On the
day this picture was taken, Bean earned her 2nd Rally
Advanced leg with a score of 98 out of 100 points. |
These few
paragraphs written by Sandy Mowery, called What is a Title,
Really? - is a good tribute to the sweetest, most devoted
little girl: Not just a
brag, not a stepping stone to a higher title, not just an
adjunct to competitive scores; a title is a tribute to a dog
that bears it, a way to honor the dog, an ultimate memorial.
It will remain in the record and in the memory for about as
long as anything in this world can remain. Few humans
will do as well or better.
And though the dog himself
doesn't know or care that his achievements have been noted,
a title says many things in the world of humans, where such
things count. A title says your dog was intelligent,
adaptable and good natured. It says your dog loved you
enough to do the things that please you, however crazy they
may have sometimes seemed.
And, a title says that you
loved your dog, that you loved to spend time with him
because he was a good dog, that you believed in him enough
to give him yet another chance when he failed and that, in
the end, your faith was justified. A title proves that
your dog inspired you to that special relationship enjoyed
by so few; that in a world of disposable creatures, this dog
with a title was greatly loved, and loved greatly in return.
And when that dear short life
is over, the title remains as a memorial of the finest kind,
the best you can give to a deserving friend, volumes of
praise in one small set of initials after the name. An
obedience title is nothing less than love and respect, given
and received and recorded permanently.
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