Here we are again at the end of a year. For some reason, as I look back at the events of this year it sure seems like this year took a long time to get through. Not that it is a bad thing for time to take longer to pass but the past few years seemed to go by in a blink of an eye!
Once again, we had a couple of changes to our staff this past year but one thing that remains constant is Amanda and I are always here to greet you in the morning and talk about your day when you pick up in the afternoon. In the spring, we took on a work experience student, Breanna, to help her fulfill her required hours at school while exploring her passion for animals. We enjoyed having Breanna with us and offered her a part time position for the summer when she was done school. When Breanna returned to school in the fall she was still able to stay with us three afternoons a week. Many of you don’t see her as she stays in the back and keeps a watchful eye on the pack as Amanda and I manage the gate. She has been a wonderful addition to our team.
In April, Slice and I once again headed over to Europe to compete for Team Canada. This would be the first time that we took on the IFCS World Championships, a goal that was apart of our whole agility career but always seemed to elude us. This was our year. The trip to Italy with the team was fantastic and the team as a whole brought home a lot of hardware. Unfortunately, Slice and I did not have the world championships we were hoping for. Slice came off the plane with a muscle strain that prevented us from being at the top of our game right out of the gates. Luckily for us, the team had a fabulous sports med team and with their help Slice improved every day. Bless her heart for wanting to play so bad and try so hard. We battled through and ended up fifth in the world in Biathlon Agility. So proud of my girl. In 2016, Slice and I will be taking part in her last world championships in the Netherlands, as she approaches retirement from international competitions at the age of 9. I couldn’t ask for a better partner. I thank you all for helping us along the way both financially and with words of encouragement.
Last year we were talking about puppies and how Sniper and Dragon were growing up in daycare. Come January, they will be two years old, they have both started their agility careers and made a mark in the dock diving scene. These young boys keep us on our toes and often seem to be the topic of conversation as customers are always trying to figure out which one is which among the three boys. For the record, Arson is the tiny one with the dark eyes, Sniper has the “naughty patch” (his white spot) on his nose and Dragon is the biggest one with the green eyes. Oh, and yes, they are all brothers! This year has also been Arson’s year to get more competitive in agility and start is path to international competition. He fell shy this year, but not by much. We will be looking forward to the 2016 try outs and see what the future holds. The rest of the crew around here, Pint, Aries and Keep-Her, enjoy hanging out and visiting with customers. They are the more laid back three and never miss a chance to nap or eat a cookie.
2015 has been an especially hard year for us watching dogs leave us. For the first time, we have been faced with saying good bye to some great dogs because their owners have moved to follow work or enjoy retirement. Piper and her parents moved to Canmore. Jake and his parents moved to Calgary. Both Piper and Jake joined our pack in 2007 and were constants in our days over the past 8 years. There were a few tears shed during those good byes, we will miss both the dogs and the humans greatly. Wellington and his mom made a big move out to New York at the end of the summer. After four years of watching Wellington grow up from a fuzzy puppy to a well mannered young dog we definitely miss having him tell us when the ambulance or fire engines were going to be coming by.
Once again, this year we had to say good bye forever to five wonderful little souls. These good byes never get easier and the more years you share your pets with us the harder it is. Our year started off saying good bye to sweet Arwen. She was among the first dogs through our doors and spent every day with us. We miss her ability to tell time and letting us know her dad was late and it was past her dinner time. Kaiser, the giant and oh so friendly Doberman, sadly lost his valiant battle with cancer. Even though he lost a leg he didn’t let it slow him down and still ran circles around his sister which drove her crazy. There will never be another one like him. Leggo, who holds a very dear place in my heart, the father of Slice and Pint, passed away suddenly in the summer. Leggo managed a harem of ladies here in the daycare and always kept a watchful eye over his girls. He leaves behind a legacy of brilliant agility dogs around the world but most importantly leaves a giant hole in my parents’ home. Late this fall we got word that our big Chow, Maveric had passed. We hadn’t seen Maveric in a while as he wasn’t enjoying daycare as much as he got older but the loss is still hard. He was such a gentle soul and a great ambassador for his breed. Only a few weeks ago, we learned that Raven had crossed the bridge. Raven and her mom moved out to Victoria before the summer where we knew they were both going to be so happy on the coast. It was a shock for us to learn of her passing and know she was living the best life ever with her mom. As always, these souls are forever a part of the See Spot Run family but now they watch over us from our Rainbow Bridge wall. Rest well my kids.
As the year once again draws to a close we would like to thank you for your continued patronage and support of See Spot Run. You all help to make our family complete. Best wishes to your family, both two and four legged. Thank you for allowing us to spend the day with your fur children.
Anneli
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