In Memory of Daisy

October 16, 2007  -  May 3rd 2012

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LOST A PET

I stood by your bed last night...

I came to have a peek.

I could see that you'd been crying,

And you found it hard to sleep

I whined to you softly

as you brushed away a tear,

"It's me. I haven't left you.

I'm well, I'm fine, I'm here."

I was close to you at breakfast...

I watched you pour your tea.

You were thinking of the many times

Your hands reached down to me.

I was with you at my grave today...

You tend to it with such care.

I want to reassure you

That I'm not lying there.

I walked you towards the house

As you fumbled for the key.

I gently put my paw on you...

I smiled and said, "its me."

You looked so very tired

As you sank into a chair.

I tried so hard to let you know

That I was sitting there.

It's wonderful for me to be

So near you everyday,

To say to you with certainty,

"I never went away."

You sat there very quietly,

Then smiled... I think you knew

That in the stillness of the evening

I was very close to you.

And when the time is right for you

To cross the brief divide,

I'll rush across to meet you

And we'll stand there side by side.

I have so many things to show you!

There's so much for you to see.

Be patient, live your journey out,

Then come home to be with me.

Author Unknown

My Sweet Sweet Daisy

There is no other way to say this....so... approximately 2 weeks ago on May 3rd .......I  let Daisy go.  She lived a happy and adventurous life until the very end.....and I mean the very VERY end.   There are no words to describe the loss I feel.   Daisy was my best friend, my companion, my true nature buddy.  I knew this day was coming and even though I'd gone through this before with my other dogs.......each loss feels VERY different.

I started this blog because I wanted to share MY own personal experience as it might offer some help to someone else.  I've received several calls and emails from people who have stumbled upon this site who were searching for answers and others who simply wanted to talk to someone they felt could understand what they were going through.

With Daisy gone I can honestly say that throughout this time period I never really thought about the "end" much.  I didn't want to.  I tried to stay focused on the present moment to stay positive so Daisy and I could have as much fun together as possible.

It is true what they say about lymphoma.......it happens fast once it reaches End Stage.  Most of these dogs can appear healthy and function quite well for a period of time with chemotherapy, radiation or other treatments. Then one day they take a turn for the worse.  Then it is a matter of days. Daisy had not been responsive to chemotherapy for the past several months but she was still able to lead a physically active lifestyle and was her usual happy self.  Her lymph nodes however continued to grow .....under her jaw area, between her shoulders blades and upon a recent examination had spread throughout her abdomen (I also saw and felt them).

Over a period of 3 days Daisy very rapidly reached End Stage lymphoma.  She had increasingly become more and more restless at night, was weak, stopped eating, and panted excessively. On the 3rd day she could barely walk.  I consulted with Dr. Lurie, her oncologist, during this time period ........trying to find a way to fix it.  I spoke to Dr. Warry from the B.M.T. (Bone Marrow Transplant) department at NCSU to ask if a blood transfusion would help to "kickstart" her platelets.  It would not. The disease had progressed too rapidly.  I took her in to see Dr. Lurie.  He said that the disease had spread rapidly and that there was nothing more they could do for her.   I let her go upon his recommendation ........but I also had a "knowing" in the pit of my stomach.

I remember on the 2nd day of Daisy's rapid decline going into a canine support chat room at "pawstrong.org"  I kept asking questions like ....how do you really know if they are in pain or not? How do you know when its time to end their suffering? etc.  etc. question after question............ It finally dawned on me that the time to let them go is WHEN YOU BEGIN ASKING THOSE TYPES OF QUESTIONS.  I didn't have a need to ASK all those questions prior to this time.

Both Daisy's oncologist as well as Dr. Warry from the B.M.T at NCSU had reassured me that Daisy was not in "pain" but described it as a moderate level of "discomfort" similar to having a very bad flu... feeling lethargic and very very weak.  Daisy had difficulty getting oxygen into her lungs so it was probably moderate to severe discomfort for her.   I just wanted to fix it.  I wanted to fix HER.   I wanted to find that ONE treatment that I might have overlooked that could possibly save her.

