Storm was a German Shepherd/who knows what mix. She was rescued from the shelter in Divide, Colorado, when she was about 18 months old. She was live trapped in the mountains and was literally starving, so I learned how to take care of a dog who needed to eat two tablespoons of food every hour. She went from 26 pounds of skin and bones to 42 pounds of solid muscle. Storm was a powerful, fast dog, who loved agility – except for the parts where she had to slow down (like weaves).

She taught me a lot about the power of moving through the competition levels slowly to gain cohesion as a team. She didn’t earn as many championship titles as my other dogs, because we spent our time gaining confidence and solidifying our teamwork at the lower levels. She still managed to make it to national championships for several years, and she did pretty well while she was there. She also taught me how to deal with a reactive dog who liked her space. It took us six weeks of clicking for calm behavior outside the fence before we could actually join the agility class, and she had to be managed carefully at trials. She would never have gone after another dog, but she was very touchy about other dogs getting in her space.

Storm had absolutely no sense of self-preservation and as a result, I retired her early at about 8 years old. I was afraid that her “hold nothing back” attitude would result in a permanent injury. She spent her retirement as a companion to my daughter, a job she excelled at.