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In Your Own Time Josie McCann
When Jenny came along at 8 weeks old, looking ahead I thought I need to do something with her apart from long walks where I would end up exhausted and Jenny would still be full of energy (from previous experience with springers).
I had thought about agility, however didn’t know of any clubs in the Furness area. Luckily I was given a contact number for puppy classes/agility classes and phoned a chap called Norman. After ½ hour on the phone to Norman I was desperate to get started puppy training and move on to agility.
It seemed like a life time waiting for Jenny to get started with agility – however the day arrived and off we went. It was the summer and the weather was brilliant. About six of us started training together and turned up every Sunday ready to learn something new.
Norman as you will have guessed by now was from Barrow In Furness Dog Training Club and took on the task of introducing us to the equipment. We spent about six weeks at this and then slowly joined in with everyone else, learning as we went along.
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 | I can’t say Jenny took to agility like a duck to water – a lot of the time in the beginning was spent with Jenny chasing pieces of paper, feathers, birds, anything that moved, usually about ½ mile off in the distance. But we loved it – out in the sun enjoying ourselves, meeting lots of nice people and dogs. Then the winter came along, how things change out in the elements. The others that started along with us had all drifted off by then, but we carried on still having fun.
Jenny soon got the hang of it and although her concentration at training was limited to five minute spans and she would still rather be off playing and digging, she seemed to thrive at competition. She was never super fast but was always consistent and seldom did she come away from a show without a placing.
Just into her second year of competition Jenny sustained an injury to her left front leg (nothing to do with Agility) which required her having a titanium staple in her shoulder. Complete rest followed for 12 weeks, meaning Jenny was out of training and competition.
Having returned to training Jenny then injured her right front leg (again not at agility) this saw her out again. Although we still went along to training most Sundays for a chat and a brew, Jenny was actually out of agility for 18 months.
After her break from agility, we started back nice and slow and Jenny was soon back to competing and picking up rosettes at most shows. Jenny has remained in starters with her highest placing being second.
She’s now just turned 10 and is going to be entering mostly veteran this year, although having been doing some training on the new lower heights she seems perfectly happy with these, so may still be entering some standard classes.
I got involved with training through working with the “Buddies” two years ago and have continued to do this as it has grown. I really enjoy working with the new dogs and we are now getting such a variety of breeds that you never know what to expect and it’s lovely to see the dogs and handlers move on to “Improvers” and then on to “Competition Group”
Josie McCann
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What else about Josie - Well, she stepped in as Chair at very short notice and has done the job for a year now. She whips the Committee into shape!
She is always helpful and does a great deal of work behind the scenes without any fuss.
Her life has been turned upside this year as she and Mally, her husband, have a border collie cross for him to run and Jake is not like a springer!
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