Riley's Career

Riley Greyhound is closing in on her 10th birthday.  Time really does fly.  I hope she can earn three more Double Qualifiers for her third agility championship, but it would be totally Riley Bridesmaid to retire with 59 QQs.

Overall, she is doing great! Riley is healthy and sound, but every little bobble makes me wonder if it is about time for retirement.

I wonder if she will be able to handle the heat this summer.  Occasionally I have to rally her more than usual at the end of the day or if it is sunny.  But then other times she runs like a 5 year old and wins her class.

Just 3 more QQs or could I possibly hope for another whole year?  The Invitational in December is in Florida again and Nationals in March are only a 2 hour drive!  How fantastic would that be if all three hounds could compete in both?  But I definitely will not insist she keep going if she is not running great.  It has to be great.

I will just have to see what Riley says. The only thing that matters is that she is safe, happy, and having fun and she definitely still is. With all the setbacks her career has had from accidents and injuries (fractured hock, dislocated toe, bowed tendon, sprained elbow, and punctured M/P1 joint), I just can't believe she is still running. It really says a lot about how tough she is.

Travis is my only greyhound who ran agility as a 10 year old. He did for only one month.  He honestly did not appear to be anywhere near retirement, but he became ill and passed away.  So he never really retired. I am hoping for many runs as a 10 year old and then a long retirement afterwards for my Riley Greyhound.