where to go from here?

While this picture was taken when I asked Sally what we should do after she missed a last weave pole and hit the teeter so fast (on course and DRIVING) that she completed it beautifully before I could think it sums up my current thinking quite well. (What I think I love most about this picture is that Sally held a very nice stop at the bottom of the teeter but the photographer took their time and caught this goofy moment! Knowing my big mouth they could probably hear me asking Sally if she knew what to do!)

I stop and think and Sally carries on (yelling at me to run faster!). Brody curls up and has a nap while I think.

I had a chat with an agility coach I have a lot of respect for yesterday. He reminded me that qualifying two dogs for any national competition is something to be pleased about and to qualify two such very different dogs** is especially noteworthy. We talked a lot about the issues in running Brody and Sally on the same courses. He said some very nice things about me and the dogs. It felt good to be thinking through issues and the future with  two brains.

I'd like to do Rgionals again next year. Nationals will be out of the question but I think planning to attend Regionals is reasonable. CPE Nationals would be fun too but I'm not sure I can get the 3 requisite standard qs with Sally. I will have to look at that as I don't think I'd just take Brody - he's had a CPE Nationals experience of a lifetime back in '08 .

I think should sit down with a calender and plan a trial a month between now and May.
I've been asked if I'd like to help with House League again too. That is good for my brain. I think one reason I get so much from agility is because it is good for my brain. In my little happy fantasy world I'd find a great indoor space close to home and set up my equipment in it and work twice a week all through the winter too. Unlikely to happen but wouldn't it be fun?

** they are very different  - just look at a picture of them and you'll see it - but the one similarity they share is a very very solid work ethic. I think they work for different reasons but they both love to work. I am SO lucky.