The bottom line is that there is no actual CURE for lymphoma. It is a terminal disease.  The bone marrow transplant still holds the possibility of a cure as there are some dogs who are still alive post B.M.T.  The lymphoma vaccine also provides the hope of a cure......if caught early enough. Chemotherapy and radiation allow you to extend your dogs life......... for a period of time....but there is no actual cure.  I took responsibility as her caretaker to make the decision to release her because she could not make that decision for herself.  It is our responsibility as their caretakers to make that decision.  I think Daisy would have tried to hang on for as long as she could....... just for ME regardless of how much discomfort she experienced.

                                                                       ~

Yesterday was Mothers day........  I decided it was the perfect day to take a drive up the coast to scatter her ashes along her favorite beach spots (Haulover Beach, Hollywood Beach and Jupiter Beach).  Her spirit will always be there "frolicking" about... and that is where I will go to visit her. 

The Roller Coaster Ride

Daisy is now retired from agility because it has become too physically challenging for her.  Instead she takes trips to the beach where she can jump waves to her hearts content.  It is good for her because it lifts her spirit and she is able to pace herself and stop when she has had enough.  I try to take her to as many doggie activities as possible where she can maintain her normal yet "less" physically active lifestyle.

These last few weeks have been difficult as Daisy struggles with this disease. She has been hospitalized twice because the chemotherapy seems to be wiping out her immune system.   Daisy's bone marrow is still maturing and therefore takes longer to produce new blood cells.  When her platelet and white blood cell count gets too low she becomes weak with a fever and needs hospitalization for fluids and antibiotics.

Daisy continues to receive the lymphoma vaccinations however it is a fine balancing act because the vaccine is supposed to fight against the cancer (and needs the immune system to do it) and yet the chemotherapy weakens the immune system while it is attacking the cancer.  It is scary not knowing if Daisy will recover from these hospitalizations.  Last week I thought I lost her for sure.  It breaks my heart to see her sick and weak and not able to help her.  I take her temperature often especially when her energy seems abnormally low. Or when she wakes up "panting" and begins "pawing" at me which started just this past week.   Is she is pain? I asked Dr. Lurie.  He said that sometimes panting can be a sign of pain or discomfort. He said her condition is not "critical" because it has not spread to her liver or spleen. He said it may likely be discomfort due to a urinary tract infection.  Daisy was prescribed antibiotics for a urinary tract infection and Tramadol for pain.

I've been talking with Dr. Pat Lawman on and off from the  Morphogenesis company regarding Daisy's struggle.  Dr. Lawman who is passionate about finding a cure for lymphoma has high hopes for the lymphoma vaccine. We discussed the challenges of the "balancing act" and she mentioned that the success of the vaccine is much higher if the disease is caught early on.  The challenge is that most dog owners don't catch it until they feel lumps under the dogs jaw area and by that time it is already in the advanced stages.  Dr. Lawman mentioned a company in England called "Pet-screen" who have developed a screening process that reportedly will catch lymphoma in its early stages through an advanced lymphoma blood test.  You can read more about it at their website: www.pet-screen.com
Thank you Dr. Lawman for your compassion throughout this challenging time period.

Dr. Lurie Daisy's oncologist at Miami Veterinarian Specialists did not administer chemotherapy to Daisy this week because of her low platelet counts.  Daisy did however get her fifth dose of the lymphoma vaccine which hopefully will help Daisy this week.  Dr. Lurie said to continue to let Daisy determine what activities she wants to do.  So yesterday I did just that.  I asked Daisy if she wanted to go to the beach and she immediately wagged her tail and ran to get her "purple" beach ball. Here is a short video of her trip to Haulover beach:

A Prayer for my sweet little Daisy:

MAY THE SUN

bring you new energy by day,

MAY THE MOON,

softly restore you by night,

MAY THE RAIN,

wash away your worries,

MAY THE BREEZE

blow new strength into your being

MAY YOU WALK

gently though the world and know its beauty all the days of your life

~apache blessing

Daisy has great eye contact! Too Cute!

I just love this picture of Daisy.  Daisy thanks Chris Septer, host of the Planet Woof Easter Party

Planet "Woof" Easter Party 2012

Daisy Easter Weekend at Haulover Beach

Listening to Daisy

This was Daisy's first day back at agility practice since the stitches were put in 10 days ago (after a biopsy was taken for the "lymphoma vaccine" by Morphogenesis Inc.).  She walked off the agility course half way through....picked up her leash and put it next to her crate.....had she had enough?"  The trainer, Chris Septer suggested lowering the height of the poles because she felt Daisy was likely too hot and over exerting herself.  This solved the problem and Daisy enjoyed the next two runs after that :-)  I will continue to take Daisy to agility as long as it is enjoyable for her.

