Piper earns an OTCH. Photo by Cook.
The journey to an OTCH with my Papillon Piper was full of twists and turns. Piper early on showed talent beyond my skills to develop. I fussed, I worried, I was directed to Dee Dee. Piper’s goal (set by me) was a UDX. We progressed from a competent team to a competitive team under Dee Dee’s exacting eye. Piper had suffered two catastrophic breaks of both the bones in his left front leg requiring orthopedic surgery each time. The second time the bones did not heal straight causing his leg to turn out. This was one of the challenges that Dee Dee helped me to master. Watching Piper’s progress Dee Dee strongly felt he was an OTCH candidate and never waivered in her judgment. I had no faith in my talented little dog because of his handicap and felt at best he would achieve a UDX. Piper and I worked very hard to achieve Dee Dee’s vision. She was right – as usual.