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----- Original Message -----
From: "BethF" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "CF-Community" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Sunday, December 28, 2003 2:01 AM
Subject: Mortifying moments on ice, and television.
> Today several members of our dog club went to the minor league hockey game
> to do an agility demo at halftime on the ice. Ok, on carpet laid on the
> ice. We decided to use small dogs because the ice is hard and the carpet
is
> small (12 x 40) and offers little impact resistance. So I took novice
> keeshond toklat instead of more experienced, more reliable samoyed Kavik.
> Daring? Yes. But safer - Kavik is slightly overweight, Toklat's height
> weight ratio is EXCELLENT.
>
> We arrived at 6 for a 7:30 performance. Toklat was very well behaved in
the
> VIP room. He sat quietly and paid wonderful attention to me and my liver
> brownies. However at about 7:15 they hustled us to the other side of the
> building so we could enter in the zamboni entrance.
>
> Hockey in anchorage may be minor league but the fans are major. Thousands
> of screaming fans with cowbells, stomping their feet in the bleachers make
a
> crapload of noise. The announcer, the foghorn, the clamor was enough to
> send even happy, good natured toklat's ears flat to his head. I fed him
> liver brownies until he was focusing on me and calmer. He seemed to be
fine
> when the quarter was over, and they opened up the gates to put the carpet
on
> the ice.
>
> He took one look at the open expanse of ice and I knew I was in trouble.
His
> whole body tremored and shook with excitement. I left him with his father
> and went to set agility equipment on the rug laid out on the ice. When I
> returned he was still vibrating with excitement. I knew I was in for some
> wild ride. I went and stood on the carpet runner leading out to the
> course, heart pounding, trying to get Tok to focus on me. Fat chance.
>
> there were only five obstacles - chute, jump, tunnel, weave, baby teeter.
I
> though maybe, since they were close together, I could keep his attention.
I
> started him about six inches from the opening in the chute - so he
couldn't
> miss it. He did the chute, the jump and ran straight for the tunnel,
which
> unfortunately was clear. He hasn't seen one of those before, and he
almost
> ran into it, and at the last minute veered around the tunnel, taking off
at
> amazing speed to the far end of the ice rink. I called him - TOK TOK TOK,
> HERE! But t he laughter of the crowd was DEAFENING and the little devil
was
> totally overstimulated, but somehow he heard me. he turned and ran
straight
> back into my arms. I got him into the tunnel but the weave poles were out
> of the question. He has gorgeous, smart weaves but he didn't seem to get
> that these were weaves, the crowd roarer again. He got the baby teeter
and
> I grabbed the devil dog before he took off. I was able to put his leash
> back on and get out of there. So he might be a crowd pleaser, but a mommy
> pleaser he is not. Luckily, his recall worked ok.
>
> As I typed this the news is on. The sports preview talked about how
> apparently 6200 people showed up for the game. "6200 people", I thought.
"
> I made an ass of myself in front of 6200 people". They went to commercial
> and then opened up with the big hockey game. The first shot shown is of
> Toklat, racing at breakneck speed across the ice with some comment about
the
> game going to the dogs. There was no explanation, no clips of well
behaved
> dogs doing agility obstacles. Just toklat, running. Luckily, you can'
see
> me. Maybe I will just tell everyone its someone elses Keeshond.
>
> Sadly, I already got two phone calls from admiring fans. Apparently, they
> all know its my freaking Keeshond.
>
>
>
>
>
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