I know that Joye is beginning a new way to bestow donations -- lavish donations or whatever the new term is -- so I wanted to start with some news for which I will lavishly bestow a donation :)
First, I want to tell all of you who do not participate in performance events with your wonderful working dogs that you are really missing out on a most wonderful part of owning a berner. There is simply no way to describe the difference in the relationship with a dog when you have that partnership that performance events requires. And to see the confidence and joy that a berner has when she is doing something she is good at and enjoys -- WOW. My dogs let me know over and over that I am giving them a gift by training and competing with them -- they absolutely love it :) Today my wonderful Abra earned her OAJ (open level jumpers agility title) making her one of the very few berners to have earned the AKC's Versatile Companion Dog 2 (VCD2) title. To earn this title, a dog has to have a TD, CDX and both open level agility titles from either the regular or preferred classes. So Abra is now CH Pinnacle's East of Eden, VCD 2, DD, CGC -- not bad for a dog having a heck of a lot of fun ;) Mary-Ann Bowman Emma, CDX, DD (retired) CH Abra, VCD2, DD, CGC Maize, VCD1, DD, CGC Halo, TD (puppy)
