About Bodhi...

(Photo courtesty Randy Roberts Photos)

Bodhi earned his CD (2 legs with placements, one a 1st and one a 2nd place) November 2004.

(Photo courtesy of Matt Sachs, Agility Images--2005)

CAT NADAC Trial, Canby, Oregon February 2005 (Novice Jumper Class)

We managed to be one of the 6 Qualifying dogs in our class of close to 30 dogs. Again, in July, he earned his second NJC leg, with a placement in 4th. And again, we were one of only a handful of dogs in our class to Q. Standard course time was 30.+ seconds, we did it in 22.47. Since it was our first ever agility run of any kind, this photo is a special memory for me.

At 2 yrs of age, Bodhi (Sandcastle's Oh So Groovy CD, PT, RE, STDs, NJC, CGC, FMD) was diagnosed with degenerative joint disease, grade II (OFA'd as "DJDII"). As I learned more about it, with the help of a few dear friends, I decided to "retire" him from agility. Unfortunately, between the landings on jumps, and the contact obstacles, agility just isn't the place for us. And, although he earned his CD in obedience with ease, obviously, we won't be continuing on in competetive obedience either. I just can't bring myself to jump him at the required jump heights. He's happy, since he's not a big fan of the dumbell anyway!

**Bodhi picked up his last Rally Excellent leg at the BSCA Regional Specialty in Nisqually, WA August 11th with a second place and a score of 93.**

More info about Elbow Dysplasia & Disorders in their different forms:

OFA Website

Explanations of Elbow Dysplasia (Disease) at Schaferhund

Understanding Elbow Dysplasia, from the American Belgian Tervuren Club's website.

We may return to a bit of herding, especially ducks. Plus there is Rally-obedience (the jumps in Advanced/Excellent are just low enough--we were told nothing over 16"), tracking (which Bodhi LOVES--he howls while I plot tracks!), and just hanging out with me. He is a really neat dog, and does seem to enjoy "just hanging out" most of the time. As it stands right now, he shows no signs of discomfort. So, I'm just trying to gauge the fine line between keeping him mobile and keeping him the mentally happy & well-adjusted active dog that he is.

(Photo courtesy of Tien Tran, WAG NADAC trial, Newport, OR. July 9th, 2005)

I am certainly glad I decided to have his hips (Good) & elbows x-rayed and sent to OFA, even though there was never any chance of him being used for breeding. I am, and will continue to be, a firm believer that performance dogs (especially Agility & Obedience) should have their hips & elbows filmed and evaluated by a board-certified radiologist or sent to OFA. Without their diagnosis, I may not have learned about his elbows until the arthritis really began to bother him months, years, who knows how long, from now. He currently shows no signs of the disease, and is supplemented with Canine Platinum Performance Canine Wellness and their healthy-joint product, Ortho-Chon. Hopefully erring on the side of caution will help keep him as mobile and as pain-free as possible for many more years to come.