Dear Readers,

Last weekend, Momma took me to On the Run Canine Center in Ham Lake for our last agility trial of the summer, and I thought I’d share a short update and some photos . I did well in the Standard course — maybe my best run ever, at least on the public stage — so to woof. Here’s a video of it taken by our friend, B.J. Bowden. It’s quick (like me!) so won’t take much of your time.

Although I wasn’t outstanding in the other three runs that day, I did okay and photographer Mark Herreid captured some “on the run” moments.

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As you can see, I love a good run and I gave it my all. Truth be woofed, however, I’m not a fan of hanging around the Center all day, waiting for the next event. Usually, I’m imprisoned in my little crate where I am unable to rest, much less sleep, with all the people and doggie racket going on around me. When I finally get let out by Momma, it’s either to go potty for the twentieth time (we would be disqualified and Momma would simply die if I pottied in the arena) or get hyped up by a wild-eyed Momma for the next run. It’s just hard on my psyche, and takes its toll.

It apparently takes a toll on Momma, too (she can be such a snowflake), because she’s thinking the same thing. She also hates the interminable waits between runs, and is wondering how we can escape sooner. In fact, now she’s wondering if there might be some kind of abbreviated (exclusive!) competition where only a few dogs run per day (instead of the usual 200 – 300 entries) that she hasn’t heard of yet. I know — so entitled, right? I hate to even admit it, but I’m with her on this one.

But for now, back to reality. We finished the seemingly endless competition last Sunday and earned a few more ribbons — the green ones in the photo are the important ones — the Qs — which bring us to the next level. We could already move up a level in two fun courses called Wildcard and Colors, but Momma (secretly intimidated by the more difficult runs) decided we should stay put fur now. Here I am with my winnings from the season.

Momma hasn’t found any of those mini-trials yet, but she did sign us up for another run-of-the-mill one this fall. I’ll keep you posted on our progress.

Lina, Still Following Momma’s Lead

WOOFDA!