Yesterday, I had to unleash Dino from his earthly existence.
Dino had many fans across the NADAC community and it is because of him that I have enjoyed being a part of it and now my sister and her beagle are also participating in NADAC and the sport of dog agility.
I adopted Dino when he was 9 months old when his original family was going to return him to the shelter where they adopted him as a puppy. I had no intention of doing agility. We went to basic training classes at St. Huberts. When I would take Dino on walks he would climb along the top of walls which were parallel to the sidewalk. I knew St Huberts also had agility training and I thought we’d give it a try. It was fun, training to do the obstacles and then slowly learning to do sequences. Dino enjoyed it, some because of the treats but also he would show a spark running the courses.
When we actually started going to NADAC trials it was a disaster, partly because as a green handler I expected him to just do great and when things fell apart, I let my disappointment show through which of course made Dino shut down because it wasn’t fun anymore. Eventually I learned I needed to keep it Fun. Slowly over time we improved with many instructors and advice from NADAC handlers at different trials. Classes were always Fun and we both enjoyed being a team.
Later on when we would trial and Dino would stop and let out a beagle “Roo” in front of a tunnel or set of weave poles I knew he was about to put it in “Second Gear” and the rest of the course was going to be super Fun. I also believe this is how Dino won over a bunch his fans with his “Roo”s.
Give your dogs a pat on the head and a hug, because tonight there is a hole in my heart because I can longer do that with my teammate and buddy, Dino.
