13 July 2010

Practicing with the Team-Sucking it up and trying to look like you do things right, even without a support undergarment on such as Spanx.


So usually, I practice all by myself. Like human-wise. Dog-wise, I have all of Team Small Dog to keep me company. We enjoy the forest at my friend Kathleen's beautiful field, Heart Dog Agility, I set up drills and we have a great time. I never, ever wear Spanx while I'm doing this.


Sometimes though, it's fun to practice with friends.


There's my dog agility pal Nancy with her big floppy tongued puppy, Scoop.


Gustavo and Scoop were in swoony doony, lovey dovey, lady gaga googly eyed love.


It can be a little disconcerting if some of your agility pals are like super world champions. I just try to practice like I'm a super world champion too, so I blend. In my mind, I blend. No need to comment here, super world champion dog agility pals. But the bar is really actually very leveled when everybody sits in the same puddle and has the same wet underpants under their shorts. And also when your agility pals are nice enough to mention that, ahem, DON'T BACK UP when you're serpentining!


Practicing with friends is not only fun, and educational if you watch your friends who are totally better at dog agility run their dogs, but also good proofing. Because if Gustavo can run when the field is full of starey eyed border collies and a Zuma, then anything is possible. Gustavo seemed pretty weirded out and unfocused for the most part, which is how it goes sometimes. At least it wasn't like the day before, when he got so freaked out by a cigarette lighter that he went catatonic for part of the afternoon.

Yes. I said cigarette lighter. Welcome to my world.


We are pretty lucky here, in our part of the world, a blissfully free of Bic lighters world, to be able to do some agility in a beautiful forest on grass fields, then let the dogs run on the beach like complete lunatics until they're pooped. And possibly eat Mexican food somewhere in there, too. The ladies. Not the dogs. Also, did you know that when dog agility ladies travel in packs, it looks like a official State convoy of SUV's and vans? It is a scary sight. Like we are escorting the body of the alien somewhere. Carpool is a challenging feat in a world of big cars filled with big dogs and big dog crates. I take personal responsibility for the gulf spill. I hope to not be stoned to death by stoners now.


That's Quill. Quill always beats the pants off of Otterpop when they run in trials. It's just how it goes. Quill and Otterpop both have the same idea about how the beach works when it is full of border collies. The way it works is that Quill and Otterpop need to have the sticks and only Quill and Otterpop need to have the sticks. And that a trip to the beach is pretty much about Quill and Otterpop having sticks and not border collies.

8 comments:

team small dog said...

We are so happy to have Dirt Nite again! I can go from sitting in puddles to sitting in dirt!

Anonymous said...

Maybe I should start wearing Spanx when doing dog agility... at least a sports bra.

Anonymous said...

The Otterpop could someday beat Quill. Zach and Nub have been stompled by the CKC Maya and local rival, fellow JRT, BJ, many a time. Finally at the NW Regional last weekend Nub and Zach won the 8" Performance Grand Prix, beating their nemesis Maya and BJ by less than a second.

Persevere Team Small Dog! You can do it!

teamgracie said...

I once ran a course wearing a girdle, which I think might be as dehabilitating as a spanx. (I used to be a rockabilly/swingdance girl. I had no time to change before class. At least it wasn't a full on Dita-type corset, or I might have sustained some rib injuries...)

And what is it with the blue addidas type old school trackpants w/ the white trim. I think agility could possible make them cool yet again! I wantz a pair!

team small dog said...

Great job Nub!! Otterpop is going all 8" at our Regional coming up, she has byes saved up so she can save all her super speedy for the final round, she will try to channel Nub!

I hopefully will not be wearing a Spanx.

Elf said...

I cannot begin to tell you how thrilled--and perhaps worried--certain people were in class last night when I mentioned that they and their photos appeared in TSD.

team small dog said...

I think people are afraid of me sometimes. Because I walk softly but wield a big blog.

Elf said...

But they love being in your blog anyway!