a Taj MuttHall Dog Diary: Colorado, or Bust?

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Colorado, or Bust?

SUMMARY: Big decision #2, what to do?
The USDAA 2012 nationals (aka Cynosports World Games) will be held in Denver, Colorado next October.

I love Colorado. For several years, my goal was to graduate from college and then move to Colorado. Somehow I never made it.

And actually, aside from living there for a year and a half when I was in 2nd grade, I've only been there about 4 other times: A two-week vacation back in mumble let's say before I was married, mostly in the Denver/Colorado Springs general vicinity and one night backpacking in Estes Park area, one business trip where mostly I remember a bunch of us driving up into the mountains one afternoon to look at the snow, another business trip where I actually visited a couple of friends briefly in, um, maybe Boulder for dinner, and barely over the border at Mesa Verde back while I was still in college.

So, I love colorado anyway. To visit. Too much snow during the winter for living. I think.

It's farther away than Scottsdale was, though. All those years of driving to and from Scottsdale--tiring. At least I could do it in about 12 hours (including stops). Denver would be longer. More time off work. Lots of California people talking about going, though.

But I don't expect to have dogs who are nationally competitive. Tika was so far behind everyone at the regionals, and getting slower all the time.

And Boost, well, unless something changes a LOT in the next few months, forget that.

BUT, well, I could just go as a spectator. I kinda like going and hanging out with agility folks and taking photos and watching the finals of everything. Maybe make a vacation without the dogs and go hiking and take a whole truckload of photos. I was thinking maybe Aspens In Bright Autumn Colorage but that apparently happens in the really beautiful higher country at least a couple of weeks before the nationals, and I don't think I really want to take 3 weeks. (I love Days of Speed's photos every autumn and wish I were there.) But, hmm, maybe. Been wanting to do the AIBAC thing for years and years and years.

On the opposite side, there's the whole thing about Colorado being a breed-specific killing state. If your dog is some kind of bully breed, or maybe looks like a bully breed, or maybe someone thought that one of their ancestors might have been a bully breed, that dog's life is pretty much forfeit. Sure, a show can get an exception--as long as the dog is on leash at all times and never leaves the show grounds except maybe with a leash AND a muzzle. Pity about that. I wondered briefly whether I should boycott the state, but on the other hand, I don't think its' going to stop much of anyone from competing, any more than did Norway prohibiting dogs with docked tails or ears from competing at the FCI world championships a couple of years back (thereby shutting out, for example, Ash and Luka, this year's world champions).

Except my stated goal a few years back was to go to a different country every year, and I'm a little behind on that. I'm not sure that Colorado really qualifies, even with those sad, sad breed-specific laws.

But, I do love Colorado.

Thinkingggg... maybe. It's a definite maybe. Fortunately, I don't have to decide for a very long time yet.

7 comments:

  1. We didn't move the Colorado twice because we didnt like the idea of banning dog breeds (and I didn't like the home styles too).

    What brreds are banned other then "pit bulls"?

    /\/\Carla/\/\

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  2. Um, no, Colorado does not have a state wide breed ban. There are several cities mostly in the Denver area and 'burbs that have breed bans but overall they are a tiny percentage of the whole state.

    I'd vote for coming to CO during Sept. and going a bunch of nice places-Telluride, Ouray, Crested Butte, Aspen-take your pick and never mind USDAA Nationals if you're only going to spectate. You can always watch on YouTube. So many beautiful places in the state to see.

    And I promise you that no one will be executing pit bulls in the streets.

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  3. I think you should go to CO for all the gorgeous places and not waste your vacay time in an area you're not going to want to see. Sounds much different than Scottsdale and even KY (and doesn't seem to make a lot of sense as a site for Nats with the iffy weather but then not much USDAA does makes a lot of sense to me).

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  4. Apologies for not going back to my sources on the breed restrictions. Someone posted the text of the law (Denver's?) on facebook and I read it and promptly did not make any copy of it or note even who had posted it. I just know that, if I owned one of the affected breeds, I'd be very hesitant about going to the nationals there, just thinking in terms of, say, playing frisbee with my dog in an open area or going for a walk in a local park.

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  5. There's a lot of stuff I'd want to check out in the Denver area (I'm pretty easy to please, I guess), and the thing I love most about nationals is watching the finals in person. It is not not NOT the same watching them on a computer screen.

    But, yeah, the decision is obviously still bouncing around in my my head.

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  6. Just go and have a great time. There will be people there that would LOVE to have their dogs photographed, and to have someone who could video their runs and you'd get to see really cool stuff that you love. Plus it's a beautiful state!

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  7. There are lots of beautiful places to explore in the Front Range as well, Rocky Mountain Nat'l. Park is about an hour from Boulder, Indian Peaks Wilderness trails are 40-45 mins. from Boulder, trails in the Golden/Lakewood area about 30-40 mins. from Denver, even the Mesa trail right in Boulder is beautiful, nicer than most of the places I visit the few times I leave the state. The leaves won't be at their peak in the high country but they'll still be pretty and they will be at or near their peak at the lower elevation trails.

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