"MACH Never Had Braces UD" aka Katie
Katie is 10 years old and has been off the track since January 2001. Katie was a lucky find in the vet office. I was on the hunt for my #3 greyhound and was doing a lot of fostering. I was dropping off my foster greyhounds to be spayed when she walked in. Her foster mom mentioned that she had played with a toy all afternoon, which told me she had a lot of drive. I asked if she liked food and her foster mom exclaimed, "She loves food!" So I took her home.
Katie is the hardest working greyhound I have ever met. She is such a pleasure to work with and I thank Jessie and Teresa everyday for giving me the practice and skills to work with such a fantastic dog. She has no use for days off or rest. She drives me crazy whenever she has more than one day off. She absolutely has no interest in retirement. She takes her work very seriously, is very good at working little details, and she is happy to do lots of repetitions if the food is flowing. The tolerance for repetitions is very helpful in an obedience dog especially for utility training where lots of practice is needed. She is a confident, independent, sassy, alpha female although I have noticed her softening a little this year. I truly cannot express how much this little greyhound means to me. "Pumpkin" is my heart dog.
In her first 15 months off the racetrack, Katie trained and competed, earning AKC Novice, Open, and Excellent Standard and Jumper titles. Katie is the first Master Agility Champion Greyhound. She was the #1 Greyhound in AKC Agility in 2002, 2003, and 2004. She is currently the #2 Greyhound for lifetime achievement, second only to her brother, Travis, who is just a little faster that she is. Most recently, Katie earned her Utility Dog obedience title. This is the hardest thing I have ever done with a dog and it took over 3 years of training and showing. She is the 14th UD Greyhound which is quite extraordinary when you consider that the first obedience trial was held in 1936.
Katie suffered a spinal stroke on October 10th, 2007 and has been retired from competition. Initially this was very scary and devestating to have happen. The left hind leg was paralyzed. I belive she has recovered to about 90% and that we have reached our plateau. Currently, she is staying active doing some backyard agility and obedience. I have to be careful to prevent her from injuring herself. Her mind and body are at 100%, but her left leg cannot always keep up. I feel extremely blessed that we have no unfinished business and she has exceeded all my expectations. But I will admit to being disappointed that I will never show her again. I should be so lucky to ever find another greyhound similar to Katie. I cannot begin to express how much I love this dog.