Go, Max, Go!

The trial went for almost 10 hours. Once I got home, I really wanted a skillet breakfast from Denny's, so off we went. Now it's almost 9:30, and I'm finally ready to report.

Thanks for all the good wishes from everyone! They worked great! Max qualified in three of his five runs, making a cumulative grand total of eleven qualifying scores toward his championship title. Yay, Max! (We ultimately need 40.)

The first run was Fullhouse, where he basically gets to just run like a maniac for points. I love when they run that first, because he gets some of his crazies out. He qualified on that one, and on his second run, a standard numbered course. He knocked a couple of jump bars down on his third run, and I thought maybe his hips were getting tired. I decided to run the fourth course, and if he knocked anything down I'd pull him from his last run. I don't want my little boy to get hurt! False alarm. He ran like a nut job and we got a couple of "off course" calls (Oops. Wrong end of the tunnel. Twice!), but he flew over the jumps like a champ. So I let him run his fifth and final course, and he came through with his third Q. Good boy!

I feel so lucky to be able to have this link with Max. He was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia at 10 months old, and I was told he would not be able to walk by the time he was two. He'll be five on Monday, and with just a little extra care and precaution he's still going strong, doing what he loves. My vet thinks he's a miracle dog. Yeah, those qualifying scores are nice, but just being able to go out there and run in the dirt with him, seeing the smile on his face is really all I need.

We're off to get some sleep now. Have a good night everyone!