BEASTS tiva

before developing a hip disorder that forced her into retirement, tiva was a dog agility champion. the 8-year-old Australian Shepherd mix qualified for the American Kennel Club National Agility Championship in 2010. She obtained the AKC’s prestigious master Agility Champion title (mACH), and her kennel room is full of other ribbons, medals and certificates. Dog agility is dominated by purebreds that go on to compete internationally. mixed-breeds were only recently allowed to compete, and they cannot advance from the nationals. “there’s always some satisfaction when we beat [the purebreds],” says tiva’s owner, Anne pullen of Northaven park. Dog agility is no cakewalk for the humans or the dogs. Owners are given just eight minutes to memorize complicated obstacle courses. Half the time, it’s the owners who slip up during agility. Other times, the dog just has a bad day. “the dog is the variable,” pullen says. “She couldn’t care less. For her, it’s about getting to run around.”

Lose your job? break up with the boyfriend? blubbering over a sappy movie? Funny how that ever-present furry family member can fix the world with a big sloppy kiss some days. the Advocate this year received an unprecedented amount of entries into the annual best pet contest. each submission, accompanied by photos and amusing anecdotes, confirmed the power of a pet’s unconditional love. though we could only highlight a few in this magazine, the whole collection, which you can see on prestonhollow.advocatemag.com, had us oohing and ahhing, laughing and crying for days.