Happy Birthday Ajah!

Yesterday was Ajah's 12th birthday. I have to say that this little dog really did change the course of my life in a lot of ways.

This pic is from her birthday beach trip last year. 

They say that most people get into dog training because of one bad dog. For me, Ajah was that bad dog. She may have been cute as a button, but she was hell on wheels as a pup. She took forever to potty train. She snapped and bit when handled. She put EVERYTHING in her mouth. She cried and cried and cried for hours on end when left alone. She once as a 2lb puppy chewed a hole through the drywall in my parent's bathroom in an attempt to escape. Training was a godsend for us and for her.

Through dog training, I discovered agility which led me to get Sonny,  a "real agility dog." Since Sonny was a herding breed, we started herding training. Fast forward a few years and we have have 3 herding dogs and a flock of sheep and ducks that need herding on a regular basis all because a bad little Yorkie decided she liked the taste of drywall. 

My little Princess has come a long way since those crazy puppy days. She can claim a number of agility and obedience titles and knows every stupid pet trick in the book. She even helps out on the farm from time to time. She's had liver problems her whole life and we've recently found out that there is a section of her midback with major disc collapse, but neither of these things have slowed her down. She's still active and playful. She actually spent her birthday with a pronounced limp in the front that I suspect came from one of her kamikaze 6 foot leaps off the bed in the morning. 

So Happy Birthday, Princess, and here's hoping we can look forward many, many more birthdays to celebrate in the future!