Tilly's journey to her SprintDog Title!

Tilly earned her very first title and I could not be prouder. She is now officially known as Dalsgold Now You Sea Me (AI) N.SPRD, and it feels pretty special to finally see those letters added to her name ✨

SprintDog is a newer sport and it has completely taken the dog world by storm. It can be tricky to get into, but once you do, it is such a fun experience. The concept is simple but exciting. A plastic bag acts as a lure and is pulled at speed along a straight line, encouraging the dog to sprint to the finish. If your dog loves to run, this sport is an absolute thrill.

After many rejected ballots, Tilly finally got her chance to give SprintDog a go. Our first trial was hosted by Fast Paws Sydney Inc, a fantastic club with the most friendly and welcoming volunteers. It was such a pleasure to attend a trial where everyone genuinely wanted newcomers to feel comfortable and supported. Check out her first run here on our instagram.

Tilly is such a happy go lucky girl that I knew no matter what, she would have fun. If she managed to get a qualifying score, then that was just a bonus. This was our very first sport trial, and I truly had no idea what to expect. From the moment we arrived, everyone went out of their way to make sure I knew what was happening and felt looked after.

SprintDog requires two people, one to release and one to catch. Of course, I attended the trial on my own, which meant finding someone willing to help. Tilly happily trotted off with a complete stranger to do something she had never done before, completely unfazed by the situation.

When the call of "Tally ho" rang out, she was off. And she absolutely loved it 💨🐶

It was not all smooth sailing though. At the Dogs NSW Grounds Development Committee trial, which was meant to be her title run, Tilly was a little too enthusiastic while waiting her turn. Her leash snapped, and she decided it was the best day of her life. She ran up to every volunteer asking if it was her turn yet and after zooming around the exclusion zone, she found herself disqualified. Naughty piggy girl 🐷😂

The judge was incredibly kind and came to find me to apologise and explain the disqualification. I assured her it was absolutely not the judge’s fault, just my very naughty dog being a bit too excited. If only she had held it together for one more run. Check out her first run of the day here on our instagram, if only she got that second pass!

Our next successful ballot was with the Field Spaniel Club of NSW. Another wonderful club doing amazing things for their breed and the wider dog community. At this trial, everything came together.

Tilly ran a personal best of 39.39 km per hour and gained the final points needed for her Novice SprintDog title. Watching her fly down the track and then celebrating that final run was such a proud moment 💛🏃‍♀️

A huge thank you goes to Ben’s Dog Releasing (Ben Williams) for wrangling Tilly and releasing her at trials.

If you would like to see her first runs and a full recap of our journey to Tilly’s first title, you can check it out over on our Instagram 📸🐾