Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Wet Lakeland......

In amongst the sunshine, hail, showers and strong winds I discovered that I need to feed Bryn more.....
He was driving over the dog walk into his down contact - about 6 inches from the contact - when a huge gust of wind picked him up, floated out his coat, and deposited him gently on his feet, in his perfect 2o2o position, about a foot to the far side of the contact. I don't know who was the most surprised: the judge, who froze and exclaimed 'The wind just picked him up!'; me, who froze and exclaimed 'He's just been blown off!'; or Bryn who held his postion perfectly but kept looking at the end of the contact as if not quite sure how it had got over there to the side instead of under his feet!!
No damage done (except to our fairly good chances in the class) as I ran him over that section of the course again, with the judge's permission, and he still powered it - little star!!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Going Up.....
Bryn and I have always done better at the Grade 3 to 5 type courses rather than the Grade 1 to 3 type courses, and a quick check through his Record Book confirmed this for me.
So, although a lot of people scorn dogs being promoted on points, as if it's somehow second rate, after this weekend at WBSDS at Oswestry Bryn will be going up to Grade 4, having got a Clear Round in Jumping, and a 10th and a 6th in two Agility classes, to boost his points score and giving him more than enough points for promotion. So, High Peak will be the first time he runs as a Grade 4 dog, and I have spent some time writing to and phoning Show Secretaries to ask them to change my entries....
Why do people scorn dogs that are promoted on points? How is being consistently well placed worse than having, perhaps, one fluky agility win?

Sunday, August 02, 2009

Random Acts of Kindness

I was on my way to Lincoln (JDA Agility Show) on Friday when I passed a car with a bumper sticker that read 'Commit Random Acts of Kindness' and this got me to thinking.
Recently I have received several unexpected RAoKs - not major things, just unexpected, like the lady who paid half my carparking fee at the hospital when she saw I hadn't got enough change. As a beneficiary it changed my outlook on the day, making me so much more good-humoured and 'one with the world'. RAoKs also have a feel-good factor for the benefactor, who knows that they have done something appreciated by others.
So, I got to thinking more: what if we all decided to do at least one Random Act of Kindness a day? It would have to be spontaneous, not pre-planned, and need not be anything major. What happens is that you become far more aware of the needs of others, and are actively seeking opportunities to commit the RAoK. Recipients benefit, and so do we. The world would gradually become a better place to live as we all looked for opportunities to help others in some way - just once a day, and still with a choice of whether to act or not.
What about it? I'd love to hear comments about whether you thought it was worth a shot.
Edited to add: always check first that the RAoK will be acceptable - not all blind/elderly people want to cross the road.........