I've been competing since 1976. As anyone who knows me will attest, I have ALWAYS brought my dogs to ridecamps. My dogs have always been collies and shelties. It was part of my enjoyment of the sport to camp with my dogs. They were usually on leash, tied to the trailer, or IN the trailer. However, occassionally, they would run and play around me.
However, two years ago, I had a horrible incident at a ridecamp, where my little sheltie -- my agility and HEART dog -- was mysteriously stolen from my ride site right out from under my eyes. Never found out who took her, but she would NOT have wandered away from me, and there was a family camped near me whom no one had ever seen before. Earlier in the day, the children there had been playing with my little Sadie. After searching for 3 hours, screaming my head off for her, I left for home (only one hour away) broken-hearted.
Thankfully, she somehow found her way back to my empty ride site and sat waiting for me. Friends caught her and called me back to the camp to retrieve her. I was physically, mentally, and emotionally sick from this incident, and since then, have left her home with my sisters to keep her safe. NOTHING is worth going through that again, so now I compete without her there.
