A few words

So mom told dad about this contest that TruPanion was having you had to write in less than 500 words how your dog has changed your life. This is what dad came up with. Made mom a little teary eyed.

Sagira came to us as Mandy, 1 of a 4 pup litter that was rescued from a high kill shelter in Ohio. She was a petite, brown furred little puppy with piercing blue eyes. She started as a foster, but that didn’t last long as she quickly worked her way into the hearts of my wife and myself. We decided to enroll her in a local training club as a way to get out and have some fun. This decision got us into Agility training and we were both hooked. Hours and hours of practice and training has allowed us to form an amazing bond together. When we are running an agility course we move and think as one, each of us reacting to the slightest change in direction or momentum to move through the course cleanly, a true representation of teamwork. I am proud to say that Sagira and I were one of the first 5 All-American teams in the US to earn an AKC performance title after AKC decided to allow mixed breeds to compete in performance events. We have been going strong in agility for 4 years now and are working on earning our MACH (Master Agility Champion) title. We have a little way to go for this, but with her as my partner, I have no doubts about our success.

She also showed some interest in playing Frisbee at a young age. Looking into this, I joined a local Disc Dog club. I was hooked, but she didn’t like it as much as Agility so we got another puppy, Bokeh. He is an amazing dog as well and I could go into how he has changed our lives, but this is about Sagira. However without her, this chapter of our lives wouldn’t have opened so I felt it warranted a mention.

Dog Sports isn’t the only way she has changed our lives. Over the last several years a number of tragic events have occurred. My wife and I have lost several loved ones parents, grandparents and an uncle. Through each of these tragic events Sagira has been a comforting force in the swirl of chaos. She always greets us with a smile and tail wag when we get home. She made us laugh and never judged when either of us cried on her shoulder.

Through the training club we have also met several great people who have also been there for us through all the hardships of the past few years. Friends that don’t hesitate to come over and let your dogs out when you have an emergency, friends that I would trust my dogs with because it’s obvious my dog trusts and loves them. These types of people are hard to come by, and I am proud that, through Sagira, we had a chance to meet them.

How has my dog changed my life? I thought long about how to explain it, but one word can say it best, and that word is completely.