It’s been a while since I’ve talked about Nyx on the blog. The Hell Hound and I have been rather busy. In October I decided to put her into Agility. If you have no idea what Agility for dogs is it’s basically an obstacle course that the dog runs. And if you’d like to see dogs in action here is a link to the 2017 Crufts Singles Finals.
Nyx absolutely loves it. Neither of us are great at it. If you’re picturing us running like the dogs and handlers in the video you are way off, as you’ll see in the upcoming videos. An Agility class for us is usually full of Nyx attempting to run off to do ALL THE THINGS or running by her doggy friends trying to get them to play (if she isn’t on leash) while I’m crying on the inside and yelling “come here!” after her. It’s an experience. Thank the doggie gods that neither she nor the majority of the dogs in class are aggressive. There are two Spaniels that generally hate everyone, but they (thankfully) haven’t been there in a while. Not that they’re bad dogs, just all around grumps that appear have a case of “littermate syndrome”.
This was a good night. She’s currently in her teenager phase, and has become an all around terror. Honestly, why are all teenagers, animal and human alike, such pains?! I know it’s only temporary, but it is awful, just awful. Pray for me, because I want to pull my hair out and cry.
Thankfully, though, through Agility, I have made some wonderful dog lady friends and mentors. One of those mentors convinced me to try another sport with her and another friend. She has a Catahoula Leopard Hound that, like Nyx, is extremely high energy. After a few weeks watching them she casually mentioned something called Fast C.A.T. It’s essentially a 100 yard dash for dogs where they time them as well as measure how fast they run. She wanted to see who was faster Nyx or her pup so a few weeks later we were signed up and in Florida ready to run our dogs. Turns out, Nyx is faster. She ran 27 mph (about 43 kph). When the results are finally added she will be tied for the fastest German Shorthaired Pointer for Fast C.A.T. I’m pretty proud of her, but not as proud as HB is. He’s hung her ribbons on the fridge, and has told all his coworkers about how well she’s done. It’s kind of adorable.
So what do we have in store for the near future when it comes to dog sports? Well I’d like to get into Barn Hunt. You have your dog search for a tube with a rat in it. No rats are harmed. And if everything goes according to plan we will have a Tracking workshop on the 25th. This dog better know she’s loved with all the fun and expensive things we’ve done to ensure she’s happy, healthy, and well exercised.
A Bit of Britt 