Welcome, wayward Bayteamers who wanted to know lots and lots about Sue Rush, the featured Cool Canine from Bayteam this week. If you didn't click over from Bayteam's website, you are in for a treat because you are going to read about Sue, one of Team Small Dog's agility heros!
Sue is the inventor of an eclectic handling style called "Sue's Way of Handling" that uses a lot of rear crossing and extremely efficient running. You have probably seen them out there, doing a bunch of USDAA stuff. They have probably beaten your pants off, too. Because Sue's Aussies frequently kick border collie asses. Also, once Sue brought like 100 inflatable plastic aliens to hang around her canopy at a dog show. In a tupperware. She just does stuff like that. You probably always wanted to be like Sue. And now you can find out all their secrets of coolness.
Some of your outfits, and the sturdy nautical rope you use for a leash on Maddie and Piper suggest you may have been, or are now a pirate, when you are not doing agility. Please discuss.
Yaarrrg! I've been discovered! Why do you think I live on the coast?
Maddie and Piper both are very fast, often winning Australian shepherds. Can you give us some of your secrets in telling them apart, because it can be hard to tell which dog is which when you guys are out there running at lightening fast speeds.
Luckily Maddie is 1/4" shorter than Piper. Without that, it's difficult to tell them apart sometimes. Of course the short one makes really weird alien noises and sometimes quacks like a duck. I think it's the same one that barks while she runs, requires massive amounts of pillows while resting and is extremely demanding. Yes, I think that's it, plus she has the silver cheeks. The taller one has a little bit longer tail and has better hair.
Maddie is 9. Piper is 7, soon to be 8! Yikes! Now you know why I am on a quest for a new puppy.
Sue, I believe that your dogs have all kinds of shiny titles in metallic colors. You are a very modest person and would never brag about these so I'm going to forcibly extract some of their achievements from you right now. Enlighten us to some of their achievements, please.
You believe correctly. By the way, do modest people wear cool socks and sport sometimes homemade do-rags? I think not.... therefore I'm not.
Wait, that didn't come out right.
Do modest people open their mouth, make words come out and then have to start apologizing?
Probably not.
Hey by separating out all Sue's sentences into their own lines, it sort of looks like Sue is talking to herself! But she is really talking to YOU, Bayteamers.
Most modest people are well mannered, wear stylish clothes and have fancy dog leashes. Not sure I fall into that category. Just being elected to be part of the Cool Canine Club strips away any remaining modesty that I may have possessed. Thankfully most of my do-rags are stretchy.
She is really modest. Do you see how long it took to get the metallic title info out of her?
As for the shiny titles, I have racked up a few. I have traveled far and wide to put those letters before and after their names. We even went to Montana to enter an ASCA TD test. I wrote an article about those adventures and you can read all about it in a past issue of the Aussie Times. If you need even more sleepy time material, I wrote another article for the Aussie Times after Maddie and Piper passed their ASCA TDX's together. But wait, there's more! Maddie has her Silver ADCH and her Silver LAA. She is after all Madeline Silvercheeks so I would not expect anything less. Piper has her Bronze ADCH and her Bronze LAA. We've won some money, won some classes, won some byes into PGP and have several Team and PVP medals of various colors. Not bad for two little Aussies that are NOT minis. Mostly we have fun. Titles are cool though too.
You don't have a backyard. Or even a sideyard, I believe. Do you have any good training tips for Bayteamers without yards to practice in?
One thing I have done is set up weave poles and jumps on trails and fire roads in the forest. Oddly enough there have been several "crazy person in the forest" reports on those same days but I have never seen anyone like that while practicing. The forest is really big though. Another tip for yard-less folks is to make friends with lots of people with large yards.
You and your dogs are most excellent at really fast running. Do you have any special training secrets (you're already used the crazy person in the forest one) that you would like to share with Bayteamers?
I'm not sure I have any real training secrets. Keep moving and do what works best for you and your dog? That sounds good!
As you know, I don't really follow a system and like experimenting with different ways of handling...hmmm, maybe that's why I don't have a Platinum ADCH. There is more than one way to get around the course though and I've incorporated a lot of things from different people from various seminars to create the ever-changing new and improved "Sue's Way" of handling.
What other words of wisdom can I impart on the hapless readers? Ah yes, the ultimate secret to my success.....drum roll please....relax and have fun! Trust your dog is a good one too.
Okay that's two secrets.
Of course it would be really really really nice to have my own agility field. Really.
What do you guys do if you're not doing agility?
Since we are officially retired, we do beach walks so Maddie and PIper can roll in dead things, dig giant holes and eat seaweed. We also go to the forest so Maddie and Piper can chase innocent bambi-esc forest creatures, scare other hikers and eat huckleberries. Sometimes we travel so Maddie and Piper can bark at new things, poop in new places and get their picture taken in exotic locales. We occasionally meet up with friends so Maddie and Piper can jump on them, work them for treats and put wet nose prints on their windows. It's a rough life but someone has to do it and it might as well be me because after all I deserve it and I am extremely modest.
Is one of your dogs cooler than the other?
They each have their own cool factor and unique talents.
5 comments:
Oh, obviously: I am profoundly grateful for Sue's modesty and Laura's interviewing skill.
Do we have to go back through every Aussie Times for the articles or will there be hints given?
Great interview, go team Aussie!
Great interview! Maddie and Pipper are kick ass aussies!! Hugs from Surely and Kipper...who feel very lucky to have such cool, and famous, doggie pals!
Sue is very cool,and Laura's interviews are the best!!!
Ditto Anonymous #2.
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