Why Champion of My Heart?
When we adopted Lilly from the Humane Society of
Boulder Valley in October 2004, I harbored no visions of canine
championships of any sort. Honestly, I didn’t know such options existed
for dogs other than “show dogs.” I joke that before Lilly my dog
training experience was of the Petsmart variety. No offense.
On the advice of one of the humane society’s
volunteers, who also works with Rocky Mountain Border Collie Rescue, we
looked into formal training and then agility training for
Lilly. Such a high-energy girl, even at 6 months old, needed an outlet
for all that brain power and pent up speed.
Lilly thrived in her classes. She learned. She mastered. She worked hard.
I met great people, amazing dogs, and learned about
the competitive options open to dogs of all kinds – in obedience, in
rally, in agility, and other areas. And, I bought into the dream.
I’ll admit that I mist up as I watch friends and
their dogs earn championship titles. It’s an emotional moment … the
crowd goes dead quiet as the handler-dog team step to the start line on
what could be their final run to earn the championship title. Everyone
holds their breath as the dog speeds over jumps, through tunnels, and
across teeter-totters. Waiting. Hoping for perfection (because at that
level zero mistakes allowed). The goal? Clean run.
We watch the dog, but we also watch the judge, hoping her hands don’t fly into the air signaling a mistake.
It’s over in less than a minute.
Often the final obstacle is a jump with PVC bars,
marking the height. As the dog clears that final bar, without knocking
it down, the crowd erupts in cheers. Then, the handler grabs the final
bar (often painted gold for the occasion) and turns to run a victory
lap around the course with dog flying high.
In tales I now tell, I explain why I’ve
(nearly) accepted that Lilly and I may never experience such victory,
despite her early promise in training. Ultimately, I hope to deliver a
bigger story of redemption, of a literal underdog who makes good, but
only time (and hard work) will tell.
Until then, I’ve bestowed Lilly with the championship title -- Champion of My Heart.
