a return to Dogwood for the day

After two years in southeastern Ohio Bud entered one day of a Teacup Dog Agility Association agility trial being hosted at our old place, Dogwood Training Center in Ostrander, Ohio.

We were tentative about returning. When you love a piece of property and a business your emotions come into play when you return for a visit.

We wanted it to be obvious that the improvements WE made, the little things we did to perfect the property, remained unchanged. Those things were, afterall, perfection.

On the other hand, we wanted to see that improvements had been made. Improvements indicate that the new owner loves the place as much as we did.

Too many improvements indicate that the new owner didn’t appreciate our input. Too few improvements indicate a lack of love.

The day was exhausting, with a 3-hour drive starting at 5:00 a.m., 6 hours of teacup trialing (with Hazard getting her last Superior standard Q for her TACh !!), and a tiresome 3-hour drive home.

But we were amazed to see that much remained unchanged at Dogwood. The new owner, Sally Boarman, has maintained everything beautifully. Her impact was felt, however, in the cleanliness and neatness of the property.

Frankly, Bud and I were busy with classes and camps and we often let general housekeeping go undone. Sally’s property was spotless and, except for grass that was overgrown because of wet, spring weather, beautiful!

Tags: Bud Houston, dog agility, Marsha Houston, TDAA, teacup agility