Candace Crouch
Five years ago, after my two sons Ryan and Ian graduated from high school, my husband Ken and I relocated to Virginia. Along with us came our Bouvier des Flandres, Shadow and our Collie, Aladdin, who has now crossed over the Rainbow Bridge and was the best family dog for which anyone could ask. We became involved in many activities with our local dog club including serving on the Board and assisting obedience and rally classes.
Shadow had finished her breed career after showing at Westminster and we became involved in performance activities. She has competed successfully in obedience, rally and, her all time favorite, agility. She has also done some herding and we’ve dabbled in carting and tracking. I could never have imagined all the doors she would open for me and all the wonderful people I would meet.
Heath (our Collie) joined us at the age of 22 months, having been shown exclusively in breed. He has competed in obedience and agility with Ken, rally with me and is a back pack dog and a Delta Pet Partner.
A friend sent us the video of Carolyn and Rookie’s “Grease” routine. I was mesmerized by their performance, their total joy in each other and their obvious bond. After watching it countless times, I decided I just had to try freestyle.
Shadow was the first one I tried it out on. I knew I was hooked from the start. Noticing how Heath reacted every time I put on music for Shadow, I convinced Ken that we should give it a go with him also. And I’ve never looked back. Working alone has not been easy but MDSA’s terrific members and workshops have provided countless learning opportunities for me.
I have truly enjoyed everything I have done with Shadow but freestyle has made us smile even more, lighten up and only increased our bond. It has also afforded me an opportunity to work with Heath that I might not otherwise have had. I’m fortunate to have two such wonderful canine companions and a very supportive husband. As much as we enjoy all the above activities, one of our favorites is to go hiking.
The following is one of my preferred quotes by Kundera Milan:
“Dogs are our link to Paradise. They do not know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden…where nothing was boring…it was peace.”
I encourage everyone to participate in MDSA’s vision of freestyle. You have everything to gain!
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