NCPS

Patricia has always wanted a dog and three years ago was offered the chance to ‘rehome’ an English Toy Terrier puppy. Patricia called him ‘Lochann’ — he name of small lakes in Scotland, where we had just spent a holiday, and he makes a small puddle! He turned out to be intelligent, agile and amenable to training. Just over a year ago Patricia & Lochann enrolled on an Agility training course run by Wilmslow Dog Training Club. Dog Agility is the doggie equivalent of Show Jumping — the handler guides the dog round a course of 18 to 20 jumps and other obstacles; the competition being decided by the familiar penalty fault and time system.

After just 12 months of training, Patricia seized the opportunity to go to Crufts Dog Show as a member of an Agility demonstration team drawn from the north west — each day at Crufts there is a continuous programme of dog activities demonstrations in a small display ring and the public can also meet the dogs and their handlers. After an early start we were in the NEC car park by 0725 to exercise Lochann before joining the ‘river’ of dogs going into the show — there were around 5000 dogs there each day. Of course my camera went as well and, although the low level of lighting proved rather a challenge, I did get pictures of Lochann & Patricia in full flight round the demonstration course.


	Cover Story
		Patricia has always wanted a dog and three years ago was offered the chance to ‘rehome’ an English Toy Terrier puppy. Patricia called him ‘Lochann’ — he name of small lakes in Scotland, where we had just spent a holiday, and he makes a small puddle! He turned out to be intelligent, agile and amenable to training. Just over a year ago Patricia & Lochann enrolled on an Agility training course run by Wilmslow Dog Training Club. Dog Agility is the doggie equivalent of Show Jumping — the handler guides the dog round a course of 18 to 20 jumps and other obstacles; the competition being decided by the familiar penalty fault and time system. After just 12 months of training, Patricia seized the opportunity to go to Crufts Dog Show as a member of an Agility demonstration team drawn from the north west — each day at Crufts there is a continuous programme of dog activities demonstrations in a small display ring and the public can also meet the dogs and their handlers. After an early start we were in the NEC car park by 0725 to exercise Lochann before joining the ‘river’ of dogs going into the show — there were around 5000 dogs there each day. Of course my camera went as well and, although the low level of lighting proved rather a challenge, I did get pictures of Lochann & Patricia in full flight round the demonstration course.
		Patricia contacted the editor of the ME Association journal ME Essential as having fallen ill with ME many years ago, initially bedridden and then wheelchairbound, this story of recovery seemed newsworthy. By email return came a request for a ‘cuddly picture of Patricia and her high flying friend’. Now portraiture is far from my favourite occupation, but at least the weather was kind and the light good, so off went the second picture. It was only when the proofs were sent to us that we realised that Patricia and Lochann were to be on the cover of the April edition accompanied inside by my other photograph and an article written by the journal editor from Patricia’s notes.
		My fee for the photographs was, appropriate for a small charity, zero! But I was encouraged to invest in a Sigma 30mm f1.4 lens which has proved very capable of rendering really sharp images of indoor Agility competitions. Roger Dye
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