American Schutzhund nationals 2023

Photo taken by: Black Dog Imagery STL

In a moment of sheer madness, I made the bold decision to enter Karen in the American Schutzhund Nationals for her BT. While most participants had been diligently preparing for months, I only had a mere six weeks to establish a strong bond with Karen in order to showcase our skills. Against all odds, we managed to do it! Karen earned her BT under the watchful eye of Judge Marco Osorio, and to everyone's surprise, no one could tell that we were still new to each other!

Our journey was filled with laughter and delicious barbecue as we traveled alongside our training partner at the time, Kay. It was a stroke of luck (or perhaps divine intervention) that we were randomly paired as competitors 7 and 8. Throughout the weekend, Kay was my unwavering support, especially since it was my first time participating in a protection sports trial and showing in a stadium. And to top it all off, I was working with a dog who was still very new to me! I am forever grateful to have had Kay by my side as we stepped onto the field together. I want to also congratulate Kay and Patton for also earning their BT and getting fabulous compliments from the judge!

Sadly, our trip had to be cut short as Kit and Aston fell ill back home. So, at 4:30 in the afternoon, we embarked on our journey back. However, fate had another twist in store for me as I also fell ill during the trip. Thankfully, Kay stepped up and drove for a few hours until I regained my strength. Finally, we made it home, and I collapsed into a cozy pile of snuggles with my dogs. I can't help but eagerly anticipate our next adventure and all the wonderful experiences it will bring!

Kay and I walking into our first ever stadium trial