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Another Löwchen first! Today Pistol became the first Löwchen in breed history to win an AKC all-breed obedience High In Trial!

It happened at the Corpus Christi (Texas) Kennel Club/Obedience Club of Corpus Christi trial. Pistol scored a 198 in Novice B, tying with a Golden Retriever for 1st place. Pistol won the run-off, and his score held through the rest of the day's classes for HIT. 

This is Pistol's 5th High In Trial - 3 from ASCA (Australian Shepherd Club of America) with scores of 196.5, 197, and 197.5, 1 from UKC (United Kennel Club) with a 199, and now one from AKC with a 198. Interestingly, every obedience judge Pistol has shown under has asked me the same 2 questions: "How do you pronounce 'Löwchen'?" and, "I've never judged one before...are they all like this?" ;-} 

9th August 2004
Barbara Cecil and MACH, NATCH, ATCH TayWil's Aerien Pistil Pete, TN-O, WV-N, TG-N, NADAC Novice Versatility, ASCA CD

A time-lapse picture of Pistol taken on the starting line at a recent agility trial (in the rain) in Dallas.

This story is especially for those of you who think obedience makes for a dull dog... 

Pistol made his debut in the Open obedience class Sunday (incidental brag - he won first place with a 198!) wowing the crowd and judge in the process. After watching dog after dog plod through the exercises, the judge was grinning ear-to-ear as Pistol performed everything at warp speed. Pistol's retrieves - one on the flat and one over the high jump - are particularly noteworthy: he flies out to the dumbell, grabs it, then flips his rear almost over this head (this is hard to describe!), lands facing me, then flies back in for the front. It's pretty spectacular and no, I didn't teach him to do it that way, it's something he invented himself. ;-} 

Well, the first place dog in each class got a toy from a big laundry basket full of toys that a steward brought into the ring. I asked the steward, a rather grim young woman, to put the basket on the floor and let Pistol pick out his own toy...she arched an eyebrow, but did it anyway. Pistol jumped into the basket and grabbed one toy that had a dainty squeak. That wouldn't do! He grabbed another that had no squeak at all. Toss it! No, not this one! Not that one, either! Almost disappearing into the pile of toys, he at last surfaced with a huge pink pig that, to Pistol's delight, went SQUEAL!! OINK!! SQUEAL!! OINK!! Perfect!! 

Everyone clapped and Pistol was pleased as punch. "My," said the ring steward, putting the discarded toys back into the basket, "your dog has...hmmm...an abundance of personality." 

Now is that a great compliment, or what? I'm not sure the steward meant it that way, but that's how I'm going to take it. Mr. Personality, in abundance! SQUEAL!! OINK!! Perfect!! 

18th November, 2004
Barbara Cecil, Houston, Texas, and Pistol, who knows a good toy when he squeaks it! 
MACH, NATCH, ATCH TayWil's Aerien Pistil Pete, CD, ASCA CD, UCD, TN-O, WV-N, TG-N 

Hi Lion Lovers!

Have I ever mentioned how much I love beating Border Collies? (Yes, I think I have...) ;-} Today Pistol did it again, in grand style. At our local NADAC trial, there were 72 dogs entered in Weavers, which is a course consisting of nothing but weave poles (in this case 2 sets of 12 poles and 2 sets of 6 poles) and tunnels (on this course there were 8). When the dust had settled - literally - Pistol had a Q, first place, and the fastest time in the trial: 30 seconds flat for a 4.22 yards per second run! 
He was moving so fast I couldn't even use my carefully thought-out handling plan. (So much for the half hour I had spent walking the course!) As Pistol zipped, I was relegated to just calling out variations of "Come", "Out", "Weave" and "Tunnel". 
One Australian Shepherd ran the course in 31+ seconds, and 2 Border Collies ran it in 32+ ... those were the only dogs even close to Pistol's 30. 
What a great start to a zippy new year!

2nd January, 2005
Barbara Cecil and Pistol "Weavin' Is My Middle Name" Cecil 
MACH, NATCH, ATCH TayWil's Aerien Pistol Pete, CD, UCD, ASCA CD, TN-O, WV-O, TG-N 
P.S. I just read the bestseller "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" and learned I use way too many exclamation points! Honestly! How can I write about Pistol and do otherwise?! ;-} 

Dear Fellow Owners of This Remarkable Breed -

When Pistol earned his NADAC Open Versatility title yesterday, it was more than nice and more than yet another agility title...it was a milestone, the **50th** title Pistol has earned in his three and a half years of competition. 
It takes a really special dog to do something like this and Pistol is special, indeed. He's intelligent, athletic, easy to train, consistent, has tons of prey drive and a sense of humor that usually overrides everything else. ;-} And he's not just another competitor, he's a winner; regardless of the venue, he almost always qualifies and places, usually first. I love having "the dog to beat"! 
Where Pistol earned his 50 titles: NADAC Agility 21; ASCA Agility 13; AKC Agility 11; AKC Obedience 2; UKC Obedience 2; ASCA Obedience 1. (And please remember that Pistol did all this with a gimpy senior citizen handler...that would be me. ;-}) 
I'm attaching my favorite picture of Pistol. Many of you have seen it before, but I love it because it reflects Pistol's attitude toward life in general: YEE-HAW!! Thank you, Herb Williams and John Taylor, for breeding this wonderful dog and for entrusting him to me. 

15th March, 2005
Barbara Cecil and the multitalented Pistol 
MACH, NATCH, ATCH TayWil's Aerien Pistil Pete, CD, RN, NJP, NAP, TN-O, WV-O, TG-O, UCDX, ASCA CD 
Houston, Texas 

"Pistil" • 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • Pedigree •
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