  

Daisy Learns to catch "Frisbees"

Daisy had to wait for her stitches to heal before she could resume her normal activities:  I took her to watch a DiscDog competition and it turns out she loves catching Frisbees!!

Daisy begins "Lymphoma vaccinations" by Morphogenesis Inc.

Daisy began her first day of the Morphogenesis treatment (lypmphoma Vaccine) today.  It is an experimental treatment however controlled studies reportedly will being at F.I.U. as per Dr. Pat Lawman Ph D and CEO of the company.  Daisy's oncologist Dr. Lurie sent a biopsy of Daisy's lymph node to the Morphogenesis company last week.  After irradiating the sample they then create a "lymphoma vaccine" which is then injected back into the dog (Daisy).   Daisy received her first dose today and will continue to get weekly doses over then next 8 weeks.   The vaccine supposedly  causes the cancer cells to be identified by the body's immune system which then allows the immune system to attack and get rid of the cancer cells.  I talked with Dr. Pat Lawman today and she said that I will likely see changes after several weeks or so.  Daisy's lymph nodes under her jaw area are enlarged and she has one behind her knee.  Daisy will continue to receive chemotherapy concurrently.  I continue to use the rife machine when needed/appropriate.  Daisy continues to love the Cornell University "cancer starving" diet.
Daisy I love you my baby :-)  

Daisy is on the Cornell University "Cancer Starving" Diet

I'm just now getting around to blogging about this. I started Daisy on the Cornell University Anti-Cancer diet...... well over a month ago.  She loves it!! The diet consists of about a dozen fruits and vegetables, brown rice, wild salmon, almonds, safflower oil and salmon oil.  Added to the diet are vitamins and supplements (zinc 250 mg, vitamin B12, caltrate 600 mg calcium, vitamin D). You can download the Cornell Diet in Pdf format at the bottom of the page.


Now...let's see how she likes it:

She likes it ...hey DAISY!!

Final Product (everything mixed together):

Final product put in ziploc bags for freezer :

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (diced or minced) each of: Mango, canteloupe, watermelon, carrots, sweet potato, string beans, broccoli, pomegranate, blueberries.

1 Apple diced.

2 cups of ground almond.

1  can of diced tomatoes (14 oz can salt free)

100-150 mg of safflower oil and salmon oil

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

(Any extra fruits and vegetables are put in ziploc bags and put in the freezer)

 6 cups of cooked Brown Rice:

4 lbs.  of Cooked Salmon:

Download Cornell University Cancer Starving Diet Here

Daisy has a groovy time at "Woofstock"

Daisy my little philanthropist!

Daisy helped raise money with the Dog Scouts of America Troop 157 in the "Walk for the Animals" Broward County Humane Society fundraising event.  She had a blast too!  Thank you Louis & Ileana Lafontisee, Bill Geese, Nancy Dawson, Giovanna Fernandez, Nancy Portolesi, and Jenny Christobal and "anonymous."  The money goes directly to helping the homeless animals in the shelters.

Morphogenesis (a cancer vaccine)

Daisy's lymph nodes were much larger today and she had an enlarged lymph node behind her knee as well.  I was concerned after the agility trials this past weekend because Daisy seemed very tired on the last day.  A friend of mine sent me an article on Morphogenesis which is a cancer vaccine for animals ....it basically helps the dogs immune system to recognize the cancer cells as "foreign" and attacks them. You can read the article HERE.  I called Dr. Pat Lawman CEO of the company and arranged for her to speak to Dr. Emma Warry from NCSU and Daisy's oncologist Dr. Lurie to see if this is something that could work concurrently with Daisy's chemotherapy and if her immune system could handle it.  It was decided that Daisy could go ahead with this cancer vaccine and continue chemotherapy simultaneously.

I took Daisy to her oncology appt. with Dr. Lurie, at 1:30pm.  Dr. Lurie found that Daisy's lymph nodes were much larger and he noticed the lymph node behind her knee as well.  Today Daisy was switched to an oral chemotherapy Lomustine.   She will receive another dose in 3 weeks.  Regarding Daisy's activity level Dr. Lurie said that Daisy should dictate how much activity she wants to do.  He suggested that I continue her normal active lifestyle and that she will let me know when she is tired.

