Written in 2004
Kia is my first dog, the one I call "Number One". She was my introduction to dogs and the dog show world. Needless to say, as my "first", she has a special place in my heart. Kia isn't your typical small and pretty Sheltie, but she's a cutie nonetheless. I used to tease my friends at obedience school by telling them "...she's an ugly Sheltie", and when they gasped I'd smile and say "....but a gorgeous dog".
We had a lot of fun together back in 1989-1990 when it was just the two of us and we were learning all about obedience, flyball and agility. Then Mandy joined us, and it was the 3 of us - just like the 3 Musketeers! Kia was never the best in anything she did, but she was always consistent, and always there for me (well, ok...the consistency didn't quite extend to her Utility career<g>).
In flyball she was never fast, but she was always consistent. She almost never dropped the ball or missed a jump and she ALWAYS ran at the same speed. She was good for beginner dogs to follow, since her speed was constant and easy to judge. One other thing she ALWAYS did - she always double-stepped between the jumps! She's a big sheltie (30+ lbs, almost 20" tall), and we were all new to flyball when we were starting out, so she learned to race double-stepping. It was so ingrained in her her that even years later I could move the jumps very close together so that she HAD to single-step, but she couldn't do it. She'd take tiny baby steps if she had to, just to double-step!
She was never an Obedience HIT (High in Trial). I think her best score was a 193. But through Novice, Grad Novice and Open, she was consistent. I could count on her to get the job done almost every time. She earned her CD in 3 shows, got decent scores in a couple Grad Novice classes, then went on to get her CDX in 4 shows. We trained for Utility and imagine my joy when she got her first leg (with a score in the low 190s!) on her second try! I was sure we'd have our UD before year's end.
Unfortuantely, I think Kia enjoyed it so much she never wanted to stop, so it took us almost a year to get our second leg! By that time I had Cassie, my first Belgian and first conformation dog, and I was preparing to show Mandy for her CDX, so after a few more months of trying for that elusive last leg, I finally retired Kia.
When Kia was younger, there were very few Agility trials around here (AKC didn't have it yet), so we pretty much dabbled in it. When AKC started offering Agility, I trained and showed both Cassie and Kia to their NAs. I might have gone farther with Kia, but she was getting older and starting to show signs of mild joint problems, so I decided to permanently retire her to the couch. I don't think she minded<g>.
My old girl is now in the winter of her life. At 16 years, she's almost totally deaf, is having arthritis problems (I have to give her a little boost up the stairs most of the time) and sleeps a lot, but otherwise she seems to be doing pretty good for an old broad. That sheltie voice still works<g>, and although her position as alpha dog seems to be slipping, she can still put the Belgians in their place if she needs to. I tend to hold her and snuggle with her more often these days (she never was much of a cuddler), anticipating the day she won't be around. I dread that day, but I also take comfort in the fact that I rescued her from a backyard breeder and gave her a full, active life that I know she enjoyed.
Thanks for the memories, my sweet Kia-bia.
May we have many more happy years together.
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