Lexi takes on the Zoom Room
December 03, 2014
Last year, my Wheaton Terrier passed away. Inga was a fantastic dog in many ways; she was playful, loyal and stubborn all at the same time. We were lucky enough to have her for 13 years and she hung to the joys of life until the very end.
A few years after we got her, I was invited to a Wheaton round up in the San Fernando Valley. Inga wasn’t a show dog, so she didn’t fit in with the close circle of breeders as they circled the perfectly quaffed show winners that garnered the prime real estate at the round up. As we wondered around, we happened on to the agility ring. It was a side attraction on the peripheral of the round up. Here you found the athletic contingent in their Nike trainers and treat pouches firmly cinched to their waist. The Wheaton’s in this group were focused, lively and raring to go. Inga….well, having never tried any of these contraptions proved less than an eager participant. Neither the A-frame nor the Dog Walk seemed to generate much interest. Inga was convinced the tunnel would only lead her to the fourth dimension, which was one too far for her. She was clear, the agility league just wasn’t for her. In looking back, I still think she would have had a blast, if we had just been able to warm her up to the whole idea.
With Inga’s passing, we found ourselves smitten with a little Labradoodle puppy that I named Lexi. Over the last 12 months, she has proven more than eager to give agility training a go. As a matter of fact, she has become obsessed with the class and the agility league that we joined. The Zoom Room in Hollywood has proven to be the perfect match for little Lexi.
Lexi ready to go....
Agility league is competitive, but no one seems to have told the canine contingent. Just like people, you’ll find the over achieving Border Collie or the lumbering Basset Hound, who never seems to find a reason to pick up the pace. Ever. With beginners’ luck, we made the leader board early on.
A few weeks ago, we had a difficult course set up. You get one test run followed by three timed runs on the course. This course contained 18 components made up of tunnels, tables, a-frames, dog walks and weaves. On the third run, the woman with the Border Collie took a tumble after the sixth obstacle and to all of our collective amazement, the Border Collie completed the course alone! I don’t know if Lexi and I will reach that level of achievement, but it definitely gives us something to shoot for.