Daisy will begin the process of the Morphogenesis next week...which starts with getting a biopsy and sending it to the Morphogenesis lab where they will create the vaccine.

Daisy's Agility Weekend in Vero Beach FL

Daisy spent three days in Vero Beach with her friends.  She competed at the AKC dog agility event and took a day off to  play.  Here is a synopsis of the entire three days: 

Vero Beach AKC Agility

Daisy wins 2nd place and gets her Title in Novice Fast Preferred.  She won 1st place in Open Standard Preferred.   She was "eliminated" in "Excellent Jumpers with weaves Preferred" due to a refusal (hesitating before a jump). Geez...just when you think your dog ran a perfect run!! 

Now that she has advanced to "Excellent" Jumpers......she is not allowed ANY mistakes.....but....it doesn't  look like she cares all that much....zzz

1st Place Open Standard (Preferred) Video

This is what we do in between our agility runs: This is Daisy's friend "Bella" napping on Michelle's lap.....how cute is this??  Thank you Michelle and Bella for bringing joy into Daisy's life

Daisy takes a day off from agility to play at the beach. She finds new friends and a new sport: SOCCER!

Daisy plays soccer with new friends....

Thank you Chris, Ryan and Amanda Murphy for bringing joy into Daisy's life :-)

Daisy dug a hole during the "soccer game"....and now she wants to bury it for later

Below: Chris, Amanda and Ryan Murphy

This is soooo precious....a big thank you to the Murphy family for the belly rubs...Daisy will remember you forever...what a beautiful family :-)

Daisy continues her "day off from agility" by going for a walk through a nature trail at Sebastian Inlet State Park

Daisy's Friends at Vero Beach Agility Trials: 

"Ginger" the Golden with her Masters Standard MX!!

Barbara Sheehy is a proud mom!!

 Robert smiling proud with cute little Sinbad and Bella: Hellooooo look at those ribbons!

 Cute little Jada and Casey ....in their cage drooling just THINKING about their next agility run!

Daisy's first day at USDAA Agility Trials

Daisy Wins 1st place in "Gamblers"

and 2nd place in "Snookers" 

Daisy napping (using her stuffed Rhinocerous toy as a pillow) after agility runs.

Sweet dreams my little sweetie.

Go Daisy Go!!

Daisy will "Walk with the Animals" on March 3rd, 2012 to benefit the homeless animals in the shelters.   Come out and say hi to her.  If you would like to donate please visit her fundraising page: "Walk for the Animals"

Dog Scouts of America Kayak Adventure

Daisy hears a birdie while kayaking

The dog Scouts (Katu, Borgou, Oso and Daisy) land on a small Island to swim

The dog Scouts get a chance to drink, eat, swim and chase coconuts 

Borgou, Oso and Daisy

 Katu, Borgou, Oso and Daisy get ready to head back after playing on island

The dog scouts leave the island

Daisy sits quietly until told to exit her kayak....what a true dog scout!

Daisy Wins Seven First Place Ribbons and 2 Titles!!

Daisy just finished the MOC AKC agility trials this weekend at Tropical Park.  As a proud mom I am taking this opportunity to brag about my sweet little Daisy: She qualified in all 8 agility runs.  She won seven first place ribbons and one second place ribbon.  She won two titles: one in Open JWW and one in Novice Standard.  Most importantly she had a tail waggin' fun time with all of her canine friends. Daisy I love you my sweet angel. 

Our "Happy Paws" group being "Paws-i-tive"

Daisy's Ribbons

More Ribbons

Debra came to see Daisy run today.  Debra is a vet technician at MVS where Daisy is treated by her oncologist Dr. Lurie.  Isn't that sweet?

Daisy wins her first Title in Open Jumpers with Weaves

Daisy wins her first Title in Novice Standard
(Notice her tail wagging on the table?) too cute!

UPDATE ON DAISY'S HEALTH: As many of you know, Daisy's lymphoma cancer returned 6 weeks post Bone Marrow Transplant  (December 9th 2011).  I continue to use alternative cancer treatments (Rife machine and health supplements) and I recently added chemotherapy treatment on January 4th (to help get her lymph nodes down in her jaw area). However due to her "new" bone marrow it is taking longer for her to generate white blood cells which only allows her to get chemotherapy every two weeks.  Her lymph nodes have returned under her jaw area but remain small and have not spread to other areas of her body.  She gets blood tests every week. 

