Brad Moyler's Branston (Blighty Bhiati) & Saffi (Persian Spice)

Although we always had whippets and Greyhounds when I was growing up I have always adored collies. I always intended to get a dog of my own but the irresponsible phase lasted a lot longer than expected and it wasn't until I had turned 35 that I actually deemed myself sensible enough. Fortunately my girlfriend at the time agreed but there was a big problem. She had had a totally bonkers collie previously so I was strictly forbidden from having one :-(

I went through all the books and all the breeds but nothing else really did it for me so we decided on a crossbreed and what better place to find one than the local rescue centres. What an eye opener! I don't know what I was expecting but I just wasn't prepared for the sadness. Also I couldn't believe how many dogs there were at any one time needing homes. It was very difficult for a while as I wanted to take them all home but then I found him. A little bundle of brindle fluff pressed against the bars on his last days before termination. He was very scared. When they tried to catch him he gave them the slip and escaped only to jump on my lap and bury his head in my jacket. Of course, I just had to take him home.

Branston seemed a very obvious and cheesy name but every time I went through the latest names it just kept coming back to Branston. Never mind seems to suit him well enough. His show name (Blighty Bhiati) is my variation on an Indian name "Bhaiti" (By-Tee) meaning "Little Brother". Brany was (and is) always in one of two moods; scarred and clingy or happy and boisterous. I did the usual puppy & obedience classes and discovered that I really enjoyed working with him. I had seen agility on crufts a few times and when I saw it that year I decided to find a club and give it a go. He was very good at obedience and took to agility straight away. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite so keen on the shows! He is very sensitive to particular noises and I often have to carry/drag him to the rings but once you put him in front of a jump he forgets all his worries. Well...sometimes...for a few jumps...maybe he'll sit on top of the A frame and refuse to come down...leave the ring to sniff a crotch or two...or just run back to the car. Fortunately, when he is in the right mood he is fantastic. Even with his mood swings he gained his agility warranrt in our first year of competing and has won many trophies.
He won us out of Elementary & Starters, qualified for Agility Club Starters Challenge, won our club league, came 8th in the Voice Starter Dog league and at the start of this, our second year, he has had a win in Novice Agility.

I think my ex was feeling left out so she decided she wanted to do agility and, since I had proved myself capable, I was allowed to have my collie but on the condition that she could run Branston. So I got myself a collie and got rid of the girl friend. Haha.

Saffi, my collie, was very different from Branston right from the word go. She was 8 months old and came from a family with small children! When I first met her she was completely covered in god only knows what foul smelling substances and was totally manic but her personality (if thats the right word) cut right through all that. One look into those big beautiful brown eye's and I was totally schmitten.

I liked the name Saffi so I kept it, Saffi is short for saffron which is a Spice that comes mainly from Persia hence the show name "Persian Spice". A bit dull but they wouldn't let me have "Saffi Sweety Darlin" aka Ab Fab. Despite being a complete headbanger she was (and is) a very happy dog - her tail is always wagging. After jumping through many hoops over a period of months and hundreds of miles travel, I finally managed to bring her home. It took some time to gain her trust, two baths to remove the stink and many hours of exercise to calm her down but once she settled it soon became clear she would be a very special dog both in and out of the ring. I love Brany to bits but working Saffi is an absolute dream in comparison. Once she understands what I want I only have to ask and she's there in a microsecond! She has tremendous power and responsiveness and one day I hope to have some brakes! Fortunately, it would appear that you can do quite well without brakes as, in my eyes, Saffi has had amazing success in the 6 months that she has been competing. She had a clear round in Novice Agility at her first ever show. Was placed 16th at Rugby Xmass Open Jumping - her second show. At Manor & Whitstable she won every time she went clear, 7 wins at elementary/starter. She is very consistant (I wish I was) and my shelves are full of trophies.

She has qualified for the Genisis Novice Jumping Final and the Olympia Novice Agility Stakes. To top it all she has gone into senior just after her second birthday with 4 Novice wins in two weeks and now has enough points for her agility warrant.

I consider myself very lucky to have Branston and Saffi. They have both given me so much in return for a few treats and somewhere to call home. Once again, it goes to show that rescue dogs are just as good as the rest.
Moreover, if you get a rescue dog you save a soul as well as a fortune!

Brad Moyler