MACH3 Barclay Lyca Piece of the Action, RN, XF

Chase and I have had a special bond right from the start! I had just euthanized my first poodle, Duncan and wasn't quite ready for a new dog. I contacted the breeder I wanted my next puppy from, thinking it would be a while before she had one available. To my surprise, she had a littler of puppies that was ready to go to their new homes. The kicker was that they had been born on the same day I’d lost Duncan. Well, that sealed the deal! Chase came to live with me on that good karma note in the fall of 2004. We started playing agility from the day he came home and he loved it from the start. He’s a very outgoing and drivey little boy who is the apple of my eye. His only question is how far and how high?

We've earned many first places in our agility career together. With this wonderful boy, we earned our first MACH and qualified to compete at the AKC Agility Nationals. We earned our MACH on June 28, 2009. At our first AKC Agility Nationals in 2009, Chase was #33 in a very competitive 12” class. At the 2010 Nationals he was ranked 24th out of 168 in the 12” height.
I couldn’t have asked for a better teammate, pet or companion. He’s with me every second I’m home and always looking for a game.

MACH4 Taylormade Spectacular Light XF, APD, 2009 USDAA Performance GP Champion

When Spec was born she was the "runt" of the litter. *She* was not what I had envisioned when I did the breeding for my next dog. I like a Sheltie to look like a Sheltie is "supposed" to look, and since Spec looked like a cross between a Sheltie and an Italian Greyhound, she wasn't ideal in my mind. As time came for the pups to go to their new homes, I realized that since she was the puppy I was comparing all the others too, then maybe my heart had already chosen. Throughout her puppy hood she had several health issues including a heart murmur that led to me jokingly giving her the label “my practically perfect puppy.”

When I started introducing her to agility, she seemed content to do the exercises very methodically. I kept the training light and positive, and put a TON of my own energy into every session. When I started sequencing with her my little agility dog awoke. She just "understood" the idea of a course as the goal, and now saw more point in running fast. At the trials she was so easy. She went as fast as she could go and still succeed. I was a little worried she wouldn't ever really be fast, but the more confident she grew and the more skills she learned, the faster she ran. She started showing in September and she qualified for AKC world team tryouts in April just 7 months later! Before 4 years old she had acquired 2 MACHs, her USDAA APD, and was the 12" USDAA Performance Grand Prix Champion in 2009. She was also in the middle of a streak of QQs in AKC that ended with 14 QQs in a row. She put a new spin on my "Practically Perfect Puppy" joke....and the joke was on me!

ADCH MACH Taylormade Cheer For Me XF, JM, SM “Cheer”

Cheer was born at Crystal Ferraiuolo‘s house because I hoped if the litter was raised there I could prevent myself from wanting one of the pups. We named the litter Christmas names, and I thought she was such a pretty little thing I decided she would be “Cheer”. I thought it was a perfect name for a pup in a repeat litter of my 18 month old Spec who is such a happy girl herself. Maybe I was doomed from that moment.

I spent most of her early days talking myself out of keeping her, but in the end she spoke to me in a way I was unable to ignore. Then I “decided” she would be Joel’s next dog once I could talk him into another dog and get her started in her training. Joel decided that she was the most talented dog to join our family since our beloved Taz, and that there was no way he would take her from me. Sometime around 2 years old, I just couldn’t hold back anymore and I allowed myself to fall in love with her.

I’ve been breeding Shelties a long time, and I believe Cheer is everything I was breeding toward all along. She is lovely, athletic, happy, smart and has drive to spare. Spaying her at 2 ½ was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done because she is so nearly perfect, but it meant that she and I could move forward and focus on her career without the worry of seasons/breedings/puppies.

Cheer achieved her ADCH before her 3rd birthday at PAWS in Holly Springs, MS on Nov 14, 2010. I almost couldn’t believe it myself because I had been telling myself and others how much slower to mature than Spec she was. Those words didn’t taste too bad though!

Kristy Netzer played a vital role in helping me *believe* Cheer could be a gambling dog to achieve that hardest part of the ADCH for me.

MACH TACh3 Crystalove Rhythm And Blues CDX, MX, MXJ, XF, RE

2011 TDAA - National 12" Champion and Speed Jumping Champion

Rhythm is a wonderful teammate, and is always ready for action. He is the 2009 TDAA National 12" weave pole challenge champion. He began training at Happy Dog Ranch in 2009, and has made a lot of progress with hitting his contacts thanks to Kristy's coaching.