As an alternative cancer treatment using the "Rife" machine I use specific frequencies based upon what is needed.  When her white blood cell count is low I use a specific frequency on the Rife machine which increases her white blood cell count and blood flow/stimulation.  I also use a specific frequency on the Rife machine to "break the outer walls" of her cancer cells.  I use a specific frequency on the Rife machine for Kidney, lymph, liver, and spleen support to help rid her body of toxins.  As of today Daisy is energetic, playful, has a healthy appetite,  regular bowel movements and uninterrupted sleep (she even wags her tail while she is dreaming). 

Daisy's First Camping Trip (Dog Scouts of America)

Daisy had a VERY fun-filled and active weekend with the Dog Scouts of America this past weekend.  She worked on many badges: Backpacking (see her with her own backpack?) Bicycling, Kayaking, Phodography, Travel Safety, and "The Art of Shaping" (teaching your dog how to paint). The highlight of her weekend was most definitely kayaking.  I say this because I have never seen Daisy so calm AND fascinated at the same time. She initially jumped right out of the kayak but within 5 minutes she was settled back in for the  rest of the trip. She laid down in front of me taking in all the sights and sounds.  It was so cute looking at the back of her head looking up (at pelicans, yachts, planes) looking down (at ocean creatures and the splashing water against the kayak) and of course looking at passersby saying "oh look at that cute dog." I don't have pictures of it but I will be sure to take them next time around. 

 Daisy begins her backpacking trip with the dogscouts

....and off we go!

Dog Scout Troop stops to give water to the Dog Scouts. 

Daisy and I getting tips from troop leader

Troop Leader Cynthia has us stop to practice the "leave it" command.  Basically self explanatory but the exercise consists of putting something on the ground that your dog is tempted by.  Then you simply walk your dog by it as you give the "leave it" command. This is a life-long exercise and one of the most challenging because there will always be things that will tempt your dog to run after something, whether that be wildlife, food, toys or people. We practiced with peanut butter, meat and cheese. Daisy "left" the peanut butter, the meat but by the time she got to the cheese she just stopped and stared at it and just wouldn't budge,

Dog Scout Troop Stops to work on "Recall." I put Daisy in a "stay" position until I walked 20 ft away to call her

Daisy running toward me as I "call" her from about 20 ft. away

Park Service Specialist Brian Older asks to take a picture of the Dog Scout Troop (and Daisy sneaks a treat from someones pouch while everyone is distracted)

Back at camp Daisy takes notes during the "Art of Shaping" class (teaching your dog how to paint) with Troop Leader and her beloved Reba (an experienced painter).

Dog Scout Troop 157

Daisy's Activities with Dog Scouts of America

Daisy's First Bike Ride with Dog Scouts of America Troop 157

On January 8th, 2012

Below Daisy practices for a Dog Scout "Bike Badge" using an official "Walkie Dog" bike attachment

 (January 14th, 2012)

Below Daisy plays a "Tic Tac Toe" game with the Dog Scouts of America (January 15th, 2012).  Two teams play against each other putting their dog in a "down-stay" position.  Anyone who has ever met Daisy knows how overly excited she can get around new people and dogs and will be surprised at how calm and focused she remained in her "down-stay"position (maybe it was the long bike ride I took her on beforehand :-).  A "Down-Stay"position is one of the requirements for a dog to pass the Dog Scout test. 

Daisy's "New Normal"

Daisy was seen by her oncologist, Dr. Lurie this week.  Daisy is still in clinical remission with normal size lymph nodes. However she was supposed to get her weekly dose of chemotherapy but her neutrophil counts (white blood cells) were at a low 750.  (He does not administer chemo to dogs unless their neutrophil count is at least 2000).  I asked him if her busy/active week (bicycling, dog scouts of america, agility run thrus/practice) might have played a role in her neutrophil count being low.  He said no and that it was most likely due to last weeks chemo. He said her new bone marrow is probably just taking longer to produce the neutrophils and this might be her "new normal" meaning that she will likely receive chemo every two weeks instead of weekly.  Daisy will be tested again next week. Dr. Lurie said that she looked very good and that she should continue to be active in her agility and other activities.

I'm still dumbfounded how healthy she seems.  One would never guess that anything was wrong with her. She just wants to jump waves, go on play dates, go bicycling, attend dogscout events and perform at dog agility events.  I will continue with the chemotherapy as well as alternative cancer treatments.

