed 91 points for AKC Nationals. After earning 33 on Saturday, I felt like we could get even closer on Sunday.

Note to self: Don't ever take anything for granted and always keep on your toes, no matter which dog you're running.

Here were our successful runs on Saturday:

Jumpers:



Standard:


(I have no clue what happened at the chute and the teeter--it's pretty bad when the judge looks at you and goes "Whew!" and shakes her head because your dog barely hit the teeter in the right spot.)

On Sunday, we had miscues at the weave poles in both Jumpers and Standard. In Jumpers she popped out after the tenth pole. I'm not sure what made her do so--Porter had done the same thing in the same spot, so maybe it was a Corgi thing?

Then in Jumpers we totally blew by the weaves--I was pushing so much for speed that when I sent her in the tunnel, I ran by the weaves and signaled "Weave!" but I didn't hold the signal. I assumed she'd take them. I should never assume with Dally.



I've learned my lesson. Going into this weekend (again at Queen City), I'm going to push for speed, but still hold my signals and make sure we're more accurate than fast. We need 58 points now, and it can be doable, if we're both on the same page.

We'll let you know how that goes next week.

Double Q Dally in Dayton

This weekend, at the Dayton Dog Training Club's AKC Agility Trial, we saw the return of "Double Q Dally." Dally went 4-for-4 on the weekend, earning QQs #11 & #12 towards her PACH2 and a total of  42 PACH points to go towards qualifying for the 2014 AKC Nationals.

The courses were great--not a lot of traps, but very flowy. It was the type of course I needed to try to get lots of points with Dally, but she wasn't running as fast as I thought she would. The Standard and Jumpers courses allowed me to really work on my blind crosses with Dally. (I even heard, what I'll consider a compliment, when someone said, "There's the queen of the blind crosses." on Sunday.)

Standard:



Jumpers:



Saturday night I gave Dally half of a Traumeel in her dinner, just in case the hard ground made her a little sore (the footing was hard/tightly compact dirt with no give). She didn't show any signs of stiffness or soreness Sunday morning, especially with how cold it was Saturday and still pretty chilly Sunday. I took extra time to warm up Dally more than normal, including a warm-up jump, just to make sure everything was moving well.

Standard:



I didn't get a full video of our Jumpers run, but let's just say it was rather slow--we only earned 2 points out of that run. I thought she was ready to go, warmed up well and seemed revved up enough at the start line, but then it just sputtered after the first jump. I'm not sure if it was just being sore, tired, or Dally just not feeling it--one never really knows with her.

We have two more weekends to try to get the remaining 91 points for the 2014 AKC National Agility Championships. I've found another trial at the end of November in northern Indiana that I might enter if we can't get those points, but I'm crossing my fingers that Dally's love for Queen City equals lots of points and fast runs for her.

Next up, LaMesa's weekend...

Deep Dirt Isn't a Corgi's Friend

Have I mentioned that Dally's legs are really like 3-4" tall? And when you add in some deep, heavy red dirt in a horse arena, it makes for slower going than expected. And that's what I ran into with running Dally at the Greater Kingsport Kennel Club trial in White Pine, Tenn. And, of course, Saturday and Sunday was running small to tall, so Dally was the second dog on that deep dirt. While the "small dog people" were walking the Standard course, we were really trying to walk the dog's path so we could try to pack down the dirt. While it didn't seem to affect LaMesa much, it did affect Dally.

In Standard, Dally handled the course like a rock star. I tried to keep her as tight for the wraps as possible to save precious seconds. I run so much more relaxed with Dally than LaMesa, and you can tell in this run. She ended up winning this with 11 PACH points (not as much as she normally can get in Standard).



We didn't get a video of our Jumpers run (Jodi was running immediately after me with Maya as the first 8" and I didn't want her to stress about it), but we were clean. I felt like she ran it pretty well and maybe a little faster than her Standard run. However, she stopped the clock at 54.43 and the SCT was 54--a Q and first place, but no PACH points. That was a bit of a bummer. Oh well, QQ #10 for PACH2.

Sunday's Standard course was very doable for me and Dally, but I mishandled the flip off the dog walk into the first tunnel, causing her to come off and wonder where I wanted her to go next (I swear my toes and body was facing that tunnel opening). I think Laura English was thinking real hard about raising her hand...and I wish she hadn't. :-( A refusal knocked out a possible Q. But, I was proud of how I handled the double blind cross at the beginning--I'm getting more and more comfortable using those with Dally and they work.


