As natural as nylon

I guess 2007 is going to be the year I stretch my comfort zone. For the last two weeks I've been Dax's handler in agility class. She made it very clear to us that she's my dog, not Fran's, and she would very much appreciate it if mom would come to class, thank you very much.

So I have. It's not that I don't enjoy it - I do. It's really fun to see Dax running and jumping and having a wonderful time. It's just that I feel like the inert, fat kid that I was years ago. I have never been an athlete. Never took dance, karate, soccer, baseball. Okay, I lied about the soccer. I went out for the intramural team in junior high and dislocated my kneecap on the first day of practice. Running back into the locker room. Got the picture?

So, when the instructor tells me to move along the course as I naturally would if I were holding Dax's leash, I kind of look at her with a blank stare. There is no such thing as "natural" movement to me. I worked for months, with a metronome, to get my pace right for heeling in obedience. And had to do it all over again when I got a dog with a different stride!

I hope Dax and our instructor are patient with me. I need it.