A week before Winnie’s first AKC Trial in May 2018, she experienced a terrifying and potentially devastating attack from behind which from our observation had been unprovoked. The attack came just a few days before the Trial and Winnie’s injuries due to the attack forced me to withdraw her from competition. Winnie had suffered a brunt blow to the thoracic spine between her shoulder blades as well as a strain of the patella joint on her right hind leg. I volunteered for the trial and found it therapeutic to be among nose work dogs and their owners who are proving to be a close knit, caring and supportive group of people. I didn’t let one experience set us back, although I did some serious contemplating about Winnie’s future in nose work.
Responding well to treatments under the care of Kristen Hagler, RVT and Cristine Carr of the Physical Rehab Dept. at Windsor Animal Hospital Winnie was healing and I gained back some confidence. I had entered Winnie in an NACSW Element Specialty Trial (L1C and L1I) being held in Santa Rosa at Anova and did not cancel in hopes Winnie would be able to compete. I didn’t even know what an Element Specialty was and had I known Winnie would be doing 4 searches in each element, (Interior and Containers) for a total of 8 in one day, I would not have taken her. Winnie was still recovering and I was afraid it would be too much too soon. But in the end I am glad we went.
Winnie earned two titles that day, L1C and L1I, and I was in awe and ecstatic. Three weeks after the attack, dark weeks for me of questioning if we should even be doing nose work anymore, a cloud was lifted and from outta the shadows came a little Puggle, a nose with feet. A strong and positive little dog brimming with character and a love for using her nose.