Next weekend I'm taking Daisy to a dogscout camp where she will be working on getting her dogscout badges in: camping, backpacking, hiking, biking, kayaking, travel safety, art of shaping, and  phodography.  Cute little thing :-)  I will upload pics as I get them.

Daisy's next dog agility event will be from January 27th through the 30th at Tropical Park in Miami.  There will be ALOT of talented dogs there.  Come out to see Daisy perform (she just loves it when people clap). 

Daisy: A Story of Hope

Daisy (like always) continues to be her happy, energetic and playful self.  However, approximately 3-4 weeks ago (Dec 7 or 8th)  I noticed Daisy's lymph nodes were swollen under her jaw.  Dr. Lurie, Daisy's oncologist and Dr. Richter Daisy's vet saw her the next day. The results of a fine needle aspirate came in on Dec. 12th and it was confirmed that Daisy once again had cancer (lymphoma).   Needless to say Everyone was heartbroken and deeply saddened by this news.  I always knew that this procedure was never a guarantee because even with full body radiation there is always a possibility that not ALL the cancer cells will be destroyed.  But like every hopeful dog owner looking for ANYTHING that will keep their dog alive I thought for sure Daisy could beat the odds and be one of the 30% that would be cured.  Because this treatment is fairly new the actual statistics will continue to come in as time passes.  Hopefully this new information will also provide some insight as to why it works for some dogs and not others.

After the initial shock and disappointment I consulted with her oncologist and the BMT specialist, Dr. Warry from NCSU.  Both agreed that Daisy's only treatment option at this point was to begin chemotherapy (radiation was no longer an option because of the full body radiation she received at NCSU).  Also the fact that Daisy's bone marrow was still "fairly new" Dr. Lurie wasn't sure how Daisy would respond to chemotherapy.  Given this information I opted to try an alternative cancer treatment for about a month (thinking that this would also give her bone marrow more time to mature).

Along with that I continued to monitor Daisy for any changes as recommended by her oncologist (i.e. diarrhea, vomiting or lethargy, the lymph nodes under her jaw growing rapidly in size and/or spreading to other areas; behind her knees and/or in-between her shoulder blades.  Daisy continued to be asymptomatic throughout this time period with the exception of her swollen lymph nodes under her jaw.

Daisy started a daily regimen of alternative cancer treatment on December 19th (a "Rife" machine, which I opted to use because it worked for a close friend of mine many many years ago when she was in the final stages of recurrent cancer, sent home and told there was nothing more they could do.  I might share this story at a later date).  Although Daisy was very receptive to this treatment I found myself checking her lymph nodes continuously, even in the middle of the night.  I guess the idea of her lymph nodes "growing rapidly in size" and possibly obstructing her breathing really scared me.  So on January 3rd I decided that it was time to try chemotherapy to get those lymph nodes down.  When Dr. Lurie examined her he was surprised and happy to see that it had not spread beyond her jaw area since it had been close to a month.  Daisy also presented very well clinically, being her usual energetic, social and playful self.   He started her on chemotherapy that day January 3rd and by the next day her swollen lymph nodes were gone.  She was seen again on January 5th and Dr. Lurie concurred that she was in clinical remission (yay!!!).

Daisy will continue chemotherapy and I will continue to use alternative cancer treatments concurrently (as well as spoil the heck out of her).  Since the cancer has returned I have increased ALL of her favorite activities: play dates with her doggie friends, trips to the beach for "wave jumping" dog scout activities and weekly agility classes and/or agility trials and of course giving her daily hugs & kisses and saying "I love you" as often as possible.

If anyone reading this has any other ideas or other alternative treatments for Daisy I'd really like to hear from you.  I read about Dr Burzynski's antineoplastons treatment and watched the very intriguing documentary on  YouTube.  I even called his clinic to ask if they treat canines but right now they do not.  As always I will remain hopeful.

Daisy had a great time at Tailwaggers Agility Trial in West Palm Beach.  She finally hit the contact on the A-Frame in Standard Yay! (she paused to take a sniff before jumping on the table ....I think she wanted a "clean" table to sit on lol -see the video) but she Q'd and placed 2nd! She also placed first in JWW .  To make her weekend even more fun I snuck away for a couple of hours in the afternoon to take her swimming at Jupiter Beach.  We returned for her last run at 6pm (video).