Well I did it...

[areese]

After Laika's triumphant "run" a few weeks ago after the trial, I'd been debating what to do next. It was SOOOO nice to do that but I can't do it at every trial...it was just a very nice organizer and a very nice judge, both of whom I've known for years.
I asked about entering For Exhibition Only and they don't allow that anymore :(
So did some asking and some thinking and I entered Laika in the president's day trial yesterday. As a specialist (which means they can jump below their jump height and be entered below their level) Entered her in level 1 jumpers at 4 inches (lowest height you can do). Agonized about it all week and let her do some very low jumps in the house to see if 4 inches would really be jumping or more like striding...definitely not jumping as she is not like Owen, who jumps 16 inches in the air over a 4 inch jump. So we did it. Last run of the day of course (lower levels are always last it seems) and it was a 15 obstacle course (just jumps and tunnels and tire). Nice padded rubber floor. She was just amazing. I of course don't push her at all for speed or anything else and she just ran like the wind. Once again very very smoothly, without a bobble or hesitation or mis-step, evewn. I had to speed MYSELF up to keep up with her twice cuz she just kept getting faster. After all our time running together she reads my body language perfectly and it is just so exhilarating. Only one level 1, 2 dog was faster than her, a patterdale terrier which has a LOT longer legs than Laika and he was only 2 seconds faster. Of course the other dogs in level 1,2 are not experienced like Laika and her score is not compared with the non-specialist dogs so it's all fair. So one more blue ribbon for Laika and she was o so happy again. I got so many joyous kisses after her run...she really appreciates getting to run with me.
Both Owey and Salsa qualified in 4 of the 5 runs. Owen got a little mixed up in one Standard run and kept taking a tunnel instead of the a-frame. He did it like 4 times cuz I started laughing after the 2nd time and he was stuck in some sorta loop. Gosh he is funny. I rear-crossed too early behind Salsa and pulled her off a jump and she went running into a tunnel. I called her off, but I could just see the whites of her bulgy eyes as she totally ignored me. I IZ DOING DIS TUNNEL!!!!!!! She was running so fast I could hear this little ack ack ack as she ran (her breathing...it's so cute)
Owen beat his sister in snooker and got his first level "C" Q. So Salsa got 2nd. Everything else we got was a first place Q cuz Owey still runs in level 5 in most things, as he finished his individual championships in each category, I am moving him up to "C". I think he is close to his C-ATCH 3 now!! Salsa is young and very consistent so I am going for her C-ATE which is about a gazilliion points in level C.
I also ran Toots the min pin and despite him wanting to go check on his mommy during the run, we qualified 3 out of 3 with him, 2 firsts and 1 second.
So it was a great day even though I took PAT with me...she was in a good mood so it was cool.

[Linus]

:woohoo: Go Miss Laika! :cheer3:

[Lisa]

Tears of joy. Lots of them. I am so happy for you and your beautiful girl.

[lotsadox]

:goodluck:

[Frzframe]

:woohoo: Laika I am so happy for her and well you of course. I think we DLCers should plan a meet up when Amy's running her dogs. How cool would that be??? I really would love to see them all do their THANG!

[Barb]

:woohoo: Laika I am so happy for her and well you of course. I think we DLCers should plan a meet up when Amy's running her dogs. How cool would that be??? I really would love to see them all do their THANG!


I SOOO agree....wouldn't that be so much fun if a group of us were in the audience? Go Laika and Owee and Salsa !!!! Sounds like an awesome day !

[areese]

I forgot to say she ran the course in 28.63 seconds.
Standard course time was 53 seconds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How frigging amazing is that?? She is just...something, ya know?
And YEAH, come out here and watch them run. It's a blast. Esp. if you like dogs :)

[Frzframe]

I forgot to say she ran the course in 28.63 seconds.
Standard course time was 53 seconds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How frigging amazing is that?? She is just...something, ya know?
And YEAH, come out here and watch them run. It's a blast. Esp. if you like dogs :)

What??!! You have to like dogs? Well ... I guess ... :pout: I'm out. Me no like doggies. :rotfl: I :love9: :love9: :love9: them all (which gets me into a wee bit of trouble at times).

:cheer3: :cheer3: :cheer3: :cheer3: Wow she is fast and amazing. Yep we know our girl is something alright.

[areese]

What??!! You have to like dogs? Well ... I guess ... :pout: I'm out. Me no like doggies. :rotfl: I :love9: :love9: :love9: them all (which gets me into a wee bit of trouble at times).

:cheer3: :cheer3: :cheer3: :cheer3: Wow she is fast and amazing. Yep we know our girl is something alright.


:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Well Rob won't go cuz there are too many dogs barking.
I just love being around dogs of all sorts and it's so cool esp. in CPE cuz the vast majority of handlers are just gaga over their partners.
And lately there have been a bunch of PUPPIES!!!!! Last time there was a cattle dog puppy, JRT puppy, pedango (yes!) puppy, Sheltie puppy, and a collie puppy!
SOOOO...when are y'all coming????????????????????????????????????????

[Frzframe]

SOOOO...when are y'all coming????????????????????????????????????????

When I can get time off from work ... oh wait that might only be when I DIE. :o Maybe I'll have to plan a vacation when you are running the crew.

[Tex]

:congrats: to Owen and Salsa, but I just :love5: that Laika got to run!!!!! I'm sure she was over the moon excited!!!

[Patt]

:congrats: to all.

[Alex's Mom]

:congrats: to Owen and Salsa, but I just :love5: that Laika got to run!!!!! I'm sure she was over the moon excited!!!
Exactly!!! She's like a show horse who's retired and who gets all excited when hearing the crowd :) (We had one of those in a barn I used to board at...he lived to show, became a totally different horse, and retirement was so hard on him. He aged almost before our eyes.) :hug99::hug99:

[Jill]

How Awesome Amy!

[areese]

Exactly!!! She's like a show horse who's retired and who gets all excited when hearing the crowd :) (We had one of those in a barn I used to board at...he lived to show, became a totally different horse, and retirement was so hard on him. He aged almost before our eyes.) :hug99::hug99:

Yes, she is like that! It does seem that it is almost as important to keep her healthy/happy mentally as physically. It would be so much easier (for me) to say ok you do nothing, stay home (well...she can't do that cuz Rob isn't here) totally change her whole life so I will feel more comfortable. I just keep trying to make her happy and keep things as normal as possible. CPE agility is really good like that cuz they do have the specialist option and it really was created so dogs that are old or have physical limitations can still compete. Cuz they know it's good for them (and their owners :))
Sonja (woman who let me run after the trial a few weeks ago) used to ru her old old old collie after the trial. Jackie was 15 years old! But she'd get out there, run through a few jump uprights (no bars) and then get ont he table and we'd all cheer and that old dog would just beam and we'd all cry...

[lotsadox]

There are other things that you could do with Laika besides agility that might not stress her back. I mean if an alcoholic keeps going to the bar, he's gonna keep wanting a drink whether it's good for him or not.

Just saying . . .

[areese]

I don't think it stresses her back. Or I wouldn't do it.
And nothing else WOULD make her happy unless I stop trialing all the dogs. IF Rob was home she could stay home but he isn't.

[lotsadox]

I just made a suggestion.

[areese]

I just made a suggestion.

Yup. And I'm saying it's certainly something I've thought about a lot. I hope I didn't make it sound like...well Laika wants to do agility so I'm doing it even though it might hurt her. It's not like that. I'm letting her do a part of it in a way that I feel is beneficial to her physically as well as mentally. She exerts herself more in the back yard than she did in that 28 seconds on the course.
I won't ever let her do the other obstacles/courses in agility cuz I don't think they are good for her. Running is good for IVDD dogs. She's a fairly long-legged dog and not small so a 4 inch "jump" really isn't a jump, just a break in stride. Tunnels are perfect. Level 1 has no twists and turns. I think its a wonderful activity for her and doesn't stress her back at all. I want her to remain strong and fit.

[Lisa]

I don't pretend to be an expert on IVDD, but from what Pogo's surgeon said, if they have it, they have it - and if the disk is going to blow it will. There is no comfort in that but it is what it is.

Just looking at past dogs that went down recently - Laika does agility. Hoover does agility or earthdog (I think??) and beyond that, Pogo - nothing extracurricular, Gunner - nothing extracurricular, Jax - nothing extracurricular, Sabrina (Olga's) - nothing extracurricular.

These are hardly large pool stats, but I don't believe that agility caused her disk to rupture. I wish there was something in humans I can compare it too maybe osteoporosis? Not all women get it, some get it really bad, some get mild cases. If you have the disease and you fall yes you can break a hip, but that could happen if you get out of bed the wrong way or it could happen when you are going down the stairs or working out at a gym. It doesn't mean the gym is to blame for the disease. If you had a knee replacement you wouldn't say don't walk again because you don't want to wear out the new knee - right?

