I’m not sure if I can adequately put into words how bittersweet this moment is. It’s a wonderful honor to have achieved this level of competition with my dog! But it means our journey is nearing the end. There are possible Summit Trials and Element Trials but after 12 years of training and traveling and competing in multiple sports, more is behind us than in front of us. And I’m really sad about that.
Zen has not been an easy dog. But he was exactly what I needed at the time and the adventures have been incredible. I wasn’t looking for a dog but I had lost Oscar suddenly and when I started to explore litters I realized that all puppies of this breeding had been sold and I missed a good opportunity.
However, after contacting the breeder, I learned that one puppy hadn’t gone to his new home as planned and was available. We had to wait a bit to go through the Rabies vaccination process, then coordinate importing a puppy from France to the US, but Zen arrived and the adventures began.
He had big paws to fill and took second to Emmy when she was still competing but we’ve accomplished a lot; a simple CGC temperament evaluation, a French Ring CSAU to a FR2 title, from Odor Recognition test to a 4th place at the NACSW Nationals in Massachusetts and now the coveted Elite Champion title. A lot of blood, sweat and tears has gone into it all!
Zen is a wonderful house dog who earned a spot on the people bed long ago so the job of “companion” is in his repertoire. He’s affectionate and squishy when you’re his pal so he’s nice to have around. I have 3 other dogs to train and compete with and I have a lot on my plate. But Zen is far from the retired type (don’t tell him he’s old, he has no idea!) so we’ll just let this accomplishment sit right here and focus on what other adventures lie ahead. We’re not done yet! ♥