Now I owe him a cat

U-CDX Phoenix!

Truth is stranger than fiction.

Phoenix did a lovely 3-minute out of sight sit today to earn his third leg and finish his U-CDX at the 4RK9s trial in Cedar Rapids. His individual exercises were not the best work he's ever given me but right now, I don't care! That sit trumps any other sins he may have committed along the way.

I knew he could do it and I knew he would do it but we've struggled with that darn sit so much in the last month I just didn't expect him to do it today. I was showing him because we were already entered, it was a very nice local club and I doubted we could do anymore damage to that exercise that we already had. That may not be the most intelligent approach to training I've ever had but live and learn. In fact, when we returned to the ring after the sit, I automatically checked the stewards standing at the gate. They were not holding Phoenix. Holy crap! Where was he? Well, there he sat in line, tense but confident, just like it was all his idea in the first place. Hurray!

I know we aren't out of the woods on this problem and we have a ton of work to put into it yet but today the planets were aligned in our favor. I think it helped that he was the dog on the end of the line, so he didn't have dogs on both sides of him. Michele and Rilda said he fidgeted a little at the start, then settled down into a very alert but rock solid sit for the rest of the time. Good boy, Nix!

Now, about the cat. Michele and Jeff found a little kitten in their front yard last night. It's a dark gray tiger stripe, my favorite. Michele will take it to the humane society if no one claims it soon (Jeff put a sign in their front yard, I'd love to see that.) Anyway, we were talking about the kitten today at the trial and discussing who should take it home and I jokingly said, "If Phoenix holds his sit today, HE can have the kitten."

Wouldn't you know. Guess he was listening.

Now I have to explain to him that I was just kidding and the Farmer would absolutely throw a rod if I brought home a tiny little kitten that would have to live in the house because the wild barn cats would either run it off or kill it. I'm pretty sure Phoenix wouldn't eat it, he just wants his own personal cat to . . . well, I'm not really sure WHAT he wants to do with one. But he wants one. And for now, he's going to have to go on wanting.

Jill is going to bring LeRoy The Bomb-Proof Cat to the last night of Utility class in a few weeks so Phoenix can meet a real, live cat up close and personal. So that will have to do.