Spring-ing to first place

Kim Anderson's connection to her border collie, Spring, is a large part of the reason she feels the pair were able to get as far as they did at the Agility Association of Canada's 2009 national championships in Ottawa on Aug. 2.

"You've got to have the dog and the teamwork to back up being able to win stuff," she said. "A good team will always be a dog and handler."

Spring became the national champion of the veteran 10-inch division during the national championships earlier this month, beating his nearest competitor by 42.75 points. A 12-year-old who has competed since she was young, Spring's win is made sweeter by a recovery from paralysis three years ago.

Anderson, who co-owns 3-D Distribution with her husband Darren Plummer, said the border collie had a fibrocartilaginous embolism, or FCE, where a piece of the cartilage in the dog's back breaks off and travels into the bloodstream. For Spring, that meant paralysis from the middle of her back down to her hind legs. Anderson said the paralysis left her and her husband wondering if Spring would be able to compete again.

"There's nothing they can do for it," she said. "The vet, who was a friend of mine, said basically it's a waiting game to see what you're going to get back, at which point I was thinking of getting her a wheelchair."

When it looked like Spring was going to recover from the FCE, Anderson started having her go to physiotherapy in Saskatoon, including swimming and other exercises to strengthen her back and rear legs.

And even though her dog did win her agility division, Anderson held back on letting her compete in the steeplechase final as she realized the dog was becoming worn out and some of the residual damage was harming Spring.

"You're dealing with a living being, and they have good days and bad days," said Anderson.

"It's not like tennis, where it's all on you. You're out there running (the dog) that maybe doesn't feel so good."

Although Anderson doesn't know how long Spring will want to keep racing, she said she would know when it's time for the champion dog to retire.

"At nationals next year she'll be pushing 13 years old," said Anderson.

"As long as she wants to keep going, I'm going to take her."

kjarvis@paherald.sk.ca