Over Rainbow Bridge

Careless Whisper Working

About Whiz :

All my dogs are special in their own way, but Whiz was extra-special because she made me look like a good handler when the truth was, she was an exceptional dog who learned how to do things well without me having to teach her.

Her first love was sheep, watching them (from when she was 9 weeks old) and later, moving them around. She taught me the little I know about working sheep. She had such a powerful instinct, and such natural ability, that she was placed in the Ayrshire ISDS Novice Sheepdog Trials. One of my fellow competitors said 'that dog is wasted on you, she needs someone like me who knows what they are doing and she'll win the International. I'll give you £2000 for her'.

2 years later she qualified for Agility Team GB and, with Jo Rhodes, Nicola Garrett, Kelbie and Spec, we won the FCI World Championships team event.

Whiz enjoyed agility because I did, and she wanted to please me and do exciting things with me. (Or maybe it was because she saw me as a sheep to be shepherded round an agility course, and the obstacles were in the way).  She was economical, rather than being blisteringly fast, because she excelled at tight turns. She knew when a sharp turn was coming up, without being told. She shot from Novice to Advanced in her first year of competition, won or gained places in the top 3 at every show she entered, and everything a Scottish agility dog could win, including 1CC, 2RCCs, Scottish Agility Dog of the Year and several Olympia qualifiers and Semis. The only showcase final that eluded her was the Highland, because the gunshots distracted her, but she nevertheless accumulated an armful of seconds and thirds.

Whiz retired from agility competition at the age of 7 after ripping all the tendons in her foot.

Her lameness did not dampen her instinct to work sheep, and she continued to move the neighbour's sheep around (both under and not under human command) until she was a deaf, half blind, arthritic and lame old lady.

My dog in a billion. Our bond was so strong that we communicated by thought alone, so there is no need to tell her how much I miss her.

Lethans Maximillion Working

About Mats:

It was Mats' misfortune that I knew nothing about training dogs - let alone agility - when I got him. From the second he first saw a dog doing agility he was hooked, and he made it clear that agility was what he was going to do, with or without me. It took him 4 months to learn what was required of a ticket-winning advanced agility dog, and to acquire the nickname 'Mad Mats'. It took me 4 years to learn how to steer him around a course.

He was a handful whom I loved and wanted to strangle from sheer exasperation in equal measure.  When he ran, everyone stopped to watch: Partly because he barked so frantically loudly non-stop that no-one could continue a conversation, and partly because no-one (least of all me) could anticipate what the outcome was going to be. If he got round without being eliminated for taking the wrong course he won the class, and when this happened, wow! He had the wow factor.

Mats was middle aged and starting to slow down when agility gained Championship status. He won his first CC aged 10, and came 4th in the Champion of Champion event at Crufts aged nearly 11. He was beaten into RCC by his daughter Dot when he was nearly 12. Not bad for a hairy black rocket with an accelerator pedal jammed to the floor, no brakes, and a dodgy steering wheel.

Ag Ch Absolutely Dot Working:

"An exceptional agility dog with bags of personality a loyal friend never to be forgotten"