Nancy's Dogs

ADCH, MACh Scotswood Scud, CDX January 25, 1991 to September 19, 2003

My first agility dog was Scud, a male Border Collie that died on September 19, 2003 at close to 13 years of age. Scud was diagnosed with lymphoma in April of 1999, but went on to continue his career in agility while undergoing years of chemotherapy. Nancy and ADCh, MACh, Scud, CDX, represented the United States on four AKC World Agility Championship teams, in 1996, ‘97, ‘98, and ‘99. In 1999 in Dortmund, Germany, Scud and Nancy placed sixth in the World. They also have a long record of superior performances at the USDAA National Championships, winning many first place trophies in the Nationals Classes over 8 years of Grand Prix competitions.

Scud is the 1998 Grand Prix National 30-inch Champion, and the 2001 USDAA 22 inch World Champion Veteran. He placed second in 1995 and 1997. They were a member of the winning DAM National team in 1997, and won the Steeplechase National in 1998. They also have a long record of superior performances at the USDAA National Championships, winning many first place trophies in the Nationals Classes over 8 years of Grand Prix competitions.

This is the commentary that Nancy wrote about Scud the day after his passing:

It is with the greatest of sadness that I tell you Scud has died. I am too sad to write at length about what he accomplished for me in the agility world, and of course dogs don't care about titles and championships anyway. But I will tell you about his awards.

Scud liked awards.

Award ceremonies were at the top of his list of favorite moments in life, closely followed by swimming & tennis balls. I know he did not understand the correlation between running as fast and perfectly as I asked him to, and hearing applause and getting to come to the center of the group for ribbons & toys. But happily his performances often placed us there. He would drag me to the middle of the group, screaming, not just when his name was called, but when anyone's name was called. If a ribbon was within his reach, it was in his mouth. The line "It's all about ME!" was written by him.

Scud would not be as happy competing in today's weekend trials, where ribbons and awards are kept in boxes and handlers pick them up quietly on their own. He lived for the applause, and couldn't wait to tear up his ribbons. The four years of Closing ceremonies at Worlds remain to this day, some of the most trying hours I have ever spent with a dog. He screamed his way from beginning to end, unable to contain himself no matter how many cookies or toys I tried to shove in his mouth. Faster, more maniacal dogs lie quietly around the room listening to the applause, and watching the teams on the podium, but he didn't care. It was always as if it was all there just for him.

Those days are memories now, pleasant funny ones, that make me cry.

But mostly I remember that no dog could have given a person any more than he gave me. When I asked him to run as hard as he could, he did. I don't think anyone could have gotten him to give an ounce more. When he got cancer four and a half years ago at the age of eight, I did everything that I could possibly do to get the rest of his life out of him, and as usual he obliged. Not surprisingly he loved his doctors, probably because they showered attention on him every time he came through the door. Happily making the estimated 100 trips to the vet, most of the time to receive some kind of horrid potion or pill, so I could keep him a year, a month, and at the end, just one short day longer.

Jim and I called him Scudly, Scud-Bud, Scudly-Budly, but mostly just plain "Bud".

That sort of sums him up.

-Nancy

Riot

On September 23rd, 2001, ADCh, MACh Riot became the 2001 USDAA World Champion at 22 inches, and is representing the AKC at the World Championships in Portugal in October of 2001. She is also the 1999, USDAA National Grand Prix 22-inch Champion, and she placed second in the USDAA Nationals in 1998.

Wicked

ADCh, MACh, Wicked, is Nancy's youngest competition dog. Wicked is the 2000 USDAA World Champion, and a finalist in 2001. Among her many awards over only two years of competition, she is the winner of the 26 inch Steeplechase at USDAA 2001 World championships. She is a working sheepdog from England, from the breeding kennel of Chris Bolton. Working sheepdogs are unregistered border collies. They are ineligible for FCI World competition, and unable to be registered as border collies in the United States, but, when spayed or neutered they are able to compete in the AKC through I.L.P. registration. Even though Wicked is moderately dysplastic, she has proven that she has a lot of heart and the desire to win. Nancy keeps Wicked sound for competition with careful conditioning, and regular chiropractic and accupuncture treatments.

ADCh Toast

Toast and Winston are semi-retired from competition. They are "schooling dogs" now, used by our foreign students when they come to train without a dog, and by our own local students when their own dogs are injured or unable to either be trained on a weekly basis.

ADCh Winston

Jim's Dogs

Mick

Mick, born 6-1-91, started showing in April of 1993 and by the end of 1994 was competing at the Masters level of USDAA and the Elite level of NADAC. In 1995 Jim and Mick made agility history by becoming the first team to earn both the USDAA Agility Dog Champion title (ADCH) and the NADAC Agility Trial Champion title (NATCH). At the first NADAC Nationals in 1995 Mick won the National Championship in the 24" Elite class. In 1996 Jim and Mick went on to win the 30" class at the USDAA Grand Prix of Dog Agility National Championships, making them the first team to win national championships in two agility organizations. In addition to winning in 1996, they have been Finalists at the USDAA Grand Prix of Dog Agility in 1995, 1998, 2000 and 2001. In 1996 they were chosen by the USDAA to represent the United States at the World Dog Show in Vienna. Mick is the only dog to make the USDAA Top Ten in all categories for seven consecutive years, 1996-2002. In 2003 Mick became the first dog to be awarded the USDAA’s Platinum Lifetime Achievement Award, which requires 500 masters legs, with at least 50 in each class. Mick retired in October 2003 as the USDAA’s all time career Master leg earner with 550.

Swift

Highcroft Swift is a littermate to Nancy's Riot. At first, an agility career for Swift looked doubtful, since he needed TPO surgery on both hips. Fortunately, the surgeries and rehabilitation were a success and Swift was up and competing by the time he was two years old. In August of 1998 he earned his first ADCH, and in 2000 and 2001 he was a Finalist at the USDAA Grand Prix of Dog Agility World Championships. Swift made all 4 categories in the USDAA Top Ten for the years 2000 and 2001, making Jim the first handler to have two dogs in all categories in the same year. In 2003 Swift earned enough legs for the USDAA Gold Lifetime Achievement Award, which requires 350 legs at the Master level, with at least 35 in each class.

Spy

Spy, aka Power Paws Secret Agent. Spy started competing at the end of June 2001, and qualified for the USDAA nationals at only his second trial. At the 2001 Nationals, Spy placed 2nd in the first round of the Steeplechase, 2nd in Gamblers, and tied for third in Jumpers. Spy has also earned his USDAA ADCH.