AKC Grand Championships
I had the opportunity to go the AKC Grand Championship this past weekend in Long Beach. The weather decided to postpone the forecasted rain so it ended up being pretty nice outside for the middle of December.
We saw the herding dogs doing demo’s outside the convention center. They had GIANT geese as the foul being used in the demo’s. They were also very inviting to newcomers who had brought their dogs to the event. People who happened to own a “herding” dog, but had never gotten to see their dogs instincts in action, had the chance to see their pets reaction. The virgin herding dogs were placed in the ring with 5 giant geese and a pen. It was very interesting to see which ones were intimidated by the geese or not. Typically, a full grown man would be scared of a hissing goose! With that said, a very small sheltie (maybe 18 pounds) held his own with the geese. The only thing that sheltie had done before was agility, so that day he got to exercise another part of his brain. He was very proud of himself.
I mainly had made the trek to see some of my acupuncture patients is action in the agility ring. I treat most of the agility dogs on a “as needed” basis. The acupuncture just supports the active lifestyle they lead. As soon as we walked up, I had the chance to see two of my patients do the course. Perfect timing! We watched the dogs jump over hurdles with such joy that it was a great cherry on top for the day.
Of course the dogs had plenty of kisses to give our 9 month old twins. Ear licks, head sniffs, and each dog sat still, very excited to have the babies run their fingers through their fur. It is always a joy to see a pet enjoying their life to the fullest, and those dogs certainly were!
