15th December 2003 to 20th September 2019

I had originally intended Dog Parkour to be Eeva's "thing" as she is now in the top level of KC Rally so tends to get less time as I concentrate on the youngsters.

However, when I was walking my Old Boy, Rupert, with Eeva I started to try some small obstacles with him as well and he enjoyed it. I started taking them out separately so we could explore and try obstacles and behaviours that suited them as individuals. I never intended to beyond playing with him - he was 14 and had had some long-term mobility issues following a stroke. However, I started to see improvements and so did the physiotherapist. We started attempting more complicated obstacles and exploring the best approaches and surfaces for his safety.

I was filming for Eeva's Novice and started taking the camera out with Rupert. I liked to see the improvement as well as the joy on his face to be out and doing things again. I remembered that I could ask for modifications for Senior Dogs so started to see what he could do and what he couldn't. He continued to surprise me with what he could do - he started to get better back feet grip and to distribute and adjust his weight better. Sometimes we got it wrong but as we already had a high level of trust between us we relied on each other - him to tell me when something wasn't right for him and me to protect him and be there if he needed me to support him and help him if he was over-optimistic in his abilties.

We already had a strong bond but the partnership element had been missing since I had to retire him following a stroke in June 2016. We had temporarily come out of retirement for the KC Rally 5 Year Anniversary Show. I realised that we had both missed that side of our relationship but he was not fit enough for a return to competition. He struggled with the multiple sits, tight turns and backups. (although even with his physical costraints he was competitive, gaining another Level 6 qualifier for his collection).

Parkour gave us that partnership back. He enjoyed the mental side of things as much as the physical movement and seeing his cheeky grin as he problem solved a new obstacle was lovely. I hadn't realised he was missing a sense of purpose until he found it again.

I was thrilled when he got his Novice, and had originally intended to stop there with him, but we were making so many memories. I realised that the unique approach of the CH-PKD title meant that it was within reach for us. We continued to build up ou skills and enjoy exploring new areas. Our Championship Submission was the story of our Parkour Journey. It wasn't flashy but getting his backup back was both an emotional moment and moments achievement for us. Owing to Rupert's age we condensed our journey into six months but when you are in your 15th year, 6 month is a long time as every moment is precious

I lost Rupert in September 2019 but I will never regret the memories we made with Dog Parkour.

        Novice Parkour Dog PKD-N, 03 August 2018

        Parkour Dog Specialist - 4 on - Level 1, 30 September 2018

        Parkour Dog Specialist - Under - Level 1,30 December 2018

        Champion Parkour Dog CH-PKD - 19 November 2018