April 22, 2018
Dear Friends, Family, Fans and Abolish the Crate Federation Members,
Today I turn 4 years old and I thought I would share my thoughts about my past year. Grady says it is good to take time to reflect upon one’s past so you can set goals for the upcoming year. I had never really thought about it but it seems like a reasonable idea so here it goes. Plus, I’ve never known Grady to give bad advice.
My third year of life was pretty exciting. Mom introduced me to the great sport of flyball which I must confess, I love! For those of you unfamiliar with the sport, you get to jump over four jumps lined up in a row after which you jump on a flyball box which dispenses a tennis ball which you catch and then run back over the four jumps. You get to run as fast as you possibly can, bark as loud as you want, and get to tug with your Mom when you return with the tennis ball. The best part (other than the running which I love, love, love!), is that once you learn your job, you are on your own. For me that means I am virtually assured of not making any mistakes because I don’t have to wait on my Mom to tell me what to do in a timely manner, like in agility.
Which brings me to the only low point in my entire existence. While competing in agility in September, I was running as fast as I could out of a tunnel and ran into my Mom. I was fine but she broke her ankle. To say that Grady was unhappy with me would be an understatement and I got quite the lecture from him. You see, Grady always looks out for Mom. He told me that you must always treat the creatures that you love with the utmost respect, kindness and gentleness because they are too valuable to do otherwise. And, Grady was crystal clear about this. Running into Mom is unacceptable. No ifs, ands or buts.
I had plenty of time to consider what Grady said because we took a long break from dog activities while Mom’s ankle healed. And, let me tell you, for those long months Grady lectured me every chance he had about why running into Mom was a bad idea. A word to the wise; you do not want to get on Grady’s bad side because you will not hear the end of it. Lesson learned.
Nonetheless, most of my third year was fantastic! I got to do more Nose Work, traveled to North Carolina several times, swam in a pool for the first time and did a little bit of tracking. Mom and I continued our nightly cuddling while she watched her favorite TV shows – something we both enjoy. Recently, Mom has enrolled in a Fenzi Dog Sports Academy online class to learn how to play Focus Games with me and that has been so much fun! I love to play games with Mom (and Grady)!
Well, I’m done reflecting on this past year. Today, the first day of being four years old, has started off exceptionally well. I had a good breakfast, a birthday cake and a delicious bone to chew on. It is rainy today so no outside activities but that’s okay because I did flyball yesterday and can use the rest so I will be fresh for agility tomorrow. Grady said we will play later today and I know that will be great fun. And, I have dinner to look forward to!
There you have it. Chapter and verse.
Sincerely,
Dawson Earnest Huntley, NAJ
President & CEO
Abolish the Crate Federation
Birthday Boy
