Adoption Update: Luce!!!

Hi all,

I don't post much, but have to this time! :-)

I adopted Luce back in March 2001 from MABCR. She never even made itto the web page when I heard about her. I didn't even really knowwhat a smooth coated border collie looked like and was very pleasantlysurprised when a lovely chocolate colored little girlie with a verygay tail trotted out on to the porch :-)

Luce was the perfect "Introduction to Border Collies" dog ... not sohigh drive so as to drive you nuts, easy to live with. And she is thesweetest thing. We are very alike, her and I. We don't like to getup early, we don't like to stay up late, we are just as happy to beoff on our own as being with others and we are both very right handed:-) I still think of her as "my baby girl" even though she is goingto be 10 years old in September!

We have been doing agility since 2001 and yesterday, at a USDAA trialin Saratoga Springs, NY, we finally finished her APD - AccomplishedPerformance Dog title - the Performance equivalent of the ADCH! Wewent in to the weekend needing 2 gamble Q's (and have needed themsince last year) and we were just hoping to get one Q ... our history has been one gamble Q per year :-)

We not only got the gamble onSunday, but also got another one on Monday ... and this after having to rerun the course after a timer malfunction!!

Also, Luce finished her Bronze Accomplished Tournament Dog title witha Team Q, and a second placement over all to boot, on Sunday with Al Miller and Charlie. Charlie's Luce in the Chocolate Factory was our team and we were in the running the whole time. Luce's first Team Q was with Maryellen Miller & Brit 2 years ago. The Millers are goodluck for us :-)

I also have a younger border collie mix who is a rescue but not from MABCR. He is a MUCH higher drive dog and I wouldn't have kept him ifI didn't have Luce first :-) There were times I didn't think we wouldever be able to do agility as he was so reactive to movement that wecouldn't get into a building to even train. Blaze had his USDAA debut this weekend and managed two gamble Q's as well, with a 1st place yesterday!

Helen, Luce & Blaze