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Coal came into my life in 2003 which was one of the best and most challenging years of my life so far.
He was just a mere 9 weeks old when we found him trembling in a pen at the PGSPCA with his brother and sister. He was labled as a Border Collie + Labrador Retriever, though some days I wonder if there's a little bit of German Shepherd Dog in the mix as well due to several different physical and personality characteristics. |
| As a puppy Coal was quite timid and shy. I can remember him as just a pup cowering under our front porch when a stranger would pull up the drive. The older he got and the more situations I introduced him to the more courage he gained. He is now a full grown, big boy with a bark and posture that could scare away any intruder. He is, however, a big cuddly teddy bear and his bark is by far worse than his bite. |  |
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As early as possible I introduced Coal into Dog Agility; which I had started doing with my previous dog so it was natural for me to continue training with Coal. Once he was a year old I began seriously training him in it and by the time he was 2 and a half I began entering him into Agility Trials. Due to lack of transportation we were only able to travel as far as Prince George (the city I adopted him out of). This meant trials were few and far between. It wasn't about competing though, it was about having fun. I gradually built enough of my own equipment to practice and enjoy the sport with Coal in my own back yard. |
| He'd only gone to a handful of trials before he turned 5 and was diagnosed with arthritis and was seen to be prematurely aging. That day in the Vets office when the grave news was bestowed upon me I made the decision to retire him from competing. Though I've decided that as long as he's up for it we will keep practicing in the back yard at his own pace and level.
Even though we didn't trial long enough (and certainly weren't good enough!) to win any points or places, I wouldn't take back those few trials we experienced for the world. It was a great learning experience for him and me as well as a great way for the two of us to bond. I learned a great deal about Coal and his reliability through trialing him and also met a lot of wonderful people. |
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