ADCH Greenwood Roo UD, MX, AXJ. 

April 1986 - October 1998

 

Roo was a tiny little black tri sheltie who was given to my son when he was 10 years old as an obedience prospect.   Roo was too small, too nervous, and too intimidated by life itself......Cameron was perfect for her, with endless patience and perseverance he put both the CD and CDX on her, with several placements. 

 

When Cameron noticed girls, I inherited this wimpy little dog - and I was not exactly thrilled.  Roo changed my whole attitude about training.  I had trained many dogs - obedience dogs, military dogs, agility dogs - but it was little Roo who made a trainer out of me.  She tried so hard - and it was so hard for her. 

 

Roo started USDAA when there were the original three jump heights, and she only had to jump 12 inches - which was perfect for a 12 1/2 inch dog.  Then came four heights - and Roo now had to jump 18 inches. 

 

And jump them she did.  Slowly, but surely, running in perfect heel position, Roo stared earning  legs, slowly, but surely she started moving out of heel position, slowly, but surely she actually began to enjoy running agility, and slowly, but surely her confidence level started to grow. Roo suffered from incredible "stage fright", but once we started running, away she went!

 

Roo was remarkably consistent.  She made the USDAA Grand Prix Mini-dog finals for 5 consecutive years. Roo was on a very successful DAM team with Terry Herman's poodle Gilly and Susan Garrett's JRT Shelby, and Roo kept on running over those big jumps to give me my first ADCH.

 

The USDAA Veteran's program, now Performance, and the AKC program, were a gift to little Roo.  One of her best USDAA runs was up in Calgary, Alberta, where she ran the Master Veteran run in under Standard Master's time - and pretty much brought the house down as she did it.  She was then 12 years old and completely deaf.  She barked her opinion of herself all the way out of the ring when she had finished her run! 

 

Thank you, my little one, I have had wonderful dogs since we started agility, but you were the wind beneath my wings.