The 2005 Agility Season Starts!

WHY Blog? Well why not? It seems to be a fine way of keeping a journal and lordy knows I need to keep track of Raven and Cypher's successes - they're like the little peanut bags they give you on those plane flights - can't savour them all at once cos then they'll all be gone and then forgotten and there I'll be sitting back wondering to myself - and I train my dogs so much for what was it again? This will be less of an introspective lets examine our deepest and most meaningful innards blog and more of the how does one train 2 Border Collies who seem infinitely more smarter than I ever give them credit for...blog. Meet Raven. That's her on the right --->
She was born on the 7th of March 2000 - just down the road from me. She has a very fancy pedigree name too - it's Australian Champion Rhonabwy (pronounced Ron-R-Be) Raven Ov Bear CDX ADX JDX ET. That Australian Champion bit means that she was awarded 100 points from lots of different judges who said she looks like a well put together Border Collie (if only they'd read her mind - good thing she didn't have to pass a Psych Evaluation don't think she would've made it!). She is sterilised now (which is easier for everyone concerned!) - the other initials on the end? well I'll save those for another post.

Trial #1: West Coast Rottie Club Agility and Jumping Trial January 28th - Well first trial of the year and the break from training has not done us a world of good unfortunately! No clear runs and the bar knocking issue is raising it's ugly head again!

Meet the Cypher.

Well this blog has his name in it and I haven't even introduced him - poor boy he's so deprived. Meet Cypher (pronounced Sigh-fur...which is what I will do when he grows a full coat and I have to vacuum everyday *chuckle - yeah like that will ever happen*). Here he is:
He's awfully cute isn't he? (There obligatory "awww cute" comment inserted) - he was born on the 6th of October 2004 which makes him a Libran so hopefully he'll be well balanced. He is NOT a West Australian! *Shock horror* He was born in New South Wales and came to Perth on the 9th of December. Of course such a boy of travel worldliness would have a fancy name as well - his is Nahrof Quick Change. Why did I give him such an unusual name you ask? (If you didn't too bad - don't you know that is exactly why people choose unusual names for their dogs and children - just so the conversation revolves around them??) Anyhoo - Cypher - I heard it first in the first Matrix movie - a rather evil wicked guy who betrayed Neo and Trinity to Agent Smith (wasn't Hugo Weaving superb in that film? "Human beings are a disease.."Best line EVER!) and I liked the sound of it. Then I found out later (through watching Stargate of course) that it evolves from the arabic word Si-fur meaning Zero....this left me slightly worried and hoping that there was going to be more than Zero in his head. Luckily for us all his head seems to be full of the infinite! Cypher came to become the new boy member of our family (Raven's Dad Bear had passed away nearly 2 years ago) - my new show,agility, obedience and generally goodlooking Border Collie. I asked the breeder Lauren Somers of Nahrof Border Collies for a well put together boy who had the attitude needed to be a zippy little agility dog. He certainly has the 'tude! But more on his progress later.