The Master's Call

It is true you learn more from failure than success and in the end, if you persevere, you will look back with perhaps more fondness on how you dealt with failure. At the time of failure, "fondness" is not how I would usually describe my emotions.

Honeybun afforded us many opportunities to learn to cope with failure this weekend. Day 2 of the Agility Trials Honeybun had two events- Standard and Jumpers. Standard is the class she had on Day 1 when she had so much trouble with the weaves and ran out of time. It has all the crazy dog agility equipment, including the "chute" which Honeybun had seen a grand total of once in her life. Jumpers class is a series of jumps and tunnels. That was her last class of the day.

Our wonderful mentor Polly again walked with Asherel during the course walk time and gave her some advice to help with the weaves. She also told her, as Asherel had already decided, that if she didn't get the weaves within 2 or 3 tries, move on. Practice doing the full course. I stayed in my seat since in her first class, she seemed to be looking for me when I tried to hide. It started well. She cleared some jumps, and then walked tentatively across the dog walk- the apparatus she had fallen off yesterday. Next, on to the tire jump, the tunnel- then to the weaves. I held my breath.

For perhaps the first time in her life, Honeybun skipped through all 12 weaves perfectly on the first try. Then to the pause table.... and then the chute. The chute is like a barrel with a long cloth tube attached to one end. The cloth lies flat on the ground and the dog runs into the barrel and balloons through the cloth. The dog can't see where she is going or where she will come out. She has to totally trust her master's voice. Honeybun raced into the chute and I was breathless with joy. I had assumed that in the stress of the real trial, she would never approach a piece of equipment she had seen but once, a year ago. The cloth billowed as she ran through it... and then the lump in the cloth went slower and slower... and stopped. It was clear that the dog in the chute, in the darkness, in total unfamiliar territory was thinking, "If I turn around, I think I have a chance of surviving as the hell I know is better than the heaven that may or may not be out there...." However, her master was at the spooky, amorphous end calling her. The lump in the shoot began to move slowly towards the Voice, and then burst out the end. She cleared her next 2 jumps and turned towards the A-frame. At that moment, we think she saw me, and remembered I had food.... and with just the A-frame and 2 jumps left on a clean run, she darted out of the ring. She scampered up the steps into the grandstands, passing several dogs.

Please do not kill any dogs, I was praying as I raced towards her. A man caught her and held her as I raced up. Polly came racing over and told me,"Don't reward her!" We of course cannot reward her leaving the ring, a potentially very dangerous habit, but I felt bad nonetheless as she had done the first 3/4ths of the run magnificently. However, Asherel was happy. It was a better run by far than the first day, and she had done perfectly up to that point of leaving the ring.

When it was time for her jumper class, Polly again walked with her, and told her she needed to get Honey's attention from the moment she was waiting on deck. Polly gave her some string cheese and told her to keep Honey's eyes on Asherel's face the whole time she was waiting with continual rewards of string cheese. Honey LOVES string cheese. I hid behind a concrete wall, and peeked around every so often, camera ready. I laughed at the riveted attention Honey had on Asherel while they were waiting. At that point I didn't know what Polly had done, but it sure had gotten our dog's focus in line.

And she was a different dog when she stood at the start. She was keenly focused on Asherel. She had to clear 14 jumps in correct order as well as a tunnel. She was allowed 37 seconds to do so. She was perfect, though not as fast as she usually is, but at the second to last jump, she tried to run around it, and Asherel calmly called her back... and after another hesitation, HOneybun jumped that and then cleared the last jump.... a perfect round! She tried to run out of the ring again, but Polly had stationed herself there and grabbed her. We were all exultant. Polly told us now we were beginning to understand what it was to "partner" with your dog. She was 4 seconds over course time, a 4 point deduction, but otherwise perfect. We could not have been prouder! We shoveled yesterday's food rewards and today's food rewards into the happy dog's mouth and settled down to watch Polly's last run.

Then I meandered over to the judge's table to see where Honeybun had placed in the class. She had won second place! Failure may teach you wonderful things, but it is sure nice to have it coupled with the joy of success. I think the turning point at that trial may not have been in that perfect class though. I think it was when Honeybun was in the chute, surrounded by darkness, and she chose to brave the darkness and follow her Master's voice.

John 10:27-28
²⁷My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.