Being the Ambassador

Every time that I am out with any of the dogs, and someone compliments their behavior, I thank the person, but what I really want to say is "they have to." Not only are my dogs a reflection of my standards as a person, but each one if them is an ambassador to who they are as dogs. All of them are breed advocates, and furthermore, Little Dog is a Rescue Representative, and it is her civic duty to portray everything that a thrown away, "broken" dog can do. I don't want to be the lady with too many noisy white dogs, and I don't want anybody to walk into the office after seeing me, and say "Gosh, I just saw this little dog away from its person to chase another dog down the street." Judgmental people like me have experiences like that all the time, and said person will NEVER BE ME.

Kirby, Holly, and Little Dog are all examples of what the Coton de Tulear breed is as a whole, and I will be darned if everybody who meets them does not count it as a positive experience on the score card in their head. First impressions are lasting. Think about all the people who have been chased by German Shepherds when they were children, and have sworn themselves off of black and tan dogs for life. They may be ignorant, but they have a point. What reason does a dog have for chasing a small child? No good one. A good dog has no good reason to behave poorly, and throw off a person's first impression of himself, or his breed. Therefore, Kirby will behave like a Kirby should behave, and he'll have a big smile while he does it, and he has, and will continue to flip all the non-dog people, non-fluffy dog people, and non-little dog people in the world. Even though they may be small, short, or Fluffy Pants, they are still dogs, and can do everything that great dogs do, and more. That doesn't mean that they don't have a good time. My dogs are experts at having a great time. They just do it without being a nuisance, and enjoy EVERYTHING.

At agility trials, Kirby always drew cheers from the crowd. It didn't matter if he was running clean or not, and it didn't matter if anybody we knew was at the field or not, he would always get a loud audience. People, strangers even, at practise sessions, or trials/shows, or at the park have approached me to tell me that they love watching Kirby. Other than not being a Border Collie, even when he isn't running perfect, he is running fast; and no matter what Kirby does, he does it with all his heart, and he looks like he is having the time of his life. That is what Kirby is all about, and that is what I want people to see in Kirby, and all that Kirby represents. He also represents the Over-8s now, only he doesn't know it, and he doesn't care. No matter what he represents, Kirby will be as Kirby is. That is part of the magic.