In the last work in progress, I brainstormed new ideas including doing a photo story on COVID puppies.
I have been working to find sources for this and am coming up a little dry.
However, while I haven’t had luck with that story yet, I have found a few sources for the other idea I had pitched a while ago on dog agility teams in Columbia. So, I am pivoting that direction. I have two sources I am working on meeting with.
Alice has been doing agility for a while, she has two semi-retired dogs and a puppy she’s been running with. Her youngest dog has been quite successful in the ring and has several awards. She also teaches agility here and in another state, and was alright with me attending a class if her students allowed it. I haven’t met with her yet.
The other subject is Debbie. Debbie used to show horses but has competed in dog agility for the last 20 years. She has one of the fastest Labs in the country. She has one retired dog who won like 5 championships, the lab, and a younger border collie that actually used to belong to her friend. (Last Christmas, after wining a national title while battling cancer, her friend lost her battle and now Debbie runs her dog.)
I met on Friday with Debbie. She and a friend met to set up and do a few runs, recording them, for competitions that have allowed for at home entries. “A friend from Quincy and I will be at CCSC competing in a video event, the UKI US Open. During the pandemic two of the agility venues, UKI (United Kingdom International) and USDAA (United States Dog Agility Association) are providing opportunities for people to compete in agility at home by setting up courses provided by these associations and then submitting videos to be judged. The US Open just happens to be this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.“
During this meeting, I interviewed Debbie (and recorded the audio), got photos of them competing and setting up, focusing on the interaction between handler and dog and also on getting quality agility shots while I have the chance.
I am wondering if I should just focus in on Debbie, or try and work with the agility theme on a larger scale. I would like to get some photos of Debbie with her dogs at home, and I potentially have another subject I will meet with.
I am excited to have finally actually began this project. I loved meeting with Debbie and it made me much more excited about this subject. I am a little behind, but I think I am on track to completing the project. I will shoot more photos in the coming weeks.
Here are some unedited photos from my first session with Debbie:
