by Dee Dee Anderson
Sliver earned her TDX on 2/28/2010; she ran the alternate track (the 6th track), so we had to wait until 1:00pm before we were told we could run the track that day. Sliver ran her three and half hour old track in 14 minutes. The track went along a lake and then made a right turn down into a steep wash out. Sliver did not hesitate and I asked her to stop on the other side so I could get down and out. While going down I pulled a muscle in my leg. I was not going to let Sliver down, so told her to go on. She did and the track took us into some very thick low growing stickers. Sliver tried to go through but came back out on three legs. I called her to me and pulled out a sticker, then asked her to go again. She took one step in and came back out, then she checked to see if she could get around the stickers. There was no way around the stickers. For a moment I though about picking her up and carrying her through, but instead I called her to me and got down on my knees and we had a few nice words while I scratched her head. I then told her to go on for the third time. This time she started into the stickers and pushed through, once on the other side there was no stopping her! I was later told by the judges that Sliver’s track was the first track they plotted the day before and because the stickers were so bad they hoped not to use the track, so made it the alternate track. They even started talking about how maybe tracking dogs should be able to wear boots. Poor Sliver, I was even more proud of her!