APRIL 2005

LUCY
JACK RUSSEL x AUSTRALIAN TERRIER

My ex-boyfriend brought Lucifer home when she was just 6 weeks old. I was unaware that he even wanted a dog but he used the excuse that he bought her for our ten month old son, Tyron, as well as for a companion in the car. I can't remember a time when he took her in the car with him. Anyway, Tyron loved her and my Brittany Spaniel, Toby, loved her. So she became part of the family. We nicknamed her Lucy for short. I didn't spend much time with Lucy as I had my own dog to train. But when Nat decided to move back to Torquay, Lucy became mine. She didn't seem to enjoy the little bit of obedience that I had done with her, so I thought I would give agility a try.

We began trialling in Jumping at the Ballarat trial in May, 2002, just 3 months after we started training. Our first run of the day, we got a qualification and 2nd place. I was so excited.

At our next Jumping trial, two months later, we won two qualifications and a 1st and 2nd place, earning Lucy her 'Jumping Dog' title. She was a natural. Agility seemed to prove a little bit more difficult. She couldn't keep running and jumping as fast as she did. I needed to have more control over her. She had to slow down to make sure she touched the colour at the end of the contact obstacles. She also needed to stay on the table for five seconds. It must have felt like five hours to her. She hated it. I entered Lucy in Agility at the Ballarat trial in September, 2002, but we didn't have any luck. Lucy continued getting Jumping passes but it wasn't until April, 2003, that she got her first Agility pass. She managed to also get 2nd place.

I was so proud of her. There were four passes in that class and the other three dogs were all Border Collies. Everyone loves watching Lucy run courses. She has got so much enthusiasm (sometimes too much).

Lucy got her 'Jumping Dog Excellence' title in September, 2003. She finally received her 'Agility Dog' title in March, 2004 and she got her 'Jumping Dog Masters' title in September, 2004. We have still got a long way to go before we reach the Open and Masters Agility titles but we won't give up. I know we can get them; it's just a matter of time (and lots of hard training). All up Lucy has gained 33 NADAC passes, and 31, first-place ribbons, 19 VCA passes, with 12 assorted placings.

Lucy has turned out to be such a unique little dog. Our bond has grown immensely since we began participating in the sport of Agility and I am so glad I kept her. Hopefully we will only continue to improve before she is due to retire

 

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