Mystic

Mystic MAD JM RM MX AXJ EAC EJC EGC CDX 1.6.92 - 9.8.04

Nearly thirteen years ago I bought my first house and the first thing I wanted to get was a dog. It is a small house with a small yard soI thought it best to get a small dog. I bought a dog book and read about different breeds. The Boston Terrier was described as a lively and intelligent breed and I decided that was what I wanted as a I wanted a fun companion. I went to a local dog show with a friend, met some breeders, and came home with a tiny seven week old pup I named Mystic. Mystic was indeed very lively and intelligent, she had two speeds, play hard and fast, and then sleep. I wanted Mystic to be able to go everywhere with me, visit friends, go to the beach, etc., so at four months I enrolled her in puppy obedience class. I had never trained a dog
before, but Mystic was incredibly easy to train, she loved toys and treats and would work to get them, she had great attention and focus. While in class I heard about a group doing a new dog sport called agility in the park once a month on Sundays. This sounded like the perfect activity for my lively little dog.

I continued in obedience training and Mystic went on to earn her CD and CDX with high scores and good consistency. I started going the first Sunday of each month to agility training. It was fun teaching Mystic the obstacles and she had plenty of confidence. At that time we really didn't know how to teach dogs consistent contacts, and many of the things we know how to teach now, but we had fun. After a year, in September 1993, I entered Mystic in her first agility trial. It was USDAA. The
first day Mystic went off course to a tunnel, but the second day Mystic had a clean run and won first place, I was hooked! Mystic's prize was a picture frame and a win photo with her ribbons, etc. That picture still hangs on my wall and I cherish it very much.

It would be a year before Mystic would earn two more legs to finish her AD, but this is as much because of the infrequency of trials as my lack of knowledge about how to train her. Mystic was the fourth Boston to earn an AD, the third to earn an AAD, and on April 20, 1997 was the first Boston to earn the USDAA MAD. We tried our first NADAC trial in July 1994, and Mystic earned her NAC there, becoming the first Boston to earn the title. She went to be the first BT to earn the OAC and EAC titles and she or her "brother" Chance were either the first or second BTs to earn many agility titles in NADAC and AKC.

I attended my first USDAA National Championship in Ventura in 1996.The first class was the time gamble and the course was a simple horseshoe shape. In a typical Mystic moment, she took off from the start line and did the whole course on her own with me left standing at the first jump :-). She did also win first place in the three dog relay with her two Pomeranian pals and fourth place in the jumpers knockout, and advance to the second round of the grand prix.

Mystic's last appearance in an agility ring was last spring in the Veteran's parade at the Bay Team spring show, she didn't miss a beat and looked like she thoroughly enjoyed running the simple course. Thanks to the Bay Team for giving our older friends this opportunity to enjoy the spotlight.

Mystic had a stroke in July, she lost her eyesight. She no longer liked to walk about much, but was doing well until this past week when she started having frequent seizures. It was time to let her go as she likely had a brain tumor. Mystic loved people, sunbathing, the hose and sprinklers, and a stuffed violin toy that plays a minuet. Mystic was the first dog I ever trained, she introduced me to the world of dogs and changed my whole life. I miss her very much.

Ann Croft
http://www.pawsonthewind.com