MACH Laws’ Sandy MXB MJB owned by Nelda and Vern Laws of Haverhill, MA
Sandy is an 8-year-old Chihuahua mix. Nelda met her in 2012 while volunteering at the MSPCA at Nevins’ Farm and Equine Center in Methuen, MA where she helps both house and farm animals. Only the day before she and Vern had lost their dog Sadie, (another agility dog) and they were not yet ready to adopt another one. But a few days later Nelda was asked to foster Sandy, who had recently been spayed and needed a quieter place to recover. She knew that Sandy had had a litter of puppies, was 2 years old, and house trained. She brought her home to meet Vern, another Chihuahua, and a cat.
Nelda started agility in 2007 with her two rescue dogs, Sadie and Pandy. She has a few obstacles in her backyard for practice. “I introduced Sandy to them and was shocked when she took jumps and tunnels with ease and after just a few days, the teeter (on the second try) and a few weave poles.” She knew that the former owners had done no training with her.
Nelda continued working with Sandy and the Laws adopted her 2 ½ months after taking her in to foster. They began taking agility classes. “When my instructor saw how much Sandy knew and what she did on the course, she couldn’t believe it. She handled the competition-size obstacles like she had been doing them all her life. She said, ‘This just doesn’t happen!’ We began competing in the fall of 2012.”
Sandy loves to compete, and they go to trials in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Florida. “The crowds love her as she flies through a course, jumping like a gazelle and ‘yelling’ at me when I make a mistake,” said Nelda. “We have a blast together as we both like competing but continue to have lots of fun. Getting numerous titles has simply been the icing on the cake!”
Sandy earned her MACH on November 17, 2018 in Amherst, NH at the Middlesex County Kennel Club trial. “Sandy’s love and success in agility is just another great reason to adopt a dog!”