I
started Sirius Dog Agility training Center with 2 friends over 11
years ago. I got my first dog as an adult in 1996. She was a
beautiful wild Brittany and she need something to do so I started
out in obedience, which my first dog Lacy hated. I discovered dog
agility when she was about 9 months old and I was immediately
hooked. I always played competitive sports all my life and I adore
dogs, so getting to play a game with them that has a competitive
challenge to it was the best of both worlds. I also did junior hunt
tests with my Brittany's and obedience. One of my Brittany’s has a
CD and has been trained for CDX but we have yet to find time to
show.
I said good bye to
Lacy in 2007. The hardest thing I had ever done. See more about Lacy
here. Holly left me in 2008 and now I said goodbye to my beautiful
Wizard in 2009.
Agility is now my
passion (or addiction). I am the owner of Sirius and spend most of
my free time and all of my money on agility, either showing,
training or teaching when I am not at Georgia State University
teaching my human students.
I have learned from
some of the best in agility including, Linda Mecklenburg, Susan
Garrett, Julie Daniels, Jen Pinder, Stacy Perdot, Nancy Gyes, Wendy
Pate, Stuart and Patti Mah and others.
Blitz was my main competition dog. As he approaches age 12 he still
loves agility even though he has slowed down. He will hate when I
retire him.
Holly my Liver and
White Brittany was the first dog in Georgia to get the USDAA title
ADCH and was also the first Brittany in the country to achieve that
title.
Chipper was the first
8 inch jumping dog to attain a MACH. He also placed 3rd in the AKC
nationals in 1998.
I have been in the
finals of the USDAA Nationals with three different dogs. Holly in
1997 where she placed 5th, Chipper in 1999 where he went off course
before he ever started his run (an interesting story) and Blitz in
2000. Blitz and I with teammates Stuart Mah and Qwik and Sherri
Wilkes with Maci won the DAM team event at the Nationals in 2005.
Blitz also was in the
AKC nationals finals in 2002 and in 2007. He placed 5th out of 300
dogs in his height. And that was amazing as he was almost 9. He got
to participate in his last AKC Nationals in 2009. He went clean in
all his runs… just wasn’t fast enough at 11 to make it to the
finals.
Lacy, my first orange
and white Brittany, never made any finals, but she taught me the
most, especially that life is about cuddling and loving and enjoying
and laughing and not about winning some titles.
Although I have had
success in agility the thing that I love the most is getting to be
with my dogs so much. Each dog I get teaches me more and more about
training and loving. Who knew that I could love so many dogs at
once. Each one is special and I am so glad they are in my life. Each
time on leaves me it leaves a big hole.
