Kim's 2008 Review

I know this is a little early but I have 2 more to post (Dylan and Mollie) and only 2 weeks until the end of the year!

My goals for 2008 with Kim were:

• Qualify for a final
• Kim to gain 10,000 points (Silver Award) in BFA Flyball
• Kim to win out of Grade 2 (not on points!)
• Kim to get her Agility Warrant Bronze award

And we achieved all of them.

Kim has generally had a fantastic year in agility. We moved up to Novice (BAA) in Agility and Jumping with 5 2nd places and 14 top-10 places, plus the 2nd from the Finals. We moved up to Grade 4 (KC), attending just 7 shows this year and gaining 5 1st places. Kim got her Agility Warrant Bronze in September.

In flyball, Kim got her 10,000pts Silver Award in October. She clocked 4.9 singles times as an average over the year, although that has now slowed to 5s. I’m not sure what will happen in the New Year as she’ll drop to 12″, so she could speed up slightly again. Who knows?!

It wasn’t all good news though, in some ways we had as many downs this year as we did last. I was devastated in July when we found out Kim has a Grade 4 heart murmur (bordering on a Grade 5). If I rest my head on her ribcage I can hear her heart skipping every few beats, and I hate it, especially the feeling of helplessness. I so want to be able to fix her, and I can’t. Kennel Cough in August was awful, we missed a few competitions, including the BFA British Championships where Owlers did so well. And of course, Julie’s stroke in June. Thankfully this year though I can say we had such a great bunch of people to support each other, from Owlers and A4P and Ruffdogs.

I was going to set some goals for 2009, but I couldn’t think of what they would be. Our goals for 2008 were the goals I always wanted to achieve with Kim. They were, essentially, our lifetime goals (competing at Crufts was also on the list, but we did that in 2007). Anything else we do now is a bonus, because 5 years ago I never believed we’d even get this far. On the other hand, I know how competitive Kim is. (I’m never going to believe those people who say my dog doesn’t know how well she’s done … Kim knows.) So I can’t let her down; I have to try and be the best handler I can for her, and go out there looking for a few more places, a few more points. I can’t wrap her in cotton wool, I have to let her go and do what she loves for the time she has left to do it.

So I guess I should set some goals, just to prove we’re not giving up yet.

• Kim to win out of Grade 4 (not on points)
• Kim to get her Agility Warrant Silver award
• Kim to win out of either Novice Jumping or Novice Agility under the BAA
• Kim to get her 15,000pts (Gold Award) in BFA Flyball

Realistically, I think the Agility Warrant Silver and the BFA Gold Award are completely out of our reach. We just don’t attend enough KC shows to get the Silver, and don’t do enough flyball for her Gold (that’s the choice we made when Kim decided to be a multi-sports dog). We’ll see though, right now it all depends on Kim’s health. I am cutting back on everything; fewer runs per weekend in agility, a slower team so she can sit out more often in flyball. I want to be setting goals again for 2010, knowing she is healthy and happy. So I suppose that is our biggest goal for next year; I want Kim to be happy, healthy and fighting, like she is now.