~ submitted by Tracy Thorliefson
Ellie qualified in Rally Advanced and Excellent both days at the Olympic Kennel Club dog shows in Enumclaw this past weekend. She had scores of 98, 97, 96 and 95 and in one class of 21 dogs placed third. With these "q's" Ellie earned the RAE title.
This is not a particularly difficult title to achieve, you just have to double qualify in both Advanced and Excellent ten times. Last fall, when I realized that Ellie already had 8 legs, I decided that we might as well go for the title. She would be 10 in January, but still loved to play at obedience. I started taking her to Rally class with Griffey and she had a ball. (Plentiful amounts of cookies are involved so what's not to love?) I looked at the upcoming show schedule and planned to enter her at the Seattle Kennel Club shows in March.
Then, in February, she was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma. She had surgery (her tumor-ridden spleen was removed) and then she had chemotherapy. While having chemo she was prohibited from going to dog class because chemo suppresses the immune system. Other than losing all her hair, she tolerated chemo really well. Nonetheless, I never thought that she would go to a dog show again, much less compete.
But Ellie finished chemo and seems to be doing really well -- eating, playing with Griffey, barking at the neighbor dogs and hogging the bed. I took her back to Rally class, where despite some foggy moments she showed she still remembered what "heel" means. So, I decided to enter her at the Enumclaw shows. Why not try for one last title?
We went, we competed, and we qualified -- title earned and goal achieved. But doing this with Ellie, under these circumstances, felt totally different than past shows and rally trials. I can get impatient or exasperated at stupid mistakes (mine and whatever dog I'm with), rue the lost points, plan the next training strategy, and focus on how to get better next time. That didn't happen this weekend. I was pleased with the decent scores and thrilled with the third place in such a big class, but mostly I was just grateful to be there, with Ellie, one last time. I appreciated her and her efforts and was happy with what we accomplished. So -- small brag but big life lesson. Remember to appreciate each moment for what it is and be happy that your dog is there to share it with you.
God willing, I will have Ellie with me for many more months/years. I hope that I will remember the life lesson for just as long.
Go hug your dog(s) tonight and be glad that they share your life. I know I'm just a little more mindful about how grateful I am for their companionship today than I was last week.
