Show Ring One Weekend, Sprintdog the Next - that's our Polly!

It has been a busy couple of weeks for our little Shebos Diamonds Are Forever(AI) - “Polly”, who has certainly been showing us just how versatile these wonderful little dogs can be.

Our first stop was the Dubbo & District Kennel Club shows, held at the Gilgandra Showgrounds on 1st and 2nd August, where Polly had a wonderful weekend in the show ring.

The highlight came when Polly was awarded Runner Up in Group — a lovely result for our little girl and one that I was absolutely thrilled with.

Thank you to Judge Mr Chris Woodrow for awarding our girl and recognising Polly on the day.

Fast forward to the following weekend and there wasn't a show ring or sash in sight. Instead, Polly swapped her show lead for a fast red collar and had her very first taste of SprintDog.

And goodness me... did she enjoy herself!

For those who haven't come across SprintDog before, it's a timed 100-metre sprint designed to let dogs do something they naturally love — RUN! Dogs are timed over the course, with their speed converted into points towards SprintDog titles.

As this was Polly's very first attempt, I really had no idea what she would make of it. But apparently nobody had told Polly she was a beginner!

Her first SprintDog outing on Monday was very much about learning the ropes and working out exactly what this strange new game was all about. She recorded an average speed of 23.15 km/h — not bad at all for a little girl who had never done anything like this before.

We went back for another go on Tuesday and, well... apparently the penny had dropped.

This time Polly absolutely flew down the course, recording an average speed of 31.36 km/h — more than 8 km/h faster than the day before!

And flying isn't much of an exaggeration — the camera even caught our little pocket rocket with all four feet completely off the ground!

After just her first two SprintDog outings, Polly is already only one qualifying run away from earning her Novice SprintDog title.

Not a bad effort for a little girl who, only the weekend before, had been standing in the show ring collecting a Runner Up in Group award!

One of the things I love most about our Bostons is that there is so much more to them than the show ring. They're bright, enthusiastic little dogs who love being involved in whatever we're doing.

Whether we're heading into the show ring, trying our hand at a dog sport, travelling away together or simply enjoying life at home, for me the most important thing is that my dogs are happy, healthy and enjoying the adventure.

And after seeing just how much fun Polly had with her first taste of SprintDog, I think it's fairly safe to say...

this little show girl will be back very soon to chase that Novice SprintDog title!

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