Our Empty Nest Dog

About 10 years ago, one of our daughters was away at college and the other was still at home but, was in college and working. They didn't need us. We'd spent 20+ years bathing, feeding, driving, etc. now what?

I wanted to spend more time outdoors and I wanted to help people. I started with a local Search And Rescue (SAR) group and after I was sure this was what I wanted to do, I started looking for a puppy.

Tazzy @ 10 weeks

Tazzy's first week, Grumpy and I wondered what sort of demon dog did we get. She chased the cat. She peed in the cat's house. She bit everyone and everything with those sharp needle teeth. She had NO attention span so trying to do any training was frustrating. And then, it clicked. Sure she still attacked the rose bushes and chased the cat, but we could actually do short bursts of training.

Soon, she was old enough to start going to SAR training with me. She did the groups downs with the older dogs and by 6 months she could down as long as any of the older dogs. She did her puppy searches and learned to absolutely LOVE the Find It game. She was very enthusiastic in her finds and subjects were known to be very "physically" found. She was so into finding her subject and so fast, she could run through a horse trail and not skip a beat while scooping up something for her own reward.

Tazzy @ 12 months wearing her SAR training vest

At about 20 months, I started taking her to agility classes. At about this same time, it was clear her IBD wasn't going away. Doctors said it was stress and so, we took a break from SAR training. For the next couple of years, we toyed at class and met lots of nice people. Eventually, our classmates started competing at trials. Two good friends (Chris and Dorothy) talked me into signing up for a trial.

Tazzy @ 5 years earned her C-ATCH (CPE Agility Trial Champion)

In addition to getting me out to compete, Dorothy invited Grumpy and me to join in their Friday night guitar playing. That introduced us to a whole new and different group of people. Grumpy and his buddy, James, are preparing to do their first open mic late this week.

If that wasn't enough, Dorothy's daughter Jocelyn worked with Grumpy and Tazzy to get into the Rally ring and eventually earn their RE (Rally Excellent). She worked with Shelby and me as well.

Also through the agility connections, my classmates Barbara and Molly, encouraged me to start running and biking ... and yep, swimming. Molly was instrumental in getting me started in triathlon. Through both Barbara and Molly, Grumpy and I met yet another group of nice people.

Who would have thought that getting a dog, would change our lives so much. We now have Shelby and Essie. Are busy all the time with dog sports, triathlon, music, family, and friends.

Happy 10th birthday my little empty nest dog.

C-ATCH2 Hall's Canine Razzmatazz RE ChSt CGC NAP OJP OFP PD1PKII PJII PGII