Frye's First Run and Calendar Shoot

Yes, in hindsight it was a crazy idea to show Frye at 7:30 am in the morning after a 3 hour drive to the show for her very first performance in the ring.  The course started with a tunnel, so that took some pressure off worrying about her holding a start-line stay.  I was also excited to see that the course was really just 2 large speed circles, with the obstacles all in a straight line.  I thought this would be pretty simple for Frye since we've worked multiple speed circles with tunnels and weaves in the yard.  What could go wrong?

After speaking with my friend Jen Bachelor who has trained Greyhounds for years in agility (her blog is http://neversaynevergreyhounds.blogspot.ca/), I learned that I need to run the zoomies out of Frye PRIOR to her entering the ring.  This is very different from a Ridgeback where one has to time perfectly getting them out of the crate just moments before they run in order to get the most drive out of them.
Fortunately, I had Frye take the following week off from trialing so we could regroup.  Yet, she found an opportunity to steal the spotlight in a different way.  At the agility trial in Reva Va there was a photographer who takes photos for Brown Trout calendars.  Originally he wanted a picture of a Ridgeback, but we brought him Frye instead.  He was miffed cause he said Greyhounds are too hard to photograph.  He felt they are too skittish.  As he said that, Frye jumped up on him and gave him big kisses.  He said "let's do this."  She posed beautifully. 

Then he asked "will she run?"  I thought this was a trick question because of course she runs.  He laid at the bottom of the hill with his camera and told me to call her down the hill, but to stand directly behind him.  I told him, "she's not going to stop for you."  He said to just let her run.  He kept muttering, "I'm going to be the first photographer to get a great shot of a Greyhound running."  Frye ran the hill beautifully, barely missing the photographer.  He was exhilarated, jumped up and said, "I am going to be the only one in the country to get shots like this!"  And here is that glorious shot.