I couldn't have named my darling Hob Nob boy any better.  People always ask how he got his name, and I quip that he is so fast that you can only get the first two and the last two letters of his registered name out before he is gone, hence MACH Quip MX MXJ AD.  But Quip as his call name is also apt because he is such a goof ball and makes me laugh on a daily basis, whether he is doing something goofy in training, galloping through the house shaking the bejeezus out of stuffy, rolling around on his back playing with a ball, or showing me the errors of my handling ways at an agility trial.

As an agility team mate, Quip is my dream.  He is mellow and calm and totally devoted to me.  He sits calmly with me on the sidelines and watches dogs run by right under his nose without blinking an eye or twitching a toe, just happy to be with me.  But, under that calm facade hides an agility beast.  I'm sure that people who haven't seen us run before are caught off-guard when he explodes off the start line--he sits on that start line so relaxed and blahse' about everything, like he hasn't got a care in the world, but when I signal his release, he is transformed into a black and white missile and the game is on.  When we run agility, he gives me his whole heart and soul, reacting to the subtlest twitch of my body with every fiber of his body.

As a teacher Quip is endlessly kind to me.  I wouldn't have blamed him if he had tried to trade me in on a faster younger more in-shape experienced handler, but he hasn't. 

Instead, he continues loving me, and with great humor and boundless patience, he continues training me in Zen and the art of handling a long-striding, big jumping fast dog on tight technical agility courses.  With his encouragement, I am getting closer to being the handler that he, a truly great dog, deserves. 

Thank you Jan for breeding and choosing the perfect dog for me!  I'm hopelessly smitten, and endlessly grateful, and look forward to many, many more years of Quippin' it Good with my funny valentine, Quip.  Karin Haderly, WA