Show dog

On June 17, 1994, my roommate woke me from a deep and much needed sleep to tell me she'd found the perfect dog for me. 

I was tired, cranky and unconvinced. "What does it look like?" I asked.

"She's really cute," Debbie replied. "White with donkey ears."

"I don't want a white dog," I said peevishly. Still, I put on some clothes, got in the car and went to see the her.

She was hiding under the break room table when I arrived. I looked her and realized Debbie was right. The dog was perfect.

I had the foresight to bring my camera, so I have a few pictures of Abbie from that day. She was about four months old and had been her own for a little bit. She was hungry and skittish, and her fur was covered in oil stains. She also had a wad of chewing gum stuck in her hair.

Little girl had no idea how much her life was about to change.

That night, Debbie, the new pup and I sat on the foot of Debbie's bed to watch OJ Simpson's infamous slow-speed chase play out on live tv. That was the only thing people were talking about the next day, and several friends suggested the names OJ or Nicole. 

I went with Abbie instead.

It wasn't long before Abbie attended her first horse show.

Then she went to another...

and another.

And that was her life for the next couple of years.

Fortunately for all of our sakes, Abbie loved being a horse show dog.

She loved riding in the truck and hanging out in the mobile shop.

She loved my co-workers and their dogs...

and our customers and their dogs.

She also loved exploring all the different show grounds.

No surprise, her favorite was the cross country course at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Everyone loves the Kentucky Horse Park!

Most of all, she loved attending exhibitor parties and sitting in the stqnds with her people.

Just about the only thing she didn't love was the horses themselves.

So maybe she wasn't actually perfect, but let me tell you, she came pretty darn close.

Even between shows, Abbie lived a life of travel and adventure.

She accompanied me on a long roadtrip to visit friends in Pennsylvania...

and New Jersey.

Debbie took her places, too.

She had a friend with a boat, and together, they spent a lot of time on the water.

Sometimes I got to go, too.

Debbie also had a friend with a cave.

The cave was located in central Tennessee, about an hour outside of Nashville. Every time we attended a show in Franklin - which was often - we'd spend a night or two with Julia and the cave dogs.

Abbie loved being an honorary cave dog.

One time while we visiting, Julia asked us to represent Wonder Cave at a fun dog show in nearby Sewanee. 

Of course, we said yes.

We entered the Best Trick class, and Abbie wowed the audience with her sitting, shaking,

begging...

and rolling over.

Of course, she won.

She was the Best Dog Ever.

Our lives might have continued on this way indefinitely, but one night in Memphis, I was out at a bar, playing pool with my friend, Tracy. This guy sidled up to me, smiled and asked, "Do you have a mountain bike?"

That seemed pretty random, so I answered in kind.

"No," I said. "I have a dog."

Little did we know, the trajectory of all three of our lives was about to change.