PERMISSION

I took Marley back to agility class last night. It was Intermediate Class so it is a little under what we should be in, but Marley can't handle the chaos of the behavior of some of the dogs in the Advanced Class. Marley is a sensitive dog and I will do whatever I have to to keep her safe and happy. So I made the decision to take her to class.

KK was a good little agility dog. She's up to 3 obstacle sequences. She's paying much more attention to me. She's started sniffing the sheep poo so we will be working on keeping her nose up and paying attention to me. She's doing great with her contacts. She's going to be a fast little dog for me but I look forward to the challenge.

Marley sat in her crate with her fan going all during KK's class. When her class started, Marley came out all happy and frisky. She did everything I asked of her and did it perfectly. It didn't hurt that the class cheered for her!

As a reward for their good behaviot on the agility field, both Marley and KK got to swim in the pond. They had a big time!

This class was a deciding factor in Marley's agility career. If she did well, we were going to continue with group classes, if not then we would do privates only. She hasn't been in a class setting since February. I haven't gotten to practice with her since the April AKC trial where I ran her with my fractured hip. I'm just so pleased with her!   :)

Marley's agility trial schedule will be very short this year. I'm just happy for every run I have with her. You never know when your or your dog's career will be over. Everytime I step to the line with her will be winning for me! No matter the outcome, Marley is my girl and I will treasure every moment with her.

I am feeling better emotionally. I think the fractured hip was God's way of making me be still and think and deal with everything. I have finally come to the conclusion that I needed to give myself permission to keep living. I have been just existing for months and I finally feel like I am living again. I will always miss my mom and will always think about how things could have been different, but I can't change what happened. It's time for me to start living again.