Al Earns His MACH3 Title!!
Al's Incredible Summer of 2007
On September 9, 2007 Al earned his MACH3 Title at the PDFC trial (Peninsula Dog Fanciers Club). That means he has earned his Master Agility Championship from the AKC 3 times. I’m so very, very proud of him for this achievement as he earned his 3rd MACH in an amazingly short period of time. Al earned MACH 2 on April 13th, 2007 and 4 months and 3 weeks later, he completed the requirements for his 3rd MACH by earning the final required Double Q (20th).
Follow this link if you want to see the video clips of our runs.
Al and I have had an incredible summer competing in Agility. He’s becoming very consistent, and continues to improve in his speed and his level of skill and execution. Since April he had several perfect weekends, but what I find most gratifying is that he has consistently placed in the top 4 in his class at the same time that he’s earned his Double Qs. Every time he competes, he is running against some of the best dogs in the country, as the NW has many 12 inch dogs that compete for spots on the AKC World Team, and we also have World Team Dogs (2006) and National Champions (2006), and National Championship Finalists (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007) in the 12 inch class.
His improvement in the Standard Course has been a fun to watch. Since he earned MACH2, Al has had the following placements in the Standard Course. 4 First Placements, 5 Second Placements, 7 Third Placements and 5 Fourth Placements. In Jumpers with Weaves during the same period he had the following placements: 6 First Placements, 8 Second Placements, 11 Third Placements and 6 Fourth Placements. He earned 978 MACH points since MACH2 (561 in JWW and 417 in Standard).
It’s been an amazing summer for us. In just the two months of July and August, Al earned 509 MACH points and had 13 QQs. In July he earned 286 MACH points and had 8 QQs, and in August he earned 223 MACH points and had 5 QQs.
For many of you reading this, these numbers of QQs and MACH points and Placements may be meaningless, but in the world of Dog Agility they are pretty impressive regardless of the breed. For an Italian Greyhound they are numbers that will be in the record book for a long time. For Al to have accomplished something that most dogs never do, and to do it in such a short time is pretty incredible. I’m very proud of all Al’s accomplishments. When Al’s agility career is finally over, I’ll be just as proud of his place in the history of Italian Greyhounds and Dog Agility. He’s done some truly amazing things.
Al has lots of enthusiasm for the sport; in fact, more than he has ever had. He is still the happiest competitor on the field regardless of breed or size. That is something for which I’m proud of myself, because it wasn’t always that way. To this day I have to work very hard on every one of our runs, to create an environment that Al can have fun in. If I can create energy and enthusiasm, it really shows in his performance. And if I don’t, it also really shows. So for Al to have such a consistently high level of performance and for a sustained period, I feel that my work is paying off and we are finally coming together as a team.
I can’t imagine not doing Agility with Al, as we have so much fun doing it together. But the best thing about our lives together isn’t Agility at all. It’s that Al is my guy and I am his. My happiest times with him are when during the day he gets excited and wants a toy to play with, and when he gets one, he tears around for an eternity, squeak, squeak squeaking his prized possession, playing tug with it, and then when he wins the tug of war he hides the toy in his secret treasure spot, along with his collection of empty cans of dog food and yogurt containers. I love it when he paws at my face so he can get under the covers at night and rest his chin across my neck while we sleep. His little squeals of excitement are hilarious, and I wonder what he’s dreaming about when he yelps and twitches and barks during his sleep. I love how excited he is about every meal he has, and the sounds he makes as he devours it as if I’d forgotten to feed him for a day or two. I love how proud he is of himself and his sense of fair treatment (me first!! me!! Me!! Me!!) as well as his insuppressible enthusiasm. I laugh at all his rules of dog behavior that he is trying to get his brother Simon to follow. Then there are all the “awe” moments where you catch him sleeping in the sun, or cuddling up to Simon and being caught actually liking the other male in the house. I like that he’s always watching and ready for something to happen, and that he is always aware of where and what I’m doing. He’s totally devoted to me and will always try something if asked. He’s an incredible little dog that has made a huge difference in my life. I’m thankful for every day I have with him.
