I think I may make this announcement every fall: I’m sorry that some of the articles that we’ve been promising (seen in the “What’s Ahead” column on the back cover) have not yet appeared. And other, unheralded ones have popped up. Even after nearly 50 years on earth, I can’t seem to manage my summer schedules properly.
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It’s not all my fault. July was a terrible month for many of the people I know and rely on to help me with Whole Dog Journal. Many of us took informal family leave breaks from our work to deal with sick or dying pets or other family members. I’ve been unable to devote as much time as I need to finish my research for the wet food review. Two articles (the one that will discuss chemotherapy for dogs and the one describing giardia and other water-borne, parasitic infections) have been delayed by their writers’ need to look after extremely ill family members. I’m not an extreme enough editor to insist that these articles come in on time, no matter what – but I do apologize for the delays. They will appear soon, I’m certain.
Also crummy for me personally is that the writer of the giardia article is also my agility instructor, and her family emergency is taking her out of state! Cindy Rich and her husband are moving hundreds of miles away in order to care for a family member. I have total empathy for her situation – but I’m also more than just a tad selfishly bummed; Otto and I were just starting to get somewhere with agility. I was even entertaining fantasies of actually going someplace to compete in a fun agility event. Ack! I’ll really miss Cindy and our classes.
I’ll have to find a new instructor or club – or just develop some self-discipline and practice on our own. I still have an informal goal of competing somewhere before the end of the year.
It’s not that I’m eager to appear in public with my scruffy dog and my dirty sneakers. It’s just that Otto has so much fun doing agility; his eyes just light up when it’s our turn to run. He approaches the whole task with exuberance and creativity – although I suspect that last trait is maybe not going to be rewarded at agility trials anytime soon. When I’m less than clear about giving him direction, or just too darn slow, he’ll often “freelance” along the way, taking an extra obstacle in order to let me catch up, or just in case it was that one I wanted him to jump, instead of this one. Or maybe he’s just having fun being athletic – like when we’re supposed to run past the A-frame to the tunnel, and he runs up a third of the A-frame and leaps off the side of it into the tunnel. He’s also apt to jump over the tunnels he’s supposed to run through; he really likes jumping.
Anyway, I’m hoping September sees everyone I know recovering. I also hope we’ll see cooler temperatures around the country; I know that would help this un-air-conditioned editor think and work faster and get back on track. And maybe into an agility show ring, too.
