MISHA MISHKOVSKY - LARGE GRADE 1 WINNER 2007

Misha came to live with us in the spring of 2005 and we started training later that year.  He was 4, nearly 5 when he arrived (I was told 4 going on 40) and has been known as Grandaddy Mish ever since.  He originally came from a home where he had apparently never had a collar on let alone been for a walk but in the last 2 and a half years he has been making up for lost time.  Mish is top dog in our house.  He likes to keep the whippersnappers in check but also has welcomed many foster dogs into our home and helped them learn skills for their new lives.

Mish and I did agility for fun for about a year (as I did with another dog who sadly left us for the Bridge at only 5 last year) before we decided to have a bash at competitions.  We tried a few classes at the end of the 2006 season and finally got our first clear rounds at Bridgehouse and Paws in the Park. 

2007 started off with trophies and we were hooked!  Mish is frustratingly always the bridesmaid with quite a few 2nds this year, some cracking times and quite a few misplaced feet on the contacts (don't mention the KC Festival starters final).  He has still done fantastically well for an old boy (he is now 8) and I really wish I had had him when he was younger.  He is a super example of giving a dog a second chance and proof that you can teach an old(er) dog new tricks.  It is nice to get a puppy and mould it to what you want but with an older dog you have to work with what you have got and I couldn't ask for a better friend than Mish (don't tell the other 3 dogs!)

Claire Saxton

Pictured with Run Around Ruby with 2007 prizes