Email: Racindalz@hotmail.com
Lady Katherine of Roosevelt
OA, OAJ, NAP, NJP, NAC, NGC, NJC, NGC-V, NJC-V, CGC, TT
June 14, 1993 - September 17, 2006
My Katy is one of those "once in a lifetime dogs" - she is my soulmate and can read my feelings like a book. Katy was my first ever Dalmatian and my best friend when I first got married. My husband travelld quite a bit when we were first married and he got the puppy for me as a companion. Katy and I only had each other and we did EVERYTHING together. I blame my husband for what happens next because he simply wanted me to take the dog to obedience classes. Well, I met some great people and I kept going back to the club because I become addicted to the dog trials!
When Katy was first starting out in obedience, she and I
struggled with each other because I was such a perfectionist and Katy was very
sensitive to me. If I wasn't perfect, I grew frustrated and Katy reacted to my
frustration, by being shy and avoiding me. It took me forever to figure out that
I was destroying my special relationship with my favorite dog.
But, one day my Ridgeback friend, Pam, had me come over to her house and try
some agility equipment her father had built for her. Katy and I started having
fun again! That's when the agility bug bit me. There is no cure for the agility
bug, only going to more agility trials can keep it in check. Pam, her ridgebacks
and me and my Dalmatians began traveling almost every weekend to any agility
trial there was. We were having a blast!! It took Katy and I two years to earn
the coveted Novice Agility (NA) title, but after that - it was a piece of cake.
We also started attending NADAC and USDAA trials - which helped us learn about
each other better. I didn't worry about the rules - I kept my goals simple - I
wanted CLEAN RUNS!
Once I changed my training focus from being the perfectionist, to having fun with my dogs, the titles came fast and furious. The addiction only increased, but life changes started happening - my husband lost his job, I lost my job, we started our own business - you know life got in the way.
At 13, my Katy is now retired from agility and moving a bit slower than she used to, but I'm proud to say she stills loves to run through tunnels and onto teeters. I can't believe my luck in having such a great dog TEACH ME the lessons I needed to be a better person and trainer.
I lost my Katy on September 17, 2006 due to renal (kidney) failure. I was lucky because, she didn't suffer. She passed in her sleep. From the bottom of my heart - thank you for everything Katy!
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