By Lisa Allmendinger
First off, I need a favor.
Please don’t tell Aidan that it took me two weeks to update readers about his most recent rally show achievements on April 4.
I have several really good reasons for the delay. As many of you know, I retired on Easter and had a house full – three humans and seven dogs – for a day of Rally training and a yummy meal.
And then … I took an impromptu trip to Las Vegas with a friend to watch Michigan play hockey in the Frozen Four. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to root them on to a win. (They lost in double overtime.) But the team they lost to did take home the NATTY. So, I did my best to convince myself that this should numb the sting of my Wolverines losing.
It kinda worked.
Flew back Sunday, April 12 and began radiation treatments on Tuesday in the hopes that this will allow me to compete at the Rally Nationals in July.
And while I was gone … Aidan got mail. His official Rally National Championship invitation arrived.
So I’m now working on convincing myself that spending 25 days being zapped by radiation will help me beat the odds (I did win $100 playing slots in Vegas) and I’ll be pain-free on July 17-18.
Wish me luck.
But back to the topic at hand.
I am so proud of Mr. Aidan. He attained his third rally title and now has his Advanced title. His scores weren’t great – a 90 in the first show and a 95 in the second show – but I am really pushing this young dog through the levels due to my current situation.
And I’ve had to develop a new mind set. It’s all about getting qualifying scores – 70 or better out of 100 possible points. And recalibrating my expectations to being happy bringing home little green qualifying ribbons, rather than the nice big rosettes that Buzz typically won.
It’s an adjustment.
In Intermediate, the level in which he should remain for a few more months, he scored a 99 and a 98, won his class in one show and was third in the other. A nice way to finish his last two times in the ring at this level.
Now that Aidan has attained an Advanced title, he can no longer show in Intermediate, and I will move him up to Excellent for our next show, hopefully Memorial Day weekend.
In the meantime, I need to see how I feel throughout these treatments, spend lots of time playing with and training Aidan, while figuring out this whole retirement phase of my life.
Stay tuned.
Read Lisa Allmendinger’s previous columns: Chelsea Update Publisher’s Messages