Again in Jumpers, no video, but we attacked it with gusto--I wanted to go balls to the wall to try to get some more points. I figured we didn't have a QQ on the line, but I wanted points. I handled that tight wrap with Dally like how I handled LaMesa, with a blind and then a wrap to the triple before the weaves and it worked again. This time we came out of there with a Q and 9 points.

I went into this trial hoping for a good amount of points for AKC Nationals, so I was disappointed to only get 20 total with Dally. I know, any points and any QQs are great...I just need to cool it with my expectations. We have 133 more points to get for AKC Nationals and three weekends to do it (starting with this coming weekend), so we'll just keep plugging through, keeping those tight wraps and running for fun and speed, and see where we sit in a few weeks...

Corgi Versus the Harness, Round Two

So it's been a little over a week since I started walking Dally in her harness, and we've had progress!!

I listened to what Taryn and Rebecca suggested and when the husband and I took the girls hiking Friday, we had Dally wear her harness. We had to keep the pups on a leash for the first part of the trail, but Dally trotted along just fine with the harness on--she was so excited just to be out some place new (well, it wasn't brand new to us, it'd just been a while since we had been there). Once we took the leashes off, both girls ran around just fine--Dally didn't once hesitate with the harness on.

(As you can see from our Instagram video:)

 Since then we've been going on walks daily with the harness. I have learned that Dally is a creature of habit and feels "naked" if she's not wearing her collar and, thus, will not walk far from the house without it on. So, when we go for walks, her collar is on and so is her harness, but the leash is attached to the harness. There's only bee a few times that she's really acted like she would not walk with the harness on and I've narrowed it down to a few things: it might be "too tight" for her (must not mess up her "plush" coat, as Merinda calls it), it might have moved forward so the girth strap is under her arm pits, and/or I pulled her forward with it.

Don't they look cute in their matching harnesses?

And, boy, let me tell you...she does not appreciate you pulling her forward with the harness on. She will give you a look only an irritated Corgi can give you, like "Excuse me? Who's walking here??"

I stated that I would win this battle, and I think I actually have--and much faster than I thought I would. However, I don't believe we're 100% cured. After all, it's a Corgi's prerogative to keep their humans on their toes.

Corgi Versus the Harness, Round One

If you've been reading my posts regarding Dally's physical issues lately, you know that I'm at the point of trying anything and everything to keep her in one piece and happy.

So when the chiropractor and I were discussing how the disc would have been irritated to a point of being out of place and swollen. The only thing we could think of, besides the jumping off of the bed and couches (like we touched on earlier), was our daily walks.

Mind you, I don't jerk on my dogs. LaMesa wears a ComfortFlex Harness and has for the past two years because she would pull more ahead on our walks. Dally usually just shuffles behind us at her own pace. That isn't really a problem, except for when she suddenly stops to sniff something or go potty. If I'm not paying attention, I don't know she's stopping so I will jerk a little on her leash because of the sudden stop.

So that could be the problem.

So how do we solve that? Pay better attention to Dally when we're walking? Yes...that would help. But maybe it's time to look at her attire.

Dally asks: Does this harness make my badonk look fluffier? Be honest.

She got her very own ComfortFlex Harness, only in the color of a diva--hot pink.

Seems like an easy fix, right?

Maybe for some other dogs, but this is Dally we're talking about. The first week after getting the harness, I couldn't wait to try it on her and take her for a (short) walk. First I fit the harness to her, making sure it wasn't too tight and it didn't rub behind her "armpits." Then I let her wear it around the house for a couple of hours. The next day, I was ready to take her for a walk...

We got to the neighbor's driveway. Yep. Barely a hundredth of a mile. Walking FAIL.

I thought maybe she was still a little sore, so I let her go back to the house, took her harness off and promptly left with LaMesa--she was more than ready for a walk. The next day I tried it again. We maybe got a little further with more coaxing, but that was it.

I asked Merinda about what she thought and her response:

Merinda, the voice of reason.

OK, OK... Yes, I get it. Dally is a diva. She is a drama queen. If it's not the way she wants things, she's not happy. She's a Corgi. But this is a battle I have to win, because I can't walk her with just a collar any more if I'm afraid one pull or one accidental jerk might cause another disc problem.

