And life goes on...

Piper's passing has left a very large hole in our hearts and lives. He was still fairly active and as of the beginning of June, he was still running agility with joy and abandon. Moving forward has been difficult for all of us. Participating in the activities that he so enjoyed has been painful at times. Piper would want us to go on without him.

Finishing Seeker's CPE C-ATCH was much more emotional than I ever anticipated. We went into the weekend needing 2 Level 5 Standard Qs. We got one on Saturday, which wasn't pretty and I could feel my heart break with every step. On Sunday, Seeker was running well and I knew we could do this. What I didn't anticipate was how hard it would really be. The further into the course we got, the heavier my heart became and the more I just wanted to stop running. Seeker isn't Piper. We are on our own journey. He deserved for me to finish the course and this championship. So I did... That was Seeker's 5th agility championship as was Piper's when he completed his earlier in the year. Despite this milestone, I didn't feel like celebrating.

On September 20th, we did something else without Piper. We went to the Ligonier Highland Games. We have been part of the Scottish breed exhibit almost from the beginning. I brought freestyle there with Duncan, many, many years ago. Piper took over after Duncan retired and ultimately passed from cancer. I retired Piper from the Games in 2013. His enjoyment of doing his demos had waned and we had planned to leave both he and Ceilidh home in 2014. Things change... Gem has very little freestyle training. Seeker has virtually none. They both made me so proud when they stepped up and danced with me. My heart wasn't in it. I wanted to cry, but watching how they both laid it on the line for me, pushed me through. They kept the legacy of Duncan and Piper beautifully alive. I couldn't have asked for more.

Two weekends ago, Seeker finished his USDAA Lifetime Achievement Award - Bronze (150 Qs). Piper finished his in June 2013 and was retired from USDAA in November 2013. Seeker still has a stellar career left to run in Performance. I am halfway to qualifying him for Cynosport 2015 in TN. He is healthy, fit and loving being the only dog I am running in agility now. We are back to having fun and focusing on the future again.

So yes, even though Piper is no longer with us, life goes on. We take each day as they come. He would want it that way...

Piper and his LAA Bronze plaque