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By Carol Dunton
My first National Specialty was 2001 in Louisville, KY. A Collie owning friend asked me if I wanted to attend. I didn’t know what the Collie National Specialty was, but it sounded like fun so I decided to go. I had no idea that one trip would make such an impression on me for years to come.
I was smitten with the occasion of having so many Collies gathered in one place. And, not only were so many Collies in one place, but they had so many varied talents. The Collies entered in conformation were so impressive and were presented with such beauty. Being my first exposure to herding, it was fascinating for me to watch our Collies using their natural born abilities. I entered the obedience and agility portion of the National. It was exciting for me to be participating with other Collies and their owners. At that National, I met so many wonderful Collie people who I felt an immediate bond with due to our common interest in the Collie.
Performance was new to me, as I was showing my first performance dog and my first Collie. The idea of one of my dogs qualifying for a CCA Versatility or Versatility Excellent Award (a yearly award), not to mention the Most Versatile Collie Award (achieved during the National) appeared to be for those very accomplished dogs and exhibitors and did not hit my radar as something that I could achieve with one of my dogs. After all, to qualify for a CCA Versatility Award, during its lifetime, my dog would have to accumulate titles in herding, agility or obedience, and actually obtain a major in conformation. The potential of a Versatility Excellent Award by accumulating, over my dog’s lifetime, additional herding, obedience and/or agility titles, and a major or Championship in conformation seemed like such an unreachable goal. Then, there was the Most Versatile Collie Award, which would require my dog and I to qualify in at least three out of four venues during the National Specialty itself. It was hard for me to imagine one dog participating in conformation and qualifying in herding, obedience, and agility all in the same week, in order to qualify for and/or take home the prestigious award. It was even more unimaginable that one of those dogs could be one of mine one day.
Since that first one, I have attended as many National Specialties as possible. Each time I find such joy in catching up with people who I only see on a yearly basis. With each year, it seems that I know more and more people. Over the years, I have increased the number of venues in which I participate. I now participate in obedience, rally, agility, herding, and conformation. I have even had the pleasure of owning and showing a dog that reached some of those previously unimaginable goals. It seems that I am not the only one with increased interest in the multiple talents of the Collie, as the number of people competing in performance venues, conformation, as well as those aspiring to qualify for the various Versatility Awards has increased over the years. The National Specialty has become so well attended that for the last four years the performance entries have essentially equaled the conformation entries. The CCA National Specialty has, indeed, come to represent the whole Collie by being a venue that showcases the Collie’s beauty in conformation, natural instinct in herding, swiftness and speed in agility, and intelligence and team work in obedience and rally.
How lucky we are to have a breed with such varied abilities and such interested and devoted owners. How fortunate the Collie world is to have a national club that holds a yearly venue where the whole Collie can be honored. How fun and exciting it will be to watch as the newcomers to the Collie world obtain what they first thought was unachievable! Here’s to future CCA National Specialties and the opportunity to celebrate upcoming years with our friends and our wonderful companion, the Collie!
Photo Information
MACH Starphase Spirit of Peyto, UD, RE, NF, AXP, AJP, HXAd, HIAsd, HSAsd, PT, CGC, EAC, EJC, EGC, TN-E, WV-E, TG-O, JS-O, PDI, STDsd, HTD-Is, HRD-Is, TDI
"Hayden"
Owned by: Deanna Levenhagen
Photo by: Carol Dunton
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