December 2017

 For the Love of the Sport…and the dog…and the people

 We do this because we love it, right? Right.

I mean, let’s be honest, who wouldn’t love all this: there is the training, learning the rules, the lists for packing, the packing, the traveling, setting up all our crap, walk through, orientations, events, RIBBONS!!, packing all our crap, driving home, putting all of our crap away, and Facebooking our experience.

And all this only happens after we find the perfect pup to play our games!

 And it doesn’t matter the game – agility, conformation, nose work, rally, tricks – and it doesn’t matter if you only play one game or if you play multiple games.  

Let’s be honest, it doesn’t matter what game you play – you came to play with your dog.

Right?

Oh, the ribbons are nice. And there’s nothing better than a Facebook post about the trials and tribulations that got you to this point – and how you and Rover overcame all that to earn a title today.

But even if you must write the dreaded ‘no title today’ post, the truth is you had a great time playing with your dog. And you probably got to hang out with some pretty awesome people too.

 Because *that* is the reason we do this. The human connection. I have yet to attend any dog sport where competitors aren’t talking to one another. Instead these sports are sprinkled with  cookouts in the parking lot, circles of chairs in the crating area, “let me introduce you to my friend” while waiting in line for your turn.

 We have a common interest. Dog sports, knitting club, book clubs, church groups – we have found a group of people who enjoy the same weird things we do.

We get involved because we enjoy the sport and playing with our dog, we meet people who got involved because they enjoy the sport and playing with their dog. Before we know it, we have made friends with these people. This doesn’t mean we all have the exact same interests or we all do the same thing in our free time. Diversity is the key to life!

It does mean we have taken the time to learn about one another and accept the differences we see in one another. For some, it means we have taken the time to try and understand a different point of view, to have in depth conversations to better understand the world around us.

Wouldn’t it be nice to see more of this in our world today?

Would it really be a stretch for us to meet someone in our dog sport world that we don’t know well and get to know them better?

 After all, having a bone replacement doesn’t prevent someone from ‘running’ agility when a spouse can find alternate transportation. Traveling half way across the country to get a flat, miss your hotel room, and still title three days in a row doesn’t just happen without people you can call to help you get a new tire and offer moral support (and maybe a pitcher or two of Moscow Mules). Losing a trial location doesn’t mean the trial is over – it means your community comes together to take over the nearest building, vacuum, move lots of stuff, bring in big trucks and pull off an awesome event. Running late for your first ever dog sport, jumping out of the truck because they’re calling your number as you pull in the parking lot….and somehow still pulling off a title that day – doesn’t happen without an awesome freakin’ host to stop you and let you catch your breath!

 I’m not filled with delusions of grandeur that we will be sitting around the campfire singing “Kumbayah”, but I do have a hope that we can start conversations. I do hope we can learn something new about one another. I do hope we can see the world from another perspective – or, at least, understand someone else’s perspective.

I do hope we can use our common interest to show us the way to a better world…even if that world only extends to the edges of dog sports.

After all, this all started for the love of the sport…right?

 From all of us here at 4G & TB to all of you, we send our best for a warm and fulfilling holiday season and a blessed New Year!