I don't know what the answer is Amy (so I am not sure why I bothered typing all of this), could she hurt herself at agility, sure -- could she hurt herself sneezing or humping Bob, sure. Bottom line is no one really knows that much about IVDD and the chances of re-occurrence and what may or may not trigger said re-occurrence. Since there are no guarantees and you are doing everything possible to keep her safe by having her in a special division and you both have such a passion for it, enjoy. You are restricting her from the couches and those are far, FAR more dangerous than a 4" jump. Most people who's dogs have IVDD don't get rid of their furniture (well...except for us - :duh: ) and their dogs happily go on jumping on and off couches & beds and running up and down stairs.

[areese]

Thanks Lisa. I think that explains it nicely.
I guess I shouldn't expect people to understand.
I've been doing agility with Laika for 5 years. Not competing of course at first, but classes and such. And now it's a big part of my life. And hers. My best friends are agility friends..it's one of my favorite things to do. I don't go out shopping, out to eat a lot, go to movies, to bars...I like to do agility. Salsa and Owen enjoy it a great deal too. The bonding you do with your dog when you do agility is really wonderful. Where I train, they say it's all about the relationship. (between dog and human) And to me and my friends it is. Maybe not with everyone..there are some nasty people who do it just to "win" but we are not like that.
It's important to me and I don't think I would quit it because Laika couldn't do it. I only trial once a month...I can't see stopping something I love and that has become my main source of social interaction. I thought she'd be happy with the social aspect and getting belly rubs and treats but it's not just that....the first time she ran on New Years eve at our training facility (again, no bars, just a quick circle into a tunnel) it made a huge difference in her attitude at home. I know when Laika is happy and relaxed and satisfied. She has to DO some things to be that way. I don't think my other dogs are like that and it's hard to explain but I know. I felt so happy that I could find a safe way for her to enjoy it with me still.
I don't know how I feel now. Kinda bad, I guess. Which is silly but....
I should quit trying to explain.
She does not get on furniture, do any stairs, is not overweight. All she did was run for 28 frigging seconds on a padded floor, do 4 tunnels and 9 4 inch jumps. Once. Still don't see anything wrong with that at all.

[Otto'sMom]

Amy, if Laika's soul isn't happy, he body wouldn't fare much better. An animal's spirit is an intergral part of their health. There is no doubt in my mind that if something is going to happen, it's gonna happen. You can't keep a dog immobile it's entire life, THAT would be cruel. Let her run, let her do what gives her joy. Limit what you can and don't punish yourself for "if only I'd done this" It serves no purpose. You know your dog. You know her limits.:hug99:

[Lisa]

Andrea perfectly said what I was trying too.

[areese]

That does explain very well how I feel...
Thank you, Andrea and Lisa.

[Yolanda]

Not to get into a heated discussion , however this is always a two sided question and this is my thoughts on the subject.

I personally would err on the side of caution and not do the agility. There has to be lots of ways for her to be happy and not take the risk.

Then in rescue I always have two or more dogs each and every day recovering from back surgery. A dog can be prone to back problems and have issues. In others it just happens for no rime or reason.

I guess I am asking Amy how would you feel if she starts agility again and then has another problem. I personally woudl be devasted if it were me.

[areese]

I am not starting agility again. If you knew about agility, you would know what she did is far from competing again. I guess people can't really picture what she is doing...
I would be devastated no matter what if she had problems again.
But she is a DOG and is going to run and is going to play. If it's going to happen, it will. If what she did monday was going to do that to her, it's gonna happen in the backyard or in the dining room.
You know...I don't think I want to be a part of this discussion anymore.
Thanks for the advice.

[ebmw1975]

:cheer3: :cheer3: :appl: To Laika, Owen and Salsa!!!!!!

To me it is like a marathon runner doing a run designed for kindegarteners is what I think, it is agility on a baby level so there is almost no chance of her doing more damage doing that then as you said Amy in the back yard. I know with me and my back, hip, all health crud with me that there are things I really enjoy doing but I am sore and tired after, but that doesnt mean I am going to stop doing them I just dont do it that often, because they bring me SUCH inner joy and peace. Even if it is only once every other month I have things that are kinda hard on me but I wouldnt be half the person if I didnt do them anyways and Laika is kinda like that too. I dont think once a month is going to do much if any damage, but that is just my honest opinion, and I am just learning about all the doxies back issues ( thanks to Baby Barkly) and I am ony a little familiar with agility ( thanks to Z) but I do have TONS of personal experience with my back after 2 surgurys and numerous outpatient and monthly shots and morphine and on and on. To me I think as Andrea said if the mental/spiritual side isnt there with the physical your going to go down hill regardless. So give Laika a hug from me the back scar human girl to the back scar wonder pup before her next run and tell her I wish I could be with her for just 1 run, so she gets to run it for me K :hug99: :hug99: