Meet Stella

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end" 

                                                                        - Seneca

And so .... this is Stella! 

We brought her home from the Ruth Steinert SPCA on September 17, 2023, and we officially adopted her shortly thereafter.

We DNA tested her - she is Blue Heeler, Border Collie, American Eskimo, and .... yes, Chihuahua! 

Lest anyone think the Chihuahua was a mistake, I saw a pair of puppies from the same house that Stella came from - one looked like a Border Collie puppy, and the other ... a Chihuahua!

Stella is as different from Tessa as a dog can be, although there are a few striking similarities between them.

I have enjoyed getting to know Stella, and I have enjoyed starting to train her.  Sometimes she is difficult to keep up with, but we are making it work!

More about Stella in the future!

The End

 Wow.  It has been a very long time since I wrote an entry for this blog.

We lost Tessa on May 14, 2022.

This is what I posted on Facebook on that day:

"I have very sad news to share.

After a year long battle with some kind of degenerative condition, the time came yesterday for us to give Tessa back to the loving and generous Creator Who had give us such a beautiful treasure.

What can I say? We miss her.

She was an incredible girl and our ride together was amazing from beginning to end. She was my right hand girl, the most incredible sport partner I have ever known .... she was my girl. Always with her soft and peaceful sense of beauty and grace.

The last year was difficult for both of us, but it was also very beautiful in many ways. I learned the meaning of love in a whole new way and Tessa was, unfailingly, a perfect teacher. I would have gone on forever as we were, but that could not be.

Goodbye to my beautiful, sweet, Amazing Flying Tessa."

That last year was so difficult that I never saw fit to write about it.  I wish now that I had because it would have been a record of a time that was both sad and beautiful, but I could not bring myself to do so.

 

 

And, for a long time afterward, I could not write a final post.

I still find it difficult to write about losing Tessa.  She was so beautiful, so perfect, and our time together was such a treasure.

 

 

But .... life continues.  It continued after we lost Maddie, and then Speedy, and then Sammie, and then Dean Dog, and it continues after Tessa.

And, the Good Lord sent a new girl our way and we have started a brand new adventure together.

Miss Stella does not replace Tessa.  No dog will ever replace Tessa.

But, I did fall head over heels in love with our new young girl.  Maybe someday I will write about her!

Reflections: Vacation During a Pandemic

Although I would say that overall, this vacation was much like any other that we have taken, there were some things that were different about going on vacation during this global coronavirus pandemic.

There were certainly many others who had made the same choice that we had, and who went ahead and took their trip.  Things were not super crowded, but we never went anywhere and found it deserted, as often happens when we go for a weekend in the fall!  That said, social distancing was never an issue.  There were not so many people gathered in any one place that we all had to crowd together.

Indoors, facing coverings were required.  Any time I was going to do something indoors that would require covering the whole time, I took my regular hat/shield and used that because it is more comfortable, easier to see though, and, actually, easier to hear with.  If we were going in somewhere to eat, or if we were mainly outdoors, and just going in somewhere for a minute, I would use my pink "crushable" hat/shield.  That one is easier to carry around, although it is not as nice to see through, and I have something of a hard time hearing people when I am wearing it.  I think the plastic the shield is made from is thicker, and it sits closer to my ears.

Most places where we wanted to go were open.  Restaurants were open for takeout, and many were accepting eat-in customers.  We don't do bars or the nightclub scene, so I really have no idea how any of that might have been impacted.

Outdoor areas were more or less normal.  With plenty of room for everyone on the beach, and at the Ecological Preserve, everyone could safely enjoy being outside barefaced, breathing the healthy fresh air freely!

 

Although we were able to do pretty much everything we wanted, there were a few things that we had originally planned that were impacted.

Several years ago we had visited a theater and had seen a very fun magic show.  When we originally planned our trip in February, we had hoped to return, but their season is cancelled.

We also had hoped to go out on a boat tour, but those were also not running.

Finally, we avoided the boardwalk.  They were requiring face coverings on the boardwalks in Delaware, and we just weren't interested in walking around at an outdoor attraction with our faces covered.  We don't always go to the boardwalk, but, again, when we had originally planned the trip before all of this, the boardwalk was on our list.

And while we would have enjoyed doing these things, not being able to do them did not impact our overall enjoyment of the trip in anyway, especially given the fact that we almost did not get to go at all!

Really, I was so grateful to be able to go and spend time by the shore, and to have time to play with the dogs in the water, that I didn't really miss these other activities.  They will keep for another time when life gets back to normal.

In the end, the biggest benefit of this trip was psychological.  Just having a change of scene, and spending time in a setting where things just felt a lot more normal and relaxed was refreshing, and it provided a much-needed mental boost! 

And, of course, I will forever be grateful to have had this trip with Dean Dog.  I strongly suspect that it will be his last one.  I will always be glad that we got to go and share this time with him.

Bandit and Tessa's Last Day Outing

Since Tessa had stayed with Rocky when we took Dean Dog and Bandit out to the James Farm Preserve on Thursday evening, I wanted to take Tessa back one more time for a hike and swim, so, once again, Bandit, Tessa, and I headed down one more time.

It was pretty hot, so we hiked directly back to the beach, and we played in the water for some time.  And then, we hiked the bigger loop after we had cooled off.

 

 
After we had finished, I had a look at some of the flowers near the parking lot.  Their blanket flowers look great!

The Black-Eyed Susans were in bloom, too!

After that, we headed back up to the cottage, and I stopped on the way home and got some donuts from the Fractured Prune.

If you have never had Fractured Prune donuts, and you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend it!  They make them fresh while you wait, and they have all kinds of unusual and creative toppings.  These truly are like no donuts I have come across anywhere else!

Ben's favorite is "Rollo", which has a caramel topping with chocolate chips.  Mine is "Peppermint Patty", which has a mint topping (delicious!) and chocolate chips!

Back to James Farm!

Yesterday evening, we took Dean Dog and Bandit back down to the James Farm Ecological Preserve.

I am well aware of the fact that it might be the last time Dean will ever do this.  His back legs are getting weaker.  I could see a very big difference in his ability to use them now compared to our trip last October.

So, even though it was a little bit of a stretch for him, it meant a lot to me to go with him for one last hike and swim at this particular place, where we have had so much fun together for so many years.  And yes, there is a very slight possibility he will go there again, but ... really, I seriously doubt it.

He was excited to go, of course, and although he hiked slowly, he had no trouble.

The tide was out .... waaaaay out!  So, we all had quite a walk out to get to where Dean Dog and Bandit could actually swim!

 

 

At first Dean looked a little confused - like he was not quite sure how to get himself going!  But, Ben helped him "shove off" and after that he swam and swam and swam!

His back legs were not working properly, but he is still the strongest swimming dog I have ever seen!  He managed very nicely using mostly his front legs.

We had forgotten Bandit's life jacket, but he swam anyway!!  He did better when he had it, but he did very very well in spite of the fact that he did not have it.

Some photos from their swim:

 

 And some photos from the hike back:

All in all, it was a wonderful time.  Bittersweet.  But, a memory that I will treasure always.

Enjoying Time at the Cottage, and More!

We have spent a good bit of our time just enjoying quiet time at the cottage.

The dogs are comfortable here, as are we.  The far back room of the cottage has a sun-porch kind of a feel to it.

 

 There are two of these chairs, and Rocky loves them!  He has spent most of his time chilling on one or the other.

 

Dean Dog likes to survey everything from the dining area.

 

 Outside in the newly fenced dog area!  It was from our visit here last fall that I drew inspiration for white lattice around the decks and butterfly bushes! Ours aren't so big, though!

 

Speaking of ideas, I absolutely love this one!  Our cutlery drawer is overly-crowded.  Considering putting together something like this!

 

 Of course we have not spent all of our time at the cottage.

One thing that we have really loved on this trip has been going out to eat - something we have not done, save one very recent exception, since before mid-March!  We had two delicious meals out - one at the Outback Steakhouse, and one at Chaps Pit Beef (unbelievably good!)

 
It is all done very safely, with people spread out all over the restaurant, and lots of cleaning.

And, of course, we went and sat on the beach.  We usually take the dogs, but Dean's back legs are just not in any condition for him to play the way he would want to, so this time we went dog-less and just sat on the beach, watched the waves and talked.

The beach was not deserted, by any means, but there was plenty of room for everyone to spread out and enjoy one of the most exquisite pieces of God's creation.

We are hoping to head back to the James Farm preserve with Dean Dog and Bandit again this evening ....

Hiking and Swimming at James Farm Ecological Preserve

One of the reasons why I love to visit the Delaware shore is having the opportunity to take the dogs hiking and swimming at the James Farm Ecological Preserve.

While all three of our "big dogs" love to go, we choose to leave Rocky at the cottage because being in a place like that really only frustrates him, so we ended up leaving Tessa back to keep him company.

Ben, Dean Dog, Bandit, and I headed off on our outing.

Dean struggled a bit on the hike.  It really isn't that long of a walk, but it was a challenge for him.  But, he made it, and before long, he was in his favorite place in the entire world .... the water!

We brought along a life jacket for Bandit.  He does not tend to enjoy the water all that much, and I was thinking that having assistance with floating might help.  It seemed to because he swam out with Dean and was having a fantastic time.

We spent a good half hour out in the water!

Some photos:

 

Dean Doggie

 

Playing Together!

 

Throw It!

 

Dean is, forever and for always, the Master Swimmer!

 

Love Shades at the Beach!

 

It was a beautiful evening!

"Let's go again!"

Tessa, Bandit, and I returned in the morning, but I did not get any photos on that outing.

I am hoping we will get down at least one more time before our time here is finished.

Hopkins Farm Creamery

On our first evening here, we were speaking with the owner of the cottage, and she recommended that we visit a local spot called "Hopkins Farm Creamery". 

The creamery/ice cream shop is right on the grounds of the farm itself and they use all their own milk!

Now, getting milk from a farm is no novelty to us, nor is locally made ice cream.  But, we couldn't say that we had ever had ice cream made and sold right on the farm, so we headed over!

Now, here is the really fun thing.  Usually people go there and park and stand in line, but because of the pandemic, everyone stays in their car!  You line up in your car - just like at a drive-in movie, and inch up until you get to the area where you order.

Here we are waiting in the line ...

And here are the cows, as we were getting closer to the area where we would order ...

The creamery ....

And the ice cream .... absolutely delicious!!

If you are ever in the Lewes, Delaware area, I high recommend giving Hopkins Farm Creamery a try!

A Needed Vacation

Well, here we are in June of 2020.  I have not kept up with blogging at all, but with the social implosion that seems to be happening on social media lately, I am seriously considering doing more blogging.

I turn to this blog now to write about our much needed vacation!

We almost didn't have this one!  We reserved the "Cozy Cottage at Minos" back in February.  I was so excited to snag the last week that they had open - the last full week in June.  Ben got the week off of work, and we seemed good to go!

And then the coronavirus hit, everything closed down, and it really looked like this whole trip was going to be cancelled!  In fact, at one point it was cancelled!  In early May, the owner of the cottage contacted us and told us that they were not allowed to rent to out-of-state guests, and that all people who came into Delaware from out-of-state would have to quarantine for 14 days.  Which, of course, was not going to work for a 6 day trip!

So, we cancelled.  And then, just a few days before June, we were contacted again.  Things had changed!  They were allowed to rent to out-of-state guests, and the quarantine was no longer required!  We re-booked, and here we are!!

Some may question the wisdom of taking a vacation in the middle of a global pandemic, but we considered the matter very carefully.  Pennsylvania and Delaware, neighboring states, have both been on a steady down-trend in cases. 

We are not really boardwalk people, and we don't really get out into crowds on our trips.  Mostly, we go off into nature with our dogs, and .... eat!

And, there was Dean Dog to consider.  He turned 14 in February.  And, while he is managing, and doing fine in many ways, every year his back end weakens more and more.  This may well be our last chance to share a beach trip with him, and I absolutely did not want to miss out on what might be his last trip with us.  Now, had we judged that it was dangerous, we would not have come, but - all things being as they are, we definitely did not want to miss out on this one with him.

So, we are here, and I am SO glad that we came!  Yes, things are different than they normally are.  But, there is still a sense of near-normalcy here that I haven't experienced in a long time, and it is really just good to get away from home, and enjoy some down time!


This is the official "emblem" of our trip!

 Because I have a physical issue that makes it impossible for me to wear fabric over my nose, I use a hat/face shield when I go into public spaces where masking is required.

At home, I use this pumpkin to set it on when not in use.  When we were packing, Ben said, "you better bring the pumpkin", and I thought, "yes, I will need it", so I brought the pumpkin!!  It is the first time I have ever taken a pumpkin decoration on vacation!

Our trip down was uneventful.  No problems!  By Sunday evening, we were settled into the cottage!

Here is Bandit, ready to GO!

Rocky has claimed this particular chair as his very own!

Tessa, pretty as you please!

All of us are very glad to be here!!

More photos to come soon!

Three YouTube Channels!

A big part of the reason why I rarely write blog posts anymore is because I have gravitated much more to creating video.

I have three YouTube Channels and I would like to tell you about them!

The first is the one that I post to the least.  That is my personal YouTube Channel where I post personal videos.

This is where I post my entries, and most of the public videos on this channel are Parkour entries and video Freestyle entries.

There are some older training videos on this channel, but the majority of the recent videos are entries.

This channel can be found here:


Kristine's Personal YouTube Channel

 
The next is probably my favorite: my general Poised for Success Channel.  I post my "fun" training videos on this channel, there are examples of Parkour and Freestyle training on this channel, and other random training videos live on this channel.

It is a bit disorganized, but most of the videos on this channel are short and to the point!  If you would like to check out an eclectic mix of training, demonstration, and even a bit of nonsense, be sure to take a look at this one!

This channel can be found here:

Kristine PFS - My General Training Channel

Finally, the one I am most excited about: the Poised for Success Freestyle Titling Program YouTube Channel!  This is the most organized and developed of the three channels.

On this Channel I post longer videos where I discuss different aspects of the Poised for Success Freestyle Titling program, Freestyle training topics, general training topics, and more!  Eventually, I hope to have full-length Freestyle demonstrations on this channel, as well!

Please do stop in and check it out!

You can find this Channel here:

The Poised for Success Freestyle Titling Program YouTube Channel


Please, stop by any or all that are of interest to you!  If you select "Videos", you will see a menu of all of the public videos that are available on that Channel!

If you particularly enjoy any of them, please do leave a "like" and a comment!  I'd love your feedback!

And if you really like any of the channels, please do consider subscribing!


I do create videos on topics by request!  The Clicker Training video on the PFS Titling Channel was created by specific request!  So, if there is a topic you would like to see covered, just let me know and I will see what I can do!

Bandit's Truncated Tango

Hello!!

Yesterday, I got something of a very pleasant surprise when someone on a Facebook Group recognized me from this blog!!  It was totally unexpected!  And it meant a great deal!

And, after that I got the idea to stop on in here and write a brand new entry!!

As much as I would love to go back and fill in all of the blanks that exist from the last time I posted and now, what I really want to do, and what I am going to do, is just pick back up as if I never stopped blogging, and write a post about something that just happened.

These days, Bandit is my Freestyle dog.  

Dean, whose back end doesn't work so well anymore, is enjoying a quiet retirement with short hikes as his main activity.  Tessa, who is still doing well, and is reasonably active, also enjoys hikes, and we are still involved with Parkour.  I do have one last Freestyle goal for Tessa.  We are just one leg away from her Melody Title in Poised for Success Freestyle.  If we film her Artistry Leg, we will finish that up.  I would like to do that, so we probably will at some point.

                                    Dean Dog enjoying a hike in a nearby State Park

I do dabble just a bit with Rocky with some Freestyle, but he is more Ben's dog than mine, so my training with him is more casual on-again off-again.  I "borrow" Rocky often when I need to film a demo with a dog who has not been trained for a certain skill!

But, for all intents and purposes, Bandit is my Freestyle dog.  He is the one who goes to the building weekly to work on Freestyle.  He is the one with whom I spend the most time training and building new skills.

My main goals for Bandit right now in Freestyle are to work on the skills that he needs to earn his Harmony Title in Poised for Success Freestyle, and also to work toward creating demo routines for the Dynamic Division for the venue.

I do plan to enter a WCFO competition with him in November.  He needs one more leg toward his Novice title, and I would like to finish that.

One goal that I did not have for him was further work in the Cyber Rally-O Dance Divisions.

I love the CRO Dance Divisions.  I love the concept of pattern dances.  I enjoy working toward mastering performance of a specific structure.  I have always wished that they came around when Dean was a little younger because we thoroughly enjoyed them, but he got to where he could no longer had the physical ability to do them after we had finished the pre-Bronze Level.

Bandit, on the other hand, does not love too much structure!  He prefers things much more free-form.  He generally does not enjoy repetition, and he is rarely thrilled when he does not have input into how things a movement sequence is going to go.

I like for my dog sport activities to be those that an individual dog of mine and I mutually enjoy, so I long ago gave up any plans to continue with Bandit in the CRO Dance Divisions.  Especially since he particularly seemed to dislike duration heelwork!

Then, a few days ago, the owner of the CRO Dance Divisions made a post on the Cyber Rally-O Facebook Group to announce some modifications to the existing rules and patterns.  I saw at that point that one of the Preliminary Level Patterns - the Scenic Route Tango - had been chopped in half to provide a shorter option called the Truncated Tango.

I saw that and thought, "maybe Bandit and I could do this".

We had the building rented that evening, so I set up the proper sized ring, set up the camera on a tripod, and we gave it a shot!

 It was such a great experience!

First, we attempted the whole pattern "for real".  To my surprise, Bandit was "in the game" for the whole pattern!  His nose hit the ground several times, but he returned to offering attention when I quietly said his name.

That was an enormous success right there!!

So, to sharpen it up a bit, we went through it again, with food and a clicker.  I clicked good focus, and a couple of times used the clicker to help Bandit self-interrupt that nose touch to the ground.

Here is a video of our first attempt and the first of our two training runs:



 
After that, we did another training run, and then took a short break.  He hung out in his crate and then we played around a bit with a target.

Then, we went out and tried it again, "for real" and ... WOW!!!  We had a great run!!

I can honestly say that for the first time I felt like Bandit and I were connected and moving together as a real heeling team!  I could see that he was working to keep his focus up and to work with me!!  That is the first time I have ever seen that from him in a heelwork context!!

Here is the video that we submitted for our Truncated Tango!!  I will have results within a couple of weeks!! 





Now I am really excited to work with Bandit more on heelwork.  I think we will work with a couple more of the CRO Dance Division patterns and see what we see!!

One really cool thing is that Bandit and I had been working on an option toward our PFS Harmony Title that I believe helped prepare us for this!!  We had been working on a Floor Pattern with Transitions.  I had been using reinforcers in a way that was very motivating to Bandit as we ran through the shorter heelwork pattern.

If you would like to see that Floor Pattern, and some of the other things that Bandit and I have been working on, check out this video!!  (As you can probably tell, I am very much into video these days!!)







To anyone reading this, thank you for stopping in!!  I am glad to "see" you here, and hope to be back again for another update soon!!

Find Inspiration! Be Inspiration!

Today I am going to talk about something that I have held back from sharing for a long time.  It is my hope that through writing about this, you will take away something good.   💜


When I look back to my earliest days as a dog trainer and dog sport handler, there was a "spark" that drove everything that I did with my dogs.  It was fresh.  It was exciting.  I had a lot of hopes and future expectations.

I used to pack my dogs up and dash off to Rally, Freestyle, and Agility competitions, and I simply could not get enough of any of it!  Even working with "challenging" dogs did not deter my enthusiasm, drive, and high interest in training and dog sports.

In recent years, however, some things have changed, and I came to a point where I continually struggled to find motivation and drive to continue on, especially with Canine Musical Freestyle, the art and sport with which I had once fallen head over heels in love.

This was somewhat confounding to me because I was not able, for quite a long time the exact problem.  I realize now that I did not yet know what the issue really was.

But I have come to a point now, through something totally unexpected, and completely unrelated to dogs, where I realize precisely what was lacking, and what I needed to finally make positive changes.

What Happened?

Looking back, I would say that there are two particular things that led me to the low point where I found myself.

First, Speedy's death.

When it came to training, and especially to Freestyle, Speedy was my inspiration.  There was something about him that always made Freestyle a dynamic adventure.  Whether we were noodling around to music by ourselves, or training something, or filming a performance to enter in a titling event, or performing in front of a live audience, Speedy brought something to the experience that made it come to life.

When I think back to the time and the work and the struggle that I put into training and performance with Speedy, I almost find it hard to believe that I was that driven!  Something about Speedy always brought forth the best in me, and giving up on him and on the things that we did together was unthinkable!

I found it incredibly difficult to continue in the sport after losing him.

One bright spot in my life after losing Speedy was the continuing quest for Tessa's C-ATCH.  Tessa and I both put heart and soul into chasing that down, and that accomplishment will always be one of the high points of my collective experiences in dog sports.

It was not long after - just the following winter - when I hit an unexpected wall.

This had nothing to do with dogs directly.  I had to deal with some unexpected medical issues.  The issues themselves were not serious.  There was never anything life-threatening involved.  But .... the issues had major consequences in my life.  And, within the course of a couple of months, I went from someone who had gone out with Tessa to trial a couple of times a month to someone who could barely get out on a weekend.

Even though the situation did improve, I was no longer the person that I had been before.  Remembering the things I used to be able to do was disheartening and depressing.  I no longer had the energy to get out there all that much.  And, when I did, I was usually left completely exhausted.

I lost a lot of my creativity, and even the ability that I had always had to express myself in writing diminished.  And, when it came to training dogs and participating in dog sports, I found myself going through the motions most of the time, without a whole lot of heart or interest.

I am deeply grateful that Canine Parkour came into my life at this time.  It was something new that had no connection to Speedy.  All of my dogs could participate.  And, I was able to train and film Parkour entries when I was able, and at my own pace.

Parkour got me back "out there" to some extent.  Sometimes, when I was out filming a Parkour entry with one of my dogs, I felt glimmers of normalcy and I felt like the person, trainer, and handler that I used to be.

Finally .... a Change!

So, this past summer, I found myself at a place where I was feeling unsatisfied.  On one hand, I missed involvement with Freestyle, and other dog sports, and with being a more active person in general.

But .... I did not really see any way to change the situation.  On occasion I would try to push myself forward, but to little avail.

And then something happened that I never expected.  Everything changed.  I never saw it coming, and I still almost cannot believe the degree to which things turned around.

I was spending a lot of my time last summer watching YouTube videos.  Various and sundry YouTube videos, about all different topics.  Dead malls, urban exploration, and .... people living in different parts of the world.
 
Following a somewhat random and complicated chain of YouTube video recommendations, I ended up landing on a channel full of videos created by this South African guy who was living in China.  Yes, China.  I had absolutely zero interest in China, but I found myself watching video after video and learning things about China that I never knew I wanted to know!

Of course, it was not China that kept me watching him over and over.  It was the man himself.  Something about him resonated with me.  Something about him brought a part of me that had gone dormant back to life.

I know .... this sounds really bizarre .... but it's true.

I do not really understand why, but all of a sudden, after watching his videos for just a couple of weeks, I found myself suddenly wanting to get up, step back into the world, and start living life more fully again.

And, I did.

At first it was incredibly difficult.  I did not have the energy.  But .... then I did.  And I found that I was suddenly able to do more and more and more.

Not only that, I rediscovered creativity, and I started to be able to write again.  I found myself interested, once again, in getting involved with Musical Freestyle, and I have real hope that Bandit and I will have a rich future in the sport, as we explore many, many ideas that I have in mind for us!

What the heck happened?

All I can say is that in this man who I do not personally know, who will probably never know that I exist on this planet, who talks about topics that no direct connection to my life ....in this man I have found inspiration.

Find Inspiration!  Be Inspiration!

Since that time, I have thought a lot about inspiration.

I have noticed that we rarely talk about inspiration, and I am starting to wonder exactly why that is.

Maybe we do not discuss it much because inspiration is something that is going to be a little bit different for everybody.  You could watch the same videos that have changed my life in dramatic ways and they could have no effect on you whatsoever!  And you could find inspiration in people or places that would have no effect on me at all!  Different people are inspired differently.

In spite of that, I am starting to think more and more that inspiration is something that we need to start talking about in the dog sport world.

As time has passed since I started watching his videos, I am continually amazed by the ongoing positive effects that he has inspired in my life.  😎

So ... inspiration .... it matters!

And I want to start talking about inspiration, and hearing about inspiration from others!

What inspires you?  And what effect does that inspiration have on your life?  I am keenly interested in this!

Of course, this is not the first time in my life I have been inspired.  And, I have certainly found inspiration much closer to home.

Years ago, I found my inspiration in Speedy, especially in our shared experience of dance.  When Tessa and I were running for her C-ATCH, I found my inspiration in her, and in our mutual goal.  In Parkour, I find inspiration in the filming experience, and - with Tessa - in the beauty of what we create together.


But, given the difficulties of the last couple of years, I am starting to think about inspiration in new ways.  I see now that I need inspiration.  As a dog trainer, as a handler, as an instructor, as a creator, as a titling venue owner, as a participant or competitor, as a presenter .... all of it!

And, when I think about what I want to give back to the dog sport community, I would say now that the very best thing that I could do is to strive to be inspiration to others.  Granted, that is not something that I can strive to do as an end in itself, but it is an effect that I can hope to have along the way!!

This is a new mindset for me, and one that I am grateful to have developed.

I owe my South African inspiration in China a debt of gratitude I can never quite repay.  So, maybe I can pass on some of what I have gotten from him to others.

At least, I can try!

Find Inspiration!  Be Inspiration!