Spooked...

Today for the first time in over 12 years of agility I was absolutely terrified. A very special buddy of mine, Rigby ( the standard poodle) had a melt down in his novice jumpers run. He was all stressed, and scared, and didn't want to play the game at all. I excused us, and took him back to his crate. My only thought was; What if I've lost him for good? I can't explain how special some dogs are, you have to feel it, know them, understand them before you can truly appreciate the personality and character. Rigby, he is one unique character, and though I haven't quite figured him out, I just know he is one of a kind. I've never met another dog like him; To have our agility partnership end with him refusing to run with me, would kill me. 

Luckily, with some moral support from his family (dogs and humans) and some extra yummy meatballs, we got back into our normal rhythm winning both Novice Standard and Novice FAST. 

Sorry just a random mind blowing moment for me today, figured I'd share. Also kind of put in perspective how attached I really get to my rent-a-dogs. I know some people think you can't truly enjoy and love a dog that isn't your own. But agility, any dog sport really, builds a special bond between handler and dog. A single language, handling system for a unit, it is all teamwork. At that point, I'm not sure it really matters who owns the dogs papers...in some small way you're connected to them whether you like it or not.