It’s apparent that I’m absolute crap at writing about my recovery from fusion surgery and Des’s debut in agility. I have a reason, but not a very good one. Each time I’ve sat down to write about the positive strides I’m making in my return to normality from getting four screws installed in my back, I worry I’m risking the wrath of the cosmic monsters and I’ll experience some epic joint setback. So…I’ve been quietly drinking gallons of milk, sweating and swearing my way through rehab exercises and getting out there to play with the DesMan as often as possible. As if I could resist this face??
Desmond, South Jordan, UT, May 2013. Photo by Randy Gaines.
When my husband was on the Helena Hotshots their crew motto was “Opera non Verba“, which loosely translates to “shut up and dig“. So, following that wisdom, since I can’t seem to find the words to explain how Des and I are doing, I will simply show you.
As you’re about to see…he and I are DIGGING this agility thing!!
For those who can’t view the video with music, here’s the same video in a version that should work for you. I hope you enjoy!
DuncanDes 
Wow! You have some awesome runs in there! I love watching Des! You also have some really interesting …games, or runs…? With the fences, and the one with the hoops. We don’t do them here… we have snooker and gamblers, and one called strategic pairs, but otherwise it’s just normal agility/jumping.
JEEZ I love his dogwalk!!! I got told by some instructors/competitors last night that even if ‘you’ (addressing the whole group of 8 of us, but possibly me specifically) train a RC, you’ll end up going back to a 2-o-2-o. I stood there with my arms crossed, most unimpressed. I can only hope Lu’s ends up as beautiful as Des’, and we can throw that back in their face. 😉
Thank you, Em! The runs with fences (gates) and hoops is NADAC, a venue we run in a few times a year. It was great for working on confident, fast DW exits and hitting weaves at speed. His DW is truly a labor of love, and he’s getting more consistent in trials. I found that those who expressed doubt at RCs in the beginning gave me the best motivation to keep working on them that I’ve had along the way.