Next month we are going for our therapy exams, once again, my mom with Sadie, and myself with Lucky. We are confident that we will all pass... Lucky is already a therapy dog, so it is just me, my mom, Sadie, my Aunt, and her retriever Molly that need to pass. Once, and if, we pass, we can start taking the dogs to schools, along with hospitals, old age homes, prisons, and the like. It will be a wonderful experience for all of us, and I'm sure also for the people we visit with.
As of yesterday, my Sadie is in training for agility, this time with me as her handler, as agility is more intense than obedience, so Sadie will have a better chance with me in the ring, as I have more energy than my mom. I have been trained in agility since April, working with the three dogs owned by my trainer - Ice, Lucky, and Shilo. Shilo and Ice will be competing at the end of July at the biggest dog show event in South Africa, and with any luck, I may be taking Lucky.
The Dogs:
Ice - Ice is my trainers 4 year old border collie. He was a rescue dog she picked up from the SPCA. He was an extremely timid dog, but through her guidance and love he is now a very well trained dog, is a certified therapy dog, and is one of the top agility dogs the country.
Shilo - Shilo is also my trainers. She is a 5 year old rough collie that has been owned by my trainer sinve puppyhood. Shilo is a visual aid in lessons to demonstrate how our dogs should do a manouver correctly, and is also an excellent agility dog. She is not the fastest dog, but is highly accurate in her runs, which is an excellent quality in an agility dog.
Lucky - Lucky is a 7 year old cocker spaniel. He is owned and trained by my trainer, but has become "mine" for therapy, and until my dog is trained enough, my agility dog for shows. Lucky is a seasoned therapy dog, and is a C grade in agility, which is the highest a dog can go. He won South African champion when he was 4, so I have a very good dog on my hands.
Sadie - Sadie is my 3 year old cocker spaniel, all the information about her is at the top of the page.
Molly - Molly is my aunts 6 month old flat coated retriever, who started training also in April. She is a very sweet dog, but is very strong, so needs lots of work before we go for our therapy exams. She passed her CGC with flying colours, so we are confident she will do well. When she turns 9 months old she will be enrolled in agility lessons, with either myself or my brother as her handler. We are leaning towards my brother, as I have my hands full with Lucky and Sadie, plus Molly will soon get too big for me to comfortably control.
I will update after each lesson!
Pictures!! In order of: Molly, Shilo, Ice, Lucky and Sadie:
