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THE CISCO KID

KAREN B. EVANS

 

U-CDX Karen's Solemn Cisco, CDX

   Who is the oldest dog to earn a U-CDX? The Cisco Kid is staking his
claim. On May 9, 1987, he insured his title by winning a fourth leg,
second place in Open B and was High Scoring Veteran Dog and High
Scoring Sheltie in trial in the South Central Indiana Obedience .
Club's spring trial. He scored High in Trial. His handler (me)
blew it with a 2 point handler error.

 On May 2, Cisco, my Shetland Sheepdog, earned his third U-CDX
leg at the Indiana American Eskimo Dog Association's Obedience
Trial. This made him U-CDX U-CD Karen's Solemn Cisco, CDX. He
placed fourth in the Open B class. His first two legs were earned
with second and first place wins. Nothing spectacular, except
on May 2 he was exactly thirteen years, two months and sixteen
days old. Is he not the oldest dog ever to receive the U-CDX degree?
He finished his U-CDX at the same show on the same weekend, a year
to the day later where he first received a U-CD leg. Edinburgh, IN,
how we love you!

 On May 3, 1986, after I convinced Cisco that he should ride the
U.K.C. trials circuit, at age twelve he hit the trail and I learned
a few things about old dogs and U.K.C. shows.

 One problem with living in Lexington, KY was that U.K.C. shows for
us were going to be few and far between. After Edinburgh, IN, I found
two shows in Wisconsin Dells in early June. Thinking this quite close
to Milwaukee, I sent in my entries. Friday night after work, Cisco
and I began our trek toward Milwaukee. I still hadn't checked the
distance. I'm notorious for finding out which direction to head toward,
and figuring out exactly where I'm going during the trip. Approximately
fifty miles west of Milwaukee, fighting to keep from falling asleep,
so I decided it was time to find out just where Wisconsin Dells was
located. Learning it was over a hundred miles away, I decided to spend
the night wherever I was and go on in the morning - NOT the wisest
decision I had ever made.

I allowed myself three hours to travel the 100 miles. I hadn't anticipated
the "normal" traffic, a detour and an abnormal, one-half hour traffic jam!
I illegally parked and rushed to ringside just in time to find I was next
in the ring! I ran to the car and grabbed Cisco. Leaving the car illegally
parked, we made a mad dash for the ring. Cisco rose to the occasion and
gained his second U-CD leg and first place in class!

 The next day I learned just how tired my old boy was. He just could not
sit up for one minute. He went to sleep on the sit! A non qualifying score.
We still had one leg to go.

 When I mentioned an outside show in July in Ohio Cisco shook his head as
if to say, "No way, why my gun would go off in that 99 degree temperature.
Don't talk crazy, Lady,  no one works outside in that kind of heat!" We
went back to Milwaukee in August. Cisco was tired the first day and again
went down on the sit; I cried. The second day he sat up just to please me
and finished his U-CD!
 
 In Open the sit-stay continued to be our special bug-a-boo. Finally it
dawned on me. Since I always pre-registered, Cisco was always the first
or second in the ring and had long waits after his individual exercises
before the sit-stay exercise. What would happen if he were to be last dog
in the ring and went right back in for the sit-stay? Being last made Cisco
first. Great thinking, Karen!

 Then came pride and a big fall! At the April show in Ohio, I asked that
Cisco's thirteen-year-old performance be video recorded. That was my first
mistake. The second was to tell Cisco he was on camera. That was a big one!
Cisco proceeded to give a great demonstration of why I sometimes call him
Smart Ass. On the heel off leash exercise, he bounced up and down like a
yo-yo on the fast and tugged at my pant legs on the figure eight. His
drop on recall was so fast, I barely had time to drop him short of a front.
He killed the dumbbell on the flat retrieve and when it refused to die and
went over the jump, he followed it and repeated the bludgeoning. He tossed
it so far off center of the jump that when he finally retrieved it, he was
way to the side of the jump coming toward me! Never had he missed a jump
before. Naturally, the broad jump and the long sit were just perfect.
Back to Indiana for another try. He finished!! Cisco always
gave everything he had. He was, is and will always be my #1.



We have a secret you and I,
That no one else shall know,
For who but I can see you lie,
Each night, in fire glow?
And who but I can reach my hand
Before I go to bed,
And feel the living warmth of you
And touch your silken head?
And only I walk woodland paths,
And see, ahead of me,
Your small form racing with the wind,
So young again, and free.
And only I can see you swim
In every brook I pass.......

And, when I call, no one but I
Can see the bending grass.


Author Unknown