MACH Gela

Gela is a 4 yr old European German shepherd whose grandsire was second at the world championships in Schutzhund. I bought her as a puppy to be my next Schutzhund dog, but by a year old, it was clear that bitework wasn’t her forte. ..enter AGILTY! I switched sports, and never regretted it. Gela was wonderfully tolerant as I learned both new handling skills and new training skills. She suffered thru my learning curve teaching her running contacts and she figured it out in spite of me. The only real challenge working with Gela was providing her reinforcer...the water hose is by far her favorite. Toting a hose and sprayer around to all the trial sites, even in the dead of winter, was a bit of a pain, but it was worth it. She’s a very consistent and willing partner, earning her MACH fairly quickly, and finishing the year as the #2 GSD in the country, qualifying for the AKC Invitational. We’ve now switched gears again, and she is preparing for her next career in Obedience. Maybe we can put an OTCH with that MACH? Like a good GSD should be, she’s a jack of all trades and loves learning new things.

MACH 3 Sancrest Luckenbach, UD, RE, MXF, AD, VER

Luke is an apricot standard poodle born April 17, 2001. He is currently working on UDX in obedience, and learning to track. Luke is the happiest and most willing of workers and a true joy each day!

MACH Bailey CGC

In March, 2006, I came home from work one day and this little “stray” was sitting on my front porch. I had no clue what breed he was, and he had no collar or other type of identification on him. At the time I thought he was some sort of weird-looking Jack Russell terrier. My vet told me he is a “rat terrier”, and I knew nothing at all about this breed. Turns out he was owned by a neighbor who lives a mile down the road from us who does not believe in keeping her dogs “up”. He is from Indiana and was born on October 1, 2005. I returned him to his rightful owners on five different occasions… he kept returning to our house, so eventually the owner gave him to us, stating that we had “ruined him” by allowing him to be inside our house. At that time he was six months old and was SO hyper…he obviously needed a job to do. So the world of agility opened its doors to us in October, 2006 when we began training.

My background was in schutzhund with german shepherds, so this little 9 lb, skinny, long-legged pup was quite a challenge for me. I had never seen a clicker, and my training methods were hardly of an operant nature. I struggled with trying to UNtrain me…REtrain me… and train this little four-legged dog using methods I had never used before. From the very beginning, Bailey has been my heart dog as no other dog has ever been. He often accompanied me to the nursing home where my mom resided for six years until her passing in May, 2010. He delighted in interacting with the patients there. Although we never pursued obtaining his therapy dog certification, there is no doubt in my mind he would make an excellent therapy dog, as comforting the elderly seems to be his primary gift.

I’ve often heard that we get the dogs we need and not necessarily the dogs we want. Such is the case with Bailey. He has been my comforter, my companion, and definitely my canine soul mate.

Our journey to Bailey’s MACH has been somewhat of a struggle for us both. But as so often the case, the more difficult the journey…the sweeter the destination. I love all of my dogs, but this little furboy has a special place in my heart, and always will.

MACH Regen’s Bismarck Lemans Streak VCD2, RA, TDX, JH, MXF, SD, RD, VX2, NAVHDA, NA, Prize 1

Five year old Streak is owned and handled by Wanda Gunter from Portland, TN. He earned his MACH on June 3, 2011 in Buckner KY in fine style with four 1st place finishes. Streak has a heart larger than life, his work ethic is outstanding and shows in all he does. Before the age of 2 Streak had earned his RN,RA,CD,CDX,TD,TDX,NA,NAJ,OA,VCD1 and V, he continues training and showing in the various events showing just how versatile he is.

He was ranked #4 agility weimaraner for 2010 and is also ranked #4 so far for 2011. Streak was invited to and competed at the AKC Agility Invitational in 2009 and 2010, the #4 ranking also earned him an invitation to the 2011 event with plans of attending.

TACh JaLar Violets Are Blue

JaLar Violets Are Blue earned her TACh at the K9Sports of Tennessee May 2011 trial. Violet loves TDAA agility and wants to please her handler. She exhibits a joyful and sweet personality with everyone that she meets. She is the niece of Crystal Rhythm and Blues.