So what can I do to get her comfortable with walking in the harness? She's been wearing the harness around the house, going into the backyard with it on, etc. I did finally get her to "walk" with me and LaMesa last night by basically leaving her in our dust--LaMesa and I went ahead and Dally shuffled behind us to catch up, all while dragging her leash and wearing her harness. It worked--she made it all the way to our destination on her own while wearing her harness. Then when we went back to the house, I held onto her leash and she ran alongside LaMesa. (Note: We were walking just down the sidewalk to care for Merinda's cat, there was no traffic, and I kept my eye on her that she didn't go into the street.)

But I can't always do that.

Can't we all just walk peacefully and happily, all while wearing a harness?

So, I'm reaching out: How do you teach old dogs new tricks and how can I get Dally comfortable with walking in her harness, on the leash, with me and LaMesa?

Dally's Weekend at Derby City

As much of a high as I had from LaMesa's weekend at the Derby City Agility Association trial in Louisville, things weren't as happy with Dally's weekend.

Remember my post earlier about battling age in Dally? Well, Thursday morning as I was taking the girls out for a walk, Dally came up limping...again. So we made another appointment to see the chiropractor...again. And I worried about possibly pulling her out of the trial...again.

At the appointment, it was discovered that she had a swollen disc in her neck. We think it's a combination of Dally jumping down from the bed, plus the slight tugs on her collar when we're walking. (I don't jerk on my dogs, ever. However, when I take the Stump Kids for a walk, Dally will be behind me and sometimes suddenly stop, causing me to accidentally jerk a little on her because I'm not aware of her stopping, since LaMesa is leading the way.)

The chiropractor recommended not taking her for walks with a collar, but with a harness, and rest. But in order to try to get her ready for the trial in a couple of days, we did some adjustments to her neck/spine, cold laser therapy, and then added Traumeel every four hours to help with inflammation. I also held ice packs around her neck for 10 minutes a few times a day Thursday-Sunday.

Friday morning, the chiropractor stopped by for another laser therapy treatment, and she was already improving, so we decided to give the trial a go. If she took any lame step, I'd pull her.

However, I didn't account for how hot the facility would be. While Dally would warm up and be excited to run...her runs were so slow. They were actually reminiscent of the "old Dally"--the one that wasn't confident or fast. We qualified in all the runs we did, but they were slow--we maybe got 9 points in Masters Standard on Saturday, 0 points in Masters Jumpers (she stopped the clock at 50.3, standard course time was 51) on Saturday, and 3 or 4 in Masters Standard on Sunday.

Saturday's Masters Standard 4" run:

Saturday's Masters Jumpers 4" run:


I talked to so many people Saturday night about what I should do with Dally. I took her home and let her relax in the air conditioning that night. I kept on the half a Traumeel every 4 hours, and iced her neck two or three times that night. It was decided to play it by ear on Sunday--hopefully the place would be cooler and she would be better.

I couldn't determine if it was the heat or her neck that was bothering her. I felt like if her neck was really bothering her, she wouldn't have been jumping around, chasing her tennie, and barking for treats like she was. Would she? I didn't think she would. I mean, if you're hurting, you avoid what hurts you...right?

Sunday dawned with lots of hope. She seemed peppier than Saturday. The facility felt cooler. So, we gave it a go.

Sunday's Standard Masters 4":


We only earned three or four PACH points... A far cry from the 25-28 we usually earn in standard.

I let her rest, then later I took her for a walk to go potty. When she came out of her crate, she took an odd step--I wasn't sure if it was a limp from her neck, or a limp from awkwardly laying on her frozen water bottle I had in her crate. She walked it out after a while, but I wanted a second and third opinion. I had Merinda and Jodi watch Dally walk towards and away from them--she was moving straight. But once I turned her in a sharp 180, she bobbled and took another limping step. That was it--I pulled her from jumpers.

It felt weird walking the Jumpers course for only one dog--LaMesa. It felt weird watching my fellow 4-inchers get ready to run and not have Dally. It felt weird not having my agility partner of 5 years with me, apping for her treats.

But then I felt horrible for the weekend--did I make the wrong decision to continue running Dally? It was the perfect storm of issues--disc problem on Thursday, worry about that, extreme heat inside the facility, lack of air flow... Who knows if Dally was reacting to the heat, or her neck. The chiropractor felt that the heat probably didn't help the disc.

She's since recovered from the problem, though she's on one more week of rest (as prescribed by myself). I'll probably write a little more about the disc problem in a proceeding post.

Have you ever had to make a difficult decision at game time?