WordPlay

Edit: Thursday, July 21, we head to the second consultation, after which it’s likely he’ll go directly to the scan and rhinoscopy…
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Early in July, after lo these many months of working on fundraising for ConneryBeagle, it’s become obvious that Connery is losing ground.

The most recent escalation started shortly after he earned his agility MACH2 in June–he was in pain, he wasn’t able to focus, he stopped playing, and although he happily joined me on any and all training excursions, his performance was off.

Connery’s Auntie Vet and I put our heads together for a mutual “gut feeling” response to the escalating complications, and thank goodness the new course of meds helped. He bounced back to enjoying his activities, being more patient with young Evil Dart Beagle, and bawhing his way through the house during play time.

And this past weekend at gorgeous Cloudcroft, NM, although the change to the 10,000′ altitude triggered headsplosions the first night, Connery grabbed his joy for all six of the weekend’s courses and ran fast, tight, and clean. He sang his Song of Self at the start and finish lines and (as he does when he’s feeling particularly happy with himself), scolded me when the course was a bit too twisty for his liking. “BAWH!” he says. “I’m doing this, but you should be aware that it is Not Right!”

But we still don’t know what’s causing it all, and we’re playing an ever-lagging game of catch-up just to keep taking the edge off his symptoms.

The CT funds are a long way from the cost of the procedure, but I’ve decided to schedule the procedure, go on faith, and plan on some really, really creative accounting while I continue selling the anthology.  I have that “time is running out” feeling. And I’m really, really fortunate, because even in the days since I made that decision, Connery received some incredibly supportive gifts.  We’re still working on it, but…with a little more hope.

In any event, I’m calling the vet to schedule even as this post goes up. The time has come to push my luck, so I’m no longer pushing Connery’s.

Because, ya know…he always deserves to run just this happy:

Clovis, May 30: the MACH2 run

The Play-By-Play: A course full of traps, more about precision handler placement than figuring out how to get there in time (ie, not much with the hard running!). Trap jump in front of the teeter, trap chute to the right going into the box, trap left tunnel entrance, trap chute coming out of the tunnel and through the box again, screeching tight post turn over jumps, trap tunnel x2 coming through the box again…you get the idea.  Shoulder, hand, and foot position…and no leeway!  PS we didn’t realize at the time that this was the MACH run–me and math–so the celebration came at the run AFTER this one…  ;>