Sherie Vicary-Carter & Lovelly Mister Darcy

 We got Darcy as a really bouncy, almost neurotic 8 month old pup.  He did not do well in kennels and was quite lean, but to ARC’s credit they were making sure he went to the right home first time round.  We already had one dog, so thought it would be nice to get one to keep her company.  We have an active lifestyle and as I was doing agility, a high energy dog would fit fine.  I regularly scanned the Rescue Me pages from Agility Net and one day there was Darcy.   

With us Darcy had finally found an outlet for his energy and a job to do.  Right from his first walk, he was a very loyal dog and never ran off.  He learnt very quickly how to behave from my older dog, an Australian Kelpie.  Darcy was so eager to please that he excelled at his obedience classes and did both his silver and bronze good citizen awards in one night.  He took to agility with much the same attitude, always smiling and just wanting to work for you.

But it was not all plain sailing, there were some temperament problems that needed resolving - he could not have his collar touched, was scared if you raised your voice, has a very anxious and nervous disposition, a poor digestive system, guarded his food and what we did not know but do now, is that he is a little scared of small children – which we found out after we had one!  

Darcy has done really well in his agility career.  He started out in Starters with my husband, within a year they had got to Novice, then I took over.  He has now won into Grade 5 and still holding his own, we think there is more in there.  He has competed at Crufts for Australia in 2008, he was on the winning team for Pedigree Teams Event in 2007, he has made the top 10 in his respective rescue league since its inception and always been invited to its final, this will be his first year of actually contesting it having not being able to make it before do to no fault of his own. He is also just a few points shy of his Agility Warrant Gold.  He tries so hard and wants to please that he nearly always goes clear, and the only error of courses are mine.  

Darcy lives at home with Matt, myself, our 3 and half year old daughter and our older dog Shadow.  Lucky for Darcy, I have a job were he can come too, and he is always first in the car, never wanting to be left at home. I am an Equine Massage Therapist, so he spends a far amount of his time around horses and stables, and gets to enjoy walks in loads of forests all around Surry and Hampshire.  He is by far the most excited when he knows he is coming on a hack with the horse, or a ride on the push bike.  He is also very toy orientated and loves playing with his Frisbee.  We train at North Downs Dog Training Club every week, and in the summer I also train him at home once a week.

Overall Darcy is an amazing dog, his eagerness to please and be loved never ceases to surprise me. And although was not given the start he needed, he has not let that hold him back in making friends.  Because he is such a happy, handsome and graceful dog, we get stopped quite a lot by members of the public and even at agility shows to find out more about him. 

People are always surprised when I tell them that he was a rescue.  Now that he is nearly 6 years old, he is only just beginning to find an off switch at night at home – thankfully!

Sherie