Al's MACH Run!!

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Run 2:  Jumpers With Weaves

191/2!!!

I was nervous, but not as nervous as I thought I'd be.  I felt confident that we could get through the course, and I wanted to run hard.  But Most of All I didn't want to mess up!!  Barb and Rock-It went just before us and had a great run, then out we went, just me and my buddy Al.  When we walked out onto the course, there wasn't anything else in the world.  Just me and Al and the course, and a plan.  I didn't hear a thing. 

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The first sound I heard in the building were the claps and cheers when Al was in the weave poles.  I was late on the two crosses before the poles, but Al managed to stay with me, and once we got through the poles he started to let it fly.  Just before the closing sequence there was a jump just before the tunnel, and Al almost cut it off because I was heading for the tunnel and I wasn't supporting the jump.  I caught it just in time and he turned and took the jump, and then the tunnel, and we were on our way home!  When we crossed the finish line it was pandemonium!!  I was so happy!! 

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The  first person in yellow to my right in the first picture is Barb Davis, in the second picture Barb is the first person on my left.  My friend Sandra Green is the other person in Yellow who is hold a video camera. 

Al was big eyed because of all the cheers for him!!  We took our ribbon and I started waving it at friends in the crowd, and then we did our MACH lap, which was faster and closer to how we should have run it during the competition. 

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I cut the MACH Lap short because Al jumped the Triple Jump  really early, and landed on the top bar of the Triple jump and really hit it hard (It's the 4th bar he has ever knocked in competition).  It stung, but Al kept going!!  I didn't want to risk him further, so instead of completing the course again, we finished a few more jumps on the way to the finish line, so Al could run off the "stinger" from clanking  the bar.  Al knew everyone was cheering for him!!  He was beside himself with excitement.  When I held him his little heart was just pounding in my hand!!

When we came off the course, Barb Davis was there waiting with Rock-It, and she had the nicest, biggest, happiest hugs for me and Al.  She was truly very, very happy to see us get MACH!!. That's Barb on my left right behind Mrs. Robin who is hugging us.   Then it was Sandra Green who took the video of our runs, and then Heather and Grace, and everyone that we knew just swarmed us!!  It was great!!! I'm writing this almost 2 months later, and it still is a thrill to think about!!  So many people were so happy for us!!

After we finally got away from the finish line, Al celebrated at his crate by feasting on his "guts" (aka hairy tarantula toy stuffed with turkey).  Then a woman rushed up to us.  She was all excited and smiles and shy, and she gave us a really nice polar fleece coat that was perfect for an IG in this cold and rainy place!   I thought it was from the Seattle Kennel Club (The Host Club), and thanked her, and spoke with her latter.  It turned out, she was a Merchant in the retail area of the dog show; a former IG owner and had also been very active with Whippets.  It was overwhelming for her to see an Italian Greyhound running an Agility Course and doing so well!!  She just got caught up in the joy of the moment and decided that she wanted Al to have a nice gift from her to him and came over after things had settled down to give us her gift.  It was a wonderful generous gesture, and I appreciate her enthusiasm for Al so very much!!  There couldn't have been a better gift for an IG living in Seattle.  I hope we run into her at a dog show soon, so I can give her a nice Thank You card.  It was very, very sweet of her!!

Follow this link to "View Al's MACH Run"

Follow this link to find out why I think it was supposed to happen this day!!