My name is Clary Meadows, and I am eleven years old. My dog’s name is Lucy Ann, and she is a two-year-old Australian Cattle Dog, Great Pyrenees, Border Collie, Lab mix. I rescued her from 4Paws 4Rescue. Lucy and I are best friends; we practically do everything together. Ups and downs highs and lows, we are always there for each other. Lucy is an Agility dog and she LOVES the sport. Agility is the only sport I play because it is really the only one I enjoy. I mean, who would not enjoy doing a sport with your four-legged furry friend right by your side the whole time? I first started in Agility because our grandma adopted a Toy Poodle and started Obedience Classes with Fidget. At the end of each Obedience Class the instructor took us all into the Agility room and let us practice a few obstacles. My grandma invited me to come along to the Obedience Classes, as I have always had a huge interest in dogs. By the end of the class, I was hooked on Agility! So, later that month, I started Agility training with Fidget. A few months later, we started bringing our family dog, Maple Jewel, a Great Dane, Doberman Pinscher mix. And, I hate to say it, but she failed… miserably! She can jump our four-foot fence, but knocked down the twelve-inch bar at Agility as she lazily walked over. This is how I found my love for Agility.
Lucy Ann had a rocky start to life. At the age of just six months old, Lucy and her brother, Linus, the Peanuts duo, were abandoned and tied up to a cabin porch in Farmington, Missouri. Cabin renters found them and brought them to 4Paws 4Rescue. In the meantime, my sister and I were dog shopping because our parents had promised us, we would each rescue our own dog when we moved. We finally moved to eight acres, and that’s just what we did! Our Agility instructor, Justin Sims, who owns Freedom Dogsports, sent us a picture of Lucy and Linus. The next day we called the shelter to put an application on them both. We looked at the two pups on November 11, 2020. I fell head-over-heels with Lucy, but my sister was just not really feeling Linus. She adopted a different dog, Prince Edward Gilbert Blythe, who is an excellent Agility dog as well. I knew Lucy was right the day I met her. On November 16, she came to our home for her week-long trial run. We dropped her off to be spayed November 24, and officially adopted her, November 26. On her first night in our house, anytime I left the room she would whine and cry.
During her very first Agility class, Lucy did very well for it being her first experience on the course. Now, a year and a half later, she has accomplished many things. Lucy has participated in three Agility competitions, has won six ribbons and a title in Novice JWW. She knows all of the Agility obstacles along with 40 Obedience Tricks and is working her way to 50. This does not mean she does not mess up sometimes. In one competition, she was so nippy at me, she did not even pay attention to the course and failed to qualify. My instructor said we needed to get all the nipping under control, and helped me. Lucy is so smart; it only took one class to correct the bad behaviors and she realized it wasn’t such a good idea to nip and jump at me after all.
Lucy’s very first Agility competition, at Purina Farms, was exactly one year from the date we adopted her. How fun! Her very first time competing in Agility was a very huge success. She won first place three out of her four times in the ring. Her second show on January 7, 2022, also at Purina, was when she nipped at me and did not do so well. But, at her most recent show, March 12, 2022, in Peoria Illinois, she won two first- place ribbons, a second-place ribbon and also won her Novice JWW title. So far, Lucy has competed in JWW, Standard, T2B, and FAST. Lucy and I attend Agility class once a week on Wednesdays and practice weaves and jumps at home multiple times a week.
My very favorite tricks to perform with Lucy are: Place, Up, Back-up, and the Weave Poles. Our favorite Agility obstacle is the Weave Poles. She does very well weaving through them and really enjoys herself while doing so. Along with Agility, Lucy enjoys Fetch and Frisbee and LOVES bananas and coconut! I work with her every day, whether it is teaching her a new trick or practicing the old ones! I am very proud of Lucy and what she has accomplished so quickly. Even when she messes up, or does not do what I tell her to, we are most importantly having fun!